I know why they do it...

But for the life of my I don't know how they do it.

What, you ask?

Deny science. That's what. The fundagelical belief system that has its followers believe the Earth is 6000 years old. Evolution never happened, and further is some sort of secular/satanic lie to try to destroy Christian faith.

We won't even go into climate change again.

If xtians would only allow themselves to examine, and understand the science behind the claims, but they won't. Or can't.

For example: We know the earth is somewhere around 4.5 billion years old. How do we know this? Because of our understanding of quantum mechanics. One does not need to understand the science, only to know that others do, and if one wanted, they could do as well. It's the area of physics that describes the behavior of atoms and nuclei. The very field that has given us the foundations for development of transistors, nuclear reactors, and lasers. Without a solid understanding of this science, there would be no computers or TVs. Modern jet aircraft would be impossible. Even the control systems that make modern autos would have never been invented.

With our understanding of quantum mechanics, we can date rocks and meteorites based on measurements of the decay of unstable uranium and thorium in them using a technique similar to carbon 14 dating. Since World War 2 and the first atomic bomb, we have increased our understanding of the decay of radioactive nuclei and decreased the uncertainty about the age of the Earth.

Denying the science behind this is akin to denying that cell phones exist.

I get that for a lot of xtians, to accept these facts is denying central tenets of their faith. Which in turn brings down a towering house of cards, by allowing the light of reason to invade other central themes buried in deep dark cracks in their brains. Once you start questioning religion, it can become a slippery slope. Where does one stop? Therefore: the questioning cannot even begin.

A normally rational, thinking person suddenly becomes blind to the absurdity of his belief system.

How do they do it?

For more on this, check out this excellent post by Jim Kakalios on  Jennifer Ouellette's Cocktail Party Physics blog