From: L B (musicwoman80126@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Jul 10 2001 - 09:58:52 MDT
--- "J. R. Molloy" <jr@shasta.com> wrote:
> From: "L B" <musicwoman80126@yahoo.com>
> > ...just that people, when they think more
> positively,
> > seem to recover from illnesses more quickly.
>
> Maybe that's because negative thinking is a symptom
> of illness?
Could be. I can tell you the last time I had the flu,
if someone had tried to cheer me up I would have been
quite displeased. I wonder if it explains what someone
had said earlier about sick people not attending
church--who the hell wants to go be with people when
they're ill?
>
> Yes, organic chemistry is a marvelous thing.
> Neuropsychopharmacology and
> pharmacogenomics are fascinating specialities. The
> blue pill and the red pill
> (a la The Matrix) control the chemical processes in
> human brains very
> differently. Nothing mystical about it though. Has
> to do with hormonal
> balances and brain chemistry.
Yes, this is what I was thinking but couldn't get it
out--had to pick up my sick son from school. Sorry. He
doesn't want to be around people right now. Hmm.
Anyway, I had the placebo effect in mind ealier when I
mentioned people having positive thoughts and being in
better health.
>
> Right! Think positively: We _can_ debunk
> religiosity!
Ha! Maybe someday. Unfortunately I would think it is
as hard to debunk something that is based on blindness
and the unprovable as it is to prove the basis for the
religious beliefs. When you argue with a strident
christian, you get a lot of, "well god said it and I
believe it, so it is the truth. It's here in the
Bible, see? There's YOUR proof."
That's hard to refute because they don't listen, only
fight with nonproofs. It is based on irrationality for
the most part. Talking snakes and magic apples?
Mushrooms, maybe. Yet we are encouraged to believe in
Santa CLause and Easter Bunnies and Great Pumpkins
until we reach a "certain age" and then it is
"debunked" for us by adults. These same adults tell us
to believe in a god we can't see and in results we
can't see. At least we could see Santa and the Easter
bunny, regardless that they were actors. No one
dresses up and masquerades as god that I know of, only
satan for halloween.
I am sure this has all been said, but I wonder if
anyone has addressed childrearing in this type of
home. It continues to confound my children, whom I
have raised questioning and challenging people, and
given them the choice to believe or not. I never took
them to church but did not indoctrinate them with
atheism either. I encouraged study of "belief systems"
instead so that they are never taken in by any cult of
lies. This has made it hard.
Other parents have a handy answer--the Bible--and I do
not. My road has been very tough, especially trying to
maintain peace with other parents. My daughter's
boyfriend's parents always hate her because she is not
a "christian". I would feel sorry for her except that
I know she is fortunate in many ways. She will join
this list or one like it someday and know she is not
alone.
> Stay hungry,
Yes, yes, yes. Always! :)
Merriss
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