"How to Convert an Atheist" TV Show (Buddhism, churches, paranormal)
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Have you guys heard of Derren Brown, I never heard of his show that I remember, but it seems this episode is 3 or 4 years old. I love psychology and education, so I found this very interesting (although I already knew some parts of the psychology). You can pay special attention to how he overlays a "spiritual" experience on an atheist using cathartic emotions, now that I wasn't expecting. All discussion is welcome.
Never heard of the guy. From what I found when I googled him, he seems to be a parlor-trick sort of illusionist/hypnotist. Are you suggesting that he "proves" how easy it is to manipulate people...so he debunks the idea of conversion? That may explain what some people go through at some big stadium events and such...but it doesn't do a lot to make me doubt my conversion. I'm sorry...I didn't come to Christ that way.
Never heard of the guy. From what I found when I googled him, he seems to be a parlor-trick sort of illusionist/hypnotist. Are you suggesting that he "proves" how easy it is to manipulate people...so he debunks the idea of conversion? That may explain what some people go through at some big stadium events and such...but it doesn't do a lot to make me doubt my conversion. I'm sorry...I didn't come to Christ that way.
Yes you did.
Darren Brown just uses the same mind F techniques evangelists use, the setting is different but the methods are the same. Folk stumble onto this gift of conning people or they learn it. It does not negate his findings.
You are getting to look behind the curtain, scary huh?
Darren Brown just uses the same mind F techniques evangelists use, the setting is different but the methods are the same. Folk stumble onto this gift of conning people or they learn it. It does not negate his findings.
You are getting to look behind the curtain, scary huh?
Sorry...I came to Christ after reading the Bible for a few years, understanding the Gospel, and committing to Christ 20 years ago. It wasn't just a con man at a crusade.
Sorry...I came to Christ after reading the Bible for a few years, understanding the Gospel, and committing to Christ 20 years ago. It wasn't just a con man at a crusade.
And I respect that. However, very often our hypothetical con man is not saying anything that you haven't concluded after all that due consideration, he is just accelerating the process via how he presents it and by leveraging emotional responses, and he doesn't necessarily have to appeal to greed or urgent need with some name-it-and-claim-it add-on, though he probably will if he thinks it will contribute to the desired outcome.
I have no problem thinking that your faith is headier and less based in emotion, as was mine ... but I think that's just because it suits our personalities to favor that. Some people feel numb and disconnected from their beliefs if they don't engage their emotions, so they go more that route, and make sure their spines tingle and a tear or two is elicited, so that it "feels real" to them. They may subscribe to the same doctrinal statement that you do, but it is their subjective responses that breathe life into it for them.
Never heard of the guy. From what I found when I googled him, he seems to be a parlor-trick sort of illusionist/hypnotist. Are you suggesting that he "proves" how easy it is to manipulate people...so he debunks the idea of conversion? That may explain what some people go through at some big stadium events and such...but it doesn't do a lot to make me doubt my conversion. I'm sorry...I didn't come to Christ that way.
Oh yes, this is understandable, [edit: sorry SeekerSA jumped the gun lol]. I didn't have a firm believe I was a Christian that way either, and I didn't find the truth in agnosticism and side with atheism and/or buddhism through any "break-through" emotional experience either... I've actually never seen any one do that ground-breaking emotional hypnotic/subconscious catharsis (nor convert anyone in general, though), which is what I found amazing... I just thought that a lot of "final self-conversion" moments of "love, etc" are likely that way: the people's very own emotions from within them, releasing or becoming something better. I don't know if that is what likely goes on in megachurches, but it should probably be a public service, I think. Then again, if you already preemptively understand it is synthetic, you might fight its occurrence more. It's very confounding in my mind what to do with this.
Her reaction wasn't what I was expecting, either. That was heavy. I had forgotten the details with this one. It almost made me feel like she was an actor, but I don't want to think that about him -- still, it might be true.
I also thought it wasn't as good as some of his shows because there was so little audience participation.
ANY idea how he makes Matthew Modine think of and draw an elephant in that first video I posted? What words are tipoffs? Matthew said, "I just looked at you, and you reminded me of an elephant." I can't work that out.
Her reaction wasn't what I was expecting, either. That was heavy. I had forgotten the details with this one. It almost made me feel like she was an actor, but I don't want to think that about him -- still, it might be true.
I also thought it wasn't as good as some of his shows because there was so little audience participation.
ANY idea how he makes Matthew Modine think of and draw an elephant in that first video I posted? What words are tipoffs? Matthew said, "I just looked at you, and you reminded me of an elephant." I can't work that out.
In my psychology coursework, I was told things similar to his demonstrations working on some people are common in statistically significant levels among the human population when tested in controlled studies and experiments.
I haven't been able to watch the whole thing yet, but it is fascinating to see the aspect of human susceptibility demonstrated.
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