That's how I define it too. Having false or unrealistic beliefs is delusional (which may or may not be further classified as delusional by psychologists). I'm not a psychologist (maybe only a few on this board are, so their definition might be different when they are talking shop) so I'm not going to diagnose people according to some rules of a soft science. Your post explains the process
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There's nothing like sitting by the fire with hot chocolate having Benson tell us the story of Virginia being lied to!
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Enjoy the quest! Thanks for letting us know you are out there.
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Always give God the credit, and none of the blame. Feel guilty because it's always your fault. Funny how prayer "works" when I take the actions yourself. Maybe I didn't need the magic feather to fly after all.
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If someone is able to see the mythology of other cultures and people, they ought to see the pattern that humans make up religious mythology. Oddly, they think their own culure/religion is the one that isn't acting human and has real myths and inside knowledge. It took an anthropology class for me to understand what you just outlined in your examples. It's not just everyone else who is mislead!
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agent_scully (probably not his regular name) said to Benson: "I laugh at you in your face." Well, to that I say.... All your base are belong to us!
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I'd like to say that I have not worried about how psychology classifies beliefs. I'm basing my statements on the obvious fact that most religions provide information they present as factual that they base on faith. Be it "miracles" or claims about the nature of a god, these beliefs are not based on any reliable evidence. Be it angels, talking donkeys, or wafers that turn into a god'
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And you didn't burn down the house!
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I think there are plenty of surprises in the future. However, if you lived a hundred years ago, would you believe using faith about a radio which you couldn't even conceive? No. It wouldn't make sense to say you believe or not since you can't define them. I simply lack beliefs about the radios (gods, unknown surprises, etc.) in the future because I can't even define them. I don't see any s
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Scope out his organization "Saints Alive" for all kinds of nonsense. He does not remotely scrutinize his own claims the way he does Mormonism. He is not exactly scholarly with either. He pushes a particularly caustic brand of Christianity. He has the truth of the Bible. You too can send him money. You can request a prayer on his site. A moderate Mormon is not as kooky as an ext
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No, and that includes people writing books that tell you what "God" says. Besides, even if God did decide to pick special pets to speak for him, I wouldn't respect that God for doing so. God, presumably able to do anything, decides to communicate in a way that is consistent with frauds and crackpots and feel good fuzzies? No thanks.
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Don't waste your time. Although he gets some things right, he tends to sensationalize. Then he goes off into fantasy land. He's not exactly scholarly and there are much better books out there, IMO. He makes exmo's look bad because he spins and comes off as a kook. Still, when I read it a long time ago, it helped me. He said things in ways that made Mormon nonsense sound like the nonsense
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They seem so surprised when they actually get caught (rare as it is). It's like they are amazed they had to follow the rules and be treated like the "little people."
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Who wants to go to a movie and not have interesting character conflicts? The problem is when people get hung up on the actors and can't follow the plot. Or not. Some people follow the actors no matter what the movie. At least we have a good soundtrack. :-)
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I'm having sex with you all right now!
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Sure, some religions are worse than others in the effect the drug has on you. Some religions might be her0in and truly be destructive. They cause the person to live their life in the pursuit of more her0in as an addict. Some people's religion is more like mara..jua. It 's pretty harmless overall, and seems to give some people a nice buzz now and then. The point is, would I want to go th
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My responses to "That's OK, God believes in you" vary: You know no such thing. Well aren't YOU special to know what God thinks. You must really need people to accept your views about a sky daddy. 99% of the time when people say they are going to pray for me, I recognize they don't know what else to say and it is a way of them showing concern. I simply thank them. Howe
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I think one of the things garments provide is a constant reminder of being Mormon. They also serve as a special luck charm. All the church needs to do over time is phase garments out and morph them into other symbols. Who knows, maybe the end garment replacement will be wearing cross jewelry or a beanie cap or a scarf in their hair! All they need is a cultural identifier (religious rabbit'
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Love Doug Adams. 42 is as good an answer to everything as anything else.
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I wonder how that all works too. I'll speculate. Maybe he makes the money but pays the church book pushers a fair share for "sponsoring" his books. In return the church book sellers have church crap to push. So, I guess church related "special business accounts" aka church owned businesses (not named tithing) are allowed to advertise church related stuff. I wonder who paid
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YOU have to travel at the speed of light. Jesus gets to speed through the lights. Laws are for silly humans. I'd like to know how Jesus protects his hair during galactic travel without a spacesuit. Great thread. :-)
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...a completely paranoid fear mongering joyless tight rear who sees Satan in everything. Except this one wears better dresses and jewelry.
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If all the scientists in the world "believed" in God, that doesn't make God actually exist. Popular vote by smart guys does not make something exist. Even a scientist knows the difference between a belief and having actual evidence to verify a god exists.
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What's the difference between Jesus Christ and an oil painting? You only need one nail to hold up a picture. Jesus Christ walks into a hotel. He hands the innkeeper three nails and asks... "Can you put me up for the night?" Why can't Jesus play football? He wears illegal headgear.
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(Especially "sprinkled with snark" and "snack on facts"!)
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Did you sit on a cob or something? Good lord. Are you a sterling example of your tight ass religion (whatever it is)? Your Benson-bitching is the funniest joke in the thread so far.
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Facts don't care if the messenger is an as$hole, or an arrogent jerk. Facts are not made right if the messenger is a nice guy. It is true that some people are so caught up in the personality of the messenger that they refuse to independently see if the message has merit (verification). There are plenty of places where we have to use honey and not use vinegar to get what we want. Thankfully
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Thomas Paine's Age of Reason. He tells it straight about the Bible in this little classic. It's not exactly about the origins of the Bible but he covers a bit of it. I also learned a lot from Armstrong's History of God recommended above. It's not an easy little read like Paine, but you can see how the three monotheistic religions came to be what they are today.
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n/t
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J/K An open minded respectable man would probably judge according to his own relationship with you, just like he would expect you to do if the roles were reversed.
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