The Unbiased Confirmation Bias

 

Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories.

For example, my ultra-liberal (or ultra-conservative) friends share and “amen” articles, videos, and memes that fit their pre-adopted left (or right) leaning narratives.

I’ve been guilty of this myself. It is soooo easy to fall into this “confirmation bias” trap. If something sounds true - meaning, it seems to fit what we already believe - we believe it to be true without corroborating. It is the widespread epidemic of confirmation bias that has given us the relatively new phenomenon known as “fake news.”

What is the bias of all other biases? That we are the center of the universe. That our persona is what is most important in life and that our preferences ought to be the law of the land. So, whatever fits this bias, must be “true.” And whatever does not is repudiated, or simply ignored. How would you know if your Christian life has become hijacked by confirmation bias? Here are some possible diagnostic signs:

 -When we hear a particularly challenging sermon, we think mainly of who else needs to hear it or who else it ought to apply to, instead of how it might apply personally to me/us. “I really hope my spouse/ child/ friend is listening right now”.

   -We don’t pray much for God’s forgiveness, but mainly to get His blessings.

   -We think every strained or broken relationship we’ve ever experienced has always been the other person’s fault.

   -We constantly rehearse the failings of others in our mind and imagine dialogues with them in which we “put them in their place” and “win.”

The three steps remedy ∵

 1. Review, examine ourselves. Knowing and acknowledging we have this problem is necessary before we can even address it. Paul tells Timothy to “keep a close watch on yourself” - 1 Tim. 4:16.

2. Repent. This is why Jesus said that if anyone wanted to come after him, they must deny themselves and take up their cross. This means constantly repenting and redirecting our indictments inward, into our own souls.

3. Repeat the above steps daily remembering that Christ’s mercies are new every morning. And this mercy is meant to be shared, not hoarded. When we remind ourselves about our union with Christ, we cultivate

   a fearlessness to repent,

      a boldness to “own up,”

        a courage to be transparent, and

          an impulse to love our biased neighbor as much as we love ourselves.

Hopefully unbiased.