Nathan_Jr

A talking snake is fantasy.

Parables aren’t fantasy. They are metaphor.

That Jesus told parables, and that Aesop told fables hundreds of years prior, tells us little or nothing about what the people loved. To assert such an opinionated, baseless claim is to tip one’s hand to reveal four jokers and a 2 of clubs. There is a reason why Jesus spoke in parable. It has nothing to do with audience preference. “Jesus was given a bastard bar mitzvah.” ”Cocks crowed at different times of the day in ‘Bible times.’” ”Four Crucified.” Are these parables, lies or lines of bullshonta? Why do people love this fiction? What lessons do they teach, if any? Meditate on that.

STOP! No one ever asserted such a claim. No one. Ever. Read more. It's YOUR friend.

No one here is suspicious. Literally, no one. Nicotine is a nootropic. I take it in a sublingual form myself. It very slightly helps with cognition. And if one is addicted, as I am, it soothes the discomfort of withdrawal. It helps schizophrenics to FEEL better, though I don't know if it is actually effectual in alleviating symptoms. But they sure do love it. The first schizophrenic I ever encountered would pull out the filter of his Newport 100s with his teeth, and then, then, THEN smoke the entire cigarette, filter and all, in under a minute. Then, then, THEN... he'd light another, then another... He told me it made him feel soooo good. He couldn't get enough. Every schizophrenic I've ever known was a chain smoker. No one ever suspected cigarette smoking to be a cause of schizophrenia.

You’re not the only one. His first paragraph suggests one thing, but, then, then, THEN… the 2nd paragraph says something else. I don’t think the lack of clarity is intentional, that’s just his style. Like the schizophrenic, he just can’t help it.

I think this is called resolution or remission of symptoms, I think. I think a significant portion of schizophrenics experience this. I think. You should do your own research. Find out for yourself. Don’t seek to beleeve, seek to find out, to understand, to know.

Sounds like you are the one diagnosing your friend on your own hunch. Find out for yourself about the MMPI-2 test. It’s about as objective as it gets for personality disorders and mental illness. Chemical tests have their own limits. False positives suck.

Yep. This photo is an accurate illustration of how I felt at every fellowship. If the commander said to me, “Hey! I really need some help with xyz, could you provide financial support?” I likely would have happily given. But instead, he said, “God loves a cheerful giver - Hey! I didn’t write the book.” The implication is you will not be loved by God unless you give me money - and you better be happy about being manipulated! This is abject wickedness. And a lie in the name of God. God doesn’t need nor does God want your money.

Countless “Huh?” moments like this arose for me. However, I learned early on not to inquire into the logical fallacies, absurd claims, linguistic stupidities and blatant errors. There are only so many exasperated, condescending sighs a “student” can take. This is why I put “teach” in quotes. Victor and his acolytes don’t know what it means to teach. The embarrassed avoidance of questions and the further confusion caused by the gaslighting, condescending answers, along with the brutal schedule and duration of “the class,” are all designed to wear the “student” down to a dull edge of compliance.

And the MMPI tests. 567 yes/no/true/false questions. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Multiphasic_Personality_Inventory If I were a betting man, I'd say the psychiatric community today has more more effective tools in its bag than a jar of cookies.

Ah, well, then surely you know that you know that you know. It was a docuseries, not quite a movie. Nonetheless... We don't have enough Jeff Sharlets in this world.

Nor would I. The religious lobby is extremely powerful. Ever see The Family on Netflix.

Hypocrites, all of them! Unable, because they are unwilling, to go beyond what they were "taught." Oh, Irony, you sneaky pooh.... I seeeeeee yooouuu...

This is hilarious! And so sad.

I believe we touched on this before in another thread. I find the inclusion of this phase in the tax code to be an egregious, contemptuous phuque yoo to the Fist Amendment, which is just a verbose way of saying the tax code 501(c)(3) is unconstitutional. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Thank you all for providing perspective and treating me like a golden retriever when I ask obvious, even stupid, questions. This is all so absurd, but I know it's true. I'm dumbfounded... Mmmph... just... wow... no words... except... What does the Bible say about caring for widows?

"Hey! I didn't write the book."

There is no honor among thieves.

So victor himself didn’t make arrangements for her care? He didn’t provide for her? Couldn’t he have made a 3x5 card to remind himself to do this basic thing with the spoils of his grift? What a mean man! Everywhere you look there is a sign. Victor was NOT a THE man of god. Not even an A man of god.

Why would a former minister of TWI, one who seems to be M&A, feel compelled to provide for Mrs. Wierwille’s medical bills? Why would there be a perceived need at all? I get that he didn’t file the suit for personal gain, but of all charities! Of the $millions victor extracted from his dupes, was there no provision for Mrs. W’s care into old age? Really? WTAF?

Victor, bless his little heart, “taught” no one dies unless they stop beleeeving. Now, I don’t know if beleeeving requires a well-rested soul life, or if unbeleeef is physically exhausting, whatever the cause, sleep is brought about by fatigue. victor succumbed to death, which is to say, he was caused to sleep, because he was too tired to stay awake, which is related to his beleeeving, or lack thereof, somehow. All that is REALLY known is that above all victor did not stand. Standing can be exhausting. So, he stopped beleeeving in order to get some rest. Victor, bless his little heart, is not awake. Nor is he alive now. He’s dead due to his inability to beleeeve… or his fatigue. Math.

Just a little charlatan so full of bullshonta. Had he been given an enema before he died, he could have been buried in a match box.

I, also, partake of communion when offered at church. I didn’t have religious rituals growing up, even though my mother is a devout Christian - possibly the least divisive person I’ve ever known. I was in many a wedding party of my Catholic and Episcopalian friends. The rituals, including communion, intrigued me, probably because they were so novel to me in my early twenties. I grew to appreciated the meditative discipline. I remember them fondly. They don’t mean anything to me, but I don’t begrudge their practice. HOWEVER, I never felt “spiritually” or religiously extorted by communion until I partook of the wierwillian version. It’s subtle, but real. It’s control through fear. It’s outlined in the final paragraph of someone’s long post up thread. It’s the same old story. And it is wicked. Bless their little, hard, black hearts.

Yeah, that sounds familiar. Thanks. My fellowship commander's tenure was c.1975-c.1986, but his commitment is forevah. I think he "taught" it as you explain it.