And yet, you pick and choose what you take into your mind, just like an atheist.
We believe in less deities than you, but our method for selection is exactly the same as yours. We find the concepts less useful, but apparently feel less of a need to preach about the superiority in order to feed our own ego about making the “only right” decision for ourselves and our lives.
More probable, how? The Templars originated fighting in the Crusades and with protecting the Crusader Kingdoms (hell, I just read a 700 page history of the Crusades and Crusader Kingdoms that goes on and on about this). The first use of “Baphomet” in popular parlance was in the accusations against the Templars that led to their being disbanded. Basically, hints of homosexuality and secret “Muslim” worship were the effective accusations. It’s a long way from there to some dragon deity because you like the name better.
The OT’s Yahweh is a completely different idea of god than the NT’s Jehova. The one is pure bloodthirstiness and bone-grindiness, the other is all lovey-dovey-forgivey.
I think you have me wrong.
My work and practice involve neuro chemistry. Mine and my clients.
Whether there is actually a meta arbiter is pointless to me.
In my psychotherapy practice I use Hypnosis and NLP to help clients get unstuck.
I firmly believe that a practice of running in a circle, chanting and dancing would do many of us the world of good.
If thats arrogant then so be it.
NLP? That’s like Homeopathy, right?
Yes. Except not so wet.
We got everything you need?
Only so long as I can be Antipope.
Neither of these are widely accepted therapeutic practices, and both in fact have a significant amount of quasi-religion tethered to them.
Combined with the above statement…um…paging Ross & Carrie…
At this point I wonder if you understand human biology on top of theology, because you’re conflating both in a wedge theory of new-age rubbish.
Only yes, telling people who may not buy into your particular pseudoscientific kick that they’re “just the same as theists” is arrogant and self-serving.
Well, my grandmother was a RN (a nurse) for 40 years and used hypnosis for pain management at work for decades so I tend not to view it as too “quasi-religion.”
I think NLP is bunkem though.
Hey, I thought I could be Pope of Agnosticism (it certainly would look good on my CV), but now I’m not sure about it.
Yeah, “therepeutic” was intentional there, in reference to “psychotherapy,” our poster’s purported practice, where hypnosis is very much not in the category of evidence-based medicine.
Pain management is a different kettle of fish, and I’d imagine that hypnosis there is probably at least as effective as sugar pills and prayer and all sort of other little psychological hacks to get our minds to ignore/overcome pain. That is, weirdly effective!
I’ve practiced self-hypnosis for migraines. It doesn’t reduce the pain, but it does make it less emotionally salient and a less traumatic experience, which is plenty if you ask me.
But I’d never call it a worthwhile treatment for pain. It’s more of a modification in attitude toward the pain.
I’ve actually been casually looking for resources to learn these hacks but it is hard separating the wheat from the chaff out there.
It’s even harder when you have people literally calling them science and religion at the same time, as is muddying the waters of this thread.
Because obviously our problem here as “arrogant atheists” is that we’re attempting to “disbelieve” his practice.
Well, granny had a root canal without anesthesia (among other things) using self-hypnosis and had hospice clients with whom she worked (she was a hospice nurse) use it similarly.
Actually, it makes no sense to base my actions on your belief that a god does exist. You’re the one bringing absurd and untestable claims to the table. I’m the neutral party rejecting evidence-free beliefs. If you want to call me a fool for acting as if no god exists, you must first prove (or at the very least give sufficient evidence) that a god exists in the first place.
Well, Isn’t that special…
Hrm, I’ve had several without anesthesia. Some light topical and I tell them go hard and fast. When the nerve is dead… It’s dead.
I may also have had a shot of whisky.
