DO you follow any of these quacks, charlatans, liars, mystics or self-promoters? (page 3)

tec

I don't know who some of those people are. And I don't listen to talk show hosts. Ever! I put no authority into any of these people, which is not to say that they cannot say something wise. Only that I would have to consider it for myself, research it, and then decide for myself if I thought it was wise.

Tammy

Hoping4Change

I'm a little confused about the inclusion of the Dali Lama, though that could be due to my own ignorance. Isnt one of the very first things one learns when studying Buddhism is to NOT blindly follow anything or anyone, including the Buddha (therefore by extension, the Dali Lama)?

OUTLAW

I'm a little confused about the inclusion of the Dali Lama, though that could be due to my own ignorance.

Isnt one of the very first things one learns when studying Buddhism is to NOT blindly follow anything or anyone,

including the Buddha (therefore by extension, the Dali Lama)?....Hoping4change

.......................... ...OUTLAW

nancy drew

I am curious about what people believe and I don't want to lose that but the wtbs has taught me a valuable lesson. I'll be much more careful and critical and I'll not be joining anybodys group.

I quit!

I follow both the Dalai Llama and the Deli Chicken.

Terry

Lots of toes have been stepped upon!

Anybody else want to admit your affinity for the quackery?

(Rather than rebutting, I am hoping some of you will do a bit of research on the harm these people are doing.)

If I had to boil it down, I'd define woo as beliefs that clearly demonstrate magical thinking, uncritical acceptance of things for which no good evidence exists. This includes, but is not limited to, psychic phenomenon, ghosts, the paranormal, "energy healing," the use of "colon cleansing" and "liver cleansing" to rid oneself of "toxins," homeopathy (especially quantum homeopathy), and a wide variety of other mystical and pseudoscientific beliefs. Woo is resistant to reason. Indeed, woo has a double standard when it comes to what it considers to be good evidence. It is very accepting of a wide variety of fuzzy, mystical ideas, but is often incredibly distrustful and skeptical of anything having to do with "conventional" science or "conventional" medicine. Woos tend to be very quick to react to defend their particular brand of woo and very unforgiving of its being questioned.

-- Orac, from the ScienceBlog Respectful Insolence

Terry

Our beloved Christopher Hitchens says:

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Main article: Tenzin_Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama#Controversies

In 1998, Hitchens criticized Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama for a number of reasons, including: the Dalai Lama's acceptance of "45 million rupees, or about 170 million yen" from Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Aum Shinrikyo cult which released sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo Subway system; the Dalai Lama's proclamation that Hollywood actor Steven Seagal was a tulku and a reincarnated lama of Tibetan Buddhism; the persecution of followers of the Dorje Shugden deity whom Hitchens describes as having been "threatened with violence and ostracism and even death following the Dalai Lama's abrupt prohibition of this once-venerated godhead"; the Dalai Lama's specified sexual norms, which ban oral and anal sex, masturbation and explain the proper way to pay for prostitution; and, most importantly, the Dalai Lama's support of India's Pokhran-II thermonuclear tests. [ 10 ] The World Tibet Network News service later said that the Dalai Lama was "saddened to hear about the series of nuclear tests conducted by India," and was "fundamentally against the existence and stockpiling of any wapons [sic] of mass destruction." [ 11 ]

Nathan Natas

Hey T, what about that pathetic B!TCH, "Mother" TERESA? What a fraud and a phony she was! (I'm serioous.)

I'm a big fan of the Dalai Parton, but she got a restraining order to keep me from following her.

How about adding Ayn Rand to the list, T? Ayn's insights are valuable and useful, but her fan club (objectivists) are as much a cult as any other, deifying Alice and overlooking her numerous faults.

I found Wayne Dyers early work - of about 25 years ago - helpful, but I didn't tie myself to his apron string.

Buddhists have a very useful saying - "If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him." This is an important concept.

There are people I admire. Gene Simmons of KISS is a very admirable figure as his family life and his sucess demonstrate. I've watched Brett Michaels on the CELEBRITY APPRENTICE and developed a respect for him that I would never have guessed was possible. I'm looking forward to reading MARK TWAIN's autobiography, which will be available in a couple of months, now that Twain's requested 100-year self-imposed gag order has expired.

Nathan Natas

"If you meet Christopher Hitchens on the road, kill him, too."

I like much of what he has to say, but if he jumps off the garage roof, you won't see me followiing him.

Terry

I was actualy afraid to include Mother Theresa on my list because I can only risk my life j-u-s-t so much before the crazies do me in.

Ayn Rand seemed to attract extreme personality types. I've never met an Objectivist with any sense of humor about themselves.

The Dali Lama is a professional slug. He doesn't actually do anything and his spiritual pronouncements are about as deep as your average fortune cookies, yet, the middle aged ladies just "ooh" and "ahhh" around him.

Oprah encourages belief in mysticism and the supernatural and does more harm than many because of her influence on impressionable minds.

DO you follow any of these quacks, charlatans, liars, mystics or self-promoters?

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

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