The bigger question is whether you should be institutionalized if you think you are hearing voices...

LOL nice lecture, listened the the whole thing. Definitely something to check out.

Interestingly I've been saying the following statement for many years now. Even had as my email signature for a few years.

==
He who hears voices is deemed schizophrenic and institutionalized.
He who hears the voice of Jesus and/or God is deemed blessed.

From your response you didn't comprehend any of what I wrote. I propose an exercise in logical deduction.

He who thinks he hears voices in his head is schizophrenic and institutionalized.
He who thinks he hears the voice of god/jesus, is considered blessed.

Life is all a matter of perception. Oftentimes the very same event perceived by multiple individuals is entirely different. What is considered mundane to the logic minded, may seem magical to the easily impressed. This is even more profound in ages past when even less was understood about nature.

While a flashlight today is considered commonplace. 300 years ago you would have been accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake for possessing gifts from demons. Alchemy (chemistry) was considered evil magic. Individuals died for practicing it. Modern technology was born from Alchemical research. The technology you now hold so dear and sits in your hands as you read this. Contradicting the church with scientific truth was life threatening. Galileo suffered imprisonment as a result. Even greater numbers died for standing up for their contradictory 'beliefs'.

Many of the truths you even accept now for fact, were once 'heretical' by the very people who first wrote the Bible you hold so dear. Yet have been 'selectively' forgotten due to incontrovertible proof proving their 'bible imbued truths' as being completely false and were based purely on superstitious suppositions rooted in fantasy.

Here is where the logical fallacy lies: By accepting the Bible as the truth, yet only accepting PARTS of said work as truth, and the rest as metaphor and/or ignorable is simply hypocritical. It must be accepted as a whole, or rejected as a whole if your 'faith' in it being the '100%' word of God is required. Partial acceptance is simply a partial commitment and is not complete faith. Total faith in the 'word of God' as written in the Bible means accepting all the hypocrisies, accepting the vengeful/horrific god of the old testament, and believing that killing one's children for not listening to you, and slaughtering non-believers simply because they are non-believers is acceptable.

I ask not this question of you, but you should ask this question of yourself. Do you accept, and fully understand all parts of the bible fully as 100% infallible truth, and can honestly tell yourself that you will follow all teachings, even the ones warranting the stoning of children and non-believers as complete truth as spoken from the 'mouth' (if he has a mouth) of god. Is a talking snake the pure 100% truth. Is the speaking burning bush 100% truth? Did the flood of Noah actually occur absent of any physical evidence (where would all the water 'drain' to anyway may I ask?).

The question isn't mine to answer. The question is for you to answer for yourself.. to either believe 100% in the bible, or live life in a state of partial belief. Partial belief has been tantamount to heretical belief in the eyes of the church for thousands of years (save for more recent, somewhat saner, times).

Beware the Pope. He has MAGICAL powers and can zap you! Learn to FEAR men in dresses, and big hats that proclaim to speak to/for God.

-
He who hears voices in his head is proclaimed schizophrenic and institutionalized.
He who hears the voices of god/jesus in his head is proclaimed blessed.

>> ^bmacs27:
My problem with how he ends it, is the argument from a counterfactual. In the situation he describes evidence that previously did not exist (presumably against one's notion of God) suddenly presents itself.

It depends on the nature of the evidence. It this a public address, or is it a voice in your head? Lots of people hear voices, from God and from others. If other people shared my observation then I would be more likely to accept it as objective evidence (or technological deception), but if I were the only one who heard it then I would take it as evidence of a psychological disorder.


are you equally skeptical of string theory?

I am skeptical of string theory in that I will gladly accept evidence against it. Theories don't have to be "true", they just have to accurately predict the behavior they describe. I would certainly make fun of anyone who thinks string theory is absolute truth, because it is simply an attempt to explain the relationship of various facts and observations.

Religion is different. It actively attempts to maintain itself in present form despite new evidence. Belief without evidence, and especially when contrary to evidence, is dangerous... otherwise known as "faith". No one should have "faith" in scientific theories. They should determine whether or not the theory accurately describes behavior and should always compare it to new facts and observations.

But Jesus doesn't approve, because he talks to me and tells me so.


-He who hears voices is deemed schizophrenic, and institutionalized for being mentally challenged.
-He who hears voices, and believes them to be from God and/or Jesus are considered blessed, and revered.

>> ^dirtythirtyix:
>> ^honkeytonk73:
He who hears voices is declared schizophrenic and institutionalized.
He who hears the voices of God and Jesus, is blessed.

This is why I call all 9 of my inner voices either God or Jesus. Keeps the man off my back.


Same.

>> ^honkeytonk73:
He who hears voices is declared schizophrenic and institutionalized.
He who hears the voices of God and Jesus, is blessed.


This is why I call all 9 of my inner voices either God or Jesus. Keeps the man off my back.

Magic,Jesus, Demons and Angels are real. Because I believe it to be so.
I also believe that center of the Earth is filled with molten chocolate.


He who hears voices is declared schizophrenic and institutionalized.
He who hears the voices of God and Jesus, is blessed.

Who needs advisors.. when JESUS talks to you magically through an invisible radio antenna that is attached to my brain.

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He who hears voices is institutionalized for schitzophrenia.
He who hears the voices of God and/or Jesus is blessed.

Jigga -

I totally agree - the guy sounds completely lucid. I was simply trying to refute the claim that there was somehow a difference between a delusional "someone hearing voices" and a delusional "someone hearing god" - there is no difference.

If this guy is completely sane (and again, he doesn't appear delusional - but that doesn't rule it out), then even more to the point - that is, religion was the motivator.

What I find interesting about this tragic event is the fact that once you admit the supernatural into your worldview and more specifically, the literal reality of certain ancient texts, this man's behavior becomes unimpeachable. Who's to say that he wasn't commanded by god to do exactly what he did? By what criteria does one invalidate his claim but accept as true the similar claims in the bible?

As for the concept that people who hear voices and commit violent acts are more 'normal' (they're all abnormal as far as I'm concerned - but I get your meaning), I simply consider this another example of the same thing - is there any substantive difference?

>> ^Kerotan:
dupe: http://www.videosift.com/video/Moscow-Car-Tunnel-Crazy-Drivers
Strangely I submitted the exactly same embed, music and all.


I don't hear any music in your vid.. are you hearing music? Are you hearing voices too?

*sigh* WTF is up with the delusional Obama supporter. Don't they canvas these people before allowing them on? godislove.org. LOL. He co-wrote his book with God. LOL

-If you hear voices, you are considered mentally ill and institutionalized.
-If you speak to god you are considered blessed, and worshipped.

There's nothing they can do about it. His constitutional right is to defend himself, and as his own defense attorney he is allowed to cross-examine any witness.

>> ^laura:
>> ^Obsidianfire:
Way to make that asshole look like Jesus.

now there's one of those comments which, taken out of context, is reallllllly weird! lol
and "...be allowed to question the girl he attacked"
no no no no no no no no no noooooooooo!!!!!!