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thepyro222
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thepyro222
2,150 posts
Peasant

I grew up atheist for 16 years. I had always kept an open mind towards religion, but never really felt a need to believe in it. My sister started going to a Wednesday night children's program at a church. Eventually, I was dragged into a Christmas Eve service. Scoffing, I reluctantly went, assuming that this was going to be a load of crap, but when I went, I felt something. Something that I've never felt before. I felt a sense of empowerment and a sense of calling. Jesus called upon my soul, just like he did with his disciples. he wanted me to follow him. Now, my life is being lived for Christ. He died on the cross for my sins, and the sins of everyone who believes in him. He was beaten, brutalized, struck with a whip 39 times, made to carry a cross up to the stage of his death. This I believe to be true, and I can never repay him for what he has done.
I still have my struggles with Christianity, but I've found this bit of information most useful. Religion is not comprehensible in the human mind, because we cannot comprehend the idea of a perfect and supreme being, a God, but we can believe it in our heart, and that's the idea of faith. Faith is, even though everything rides against me believing in Jesus, I still believe in him because I know that it's true in my heart. I invite my fellow Brothers and sisters of the LORD to talk about how Jesus has helped you in your life. No atheists and no insults please

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Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

For the difference between a schizophrenic with such a delusion and a southern baptist speaking in tongues is, the schizophrenic does not have a 2000 year old book to back himself up with.


Actually, the difference is that the schizophrenic has a diagnosed disease where he may be legally insane. Or whatever the politically correct saying for that is. Sorry for the double post.
Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

Of course not. You've never met a religious person who doesn't just live life in a normal fashion, but pertains to christian beliefs? People can rant and rave all they want to about cruelty in the Bible and pervert priests, but natural perception of christianity will always be that of moral leadership, a view that won't be changed anytime soon. Besides, there's no more proof that religious people are sick than proof there is a god.

MageGrayWolf
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MageGrayWolf
9,462 posts
Farmer

Actually, the difference is that the schizophrenic has a diagnosed disease where he may be legally insane. Or whatever the politically correct saying for that is. Sorry for the double post.


And what is really the difference between the two? Only a few pages back I was given someone claiming to get prophecies after seeing a man-child pink winged angel as evidence of this religion.
Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

And what is really the difference between the two? Only a few pages back I was given someone claiming to get prophecies after seeing a man-child pink winged angel as evidence of this religion.


A few shots and anyone will see that ^_^. The difference is the diagnosis in itself of course. If we didn't need anyone to say what is and what is not a disease, then doctors would be out of the job. Schizophrenia is a registered disease, not a religion, and vice versa for christianity. Christians, in religion, have created their own society around God. A schizophrenic is just some twat running around crazy.
Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

Well, E (can I call you that?), I'm actually a Catholic, in confirmation more so than conviction, and I am quite disgusted by protestants as a whole. As for Catholics, what's to be had at them today? I mean besides priest scandals, all they do is donate to charities and have pot lucks (which is a bit of a shame). BTW, stone the gays.

Kasic
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Kasic
5,552 posts
Jester

Cinna. What, exactly, is wrong with being gay? Who does it harm? How is it wrong? I personally think raising someone to be as bigoted as you are is one of the worst crimes anyone can commit.

Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

Dude it's a joke between the christians on AG. You can scan some threads to see why, I can't really remember.

Efan
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Efan
3,086 posts
Nomad

Well, E (can I call you that?)

No. That's my once a year nickname.

BTW, stone the gays.

If you're joking, not funny. If you aren't, well, what does that say about your religion teaching tolerance and love? What hypocrisy.
Darkroot
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Darkroot
2,763 posts
Peasant

All of these debates end the same... No side gains ANY leverage over the other... That's why I'm not going to post on these things anymore

Dude I want to shake your cyber hand.


Congrats on wasting an post and not expanding your intellectual beliefs. If we all gave up because we thought debates were useless we would become the unwashed unintelligent masses you seem to think is fine.

And what is really the difference between the two?


Ones a clear definition of a condition an individual has and the other is what lawyers use; "a legal term for mental illness of such degree that the individual is not responsible for his or her acts insane"

Only a few pages back I was given someone claiming to get prophecies after seeing a man-child pink winged angel as evidence of this religion.


I don't own a DSM-IV to able to classify people under what I perceive their conditions are but I would guess a psychotic disorder of type Grandiose or Mixed since the person thinks they are special in seeing this pink flying baby.
Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

No. That's my once a year nickname.


I has sad face <--- See?
According to your own faith, if I brutally ***** you and you got pregnant, I just have to say five hail maries to be considered cleansed and you would have to raise that **** baby.


My faith? "in confirmation if not conviction". Was I unclear? The old testament God is a total ******bag.
Not to mention the fact the entire church structure is based not on the bible but on the church granting itself powers, rights and purview that is not supported or mentioned in the bible.


Like?
And shall I mention the fact the wonderous pope let nazi sympathizers back into the fold.


Llllllike?
As for what they do, how about telling third world countries condoms spread aids?


Ever read a transcript of Benedict's trip to Africa? I must assume not.

As for Darkroot, I know that post was useless, that's why I reposted. I'm still a bit rusty ^_^. As for assuming I accept unwashed unintelligent masses just because I condoned someone for pointing out that NO ONE will ever win the theological debate (which is a fact, as proved by the WEPR), I disagree. Because I believe in showers!
Darkroot
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Darkroot
2,763 posts
Peasant

As for assuming I accept unwashed unintelligent masses just because I condoned someone for pointing out that NO ONE will ever win the theological debate (which is a fact, as proved by the WEPR)


Not a fact just because two sides or of different view and different mindset doesn't mean a middle ground cannot be created to help in the exchange of ideas and eventually an outcome of an argument. On my profile I have a quote on how two sides of a theological argument are wasting time, but that doesn't mean a common place cannot be met to discuss it like logical and civil people.
MageGrayWolf
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MageGrayWolf
9,462 posts
Farmer

Schizophrenia is a registered disease, not a religion, and vice versa for christianity.


I agree but just from comparing the symptoms how do we tell the difference?
There are many things that mimic schizophrenic so even though one can have the symptoms doesn't mean it will be schizophrenia.
Symptoms include...

Hallucinations
A hallucination involves one of the five senses (sound, sight, taste, touch, or smell), but occurs when there is nothing in the environment to stimulate the sense organ.
The most common type of hallucination that schizophrenics experience is an auditory hallucination.

(claims of god talking to them, seeing angels, seeing the Virgin Mary which is often accompanied by the smell of roses...)

Delusions
A delusion is essentially a strongly held, but false belief that something which is not real is actually real, even when there is obvious proof or evidence to the contrary.

(believing in a global flood, believing the human race came from only two people, believing evolution is false)

Disorganized speech
When a personâs speech is disorganized, he may often quickly go off the topic and talk about a variety of unrelated things. His speech may also be incoherent, making no sense to anyone who is listening.

(speaking in tongues)

Grossly disorganized behavior
Grossly disorganized behavior can show up in a variety of ways. For example, the person may dress in a bizarre or grossly inappropriate way

(this one I don't think I can get on about, unless I can make fun of the Popes hat)

Catatonic behavior
Catatonic behavior involves the personâs movement, posture and responsiveness. For example, he may be completely unresponsive to his surroundings, as in a catatonic stupor. He may stand or sit in a rigid and / or bizarre position. When someone is catatonic, he may be very resistant to any attempt to move or reposition him. Catatonia may also involve excessive, excited movement that has no purpose and no trigger.

(Perhaps the convulsions from faith healing, I can think of other things that would be a stretch)

Negative Symptoms
The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are passive in nature. They affect the personâs thinking, emotion and behavior and can be the most devastating of all the symptoms. Three of the most common are flat affect, alogia, and avolition.

Alogia
Alogia, which refers to impoverished thinking, occurs when the personâs speech is very limited in terms of content and lacks spontaneity.

(This would be a huge stretch, but for the religious this does seem to fit when explaining why the belief is held)

source:
http://www.schizophrenic.com/content/schizophrenia/symptoms/schizophrenia-symptoms

So out of the 6 symptoms of Schizophrenia we can find at least three that are regularly found in religion.
Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

but that doesn't mean a common place cannot be met to discuss it like logical and civil people.


The WEPR is anything but logical and civil, not to mention the broad field of supernatural debate.

And Mage, there's a reason they made a list of symptoms. So that they could recognize the disease. However christianity doesn't reach all of them, only three, and in part to generous dictations by Dr. Mage.
Cinna
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Cinna
753 posts
Nomad

Okay, so
1. the church and God are two different beings. If there is an omnipotent and all knowing being that presides over humanity, then authority would be well suited to be given to him. However that doesn't mean that his church can go around stoning gays and torching rival religious churches.

2. Everyone was in the hitler youth. It was that or death, and death would have been preferable if the choice was between that or killing innocents. But Benedict was not a part of any of that.

3. Dude condoms don't stop AIDS.

Darkroot
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Darkroot
2,763 posts
Peasant

The WEPR is anything but logical and civil, not to mention the broad field of supernatural debate.


Huh I find to to be acceptably logical and civil. Just because a topic is supernatural in nature doesn't mean we cannot have a nice cup of tea and pleasant conversation over it. There are so much things we don't know, there could be a possibility.
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