Typhon

weak minded…

Well, I can't say what exactly I would consider to be "weak minded." It is however, clear to me that most people on this spinning ball of dirt are stupid, remarkably and dismally so.

Most of the people which I encounter in my day to day life are poorly equipped, either by nature, nurture, or even self-directed learning/interest, to accurately and actively assess the world around them. No surprise that they are easily led by corporate puppeteers, idiot presidents, moronic superstars, and the ignorant voices that rise from pulpits and meeting halls across the globe. Education is not a priority, nor is creativity, originality, and individuality praised. The status quo and those in power rely on the gullibility and poor reasoning ability of the masses. They are right to, as it works, again and again. The house wins, because they are the ones who set the rules and determine the nature of the game.

Economics are used to further keep those in power from being challenged or adversely affected by an intelligent or questioning populace. Those elites who have the ability to do so, are either marginalized, criminalized, or allowed/encouraged to join the ranks of the power holders in those rare occasions.

Those in power are not always the most intelligent either (look at the so-called "leader of the free world" George W. Bush, he'd be hard pressed to over come a smart chimp in a test of intelligence or rhetoric) but they are intelligent enough to know that they do not want more people who think, they want more people who blindly follow. Their message is not to question more, to waste less, to demand better, but to toe the lie, to follow the leader, and to accept what is chosen for them. Religion has long been and continues to be, a prime tool of control, along with the corporatization of capitalism, "popular" culture, TV, and other similar means of "dumbing down" and pacifying the easily led and the willingly complacent.

Global wealth, military and political hegemony, and control of the media rest increasingly in the hands of fewer and fewer governments/corporations. These groups endlessly strive to make the world one product, one viewpoint, one religion. Control is their goal, and for the most part, in the day to day lives of the world's myriad nations and their citizens, they succeed.

Ironically, nowhere else is this so apparent as in the supposed bastion of freedom, the United States, IMO. Not only is the U.S. the base for much of the Evangelical movement, but home (if these increasingly global and unaccountable organizations can be said to have one) to the corporations and political groups who strive endlessly to homogenize, sanitize, convert, package, sell, and ultimately, control, the rest of the world, as well as those few dissident citizens within their own ranks.

I truly fear for the future, as despite what one might have thought about this being a time of progress, reason, secular politics, with the knowledge, means, and need for humanitarian outreach and ecological protection, we are rapidly headed the other way. I think of religion humorously as "Reality for Dummies," but it is far more insidious than that I fear. A tool for those who already hold too much power over our individual destinies, it is not to be underestimated for keeping the rule of the unjust and the unworthy in place.

This is not to say that only the stupid are drawn to religion, that is untrue. Religion can capture the intelligent, as well as the foolish, but less often I suspect, and less completely. People themselves chose to believe for a number of reasons, most of them understandably human ones. It's part of their culture, part of their family upbringing, part of the way that they feel a part of their community, loved ones, or even ethnic or cultural past. It holds comforting answers.

Still, it's ultimately a failure I believe, a failure to look clearly at the universe the way it is, as opposed to the way we'd like to see it. Any sort of false vision like this, while potentially aiding the individual with decreased stress and increased happiness, is a potential disaster to society and our species as a whole.

Hmm, didn't intend to rant, but I do think that religion is more than a choice, it's potentially a pernicious and dangerous force which has not proven itself to be without cost or entirely benign.

Gang warily where gods walk.

.T.

[ April 23, 2002: Message edited by: Typhon ]</p>

Easy Be

E_Muse,

I agree completely. I never claimed that religion only came about from these phenomena. It is just one experience that leads to religious belief.


I agree,
But again I never claimed everyone should fear death or that everyone does. A lot of people do fear death.

I never claimed that every religious person believes because of their near death experience.

I wrote don't disagree. I apologize I am terrible at grammar.

I never claimed I disagreed with anyone. I thought you were referring to whom I was talking about, when I said, I don't disagree.

I meant the way they became powerful and the way they make money is unlawful.

Once again I never claimed they did.

What does that have to do with anything. I never claimed that every person has religious allegiance because of his or her fear of death.

Maybe not completely, but I know a lot of people that no longer fear death because of their belief in heaven. I'm only claiming the phenomena that Murphy has described will help people cope with their fear of death.

I never said that it's the ONLY reason religion exists. I am only implying that the phenomena are one reason that religion will always exist.

My theory is not that everyone religious had a near death experience before his or her conversion. When did I claim this?

All I’m implying is that since some people experience Murphy's phenomena, religion and God will always be around.

WJ

Easy be,

Is God necessary? Yes, out of logical necessity.

Perhaps making these distnctions will help you uncover what it truly means to be 'weak minded'.

Walrus

[ April 24, 2002: Message edited by: WJ ]</p>

DarkBronzePlant

I'll ask the obvious question here, which is:

Can you back up that random assertion at all?

WJ

Darkbronze!

I don't know, how much money you got? I'll give you a hint, then if you're interested, I'll demonstrate thru analogy and metaphor; how do you logically resolve the liar's paradox?

Walrus

DarkBronzePlant

e.g. An otherwise blank sheet of paper, on which is written "All statements on this page are false."? I don't resolve it. What's your point?

WJ

Dark!

"There is at least one true proposition."

Is that true or false?

Wally

DarkBronzePlant

Wally! Get to the point!

WJ

Dark!

Don't be scared. Answer the question if you dare. You wouldn't want to be accused of weak mindedness would you?



Wally

DarkBronzePlant

I can certainly be accused of being sick of playing games like this. Of that, guilty as charged.

But fine, I will play along here if you actually start getting to your point.

In answer to your question, true.