Let us talk about religion, but not in the way you think.

[brewster]

PS. I've capitalised Gaia for you. I always show respect to your fictional deity by using a capital G in God. Please return the compliment to my fictional deity in future.

Gaia the organism is not fictional, it exist, we live on it. We are Gaia's equivalent of our own gut bacterial microbiome. The only question is whether Gaia is sentient.

[DBTrek]

Space ant trying to condescend while believing he and the rest of reality just pooped into existence from literally nothing. Criticizing “fictional gods”.

Hahahahahhahahahahha

[heydaralon]

There is an author I have been meaning to dive into for quite some time named Robert Nelson. I've read some of his articles and seen him mentioned in other stuff, but never cracked open his books. He has written extensively about how he believes that economics, as practiced today not only has origins in religion but also inspires religious devotion. He goes back to Augustine and uses his works to show how it has influenced beliefs as diverse as Libertarianism to Marxism. He also wrote a book recently about how Environmentalism (as currently practiced) is also heavily derivative of religion, particularly Christianity and how it clashes with economics. Again, I have not read his books, but this idea is extemely fascinating to me.


I think people often get defensive when you call their ideas or aspirations religious, especially if they do not fancy themselves as such. However, I think it is a mistake to simply associate religion with being a bad or stupid thing. There are an abundance of religious ideas that have made individuals and communities better, and many of them have immense practical value. The pragmatism in some of these ideas is a separate matter from their metaphysical truth, and this is also something modern people, at least in my experience don't acknowledge. Certain religious prohibitions on food and religious hygenic suggestions in the past may have prevented disease outbreaks. Many folks today are angry at the emphasis monotheistic religions, especially Christianity place on human sexuality. While viewed as repressive, in light of our STD outbreak, broken families/single mothers, and welfare state, it kind of makes sense for a religious text to focus on this stuff. Many of the social and economic problems we face today are not new. Earlier people dealt with them, and their religious views reflect this. It is fashionable to discard all that is not secular today, but we owe an enormous incalculable debt to religions of the past and I think we ignore them at our own peril, even if we do share the faith of the ancients.

[doc_loliday]

A lot of mainstream Buddhist sects believe in Gods and deities as a core part of their faith. They believe in literal reincarnation, alternate afterlives, and cosmic karma. It definitely is a religion, with a more or less similar philosophical underpinning. Some focus strictly on the philosophy, but that's a pretty modern development.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Religion itself is great. The problem is when it gets “Organized”.

[C-Mag]

How can you cook for film productions then. Film producers damage Gaia with all their unnecessary travel, and excess.

Not the low budget shit I'm currently doing.
PS. I've capitalised Gaia for you. I always show respect to your fictional deity by using a capital G in God. Please return the compliment to my fictional deity in future.

Check.
So, these films don't fly people in for filming, they don't build sets when they could just do it on green screen ? I've read about some of the meals you produce, sound like stuff excessive for a Gaia worshipper.

Funny Anecdote...........
When I was a young man in the Army, we had a wise guy told the Commander he worshipped Gaia and that he needed to have Arbor Day, Earth Day, etc. off. The Commander to our surprise quickly approved his request. That fucker worked every other holiday, Christmas, Easter, Halloween.

That's why he was the CO

[Montegriffo]

Space ant trying to condescend while believing he and the rest of reality just pooped into existence from literally nothing. Criticizing “fictional gods”.

Hahahahahhahahahahha

God botherer who is told that He
created the world in seven days mocks the big bang theory.
Classic lol.

[DBTrek]

Space ant trying to condescend while believing he and the rest of reality just pooped into existence from literally nothing. Criticizing “fictional gods”.

Hahahahahhahahahahha

God botherer who is told that He
created the world in seven days mocks the big bang theory.
Classic lol.

"I'm not some dummy, like a God botherer. I firmly believe everything spontaneously erupted from nothing, just like I was told to!"

[Montegriffo]

Space ant trying to condescend while believing he and the rest of reality just pooped into existence from literally nothing. Criticizing “fictional gods”.

Hahahahahhahahahahha

God botherer who is told that He
created the world in seven days mocks the big bang theory.
Classic lol.

"I'm not some dummy, like a God botherer. I firmly believe everything spontaneously erupted from nothing, just like I was told to!"

Firmly believing is for religious fools.
Scientific theories are much more believable than religious dogma so I have more faith in them but I don't have an unquestioning faith that they are the only explanation just the best currently available.
Supernatural beings are for comic books and dreadful films.

[Fife]

Where on the IQ scale is that sweet spot where a person is convinced they are smarter than 99% of humanity, while at the same time being entirely credulous regarding orthodoxy and incapable of critical thought?

Sounds like a great research grant opportunity.