The Physiology of Clerical Influence on the Minds of Believers

Religions make three claims:

First, they claim to understand existence. That is, they claim to know what this world and other worlds are like and what laws govern them.

Second, they claim to understand human beings and to know their nature and needs.

Third, they claim to know the path to human salvation and happiness.

Believers therefore turn to those who claim to understand religion in order to learn about the world in which they live, the worlds in which they lived before, and the worlds in which they will live afterward, as well as to discover the path to happiness in this life and in the lives to come. Those who claim such knowledge of religion are called clergy. From this perspective, the clergy as a class or profession can be seen as a product of believers’ needs, just as many other professions arise from other needs within society.

But how do believers come to accept what their trusted clergy tell them without raising critical questions, engaging in debate and argument, expressing doubt, or challenging what they hear?

Perhaps the first reason is clerical consensus. When most members of the clergy agree on a proposition or religious ruling, believers may simply rely on that consensus and accept what a particular cleric tells them. Yet we often see that a cleric can say something contrary to what other members of the clergy say, and his followers may still accept his words.

Let us see how the words of the clergy gain influence over the minds of believers.