Understanding Religion's Relationship To Human Social Systems

The same people who claim to be a "historicist" about Jesus claim to be mythicists about Santa Clause, Dracula, and Wonder Woman. And yet, they have heard of Saint Nicholas of Bari, Vlad the Impaler, and (at least vaguely) about the two women the creator of Wonder Woman based her on. So much for consistency.  Meanwhile, I admit. I think "there was a guy" But the reason I think so is not merely because any 1st or 2nd century Jesus-cultists, fiction writers, or fan-fiction writers wrote stories about a Super-Jesus. If I lived in that place and time, and if I were literate enough, and if were clued-in enough about the power of gullibility, and if I was a Jew who realized "the messiah" is religious fiction, or if I were a local outsider with mafia ambitions, and if I were informed enough about the power-vacuum that was created by discordant Jewish sects who waited for a messiah, and if I realized just how much power a skilled-enough story teller has in an er...

  The bright and beautiful side of organized and since-ancient faiths. The visual and auditory aesthetics. The psychological lure of culturally rich stories. The warm-blanket-effect of comforting hopes. The way those stories offer a quick and easy "seat"; a sense of resolution. "This is me. This my people. This is our path. We walk this path with purpose, power, beauty; together." A reassuring and empowering sense of personal and collective identity. Capitalizing, richly, on remnants. Remnants of neurological wiring. Powerful mental roads; paved by parents in our infant, toddler, and single-digit childhood. - That familiar sense of "My parent knows what's best; even when I can't understand their reasoning. They will take care of me". -- I do NOT stand against spirituality. Nor do I insist that FACTS and LOGIC always have greatest available utility. The main problem I have with such faith-path-systems is this: They are systems of c...

Here, I respond to the following statements: The value of goodwill over credulous belief -written by Jorge Santana "Seeing me outside of my old faith, a person proposed me, to accept the challenge of the philosopher Blas Pascal, and bet on "God" to avoid the loss of salvation. (Pascal wager briefly says: " Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing.") [Editor's notes: Pascal's wager is, of course, ridiculous.   Belief is not a choice. The only way to make the wager comport with the reality of how the human mind works is to have it mean either: a.) "pretend to believe" or b.) "intentionally choose a programmer to receive brainwashing from; and then hope it works". ] I thought about it well and answered: "Most people do not understand the difference or distinction between be...

From the FB group " Jehovah's Witnesses Exposed ". Sola Scriptura They are losing members when they talk to True Christians, a few Verses and the doubts start. Dave Antunes true Christians? You mean more people who believe fairy tales are how you're supposed to lead your life today? Interesting.... Sola Scriptura Why dont you watch Proffessor James Tour in the Origin of Life . See if your brain can grasp what is a fairy tale or truth. More than a 100 scientific facts in the bible written long before scientists discovered it. You should join a comedian group and tell people comical stories. At least they can have a good laugh. God bless you, my friend. I will pray for you right now.   James Apperson James Tour sells the same tabloid pseudoscience as the JWs. He lies just as much as the JWs. He uses logical fallacies just as much as the JWs. Same grift. Different spin.   Sola Scriptura [Directing this at me]   More than 50 scientist with doctorates work for James...

 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-19/ty-article-magazine/israels-dead-the-names-of-those-killed-in-hamas-massacres-and-the-israel-hamas-war/0000018b-325c-d450-a3af-7b5cf0210000

This discussion started under this video:  To that video, I replied: It is really rare, these days, for any of my fellow rational skeptics to point out something significant that I hadn't already heard elsewhere or realized on my own. This is one of those rare times. Damn great point! Thanks, Shannon! --- Sharing to FB. Will share on my next stream. In reply (many months later), a Dunning-Kruger moralist replied. However, please note, there's no need to read his thick wall of bad grammar and worse arguments. I'll be re-quoting each part, in the order his assertions appear.  @milkshakeplease4696 4 hours ago (edited) this is you not properly understanding how to interpret scripture. when it comes to what is written on our hearts, we refer to the innate understanding and inclination towards goodness, truth, and beauty that humans possess because of being made in God's image. This doesn't mean omniscience about all the intricacies of good and evil...