Religious experiences can be built by suppressed activity in the superior parietal lobe which controls sense of self. Add to that increased activity of the pre-frontal cortex which controls judgment and empathy.
So the question becomes how long until science can invoke religious experiences in people at will?
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20021029-032809-5429r
It always comes down to perception. Through which eyes do we see? I can’t help but feel that I sit on a cusp of something, not that I can articulate it, yet. Perhaps it is the first tastes of freedom. Maybe I’ll let myself out to play again. Still I must bring all of me inside. I must know the perception. I hope to find the minutia again.
I used to be able to see where the details disconnected from reality, now see only my own disconnect. I’m older and my vision has narrowed. Things get in the way; the job, the commute, the big little things. I haven’t bought into the big thing, politics, but it provides the illusion of control. Without the illusion I have to admit my own powerlessness. It is a rare man (and I’m not sure I am such a man,) who can accept that he is powerless to effect change at any level.
I used to be able to influence through words. Somehow my words had a following. Maybe I couldn’t change anything, but at least I was on the marketplace of ideas. Interestingly enough that is hubris. I should only have a place on the marketplace when I can articulate an idea that can stand on its own. An Idea of resonant force.
Everything I’ve ever written that’s been worth reading has been an internal mirror. It’s always been deeply personal and usually liberally dusted with pain. The motif of blood and tears has thus far been the trademark by which I define the fiction.
Oddly enough my fiction isn’t the only thing that gets read. My secular ten dollar bill and my interpretation of the Heaven’s Gate cult still seem to draw a crowd.
As it stands here and now in the DC area we have a mad sniper. I find it odd that he hasn’t gathered a more fanciful name. I guess the DC sniper is no different than the the Boston Strangler. But sniper and strangler are words of different character. Sniper, for good or ill, is a profession that people train for and get jobs doing. No only at our most violent do we hire stranglers in the belief we are doing good. I think that is the reason that DC sniper lacks the sinister undertone of a serial killer name, we employ so many DC snipers. They are sought by the metro police, the secret service, FBI, CIA, and probably even the park police. With such impressive company how can he be considered as out of the ordinary? I suppose someone will give him a proper serial killer name due time.
People have become skittish and irrational. There are some nine million of us in the area. So far nine people have died. That is your classic one in a million shot. Yet people carry on as if it were the black plague that killed 1/3rd of Europe. How many people were killed in car accidents in the last week?
Via coralville
This is not quite correct. I would maintain that it would be “stupid” to claim the brewer of the Pilsner beer the driver was drinking was directly responsible for the pedestrian’s death. The fault lies with the driver and to whatever factors directly caused him to misuse alcohol and an automobile.
I generally agree with you but there seems to be a disconnect between how society views alcohol and religion. Although society puts blame squarely on the shoulders of the drunk driver it also approaches alcohol with some trepidation. On the other hand religion is viewed as squeaky clean, can do harm, force for good.
Surely, if alcohol is to be approached carefully and restricted to those we (as a society) believe are mature enough to handle it, then religion deserves to have its image tainted by those who perform negative actions while under the influence of religion? I’m not suggesting it needs to shoulder the blame but it does need to be recognized as an enabling factor.
–Zafkiel
A rich man decided that he wanted to throw a party and invited all of his buddies and neighbors. He held the party around the pool in the backyard of his mansion. Everyone was having a good time drinking, flirting, dancing and eating BBQ, shrimp and oysters.
At the height of the party, the host said, “I have a 10ft man-eating gator in my pool and I’ll give a million dollars to anyone who has the guts to jump in.” The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a loud splash and everyone turned around and saw his neighbor, James, in the pool! He was jabbing the gator in the eyes with his thumbs, throwing punches, doing all kinds of head butts and chokeholds, biting the gator on the tail and flipping the gator through the air. The water was churning and splashing everywhere. Both James and the gator were screaming and raising hell. Finally he strangled the gator and let it float to the top like a K-mart goldfish.
James then slowly climbed out of the pool. Everybody was just staring at him in disbelief. Finally the host says, “Well,I guess I owe you a million dollars.”
“I don’t want that.” said James.
The rich man said, “I have to give you something. You won the bet. How about half a million bucks then?”
“That is not what I want!”, answered James.
Confused, the rich man asked, “Well, then what do you want?”
James said, “I want the name of the “%@!^*%$#^” who pushed me in the pool!”
A guy was in New York on a business trip and decided to head to a
local bar for a drink. Standing outside the bar was a nun
holding a tin cup.
As the man threw a few bucks into her cup the nun launched into a
long tirade about the evils of alcohol. She went on and on about
how alcohol was tearing apart the fabric of society and how it
was the root of all the city’s problems.
Slightly pissed off at having to listen to this the guy said,
“Listen sister, I work hard for my money and sometimes at the end
of a long day I like a drink or two. That doesn’t make me a bad
person. I have a wife I idolize and two wonderful kids at home. I
provide for my family, I volunteer my time to several local
service clubs and I contribute regularly to various charities.
Yet you stand here and condemn me just because I drink the
occasional glass of scotch!”
The nun was slightly taken aback and replied, “I see your point
my son and I apologize if I offended you but the alcohol is such
a powerful demon that all who consume it are doomed…”
“Look there you go again,” said the man, “How can you make such a
sweeping statement. Have you ever even TRIED alcohol?”
“Of course not!” gasped the nun, “The evil alcohol has never
touched my lips.”
“Do you really think that one glass of booze can change you from
a devout nun to some kind of evil degenerate?”
“Well, I really don’t know ….”
“I’ll tell you what, come into the bar with me and I’ll buy you a
drink. One drink. I’ll prove to you that “evil” is not inside the
glass, it’s inside the person.”
“Oh I could never be seen going into such a den of inequity, it’s
out of the question. However, your comment about evil residing in
the person rather than the glass is quite intriguing. I must
admit you’ve aroused a curiosity in me.”
“Well let’s go inside and settle this”
“No my son, I could never enter such a place… but how about
this. Take my tin cup with you and fill it with this “scotch” you
mentioned. Bring it out to me and I’ll try it.”
“You’re on!” said the guy.
The nun removed all the change and handed him the tin cup. He
went into the bar and said to the bartender, “Two scotch on the
rocks, and could you put one of them in this tin cup please”
The bartender sighed and said,
“Is that f—ing nun out there again?”
THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN YOU’RE DRUNK:
- Indubitably
- Innovative
- Preliminary
- Proliferation
- Cinnamon
THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN YOU’RE DRUNK:
- Specificity
- British Constitution
- Passive-aggressive disorder
- Loquacious Transubstantiate
THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN YOU’RE DRUNK:
- Thanks, but I don’t want to have sex.
- Nope, no more beer for me.
- Sorry, but you’re not really my type.
- Good evening officer, isn’t it lovely out tonight.
- Oh, I just couldn’t. No one wants to hear me sing.
So I got an email last night from my ex-girlfriend. It seems that she got engaged.
I know I’m not supposed have strong emotions about this either way, but that isn’t what happened.
We’re talking about quite a bit of time ago, so I have no reason to be feeling unhappy about this. We dated almost a decade ago (circa 1994ish). After the third or fourth time we broke up we weren’t traveling in the same circles anymore and so we never really resolved any outstanding issues. The relationship was essentially frozen , or more correctly morphed into two one sided relationships. The result is that we spent a long time not speaking to each other.
Then comes September, 11th, rumor filters to me that she thought that her parents were in the WTC. Maintaining th silence seemed wrong so I sent an email. Her parents were fine. We continued to email in a sporadic, monthly sort of way.
So you see I have no right to be shocked, surprised or any way off balance that she got engaged, but I am. I’m way off balance.
You see there are unresolved issues between us, or to be honest between me and her. I think they may be between us because this morning she sent a second email, it was a realization that she may have freaked me out. It included such lines as ” I know this is a strange situation and things are weird…” and “Please don’t freak.” Or maybe she just knows me well.
We were in college and she was a bad girlfriend. Couldn’t love just one person. But what we felt for each other never really ended. Our breaking up was a necessary fix for a logistical problem. No fighting, no anger. It just couldn’t work.
She is the only woman I’ve ever really loved and I’ve never really been over her. Sometimes I’ve fooled myself, but her specter is never far away, at least not when I think about anything having to do with relationships.
So now I have to figure out how to respond, both emotionally and electronically.
I’ve got to send some sort of “congratulations and I’m not freaked” email, but I feel it may ring just a tad hollow. After all, while happy for her, I want her to be happy, I don’t like the idea of her getting married and I am a bit freaked. I know that is unfair and wrong, doesn’t make it untrue.
Emotionally is even tougher. Its been eight years. I need to let it go. I should have done so, but my lack of balance suggests that I haven’t really done that. That can’t be healthy for anyone involved.
Thanks for listening, I needed to get that off my chest.
–Zafkiel
[ed. Terms: Belief has been defined as taking something as true, but requiring some level of proof. Faith is taking something as true without any level of proof.]
But that is as far as I can go in agreeing with you. There is a reason to believe in science and the scientific method that has nothing to do with faith. It works. Pure and simple. I don’t know the quantum equations that allow this computers micro-circuitry to work with no discernible hiccup but I know several things. One, somebody does know these equations. Two, I might be able to learn them from him/her. Three, even if I just can’t grasp it someone can show me the results. In fact, when I eventually hit the ’submit reply’ button I’ll have proven many a quantum physical fact.
I think you’ve missed the real difference between faith and belief as you’ve defined them but come real close. Lets go one further and say the difference between faith and the scientific method.
I may not know anything about quantum equations. I may never know anything about quantum equations, but I do know how the scientific method works. More to the point, I understand the system by which new knowledge is introduced to the scientific body and old, wrong knowledge expunged.
If something is part of the scientific body of knowledge I can be assured that it has been published in a peer reviewed journal and that other scientists in the field have found the methodology and conclusions credible. Certain, no, but definitely credible. By credible I mean seems to work to several decimal places, which is sufficient for most purposes.
The real difficulty is not believing these things, because they have a process and a system in place for verification and self correction. The difficulty is to determine which pieces of knowledge have passed through the process and which ones have bypassed it in order to appeal to the uninformed laymen. Which pieces of knowledge have just been proposed and haven’t been put through the ringer yet and which long standing pieces of knowledge have been supplanted with better explanations.
I short, the real difference between faith and belief is the system and process in place to maintain the confidence. It is based on vigorous debate and common observation among unconstrained and informed debaters. While the system to maintain most faith is the inhibiting of inquiry and questions by threating outcast status for thinking differently. Not to suggest that some of the threat doesn’t exist in the scientific community but there are ways around it for the courageous with a correct new theory. With belief, there is no way around it except to embrace the outcast status and form a new faith.
–Zafkiel
Christians…can’t live with them…can no longer throw them to the lions
Last time we mixed politics with religion people got burned at the stake
Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated
I didn’t sell my soul to Satan, but we did work out a rent to own deal
Honk if you think I am Jesus
Doing my part to piss off the religious right
Militant agnostic…I don’t know and you don’t either
If you are born again, do you have 2 belly buttons?
Don’t pray in my school and I won’t think in your church
Born ok the first time
I’m against the death penalty…look what happened to Jesus
God, protect me from your followers
I hear alot of stories about how god fails to answer prayers when loved ones are sick. I didn’t want anyone to loose faith in the bible over this matter, and thought that we might look to the scripture to clear up the apparent problem and renew our faith, ahem:
Consider what the scripture has to say on answered prayers:
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16
You have to be a righteous man in order to get an answer. (effectual and fervent as well). That is to say,
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Romans 3:10-12
That is, yes er, um, well, keep up the good work, beacuse, you see, since there are no righteous men, you are not righteous, but don’t despair because, err…
And they [Elizabeth and Zacharias] were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Luke 1:6
You see, there are um, people, that is, well, what this clearly means is that…
well…
Elizabeth and Zacharias don’t exist. Thus the story continues:
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
Luke 1:27-40
so, um, well, you know, Zacharias and Elisabeth not existing, and therefore neither their house, we see that Mary, um, carrying the Son of God, entered into non-existence, and so, err, we see that….
Jesus never existed.
Now, from John:
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I [Jesus] and my Father are one.
John 10:29-30
Thus Jesus not-existing, is the Father, and so, err, God does not exist. This is why, um, your prayers are not answered.
I hope that clears things up.