ha, I've found many old bluelight pages saved to my temp internet files on my 8 y/o computer.
Was shocked to find that PM and restore it. "Dude, when I saw the truth I cried like a baby". I appreciate your an atheist but I hope you can comprehend that moment. You spend your life worrying about what will happen to you, and think you'll never find an answer to it all.... then you come to this massive realisation. It's worth experiencing atheism for a bit just to find that moment. Glad I was an atheist-turn-Christian rather than life-long Christian.
Anyway, to your posts:
MrRice said:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...s-8758046.html
And another good bit o' Derren (in response to your pic, raas)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmb...ion-part-2_fun
I also highly recommend watching Derren Brown: Fear and Faith
There are many reasons why people feel like they've felt the holy spirit.. and none of them involve the holy spirit
I can totally see what you're getting at here. Remember I too was once atheist - here's another bit of history for you -
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/...After-MDMA-Experienced-Panic-Attack-from-Hell
Raas said:
I am not a religious person, but i said a small prayer to whatever may exist as i was truely scared. It didn't work; the panic attack just got twice as bad. (stupid God
)I couldn't feel my hands or feet, my stomach was hurting and my mouth was extremely dry -
If you have not seen or experienced anything supernatural, it is only natural to be suspicious of those who claim they have and take a more empirical stance on the subject. I've been there too.
The mistake I have made, and that you and Derren Brown are currently making, is that when it comes to God, spirituality, faith, psychics, supernatural you are looking at it from a scientific point of view. Doing so you will inevitably hit a wall, find no evidence and no claims you cannot dismiss.
From a materialistic point of view, these things are unprovable. To progress your understanding you really have to think outside of the material box that you are in.
So you have found no evidence of souls, no evidence of God or anything supernatural? Don't let your search end here. Instead, let's employ a little philosophy:
Maybe there is a God, but he has deliberately made atheism a real possibility for you to believe in. Because you and derrin brown haven't experienced or found any evidence of the supernatural, doesn't mean it's not there, it could be that God doesn't want you to know of it. He's made atheism appear possible on purpose and wants you to explore it, if you wish.
So then we ask ourselves... Why is God essentially tricking us? Are there philosophical reasons for it?
Yes, yes there are. With 7 billion people on earth, billions of planets, our animalistic evolutionary background... People think there may not be a God. This in turn
exposes sin. Simply, if someones being naughty they generally feel if their bad deeds are away from the police they've got away with it.
This now gives them (God, angels), who operate on our world... many choices. It allows them to deal with the sin - they can fate events so that the person can learn the consequence of their sin, and develop from it. Or, if the person is evil in the heart and will not learn, their sin can be used to create heroic and noble human experiencs... for instance a police officer could be fated to deal with the person and save an afflicted person. A relationship is born as the policeman helps an afflicted person; love and trust are developed. (Just an example, im sure you can think of many more)
Do you understand what i'm saying here? With the world how it is... it gives us a real chance to learn and experience good and evil. There is meaning and reason behind God making atheism appear a real possibility.
RickolasNice said:
What good has religion done for you, if you don't mind me asking?
Living life a "purer" life because of what the bible says is bullshit. It's all based on controlling people because of what some story book says. And people don't need religion for morals. That hypothesis is long outdated and very, very debunked.
This is also a very big point you've hit upon.
The religion/atheist debate is not just fun and games. It's extremely important and can effect you tremendously.
Religion doesn't make you a more moral person, I agree. It's possible to uphold morals without religion I agree.
What religious belief does, is effect our perception on how life is to be lived and creates a division between our animalalstic desires and spiritual desires.
OK so... let's apply this to real life:
I was at a house party once. Just me, a load of girls and drink and drugs. Speed at the time we were taking. You know how it goes, chats, laughs, then deep meaningful conversations about life.
As they opened up they start to talk honestly "I hate the way I look" says one, "I too - says another" and they get quite emotional. You can see that behind the laughs they are going through real emotional depression and downers; having real esteem issues even suicidal tendencies. They also develop hate and jealousy towards the one who gets attention from the guys. All this is really, really common.
Why though? It's because of us guys and our animalistic desires! Our FHM mags with "100 fittest girls" on the front cover. The sex and relationships, we have, because of the unfair physical nature - are creating all this suffering.
Then the girls do it to us... They'll go for some rich, good looking arsehole... and create all kinds of esteem issues to men also, who are not perfect.
The ego is very sensitive, and when hurt people can also do really regrettable, awful things. The frustration created from the unfair desire can bring out the very worst in a person.
BUT
with religion we can eradicate this entirely, they are not objects, the body they were given was created by God and is unfair to judge them on it. God has made love in a fair and just way so we can steer away from these animalistic desires which are, in truth,
murderous - as attested by a close friend of mine - who tried killing herself as a teenager - after all the boys rejected her for the sake of her prettier friends.
This is the reality that promiscuous desires create.
With religion we stay away from these desires, we understand that there is a
correct and
intended way to live life, so we stay away from these animalistic desires, and reserve it for marriage with the right person and a spiritual soul-mate.
Rickolasnice said:
What good has religion done for you, if you don't mind me asking?
Can you see what it's done to me? It's changed my perception on how life is to be lived, and make me act less like a murderous animal trying to survive, and more like a spiritual, loving being. Without belief this just wouldn't be possible.
This is what happens without faith:
We become more susceptible to evil influences: we lack reason to stay away from sex, drugs, materialism etc and these addictions kill our spirituality; the repercussions can be life-ruining.
) that is what is meant by st pat driving snakes out of ireland, he drove the old druids away and brought christianity and showed shamrocks (even though trinity symbolism was widly used in tri spiral things, but yeh, it was st patrick's idea.)
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
