Stockholm Syndrome - I have difficulty understanding how any reasonably thinking person can have the faith of Islamic Jihadist extremists who have a goal to maim and kill "unbelievers." I agree with Francis Bacon that the deeper and more absurd the faith, the deeper it appears to be engrained. Once a faith is embedded in one's solipsistic reality it is extremely difficult to change. No wonder so many horrific things are done as an auto-da-fe (act of faith). Harris stated that, “central to most religious practice is a child acceptance of authoritarian dogma as an act of faith." (1969) Faith amounts to the Stockholm Syndrome of kidnapping young hostages (against their will) and through indoctrination solicit their brains and bring them into compliance and alliance with religious beliefs. Faith is a blatant master-minded and single-minded exercise in capturing young minds. Faith is Limbic Brain imprintation of religious viewpoints and prejudices. Once early 0-7 age indoctrination has been implanted and encased in young brains, this stubborn organ is unreceptive to new contradictory information. Religious implantation is a dire radical- izing dogmatism that leads to discriminatory practices towards anyone who dares to question their faith. Religious dogma becomes a defensive unthinking captivity and reactivity of closed-mindedness.
Like killing a doctor for performing an abortion?
Richard Dawkins is worth looking at on this subject, he makes the point in several books, that, the child's mind is programed to accept and believe all information given it by an authority figure. Because the child has no experience of its own and disobeying an order like. "Do not go near the lake on your own." Could get it drowned or eaten by a crocodile. Therefore there is an evolved advantage in this sort of brain in children. When people attempt brainwashing their first act is to reduce their victim to a child like state, with no power to make choices of there own, yet rewarding any signs of attachment to the kidnapper, then when the victim accepts the kidnapper as a parent, and the only source of rewards, they are ready to be brainwashed.