Psychology of God and mysticism

[StarMountainKid]

2 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

And when/if Jesus comes back to the earth, I get first shots. "Jesus, you see these monsters? They scream your name! You've created a memetic virus that's infected the minds of these people." 

Religious beliefs are a thought-virus that infects mind after mind. 

I've always considered ideas as actual biological parasites, as they are constructed of living brain neurons that feed off of us and have a life of their own. They reproduce by communicating themselves-as-ideas to other brains.

[Habitat]

2 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

I've always considered ideas as actual biological parasites, as they are constructed of living brain neurons that feed off of us and have a life of their own. They reproduce by communicating themselves-as-ideas to other brains.

You always come up with novel ideas yourself !

[XenoFish]

1 minute ago, StarMountainKid said:

I've always considered ideas as actual biological parasites, as they are constructed of living brain neurons that feed off of us and have a life of their own. They reproduce by communicating themselves-as-ideas to other brains.

Similar idea to a thought-form. Which is a constructed idea that supposedly flies around the psychic plane. 

[StarMountainKid]

1 minute ago, Habitat said:

You always come up with novel ideas yourself !

It's a novel idea because these organisms do not want to be discovered as alien parasites infecting our brains.  (!)

[XenoFish]

If we were to take a good look at the idea it's not exactly impossible. If we take it's as a mental virus then whatever event or idea that infected your mind will be wrapped up in a nice little emotional package. Fear, sorrow, anger, despair, all those negative emotions can take on a life of their own. If we consider that we feed those emotions by being in the same or similar situations. Further reinforcing those emotions they can turn violent even inducing suicidal tendencies. People want to take the idea of god and make it all nice and shiny. However it's those who spread this memetic virus that give it it's 'flavor'. 

It's like looking at the world and seeing only darkness. Either you are actually seeing the world for what it is or your own mental parasite show's you want you 'want' to see, because that has become your dominate thought. 

If you think about it our entire lives are made of thought. Every experience, all those sensations. We in a way create the reality we desire. 

[Habitat]

14 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

It's a novel idea because these organisms do not want to be discovered as alien parasites infecting our brains.  (!)

I've never heard of this idea, about ideas !

[rashore]

26 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

I've always considered ideas as actual biological parasites, as they are constructed of living brain neurons that feed off of us and have a life of their own. They reproduce by communicating themselves-as-ideas to other brains.

Well that's an interesting way of looking at it.

[XenoFish]

32 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

I've always considered ideas as actual biological parasites, as they are constructed of living brain neurons that feed off of us and have a life of their own. They reproduce by communicating themselves-as-ideas to other brains.

I actually like this idea. Which is odd. Then again if you play around with the concept it's a nifty way to explain mass hallucinations and mass hysteria. A psychic parasite infecting a group of people through word of mouth. Interesting.

[Guest Br Cornelius]

Quote

As far as offering justification or evidence then of course there will never be enough for converting those who have firmly made their minds up on the subject.

This is incorrect - there is nothing that would constitute evidence as such. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of God and therefore it is totally illogical to conclude that a diety exists based on that evidence.#

I find it tragic and sad how your religious beliefs have darkened your whole outlook on the world and blinded you to the massive progress that man has made in solving many of the problems of human existence. Your world truly seems to be a dark one where there is nothing to look forward to be death and the better things you imagine your death (and everyone elses) will bring. You are the classic example of the damage that religion can do to an individual.

 

Br Cornelius

Edited June 15, 2016 by Br Cornelius

[+and-then]

9 hours ago, Br Cornelius said:

This is incorrect - there is nothing that would constitute evidence as such. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of God and therefore it is totally illogical to conclude that a diety exists based on that evidence.#

I find it tragic and sad how your religious beliefs have darkened your whole outlook on the world and blinded you to the massive progress that man has made in solving many of the problems of human existence. Your world truly seems to be a dark one where there is nothing to look forward to be death and the better things you imagine your death (and everyone elses) will bring. You are the classic example of the damage that religion can do to an individual.

 

Br Cornelius

No, I believe it is correct.  There is NO evidence of any kind that would cause someone like yourself or MC and a few others here to ever, under any circumstance believe in a Creator God.  In fact I believe that when the Christ returns it will be those like yourself who will actually attempt to resist him.  And no, I am not blind to the massive progress made in many of the problems of human existence.  From conquering disease to space exploration our technologies have indeed made human existence better.  But how many people are actually helped?  And what of the opposite side of the coin?  Pollution, destruction of resources, modern weapons of war?  My argument has never been that mankind has not made progress.  It has always been that our progress comes with technologies that ultimately will lead to mass destruction because the human nature has never changed.  How you cannot see that is beyond me.  I'm quite aware of the view you hold of me and frankly I think about the same of you.  Deluded, prideful and in denial.  If you can look at the world today from the M.E. to the E.U. to the U.S. and see a bright future then I guess that you are the one who lives in a special, insular kind of world.  Please don't be sad, brutha   I'll be fine.  I live in a world full of light and promise, actually.  I lose no sleep over the world's problems and I do what I can to help those less fortunate.  I don't see the coming time of trouble as the whim of a wrathful God but rather the simple consequence of human nature running riot.  You are the one clinging to the hope that humans will someday get it all together and create a world where there is peace, coexistence and plenty.  A brief glance at history shows that no such epoch has ever been.  There have only been brief respites while a generation rests, refits and then starts the struggle over.  The doom and gloom I speak of is actually so logical from a historical perspective that it is far more rational to expect it than your version of the future.  Governments (human nature writ large) vie for supremacy and eventually fight to gain it.  With the advent of nuclear weapons we have reached the threshold of a final conflict.  At the outset of the current war Bush vaguely threatened to use whatever means necessary to win.  Today Putin openly speaks of using tactical nukes to defeat his enemies.  The last war was 70 years ago.  Few are still alive that saw it first hand.  What I see from you and those like you are willful, intellectually prideful persons who love to cast scorn on those you feel are less educated and who do not share your world view.  Of course I could be wrong but that is how you seem to me.

[+and-then]

16 hours ago, XenoFish said:

And when/if Jesus comes back to the earth, I get first shots. "Jesus, you see these monsters? They scream your name! You've created a memetic virus that's infected the minds of these people." 

Religious beliefs are a thought-virus that infects mind after mind. 

Xeno what do you expect him to do?  Consider, he either doesn't exist, or he is a simple philosopher and only a man OR... if he does return for you to interrogate, then he is who he said he was.  You have said you were once a follower.  Do you imagine that he who literally created everything is going to stand about being blamed for all the problems people have created for themselves?  No person, regardless the tragedies of their lives can justly blame the creator that gave them life for every poor decision they made in response to life's circumstances.  If he made us and gave us no choices then we would just be robots.  I think he made us to have friends he could interact with.  Have you ever had a chat with a robot?  I think the root of AI is mankind's need to be a creator.  Remember, we were made in His image.  All I've ever read about our interactions with him when he first returns is this:  at the name of Jesus every knee will bow--in heaven and on earth ... 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

No, I don't think we will be doing any demanding at that time.

[XenoFish]

That's your perspective. I will not confess that he is what he claims to be, that is if he even exist. I will not praise someone who is undeserving of it. I will stand, not one knee of mine shall bend. 

[+and-then]

2 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

That's your perspective. I will not confess that he is what he claims to be, that is if he even exist. I will not praise someone who is undeserving of it. I will stand, not one knee of mine shall bend. 

Of course it's my perspective, I have no ability to have another's.  I'm simply telling you what I believe, just as you tell me what you believe.  

[XenoFish]

The God myth works for you. It won't work for me. I need something that produces tangible results. Those results come from the effort of will. 

[Guest Br Cornelius]

Quote

What I see from you and those like you are willful, intellectually prideful persons who love to cast scorn on those you feel are less educated and who do not share your world view.  Of course I could be wrong but that is how you seem to me.

The ability to formulate a will and apply our skills to it is a source of pride and I see nothing wrong with it. I cannot understand the Christian downer on taking personal pride in all that we do and all that we create in this world. Its another example of how I think the Christian faith damages people.

 

Br Cornelius

[GoldenWolf]

1 hour ago, and then said:

Do you imagine that he who literally created everything is going to stand about being blamed for all the problems people have created for themselves? 

Anyone else see the oxymoron cop-out?

[GoldenWolf]

1 hour ago, XenoFish said:

That's your perspective. I will not confess that he is what he claims to be, that is if he even exist. I will not praise someone who is undeserving of it. I will stand, not one knee of mine shall bend. 

Neither will I.

[Duke Wellington]

From the perspective of God I cannot understand why he would create us just for the sake of it. It must be to satisfy needs that God has otherwise what's the point?

 

[XenoFish]

Even the idea of original sin makes no sense. Unless the whole point is to create a false 'illness' and supply a 'cure'. 

[Podo]

38 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

Even the idea of original sin makes no sense. Unless the whole point is to create a false 'illness' and supply a 'cure'. 

That's exactly what it is, though. Abrahamic religions are all essentially the same thing and the same message: allow me to save you from what I'm going to do if you don't let me save you. It's an entire system of circular logic. They wrap it in "peace" and "love" but none of the Abrahamics have ever walked the walk in regards to peace, merely choosing to talk the talk instead.

[Duke Wellington]

1 hour ago, Podo said:

That's exactly what it is, though. Abrahamic religions are all essentially the same thing and the same message: allow me to save you from what I'm going to do if you don't let me save you. It's an entire system of circular logic. They wrap it in "peace" and "love" but none of the Abrahamics have ever walked the walk in regards to peace, merely choosing to talk the talk instead.

Actually I think I have realised it really is all about serving God.

And by that I mean satisfying God's psychological needs.

[XenoFish]

59 minutes ago, RabidMongoose said:

Actually I think I have realised it really is all about serving God.

And by that I mean satisfying God's psychological needs.

Then again if you think about God being a projection of ourselves or a specific internal desire. Then are we not worshiping ourselves?

[GoldenWolf]

1 hour ago, RabidMongoose said:

Actually I think I have realised it really is all about serving God.

And by that I mean satisfying God's psychological needs.

http://www.anandainfo.com/cult_leaders.html

[StarMountainKid]

As far as the Abrahamic God is concerned...

Isaiah 45:7  God says,

"I form the light and form darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these things."

Of course this has to be correct, as God created everything. God created our free will, but our choices are God's creations, too, as God created human psychology. The buck has to stop somewhere, and ultimate responsibility for all things lies with  this God.

This can be interpreted as cruel slavery or as oneness with God. It depends on one's perspective.

[Rlyeh]

On ‎15‎/‎06‎/‎2016 at 0:44 AM, RabidMongoose said:

Why would a God need to create a universe with human beings in it?

So his authors could write about it.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Rlyeh