What is normal thinking?

"Since "belief" is irrational, some sort of suspension of normal thinking must have taken place and caused the convert to his or her grip on reality,"(p.168) 

I find this quote from Harding's article to be self critical and hypocritcle . We discussed in class yesterday how she herself was very close to converting herself during the course of her 20 year research and for her to say that belief is irrational is an insult to herself and an insult to those she is researching because of the way she defines it. What is normal thinking? What is normal? They are relative mental and social sets that don't really have a basis in reality at all. There is no such thing as normal and therefore for there to be a suspension of the normal thinking there would have ahead to previously been a normal state which doesn't exist. I think converts experience a suspension of their previous way of thinking that challenges them makes them think. They have now experience another way of thinking to the point where they are now questioning whether their previous way of thinking is correct for them, and for some it may not be and those are the ones who convert and for others it's not so they return to their previous ways of I thinking. However because they have experienced this challenge of self they don't really return to the way the previously ythought with 100% faith, nor do they convert with 100% faith because once you've lived a train life it leaves a mark on you and thus it is always there in the back of your mind. I believe that open should always challenge their way of thinking because if they don't then there is no growth of the mind or growth of their belief or faith to their way of thinking. If you are challenged and still believe your way is right for you then you have only strengthen your ay of thinking not weakened it.

Ciara Williams