Last week I watched the documentary of "The Secret" and was, quite frankly, appalled by this so-called "spiritual" film. It is quite clear that this is a variation on the old "Prosperity Gospel" where people pray for wealth. This theology is still very much alive in Christianity, but The Secret offers us a New Age version of this idea. It is, of course, a simple fact that if you work hard and have an optimistic view of life, your happiness will tend to draw more happiness. In reality this is simply a psychological effect--it is not "The Universe" reshaping itself to your will. People who believe in "The Secret" also believe that The Universe will find parking spots for them near the front door of Wal-Mart. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
In a bit of unintended humor, the film shows a man in his 20s who locks his bicycle to a metal poll for safety, only to come back later and find that his bike has been stolen! This poor guy is an example of someone who has not learned "The Secret" and so The Universe is not helping him.
A major idea of The Secret is the (unspoken) view that poor people deserve the bad luck that they seem to attract. It's not the fault of family, or bosses, or anything else but their own ignorance of The Secret, which they desperately need (so go buy a copy, stupid!).
Later on in the film we find a young boy who uses the secret. He prays (or meditates, hard!) on getting a new bike. He focuses on pictures of the bike he wants and opens himself to The Universe, which--surprise! surprise--is all too happy to get him a bike. In his case, he doesn't actually have to work hard to earn money to buy a bike. No, the Universe doesn't seem to work that way. In one of the more bizarre scenes in the film, a door opens and an old man (presumably his Grandpa) stands holding a bike. The kid is overjoyed that "The Universe" has given him what he wished for. Of course the film leaves out the scene where Grandpa takes a pair of bolt cutters and steals the bike belonging to the guy in the earlier scene.
The best summary of The Secret was given to us by Emanuel Haldeman-Julius--
"Ben Franklin said:
'Early to bed and early to rise
Makes a man healthy wealthy and wise'
Lately I have read the advice given to William Randolph Hearst, when a young man, by his father:
'Go downtown at noon and rob the other fellows of what they have made during the morning.'"
This is the real meaning of The Secret--enjoy your happiness no matter how many bodies you crawl over to get it.
Ms. Dominique
Ms. Dominique
Showing posts with label It's too bad that people are so easily taken in..... Show all posts
Showing posts with label It's too bad that people are so easily taken in..... Show all posts
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, June 16, 2008
Men of God ?
Dallas police described a 56-year-old substitute teacher as incapacitated when they arrested him at a Richardson Independent School District middle school.
According to the police report, Thomas Brownlee had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and alcohol on his breath. In fact, the report stated that Brownlee was "a danger to himself and others."
The substitute teacher was arrested for being drunk in the classroom. Evidently he was sooooo... drunk that the police didn't give him a sobriety test for fear he would fall and hurt himself. The teacher was a minister.
A reporter asked Rev. Brownlee about his car's vanity license plate, "IMBLZT" -- is that supposed to mean "I'm blitzed" (drunk)? No, Brownlee said--he's also a minister, he explained, and to him it means "I'm blessed."
--Dallas Morning News)
Christianity, or any religion for that matter, is not what people think and do. It is the product of an idealized notion of how the universe works. We can talk all we want to about Liturgies, Prayers, Devotions, and Charities, but these are just the end product of a concept. People are devoted to their religions—each one has a specific set of beliefs—and they are willing to make major sacrifices and devote all their personal resources to supporting this concept. And they do this even when the leaders of the church turn out to be abusive thugs, thieves and even child-molesters. For The Religious, the real world is a separate category kept in a seperate mental box, and their life experiences do not connect with The Belief, which is often maintained and upheld in spite of the evidence.
For example, on a daily basis ministers are found to stealing church funds, seducing sons and daughters, manipulating elderly members into giving their life savings to the church, etc, etc, etc. But rarely are these criminals caught and punished by the church. Often it is the intervention of others—meaning non-believers or believers in some other church—who investigate and prosecute criminal acts. I know of several cases where a local minister was caught stealing from the church. In some cases the church asks for the money to be returned, but the thief is never prosecuted—mainly because that would reflect badly on the idealized notion of Christianity. Most church members are willing to “forgive and forget” rather than create a public scandal. The usual excuse is that they do not want to create a “stumbling block” for new recruits—those who are still “weak” in their belief and commitment to the faith. Most congregations are willing to take the long view: that it is better to suck in a batch of new recruits (and their money) rather than punish wrongdoing in the church and risk losing membership. Some churches will put up with ministers who exhibit truly bizarre behavior: drug addiction, addiction to pornography, alcoholism. The Catholic Church protected child molestors for decades, and they even defended them from criminal investigations. And these “men of God” are to be admired and respected?
According to the police report, Thomas Brownlee had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and alcohol on his breath. In fact, the report stated that Brownlee was "a danger to himself and others."
The substitute teacher was arrested for being drunk in the classroom. Evidently he was sooooo... drunk that the police didn't give him a sobriety test for fear he would fall and hurt himself. The teacher was a minister.
A reporter asked Rev. Brownlee about his car's vanity license plate, "IMBLZT" -- is that supposed to mean "I'm blitzed" (drunk)? No, Brownlee said--he's also a minister, he explained, and to him it means "I'm blessed."
--Dallas Morning News)
Christianity, or any religion for that matter, is not what people think and do. It is the product of an idealized notion of how the universe works. We can talk all we want to about Liturgies, Prayers, Devotions, and Charities, but these are just the end product of a concept. People are devoted to their religions—each one has a specific set of beliefs—and they are willing to make major sacrifices and devote all their personal resources to supporting this concept. And they do this even when the leaders of the church turn out to be abusive thugs, thieves and even child-molesters. For The Religious, the real world is a separate category kept in a seperate mental box, and their life experiences do not connect with The Belief, which is often maintained and upheld in spite of the evidence.
For example, on a daily basis ministers are found to stealing church funds, seducing sons and daughters, manipulating elderly members into giving their life savings to the church, etc, etc, etc. But rarely are these criminals caught and punished by the church. Often it is the intervention of others—meaning non-believers or believers in some other church—who investigate and prosecute criminal acts. I know of several cases where a local minister was caught stealing from the church. In some cases the church asks for the money to be returned, but the thief is never prosecuted—mainly because that would reflect badly on the idealized notion of Christianity. Most church members are willing to “forgive and forget” rather than create a public scandal. The usual excuse is that they do not want to create a “stumbling block” for new recruits—those who are still “weak” in their belief and commitment to the faith. Most congregations are willing to take the long view: that it is better to suck in a batch of new recruits (and their money) rather than punish wrongdoing in the church and risk losing membership. Some churches will put up with ministers who exhibit truly bizarre behavior: drug addiction, addiction to pornography, alcoholism. The Catholic Church protected child molestors for decades, and they even defended them from criminal investigations. And these “men of God” are to be admired and respected?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Christian Bookstores-- a contradiction
The current issue of Christianity Today (April 2008) has an article "How to Save the Christian Bookstore" which suggests that Christians make bookstores more friendly and less obviously religious. Some bookstores (mainly the independently-owned stores, which are in decline) might be able to pull this off. If the focus is truly on using the bookstore as a forum forum for recruiting and indoctrination, this might happen.
But in reality Christian bookstores are primarily in it to make a buck.
I often visit the mall in Joplin, Missouri, which includes a religious bookstore. I've often beem surprised by the staff of the bookstore. Invariably they are very tightly-wound creepy characters, exactly the kind of people you see on The X-Files as running cults in rural towns and practicing cannibalism, child molesting, and other such rituals.
From the expressions on their faces and the twisted body-language it is clear that they are very, very unhappy people who have been trapped in dead-end jobs. Since the owners of the Christian bookstore are probably Christians, we can also be fairly sure that these people are working for minimum wage with no benefits ("they can always rely on God for help") and no hope to escape their taskmasters.
How could you make this place "friendly" when the workers are so miserable and unhappy?
But in reality Christian bookstores are primarily in it to make a buck.
I often visit the mall in Joplin, Missouri, which includes a religious bookstore. I've often beem surprised by the staff of the bookstore. Invariably they are very tightly-wound creepy characters, exactly the kind of people you see on The X-Files as running cults in rural towns and practicing cannibalism, child molesting, and other such rituals.
From the expressions on their faces and the twisted body-language it is clear that they are very, very unhappy people who have been trapped in dead-end jobs. Since the owners of the Christian bookstore are probably Christians, we can also be fairly sure that these people are working for minimum wage with no benefits ("they can always rely on God for help") and no hope to escape their taskmasters.
How could you make this place "friendly" when the workers are so miserable and unhappy?
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Pandering to the Religious
When you work at a university in the Bible Belt, this is the kind of stuff you have to deal with. The university plays the host for this show:
“AFTERdark,” an evening of music, motivation, and evangelism geared toward college students, will begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, in the Weede Physical Education Building. The event will include music from country group Blue County, and will feature national guest speaker and author Joe White.
"White, who lives in Branson, Mo., tours the country with “AFTERdark,” speaking to millions of people about Christianity. He has founded 19 schools and an orphanage in Haiti, and is the founder of Kanakuk Kamps, which has hosted more than 20,000 campers from all over the world.
"The free event is open to the public and is being sponsored by PSU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Cross Quest, and Campus Christians."
A bulk email was sent out to all faculty, and it suggested that faculty could give out "extra credit" to students for attending this religious service. Several days later, and probably because of complaints, the university sent out another email. This email stated that faculty at a state university should probably not be giving extra credit for attending an evagelical Christian religious service.
Duuuuh!
Of course, by the time the second email went out, all the Religious faculty had probably already promised to give extra credit. So the contrary email sent out several days later probably had litte effect. The damage was already done.
After the event, the local newspaper reported that over 1,000 people attended. These 1,000 attendees were, no doubt, students and local ministers and their congregations who had supported and promoted the event. This kind of event, held on a university campus, gives local ministers a chance to prey on young people, usually when they are away from home and at their most vulnerable. This is why religious cults always hang around colleges and universities. It's a good place to find new cult members. One of the very earliest groups to be labelled a "cult" was based on a college campus in Boston.
“AFTERdark,” an evening of music, motivation, and evangelism geared toward college students, will begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, in the Weede Physical Education Building. The event will include music from country group Blue County, and will feature national guest speaker and author Joe White.
"White, who lives in Branson, Mo., tours the country with “AFTERdark,” speaking to millions of people about Christianity. He has founded 19 schools and an orphanage in Haiti, and is the founder of Kanakuk Kamps, which has hosted more than 20,000 campers from all over the world.
"The free event is open to the public and is being sponsored by PSU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Cross Quest, and Campus Christians."
A bulk email was sent out to all faculty, and it suggested that faculty could give out "extra credit" to students for attending this religious service. Several days later, and probably because of complaints, the university sent out another email. This email stated that faculty at a state university should probably not be giving extra credit for attending an evagelical Christian religious service.
Duuuuh!
Of course, by the time the second email went out, all the Religious faculty had probably already promised to give extra credit. So the contrary email sent out several days later probably had litte effect. The damage was already done.
After the event, the local newspaper reported that over 1,000 people attended. These 1,000 attendees were, no doubt, students and local ministers and their congregations who had supported and promoted the event. This kind of event, held on a university campus, gives local ministers a chance to prey on young people, usually when they are away from home and at their most vulnerable. This is why religious cults always hang around colleges and universities. It's a good place to find new cult members. One of the very earliest groups to be labelled a "cult" was based on a college campus in Boston.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Worst TV Show of All Time: Medium
What to do, What to do....
With so many bad television shows, this choice will be a difficult one. I suppose it should be limited to currently running shows, which eliminates _Scooby Do_ and _Fraiser_. It should also be a show that is not just stupid and silly, but also a program that does actual harm to the viewer's mind.
A good choice would be any of the shows that deal with "ghosts." Certainly _Ghost Hunters_ on the Sci-Fi Channel would top the list, as would _The Ghost Whisperer_ (and any other show with the word "Whisperer" in the title).
But the absolute worst show on TV would have to be _Medium_ on NBC. The main character is played by actress Patricia Arquette as the ghost-whispering medium. Frankly, so much of this show offends me that it's hard to know where to start.
First, the medium's husband Joe Dubois, played by actor Jake Weber (a competent actor, which makes it hard to explain why he took this gig) has a tone of voice, when he speaks to his wife, that is grating and annoying to listen to. If anyone were to use that tone of voice with me, I'd punch him in the nose. How does "the medium" stand listening to this? Doesn't her alleged "6th sense" tell her that her husband is a jerk and that he talks to her like she's an idiot (not that she isn't an idiot-- but it shouldn't be thrown in her face that way). If she really had extra-sensory perception she would read his mind and dumped him a long time ago.
The same thing goes for her funny-looking kids (and especially the chubby-faced daughter). If "Allison" really had an ability at all to see into the future, then she would have avoided having kids. Or, at least, she would have begged off having marital relations with her husband on the night this kid was conceived. If she was really psychic, she would have seen just how funny-looking her kid would be in the future.
I could go on, but why? This show is a big-time stinker.
With so many bad television shows, this choice will be a difficult one. I suppose it should be limited to currently running shows, which eliminates _Scooby Do_ and _Fraiser_. It should also be a show that is not just stupid and silly, but also a program that does actual harm to the viewer's mind.
A good choice would be any of the shows that deal with "ghosts." Certainly _Ghost Hunters_ on the Sci-Fi Channel would top the list, as would _The Ghost Whisperer_ (and any other show with the word "Whisperer" in the title).
But the absolute worst show on TV would have to be _Medium_ on NBC. The main character is played by actress Patricia Arquette as the ghost-whispering medium. Frankly, so much of this show offends me that it's hard to know where to start.
First, the medium's husband Joe Dubois, played by actor Jake Weber (a competent actor, which makes it hard to explain why he took this gig) has a tone of voice, when he speaks to his wife, that is grating and annoying to listen to. If anyone were to use that tone of voice with me, I'd punch him in the nose. How does "the medium" stand listening to this? Doesn't her alleged "6th sense" tell her that her husband is a jerk and that he talks to her like she's an idiot (not that she isn't an idiot-- but it shouldn't be thrown in her face that way). If she really had extra-sensory perception she would read his mind and dumped him a long time ago.
The same thing goes for her funny-looking kids (and especially the chubby-faced daughter). If "Allison" really had an ability at all to see into the future, then she would have avoided having kids. Or, at least, she would have begged off having marital relations with her husband on the night this kid was conceived. If she was really psychic, she would have seen just how funny-looking her kid would be in the future.
I could go on, but why? This show is a big-time stinker.
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