Category: Religion, Myth, and Theology

—“You are clearly analyzing religion as some kind of intentional civilization building thing rather than a set of existential beliefs that individuals possess in light of the full human ignorance of the origins and purpose of reality.”—John Marshall

A) Yes I understand human demand for mindfulness. I simply observe that this particular means of mindfulness is catastrophically destructive, and that there are scientific and philosophical means of achieving the same ends, without the same side effects. So did the conquering christians – which is why they closed all the stoic schools, and killed or chased off the philosophers, and destroyed the arts letters and architecture of the ancient world – to prevent men from independence they would gain by stoic training, and epicurean lifestyles, rather than abrahamic mindfulness submission and slavery. B) You don’t think each and every institutional religion was designed to employ suggestion, empathy, and false promise as a means of coercing primitive illiterate ignorant petty people into a politically beneficial behavior? I mean, I’m pretty well read on the development of every religion and by and large there isn’t any difference between the development of a logic, a science, a philosophy, a work of literature, a work of mythology, and a theology. it’s all engineering the human experience by a combination of techniques. There is no difference between the script writer and director provoking an experience, than that of Saul of Tarsus trying merge the various Roman, Greek, Persian, Mesopotamian religions into a jewish rebel’s narrative, in order to replace the primary religious works of the Mediterranean (Homer and Achilles), with an anti-hero (Abraham and Jesus). The fact that we desire the provisions of science, history, literature, philosophy, and theology and that we have produced religions for different classes in every civilization except islam is rather obvious. it’s just that the underclasses are better governed by theological superstition, the middle by philosophical sophism, and the upper by exercise of power, is nothing more than evidence of the need for a system of achievement accessible to classes possessed of different degrees of agency. Escapism and supernaturalism; justification and sophism; empiricism and power. You need to feel you aren’t manipulated by those with greater agency – I understand.It’s just false. Religion largely provides sedation as a means of mindfulness, while buddhism, stoicism, and wisdom(science, history) incrementally provide mindfulness by providing one with agency – rather than sedation. Just because drugs feel good doesn’t mean that they are good for you. Just because theology makes you feel good doesn’t mean it is good for you. Just because lying feels good doesn’t mean it is good for you.

—“You are clearly analyzing religion as some kind of intentional civilization building thing rather than a set of existential beliefs that individuals possess in light of the full human ignorance of the origins and purpose of reality.”—John Marshall

A) Yes I understand human demand for mindfulness. I simply observe that this particular means of mindfulness is catastrophically destructive, and that there are scientific and philosophical means of achieving the same ends, without the same side effects. So did the conquering christians – which is why they closed all the stoic schools, and killed or chased off the philosophers, and destroyed the arts letters and architecture of the ancient world – to prevent men from independence they would gain by stoic training, and epicurean lifestyles, rather than abrahamic mindfulness submission and slavery. B) You don’t think each and every institutional religion was designed to employ suggestion, empathy, and false promise as a means of coercing primitive illiterate ignorant petty people into a politically beneficial behavior? I mean, I’m pretty well read on the development of every religion and by and large there isn’t any difference between the development of a logic, a science, a philosophy, a work of literature, a work of mythology, and a theology. it’s all engineering the human experience by a combination of techniques. There is no difference between the script writer and director provoking an experience, than that of Saul of Tarsus trying merge the various Roman, Greek, Persian, Mesopotamian religions into a jewish rebel’s narrative, in order to replace the primary religious works of the Mediterranean (Homer and Achilles), with an anti-hero (Abraham and Jesus). The fact that we desire the provisions of science, history, literature, philosophy, and theology and that we have produced religions for different classes in every civilization except islam is rather obvious. it’s just that the underclasses are better governed by theological superstition, the middle by philosophical sophism, and the upper by exercise of power, is nothing more than evidence of the need for a system of achievement accessible to classes possessed of different degrees of agency. Escapism and supernaturalism; justification and sophism; empiricism and power. You need to feel you aren’t manipulated by those with greater agency – I understand.It’s just false. Religion largely provides sedation as a means of mindfulness, while buddhism, stoicism, and wisdom(science, history) incrementally provide mindfulness by providing one with agency – rather than sedation. Just because drugs feel good doesn’t mean that they are good for you. Just because theology makes you feel good doesn’t mean it is good for you. Just because lying feels good doesn’t mean it is good for you.