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"The idea that religions provide social cohesion is laughable."
Tell that to Dr. King.
Religion can be a positive or negative force. And will remain a major force regardless so we ought to understand it better and seek to bring out the best in religious practice and participation.
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So if I go to church and enjoy the music and the social life, and the mythology, but don't literally believe in the religion it's "blind faith" --
If I tell a ghost story and while I'm telling the story ghosts seem like they are real, but they obviously aren't that's just part of enjoying the story ... that's blind faith?
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Religions provide social cohesion. People like them. They are important to human history. They shouldn't be forgotten or treated as obsolete, but rather, like folk stories practiced and celebrated with awareness of their limitations.
Of course many people won't want anything to do with this, and that's fine too.
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One of the biggest benefits to recognizing and keeping evidence free activities a part of human culture is the simple fact that if you eliminate them someone will re-invent them off to the side and they'll come back without the protective wrapper of awareness that they are evidence free.
"It feels like I'm gaining knowledge about the truths of the universe, this has been hidden from us!"
Now blind faith is back and and causing problems.
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The more I learn about religions the more I realize that sincere religious belief is rare and not that important. What matters more is the power that comes from treating certain ideas and people with respect.
This is why talking to MAGA people about "what Jesus would have really done" is so ineffective. They don't care about Jesus in that way-- what matters more is that you feel compelled to respect the idea-- not implement it.
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Evidence free activities have value. They can help us to understand how our ancestors may have seen the world. They can allow one to experiences a sense of mystery and feel a real connection to the religious traditions of the past.
It's just important to remember that they are "evidence free" and won't be able to really tell you anything useful in the empirical sense.
Evangelical Agnostic Extremist
Going around insisting that everyone should be much more uncertain and filled with questions and mysteries about if God exists or not.
nostr:npub17yujtq4726d4g8mxwp9hayuz9jahfgsc0j03ncs6e22l8h03gf5s9ppxek
cults are a powerful and dangerous re-occurring mal-
adaptive attractor in human social relationships and I think that more narrow definition is useful and diagnostic for when these patterns arise.
Trump and MAGA have more to do with patterns like authoritarianism, fascism, Christian and White Nationalism. Which as also mad-adaptive attractors, but ones that work on a much larger scale and in significantly different ways.
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I'm confused why anyone would want "evidence" for God. Isn't faith supposed to be an evidence-free activity?
Spotted lanterflies are designed like they were meant to be cat toys.
1. walks slowly
2. unless touched (with curious paw) then they jump colorfully catching the cat's attention.
3. resume walking until in immediate danger again.
Pica always finds one when we take her out on the roof, and she has so much fun chasing and batting at them.
Why do they flash colors when they jump? seems a little... maladaptive?
The big controversy rocking ant hills is "grub club" is it safe for larvae?
"Our larvae are hardly 'grubs' the glamours independent lifestyle on these sites may seduce the young!" - Temperance the Absconder, Warrior Ant
"Ant larvae can't walk, how could they get in trouble? It's good for them to learn about the world." Efficiency the Eternal Witness, Scout Ant
"Wish this had been around when I was a larvae!" - Perseverance the Carapace Piercer, Nursery worker
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" Leaving the group makes you a traitor"
Sort of.
Except there isn't any clear line between who is in and who is out. Some say Ron is out. Some say he's still in...
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yet they'll still vote for him, even in leg irons
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That's a cult-like feature.
And to me calling MAGA "a cult" feels like it's dodging the way that these ideas permeate the country and republicans to different degrees.
A real cult has much sharper borders. MAGA is smeared across the national conciseness-- it's not a matter of dealing with a small band of fanatics-- there are also all of the people who can see that maybe Jan. 6 went to far... but still think "there were problems with the election" --and every other incremental degree of buy-in to the myths.
The main reason the "cult" label has caught on is probably due to the intransigent nature of loved ones who have fallen into MAGA- it feels like trying to talk someone out of a cult.
But real cults don't just alienate people from their families they isolate them physical and financially. They control all aspects of their lives from diet, to who they socialize with to finances... it's just much more involved. IMO.
I don't know who started it, but I keep hearing the word "cult" to describe Trump's most devoted followers. I think there are two issues with this:
1. It muddies the concept of what a real cult is. There are several cult-like features of MAGA. It could even be called a "cult of personality" -- but actual cults are a more narrow thing.
2. It might be a useful form of counterattack -- but "Christian Nationalist" is still more accurate, though probably less likely to land with general audiences.
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Yeah the ban was FL
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hes so cringe
trying to be like trump and posting a mug shot
