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Originally Posted by jamesabrown
I no longer see faith as a valid means of obtaining information. I only believe that which my reason tells me so, and I leave my mind open for new data.
So it's possible to reason someone out of an irrational belief, but in my case it took nearly fifteen years.
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I went through a similar transition from religious to rationalism (though not quite rationality!
), and it's a difficult struggle. The problem as I see it is that not everyone is seeking the factual truth, but rather a comforting Truthiness - "God made Man (me), so we're (I'm) special". And far too many adults lack the education and/or mindset to view science and reason as more valid than faith, and indeed feel threatened by them because it upsets their comforting specialness.
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I finally admitted that I was opposed to evolution for no other reason than because my teachers and parents had told me so.
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I'd say then, that it wasn't so much an irrational belief, as just a belief based on the information you had at the time-- I may be misreading. Just shows how vital a solid education in scientific thinking really is.