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When I get into a philosophical discussion with a believer and I offer an opinion on some subject, it could be something as simple as a book about natural phenomena or the dirt we stand on, or the country I am visiting, some how god gets thrown into mix, is it because believers can not tell the difference between understanding and faith? If I don't respond to faith in positive light, they take offense. Usual I always take a neutral stand on faith when others are talking, seems like indoctrinnation is a national pastime no matter where you go

Easytraveler 4 Dec 29
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Fundamentalists in my experience genuinely fear information that hasn't been vetted and approved by their handlers. I know that I used to, without realizing that I was being subjected to what was really a form of mind control. It's so much a part of their everyday existence that it doesn't seem odd to them. It is a literally from-the-cradle indoctrination -- lean not unto your own understanding or mere human wisdom, everything you need is in the Bible or in our exegesis thereof.

As such, as soon as you start to talk about anything unfamiliar to them, they will generally become anxious about it, which causes them to revert to the closest match in their mental library of received teachings about the topic. The god talk is largely formulaic, to direct it away from alien topics and sources of information, and to put you on notice that they will not listen to information that is not "Biblical".

To the fundamentalist mind you are a source of "doctrines of demons", a sort of direct link to the pit of hell. Of course, some fundies are worse than others in this regard, but even the relatively mild and superficially cultured fundamentalism I grew up with, was extremely anti-intellectual, distrustful of anything coming from a secular source, skeptical of science whenever its truth claims conflict with dogma, etc.

There's really not much you can do about it. If you meet someone who is receptive, which you will now and then (usually when they're separated from their herd), you might be able to have at least a skim-the-surface conversation where they will actually try to understand what you're saying, but for the most part ... fundamentalists are lost to rational discourse and the sooner you understand that, the lower your blood pressure will be.

very perceptive I agree would you, once I find one or more of these people, the first thing I think is getting rid of the person, out of my sphere of existence, no room in my world like for people like this on any level

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I usually expound on their entire false premise that faith (belief without evidence) is a method of establishing factual (testable) understanding.

If they take offense, I don't feel bad when I explain that I prefer reality based on facts as apposed to their understanding of the world based on fantasy: what you would like to believe without any foundation in testable facts or reality.

a direct approach I like it. The only one that was for me

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i have a friend who thanks god or praises jesus in just about every sentence on any subject and it gets quite tedious.

g

behavior like that I can't put of with, a time waster for me

@Easytraveler we're not close. we are friendly because she knew my guy before he knew me (they were not an item) and she was nice to him in a time of need, so they're friends. she prayed jesusly over him on his birthday and everyone (mostly jews, including my guy and me) at the table was shocked. that is NOT going to happen again.

g

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Sheeple Suck! Without them we could actually solve problems instead of treating conditions of belief, we could have sanity in the masses instead of a bunch of asses.

Right my friend, without these idiots, the world would take on different feeling. One thing I learned from Yuval Harari is through history when any particular religious movement looses relevancy. It automatically goes away bam. Hey did you get credit for me signing up?, I couldn't find any place to put your name, Tell me where and I will do it. Kind of getting the hang of the format, still learning, this is a good read some interesting things already, Got to take some time and think of good questions for these guys, find out who's who, hope your feeling good, take care

@Easytraveler Yes you are one of two of my "recruits". Religion always becomes irrelevant during "Ages" of Enlightenment now lets see if we can Drag humanity up two the Golden Age yet again before the Zealots destroy the Whole World and drag us back to the Dark Ages!

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