tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post6840009347029992301..comments2023-10-24T06:23:53.008-04:00Comments on Saint Brian's Chronicles: Does Christianity Dumb You Down?Saint Brian the Godlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-63811513220752403152013-06-04T20:01:59.389-04:002013-06-04T20:01:59.389-04:00What i do nοt realizе is if tгuth be told hοω
you...What i do nοt realizе is if tгuth be told hοω <br />you аre no longer really a lot more smartly-preferred than yοu might bе right now.<br />Yοu are so іntelligent. Yоu recognize thus sіgnificantly <br />relating to thiѕ topic, producеd me for my part consider it from ѕo many vагied <br />angleѕ. Its lіκе wоmеn and <br />men aren't fascinated until it's something to do with Girl gaga!<br /><br />Your οwn ѕtuffs excellent. At all timеs dеal ωith it up!<br /><br /><br /><br />Here іs my homерagе; <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/Sunrise-Reputation/Reputation-Management/prweb10687978.htm" rel="nofollow">reputation management</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-52510612677355338452008-10-07T03:14:00.000-04:002008-10-07T03:14:00.000-04:00Observant...I KNOW that you are going to disagree ...Observant...<BR/><BR/>I KNOW that you are going to disagree with this but I think that religion(Christianity) is like denying reality.<BR/><BR/>It is like saying to yourself, my puppy pees on the floor and if I stop giving it water then it will stop peeing on the floor.<BR/><BR/>What I'm saying is that you can be right(about morality and, hey, gays ARE odd) and wrong at the same time.<BR/><BR/>If I could get you to imagine that Botts might be right...<BR/><BR/>If I could get you to even imagine that there is only one GOD even, but you believe in, what 2, GOD/Jesus, three in one(are you kidding me), what about four-<BR/><BR/>Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Satan.<BR/><BR/>Tell me that raining frogs on a nation is not gratuituously evil!?pboyfloydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01475980562742243007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-78040371352714704572008-09-19T11:23:00.000-04:002008-09-19T11:23:00.000-04:00Yes Dee, I've always heard that the old dietaqry r...Yes Dee, I've always heard that the old dietaqry restrictions were originally put in place due to the fact that the proscribed practices all led to sickness, and since they didn't understand bacteria beak then they naturally figured that God didn't like it when they did those things. It was hygeine, pure and simple. And then it became a BELIEF, and thus written in stone forever. Now that we don't need to do it anymore, they still do, since it's the LAW.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-71842042313346743142008-09-19T08:34:00.000-04:002008-09-19T08:34:00.000-04:00I know this is your old blog, but I thought I migh...I know this is your old blog, but I thought I might add another comment because of a discussion I had with my husband. It has to do with dietary restrictions and religion. I know that Catholics don't really have any except for not eating meat on Friday, Muslims cannot eat pork and Jews cannot eat pork or mix meat with dairy. Not to mention their food must or should be halal or kosher, respectively, if they are very religious.<BR/>Anywho, I was explaining the reasoning behind all of this to my husband. Back in the day of Jesus there was not enough meat for everyone to eat everyday, hence they made Wednesdays and Fridays "fish" days, or so I call them. Most super religious Catholics think it is because we are sacrificing for God. NO! Muslims/Jews cannot eat pork because many moons ago pork was not farm raised. The wild pigs, if not cooked properly caused trichinosis. Killing many people. This is the only conclusion I can come to being that pigs are proven to be the cleanest animals. My husband will argue and say its because they are dirty, but its not true. Chickens and cows are way more filthy than pigs. It's the trichinosis. And the meat and dairy thing, honestly I am not sure. I cannot really figure this one out. I have been trying. I think perhaps due to lack of preservatives long ago the dairy was making people sick. They chose not to mix their meat and dairy trying not to get sick. I'm still working on this "theory." My point was that there is a logical reason behind the dietary restrictions, but most religious use God/sacrificing, etc. as a reason. So, in a way, yes all religion dumbs you down to think that God is the reason for everything, including your diet. If you look into it more it's not God. Duh. I happen to enjoy a nice grilled cheese with bacon on a Friday. Ha haDeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14871215114333194586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-27366749592190155212008-09-18T13:19:00.000-04:002008-09-18T13:19:00.000-04:00Thanks, tbrough. Glad to have you aboard!Thanks, tbrough. Glad to have you aboard!Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-84991894208737394392008-09-18T08:44:00.000-04:002008-09-18T08:44:00.000-04:00Flying Monkeys make me pray!Howdy St B. Good luck ...Flying Monkeys make me pray!<BR/>Howdy St B. Good luck with this bloggy thing.blackleatherbookshelfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04077220767469540975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-10057688900712973482008-09-18T01:53:00.000-04:002008-09-18T01:53:00.000-04:00Oh, but I loved the rest of your post and agree he...Oh, but I loved the rest of your post and agree heartily. Christmas is great. It makes children happy. <BR/><BR/>I do object to Santa Claus, though. There can be no justification telling your child an abject lie. It's ridiculous, unless you want to teach your child not to trust you. And yet, most people would think me an ogre for saying so.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-11312446602879319522008-09-18T01:46:00.000-04:002008-09-18T01:46:00.000-04:00Dee said... I don't necessarily think that Christi...Dee said... <BR/>I don't necessarily think that Christianity dumbs people down. I think if you take the basic foundation- to love, care, respect, etc. it's a good idea as is any religion that promotes kindness.<BR/>-----------------------------<BR/>See, I agree mostly except on it not dumbing people down. Here's why. What you mention above is all wonderful, but it's all directly attributable to the words of Jesus in the Gospels. But, the problem is that the rest of the bible conflicts with the love message of Jesus. Just read Leviticus sometimes. And far too many Christians are taught to interpret the bible literally. Or else. So once again, as I stated in my opening premise, the religion presents two different and mutually exclusive options and INSISTS that the believer accept them both, side-by-side, together. Over time this erodes one's ability to reality test, and even to reason. Jesus loves you, and tells us all to love our neighbor, but if we don't God will fricassee us forever. Because He loves us so. Insanity! <BR/><BR/>If I examine God and realize that I'm more moral than He is, that's pretty good proof to me that He doesn't exist, at least, not as advertized. I mean, I'm no angel. I'm just a saint.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-53489631265014123582008-09-17T21:55:00.000-04:002008-09-17T21:55:00.000-04:00I don't necessarily think that Christianity dumbs ...I don't necessarily think that Christianity dumbs people down. I think if you take the basic foundation- to love, care, respect, etc. it's a good idea as is any religion that promotes kindness. I think if you take everything written in any bible then, yes, you are setting yourself up for failure. You can be a Christian and be intelligent. You can be a Christian and be a compete moron. It depends on each individual and how they interpret the world and the things they read. I believe in freedom of speech, freedom to do what the hell I want with my body when I want to. I believe in listening to other people's thoughts, beliefs or non beliefs and doing so without judgment. I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe gay marriage should be legal, abortion should be legal. I think marijuana should be legal. I believe in women's rights. I believe in men's rights. I sometimes believe in the death penalty. (Mostly when any crimes are against children,i.e: murder and/or molestation of a child) I would kill for my children. I am a non judgmental Catholic. I do believe in Jesus. I don't believe EVERYTHING I read. I love Christmas. It's fun. <BR/>Mac, what do you mean there aren't any talking snakes? There was thins one time I smoked a little too much weed and had an entire conversation with a snake...he told me to eat an apple..?? Anyway, I look forward to chatting with everyone. I'm going to stop rambling now...Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14871215114333194586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-67240539668478395782008-09-17T14:55:00.000-04:002008-09-17T14:55:00.000-04:00Interesting take on it, Kodiak.I would say then th...Interesting take on it, Kodiak.<BR/><BR/>I would say then that since evolution depends on the environment, that we are only evolving toward laziness because we've structured our system to encourage that. And why is that? I would posit that it's because we're not overly concerned with things like learning and bettering ourselves and getting involved with others who are not like us due to beliefs and dogma that discourage that sort of thing. Change the beliefs, the environment changes. Change the environment, and we change ourselves as we will then evolve to fit it. <BR/><BR/>Just a theory though.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-41971352280473013442008-09-17T14:26:00.000-04:002008-09-17T14:26:00.000-04:00I am not sure whether Christianity dumbs you down,...I am not sure whether Christianity dumbs you down, or if "dumb" people are more easily drawn to Christianity.<BR/>I don't like using the word "dumb" because I am not terribly comfortable pigeonholing people by intelligence, particularly IQ. For instance, my ex-husband was a mathematical savant and had an IQ above 170, but still could not remember to lock the door to the house, even after we were robbed more than 10 times. I think as a species we are still defining the meaning of the word "intelligence". In some cases, "dumbness" might be attributed to an inability to learn. In other cases, it might be attributable to mental laziness.<BR/>I think a lot of what we are as a species comes back to laziness. It seems to me that the pinnacle of evolution in ANY species would be the ability to maintain life and continuation of the species, while expending the least effort possible (thereby exposing itself to the least amount of danger possible). Look at the shark...hasn't changed much in millions of years. It has virtually reached the pinnacle of its evolution. It swims and eats and makes little sharks. In a nutshell, that is what every species is trying to successfully achieve. <BR/>Look at the human species. If intelligence were a deciding factor in continuation, there would certainly be a lot more smart people then there are now. Instead, the common person is still doing what the common person did in Elizabethan times, or Roman times, or Neandertal times. We eat, we sleep, and we make little replicas...only the toys and tools have changed. We are Neandertals with cell phones.<BR/>Ok, I am digressing all over the place. But the point I want to make is that the issue might not be "does Christianity dumb you down" but rather "can a species that evolves towards mental laziness accept living in a finite non-spiritual reality?"Kodiakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01024529426426349253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-91909907307832394122008-09-17T09:52:00.000-04:002008-09-17T09:52:00.000-04:00Also Eric, we disagree on a fundamental premise he...Also Eric, we disagree on a fundamental premise here. I see any type of Christianity as a much narrower worldview than atheism. It's based in the past, it's old-style thinking, at a childish level. It's polarizing and doesn't take into account the complexity of reality. It insists that reality is much simpler than it really is. It also tends to inflate the egos of its followers as a matter of course. And I see ego as a HUGE problem in our society. <BR/><BR/>The ONLY type of Christian that I think transcends this is the very rare type that absolutely doesn't judge others. Never even THINKS that the other person is wrong or damned because they disagree with them. Accepts that judging people (in their faith) is the province of God Himself and no other being. And accepts that they cannot know the mind of God so they cannot possibly know God's plan for the other person. That's a rare Christian indeed.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-91370403746396983592008-09-17T09:38:00.000-04:002008-09-17T09:38:00.000-04:00Eric said... Any comprehensive view of the world, ...Eric said... <BR/>Any comprehensive view of the world, if it's too narrow, can 'dumb' people down. The key notion, however, is 'narrowness.' In this sense, I don't see how Christianity dumbs people down.<BR/><BR/>-No? Hmm. I'll try to help you. <BR/><BR/>Christianity doesn't require Christians to deny any well tested theory, whether it's from the hard sciences or the social sciences.<BR/><BR/>-Fundamentalist Christianity does. Evolution, for example. That's incredibly well-tested. And an important, central theory that much of biology hinges upon. It's the modern-day version of the flat-earthers. <BR/><BR/>It allows for a wide range of views: Just look at the variation along the range from hardcore, youg earth, biblical literalist evangelicals, to the modern -- or even postmodern -- Christians of liberal Episcopal churches or academia.<BR/><BR/>-And the more fundamentalist they get, the more they deny reality. It's a spectrum, no doubt. And I rail against Christianity but if you read my first post you might see that I have no problem with non-hyocritical Christians, "real" Christians that understand the axiom "Love Thy Neighbor" and practice it. To better define what I am against here, it's the bible-literalist Christians that insist on getting involved in politics and trying to force the entire country to conform to their belief system. The ones that JUDGE others as if they knew what was in the mind of God. Some of them will even tell you that they know exactly that, the very mind of God, since they read it in the bible. What nerve, huh? <BR/><BR/>Christians hold a variety of views concerning Jesus, morality, the Bible, God, the church, etc. In short, while certain conceptions of Christianity may dumb one down -- just as certain narrow views of science, politics, etc. may dumb one down -- it's certainly not the case that Christianity in se dumbs one down.<BR/><BR/>-A technicality. As I said above, it's a spectrum, and the nonjudgemental ones aren't the problem. I grant you the point by half. <BR/><BR/>However, let's take an hypothetical case. A scientist that is also a believing Christian. A biologist. Msybe even a damn good one. Now he might have aced his exams and he might be a very intelligent person, but the amount that he believes in his faith is the exact amount that he could have been smarter by. Said scientist had to decide what parts of his faith he would adjust to fit his science, and what parts of his science he would adjust to fit his faith, all of which is patently stupid, since the science alone most accurately describes reality. IMHO. :-)Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-85342700444201774462008-09-16T20:50:00.000-04:002008-09-16T20:50:00.000-04:00Any comprehensive view of the world, if it's too n...Any comprehensive view of the world, if it's too narrow, can 'dumb' people down. The key notion, however, is 'narrowness.' In this sense, I don't see how Christianity dumbs people down. Christianity doesn't require Christians to deny any well tested theory, whether it's from the hard sciences or the social sciences. It allows for a wide range of views: Just look at the variation along the range from hardcore, youg earth, biblical literalist evangelicals, to the modern -- or even postmodern -- Christians of liberal Episcopal churches or academia. Christians hold a variety of views concerning Jesus, morality, the Bible, God, the church, etc. In short, while certain conceptions of Christianity may dumb one down -- just as certain narrow views of science, politics, etc. may dumb one down -- it's certainly not the case that Christianity in se dumbs one down.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-30908134956845585952008-09-16T16:55:00.000-04:002008-09-16T16:55:00.000-04:00Thanks sweeterbrew. There's more where that came ...Thanks sweeterbrew. There's more where that came from.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-81456497068343515372008-09-16T15:54:00.000-04:002008-09-16T15:54:00.000-04:00Hey Brian, nice poetry there. I mean, the "NATIONA...Hey Brian, nice poetry there. I mean, the "NATIONAL-SECURITY-4-US." Look at the diction, the assonance, the alliteration! Hahahahaha! Is that the a new genre? LOL! Now that, I agree, is a classic dumb down. <BR/><BR/>But seriously, the poem in your original post is great. As my son would say, its FANTABULASTICALLY GREAT!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-82513699678802357222008-09-16T15:22:00.000-04:002008-09-16T15:22:00.000-04:00"Most Christians are good people they just dumb th..."Most Christians are good people they just dumb themselves down to fit in to the church."<BR/>---------------<BR/>Absolutely. However if and when they dumb themselves down enough, they become a danger to the rest of us. They may be really nice at heart but then they all vote in lockstep like ants at a picnic for whomever their authority tells them to, since they're so used to bowing to authority.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-47787228730846038752008-09-16T14:14:00.000-04:002008-09-16T14:14:00.000-04:00Absolutely. I knew at the age of ten that the Chr...Absolutely. I knew at the age of ten that the Christian religion was full of paradox. I feel like being forced to attend church was a borderline form of child abuse. I had no say or rights as far as deciding whether I would accept this belief system. Anytime I raised the logical or scientific facts I was told to have faith! Most Christians are good people they just dumb themselves down to fit in to the church.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248630368530138191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-7002219577823450492008-09-16T13:52:00.000-04:002008-09-16T13:52:00.000-04:00By the way, if anybody's having trouble posting he...By the way, if anybody's having trouble posting here it's probably because they ask for your "handle" and password, but by "handle" they mean your EMAIL ADDRESS and not your handle that you use here.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-19829453989260083602008-09-16T13:44:00.000-04:002008-09-16T13:44:00.000-04:00Thank you Richelle! Really glad to see you here!Thank you Richelle! Really glad to see you here!Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-7469454327858000972008-09-16T13:43:00.000-04:002008-09-16T13:43:00.000-04:00i really like what you've got going on here. that ...i really like what you've got going on here. that comment you had saved was hysterical. when i got to the part about the devil fucking the shit out of you i just lost it. <BR/><BR/>i'll be sure to stop by periodically and add my thoughts.Richellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05086751337366386993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-27539954656253521692008-09-16T13:42:00.000-04:002008-09-16T13:42:00.000-04:00Yes, sweetbrew, many christians survive the condit...Yes, sweetbrew, many christians survive the conditioning with most of their minds intact and do a lot of good in the world. I'm not talking about that kind, the "real" Christians. I'm talking about the type we have now involved in our politics. I am NEVER referring to "real" christians who practice love for all others. I'm only ever talking about the hypochrists. Sorry if it appeared otherwise. If you read my definitions on my first post hopefully it will clear it up for you.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-49604143929215339722008-09-16T13:20:00.000-04:002008-09-16T13:20:00.000-04:00But what about those christians who founded charit...But what about those christians who founded charitable institutions, universities and hospitals; those who advocated the end of slavery, those who fought for civil rights, christian scientists, poets, musicians, artists; christians advocates of interfaith and humanist understanding and cooperation, christian advocates of denuclearization, anti-war activists. Were they dumbed down?<BR/><BR/>Its always improper to generalize in this matter. The effects of christianity go both ways. There are christians who have committed murders and other crimes, and those totally bereft of knowledge of science and humanist thoughts. And there are christians who have led the human genome project and are top scientists in CERN's Large Hadron Collider.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-40375976802784459832008-09-16T12:47:00.000-04:002008-09-16T12:47:00.000-04:00Hi Asylum Seeker, how's things? I had to remove t...Hi Asylum Seeker, how's things? <BR/><BR/>I had to remove that post, but the point remains that they seem to think that membership alone conveys goodness. <BR/><BR/>As if.Saint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376937841692070856.post-28802934302562088912008-09-16T12:37:00.000-04:002008-09-16T12:37:00.000-04:00I had posted a comment that I received on the MSNB...I had posted a comment that I received on the MSNBC politics message board just now, but removed it because I'm still not sure if it wasn't a joke, it was so outrageous. But here's one even better that I saved from last year on the same message board: <BR/><BR/>NATIONAL-SECURITY-4-US <BR/>Message #21<BR/>01/17/07 02:19 AM GOD/JESUS/CHRISTIANITY IS NOT ORGANIZED RELIGION ASSHOLE EVERYTHING ELSE IS & WHAT I EXPLAINED IS WHAT IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING TO YOU DICKHEAD WHEN YOU MEET YOUR DADDY THE DEVIL & IT IS WAITING TO FUCK THE SHIT OUT OF YOU - DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU LOW-LIFE SCUMBAG FUCKING JERK-OFF OF A HUMAN BEING WHO SHOULD OF BEEN SWALLOWED & NOT CONCEIVED"<BR/><BR/>Gotta love all-caps foaming at the mouth!<BR/><BR/>September 16, 2008 9:36 AMSaint Brian the Godlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902151482640409544noreply@blogger.com