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SO I am watching this documentary on NETFLIX at the moment called SELLING GOD
and I am learning nothing new, it rehashes a lot of the same points already made by Hitchens, Dawkins and the members of this forum.
STILL I thought it was interesting, they do a segment called "Marketing 101" talking about a product, like a car (which has always been my example)
Create a product, convince people that they need it, and make it urgent that they buy it.
Car sales, or evangelical religion sales. . . . .
"The Christian church is a franchise and business, feeding on peoples guilt
And that is not what Jesus would have laid out when he taught spirituality" according to this film, and that too is a good point
BUT nothing new
Still, it is reassuring to know that there are more non-theists like myself out there making films, and hopefully reading my posts. We do not need evangelical Christianity (or evangelical anything) To make our lives complete, or save us from some non-existant hell, or to give us rebirth. We were all born fine the first time.
I have yet to see a religious institution that could possibly have been inspired by an all-wise and powerful being with a universal perspective...but evangelicals make even the weirdest world religions look relatively sane.
The American evangelical strain of christianity has probably done more harm to the cause than any other sect. They pretty much invent things and make it up as they go along and with the debacles of the Toronto blessing, Todd Bentley, TBN, Benny Hinn and many more clowns, they really have no shame in their bigotry and senseless beliefs.
What I grew up with in Africa with, was far more tolerant and the gist of churches here was to be an anchor and a helpful organisation caring towards their fellow man.
There were of course imports from the US and these folk went as batcrap crazy as the woos in the US. Had I not had my run in with these folk, I would not have engaged in years of study to fathom out why these folk were so heartless and afraid and angry. I probably would have remained a self identified stay at home xian.
In the end, it was really, can I be associated with folk like this that call themselves xian yet do not show the fruits one expects? That answer was a resounding NO!
I would hazard a guess that many folk like me have become irreligious or have gone back to the traditional reformed churches for spiritual sustenance.
Seems like people who claim to be Christians often cause more questioning of their beliefs than any other. It still amazes me I was taught this throughout my childhood and it seems like none of the adults never even thought twice about it; but then again, seems like they didn't think about many things.
I'll try to check that movie out when I get an opportunity. Sounds interesting.
Yeah sounds like nothing new there at all. I have for some long time now been posting on the subject of some of the parallels between the teaching of some religions and marketing methodology, or between the teaching of some religions and other forms of psychological manipulation, control and torture. The parallels are numerous at times and interesting to explore.
I have yet to see a religious institution that could possibly have been inspired by an all-wise and powerful being with a universal perspective...but evangelicals make even the weirdest world religions look relatively sane.
Sadly . . . my experiences here at C-D have forced me to face the possibility that irrationality and insanity are more the norm when religion and religious beliefs are involved. I find it incredible the beliefs that can coexist within the same mind of people who otherwise seem sane and rational. It boggles my mind and has undermined my faith in the ability of knowledge, reason, logic and rationality to have any real impact on humanity in the near term. It would seem a major evolutionary advance in cognitive functioning will be required. It is very depressing to contemplate.
Last edited by MysticPhD; 05-19-2012 at 10:14 PM..
Sadly . . .my experiences here at C-D have forced me to face the possibility that irrationality and insanity are more the norm when religion and religious beliefs are involved. I find it incredible the beliefs that can coexist within the same mind of people who otherwise seem sane and rational. It boggles my mind and has undermined my faith in the ability of knowledge, reason, logic and rationality to have any real impact on humanity in the near term. It would seem a major evolutionary advance in cognitive functioning will be required. It is very depressing to contemplate.
I think we just have disproportionate number of vocal weirdos here (me too, BTW, I've got a messy love-hate relationship with spirituality, science and religion that I'm still trying to work out ).
I guess this spirituality thing is a lifetime long learning process with no end; hopefully we're all working to be better and don't all die as ignorant as we where when we were prolific CD posters, no matter which side of the R&P forum we claim to be on!
Sadly . . . my experiences here at C-D have forced me to face the possibility that irrationality and insanity are more the norm when religion and religious beliefs are involved. I find it incredible the beliefs that can coexist within the same mind of people who otherwise seem sane and rational. It boggles my mind and has undermined my faith in the ability of knowledge, reason, logic and rationality to have any real impact on humanity in the near term. It would seem a major evolutionary advance in cognitive functioning will be required. It is very depressing to contemplate.
Very well elucidated, Mystic, and I acknowledge & appreciate your intellectual honesty in this matter. Frankly, I had assumed and thought I had it all figured out, and had answers for most any religious question before joining in on C-D 3 years ago. After all, since the age of about 25, I'd come to some irrevocable conclusions. Still have them, only the back-and-forth here with woo-woos (thx to Seeker..) has strengthened those convictions considerably.
Back then in my initial days on C-D, I was naive as all git-out, and I participated and even started a few threads in that innocence. I was then roughly re-educated over the subsequent ≈2 yrs. Now, however I've taken on a somewhat humor-oriented but still highly sarcastic perspective, since I've come to realize, as you have, the sorry depths of the pathological and collective inability for evangelical fundies to think.
Their relentless cognitive dissonance, their wildly imaginative revisionism, and most critically telling to me, their stubborn resistance (refusal, in fact) to answer even the most basic of questions. At first this astounded me, but now I see it fits an obligatory and mandatory pattern of non-response coupled with a knee-jerk denial of literally any careful and critical thinking and evaluation. Not to mention their blindered eyes and minds towards all things proven and obvious.
Thus the sorry state of organized and even personal Christianity.
Note: Let's leave the muddled and brainless deen of Islam out of this discussion. They truly ARE dangerous, as we have now seen, and will therefore have to be dealt with accordingly in the future.
I prophesy it!
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). 
The sad story is...
