Comments on: A Look Inside The Evangelical Mind

By: anti_supernaturalist

anti_supernaturalist — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:20:06 +0000

sin and neurosis

Religion and psychiatry are one in creating fictitious “illnesses” for which each offers sham cures at premium prices.

anti_supernaturalist

By: Richard N

Richard N — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:14:17 +0000

Nick:
Hey Nick. I also have a “let live” attitude. Normally I just find theists to be amusing and I don’t interact. The ones that get to me are the ones that spout-off about the book of John and the message that if “you aren’t with us, then you must be against us”. Or words to that effect. Actually they fear that I might need desperately to be “saved” from the antichrist, so they decide it is their duty to ‘save’ me, whether I like the idea or not. That gets to me and raises my ire. After a protracted argument they give up and say that I am hopelessly ‘damned’. Whoopeedoo. Like I care.
The downside is that I have lost a few friends over my lack of belief in their dogma. Well, all I can say is that I can’t and won’t compromise my beliefs (.. lack of them ?) just to stay a friend. Of course I would prefer a neutral area that will allow friendship but they are the ones who usually find that arrangement untenable. Like you said- their desire to convert is like a disease. Pity….

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:27:13 +0000

Belief for beliefs sake isn’t and cannot be a bad thing, in my opinion – it’s simply what you do because of it that counts against you. Whatever it takes for you to get through one day and into the next.

My chief (only?) quarrel is that religious people (stereo)typically aren’t content to accept their belief is unique – like some kind of infectious disease, they feel the need to pass it on, sometimes with results not dissimilar to contracting an infectious disease.

If the religious were content/capable of accepting their beliefs as rational, and not forcing them unasked and undesired upon others, I for one would be happy to let them be. Don’t preach in my school and I won’t try to teach in your church.

By: Richard N

Richard N — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:28:29 +0000

Hmmm… crowd mentality. Ever been to a high school “pep rally”?
Ever been to a basketball game and couldn’t help but yell and stomp your feet with everyone else ? Ever been part of a ‘wave’ in a crowd ?
There is just something about human beings that sparks us when in a crowd. We all just sort of act the same.
Intelligent “leaders” have known this since the beginning of time. It seems to work especially well with religion. The clapping and singing are all mesmerizing. The speaker saying all the “right words” to get you feeling excited- is all carefully planned.
Think- Hitler. If you have ever seen him talking to a crowd you see this huge dynamic going on. You don’t even have to understand German to see the effect. Sieg Heil !! Praise Jesus !!
It does really work on the human mind quite well.

I am an atheist, yet I have found myself moved listening to Dr. Dobson speak when I lived in Colorado Springs. I was there escorting my Mom, who thinks the world of him.
Yeah, he kind of got me going, for sure. But I got over it. The kind of “vibes” his talking puts out gets the whole crowd captivated.
It’s a wonderful example of mind control. If it is done to you often enough, you can get very caught up in whatever beliefs are being spewed.
Just my 2 cents.. oops.. one cent, inflation, ya know…

By: Brad Feaker

Brad Feaker — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:56:54 +0000

Frreal,

Neece you exhibit the same “sheep” mentality believers do you just follow a different herd.

I won’t pretend to speak for Neece but I am almost sure she would agree – questioning and insisting on empirical evidence is not a ‘sheep’ mentality. Sheep don’t think critically or for themselves – they need a ‘shepherd’.

By: lifeasacupofcoffee

lifeasacupofcoffee — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:01:15 +0000

There might be something to be said for religion and giving up a part of yourself for something greater, but this sounds more like a cult if you ask me. The constant praising, the pressure to conform–it sounds like brainwashing. While I know from my Christian background that not all churches are like this, it’s a little scary to think that there are churches out there that go to such extremes.

I think that Taibbi makes an interesting point about identity, though. After a certain point, you lose your identity in a situation like that, and though some people might claim that they are losing their selves to become more like God, it sounds like they’re just losing themselves to get lost in the group. Personally, now that I’m an agnostic, I’d rather think for myself and be able to be myself with many diverse groups of people instead of sacrificing my identity just for a sense of belonging.

By: Odchudzanie

Odchudzanie — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:29:32 +0000

Most of my life I had got God shoved down my throat. When I was young, living in a catholic country, I had to follow these silly rituals with the rest. When I went to college I broke the shackles of faith and became agnostic. And still I had to fight the church.
Now that I’m old I believe that faith is our personal thing and we should respect each other here. If someone needs an imaginary friend to hold his hand through his life, so be it. I won’t mock him, I might feel a bit sad but thats it.

By: ArchangelChuck

ArchangelChuck — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:45:19 +0000

Ugh, my mistake… Looks like several people have the same icon. Sorry Frreal / Rover. It’s late.

By: ArchangelChuck

ArchangelChuck — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:24:16 +0000

Joe / Frreal / Rover: Why do you keep changing your name? It’s called an IDENTicon for a reason.

By: ArchangelChuck

ArchangelChuck — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:13:23 +0000

Rooted in the metaphor of the sheep is the accusation of non-thinking, but even in fundamentalism — though it appears that nobody is thinking — they are. They think wrongly in almost every way imaginable, but they still think.

We say that flock of sheep would be blindly led to their own destruction, and then apply that in the cases of, for example, mass suicides. What we are ignoring is the fact that they made that decision consciously and willingly because they believe in something greater. The difference is subtle, but it’s there.

The phenomenon you’re referring to is group solidarity, not sheep mentality.