Somebody forgot that coins have TWO sides.

[Zorba]

Well, there is a considerable body of anecdotal evidence that indicates that Makumba (voodoo) might be a real thing.

Do you think you it could be a liability issue in a school setting? Instead of a school shooting, some kid spreads some chicken bones, smokes a cigar, perform some arcane chant, and the next day, a roof collapses. Or maybe 30 people come down with food poisoning in the lunch room.

Everybody points a finger at Little Johnny, with the funny necklace.

Kids pray for the school to collapse all the time too.

 

[Moonbeam]

Kids pray for the school to collapse all the time too.

I think I know what you are saying by that. Also, I think you make the best sense of the opinions expressed in this thread, so far at least.

I think that believers and non-believers alike share a common flaw, that the thing they think they believe in or doubt is not who God is.

For that reason I hesitate to question someone’s faith as I also may fall victim to that. However, and none the less, I had a hard time with this:

“Well, there is a considerable body of anecdotal evidence that indicates that Makumba (voodoo) might be a real thing.”

How about you?

 

[Viper1j]

For that reason I hesitate to question someone’s faith as I also may fall victim to that. However, and none the less, I had a hard time with this:

“Well, there is a considerable body of anecdotal evidence that indicates that Makumba (voodoo) might be a real thing.”

How about you?

I'm 99% sure that all the evidence, is psychosomatic, and/or self-fulfilling prophecy.

But there's always that 1% that says "what if"?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

You'd think at this point Christian leadership would welcome satanists with open arms, at least they still believe God exists. In a world becoming more and more atheistic they're gonna need all the help they can get.

 

[Moonbeam]

I'm 99% sure that all the evidence, is psychosomatic, and/or self-fulfilling prophecy.

But there's always that 1% that says "what if"?

I’ll leave it to anyone who wants to check, as I would imagine cures rates would vary from symptom to symptom, and if memory serves me correctly, there is some condition that I do not remember where the cure rate by sugar pill is 7%.

But if you just considered for a moment the health risks of stress and the hormonal changes induced by fear and anger envy, greed, etc. and the difficulties of treating them in the general population, one could conclude in the abstract, it would seem to me, there might arise in all societies specialized fairy tales regarding various sorts of methodologies that were created to treat them.

Then, considering the difficulties involved with getting the most sympathetic to treatment any manner of experienced help today,one might potentially realize that the negativity effects of unhealthy emotional states will generally become self fulfilling also.

Bee Gees – How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

After 16 months of breaking-up, the Bee Gees reunited, therefore writing this song for their brotherly sorrow and happiness. “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” is the opening track

genius.com

 

[Moonbeam]

You'd think at this point Christian leadership would welcome satanists with open arms, at least they still believe God exists. In a world becoming more and more atheistic they're gonna need all the help they can get.

What if Christianity is just an old story about how to recover from the disease of self hate in cartoon analogy form. When the story is told to people who hate themselves, God, the good guy, representing the a healthy condition is opposed by the ego of self deceit, the one that does not want to see its actual condition, what are they going to make of it?

Remember, they have the disease. They are in the hands of the deceiver. Some say, ok, I will worship the deceiver. He’s the only one with any brains anyway. Some say I will take my deception literally and pretend I am not deceived but am a believer. Some say, look, those aligorical beings do not exist. I will deceive myself by pretending this story, therefore, has no application to me.

So when you say Christians should welcome the help of the Devil, his work is already complete. He owns all three camps.

They all say, I am not deceived. I am cured of the disease. Nobody questions who has the disease of certainty.

Certainly comes in two flavors. Certainty and doubt. I think the road to a cure is humility. Now for the deceiver to win I have to tell myself I have some.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

What if Christianity is just an old story about how to recover from the disease of self hate in cartoon analogy form. When the story is told to people who hate themselves, God, the good guy, representing the a healthy condition is opposed by the ego of self deceit, the one that does not want to see its actual condition, what are they going to make of it?

Near as I can tell, the whole purpose of Christianity (and organized religion as a whole) is to make people hate themselves, others around them, and externalize all responsibility for their actions. God's not the good guy, he's a representation of what we've allowed ourselves to abandon in favor of what's easier, or what we know is wrong but would really like to do. Anyway, just like beauty commercials explaining all the things that are wrong with your body, religion does a really good job of telling you all the ways in which you're a bad person regardless of what you may have or have not done.

With all that out of the way, I think if they were clever, they'd lean in on the whole 'us vs them' thing a little more, hype up the big differences, make it nice and political. Should bring in more bodies to the pews. Get some of that sweet, sweet tithe money. Humans love a good competition.

 

[Moonbeam]

Near as I can tell, the whole purpose of Christianity (and organized religion as a whole) is to make people hate themselves, others around them, and externalize all responsibility for their actions. God's not the good guy, he's a representation of what we've allowed ourselves to abandon in favor of what's easier, or what we know is wrong but would really like to do. Anyway, just like beauty commercials explaining all the things that are wrong with your body, religion does a really good job of telling you all the ways in which you're a bad person regardless of what you may have or have not done.

With all that out of the way, I think if they were clever, they'd lean in on the whole 'us vs them' thing a little more, hype up the big differences, make it nice and political. Should bring in more bodies to the pews. Get some of that sweet, sweet tithe money. Humans love a good competition.

It's the purpose of Christianity that you see. But how is it that you can see false Christians without some innate sense of what Christianity actually should be. How is it that you detect hypocrisy between what they preach and what they do. The reason, I believe, is that the same inner voice that screams betrayal is the same longing for truth that started Christianity in the first place. I believe this to be the case because the real God is within you and for Him you have no name.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I believe this to be the case because the real God is within you and for Him you have no name.

Or I can internalize who I am, I don't need an external influence to justify myself.

I think, therefore, I am.

 

[Moonbeam]

Or I can internalize who I am, I don't need an external influence to justify myself.

I think, therefore, I am.

Exactly the problem. You are what you think you are because you identify with the fact that you think. My experience was that I cam to the end of thought. The thinker died and I didn't. That is what some call a mystical experience. Others use different names. But whatever you call it is a name and the name is not the named. Names are for talking to thinkers. Thoughts and names are not needed for those who are not thinking.

Thought is time, division, and fear. It is words behind which there are both symbolic representation and old emotionally imbued feelings. Thought is time because thought is of the past. Who would you be without words. Perhaps Helen Keller knew the answer. But who is a thinker who transcends thought. Is there such a person? Is such a state possible. How would anybody who without such an experience know? You have always been who you are. As the Zen Master said, "It would be nice to know it." Of course, these are just thoughtful words. They are likely useless.