How much proof is enough?

[+Liquid Gardens]

7 hours ago, jmccr8 said:

Roll roll roll a joint pass it down the line take a toke and hold the smoke and blow you effn mind.

Ha, thank ya kindly but I've got mine; I'm not just a mere partaker, I'm a patient! ("oo, my back...").  God bless 21st Century America and legalization, after a lifetime of picking out seeds and coughing my lungs out from the strain referred to as 'brown shake' that someone swept up from their floor, this was pretty similar to me on my first visit to the cannabis dispensary:

 

7 hours ago, Hammerclaw said:

Damn, but it was fun! Unfortunately, it was cruel and at LG's expense

It was fun and no expense here, all entertainment.  Unfortunately I've got to spend today finishing up another work week at the BS factory so not much time to play.  Then it's home to spiff up my atheist cave; my Dawkins shrine needs dusting, I need to replace my roll of "Great Popes from History" toilet paper in the bathroom, and then it's time to tear out some more pages of the New Testament to use as rolling papers for some fresh doobies, err, I mean medicine.  I find that pages from the red letter Bibles are best, the extra blasphemy makes for an even, smooth burn. 

[+Sherapy]

12 hours ago, Mr Walker said:

No Not influenced.

When i saw the  movie i recognised many similarities with my own experiences, so once again, as a precaution I went in for scans to check for a tumour. Again nothing was found 

I was a little disappointed in the ending because the producers tried to have it both ways using a natural explanation for his abilities (which were REAL but caused by, and at the cost of his tumour and eventual death)  My experiences predated the movie by decades.  

Ps the movie(as i said earlier) was Phenomenon not Michael which might explain your confusion.  Same year, same actor, totally different stories 

The movie is in the Fantasy genre, the abilities in context were used as literary devices to address the chosen themes of the movie. 

 

 

 

[+Hammerclaw]

3 hours ago, Liquid Gardens said:

Ha, thank ya kindly but I've got mine; I'm not just a mere partaker, I'm a patient! ("oo, my back...").  God bless 21st Century America and legalization, after a lifetime of picking out seeds and coughing my lungs out from the strain referred to as 'brown shake' that someone swept up from their floor, this was pretty similar to me on my first visit to the cannabis dispensary:

 

It was fun and no expense here, all entertainment.  Unfortunately I've got to spend today finishing up another work week at the BS factory so not much time to play.  Then it's home to spiff up my atheist cave; my Dawkins shrine needs dusting, I need to replace my roll of "Great Popes from History" toilet paper in the bathroom, and then it's time to tear out some more pages of the New Testament to use as rolling papers for some fresh doobies, err, I mean medicine.  I find that pages from the red letter Bibles are best, the extra blasphemy makes for an even, smooth burn. 

Quite alright; that's how the Maya sent letters to their Gods.

[+Sherapy]

9 hours ago, Liquid Gardens said:

Ha, thank ya kindly but I've got mine; I'm not just a mere partaker, I'm a patient! ("oo, my back...").  God bless 21st Century America and legalization, after a lifetime of picking out seeds and coughing my lungs out from the strain referred to as 'brown shake' that someone swept up from their floor, this was pretty similar to me on my first visit to the cannabis dispensary:

 

It was fun and no expense here, all entertainment.  Unfortunately I've got to spend today finishing up another work week at the BS factory so not much time to play.  Then it's home to spiff up my atheist cave; my Dawkins shrine needs dusting, I need to replace my roll of "Great Popes from History" toilet paper in the bathroom, and then it's time to tear out some more pages of the New Testament to use as rolling papers for some fresh doobies, err, I mean medicine.  I find that pages from the red letter Bibles are best, the extra blasphemy makes for an even, smooth burn. 

Ha ha ha ha ha “atheist man cave” now, for the married man my hubby’s man cave is on the porch, he is enjoying the legalization of cannabis as we speak. Lol 

[Mr Walker]

9 hours ago, Sherapy said:

The movie is in the Fantasy genre, the abilities in context were used as literary devices to address the chosen themes of the movie. 

 

 

 

lol That is the mundane, materialist, interpretation  of the film.

It is not wrong but it is limited..

 Yes i get that but it also had other intents and purposes (Take note of Travolta's own faith and the sort of movies he often chooses to act in .

Interesting that both his  character's  initial contact, and his experiences after that, were very similar to my own, yet mine came 25 years earlier.

I doubt the writers copied my experience " so it speaks to some commonality of experience and understanding.  Like myself, the writers saw it in a naturalistic, rather than  a religious   context Ie the power was in his own mind and only physically "released" by the tumour 

 

[Mr Walker]

20 hours ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Walker

You don't know what experience I have and in past said that there are limitations to what I will discuss in an open forum so you get the shorthand version. We have confronted each other many times over the years and I still offer you some credit for your experiences but do not think that you could walk in my world.

jmccr8

I don't think i would want to , but to assume I have to, just to develop similar abilities skills and attitudes, is probably incorrect .

In my life the greatest skill is the abilty to avoid the sort of circumstances your life exposed you to.  

 

[jmccr8]

5 minutes ago, Mr Walker said:

I don't think i would want to , but to assume I have to, just to develop similar abilities skills and attitudes, is probably incorrect .

In my life the greatest skill is the abilty to avoid the sort of circumstances your life exposed you to.  

 

Hi Walker

Kind of had to avoid the environment that I was born into.

jmccr8

[Habitat]

20 hours ago, jmccr8 said:

do not think that you could walk in my world.

Which "world" would that be ?

[SHaYap]

A 'real' world ...

~

[Mr Walker]

3 hours ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Walker

Kind of had to avoid the environment that I was born into.

jmccr8

As a dependent kid?  yes.

But as an independent adult ? No

It is true that the circumstances of our birth and childhood have a huge formative affect,  but humans are adaptable,  and our brains have plasticity, which allows us to change; to overcome, override, adapt to, or walk away from, the influences of our youth.  

[jmccr8]

9 hours ago, Mr Walker said:

As a dependent kid?  yes.

But as an independent adult ? No

It is true that the circumstances of our birth and childhood have a huge formative affect,  but humans are adaptable,  and our brains have plasticity, which allows us to change; to overcome, override, adapt to, or walk away from, the influences of our youth.  

Hi Walker

By the time I was old enough to make choices the stage was set and to be honest I enjoyed a good part of it because I was conditioned by experience.

jmccr8

[jmccr8]

14 hours ago, Habitat said:

Which "world" would that be ?

Hi Habitat

It was pretty much the wild west, we had drive by shootings back in the 60's and fighting was a form of entertainment as we had 1 tv station until we had three and one was in French. We fought for any reason like religion or if you wore your pants tucked into your cowboy boots or overtop of them and it was no inconvenience to drive 30 miles to find someone who did. And it was a high crime city with a lot of racial tension and the cops didn't lock you up or charge you for fighting they just take you to the edge of town and beat you stupid and if you ran into them in the bar when they were off duty they got their asses beat.

jmccr8

Edited March 30, 2019 by jmccr8
spulling

[hereticspl]

Couldn't be happier that this thread has managed to encourage as much healthy and unhealthy debate as it has. In the words of rage against the machine "something about silence makes me sick, because silence could be violence sort of like a slit wrist". Keep the debate alive.

[psyche101]

On 3/28/2019 at 9:46 PM, Will Due said:

Hey, are you sure you're not full of poop? 

Quite sure. As I said, I don't have a say in that decision. 

What's your excuse? 

[psyche101]

On 3/28/2019 at 3:13 PM, Habitat said:

No, my evaluations are not misguided or wrong,

Whilst you seem convinced that is the case here, from an outside point of view, your evaluations appear predetermined and based on a one size fits all superstition. 

On 3/28/2019 at 3:13 PM, Habitat said:

but some are very invested in the idea that they be so !

You are posting in the skeptical discussion forum where challenge to such claims is invited. One wonders endlessly why you post where you know your claims will be challenged and then complaining about that! In the believers forums, your claims would be accepted. 

Why do you post where you will be challenged on your claims, and then complain about it? That really is quite bewildering. 

[Jodie.Lynne]

12 hours ago, psyche101 said:

Why do you post where you will be challenged on your claims, and then complain about it? That really is quite bewildering. 

Not really bewildering. It feeds his "I'm being persecuted" beliefs. 

[onlookerofmayhem]

45 minutes ago, Jodie.Lynne said:

Not really bewildering. It feeds his "I'm being persecuted" beliefs. 

Yup. Happens a lot around these parts.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr_complex

[psyche101]

1 hour ago, Jodie.Lynne said:

Not really bewildering. It feeds his "I'm being persecuted" beliefs. 

I suppose that validates the irrational conclusions? 

[Horta]

5 hours ago, onlookerofmayhem said:

Yup. Happens a lot around these parts.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr_complex

That's fascinating.

It isn't uncommon at all in religious/brainwashing cults for people to gauge their spiritual "progress" by how much they suffer. They can actually envy members who suffer more than them for this reason, and even get all competitive about it. Suffering becomes something to brag about, like a badge of honour.

Jesus we're a weird species lol. 

 

[psyche101]

On 3/29/2019 at 12:29 PM, Mr Walker said:

No Not influenced.

When i saw the  movie i recognised many similarities with my own experiences, so once again, as a precaution I went in for scans to check for a tumour. Again nothing was found 

I was a little disappointed in the ending because the producers tried to have it both ways using a natural explanation for his abilities (which were REAL but caused by, and at the cost of his tumour and eventual death)  My experiences predated the movie by decades.  

Ps the movie(as i said earlier) was Phenomenon not Michael which might explain your confusion.  Same year, same actor, totally different stories 

Considering your extraordinary claims, it would seem more likely that you admired the characters abilities and decided to adopt that character as your own. 

[Hawkins]

On 3/17/2019 at 8:01 PM, hereticspl said:

There are people who believe something regardless of how 'solid' the evidence is(flat earthers) and there are people who believe something even when there is no evidence at all (pretty much every religious person). Should we be working to find a way to convince them or leave them to their beliefs?

That depends how capable humans in digging evidence and how available evidence will appear to humans. What evidence do you have before you swallow that black holes exist? 

Do you do scientific research about black holes till you are convinced by evidence that they exist? That line of reasoning itself is a joke (I won't say that it's your line of reasoning, as offending you is not the point).

Edited April 4, 2019 by Hawkins

[hereticspl]

4 hours ago, Hawkins said:

That depends how capable humans in digging evidence and how available evidence will appear to humans. What evidence do you have before you swallow that black holes exist? 

Do you do scientific research about black holes till you are convinced by evidence that they exist? That line of reasoning itself is a joke (I won't say that it's your line of reasoning, as offending you is not the point).

I'm at the mercy of the people who have taken the time and resources to study black holes. Que the comments about blind faith. But let me remind you we are talking about hundreds of years of peer reviewed scientific study with a well documented history. So dont tell me its blind faith unless you have evidence to discredit the work of academia. 

[Mr Walker]

On 31/03/2019 at 2:00 AM, jmccr8 said:

Hi Walker

By the time I was old enough to make choices the stage was set and to be honest I enjoyed a good part of it because I was conditioned by experience.

jmccr8

NO ONE is bound by the circumstances of their birth or their childhood. When one believes so. they are trapped by their belief not by reality.  But i am glad you enjoyed your youth 

[Mr Walker]

On 02/04/2019 at 4:53 PM, psyche101 said:

Considering your extraordinary claims, it would seem more likely that you admired the characters abilities and decided to adopt that character as your own. 

That might be your thought but it is not what happened. My experiences began around 1960, solidified around 1972, The films were from  1996, by which time i was already  45 years old. 

[hereticspl]

16 minutes ago, Mr Walker said:

NO ONE is bound by the circumstances of their birth or their childhood. When one believes so. they are trapped by their belief not by reality.  But i am glad you enjoyed your youth 

So someone born with muscular dystrophy isn't bound by the circumstances of their birth?