Posted by:
atheist&happy:-)
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Date: February 12, 2012 03:54AM
was one of the main reasons I went straight to atheism. At the time I did not know about the fraud of TSCC, was very sincere in my belief, and a member in good standing who regularly attended the temple, etc. Religious culture trains us to subjectively interpret events as spiritual experiences or answers to prayers, and conveniently forget about the ones that went unanswered. We are taught to blame ourselves: not worthy or "in tune", you agreed to get shafted (just another trial) in the pre-existence, or maybe we asked at the wrong time (and shame on you for asking amiss or not knowing the right time, since you are supposed to be a mind reader...). It is all mind games, and mental gymnastics, and stopping the cog-dis is the best thing I ever did in my life. It was a huge weight lifted, and left my mind free, and clear.
I found it dangerous to my well-being to put my trust in an imaginary being like TSCC says to. When I went through traumatic events, people often said they would pray for me. I repeatedly told them not to pray for me, but to please actually do something. The results were as if they had not prayed at all i.e. did nothing, which is exactly what they did... nothing (quotes I like: "Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer." & "Nothing fails like prayer." Annie Laurie Gaylor). After coming to this conclusion I prayed to my cat as an experiment, and got the same results - but by doing this it helped me notice the rationalizations, and excuse making, which seemed "normal" with gawd, but silly with a cat.
My so-called spiritual experiences were subjective interpretations of events. Also our brains can do amazing things that we would interpret as supernatural. We have been taught to attribute them to the supernatural, because we had no other explanation, but just as we now know there are no deities making the sun rise or the rain fall, we know there are logical explanations for these things. Neuroscientists can duplicate these "spiritual" experiences in the brain.
Gawd is supposed to be good, but why does he need defending, and why does JS need defending? Ultimately all religions need this type of defending. That alone is a huge problem.
This explains the many ways prayers are rationalized. Chapters 5-11 are on prayer.
Chapter 5 - Why won't God heal amputees?
http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/god5.htmThis might sound harsh to someone just learning about the fraud, because it is about religion in general, but the perspective is valuable.
How do we know that Christians are delusional?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVuw1wEuaAQA short answer by Richard Dawkins to the question "What if you're wrong?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mmskXXetcg&feature=relatedYou were programmed to be obedient, and to think it was the highest virtue. Our programming kicks in when we leave, and can take a while to dissipate. It was a few years before I could tell people out loud that I no longer believed in gawd, because of what I had been taught about denying the holy ghost (and I was not indoctrinated as a child). There is no punishment for thinking, and reasoning for yourself, especially when the ones telling you to get in line, and conform, are based on a fraud.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2012 04:00AM by atheist&happy:-).