Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

The No Lose or Self Sealing Fallacy in a Religious Setting.

In a sermon on 12/29 Marcus Tovstiga tells the congregants that they should not be surprised that they are undergoing the persecution that they are. They have a target on their backs. Marcus assures them that their struggles are related to being faithful to God and that the struggles are a sign that God approves of them. His encouragement is based on a fallacy known as the no-lose fallacy. A situation has been set up where it is assumed that God is leading them and blessing them when things are going well, and it is assumed that God is leading them and blessing them when they are being persecuted. No matter what the external circumstances are, they need to continue to be faithful to the group and follow the leaders. There is no means to assess the direction they are traveling because everything indicates that they are following God. The leaders are not subject to question.
The video is a brief discussion of this particular fallacy and the problems it creates in a religious setting.


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