On the socialization of children

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

You are comparing the position that we aren't capable of understanding death with belief in total cartoon bullshit.

thanks.

I'm saying that if we state that we truly can't know, than literally anything is possible; therefore, all stances share equal value.

I disagree

there are lots of things that we can't know, that doesn't mean all possible explanations are equal.

for example - I don't know if there's really a God, I don't think I can know, but I'm relatively certain God isn't the MS-Word Paperclip 

You better watch out or HE will smite you with helpful hints.

[P3nT4gR4m]

The believing in religion thing came down to, for me at least, a straightforward - stick or twist - bet. Do you gamble everything you've won so far against what's behind the curtain or do you take what you have now and enjoy it given that it's just as likely you'll get what's behind the curtain when you've run out of what you already have anyway.

Religion always seemed to me to be selling a really dumb gamble, given the amount of good shit I stand to sacrifice just on the off chance that there's a better prize behind there that I might win anyway.

I think something along these lines is how I'd sell death to kid - give him a popsicle and then tell him if he gives up his popsicle now you may or may not give him something better next week

[Lies]

I have religious beliefs. Maybe (probably) this puts me in the minority here, but I really don't care. I'm not here for my beliefs, but for Discordia. I don't have children at the moment, but when I do, and they start asking questions, I will tell them, "look, I believe that when you die, you kinda dream for awhile and then come back and forget everything from before. This is not what my father and mother and step father believe. My father believes you go to heaven and spend eternity with Jesus. My mother believes it doesn't matter as long as you're good, and then you go to heaven and have happy fun time until the universe dies too, and you still have happy fun time. My step father believes that this is it and that's all there is to it. I broke away and chose my own beliefs. I expect you to do the same and evaluate for yourself what you find the most comfortable. In the meantime, know that there is anecdotal evidence for and against (Hawk) afterlife. Ultimately what matters is that you live this life well and to the fullest. I think you get another chance but I could be wrong. Live like there is no tomorrow and hope for the best." Maybe I'll put it in more understandable terms, but I think that's the tack I'll take: I don't know but this is what I think. Look into it and tell me what you think.


On a side note, Hawk's experiences got me thinking. It seems like people have different NDE's. Sorry if this is threadjacking but it seems relevant. Does what you expect to happen color your experiences when dying? Like, some people see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm presuming that they are afterlifers. I'm going to assume Hawk expects nothing, and got nothing. Maybe I'm not explaining this well, butdoes one see what they want to see?

You know, I always figured, ever since I was little and contemplated death as logically as possible, the very thing you mentioned... going to a "dream" for a while and being reborn in another "Tangible" life/universe...

And yeah, having done a bit of research on NDE's myself, there is a lot of variation in what people experience...
Some people experience very similar things while others have very different experiences from everyone else...
I find it very curious, but I still don't have a clue what any of it means.

Not to mention, I've taken DMT, and a lot of things that people mention in NDE's sounds strikingly similar to what happens on a DMT trip... not to mention, DMT trips seem to have the same sort of "effects" of NDE's, in the sense that there are a lot similarities between lots of users who have taken it, but then there are the people who experience it quite differently from what one might consider the "norm".

Striking similarities there that I can't fail to ignore...

[Doktor Howl]

If my kids chose Mormonism, I'd send them to their ancestors to help with the geneology thing.

[Adios]

If my kids chose Mormonism, I'd send them to their ancestors to help with the geneology thing.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

If my kids chose Mormonism, I'd send them to their ancestors to help with the geneology thing.

I'd probably take the route of mmmm, smell that coffee! It smells so good! Wow, that has a really smooth taste to it, this is the best coffee I've ever had! Still could use room for improvement. Yay! Whiskey! Man, this coffee is even better now that it's got a kick to it! What a mellow buzz! Does Mormon Jesus have Irish coffee on Kolob? I hope so, cuz, man you're missing out. By the way my underwear is really comfortable.

[Unkl Dad]

I found that my fears were unjustified.

My ex-wife showed up with the mormons that were taking my daughter to church.  They were bumming about being out of smokes, laughed about being caffeine consumers and the female was knocked up out of wedlock.  I shook their hands and told them they were the types of mormons I could appreciate.

My other daughter, much younger, still believes she sees the ghost of her grandmother and cat...who am I to tell her she's wrong.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I found that my fears were unjustified.

My ex-wife showed up with the mormons that were taking my daughter to church.  They were bumming about being out of smokes, laughed about being caffeine consumers and the female was knocked up out of wedlock.  I shook their hands and told them they were the types of mormons I could appreciate.

My other daughter, much younger, still believes she sees the ghost of her grandmother and cat...who am I to tell her she's wrong.

So, they're party Mormons?
Man, the LDS is getting lax....

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

LDS membership is down, to the extent that they are reluctant to excommunicate people who used to get booted in a hot second. It's not even enough just to be GAY anymore; they demand that you actually be having hot gay sex, AND that you prove it.

[P3nT4gR4m]

LDS membership is down, to the extent that they are reluctant to excommunicate people who used to get booted in a hot second. It's not even enough just to be GAY anymore; they demand that you actually be having hot gay sex, AND that you prove it.

By eating da poo poo?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

LDS membership is down, to the extent that they are reluctant to excommunicate people who used to get booted in a hot second. It's not even enough just to be GAY anymore; they demand that you actually be having hot gay sex, AND that you prove it.

By eating da poo poo?

Well played

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

LDS membership is down, to the extent that they are reluctant to excommunicate people who used to get booted in a hot second. It's not even enough just to be GAY anymore; they demand that you actually be having hot gay sex, AND that you prove it.

Seems to be happening with the JW's as well... they decided that they should be focused on Mercy not Judgment when disfellowshiping people 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

LDS membership is down, to the extent that they are reluctant to excommunicate people who used to get booted in a hot second. It's not even enough just to be GAY anymore; they demand that you actually be having hot gay sex, AND that you prove it.

Seems to be happening with the JW's as well... they decided that they should be focused on Mercy not Judgment when disfellowshiping people 

I guess you can only keep it strict for so long in the modern world

[Zyzyx]

I got about zero religious upbringing as a child; I was in a Unitarian Universalist church so we'd sit around playing games about faith like: "At some point while you were distracted someone walked into this room, picked up a stapler and left. Write about it, make it about a page in length." I of course didn't notice a single bit of it, so I made up some bullshit. Some actually did.

[Doktor Howl]

LDS membership is down, to the extent that they are reluctant to excommunicate people who used to get booted in a hot second. It's not even enough just to be GAY anymore; they demand that you actually be having hot gay sex, AND that you prove it.

BAH!  They aren't serious about this shit.