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Welcome Russ
RussRAB comments on Oct 31, 2018:
Thanks. It's good to be here.
RussRAB comments on Oct 31, 2018:
Thanks. It's good to be here.
Religions vs Cult
RussRAB comments on Oct 31, 2018:
I did a bit of reading on cults since I seem to have had a bit of an affinity for controlling groups. Steven Hassan and others have said that there are a number of characteristics of cults. A controlling cult does not need to posses all of these characteristics but rather just a combinaton of 3 or 4 of them minimum. My interpretation is that each characteristic a group has is one greater degree of being cult-like the groip is. So an organization that has only 1 characteristic is probably OK for the most part but those that have 4, 5, or 6 are best to stay away from.
RussRAB comments on Oct 31, 2018:
I did a bit of reading on cults since I seem to have had a bit of an affinity for controlling groups. Steven Hassan and others have said that there are a number of characteristics of cults. A controlling cult does not need to posses all of these characteristics but rather just a combinaton of 3 or 4 of them minimum. My interpretation is that each characteristic a group has is one greater degree of being cult-like the groip is. So an organization that has only 1 characteristic is probably OK for the most part but those that have 4, 5, or 6 are best to stay away from.
I keep hearing now that caffeine is now cool among Mormons, ur, I mean among the Church of Jesus ...
RussRAB comments on Oct 31, 2018:
A long time ago, I sat in a priesthood meeting in California wdhen we had a visiter from Utah. Someone memtioned the ban on cola drinks and the visiter just about lost it. In a very loud voice, he claimed there was no problem with caffienated soft drinks. He said Pres. Kimball was asked about coke and pepsi and Kimball responded by saying something like he didn't know why anyone would consume these drinks; they took all the bad things in coffee and tea and put them in cola drinks. The Mormon (sorry, everyone knows who Mormons are and it's a lot shorter to write) faithful took that comment and added it to their list of Word of Wisdom banned substances. I prefer Dr Pepper or Ginger Ale myself, and I could care less what anyone thinks about it.
RussRAB comments on Oct 31, 2018:
A long time ago, I sat in a priesthood meeting in California wdhen we had a visiter from Utah. Someone memtioned the ban on cola drinks and the visiter just about lost it. In a very loud voice, he claimed there was no problem with caffienated soft drinks. He said Pres. Kimball was asked about coke and pepsi and Kimball responded by saying something like he didn't know why anyone would consume these drinks; they took all the bad things in coffee and tea and put them in cola drinks. The Mormon (sorry, everyone knows who Mormons are and it's a lot shorter to write) faithful took that comment and added it to their list of Word of Wisdom banned substances. I prefer Dr Pepper or Ginger Ale myself, and I could care less what anyone thinks about it.
How can I find more local friends with more in common?
RussRAB comments on Oct 28, 2018:
Have you considered looking into a Unitarian Universalist church? I understand they are generally accepting of diverse beliefs/disbeliefs. I also understand there could be differences from one congregation to another, so one might not fit your needs as well as another might. Good luck to you. I hope you find what you are looking for.
RussRAB comments on Oct 28, 2018:
Have you considered looking into a Unitarian Universalist church? I understand they are generally accepting of diverse beliefs/disbeliefs. I also understand there could be differences from one congregation to another, so one might not fit your needs as well as another might. Good luck to you. I hope you find what you are looking for.
Even if all humans turned into peaceful, rational humanists like Steven Pinker or Hans Rosling, our ...
RussRAB comments on Oct 28, 2018:
The major difference is we would not have the battle of convincing everyone that something needs to be done. Climate change, pollution, toxic waste, etc. are difficult problems to be certain, but they are made worse by the current denial that these issues are a problem to be dealt with at all. Whether science, technology, human ingenuity, or whatever can possibly solve the problems you mention is one matter to discuss, but we will never get to the point of addressing them if not enough human beings refuse to even acknowledge that they need to be.
RussRAB comments on Oct 28, 2018:
The major difference is we would not have the battle of convincing everyone that something needs to be done. Climate change, pollution, toxic waste, etc. are difficult problems to be certain, but they are made worse by the current denial that these issues are a problem to be dealt with at all. Whether science, technology, human ingenuity, or whatever can possibly solve the problems you mention is one matter to discuss, but we will never get to the point of addressing them if not enough human beings refuse to even acknowledge that they need to be.
How to reply when someone says 'have a blessed day'
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
I've found the "Have a blessed day" comment to be annoying, but I try to keep it in context of just a form of wishing someone well in a different way. I've thought of saying something like "Thanks, may your day keep evolving" or something along that line, but I typically just say "Thanks" or nod and smile.
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
I've found the "Have a blessed day" comment to be annoying, but I try to keep it in context of just a form of wishing someone well in a different way. I've thought of saying something like "Thanks, may your day keep evolving" or something along that line, but I typically just say "Thanks" or nod and smile.
Atheist = Depressed?
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
I have read that religious people have been reported to live longer and to show fewer signs of stress than non-religious people. Investigations into the claim have shown that this phenomdnon appears to be true except that the effects are as true for those who attend some service regularly even if they don't believe in the religion. Humans are social creatures and the effects of being social, congregating with others, and having physical contact with other humans goes a long way in reducing stress and bolstering healfh, and apparsntly extending life. If non-believers are more depressed (which I don't necessarily accept out of hand) the reason could be that as a community of nonbelievers, we have fewer opporunities to have contact with other humans and have fewer opportunities to have the benefits of rubbing shoulders with our fellow nonbelievers.
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
I have read that religious people have been reported to live longer and to show fewer signs of stress than non-religious people. Investigations into the claim have shown that this phenomdnon appears to be true except that the effects are as true for those who attend some service regularly even if they don't believe in the religion. Humans are social creatures and the effects of being social, congregating with others, and having physical contact with other humans goes a long way in reducing stress and bolstering healfh, and apparsntly extending life. If non-believers are more depressed (which I don't necessarily accept out of hand) the reason could be that as a community of nonbelievers, we have fewer opporunities to have contact with other humans and have fewer opportunities to have the benefits of rubbing shoulders with our fellow nonbelievers.
Has your Atheism affected your patriotism?
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
I think my patriotism has increased since leaving religion. Understanding and appreciating how the ideals presented by our nations founders in our US Constitution has afforded me the freedom to make decisions about my life which has led to the abandonment of religion. I also no longer take such freedoms for granted since recent events have demonstrated how fragile these guarranteed freedoms are. I also no longer rely on a silent magical partner to take care of these freedoms since it became clear from events in my life that this "magical freind" doesn't actually do a thing (except possibly to be given credit for events it never did or could influence).
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
I think my patriotism has increased since leaving religion. Understanding and appreciating how the ideals presented by our nations founders in our US Constitution has afforded me the freedom to make decisions about my life which has led to the abandonment of religion. I also no longer take such freedoms for granted since recent events have demonstrated how fragile these guarranteed freedoms are. I also no longer rely on a silent magical partner to take care of these freedoms since it became clear from events in my life that this "magical freind" doesn't actually do a thing (except possibly to be given credit for events it never did or could influence).
The Ginkgo in the garden now is just coming up to full colour, I hope this weeks winds are not going...
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
Beautiful! Fall colors aren't as vibrant in Texas as I remember as a kid growing up in Ohio. Something I miss.
RussRAB comments on Oct 24, 2018:
Beautiful! Fall colors aren't as vibrant in Texas as I remember as a kid growing up in Ohio. Something I miss.
What kind of plant is this?
RussRAB comments on Oct 21, 2018:
It looks too big to be a dogtooth lily. Maybe a dogwood or dogbane. If it were me, he might be a corpse flower once I was done scolding him (not really - he's much too cute for that).
RussRAB comments on Oct 21, 2018:
It looks too big to be a dogtooth lily. Maybe a dogwood or dogbane. If it were me, he might be a corpse flower once I was done scolding him (not really - he's much too cute for that).
Believer/Non-believer relationships
RussRAB comments on Oct 21, 2018:
My relationship currently is mixed because I left religion and she stuck with it, although not fanatically as some from her religion tend to be. If there is any one attribute between us that makes the relationship successful, it would be a mutual respect for the other as an individual. We have so many other things in common (like a history, children, etc.) and our religious difference is really a small part of who we are in total. Having said this, however, if I were starting over to find a partner, religious similarities would very likely be an important factor. Religion has more of an emotional factor for believers and not a rational or intellectual one. Emotions can be very irrational and defense of religion can be (imo, tends to be) irrational. Together, emotions and irrationality can lead to some terribly nasty arguments and outcomes.
RussRAB comments on Oct 21, 2018:
My relationship currently is mixed because I left religion and she stuck with it, although not fanatically as some from her religion tend to be. If there is any one attribute between us that makes the relationship successful, it would be a mutual respect for the other as an individual. We have so many other things in common (like a history, children, etc.) and our religious difference is really a small part of who we are in total. Having said this, however, if I were starting over to find a partner, religious similarities would very likely be an important factor. Religion has more of an emotional factor for believers and not a rational or intellectual one. Emotions can be very irrational and defense of religion can be (imo, tends to be) irrational. Together, emotions and irrationality can lead to some terribly nasty arguments and outcomes.
Whenever you egaged in an angry altercation with someone else, haven't you invariably thought that ...
RussRAB comments on Oct 15, 2018:
I think nearly all people believe they are right about what they believe, think, and feel. When we discover we are mistaken, we often change our beliefs to the revised or newly discovered paradigm which we have become to think is correct. When emotions become high, our defenses also kick in and we sometimes have difficulty behaving rationally much less a thinking rationally.
RussRAB comments on Oct 15, 2018:
I think nearly all people believe they are right about what they believe, think, and feel. When we discover we are mistaken, we often change our beliefs to the revised or newly discovered paradigm which we have become to think is correct. When emotions become high, our defenses also kick in and we sometimes have difficulty behaving rationally much less a thinking rationally.
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