Voting with Eyes Wide Shut?
Loyalty is often seen as a virtue—a mark of integrity, steadfastness, and trustworthiness. But in the realms of politics and religion, loyalty to a group can sometimes act as a barrier to critical thinking and self-reflection. Whether it’s a political party, a candidate, or a religious tradition, this loyalty can create a mindset where people blindly accept anything that aligns with their beliefs and overlook or dismiss anything that doesn’t. The result? People may end up in an echo chamber, convinced of their “rightness” without ever truly examining the broader picture.
Let’s explore how group loyalty affects our thinking, the psychological factors involved, and how we can strive for a mindset that values truth over comfort.
The Power of Group Loyalty
Human beings are wired for connection and belonging, and group loyalty provides both. This loyalty gives people a sense of identity, security, and shared purpose. It’s why political supporters feel a rush of pride when their candidate wins or why religious believers feel solidarity during shared practices. These strong emotions create bonds that are deeply personal and hard to question.
However, this loyalty can also lead to a kind of “tribalism” where loyalty to the group becomes more important than objective truth. When someone’s identity is tightly tied to their group’s beliefs, questioning the group can feel like questioning themselves. As a result, it’s often easier to accept the party line without scrutiny than to examine it critically.
Cognitive Dissonance: The Uncomfortable Clash of Beliefs
When loyalty and truth collide, cognitive dissonance kicks in. Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort we experience when we hold two conflicting beliefs or encounter information that challenges our existing views. To reduce this discomfort, people often choose the easier route—rejecting the conflicting information or rationalizing it to align with their beliefs.
For example, suppose a political leader makes a questionable decision that contradicts the values they once promoted. Loyal supporters might experience cognitive dissonance but quickly find ways to explain it away or ignore it altogether to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of doubt. Similarly, a person may continue to follow religious traditions unquestioningly, even if they come across biblical passages that suggest a different interpretation, because exploring these questions could disrupt their sense of security within the group.
This desire to minimize cognitive dissonance often leads to confirmation bias, where people seek information that reinforces their existing views and avoid information that challenges them.
Authority Bias: The Influence of Leaders and Trusted Figures
In both politics and religion, trusted leaders hold a great deal of influence. Authority bias—the tendency to attribute greater weight and trust to authority figures—often plays a significant role in shaping beliefs. This bias can lead people to accept the words of a political leader or religious figure without questioning, simply because they’re in a position of authority.
For instance, political supporters might accept statements from their favourite candidate even if they’re controversial or questionable, because the leader’s authority and charisma create a sense of trust and loyalty. Similarly, in religious contexts, leaders or long-standing traditions can discourage followers from questioning established beliefs. When loyalty to an authority figure overrides one’s commitment to truth, it becomes difficult to engage in meaningful, independent exploration.
Ingroup Bias: “Us vs. Them” Thinking
Another powerful psychological force at play is ingroup bias, the tendency to view one’s own group more favourably than outsiders. Ingroup bias fosters an “us vs. them” mentality, where the ingroup (political party or religious community) is seen as inherently right or righteous, while the outgroup (those who disagree) is viewed with suspicion or even disdain.
This bias reinforces loyalty to the group by creating an echo chamber of approval and unity, which can discourage people from questioning or seeking perspectives outside their group. A political supporter might dismiss critiques from opposing parties or independent sources, assuming they are biased. Similarly, in religious groups, members may view questioning as a form of betrayal or disloyalty.
Ingroup bias can also make people feel that loyalty to the group is synonymous with loyalty to truth, even though these two are not always aligned.
The Cost of Blind Loyalty: Missing Out on Growth and Understanding
When loyalty to a group becomes blind loyalty, it limits personal growth and understanding. People miss opportunities to broaden their perspective, refine their beliefs, and embrace a more nuanced view of the world. In politics, this can result in polarization, where supporters of different parties are unwilling to collaborate or even engage in constructive debate. It can create a feedback loop of divisive rhetoric that keeps individuals entrenched in their beliefs without room for questioning or change.
In religious settings, blind loyalty to tradition can prevent believers from discovering aspects of their faith that may lead to a more authentic relationship with God. For example, beliefs about the afterlife, the nature of Jesus, or moral teachings may differ between traditions. An unwillingness to examine alternative interpretations can prevent believers from exploring these issues deeply and understanding the Bible’s teachings more fully.
Blind loyalty can also breed complacency. When people stop questioning or learning, they may lose sight of the principles of honesty, humility, and open-mindedness that are essential to a meaningful faith or a healthy democratic society.
Building a Mindset that Seeks Truth Over Comfort
The good news is that we can cultivate a mindset that values truth, even when it challenges our loyalty to a particular group. Here are a few ways to start:
Practice Intellectual Humility: Recognize that no group or leader has all the answers. Being open to new perspectives, even those from outside your group, fosters growth and understanding. Acknowledging that we might be wrong is a valuable first step toward real learning.
Seek Out Diverse Sources of Information: In politics, this means looking beyond one news source or listening to different viewpoints to get a fuller picture. In religion, it may mean exploring different interpretations of Scripture or talking to believers from other traditions. Diversity in information can help balance biases and open our eyes to alternative understandings.
Engage in Self-Reflection: Regularly ask yourself, “Am I holding this belief because it’s true or because it feels comfortable?” Self-reflection can help identify when loyalty may be clouding our judgment.
Ask Honest Questions: In both faith and politics, asking questions shouldn’t be seen as a sign of disloyalty but as a pursuit of growth. Questions lead to deeper understanding and can help refine beliefs in ways that bring us closer to truth.
Value Principles Over People: Ultimately, loyalty should be based on principles rather than mere allegiance to a person or group. This means respecting values like honesty, integrity, and compassion even if doing so leads us to question our group’s stance or actions.
Finding True Loyalty Through Truth
True loyalty isn’t blind—it’s rooted in a commitment to values that stand up to scrutiny. In politics, this might mean being willing to critique your own party or candidate when they stray from their stated principles. In religion, it can mean re-evaluating beliefs in light of Scripture rather than simply accepting what’s always been taught.
Christadelphians, for instance, emphasize a continual search for biblical truth over blind adherence to tradition. This mindset involves reading the Bible independently, examining beliefs, and being willing to adjust one’s understanding in light of personal study. For those outside Christadelphian circles, this approach can serve as a reminder that faith can grow richer when we’re open to questioning and seeking truth.
In both politics and religion, loyalty to truth over loyalty to group can lead to greater personal integrity, stronger convictions, and a faith that’s based not on comfort but on conviction. By embracing this approach, we can foster a mindset that’s open, resilient, and willing to grow—a mindset that values the truth above all else.
