Willing Suspension of Disbelief
The term was coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief
Coleridge was writing about fiction and poetry, and was interested in how people relate to works of fiction, even fantasy fiction, by deciding to ignore the obvious untruths and unreality for the sake of their own enjoyment. This action on the part of people lets them enjoy even bizarre science fiction and sword and sorcery literature without dwelling on the fact that what is described has nothing to do with reality.
I learned about this while I was an English major at my University. It struck a chord in me that related to religious scripture. I was studying the scriptures of various religions, following a fairly extensive study of the Bible. Throughout that study, I found it interesting that supernatural entities, miracles, resurrections and other fantastic events described in most scriptures were actually believed by some to have actually occurred. Now, were it not a religious scripture, but a work of fiction, Coleridge's "willing suspension of disbelief" would have allowed the reader to enjoy that literature, despite knowing that what was described was not real. Certainly I have done the same when reading various books.
However, people who actually believe the accounts in religious scriptures appear to have gone beyond that conscious suspension of disbelief to somehow actually believe what they are reading. That's a different thing than enjoying a space alien shoot-em-up novel that takes place in a galaxy far, far away. What would Coleridge call that action on the part of people who read the Bible or other scriptural works that include creation myths, supernatural deities, angels, and other such things we never actually experience or see?
Coleridge was no atheist. In fact, he also wrote theological treatises. I wonder if he considered his concept of "willing suspension of disbelief" as he studied the Bible. There's no real way to know, since he's long since dead. Born just before the American Revolution, nobody who ever talked to him is still alive. But, I thought about that apparent conflict quite a good deal.
I think what happens with scriptural writings is a "willing abandonment of disbelief." One sees the unbelievable written, considers it, and then simply abandons reason and reliance on evidence and simply accepts what is written there. It's very much unlike what happens when you read literature. But, why? Why would you take two different approaches to the written word. The only conclusion I could come to was that strange word, "Faith."
Faith can trigger abandonment of reality, apparently. While, in a novel or poem, you can simply suspend your disbelief while enjoying the process of reading. But, for similar things in scripture, one must abandon it. "Great Fishes" swallowing up Jonah, then regurgitating him, whole and unharmed, on a shore, is no less unreal than a space alien who somehow understands English. But, miraculously, "faith" allows one to simply abandon reality and accept the unreal as truth.
I am unable to do that. I cannot. I prefer to simply suspend my disbelief consciously while entertaining myself. I can't abandon it, though, lest I be thought of as mentally ill. I do not claim in public, for example, that Hobbits really exist, nor that Harry Potter can wave a wand to disarm an evil wizard. If I did, people would think I was "barmy." However, I could claim that Moses parted the Red Sea with the help of an invisible, all-powerful, supernatural deity, and many people would nod their heads in quiet agreement.
Religion is a strange thing, I have concluded. Religious "faith" allows people to abandon all reason and believe almost anything. If you have faith, you can believe that "It's turtles all the way down." How odd. Faith appears to enable one to abandon reality for fantasy.
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