Shinobi

Oh my god... This article is strong evidence that seemingly smart people (the type that prestigious universities like Harvard usually try to recruit) can be complete idiots when it comes to religion. She mentioned in the article that she read through the Qur'an, The Skeptic's Annotated Bible, and Dawkin's book, The God Delusion before deciding that Christianity was a better path. Am I the only one who thinks that she didn't really read through the entire Skeptic's Bible, let alone the Qur'an??? I'm going to say that there is a strong chance that she potentially broke one of the Ten Commandments by bearing false witness in this article. But, hey, why not use deception to spread the truth? That's what it's all about, right? As long as more souls are won for Jesus, it's all good. Anyway, there was absolutely nothing intellectual or profound about this girl's supposed conversion. It sounds to me like she merely broke down and caved into her emotions because they were in concert with her romanticized ideas of the ancient philosophers of old as the article states, "But nothing compared to the rich tradition of Christian intellect. I'd argued with my peers, but I'd never investigated the works of the masters: Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, Pascal, and Lewis. When I finally did, the only reasonable course of action was to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ." Oh, and by the way, I definitely would not want a person like her representing me in any kind of governmental role. She obviously isn't very good at distinguishing fact from fiction. She could very well be the type of person who would throw logic, reason, and democracy out the window in exchange for a more "pleasant and humanitarian" system like theocracy. Smh

Hi, JL11. I once fell in love with a Mormon girl... Everyone I knew told me that I was going to have problems because our belief systems weren't at all alike. I ignored all of them and proceeded to perpetuate our relationship to the point of being serious. What else can I say? Her beautiful blue eyes, perfect skin, silky blonde hair, and goddess-like body was just way more than my teenage hormones could resist. My desire in combination with the foolish belief that I could change her drove me to take her all the way to Las Vegas for a quick marriage... I was a Christian at the time, so I believed that I could use logic and reason to show her that Mormonism was a fake cult that split off from the one true religion, Christianity. With God's help, she'd come around - I just knew it. (Boy, was I ever wrong about that...) Anyway, here's the tragically funny part of the story. I knew I was on the verge of making a huge mistake, but I ignored myself anyway. I decided to throw my gut feelings and intuition out the window in favor of "love." It wasn't until I visited a fortune teller while staying in Vegas that my eyes were opened to the truth. The fortune teller told me that I was on the verge of making a huge life-changing mistake. For whatever stupid reason, I couldn't get the old gypsy's words out of my mind. I took the girl home without marrying her, and she cheated on me three weeks later. This might be the most embarrassing story I've ever posted on here. Not only did I almost make a huge mistake by choosing to marry a Mormon girl that didn't share my belief systems, but it took a chance meeting with a fortune teller of all things to wake me up. I mean... a fortune teller? Really? Looking back, I know I was out of my mind. The moral of this story is that I narrowly missed a bullet. My luck in combination with my naivety and stupidity saved me. Now, I'm willingly sharing this story with you in the hopes that something good might come from my foolish teenage blunder. You might not be so lucky...

Ha ha ha!!! You are on the right path, ConsiderTheSource. However, you still need to pray to Zoda Pop in the name of his son, Zoda for Zoda's spirit to come upon you. Once you've been baptized in the Spirit of Zoda, you will truly be able to experience all of the power and joy that Zoda has to offer.

Thank you, LogicalFallacy! I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I'm really not sure why I chose to use that word. It just sounded right in the moment. lol I think it was a word that my grandma used to use whenever she was frustrated about something. If you've ever been in a wooded area at night, you would totally understand why discombobulation and massive amounts of croaking tree frogs sort of go hand in hand.

Ha ha ha!!! That's about the funniest thing I've read on the internet today.

Thank you, Margee. Just remember, if you let Zoda down, you're letting all of us down.

Ha ha ha! Thank you so much, Florduh! I'm really glad you took the time to read this.

Thank you so much DB! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! I was sitting up late last night because I sometimes struggle with insomnia, so I decided that I would do something creative to help me fall asleep. After surfing through the forums here on EX-C, I came up with the idea. I just hope that it makes people laugh. Sometimes, the issues that people deal with when going through the deconversion process are heavy and hard to handle, and I believe that humor can make those issues easier to cope with.

Give Your Heart to Zoda! I was a little bit hesitant to post this message in the forums... I fully realize that this might be the end of any credibility that I may have had around here. However, after much anguish, heartache, and distress, I have come to the realization that I have no choice left in the matter - you all need to know the truth... It all happened around two weeks ago. It was a typical boring Monday evening. I had just finished up a hard day at school, and I needed to relieve some stress. So, I put in my ear buds, loaded up a Radiohead playlist, and left the house for a nighttime stroll. As I sauntered down a side street that leads out of the small town I live in, the nauseating scent of car exhaust and spoiled ditch water drifted lazily past me. I passed by a dead possum lying outstretched in the road with a gaping maw and wide open glazy eyes. Dried and darkened blood was caked all over his dirty and matted gray coat. I observed his rotting corpse with a hint of sadness and pondered what his life might have been like, how it abruptly came to an end without warning. I heard the tortured wail of a nearby train that threatened to completely drown out Thom Yorke's crooning vocals that explained how everything was in its right place. The bright glare of approaching headlights that were carelessly left on a high beam setting threatened to blind me completely. Feeling pensive, annoyed, and put off, I hastened my pace and made a beeline for my favorite walking path, a worn down dirt trail that snaked through a large expanse of fir trees located on the eastern edge of town. By the time I reached the old trail, the full moon had already climbed half way up the sky. It shone down like a floodlight on the line of old fir trees that rose into the sky like broken and jagged dragon's teeth. I quietly let out a sigh of relief and promptly strolled away from the sidewalk towards the narrow opening in the hedge where the trail began. I removed my ear buds and shoved them in my front pocket so that I could fully take in the nighttime's frenzied chorus that was ringing all around me. I heard the broken and discombobulated groans of excited tree frogs, the shrill whispers of katydids, and the chirpy chimes of crickets. A lone owl hooted three times in the distance. I trotted through the woods silently for about a half hour or so winding left, right, and around as I passed by the outstretched arms of old prickly fir trees and the gnarled and knotted wide trunks of aged oaks. The pungent scent of pine permeated the cool air around me invigorating all of my senses. A short time later, the trail straightened out and I began to descend deeper into the heart of the forest. The moon lit up the path before me causing it to shine like a silver stream running through an otherwise black land. I knew that I was almost at the end of my journey, and I quietly bemoaned the realization that I would soon have to turn around and make the steep climb back up the hill that was currently leading me towards a glade that marked the trail's end. Suddenly, the path opened up before me and the moonlit glade beckoned me forward. It was much brighter than I had ever remembered it being. The mix of dark and light greens almost seemed to have a slight glow to them as if they were radiating their own source of quiet light. I stopped for a moment and wiped my eyes thinking that they were playing tricks on me. I then proceeded to make my way further down the path. As soon as I stepped into the glade, an intoxicating scent of honey and flowery sweet fragrance overwhelmed me. I took two steps back and nearly fell over as I witnessed the vines and weeds swaying back and forth all around the edges of the clearing in a state of perfect unison. There was absolutely no breeze that night that would cause this to happen... They swooned back and forth like hypnotized cobras caught in the clutches of a charmer's lull. The hazy green glow that emanated all around me grew in intensity until it threatened to swallow me whole. I stood frozen in place for what seemed like an eternity in a confused state of shock, wonder, and fear. My awe-struck trance was suddenly broken by a booming voice that came down from the sky above me. It thundered, "My son! I am Zoda! Bow down before me, the one true God!" I looked all around in a panic for its source but to no avail. Suddenly, I grew very weak, and I found that I had no choice in the matter. I fell prostrate on my face with my arms outstretched in total subjection. Tears swelled up in my burning eyes and my body trembled from head to toe in spasms of fear. The voice exploded once again, "My son! Do not be afraid. I am Zoda, and I have chosen you to deliver a message to the masses! This is your purpose. This is the reason you were created. You will go back home and tell the infidels on ex-Christian.net that they have angered me with their whining, bickering, and complaining. You will tell them that I have been known by many names in the past, and Jesus is one of them. And, you will tell them that my true name is Zoda!!!" I buried my face deeper into the dirt and trembled in something like an epileptic fit. Suddenly, I felt the choking grasp of gigantic invisible fingers as they closed around my waste like cold industrial sized vice grips. I felt a surge rush through my entire body as I was catapulted like a rocket into the night sky. Then, I was floating. The stars shone brightly all around me like diamonds suspended from invisible strings, and in the distance a bright blue sphere that resembled a swirly marble levitated before me. I immediately recognized it as the planet, Earth. At that moment, a soft and tender voice broke the silence. "My son, do not be afraid. I have chosen you to save this planet. You will be the vessel through which I work my wonders. But, you must do exactly as I tell you. Go home, and let the world know that I am Zoda and that I am real. Let them know that all the prophecies are true and that the world will soon come to an end." I stared off into outer space in pure bewilderment until I could finally muster up enough courage to speak. Once again, I looked around for the source of the voice to no avail. I then humbly asked, "How will I do this? I know they won't believe me, especially the folks at ex-Christian. They are truly a hard headed bunch." The voice returned in soothing tones, "Have no fear, Shinobi. I will empower you with my spirit, and the words you need to speak will come to you just when you need them." I slowly nodded my head in resignation. The next thing I knew I was lying flat on my back in the middle of the glade, and everything was back to normal. The swaying of the greenery had stopped, and the luminescent glow was gone. I laid there for quite awhile staring back up at the night sky. The smells and sounds of the forest surrounded me, and all was at peace. I questioned my sanity and tried to make sense of what I had just experienced. Had I passed out? Was it all just a dream? I shook my head. Nothing I told myself could convince me that what I had experienced wasn't real... Just then, a shooting start streaked across the sky. I smiled in spite of myself. I knew it was Zoda giving me a sign. So, that brings me to this point... You people need to give your hearts to Zoda! He's real, and he's real mad. If you all don't cut the shit, he's going to wreak havoc on the world, and he's going to destroy all of you without prejudice! I know I sound crazy, but it's the truth. I tell you it's the TRUTH!!! ************************************************************************************* Next time you start having doubts about your decision to leave Christianity behind, just remember that it's just about as ridiculous, far-fetched, and credible as the story I have just told you. You wouldn't give your heart to Zoda, the one true alien god, so why on earth would you give it to Jesus, the magical carpenter from the Middle East? Think about it. Thanks for taking the time to read this! ~ Shinobi

Yep... It's pretty disturbing isn't it? Back when I was a kid, my parents both believed that the world was coming to an end. They went completely overboard with their attempts to convert the family before the day of judgement. Talk about embarrassing. Anyway, my parents made me watch a bunch of end of the world movies when I was around nine years old. They scared me to the point of tears. Normally, a good parent would tell his or her kid that the movies were make believe. Nope, not mine. My mom told me they were real. She then told me the only way to not get "left behind" was to give my heart to Jesus. I promptly got on my knees and prayed for Jesus to come into my heart. That day truly was the beginning of the end for me, only it wasn't the end of the world - it was the end of me having anything that resembled a normal childhood. I truly feel sorry for the kids out there who I know are being brainwashed by their lunatic parents to believe in all of this end of the world crap...

I agree with you L.B., the human brain is not nearly as reliable as we would like to believe. Like others in this thread have previously mentioned, the most logical explanation for the Mandela Effect is false memories. Another good explanation that was also mentioned deals with the possibility that the "changed" Bible verses in question have been heavily misquoted over the years, and like a game of telephone where the original message is distorted and changed by the time it reaches the last person in line, what we remember as being the truth is not what it originally started out being. Nonetheless, it's kind of fun to research and look into. I mean who doesn't like to ponder the craziest of possibilities once in awhile?

Joshpantera, I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks the whole mess is a little bit more than bizarre. While logic and common sense should quickly allow me to write these weird occurrences off, I just can't seem to mentally get to the place where I'm 100% confident in doing so. That is not to say that I actually believe the Mandela Effect is real, but I really do think the whole concept needs a thorough examination and a proper explanation. After all, one would be inclined to think that there has got to be a logical explanation for all of it, right? Anyway, I really wasn't making it up when I said that there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who are currently feeling perplexed by the whole phenomenon. I'm sure that most of them are like me, and they don't really want to believe it's true. However, some of the evidence presented in videos like those that you are currently watching by the Esoteric Detective can really make a person stop and question the true nature of reality (do we live in the matrix, time travel, space/time distortions, dimensional overlap, etc.). Outside of the Biblical references I listed above, some of the movie references like the Jaws & Dolly scene in the James Bond movie, "Moonraker" really make you stop and wonder... I probably better stop while I'm ahead. I'm sure half of the people who use this forum think I'm crazy by now. lol Once again, thanks for taking the time to look into this. You seem like a knowledgeable person, and I really like hearing what you have to say.

Yeah, Abrooks, the Bible is full of scriptures that prove how "loving and humane" the Judeo-Christian God is.. Check this one out: "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives." - Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (NIV). Apparently, the punishment that God prescribes for rape is that the guy who committed the rape has to marry the girl and pay her dad a sum of money. Oh, and he can't divorce her which subsequently means that the girl who got raped is legally stuck with a psychotic abuser for the rest of her life all because she was unlucky enough to catch his eye. The "purity, justice, and holiness" exhibited in these verses is almost more than I can comprehend. Wow... just wow. Smh :/

Hi, Joshpantera. It's nice to meet you! It sounds like we have a little bit in common. I too attended a private Christian school where I was forced to memorize the Bible on a regular basis. I'm really sorry you had to go through that. For me, it was psychological torture of the worst kind... And, I'm sure you know where I'm coming from when I say that. Anyway, I just want to give you a huge "thank you" for taking the time to look into this. I realize the topic is bizarre, and I applaud you for not shying away from it. I read through your explanations, and I really liked what you had to say. You mentioned that the King James Version is full of errors, and I am starting to come to the same conclusion myself. The funny thing about it is that I was told by the church elders I grew up around that the KJV is one of the more "perfect" translations out there. After doing my own research on the KJV and comparing it to other translations, I can honestly say that they were completely mistaken. Like you said, it almost appears as if the translators who worked on the newer editions of the Bible went out of their way to purposely make changes that would correct the errors and glaring discrepancies found in the 1611 version of the KJV. And if what you say is true, it would also appear that the newer editions of the Bible have actually changed the meaning of what was originally written in the old KJV. Very interesting indeed. So much for the Bible being inerrant and infallible, right?

This is quite possibly my favorite Tool song of all time. The guy who created this video did an absolutely amazing job. Enjoy!

Hi, Astreja. What you have said here is the absolute truth. It reminds me of an old saying I often heard while growing up, "If a person plays with a sleeping dragon long enough, it is bound to wake up."

DarkBishop, I feel like this is going to be a really interesting thread. Thanks for posting the topic! I wasn't a preacher, an evangelist, a missionary, or anything else along those lines. However, I was a music minister for quite awhile in my own way. To be more specific, I was a professional Christian recording artist with a legitimate record deal. Thankfully, I don't think any real damage was done by my music and message after I hit the professional level because I literally deconverted within the same year that my first album was released. Subsequently, I engaged in active efforts to do absolutely nothing to promote the album - I didn't go on tours, I deleted all of the social media I had that was connected to the album, and I left the music scene entirely behind for awhile to do some serious soul searching. Anyway, I'm not about to reveal who I am because, inevitably, somebody will go and download the album from iTunes and talk about it. I haven't spoken to anyone from my record label since this whole shenanigan went down. The last time I heard from them, they wanted to know if I would be interested in releasing a second album. I didn't reply, and I don't plan on doing so. Now, that I've grown strong and confident in my non-believer worldview, I can't imagine how much guilt or regret I might currently feel if I had chosen to pursue Christian music wholeheartedly... I still have regrets that stem from leading some of my friends back to the Lord when I was younger. One particular friend I used to have is now heavily involved in church and missions work, and I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't be if I hadn't stepped into his life to intervene when he first started having doubts about Christianity and his faith. I've often wondered what I would say to him if I would ever run into him again...

Hi, Dark Bishop. I am so glad to meet someone else on here who I feel I may have a lot in common with. I'm not 100% what it is that I believe in (it's complicated), but I don't mind looking into the many possibilities. I have nothing but respect for atheists because, in my mind, they seem to have a real knack for looking at everything in the most objective way possible - I have gained a lot of insight over the years from listening to atheist perspectives. Nonetheless, pure atheism has never been a good fit for me which is why I identify as an agnostic and probably will until the day I day. In saying that, I absolutely don't believe in any of the monotheistic deities of any of the world's major religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity, etc.). My girlfriend is begging me to watch the next episode of Arrow with her right now, so I probably better go. I hope we can chat more in the future!

Hey LogicalFallacy, I think you are probably right. The more I've researched the subject, the more discrepancies I've discovered in the Bible itself - discrepancies that I wasn't previously aware of. I've always considered myself to be a person who knows his Bible pretty well, but as it turns out, I didn't know it quite as well as I thought I did. I attended a private school for six years, and every week I was expected to recite entire chapters out of the old and new testament by memory for a grade. I guess what I'm saying is that if my educational background and rigorous Biblical memorization schedule wasn't enough to keep me from overlooking discrepancies in the Bible, I can only imagine what that must mean for people who have never bothered picking up the book more than once or twice a week. What you have said is very insightful.

Hey, florduh. I appreciate you taking the time to respond to all of my comments. I think it's safe to say that we have reached a mutual understanding of one another, and although I might not see everything eye to eye with you, I can still respect where you are coming from.

Dark Bishop, it is so nice to meet someone else in the world who knows a little bit about the god, El. Ancient Mesopotamian history is fascinating to say the least.

Well, florduh, I beg to differ... I actually find this topic and a number of other conspiracy theories to be interesting, especially when they concern the religion I was raised to believe in. You might think it's a huge waste of time to research subjects like the Mandela Effect, and that is perfectly okay. However, not everyone is going to feel the same way as you do. And, not everyone who chooses to do so is unintelligent. I happen to be at the top of my class in college, a member of a well-respected academic fraternity, and I was the only student in my entire high school to pass the ACT with perfect scores. So, it would be nice if you wouldn't be so quick to form such broad generalizations about intelligent people and the subjects they may or may not be interested in. At one time, people who went out of their way to disprove the legitimacy of Christianity were also said to be "wasting their time." I, for one, am glad that they didn't give up in their quest to search for truth no matter how hard that might have been to do at times. As a matter of fact, some of the old skeptics were considered to be so crazy that they ended up being burnt at the stake for their inquiries. I guess that's what happens when the worldview of those in leadership is severely threatened, and the bubble they live in is on the verge of being popped. On a lighter note, I see research into the Mandela Effect as it relates to the Bible as a great learning opportunity. It is worth the time and effort one might put into researching it if only because it will inevitably lead the person who goes on that quest to gain a little more knowledge as it concerns the history of transcription and translation. It also gives a person a great opportunity to learn about the brain and human psychology in general. There are many people in the world who have made a lot of money who chose to spend their time researching subjects that were considered far more bizarre and outlandish by mainstream society. I don't mind counting myself among them. It would be nice to think that a person can anonymously join an online community that professes to be "open-minded" and discuss topics that he or she otherwise might not be able to discuss in normal everyday society, don't you think?

Hi, florduh. I couldn't agree with you more, and that is exactly why I brought this topic up. Out of all of the ideas that the Christian fringe has been promoting here lately, this is one of the hardest to refute. That is to say it's not hard to refute when one uses common sense, logic, and anything resembling rationality, but for a number of differing reasons, the people who are convinced that the Mandela Effect is a real phenomenon simply refuse to listen to arguments which are constructed along those lines. And, it's worth mentioning that they are so convinced that it's real that they are working overtime to promote a number of different agendas that are related to it which range from government conspiracy to science experiments gone south. I haven't seen near the strength of effort from people who don't believe in it to do anything to refute their claims. As a result of this, the movement continues to grow stronger and stronger. So, I'm really hoping that some of the people who take the time to read through this thread will do the extra research needed to explain away the abnormalities in the verses I've listed above. For starters, Genesis 1:1 seems way off. First, if God only created one heaven, as the verse implies, why wasn't it simply phrased, "In the beginning, God created heaven and the earth," as opposed to, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."? Anyone who has a decent education in English should be able to look at this verse and immediately recognize that it is grammatically incorrect (at least by today's standards). Along the same lines, why did the translators of the New King James Version feel the need to pluralize the term, heaven, if it was intended to be a singular term according to the King James Version? "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (NKJV) I am content with the conclusion that the translators of the KJV made a few mistakes. However, considering it's the very first verse in the Bible - meaning it would have been the very first thing anyone saw who looked over it during the final editing stages - it is highly plausible that there might have been something else going on. So, which translation is correct - the KJV or the NKJV? Also, later on the in the Bible there are references made to the multiple heavens which is completely contradictory to the singular heaven found in Genesis 1:1. "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven." 2 Corinthians 12:2 (KJV) In short, providing solid answers to the questions I have posed above will serve to create a solid foundation from which sound arguments against the Mandela Effect can be built upon.