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Dennett was a true thinker. Often, I would need to read his writing more than once to grasp what he was saying. He was often a bit thick in other words. I've read many of his works. Two of my favorites are: From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds and Science and Religion: Are They Compatible?

Haven't heard from you for awhile now disillusioned. How goes it? Yeah, never heard of Daniel Dennett before but will read about him now -- take care.

I never really agreed with the guy, but he was definitely smart and worth taking seriously. "Breaking the Spell" is a good read. Rest in peace.

I second that! And welcome KKP! We are glad you are here and feel free to keep posting. Confusion is part of the deconstruction so take your time until you're ready to let it go. Meanwhile, I recommend you work on trusting yourself, one of the worst things xtianity takes from you. Your instincts and intuition don't steer you wrong! We'll see you around the forum! Moxie

Hello again Love! I'm glad you got such sound advice from our wise members and though I'm a bit late to this bus, I'd like to add that the reason IMO the cults are growing in number and desperate measures is that there are so many! Whoever has the craziest notions gets notices first, as well as whoever grabs the narrative first. That means the rules can change any time it's inconvenient for any of the members of the cult. They're basically social clubs/businesses. They share many of the same characteristics that small businesses do, with a store front, budget, membership, rituals, etc., etc. Everyone knows ya gotta have a gimmick to 'sell' your brand of cult so anything goes! Some cults target Military personnel and loiter outside military bases lying in wait for young, bored, horny airmen with pretty, young women from the cult, knowing if they can lure the men in and grab their paychecks and patronage, the cult will grow. No dirty tactic is spared. They play/fight dirty. And yes, xtian nationalism is a real thing, a real threat and has to be resisted. Thank you for noticing. IMO it's the unholy marriage of church and state, something our forefathers VEHEMENENTLY opposed. Be diligent, understand this is a smokescreen that passes for spirituality and keep your kids in the loop. Get help for your trauma and be safe. We're all here for you.

Hey, you got that right! How are you doing with the religious issues? Would you like further discussion on anything in that area of thought?

That one I really can’t say. I really don’t know what is going on. However, I believe that there must be a reason. Perhaps they are studying us. Perhaps they want to know what we are really like. I mean, why would they abduct some people?but then, you have a whole thing with cattle mutilations and things like that. So, I can’t say what they’re doing here. I just know that it’s kind of spooky.

If you believe they exist, what do you see as to their mission, or purpose for hanging around planet earth?

No problem. I think most of us are able to figure out what you meant to say. I don't use the text dictate here, but my phone screws things up when I use it to text a message.

I found another mistake. My phone translated something that I didn’t say at all. I said to put it honestly, not to put it on. Please pardon my mess ups.

This darn phone is something else. I meant sipped a cuppa coffee. Not ship a cup of coffee. Darn text dictate anyway!

I did not know what I was in for. I assumed that my friend finally came out of their shell when they invited me over for coffee this morning. So I went to their apartment, sat in a chair, and ship a cuppa coffee. They told me the story of their life. Yeah, that was fine. Then, they started telling me about what drove them to the apostolic church. After they finished, they started to deliver what I felt was a very pressuring speech of why I need to keep going to their church. To put it on, it feels if I had just run face first Into a tree full of thorns along this trail in my life. I did not see that one coming. Before I left, I told them that I was going to continue my own way. However, they kept insisting. I am pretty sure I will get the cold shoulder. Definitely when I finally tell them not only know, but hell no. I tried to be nice, and now it is starting to feel more cultic. This pressure to go is what gets to me. It is one thing to talk to me about it, but it is another thing to push me into a corner, to make me feel like I have no way out. However, this time, I am standing tall, like a raging grizzly bear, and I will confront this thing head on. That thorn tree, which was right in the middle of my trail, caught me off guard, but I am not wincing on account of the pain. This time, I am going to topple that tree and keep going forward.

Indeed, Weezer, I am into extraterrestrials and UFOs. Very much so. I want to apologize for not getting back to you as soon as I have, but I have been really busy. I’ve been hanging out with a friend across town. I hope you’re doing well. You take care.

If there is one thing I have learned about this long walk on this long trail through my life, it is that there are thorns along the way. That’s right. I have learned that I will encounter these thorns and I will have to occasionally bend down and pull one out of my foot. An example of that is a recent friendship that went to hell. This person invited me to their apartment. Without being specific, I will talk about them without giving name or exact gender. Yeah, they started off really nice. Then, they invited me to the apostolic church. Don’t get me wrong. I am not an atheist, and I wanted to see if there was something different about the apostolic church. I don’t believe in evolution, but I do believe that we were created by somebody who has the know how to create life. I believe we were put here for a reason. I can’t tell you if the being is spiritual or extraterrestrial, but there is a reason for us being here. With that said, I attended the apostolic church two times, and I got a weird vibe. I didn’t like the touchy feeling nature, and I certainly didn’t like the unknown tongue. To make a long story short, last Sunday, I backed out. Well, in doing so , our friendship ended abruptly. This person hasn’t called me since. They used to call me every morning and invite me over for coffee. Now, they won’t even speak to me at all. This was the day I learned that religion is nothing more than a cult. again, encountered a big thorn that I have to deal with. So what is the deal? Am I going to continue walking with this big thorn in my foot and let it hinder me for the rest of my life? Do I just reach down, pull it out, and chuck it off into the woods? I chose to bend down, pull it out, and chuck it into the woods. That’s right. Life is what you make of it. You can go through life feeling sorry and scared because you chose to turn your back on another religion, or you can say, I am going to make the best of my situation, no matter what. This person wants to act childish by turning their back on me. They want to act childish and make out that I did something very bad by backing out of the apostolic church. That is on them. However, I will not be moved. I will continue on the path I am on , I hope this story serves as a motivational means for everybody who may be struggling with the decisions they make. This friendship turned out to be just another thorn, and I chucked it.

Interesting idea and parallel reasoning Weez. Like you said, our supposed "Father," via Abrahamic religions. set us up to think that we are somehow sick and inferior to some perfection standard -- original sin etc.

For years I have called the "Doctrine of Original Sin" a self fulfilling prophecy, which is a prophecy that helps itself to become true, if it is believed! Reading the book DIABOLICAL TRINITY by Mark Karris, which is about recognizing and resolving religious trauma, I ran across another way to look at the doctrine. The doctrine is also similar to Munchausen by Proxy which you may have heard of. It is demonstrated by a movie that came out in 2020 called RUN, HIDE, FIGHT. It is when a person makes or keeps a person sick, so they need continual care. It is typically done by a mother who has an abnormal need to be needed, and is regarded as a mental sickness, and a form of child abuse. And the mother often comes across as being VERY concerned about her child. That can even be a tip off to doctors that the mother (or father) can be perpetuating the illness. And that is what the doctrine of original sin was designed to do! Our "Father" set us up to be sick and inferior! And his "holy ones", most having been decieved themselves, have kept it going for ages. It is now a multi-billion dollar industry. One of the biggest scams ever played on human beings. I highly recommend the book if you want to better understand religious (and family) trauma. Or trauma of any kind. It is more complex than many realize.

This image perfectly encapsulates my bizarre sense humor. It's Hatsune Miku with Jesus Christ building a sandcastle.