Yes, but that is what Mr Hedges says. Christianity (it is just a name those use that have no idea what Christianity really would mean - the original one - it was just perverted as almost everything we 'humans' get our hands on! In this sense christian church is dead, but it is very alive in its perverted form (at least in the bible belt …
Yes, but that is what Mr Hedges says. Christianity (it is just a name those use that have no idea what Christianity really would mean - the original one - it was just perverted as almost everything we 'humans' get our hands on! In this sense christian church is dead, but it is very alive in its perverted form (at least in the bible belt - it is unbelievably alive and rampant, people are waiting for the rapture which of course has this connex to Jews&Israel). Indeed they are waiting for a 'savior' i.e. Trump or the piper of hamelin - whatever works ... (it is also: I got mine, f.ck you). If our society were (real) christian, we would not have so many deplorables that would need to pull themselves up at their bootstrings. So, sorry, I am not the least confused by what Mr Hedges says or said.
Well said Elisabeth. The former christian life was based on faith in the divinity of Christ, and the love of God. The more recent faith (based on the late 1960's ecumenical movement) became a perverted self-congratulatory form of abusive narcissism. Mr Hedges presents the audience with this analysis, and the audience complains that it's not true. Intellectually abusive and addictive.
How is the church alive in its perverted form in the Bible Belt? I am trying to understand the danger a bunch of yahoos (who believe in the coming rapture) pose to you or the country?
No definition, I just stole it from this terrible woman Mrs Clinton .. (I am not in danger, I am an agnostic/atheist, I don't care what these people think, but my husband has a relative who believes this nonsense and is giving a lot of money to these 'good' causes! And like this man there are thousands out there working for the same 'goal', why do you think these MegaChurches exist? Churches are tax exempt, for my taste an outrage, they have monstrous properties and the poor/disadvantaged have to kiss their hands for handouts ... It is appalling and a disgrace! And this in one of the richest countries on earth!) And one more thing: the churchgoers are not Yahoos, they have big incomes and are the pillars of the society (not mine!). Mr Hedges explains all this in an excellent way (what can I add - nothing!)
Indeed you are correct in describing the state of the American Christian church. However, don't forget about the Vatican. THAT kind of wealth and waste puts Joel Osteen and his ilk to shame.
The Vatican along with the other Christian denominations became allies decades ago in the common goal of eliminating reproductive rights and bringing up the dark ages again, and they are succeeding. The only similarity among all the denominations is that they all hate each other but after the triumph of the Christian right the religious wars will be restarted. America is not a Christian country; it is a great conglomerate of delusional people easily manipulated by the master of delusions.
Well said but WHO or WHAT is the "master of delusions?" Don't say Satan as that obfuscates who our enemy really is. Who convinced the Vatican and Protestants to abort their future and live for now?
If Satan existed, he could learn from the master of delusions AKA Donald Trump. If I remember well, Sigmund Freud believed that religion was doomed when he published his book "The Future of an Illusion". I think that organized religion is approaching its end due to the bad behavior of its leaders and specially to the advances in science that makes every day more difficult to believe in dogmas.
Tis' true that Trump is a master of delusions but there are many higher up than him that are pulling strings in this country. The problem is we do not know who they are. Many say its the owners of the Federal Reserve bank of which no one know who owns it as that bank has never been audited. As for advances in science, the COVID fiasco pretty much ended the run for "science" as a faith or something to believe in. Like religion, science is also manipulated and people lied to for greed and power. As for dogmas, I don't think science is ever going to top the golden rule. Science can solve physical mysteries and it will never be able to deal with the profound, the hearts, the souls, etc.
We all know that the billionaire class with its bribery is pulling the strings of our politicians who appoint the heads or our public agencies like the Federal Reserve. Science has never been intended to be a matter of faith, although like any other human enterprise has drawbacks, but has been of great benefit for mankind. What you call COVID fiasco it was a true pandemic that thanks to science we finally were able to control when we stopped politicizing it.
Professor Michael Shermer' in his lecture series "Skepticism 101: How to
Think like a Scientist" explains that "the golden rule", like many other rules that we call God's commands is a product of evolution that religion later canonized:
"Anyone who has had a dog as a pet recognizes that dogs quickly learn the difference between right and wrong, feel some sense of shame or guilt when scolded for bad behavior, and express joy and pride when being praised for good behavior. That sense of shame or pride is what we mean by “moral sentiments”; because dogs don’t have symbolic language or, presumably, cognition, these are premoral sentiments. Evidence of pre-moral sentiments among wild animals abounds. Psychologist and primatologist Frans de Waal has documented hundreds of examples of pre-moral sentiments among apes and monkeys. Other scientists have recorded pre-moral sentiments in vampire bats, dolphins, whales, and elephants.
In fact, the following characteristics appear to be shared by humans and other mammals, especially apes, monkeys, dolphins, and whales: attachment and bonding, cooperation and mutual aid, sympathy and empathy, direct and indirect reciprocity, altruism and reciprocal altruism, conflict resolution and peace-making, deception and deception detection, community concern and caring about what others think, and awareness of and response to the social rules of the group. Species differ in the degree to which they express these sentiments, and with our exceptionally large brains, we clearly express most of them in greater degrees than other species. Nevertheless, the fact that such pre-moral sentiments exist in our nearest evolutionary cousins is a strong indication of their evolutionary origins."
Yes, but that is what Mr Hedges says. Christianity (it is just a name those use that have no idea what Christianity really would mean - the original one - it was just perverted as almost everything we 'humans' get our hands on! In this sense christian church is dead, but it is very alive in its perverted form (at least in the bible belt - it is unbelievably alive and rampant, people are waiting for the rapture which of course has this connex to Jews&Israel). Indeed they are waiting for a 'savior' i.e. Trump or the piper of hamelin - whatever works ... (it is also: I got mine, f.ck you). If our society were (real) christian, we would not have so many deplorables that would need to pull themselves up at their bootstrings. So, sorry, I am not the least confused by what Mr Hedges says or said.
Well said Elisabeth. The former christian life was based on faith in the divinity of Christ, and the love of God. The more recent faith (based on the late 1960's ecumenical movement) became a perverted self-congratulatory form of abusive narcissism. Mr Hedges presents the audience with this analysis, and the audience complains that it's not true. Intellectually abusive and addictive.
What is your definition of a "deplorable?"
How is the church alive in its perverted form in the Bible Belt? I am trying to understand the danger a bunch of yahoos (who believe in the coming rapture) pose to you or the country?
No definition, I just stole it from this terrible woman Mrs Clinton .. (I am not in danger, I am an agnostic/atheist, I don't care what these people think, but my husband has a relative who believes this nonsense and is giving a lot of money to these 'good' causes! And like this man there are thousands out there working for the same 'goal', why do you think these MegaChurches exist? Churches are tax exempt, for my taste an outrage, they have monstrous properties and the poor/disadvantaged have to kiss their hands for handouts ... It is appalling and a disgrace! And this in one of the richest countries on earth!) And one more thing: the churchgoers are not Yahoos, they have big incomes and are the pillars of the society (not mine!). Mr Hedges explains all this in an excellent way (what can I add - nothing!)
Indeed you are correct in describing the state of the American Christian church. However, don't forget about the Vatican. THAT kind of wealth and waste puts Joel Osteen and his ilk to shame.
Oh yes I totally agree! They ALL should be ashamed to call themselves 'christians'!
The Vatican along with the other Christian denominations became allies decades ago in the common goal of eliminating reproductive rights and bringing up the dark ages again, and they are succeeding. The only similarity among all the denominations is that they all hate each other but after the triumph of the Christian right the religious wars will be restarted. America is not a Christian country; it is a great conglomerate of delusional people easily manipulated by the master of delusions.
Well said but WHO or WHAT is the "master of delusions?" Don't say Satan as that obfuscates who our enemy really is. Who convinced the Vatican and Protestants to abort their future and live for now?
If Satan existed, he could learn from the master of delusions AKA Donald Trump. If I remember well, Sigmund Freud believed that religion was doomed when he published his book "The Future of an Illusion". I think that organized religion is approaching its end due to the bad behavior of its leaders and specially to the advances in science that makes every day more difficult to believe in dogmas.
Tis' true that Trump is a master of delusions but there are many higher up than him that are pulling strings in this country. The problem is we do not know who they are. Many say its the owners of the Federal Reserve bank of which no one know who owns it as that bank has never been audited. As for advances in science, the COVID fiasco pretty much ended the run for "science" as a faith or something to believe in. Like religion, science is also manipulated and people lied to for greed and power. As for dogmas, I don't think science is ever going to top the golden rule. Science can solve physical mysteries and it will never be able to deal with the profound, the hearts, the souls, etc.
We all know that the billionaire class with its bribery is pulling the strings of our politicians who appoint the heads or our public agencies like the Federal Reserve. Science has never been intended to be a matter of faith, although like any other human enterprise has drawbacks, but has been of great benefit for mankind. What you call COVID fiasco it was a true pandemic that thanks to science we finally were able to control when we stopped politicizing it.
Professor Michael Shermer' in his lecture series "Skepticism 101: How to
Think like a Scientist" explains that "the golden rule", like many other rules that we call God's commands is a product of evolution that religion later canonized:
"Anyone who has had a dog as a pet recognizes that dogs quickly learn the difference between right and wrong, feel some sense of shame or guilt when scolded for bad behavior, and express joy and pride when being praised for good behavior. That sense of shame or pride is what we mean by “moral sentiments”; because dogs don’t have symbolic language or, presumably, cognition, these are premoral sentiments. Evidence of pre-moral sentiments among wild animals abounds. Psychologist and primatologist Frans de Waal has documented hundreds of examples of pre-moral sentiments among apes and monkeys. Other scientists have recorded pre-moral sentiments in vampire bats, dolphins, whales, and elephants.
In fact, the following characteristics appear to be shared by humans and other mammals, especially apes, monkeys, dolphins, and whales: attachment and bonding, cooperation and mutual aid, sympathy and empathy, direct and indirect reciprocity, altruism and reciprocal altruism, conflict resolution and peace-making, deception and deception detection, community concern and caring about what others think, and awareness of and response to the social rules of the group. Species differ in the degree to which they express these sentiments, and with our exceptionally large brains, we clearly express most of them in greater degrees than other species. Nevertheless, the fact that such pre-moral sentiments exist in our nearest evolutionary cousins is a strong indication of their evolutionary origins."