Some people dont understand that staying faithful to a religion is not an easy task. I would even say its more difficult being religious than not. I wouldnt say religion is for the weak or call it a crutch. I'm talking about those that actually follow their religion, not the people who just carry a label.
I got the same impression he did. Christ, what mindless drivel. There's so much fat pompous arrogant swine in here the rate at which their feeding on their own defecation is startling, but makes us more understanding when shit falls out of their mouth. I think Christianity isn't for the weak. I'm a weak person, I sit in uncertainty most days, abusing drugs and smoking cigarettes in some mindless self-indulgence that I've convinced myself is a pursuit of happiness. If I could find christ and erase all of this existential, post-modern epistemological crises that plague my alone time, I'd definitely do it. But I'm personally too weak. I guess the difference is, I don't champion my unknowning as some red-badge of fucking courage. Or delude myself into thinking my conclusions on god are noble. I don't blindly stereotype everyone of a differing opinion into a shadow of a strawman of their original convictions. If these are the archetypes of the noble atheist; they lead me to believe their epistemology is the cop-out. The easily defendable, easily fenced, easily supported- disparaging those of faith because of what they are. Silly children of academia, you've only got around 80 years to grow up, glad handing yourself in conceited threads of self-righteous, bombastic piss and shit is doing little to aid this. Ya'll make me sick
Ok, fair enough, my rebuttal to that would be that there are many things that affect the human psyche that would produce the same readings on an EKG. Anything euphoric would likely reproduce those same readings as a reading on somebody in a meditative state. Now, this is not a study I have done, so I am just postulating on that based on previous studies I have read about. For what it's worth, coordination loss while being high would qualify as physical proof that someone was high, if they had preformed better or worse in the control part of the experiment. Not that I don't believe you, because from what I've read in your posts I feel like you are a very truthful person, but I would have to, at the very least, see a video/hear recordings of the experiment you described. As far as telepathy, clairvoyance, etc. are concerned, I can actually believe in that. Because I believe in the power of the human mind. If that kind of stuff is true, I don't feel like spirituality has anything to do with it. It is a scientific phenomena of the mind. I actually have done quite a bit of research on the paranormal and am a member of several clubs that study it. Being an atheist/agnostic, it is tough sometimes because I'd say 90% of the people I talk to have a belief in a deity. That's not to say that I don't believe what happens to some people, what they experienced was 100% real, TOO THEM. Normally, it's not something that can be replicated in a controlled environment, which is why I hold my healthy skepticism. But I will be the first to admit that there are some cases that make me scratch my head because I don't have an answer. I still don't believe that the certain events that people experience have any relation to spirituality in general. I feel like certain people will experience certain things because their brains are wired just a little bit differently. [/QUOTE]
As some of the points in this novel might be valid, I have to say that religion is most certainly not for the weak. Some weak people might turn to religion as a crutch to get them through life, but I think it takes more strength to go against the norm of society than to conform. I mean with drinking smoking etc. Most religions will tell you to avoid these things others say do what you want. In my opinion, it takes more strength to avoid the world than to conform to it just my take on it
I would say that the norm, at least in the U.S., is to believe in a Christian deity. I will agree with the smoking, drinking comment. You don't have to have spirituality to not do those things though, that's a self-control issue.
[/QUOTE] Good debate. As far as loss of coordination, there are plenty of other things that won't get you high but mess up your coordination, so although you can monitor that they're performance is altered, you can't know that their consciousness is in an altered state without experience from various people reporting said effect. For example there are drugs that paralyze the body while leaving the mind perfectly awake and unaltered, but if someone can't move on say heroin you would suspect an OD or something had gone seriously wrong. That's why I suggest that book, because it doesn't look at these events from any sort of mystical glance, just purely as they are. The main thing is that these types of abilities have always been taught in spiritual schools, and so naturally they are associated with spirituality. It's good that you actually study it, because look at most people, they laugh at it and deny it having absolutely zero knowledge about it, and it is merely herd conformity such as "atheists don't believe in anything but physical matter and it's workings, so if it can't be explained by that, it must not exist, end of story, case closed, I KNOW IT'S FAKE." It's like this for a lot of things, people think they're all high and mighty and know when their framework of life is mostly belief. I'm also a member of a "club" so to speak, though it's not open to everybody for a fee like most of these "clubs", it's strictly invitation only. I will have to talk to this one lady I know, she can do remote viewing through the internet on skype, just needs to hear your voice, and no webcam obviously. She can tell you all about the room your in, and about YOU lol, about what's outside of your house, the cars that are parked in your driveway, etc. In other words, things that aren't on your computer or visible through a webcam lol. I'll see if she'd be willing to demonstrate for you. The big problem with these things is most of the legitimate initiates are bound by an oath to never perform anything simply to satisfy someones curiosity. They look at it as a gift from God that can just as easily be taken away (which is can and will) and so only use them for noble purposes.
Really? I feel like society (media and music mostly) promote having casual sex and partying, at least for my age group. Yeah you don't have to have spirituality to not to do things, but some spiritual morals are to avoid them and it takes strength to adhere to that. It's definitely a self-control issue
Yeah, they DEFINITELY market partying and casual sex EVERYWHERE. Every musician who is "hip" sings/raps about casual sex and partying. It disgusts me that this is what my country is about.
Me and my friend are seriously considering moving to India and living in poverty just to get away from this filthy corrupted country. It's about the only place I can think that I'd want to move to that isn't batshit nuts with Islam that still has spiritual morality lol
hey it takes some spiritual strength to want to move and live in poverty for the sake of avoiding the immorality within our society. I too would like to live in a place that has a little more self-control and embraces our conscience, but I have a feeling the majority of mankind is inevitably headed in the direction of no self-control/morality. I've gotta accept it and move on. Plus, I will one day be able to live in that destination permanently, heaven. Don't let it get to ya that much bro, more power to you if you decide to follow through with your desires.