You know what I
realized?
What did you realize Nick?
I realized the more I get informed the more I feel terrible and awesome at the same time.
Terrible and awesome? What the hell are you talking about man?
Well you see, it's like this. I keep watching all my heretical videos debunking some creationist or ridiculing Mormon underwear, and they're all well and good, but then I get to thinking.
What do you think about Nick?
See, I start to think that while I understand what bigger picture this whole religion vs. atheism or science debate is about, it's entirely still possible that all these people think there whole worlds are being attacked and my come crashing down.
Crashing down? Don't you think that's a bit dramatic? These people are just delusional or being poisoned by their faith. Don't you remember how many pissed off blogs you have stating as such?
Of course I remember those, but don't forget that I also try to sympathize. Some of my friends are so happy they have their faith to hold on to and it runs extremely deep within their families. I know that I wouldn't want those rifts or arguments to take place at my dinner table by bringing up anything even borderline suggesting it's wrong.
Is that an excuse? You have a metric dump-load of information that has extremely profound implications for how and why they could be living their lives. Isn't it important that you rally under the flag and spread it?
Yes, in fact I do believe it is important for people to hear, if even only slowly over time, even half of the things I have, but at the same time they will tell me to read every book that criticizes the ones I've read. It does no good to simply say here's some books, I am right, hurry up and get with the picture.
What then are you going to do? What could be simpler than pointing in the right direction and saying explore on your own? You obviously can't make them read anything, and it would be even harder to explain enough theoretical stuff and then portray it as a new line of mental comfort.
Here's where we hit the heart of the issue. It isn't the load of information that is the problem and it isn't the people just being stubborn and willfully ignorant. One needs to learn how to see what's presented to them. Moreover, they need to re-learn how to think.
Most people won't stop their habit of eating bad food late at night and you want to talk about reconditioning thinking in an area of someone's life that has ,by their perception, brought them more happiness and fulfillment than they think you could begin to fathom. HAHAHAHA you dumbass.
Didn't say it would be easy, but short answer to that is yes. If I thought about how I felt when I learned some new Darwinian fact or lecture on quantum theory, it is a well removed feeling from when I'm thinking about a special someone or laughing my ass off with my friends.
Ok, well what does speaking the truth about the world and getting stupid with your friends have to do with anything?
Everything. When I see people who strongly profess their faith, it isn't the times they spent hours in their room studying the bible and praying they talk about. It's the retreats, the relationships, the feelings of community and love. That weird "miracle" that doesn't just have to be some improbable event, but now a testament to their devotion and proof of God's intervention. Some overcome addiction or cessation of a problem. Come to think of it, people are even praising God for their problems as opportunities to grow and overcome.
God time becomes all the potential for good times, throw a stick in the spokes of God time, you screw up the process for good times. This seems too simple. You're saying that people will throw away all rational thought and explanation, for the sake of having fun? They'll brush away thousand pages science journals and facts about other religions, because those have nothing to do with their good time?
In a sense, I'd say yes. There's like two people I could bring up the information I see with, and even then it usually has to be during the right time when we're both ready to think. With all the regular everyday work and family stresses, who wants to debate with me? I even have to use the word debate lightly because people only think I want to fight.
How then, smart guy, do you plan to make "debating" with and enlightening your friends more fun? Aren't you a little too hard fact and cold answers? Like you've heard before, there is no polite way to say "I'm sorry but this thing you've invested years of your life to which has brought you so much joy, is simply a delusion."
Your right, and that's not what I want to say at all. I think the only way to get the new level of thought, where people are able to realize the same happiness, is to re focus their attention.
Elaborate. What is more appealing than the already shining candy cane we'll call Jesus with all the answers and perfect love? Your hard pressed to find a surrogate savior.
I believe all that needs to be done is to add some clarity into their lives. Right now its "Jesus did this, God did that, I'm saved by this." You know of that truth I keep harping about that I think people need to find? I think we just need to keep reminding them of where to find it.
Truth is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by His will be done. There. How do you like that? Good plan, its killed in one sentence.
How easy was it for you to say that? It's like a catch phrase. Pull the string and out pops the profession of truth, the unquestionable line of infallibility. Its right here where I want someone to take a part in what's going on in my mind. I want to give, or better remind, them of the questions so they can ask themselves. They can have their own late nights of tireless thoughts and headaches. I'm getting worn out worrying about people who don't see a problem.
Well you still haven't told me what there are going to focus them on. Again, good luck beating Jesus.
See your thinking is all wrong. I'm not trying to beat Jesus. Apparently he's had enough of that already. I'll tell you, what I believe people should focus on is themselves.
Themselves? They're already focusing on themselves. You said it yourself. They find fun, avoid confrontations, and get their happy thoughts from faith? What's more focused on yourself than that?
When I say focus, I don't mean in a way that motivates them to get their next happiness "fix" in a sense. I mean for them to focus on their thoughts, their actions, their back-of-their-head ideas that I have "perfect faith" in exist and bother people. I believe that it is in shielding yourself from Yourself that certain things, i.e. religion, drugs, alcohol, moods, views, and habits all creep in to try and help you find any form of "fun" "happiness" "truth."
So keep pointing out what people don't want you to point out until one way or another the issue gets dealt with. Potentially piss them off to such a degree that you walk away with hurt friendships and broken ends?
The beauty of my plan is that I don't believe those friendships will at all be broken, if not reinforced after the threshold has been reached. I am not asking anything of anyone that they aren't asking themselves. All I want is to see the responsibility of owning up to those questions and inconsistencies.
Well theoretically it sounds like it may work, but the most useful function of faith appears to be that it can simply deny and denounce those "un-wanted thoughts" that may bring rise to doubt. How do you combat that?
I guess I can't. I'm not after a conversion mind you, I'm after an enlightenment. I know some people who have their heads in the sand and quite truthfully I'd rather them there than out somehow disrupting what it is I'm actually about. I'd hate for someone to practice humoring me while completely missing the real issues that may lie within themselves.
Ok, so does getting into long conversations with yourself somehow help convey this message you have? I'd venture to say you are not far from looking a bit nutty.
You see I run into the frequent problem of never having anyone to talk to for long enough to explain why and how I'm using an argument. It's the little words and phrases that tell a bigger story than an entire book, or procession of blogs, professing an idea. If I can show people how to seek out and acknowledge those little signs, there isn't much more I could ask for.
Do you think you see these "little signs" so to speak when you talk to your friends? Are you trying to be some profound shrink looking down on all the simpletons? In some Dr. Katz manner are you going to respond to long digressions of recovery stories and miracles with "uh huh, ya," and then try to beat in your own ideology?
In answer to the first question, yes. I see a lot of things in how people talk to me that they maybe did want to show. I pick up on signal words or phrases that I can reasonably assume came from somewhere besides their original thought. The best I could do to explain would be to sit and watch a debate or talk with you and point out each individual thing I saw and explain why and how I saw it. To the second part, hell no. I don't think of myself as somehow better than anybody anymore than I think of myself worse than anybody. Remember, I'm not trying to push "my ideology" onto anyone, I'm harping on the strings of people's own questions, own minds.
So what? Their stories, their current "truths" still don't matter to you? Their entire lives this has been what's mattered. You haven't gone through what they have. How could you ever understand those amazing moments? You've never felt what your own friend felt that changed their life forever. You've never had God whisper into your ear. Hell, I'd even doubt you'd allow him to even if he tried.
Of course they matter to me. It takes a lot for me to call someone a friend and when I hear a story or someone needs an ear, I'm always there to help in whatever way I can and I do appreciate that it was a significant time in their life. On the same token I want them to be their own constant reminders that things could've always been worse, other people claim to have found that same level of happiness outside your faith, and the past is the past. I want to stop people from the tendency to right off the rest of humanity.
Well again, you haven't been through what they have. You haven't had the devil make you think of suicide, you haven't had your mother tell you by the doctors that you weren't going to make it.
What am I supposed to say in a moment like this? Yes, I've never had serious thoughts of suicide and yes I was a perfectly healthy baby. Ok? Here's how quickly you fall into writing off the rest of the world and denying your current situation. Did you make it out alive? Yes. Are you still suicidal? Hopefully no. Now when you figure out that there are plenty of kids who don't make it, maybe this barrage of "you've nevers" will lose whatever power you think they hold. I don't bring up my life's horror stories and mistakes to compete with you do I?
Fine, the past is the past. Those people who are worse off are just plagued by the devil and the ones you say who are happy have only some false shroud because true happiness and love can only come from our Lord.
I again, can't stop you from associating everything with your faith. Demonizing things with the devil character and raising all the good times to God. All I can do is ask that right before you say this, you pause and ask yourself if maybe, someone has just pulled your string.
