SubvertizingOrg on 20/10/2022 at 00:39

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Let's make a thread about spirituality, religious beliefs, basically anything you believe in that is not the material world (and I'm not sure how anyone would believe in the material world anyway, it ain't real) …actually one of my favorite Jean Baudrillard quotes goes as such:

"All epochs, metaphysics, and philosophies have at some point formulated the hypothesis of the derisiveness and the fundamental unreality of the world, and all have been persecuted and burned for it, the ultimate sin." –Jean Baudrillard

But anyway, I didn't want to really start with that, but let's start with this:

My religious beliefs that have been most influential and powerful in my life are first the Gnostic Gospels, a collection of texts mostly about the life of Jesus Christ that were considered heresy by the Catholic church, which then tried to destroy them, unsuccessfully. Those Gospels, for obvious reasons, never made it into the Bible. The Gnostic Gospels (also known as the Nag Hammadi Library), were recovered in Egypt in 1945, and they tell a more true story of Jesus than any of the books of the Bible did.

I have a copy of the Nag Hammadi Library.

I also gain spiritual influence from Buddhism, and I believe that Jesus Christ was fundamentally a Buddhist at heart.

I also believe in Satanism, in the sense that, in the book of Isaiah, Jesus is referred to as Lucifer: Latin for "light-bringer" or "shining one". Why are Jesus and Satan not one and the same?

WHAT ARE YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS TTLG?? :D

Briareos H on 20/10/2022 at 07:47

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I have a pretty standard positive atheist stance. Gods are unnecessary to explain any of nature and as we progress, each new unknown that we explain is done without the need for the supernatural or a god. Saying they don't exist is barely one step removed from saying Santa doesn't exist, and I'll happily take that step.

Spirituality can be pretty useful as a self-building tool, though. I have nothing against prayer, communion and turning oneself to a greater force with supernatural devotion once in a while, just for the kick of it. I do all of these.

Religion is complex. Very important from historical and artistic perspectives, religions deserve to be acknowledged, studied and understood as parts of what led us here. Today, they can be powerful vectors for positive action, especially locally, but overall I believe they do more harm than good.

Aemanyl on 20/10/2022 at 11:23

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I derive a lot of inspiration from Hinduism and Buddhism, though I cannot say that I am a very religious or devotional person. Just like the original poster, I'm also interested in Gnostic Christianity.

Nicker on 21/10/2022 at 01:32

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Where do I send the money?

Nicker on 21/10/2022 at 04:13

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I'll just throw it in the air and if Yahweh needs any he can grab it.


But seriously. I am of like mind to Briareos H. I appreciate the role that believing in something greater had in our psychic survival, reducing our existential dread and appeasing our egos. I appreciate that religions have often been a focus for cultural and social advancements, cultivating cohesion.

But these benefits only exist because our species is a social animal and collective action is a powerful, biological adaptation. These benefit were not bestowed by a supernatural being.

I also believe that, apart from it's psychological function of cushioning our egos from our inevitable mortality, the doctrine of an afterlife is the most dangerous, damaging and toxic idea humans have ever invented. It has been the root justification for the greatest atrocities in our history and continues to poison civilization. The fear of being excluded from eternal reward or of being eternally punished, has warped and perverted even great minds.

To claim that a magical being certainly exists, citing only supernatural events as evidence, is as stupid as it is untenable. To demand respect and titles, for espousing this utter failure of comprehension and honesty, is hubris defined. To claim that one knows the mind of such a being, is arrogant verging on vile. To harm others, based on these claims, is history repeating itself.


Merry Christmas.