Not a true Christian: Debate Christianity and Religion's role in Politics

Not truly a policy violation:

Unless you're peacefully kneeling for civil rights

— life liver, stuff doer #blm (@Critikalideas) May 22, 2024

 

Deep pocket catholicism is basically evangelical with a flag:

Much of modern Catholicism is effectively evangelical extremism but with priests. Having experienced too much of this in person, it really opened my eyes.

Their hatred of Francis is Peak Protestantism, the definition of which is "I demand God have my politics." https://t.co/N7k2IjQaGc

— Erik Loomis (@ErikLoomis) May 24, 2024

 

Unfortunately American Evangelism doesn’t affect just American Protestants.

 

A nonbeliever who had a near death experience describes that experience and his thoughts about it. Pretty cool.

I think the main point, and a new insight to me, is that near death experiences happen in all kinds of different cultures, but no matter the culture, only the near-dead see dead people. Obituary else does.

tl;dr is that he can’t explain what happened by rational means. He’s not a believer but he takes a few baby steps toward wondering if there’s an underlying unity or connectivity in the universe.

https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area/351128/the-science-of-near-death-experiences

 

Or his brain could be creating a dream-like state based on a lifetime of hearing stories about near-death experiences.

 

While not the point of the article, the science is rather lacking:

Natural selection is completely irrelevant here, there doesn't need to be a Darwinian reason because this has nothing to do with survival into reproductive years.

I'm not a psychologist, so not my area of expertise, but it seems fairly logical to me that if someone is dying their mind tries to process it by looking for examples from their own life, which would be close relatives who have died.

I've encountered numerous stories of living people who "see" or interact with their spouse after they die. When I lived in Wyoming my landlord said her dead husband would often take walks with her. I'm also not accepting the "around the world" part as a blanket statement.

Perhaps because the person at the point of death is not wanting to die, so again the brain is reacting to death by trying to make sense of it by conjuring up close relatives who have already died while "rebelling" against the notion that the person is about to die as well.

 

Not having a rational explanation for something does not automagically makes it supernatural.

 

What? Dark energy isn't a sign of God's magical abilities? [\s]

 

Did you read the article? I’m betting no. At least not to the end. The article moves from his personal experience to a broader discussion of the commonalities among different cultures.

 

You guys are overconfident in our/your ability to understand the deepest, most vexing questions. Where is everyone’s sense of mystery and wonder? None of us “knows” this stuff, yet the responses aren’t that different from the handwaving people of faith give me when I point out nobody knows they’re going to heaven, they only believe. To me this stuff is still in that category of things we don’t know. Take it as such.

Supernatural literally means not natural. What I liked about the article was IMO arguably the main theme is that we have a lot to learn about “nature” which in turn means we have a lot to learn about what is and isn’t natural.

My argument is that there’s a space where we don’t know anything yet and we should respect that.

 

That's being quite generous to say it did "a broader discussion of the commonalities among different cultures". What other cultures were specifically mentioned or addressed?

 

If you read the article you’d know the answer. Just like if you read the article you’d know it wasn’t just about this one man’s experience.

 

Just to clarify…that article isn’t about ME. I’m not the guy who almost died. I read it and thought it had some good insights. I shared information. “Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply” is terrific advice, and applies to how one reads as well.

 

You do realize I read the article, which is how I was able to quote it in multiple places and respond to those quotes. It's also how I know that they didn't actually do a cross-cultural comparison.

 

We really need some link reviewers around here. Rep to the both of you for the effort. I now know I don't need to waste my time.

 

If you knew the answer, why did you ask a question? Weird.

 

The more things change….

 

Now you know how the rest of us feel when you do it.

 

Amused? I mean, that's almost always my take. I certainly hope he isn't negatively affecting you.

 

Louisiana could become first state to require display of Ten Commandments in classrooms.

Which version do you think they'll post: the Protestant or the Catholic (they are different)?

 

Maybe they’ll follow the guidance from the Treaty of Westphalia, which, like Eugene Debs’ presidential run, is suddenly and unexpectedly relevant again.