Which one of these religions is founded on the most absurd premise?

If you can get powerful spiritual experiences from psychedelic drugs, then by all means (might need a babysitter though).

I wouldn't rely on it as a crutch or take it too seriously, but the mind works in different ways and it's definitely gives you a different lens on life.

 

So it doesn't make them bad people, but delusional people?

I will let you determine for yourself if this is condemning or questioning.

 

Is them thinking I will go to hell for not believing what they do condemning or questioning?

 

"A delusion is a fixed belief that is either false, fanciful, or derived from deception"

Christians would say that believers in Zues are delusional. Correct?

As Dawkins put it, "We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."

 

Religion:

1. Give answers to the unanswerable questions
2. Give hope against the inevitable
3. Give a framework and a risk/reward for moral behavior

That's a big row to hoe right there.

I wonder what civilization would have developed like if someone back in the Rift Valley would have said " bull*****, Shaman you don't really know anything"


Delusions aren't necessarily bad, if they make people happy or moral or peaceful. Your reality is in your own head. It's not a delusion if you believe it.

Back in the 70's I believe I got a mental clarity from them. But I was just taking them for fun. We had real LSD and psilosybin, I think it must be different from the rave drugs of the 90's because I don't hear anything about enlightenment from that scene.

 

Religion:

1. Gives answers to potentially hard questions, not unanswerable. The Earth is 6000 years old, right?
2. Gives hope against the inevitable, even If it is possible to overcome. In other words, it controls...
3. Agreed, even If it is a false risk/reward...


Delusions are not necessarily bad, but they are delusions, and I would still consider them dangerous. The problem is that your "own delusion/reality" will affect someone else, almost all of the time... Native Americans, for instance...

 

This. I haven't read this entire thread, but nobody is really making any logical argument as to why certain religions are founded on absurd premises.

 

Pretty much every institution, whether religious or secular, is founded on absurd premises.

 

Psilosybin lasts so long to the point where you want it to end, but can't. It's a journey and a half.

I haven't taken any rave drugs, so all I have are guesses and impressions of why it'd be different. I can say the neural chemistry is different. It deals more with pain and pleasure receptors, like instant gratification.

 

99.9% of the time, wars are fought over land.

 

Even when religion is used as the motive, it is usually being used to cover for rich leader's desire to control additional or preserve currently controlled resources.

If there wasn't religion they'd use something else to get people to fight for them.

 

reminds me of chris rock's quote in dogma

Rufus: He still digs humanity, but it bothers Him to see the **** that gets carried out in His name - wars, bigotry, televangelism. But especially the factioning of all the religions. He said humanity took a good idea and, like always, built a belief structure on it.
Bethany: Having beliefs isn't good?
Rufus: I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant.

 

repped.

I love that movie.

 

Religion should be free.
Scientology is a con.

 

Actually, you don't need an open mind until about mid-way through the book............you know, where it gets bat **** crazy.

 

i know you're playing devil's advocate, but ... why? there's tons of evidence (including from the creator of the religion himself) that scientology is a fraud, and was created with the intention of being fraudulent and to the exclusive benefit of its creator. also, scientology doesn't deal with magical men in the sky. it deals with the spirits of aliens from billions of years ago. they call them "thetans". there's no mention of god or any such entity in scientology, except in the marketing brochures.

 

Man, I need to watch Dogma again. Good thing I bought it on sale at BestBuy! $12 for Dogma on BluRay? Yes, please!

 

Could these leaders control emotions like they could with religion?


It doesn't take one man, it takes an army...

Religion, control, power.

 

exactly... its all about being politically correct. Why does religion need to be respected? It divides families(personal experience), helps fuel wars and causes hate and division among people. Because 1 billion or 2 billion people blindly follow a certain religion does not automatically mean the religion has to be respected.

 

what?