Cognitive Dissonance - Why People Reject the Evidence about Prophets?

This trilogy begins with why the Jewish people rejected Jesus, followed by why Christians rejected Muhammad, and finally why Muslims reject the Mahdi. This pattern is explained by cognitive dissonance theory, one of the most influential social theories in modern social psychology.

Many claim they would accept figures like Jesus or Muhammad if they lived during their times. It is easier to accept them today because the majority view them as revered figures, no longer walking the earth, and their teachings have been accepted over centuries. Yet, during their lifetimes, they faced much opposition and rejection. 

All people have a worldview, and we are often deeply attached to our ideas. However, we must open ourselves to the possibility that we might be wrong, which is a difficult task. Even in neuroscience, it is known that learning new things is easier than detaching from deeply held beliefs. Yet, if we understand how this process works, it can allow us to be wrong.

Neuroscientist and psychologist Mark R. Leary, Ph.D., and his colleagues found that people who practice what they call intellectual humility are more capable of evaluating evidence. Intellectual humility allows individuals to assess evidence, even when it challenges their existing views, and involves recognizing that one’s beliefs may be open to the possibility of being wrong.

Embracing intellectual humility is critical in fields like medicine, where cognitive dissonance can lead to harmful denial (e.g., ignoring diagnoses), while humility enables understanding based on the evidence.

First, I want to explain the Theory of Dissonance, which is well-known when dealing with medical problems, in plain English. 

We can observe this in various examples, such as unhealthy behaviors like eating junk food or smoking, or when patients need to change their lifestyle but resist doing so. Today, for example, it is widely recognized that smoking can lead to lung cancer and pulmonary emphysema. Cigarette boxes explicitly warn that "this product could kill you." These warnings are visible everywhere, from stores to airports. Yet, people continue smoking. Why is this the case?

Functional beliefs, such as "Smoking calms me down when I am stressed or upset," "Smoking helps me concentrate better," "Smoking is an important part of my life," and "Smoking makes it easier for me to socialize," often justify smoking behavior. 

Similarly, risk-minimizing beliefs, like "The medical evidence that smoking is harmful is exaggerated," "One has to die of something, so why not enjoy yourself and smoke?" and "Smoking is no riskier than many other things people do," can downplay the dangers of smoking.

Even though people might deny the truth, justify their actions, ignore facts, or reject them by searching for biased studies or rationalizing their behavior, they often convince themselves they are exceptions to the rule. The same applies in other areas of life, such as empathizing with a particular political candidate or ideology or choosing an unsuitable partner. We sometimes deny evidence to feel safe and maintain our existing ideas or behaviors. It is essential to understand the reasons why this happens. 

The theory of dissonance has studied the reasons. The theory was first studied by Leon Festinger (May 8, 1919 – February 11, 1989), an American social psychologist who originated cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory, to explore how individuals tend to make changes to justify stressful behavior. This can occur through various mechanisms: adding new elements to the cognition causing psychological dissonance (rationalization), believing that "people get what they deserve" (just-world fallacy), selectively accepting certain information while rejecting or ignoring others (selective perception), or avoiding circumstances and contradictory information likely to increase the magnitude of cognitive dissonance (confirmation bias).

Festinger's study of the Seekers cult revealed how cognitive dissonance makes individuals reinterpret reality rather than abandon deeply held beliefs. He conducted a study in 1954 on a small UFO cult (called the Seekers), led by Dorothy Martin. The cult believed that the world would end on December 21, 1954. Members of the cult were highly committed, having abandoned their jobs, families, and possessions to prepare for the event. On December 21, the group isolated themselves and awaited rescue at midnight. No UFO arrived.

Dorothy Martin claimed to receive a message from the aliens stating that the cult had saved the Earth. They believed their collective devotion had averted the disaster. So faced with undeniable proof that their beliefs were wrong, the followers did not abandon their faith. Believing their faith had spared humanity, they instead began evangelizing about the truth of their message with renewed enthusiasm. Remarkably, this cult persisted and is still active today.

Cognitive Dissonance and Religion

"Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.'" (Mark 6:4)

Jesus stated that his initial mission was to the "sheep of Israel," who were supposed to be waiting for him. 

Even today, books are written denying Jesus as the Messiah, such as Why Doesn't Judaism Accept the Christian's Messiah?, a two-volume work spanning over 800 pages. Others create videos or search for ways to argue against his Messianic status.

These efforts show a lack of emotional acknowledgment that they might be wrong and they continue arguing over it, because it causes them psychological discomfort. One individual explained that he made videos because of the emotional attachment Jews have to their belief system, fearing they might reject the truth appointed by God. So even today they are arguing the Christians’ point of view to reject them, but are they correct?

This ongoing debate between Jewish and Christian perspectives can be explained by cognitive dissonance, which occurs when someone holds two contradictory beliefs. This psychological discomfort motivates people to try to feel better. And so when faced with dissonance, individuals may respond in various ways: 

 1.  Change the behaviour or the cognition ("I'll stop smoking or eating or  being attached to this idea anymore").

This is the ideal response but is more difficult to achieve.

2. Justify the behaviour or the cognition by changing the conflicting cognition ("I'm allowed to cheat on my diet every once in a while").

Another reason some deny the truth, even if they see it, is that people are often attached to a certain group or have invested all their effort into it. They perceive this denial as a form of self-defense. They may use defense mechanisms to avoid social discomfort or the loss it might cause them.

a) Trying to grant consistency. The greater the personal value of the elements, the greater the magnitude of the dissonance in the relation.

b) Effort justification. Bias is belief perseverance: when beliefs persist after the evidence for them is shown to be false.

c) Mindfulness. People may deal with cognitive inconsistencies without being aware of them. Some people try to  ignore them.

d) Searching for biased information: People may seek information that supports their beliefs. Confirmation bias, also called confirmatory bias or myside bias, is the tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that confirms one's beliefs or hypotheses while giving disproportionately less consideration to alternative possibilities.

3. Justify the behaviour or the cognition by adding new behaviours or cognitions ("I'll spend thirty extra minutes at the gymn to work off the doughnut").

4. Ignore or deny information that conflicts with existing beliefs ("This doughnut is not a high-sugar food").

Other people realize they have made a mistake, which is more untestable and post-decisional dissonance: trying to justify their behavior by focusing on the positives of what they chose.

Why are the people who claim to wait for a Messianic figure the ones who reject the Messiah the most?

First, we have to understand the reasons why Jewish people reject Jesus, why people reject Mohammed, and why people reject the Mahdi. It may seem quite different, but they all share some similarities that an open mind would understand. They want a Messianic figure, which is what they are waiting for, but if something doesn’t happen in the way that aligns with their ideology, they deny it.

The anointed one is always mentioned by the previous prophet or messenger in one way or another and proclaimed as the one chosen by God. Also as we recall, they possess knowledge and call others to recognize the sovereignty of God Almighty.

Jesus came to the people of Israel, claiming to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. The Jews were waiting for a Messiah, and God sent Jesus first to them, to Israel, as is seen in the passage where he encounters a Canaanite woman crying for her daughter, who was possessed and suffering terribly. She asked him to cure her.

They knew a certain man would come.

At that moment, there was no reason for them to assume that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah they had been waiting for. They were awaiting him just as they had awaited Moses when he came.

'I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I commend him.' (Deuteronomy 18:18)

So, they knew that the Messianic figure would come; he proclaims that he is the one who fulfills the prophecy.

"Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." (Isaiah 61:1)

We can see the fulfillment of this in the Bible.

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:20)

In our day, they can argue over many things, but if our imagination returns to that moment, what happened was that instead of accepting Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy, they were trying to kill Jesus.

"All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, to throw him off the cliff." (Luke 4:28-29)

They displayed cognitive dissonance - effort justification, when beliefs persist even after evidence proving them false is presented. 

This case of cognitive dissonance is similar to that of one of the most important prophets of the Jewish people, Moses, whom the Israelites were waiting for. He also came to fulfill a previous prophecy, though he was never explicitly named in earlier scriptures. They were relying on a text that referred to him vaguely.

'Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.” (Genesis 15:13)

The Jews said that if they didn’t know whether someone was the Messiah, they had to ask the scholars. However, they used a text that referred to this practice out of context. The people never went to ask the scholars who the prophet was. The references to Moses did not name him explicitly: 

'And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”' (Genesis 50:25)

The verse looks forward to a future deliverer, but does not name him. When the Exodus finally occurred centuries later, Moses took Joseph’s bones with him as the Israelites left Egypt (Exodus 13:19).

If we are looking for a clearly anointed one based on fulfilment of prophecy, we must be fair and acknowledge that the majority of God's promises are conditional, as we can read several times, including during the time of Moses. God first promised the Holy Land to the Israelites in Genesis 12 when He promised Abraham that He would give them a place where they could live. The fulfillment of this was conditional on Israel’s obedience to God’s commands. 

God's promises often depend on people’s obedience to His laws, which is why messengers like Jesus, who fulfilled prophecies, were sometimes rejected even though they met God's requirements.

In our day and age, people have found more reasons to deny Jesus as a prophet. They talk about certain topics that I will mention briefly. They say Jesus was not a prophet for several reasons. Let's point out some of the most notable ones:

1. The return of captivity

It mentions before God gave them the Holy Land,

He said, “'Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward, they will come out with great possessions.'" (Genesis 15:13-14)

God’s promise to Abraham about Israel’s enslavement and eventual liberation is unconditional, it occurs regardless of human actions. Other passages, however, are conditional. Yet the conditional nature of some other biblical promises does not disprove Jesus’ prophetic role. The Holy scriptures said,

'And when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything, I command you today.' (Deuteronomy 30:2)

This passage ties Israel’s prosperity to their obedience. This includes recognizing and obeying His appointed messengers. So, how can someone who denies the prophet that God sent as a mercy to them believe they are obeying God or expect to receive anything from Him? Even more, they continue misusing this verse as part of their reasoning to deny Jesus.

Further, the passage Isaiah 11:11–12 describes a future event where God will regather the remnant of Israel from all over the world, gathering them. Since, Jesus did not accomplish this worldwide gathering, opponents see this as evidence that Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies.

"In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel. He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth." (Isaiah 11:11-12)

Does this promise refer to the black banners?

Aba Al-Sadiq explains this topic in detail in a video about the return of the people of Israel.

2. The reconstruction of the Temple

One of the prophecies is the reconstruction of the Holy Temple, which at that time had not yet been destroyed. Some people use this passage of the building of the temple to deny Jesus. They argue Solomon’s Temple fulfills the prophecy entirely, not Jesus:

'When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.' (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

God’s promises depend on obedience. Israel’s history shows that blessings such as the presence of the Temple were removed through rebellion. The key point I would like to emphasize is that the scriptures show us that the destruction of both Temples resulted from Israel’s mocking of God’s messengers and covenants - including Jesus.

"The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there." (2 Chronicles 36:15 -17, 19)

We can find further references to this in Jeremiah 25:8-11, Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

Jesus also predicted the destruction of the second temple in the Bible. Jesus linked the Second Temple’s fate to Israel’s rejection of His messianic mission.

'Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.”' (Matthew 24:1-2)

If you want to learn more about the rebuilding of the temple, you can watch the video of Aba Al-Sadiq where he discusses this topic.

So, cognitive dissonance, in the case of the prophet or messenger, involves establishing new criteria to judge against Jesus as a non-prophetic or non-Messianic figure, while applying separate standards to Moses. This dissonance also leads to disregarding the historical pattern of the Jewish people mocking God’s messengers, actions that resulted in destruction and forfeited divine promises. In other words, these promises were always conditional and did not nullify the prophet or messenger.

3. The period of peace

Those who reject Jesus’ messianic role often cite prophecies of a period of immediate peace. The period of peace couldn’t happen during Jesus' time. As we can see, there were many prophecies about it. And of course, we can’t deny that this didn’t happen.

'He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.' (Isaiah 2:4)

Also, there are prophecies that talk about animals in peacetime. If you want to learn more about the perspective of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light on the meaning of these prophecies, you can watch this video.

'Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.' (Isaiah 9:7)

However, peace has always been the result of following God’s messengers and prophets, while the opposite is the case when their guidance is ignored.

'“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”' (Isaiah 48:22)

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Also, they explain a time when the wild animals will be with the child. "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them" (Isaiah 11:6). (There is  a fascinating explanation of this passage on our channel.)

To challenge the argument that peace only comes to the ones who obey God would be to challenge all the Torah. The Torah repeatedly establishes peace as a conditional blessing tied to obedience.

This principle, that peace and blessings are conditional on obedience, is seen throughout the Torah in many instances, including the account of Korah’s rebellion: In the time of Moses, some Israelites who had initially followed Moses out of Egypt later rebelled against him, despite their inclusion in God’s promise to enter the Promised Land. This event was known as Korah’s Rebellion, where the earth opened and swallowed Korah and those who opposed Moses. This judgment reaffirmed God’s appointment of Moses and Aaron as leaders and served as a warning against challenging divinely ordained authority. We can review this account in the book of Numbers 16,

'And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions.' (Numbers 16:32)

The rebellion of Korah in Numbers 16 highlights the Torah’s principle that peace and blessing depend on obedience to God’s authority.

4. The Kingdom of Jesus on the earth

This is perhaps the most significant point of opposition raised against Christians, as opponents argue that the fulfillment of prophecy must include this earthly kingdom, a claim that cannot be denied. 

Additionally, it is essential to acknowledge that Jewish tradition anticipates the arrival of two distinct messianic figures: Moshiach ben David (Messiah from David’s lineage) and Moshiach ben Yosef (Messiah from Joseph’s lineage).

Moshiach ben David: Isaiah 11:1-10,Jeremiah 23:5-6, Ezekiel 37:24-28, Amos 9:11, Micah 5:2.

Moshiach ben Yosef: Zechariah 12:10, Obadiah 1:18, Ezekiel 37:15-19, Genesis 49:22-26.

Moshiach ben Yosef is a figure associated with suffering, hardship and betrayal, commonly associated with Jesus.

5. The establishment of a divine kingship

Historically, scholars are the ones who have constantly opposed the prophets and messengers. The great sin of the people is to pledge allegiance to fake rulers or kings. (https://youtu.be/c97Zsur1v_w?si=CW6f0J7oFnDLatfL)

Substantiated evidence has proven that the scholars are the ones who denied the ones that God had sent to the people. And the people constantly reject the ones sent by God.

'And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.' (1 Samuel 8:7)

When the Jewish people asked about recognizing God’s appointed messengers, they were instructed to consult scholars. However, history shows that those who truly followed God and His prophets were rarely the majority. Rejecting God’s messengers equates to rejecting God Himself, as Scripture makes clear.

To relate this to cognitive dissonance: They used part of the prophecies related to the Messianic figure that God had promised to them, and based on their shortcoming, they  were not fulfilled... For example, the Israelites’ disobedience resulted in their 40-year wilderness journey for a distance that should have taken 11 days (Deuteronomy 1:2). They also tried to kill Moses, as it is written:

'And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”' (Numbers 14:4)

'The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.' (Numbers 14:10)

So, God said He would punish the people. Then Moses interceded for them. God forgave them but none of them entered the promised land.

'The Lord ’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.' (Numbers 32:13)

In part, this was because they disobeyed. It is even written in the Bible that God wanted to destroy them.

The pattern of rejecting God’s messengers exposes a recurring pattern. As we see from the examples in the Bible, this cognitive dissonance, clinging to selective criteria and interpretations of prophecy to avoid uncomfortable truths leads to spiritual paralysis.

Why didn’t the Christians accept Mohammed?

If I must summarize in a few words, it’s because they think the bible is a closed book as the Jewish think, rejecting ongoing revelation. They dismiss Jesus’ teachings about  the coming of other prophets. As an ex-Christian, I once held those beliefs. At one point, I thought that if the Bible isn’t complete or true, then God doesn’t exist. Perhaps someone fabricated these texts to manipulate us, and all religion is man-made. 

Another reason is Christianity’s grace-based salvation, which some perceive as an “easy path” to salvation.

'If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.' (Romans 10:9)

This is an easy way to salvation. The simplicity appeals to many. Accepting ongoing revelation (later prophets) introduces uncertainty that challenges this simplicity.

Why don’t Muslims accept the will of Prophet Mohammed?

Some days ago, I was speaking with a Sunni Muslim who denied that the Prophet Muhammad made a testament, as Jesus did. A testament is an Islamic obligation and is written in the Holy Quran. We discussed this for a while, and one argument led to another. He claimed that the Prophet was in shock in his final moments.I asked him, as a doctor, what kind of shock he was referring to, as I have seen many people die, and  many of them make their testament even at the last minute. The conversation then shifted suddenly to Aisha, one of the Prophet’s wives. He asked me if the Prophet could have made a mistake by marrying her.

I referred to the Holy Quran, which states that both Sunnis and Shias know she revealed some secrets. God said that if she did not change, Muhammad could divorce her. He then stated, “The Prophet was not capable of making any mistake in his life; he was perfect when he was born and perfect when he passed away.” I replied that if we think this way, it means he did not make a mistake when he was sick and asked for pen and paper to write his testament. At this point, he realized he had contradicted himself. There was an awkward silence before he abruptly dropped the call without explanation.

In such cases, arguments often continue until they are stopped by inconsistencies in the other person’s beliefs, beliefs that weren’t irrefutable by themselves then the best way to proceed was to go. It is usually futile to argue with people like this because they do not remain consistent in their arguments. They purposefully distort the truth and misinterpret facts to avoid admitting the truth or that they are wrong.

Similarly, many Jews say they do not believe in Jesus simply because they are Jewish. This means they do not spend time investigating the reasons but instead rely on cultural or beliefs passed down from their parents.

This behavior can be described as denial as a defense mechanism. As you may already know, much of our cognition operates at subconscious or semiconscious levels. Belief systems are usually formed during childhood and shaped by parents. The purpose of this defense mechanism is to avoid distress caused by reorganizing one’s thoughts and behaviors. For some people, their lives are so deeply rooted in their beliefs that changing them overnight would cause mental distress or even a breakdown.

The denial of prophets and messengers across religions is explained by cognitive dissonance, a psychological mechanism that causes individuals to reject opposing information to keep their existing worldview. As cognitive dissonance theory reveals, Jesus, Muhammad, and the ongoing conflict over figures like the Mahdi all arise from the tendency to cling to comfortable falsehoods rather than face transformative truths. To avert this, we must have the courage to question our views, even when truth demands change. It is only by embracing uncomfortable realities that we can overcome the cycles of self-deception that have, throughout time, turned hearts away from the awaited Messiah.