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Why do we stop believing in Santa's flying reindeer, and yet continue to believe that Jesus actually returned to life and flew away? The answer, for most people, is because their parents always expected them to, nudge nudge wink wink, grow out of believing in Santa, but were dead serious about believing in a flying reanimated corpse. Because that's the process THEY went through. The question is not whether or not we grew up to be smarter than our parents. The question is whether or not we grew up to be less ignorant than our parents. .......
Excellent post, and the bold holds the answer for half the "why" questions in this forum. As we grow older, we are not exposed to adults who believe in flying reindeer (and those that do are ridiculed and possibly locked up). But we are surrounded and enveloped and nourished and loved by stable, respected adults who believe the Bible stories, with nothing more to support them than the Santa stories.
If the CIA set out to design a brainwashing program, they couldn't come up with anything more effective and long-lasting than religious indoctrination, starting from the earliest age. My first outing outside the house was to be baptized, and it continued several times a week thereafter. First it was fun, then it got more serious, with age-appropriate songs and stories and activities and group chanting and repetitive readings and, and, and... but there was never any question it was all real and true.
Supportive of whom? Support their enemies, or their friends? Do not the Gentiles/wicked support their friends? (Matthew 5:42-48)
Oh, I wasn't getting into religious politics or scripture, this just based on observation and experience with members of each denomination. There's an LDS member that posts on the forums that is presently volunteering time at a local jail, and has "sponsored" (this entails ALOT of work and self sacrfice) families from other countries.
I personally know LDS members who go to these lengths as well.
(ShouldIMoveOrStayPut 12:24:48 "And I witnessed it with my own eyes, and claimed it was thus!")
If the CIA set out to design a brainwashing program, they couldn't come up with anything more effective and long-lasting than religious indoctrination, starting from the earliest age. My first outing outside the house was to be baptized, and it continued several times a week thereafter. First, it was fun, then it got more serious, with age-appropriate songs and stories and activities and group chanting and repetitive readings and, and, and... but there was never any question it was all real and true.
You are free to compare belief in God to CIA brainwashing but however confident you are in your "There is no evidence" belief, God can NOT be ruled out. The bottom line is, "We do NOT know." From my perspective as a believer with more than sufficient evidence FOR ME to know, I see my prior unbelief as a disability and detriment to my earlier life. The difference in living is enormous when you are certain that God exists and loves you and everyone else. What organized Christian dogma has done is to destroy the very benefit that a belief in God bestows - a sense of undeniable worth. The corrupt doctrine of humans as "filthy rags" and scum deserving of eternal torment is the true abomination and blasphemy against God. It is inexcusable but humans are a perverse lot!
The corrupt doctrine of humans as "filthy rags" and scum deserving of eternal
torment is the true abomination and blasphemy against God. It is inexcusable...
I love this verse...I don't read Revelations...but saw this somewhere.
...if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me ... 3:20
Any other verses you know of saying God wants a personal relationship with us?
......
5 pages, and I'm shocked this hasn't come up yet:
John 14: 15-17
15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
&
John 14:23
Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
You are free to compare belief in God to CIA brainwashing but however confident you are in your "There is no evidence" belief, God can NOT be ruled out. The bottom line is, "We do NOT know." From my perspective as a believer with more than sufficient evidence FOR ME to know, I see my prior unbelief as a disability and detriment to my earlier life. The difference in living is enormous when you are certain that God exists and loves you and everyone else. What organized Christian dogma has done is to destroy the very benefit that a belief in God bestows - a sense of undeniable worth. The corrupt doctrine of humans as "filthy rags" and scum deserving of eternal torment is the true abomination and blasphemy against God. It is inexcusable but humans are a perverse lot!
Perhaps neither here nor there, but my brainwashing reference was merely to acknowledge and reinforce the mechanism offered up by Tired ("The answer, for most people, is because their parents always expected them to, nudge nudge wink wink, grow out of believing in Santa, but were dead serious about believing in a flying reanimated corpse. Because that's the process THEY went through.").
More importantly, I agree with you that God cannot be ruled out, and "we do not know" is the logical, supportable conclusion. Where we differ is where we go from that bottom line. You build onto it with beliefs, based on your personal experience. I remain at that bottom line, until presented with evidence we can all see and share and experience.
I am glad if you find the difference you experience in living to be a benefit. That also is not a universal phenomenon or need. Speaking for myself, I find that I can enjoy the same "sense of undeniable worth" without the God belief. Perhaps I never bought into the corrupt doctrine... no filthy rags here!
Thanks for the thoughtful (and thought-provoking) reply.
Last edited by HeelaMonster; 12-13-2018 at 10:15 AM..
Is that why everyone on Earth is pretending to be deaf?
I find God...or perceiving God, or His Voice, very similar to those 3D Prints....You look at them
and even if someone tells you there is a giraffe in that mess of colored patterns....you still can't see it and give up!
It is a certain altering of your sight that allows you to see it.
YET, with all the new excitement you may have to pass what you saw onto another...they can
just shrug and go, ''You're nuts''.
I can see the xxxxx in 2 seconds
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