OleJanx

Excellent idea!

Irishbeekeeper

Thats because most of them have grown up...if you know what I mean

But on a serious note, totally agreed with what you said, it never ends so why get into the details. Enjoy the now and plan for the worst

Ronnie Biggs

Not really sure what you mean - they're grown up so they believe in a higher being or they're grown up so they don't go to church?

shiva

this, this and this

Bahtatboy

Tell me you were having an off day when you wrote that.

Ethos83

Quoted within your post it sounds as if I stated the obvious but it was in direct reference to Meow's post. Most religious leaders aren't in a conspiracy to brainwash their followers because brainwashing is persuading people to believe something in order to gain power of control over them. Quite often the persuader doesn't necessarily believe what he's persuading others to believe in.

scrubbedexpat141

brain·wash·ing
[breyn-wosh-ing, -waw-shing] Show IPA

noun
1. a method for systematically changing attitudes or altering beliefs, originated in totalitarian countries, especially through the use of torture, drugs, or psychological-stress techniques.

2. any method of controlled systematic indoctrination, especially one based on repetition or confusion: brainwashing by TV commercials.

3. an instance of subjecting or being subjected to such techniques: efforts to halt the brainwashing of captive audiences.



You'll successfully argue both ways on religion when referencing point 2. above I think.

Meow

No, I'm still calling it brainwashing and many people do want the easy option of being told what to think.

Consider, as one example only, the church in medieval Britain. All in Latin, priests telling people what to do and how to behave. Sermons about terrifying futures of fire and brimstone for those who did not comply. An uneducated populace who knew no better and indeed were prevented from knowing more as the was a long fight not to translate the bible into English as there was a danger that people would find out things for themselves. (Not wildly different from some societies today really.)

There may have been a 'deeper need to understand the world' in the past, but with today's science we know many of the answers so don't need the (to my mind) childish answer of 'because god said so' to many issues.

I also suspect that many people say they believe in a higher being as that's what they were told was the case as a child and they have never really thought about it. Many people really never think about existential topics so just go with the flow. Others don't want to question their accepted beliefs as it's just easier that way.

We still have many unanswered questions, but that's fine. Sometimes things just are, have developed that way and that's the mystery and magic of the natural world.

Beakersful

Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."

Fruits ferment naturally, man helped them on their way. Lots of things grow out of the ground and can be eaten or smoked and some men believe (rightly or wrongly) that they bring man to ultimate enlightenment.......

Kix

Nothing existed as time did not exist and without time, nothing can exist, or so says Stephen Hawkin in his book A brief history of time.

I know, I can't get it in my head either.

What does amuse me is that if an alien being was looking at our planet from a planet 65 million light years away he would only see dinosaurs....

Meow

I like that thought!

Perhaps that explains why the aliens haven't visited us yet? Or have they???

Bahtatboy

I had no intention to quote you out of context, and I don't think I did.

I think you're fundamentally wrong on that point. Although, perhaps to split hairs, what we're seeing today is the legacy of just that (a way of controlling people).

That can certainly be the case, but isn't a prerequisite. Once the leaders are brainwashed and lose their ability to critically reason, whether or not they believe is immaterial. Anyway, as per Scamp's definition number 2, belief of the washer is irrelevant.

mikewot

However MT was most certainly not on the side of the good and not in the least saintly.

mikewot

Because you need to have a reference in 4 dimensional space. Without time where is your reference point.

redShark

I think there was a typo mistake Mikewot, you meant to say 3 dimensional space. Because our space is 3 dimensional, and it is only the theists who believe in the 4th (or even more) dimension which is the meta-physical one (spiritual)!!