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Why people believe weird things. Michael Shermer (Original Post) magicguido Jul 2020 OP
Look, humanity is still an infant species, incapable of serious introspection... Moostache Jul 2020 #1
I think it makes people feel 'special' to think they know something others don't chowder66 Jul 2020 #2

Moostache

(11,011 posts)
1. Look, humanity is still an infant species, incapable of serious introspection...
Wed Jul 29, 2020, 02:55 PM
Jul 2020

Until ALL religions are viewed for what they are - MYTHS and STORIES made up to try to convey a deeper meaning to life in a time when most people did not know the Earth was a planet, the Sun was a star and the Moon was a rock - we will remain stuck here as we are....divided, greedy, focused on things instead of ideas, lusting after carnal knowledge and disdaining real knowledge, hopelessly lost but not following the light, instead choosing to remain in darkness.

It does NOT have to be this way, but people insist on allowing religion to retain undue respect and influence and more. Ditch the crutches and Man might walk. Lose the superstitions and Man may truly take flight. Commit to raising science and empathy as co-equal parts of a holistic view? Now THERE lies possibility...

Our current glide path is a crash landing into the side of a building or mountain.


Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie - who was his own father, can make you live forever; if you symbolically eat his flesh, and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master; so he can then remove an evil force from your soul (that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree).


“Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?”
― Carl Sagan


Taoism - Shit happens.
Confucianism - Confucius say, "Shit happens."
Buddhism - If shit happens, it isn't really shit.
Zen Buddhism - What is the sound of shit happening?
Hinduism - This shit happened before.
Mormonism - This shit is going to happen again.
Islam - If shit happens, it is the Will of Allah.
Stoicism - This shit is its own reward.
Protestantism - Let this shit happen to someone else.
Calvinism - Shit happens because you don't work hard enough.
Pentecostalism - In Jesus' name, heal this shit!
Catholicism - Shit happens because you deserve it.
Judaism - Why does this shit always happen to us?
Zoroastrianism - Shit happens half the time.
Marxism - This shit is going to hit the fan.
Atheism - No shit.
Seventh Day Adventist - No shit on Saturdays.
Existentialism - Absurd shit.
Agnosticism - What is this shit?
Nihilism - Who gives a shit?
Deconstruction - Shit happens in hegemonic meta-narratives.
Christian Science - Shit is in your mind.
Moonies - Only happy shit really happens.
Jehovah's Witnesses - Knock, Knock, shit happens.
Scientology - Shit happens on page 152 of Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard
Hare Krishna - Shit happens, Rama Rama.
Hedonism - There's nothing like a good shit happening.
Rastafarianism - Let's smoke this shit.


"Religion is nothing but the shadow cast by the universe upon human intelligence."
(Victor Hugo / 1802-1885 / Philosophy, Beginning of the book)

chowder66

(11,879 posts)
2. I think it makes people feel 'special' to think they know something others don't
Wed Jul 29, 2020, 04:09 PM
Jul 2020

or that the majority don't know.

They also get a pay-off from the rush of so they go deeper or look for more weird information.
Think of all the tabloids and sordid news stories or bizarre crime stories. People flock to those maybe to have something to talk about.

Learning about something that is factual is dull to them.

Novelty speeds up learning thanks to dopamine activation.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200205132255.htm

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