Normal
You have accurately iterated the stranglehold this mass delusion has on its followers. The dangling carrot of faith asks parishioners to forgo logic and employ hope as a mechanism to sound outcomes. He has deceived them but in their minds this scornful act is a righteous man demonstrating his integrity for all to see. They see a man who is bravely moving in the grace of the lord and willing to admit when he is wrong. What we see is a Shepard moving his flock in a differing direction.
