What If The Bible Is Really True? Parts 1 & 2

[Seshmeister]

Say for example there were some sort of spirit thing going on and that's what black matter was made up of.

Even if that were true how would it work if you died after having dementia for a few years? Over 50% of people over 85 have dementia of some sort.

That would mean unless some sort of magic ghostie or spaghetti monster stepped in taking you back in time then you would continue into eternity or the spirit world or whatever as an idiot hole. By that reasoning you would want to die young. In fact if you compare eternity to the short human life the only sensible thing to do would be to kill yourself right away in case your mind got damaged before death.

[chefcraig]

Say for example there were some sort of spirit thing going on and that's what black matter was made up of...
That would mean unless some sort of magic ghostie or spaghetti monster stepped in taking you back in time then you would continue into eternity or the spirit world or whatever as an idiot hole. By that reasoning you would want to die young. In fact if you compare eternity to the short human life the only sensible thing to do would be to kill yourself right away in case your mind got damaged before death.

Yet it is easier to believe that once dead, you get a fresh start in order to set right the generally absurd, fucked-up drama your life has become. Children do not have need of such devices, so only "adults" could want or need to come up with such a redemptive concept. In this way, if you are a drunkard, a pederast, an adulterer, an axe murderer or some other variant of less than wonderful yet totally irresponsible example of human behavior, you get an imagined free pass to set things right, a place where everyone loves you and all is jolly. This also helps those with a crippling sense of self doubt, so that their imagined flaws, including an unsightly zit in the middle of their foreheads, will magically disappear and everything will be just as it is supposed to be. Whatever the fuck that means.

[Seshmeister]

My kids are going through a strange phase where they don't believe in god but they do believe in the tooth fairy.

Theologically it's quite close to Scientology.

[chefcraig]

Yet the entire idea of religion comes from the idea of "redemption", a concept that, given even casual scrutiny, holds water like a fucking cheese-grater. Somewhere along the line, people get the notion that their life has become unjustly fractured, even though the laws of nature, science and good old fashioned common sense prove this not to be the case. Rather than accepting responsibility for their own actions, they decide that they have been wronged somehow, and set out to "put things right". As a result, we get Hollywood screenplays like Rocky, where a man feels the need to prove himself to people as a worthwhile human being, even though he has made some drastically bone-headed vocational choices in his lifetime.

It's just stupid. Rather than addressing the various flaws and correcting them in one's life, people expect a clean slate in the next one in order to start again fresh. It is highly unlikely that that one gets a reset button upon death, and to imagine one to exist is to reduce life itself to an online game of Space Invaders, where if you are losing, you simply shut the damned thing off and start over again. Such an expectation not only cheapens whatever the so-called afterlife might be (if there is one), it points out the inherently flawed thinking taking place in the current one.

[Seshmeister]

I'm seriously beginning to think that the world is run by clinical psychopaths but that is a whole other thread.

[Anonymous]

As a result, we get Hollywood screenplays like Rocky, where a man feels the need to prove himself to people as a worthwhile human being, even though he has made some drastically bone-headed vocational choices in his lifetime.

My memories of Rocky are of a man that, by chance, is given a chance to be in the spotlight. Instead, he chooses to go all out & seizes this opportunity as a means to turn his life around, even though, everyone tells him he should be grateful for just being given one match & leave it at that, 'cuz he's never gonna make it. But he does. Through sheer force of will & hard training, he gets himself ready to take every advantage of the opportunity he was given & at last, he succeeds.

So, I view Rocky not as a fairy tale, but as the story of a man who learned from his mistakes & does not squander this unlikely opportunity that was given to him so apparently late in his life.

It's been YEARS since I saw that film, though & I must've been a young teenager then. It's quite likely that it's very different from what I remember & I probably filled the memory gaps in the plot.

Well, if it isn't like I described, it SHOULD be. Now THERE'S a kickass film.

It's just stupid. Rather than addressing the various flaws and correcting them in one's life, people expect a clean slate in the next one in order to start again fresh.

Bingo. Hence the need for a higher power that will give 'em a next life, so they can just wait it out instead of living. It's the perfect excuse for having absolutely no responsibilities whatsoever.

Cheers! :bottle:

[Anonymous]

I'm seriously beginning to think that the world is run by clinical psychopaths but that is a whole other thread.

You'd be right. Why would people need power, otherwise?

For the pussy nit brings, I hear you reply.

Well, that's just it. Everyone who obsesses over power ends up being a paedophile.

And you'd have to be a clinical psychopath to lust for children.

Cheers! :bottle:

[Kristy]

Sorry to sound cynical but it's only a matter of time before someone starts a thread on the space shuttle and you reply 'well when I flew Columbia...'

I know. It's like he's seen, done, been and experienced everything.

[binnie]

The world isn't 'run' by anyone. Our lives are just the results of an impossible number of actions, reactions, motivations and events.

Some groups and indivduals make a bigger splash than others, for sure; but non-one is driving the bus.

[hambon4lif]

I know. It's like he's seen, done, been and experienced everything.

Well....in a way, he has.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mitty

[Seshmeister]

The world isn't 'run' by anyone. Our lives are just the results of an impossible number of actions, reactions, motivations and events.

Some groups and indivduals make a bigger splash than others, for sure; but non-one is driving the bus.

I agree but the thesis forming in my mind is that most of the many random people making the major decisions that affect us are psychopathic and that's exactly how they got the job.

When I say psychopathic I mean in the clinical sense of the word which is basically someone who has absolutely no empathy with other humans or conscience.

Estimates vary on the number of people like that but it could be around 1% so 600 000 in the UK alone.

That's more than enough to run the financial systems, government, estate agents, prisons, lawyers, traffic wardens and cops whilst leaving plenty to do the more traditional jobs like violent thug or burglar.

[binnie]

I agree but the thesis forming in my mind is that most of the many random people making the major decisions that affect us are psychopathic and that's exactly how they got the job.

When I say psychopathic I mean in the clinical sense of the word which is basically someone who has absolutely no empathy with other humans or conscience.

Estimates vary on the number of people like that but it could be around 1% so 600 000 in the UK alone.

That's more than enough to run the financial systems, government, estate agents, prisons, lawyers, traffic wardens and cops whilst leaving plenty to do the more traditional jobs like violent thug or burglar.

Errrrrrrm, that conspiracy theory doesn't seem any less deluded or irrational than the religions you deride. The world isn't out to get us.

I'm intrigued - and suspicious - by the idea that up to 1% of the population have zero empathy. That seems very unlikely - especially since most of the jobs in question need excellent communication skills and charisma.

There is undoubtedly something unique about people who become politicans, bankers, CEOs etc - an insatiable ambition, competitiveness and drive (not to mention considerable intelligence). Not sure whether that means they are 'psychotic' however.

[FORD]

When I say psychopathic I mean in the clinical sense of the word which is basically someone who has absolutely no empathy with other humans or conscience.

And that is the very root of this sickening Ayn Rand cult that is currently running the Koch Brothers/Teabagging/Paul Ryan/Scott Walker/John Kasich/Rick Snyder/Rick Scott/Rick Perry wing of the Republican party. Do any of the Tories in the UK Parliament openly admit to being Randtards??

[Anonymous]

need excellent communication skills and charisma.

You will find that the less you care about someone, the easier it is to communicate & captivate that person.

The fact that you have absolutely no feelings towards the person you're speaking to allows you to tell that person what it wants to hear, lie & manipulate effortlessly, 'cuz you don't give a fuck to what that person thinks about you and/or if it gets hurt by your lies & deceit.

Cheers! :bottle:

[binnie]

You will find that the less you care about someone, the easier it is to communicate & captivate that person.

The fact that you have absolutely no feelings towards the person you're speaking to allows you to tell that person what it wants to hear, lie & manipulate effortlessly, 'cuz you don't give a fuck to what that person thinks about you and/or if it gets hurt by your lies & deceit.

Cheers! :bottle:

The bodies in your basement need washing down before you go to bed.