Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
scaredyclassic
Participant[quote=zk][quote=flyer]My comments were not intended as a judgment call or as a gospel.
Simply citing some documentable “real world” examples of the financial “belief system” by which millions of people live their lives. These beliefs and practices could be construed as equally as fantastical, ridiculous and delusional as some consider religious “belief systems” to be.[/quote]
Jimbob Smith grows up in a trailer in Kentucky with poor parents and an 95 IQ. He doesn’t have a sparkling personality or any real entrepreneurial skills. A pretty typical guy, really. Maybe not in your neighborhood, flyer, but there are millions like him. He finishes high school, gets a job at a machine shop, works there 45 years, has 3 kids, and has to scrape by in retirement. And he doesn’t have as much money as you because he’s delusional, right? And his delusion that years of hard work is his best chance at raising a family is comparable to believing that an omnipotent, anthropomorphic father figure created and rules the universe and will, while sometimes killing your children, give you eternal life if you worship him but won’t give hindus or muslims or atheists the same thing because they don’t worship him (to pick nowhere near the most bizarre religious belief)? Is that what you’re saying?[/quote]
it’s actually delusional to think that everyone can benefit from making money by more efficient means. the contrarian way to make money v. the way of the masses only works if not everyone does it. In terms of the easy money, it’s not available to everyone by its very nature. Only the smarter people can benefit by going against the hordes. Once everyone tries to get in on the good deal, it becomes the sucker deal.
if there are 10 potential films to invest in, each requiring a 30 million dollars total investment, and only one is going to be a winner, and the hordes allot the 300 million dollars they have to those films, they can’t all go with the winner. most lose. not delusionally. just , well, they’re losers…
that same logic applies all over the economic world. there are winners and losers. It’s not delusional; they’re just not as smart or lucky …
that said, the hordes have poor people problems. high interest rates, fines and fees on traffic tickets, barely scraping by. indeed, the system is deigned to keep poor people barely scraping by…
hell, not even the law school grads are getting jobs. their stduent loans are piling interest. the fed gov is burying the problem with “income based repayment” plans that hide the problem, as recently reported in the wall st. journal.
law schools an example of what was once a smart playlaw school being a good meal ticket has become a ticket to a lifetime of debt that is nondischargeable and for many, statistically unpayable. ditto the college degree, which was once rarer and had a higher career earnings premium, now being way less valuable as the hordes come to all get in on it.the nimble and smart stop applying …applications to law school are way down)…the standards for admission get lower, the hordes apply, and are stuck with permanent nondischargeable debt and a lifetime of certain poverty or close to it.
suckers. pershaps delusional…but more likely, just bad risk analysts…
People don’t work long and hard because they’re delusional. they’ work 30 years because it’s the only way they have to make it through this world. If they’d figured out a better way, theyd take it.
Participant[quote=flyer]No. Not at all. Not even close. I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars helping people like “Jimbob” and his family build a better life, but I’m not willing to go any further with this discussion. These topics have been discussed for centuries, without arriving at a definitive answer.
I’m secure in what I “believe” to be true, and no one will ever change that, and I’m sure you feel the same.
Enjoy your life, and I’ll enjoy mine.[/quote]jimbob doesn’t need any help from donations; he’s doing ok! he’s working like a dog, raising kids and squeaking by. it’s all the poor indebted jobless law stduents who need charity!
ParticipantMaybe I just get too literal. I read Christianity as a radical calling to eschew worldly success, even family and work to help the poor and downtrodden.
Frankly to me that sounds nuts.
Participant[quote=flyer]It’s interesting to note that many people are “led by the nose” through life in many ways other than religion.
Millions “buy into” having to work for 30+ years, rather than realzing there are more efficient ways to make money over a shorter period of time, so they can truly enjoy life.
Some take jobs they can’t stand for decades, and try to make themselves believe it’s OK. Millions overextend themselves financially to the point of destruction. Millions spend everything they have and wonder why they can’t afford to retire, and on and on.
It’s certainly true that humans are capable of many forms of delusion.[/quote]
Kind of a secular prosperity gospel.
Definitely better to hang out at the rich church than the poor church. Better connections, less handout seeking deadbeat congregants ….
Participant[quote=Blogstar]Going with what you said about religions, svelte,All systems of social convention are bizarre , religion is just one of them, Perhaps a bit more anachronistic than say the system and trappings of a powerful modern secular nation state but at most a tiny bit more bizarre. Religious societies are not more ego based than the “separation of church and state” USA, for instance. We just aren’t all that no matter how we try to frame things.
And yet these nation states, and institutions within, lead most of us by the nose….to terrible waste and tragedy often.[/quote]
lifting weights of various sizes in an air conditioned room during lunch is really really weird when I think too hard about it.
Participantfirst service should be an exhortation to donate generously for the Building Fund.
Participanti think you’re taking it too far.
this is serious.
Participant[quote=Blogstar]What religion should you actually be?
http://www.playbuzz.com/benjaminbirely10/which-religion-best-suits-you
I bet nobody else gets Rastafarian.[/quote]
sigh. i got atheist. makes me feel like charlie brown getting a rock in his halloween bag.
i wanted to hang with the rastafarians..
but this gives me an idea for your kid’s religion.
it’s a religion that incorporates some aspect of all known religions. call it G-dPlus. it’s going to take some research from him, but the religion has the selling point of covering all bases. it is the religion of all religions.
you’re safe no matter what the truth turns out to be; we’d even give a nod to the farting bear. and the clown. santa. Jesus. zoorastrianism. the hindus. zen buddhists. protestants. episcopalians. the jews; the muslims; the sufi mystics. the catholics! extinct religions too!!! plus mennonites. mormons. ancient norse mythology. ancient near east religions of all shapes and sizes. old timey greek stuff. tribal customs from papua new guina…literally everything and anyhting that ever is or was or is coming into existence!! you cannot lose! all bases covered.
it’s not some multicultural nod; it’s sincere worship, for one day, to gain that G-ds favor, just in case that’s the one.
i might actually join. ask him how much.
services would be awesome! every day, something different. today, we worship the Church of Bob, tomorrow, allah. santa on the weekend, capitalism on thursday morning. it would be a crazy adventure…
remember the chuch of the subgenius? http://www.subgenius.com i think i was a member for a few days a long time ago.
and of course, my personal fav, rev billy and the church of stop shopping.
everyone gets in, everyone is true, everyone is integrated intoa respectful awesome pascalian wager of historic proportions…
i shallc all it
THE CHURCH OF PASCALS WAGER
ParticipantYes.
Yes.Participant[quote=flyer][quote=UCGal][quote=scaredyclassic]
Prosperity gospel is about as egotistical as it gets, but very veryvl american…[/quote]
Very American.
In the 80’s I lived downtown – near the old El Cortez convention center. On Sundays, Terry Cole Whitaker had services for her church. It was semi-Christian with a big dose of new age, and dolloped with a large appeal to “greed is good”.
I went to a service with a friend – she was very excited by it. To me it came across as a cult based on greed. Lots of messages to tythe to the church and you’d be paid back GUARANTEED with wealth.
As a neighbor to this church I wasn’t impressed with the folks attending the church. Rude, bad parkers, and not unusual to see them littering. Not good neighbors in other words.
She was kicked out of the church (and started a new one) when it came to light that she and some of her closest advisors were extracting money from the church at pretty heft rates.
The church motto was “Prosperity is your divine right”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Cole-Whittaker
Agree UCG. Have heard many stories about that “church.” The “wannabe’s” looking for an easy path to wealth does attract a lot of followers.
In my experience, most of the people we know were already extremely prosperous before we knew them at “church,” and are looking for nothing but spiritual growth, and ways to help others via their prosperity.
Again, to each his or her own.[/quote]
I suppose tolerance is good but this seems to thumb Its nose at Jesus and his message. At the very least they shouldn’t be tax exempt w thisvphilosophy
Participant[quote=Blogstar]Lately when I want to be moderately religious I listen to this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Biz5kBIAticI don’t really go in for country and western but this song is the bomb as far as believing in anything goes.
None of the old men are fat so that proves they are on the right track.[/quote]
Problem is believing in people sets you up for a letdown. Invisible deities are always there for you.
ParticipantMaybe heaven is just a large real estate scam.
ParticipantIt’s at least as possible as Santa. Maybe the kids who believe early on have it right.
ELF.
Maybe that’s a movie about the nature of religious beliefs.
http://christwire.org/2011/07/has-comedian-will-ferrell-forsaken-americas-christians/
ParticipantAll right now I’m feeling bad.
Maybe Jesus really is the son of G-d and if you believe in him you get eternal life. I guess it is kind of possible, in a kind of way.
Sorry I’m such a bummer.
-
AuthorPosts
