The drugs used in other religious rites tend to be hallucinogenic rather then narcotic or stupefying, and these have a quite different effect upon anxiety. Common to plants with such active principles as Banisteria, Amanita and Datura is the production of a sudden surge of energy with visions in which terror and splendour may be equally present. "Banisteria" one must remember that shamanistic traditions speak of an initiatory experience in which the body is torn apart by beasts of prey, after which a crystalline body is given by the spirits. The traditional method is to accept the attack which the drug makes on the self without fear, an acceptance which transforms anxiety into knowledge. "Amanita" puts the motor system into spasm, and the shamans who use it must go through a long education in this experience and have to grapple with the visions it produces before they can master its effects. "Datura" also activates a sense of physical power together with pyschic ambition that may lead a person so far out of his personal range that a spasm of timidity may leave him stranded on a ungovernable activity. "Psilocybe mushrooms" which is clinically said to be that of depersonalization, but the tribal practitioners in fact call it dematerialization and use its effects when they wish to penetrate material obstacles, to free consciousness from its bodily entanglements and allow the shaman to inhabit bodies other than his own for healing.
"Peyote" traditionally used has yet other consequences. Visions occur without apparent reason, and the Indians phrase this by saying that peyote is a power in itself that works from the outside. Under this drug one does not dream, one is dreamed. It was used by the Aztecs for divinatory purposes, and by the Tarahumara of Mexico as the body of divinity.
Amateurism in these matters does little but create a problem, and if the mind is to reach beyond itself by the use of a drug like these, you must be placed into the sevice of someone you trust, rather then folly and isolation. Anxiety is what causes the so called "bad trip;" alcoholic beverages will reduce effects. Never take any religious rites plants with people you do not trust. You want to come over for a plate of Lasagna with mushrooms? Oh; where is your faith?
Patrick
JoinedPosts by Patrick
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Faith beyond beliefs
by Narkissos into make a long story short, i'm an xjw from france: born and baptized as a catholic, i became a jw in 1972 at the age of 13 with part of my family; then a pioneer and a bethel member, before being disfellowshipped for "apostasy" in 1986. afterwards, involved in theology and bible edition with the mainstream protestant churches, slowly drifting from the evangelical to the liberal wing and finally out of all religious groups and beliefs.
the "atheologist" label, i guess, would suit fairly enough by now.. the question i'd like to ask my fellow xjw "brothers and sisters" (and there seems to be plenty of them around .
the question is especially directed to those of you who would not easily term themselves "christians", and who have not sticked to any recognized "creed".
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Patrick
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The Rock has an army already.
by Patrick ininfectious diseases are illnesses caused by the attack of tribesmen in nature.
these tribesmen are tiny living creatures, so small they can be seen only with high-powered microscopes.
these tribesmen invade the tissues of our giant bodies, where they grow, multiply, and interfere with the normal functions of the flesh.
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Patrick
You got to stop using those mind expanding drugs Shamus; that marijuana is starting to work.
A substance known as a drug in the worse sense of that word also has the characteristic of being paradisiacal and poisonous. One cannot read widely enough about drugs these days without coming across persistent references to the "drug problem." The serpent coiled about the Tree of Life, (symbol of doctors) is always there if you use drugs to enter paradise. Drugs are indeed a problem in that they are addictive and encourage strange forms of narcissism which, through they may end with death, are still attempts to regain paradise. There are five categories, the paridise of narcosis, euphoria, intoxication, stimulation, and hallucination. Drugs are used throughout the world, sometimes for entertainment, often for therapy or as a religious observation. The use of toadstools and of other hallucinogenic mushrooms was more widely spred in the past then our religious leaders claim, and its effects quite possibly helped to give form to a number of traditional descriptions of heaven and God with his Angels. These substances were sacred to the shamans, because they used these plants, with the chance of fatallity, to cure illnesses of the soul and body. If the plants can be used to enter paradise, what are the uses of paradise itself? However, no modern doctor considers such substances sacred and with this fact in itself, it has much to do with the existence of the drug problem. Modern pharmacology has added to the number of psychotropic substances (mind controling drugs) with highly potent and highly addictive derivatives of opium, anaesthetics, synthetic narcotics, tranquillizers, pep pills, hallucinogens, and so many others. Man is a discontented animal beset by psychological and physical troubles, and because of boredom he uses drugs to relieve pain and illnesses, and this also changes his entire way of looking at things that were once sacred, and brings about a state of dissociation in which the mind finds a new faculty of expression. Mankind has what I would call a nervous complaint of some severity. Such unsatisfied and unbalanced states of mind are continually looking for a resolution of their frustrations, and they do so by using traditional methods of modern pharmacology that do not consider any substance sacred.
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Mental health issues
by YellowLab inhow many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?
were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?
do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.
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Patrick
According to the cybernetic approach, a human being is made up of sensory organs receiving information from outside the body; sounds, images, odors, temperature and taste, and converting them into signals into the central nervous processor, which is your brain. As this is mediatized according to the chemical potential of the neurotransmitters, and thus does involve hyperbolic metrics. The measurement of a voltage is fundamentally the measurement of the chemical potential of the electron. A humans central nervous system is made up of neurones, in the number of 1E12 to 1E13; exchanging infomation with the entire body through facial nerves, the spinal chord and peripheral nerves. It is the conscience mind that involve the whole nervous system, even peripheric nerves, which is acceptable in the Taoist approach of the human body. The central nervous system treats information and recognies them in comparison to an internal data base of memory. Learning involves such processes and intergration in reflective actions through training the ability towards which result from the autoadaptive function of neurons. A lot of these functions are fully automatized and their disruption is very exceptional, which proves the reliability and spontaneous curing performance of human beings, in normal situations and even extreamly unusual situations through adequate training. Biofeedback is now enabling completely paralyzed people to dictate a letter by voluntary control of a cursor on the screen of a computer, through decoding of voluntary evoked cortical slow potentials on their EEG. I do not think any scientifically recognized telekinetic or telepathic action has even been proved, but direct coupling of mind to matter is possible in my opinion. Western sciences and Christian doctors do not distinguish manifestations of disease that are defenses from those that are defects and consider neurosciences close to a taboo form of witchcraft. You can heal with the conscience mind and the power of thought with training.
The sociological phenomenon of ruling aggregations of oligarchical families, has been consistently associated with a special kind of religious belief since the Chaldean worshipers of that Ishtar whom the New Testament describes as the Whore of Babylon. That Whore is know by various tribal names, including Shakti, Astarte, Venus, Cybele and Isis the Great Mother. In Christian hommage to the memory of Venus, doctors came up with the name "venereal disease." But before Hitler and the "new dark age of lies;" she was known as the Great Mother Earth, Demeter, or the Russian?s Matushka Rus.
To believe in yourself is a good thing.
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Mental health issues
by YellowLab inhow many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?
were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?
do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.
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Patrick
Ok, you got me to laugh. Blondie
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Mental health issues
by YellowLab inhow many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?
were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?
do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.
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Patrick
To discuss the religious and philosophical aspects of the so called "consciousness expanding" drugs, particularly marijuana. " The Serpent Power," by Arthur Avalon, is a translation of an ancient Hindu text, the Mahanirvana tantra, one of the more conservative texts of the Shaivite school of Hinduism. This text deals with ritual, prayer, and the formal religious use of marijuana. One who engages in mantra prayer and chanting will use this narcotic hemp in his ceremonies, and these rituals should be protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. But, like I have said before the laws of this country are superimposed by common interest groups. Pharmacological companies have spent serious money to prove the adverse reactions to unadulterated preparations of this flower and in extreme doses of 20 cigarettes a day of the highest quality. They include paranoia and psychotic reactions, and increase in heart rate and dilation of the blood vessels of the eye. A particular concern of the Pharmacological Industry is the "amotivation syndrome;" which is their term for feelings of apathy. These companies and government (that backs up big contributers to their re-election campaigns) blame marijuana smoking for the appearance and performance of teenagers. It is difficult to understand a youth's diminished drive and ambition and in my opinion the disruption of the family structure, domestic violence, and general social unrest of these turbulent times of injustice seem a little closer to truth then blaming marijuana use. Despite the lack of any clear evidence linking marijuana to harmful physical effects it is still against the law, and the fact that producing advertising that induces young people to smoke cigarettes or purchase expensive merchandise that some parents can not afford is legal make a weak argument. One of the most alarming developments has been the tremendous growth and exploitation by the Pharmacological drug industry and their mind control drugs for children. Abnormal behavior as well as overt psychiatric symptoms are brought on or changed by social and cultural conditions. Marijuana according to government is a drug used by low social classes, poverty, sexism groups, racism groups, people with lack of family support that correlates with poor psychological adjustment, people with stress, anxiety, depression, role confusion, a sense of helplessness, and the failure to achieve potential. The interaction between a child and the most significant caretaking person is another major determinant of early development of marijuana abuse according to government. Now, in our culture that would be your mother! Government and doctors and pharmacological giants put the blame on your mother. I think my mother would have a problem with that. A child whose life situation is too disadvantaged and whose minimal survival needs are not met may not develop healthy ways of coping with life, but to put the blame on mothers is not the case. The ingredient in healthy psychological growth is freedom. Over twenty million Americans currently require treatment for emotional difficulties. One third of all hospital beds are occupied by people with mental illnesses. Their disorders account for more days of hospitalization than any other cause. Including lost productivity, the cost of their hospitalization is over $20 billion a year to American taxpayers. The drug treatment for all these mental disorders are the bread and butter to the pharmacological giants. Marijuana exists like many other things in this world, and it would be extremely superficial to forbid, to outlaw, or to consider marijuana evil or immoral. I think anyone who contemplates taking any drugs, including pharmacological drugs, deserves to have all of the knowledge necessary so that he can make an intelligent choice as to just what risk is involved. In this country the automobile kills thousands of people a year, and yet I have not heard of anyone advocating the abolition of the automobile. Many things in life involve risk and we do not shun them. In any case if the marijuana substances have substantial spiritual and religious advantages, the I would be prepared to say that this outweighs the perils and disadvantages. If it could cut the $20 billion plus spending for mental health a year, that would be a consideration worth looking into. It seems to me that the genuinely religious person would not think his relationship to God was in a sugar cube, a bottle, or a chemical, instead of patience, serenity, humility and just waiting for enlightenment. For social use it seems that marijuana in the streets is over priced for what it is, but then so are the pharmacological drugs. It is only about the money and the oppression of the lower status people, the working classes.
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Mental health issues
by YellowLab inhow many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?
were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?
do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.
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Patrick
Man?s mind is both rational and irrational, and so is his drug taking behavior. The wide use of drugs and medicines for therapeutic purposes is irrational behavior. Man has used his irrational mind to select and invent remedies designed to provide relief from a variety of symptoms such as pain, inflammation, cough, and vomiting. The only rational use of drugs is to cure disease, which is different from using them to relieve symptoms. In recent decades, drug therapy has been used most extensively for symptoms of anxiety caused by doctors and society. This anxiety is not easily defined nor measured, so it is difficult to assess a drug?s success scientifically. The basic conflict to rationality arises from using part of the brain for a decision that involves the brain itself, the organ affected by the disorder. A simple question about man?s ultimate ability to understand illness. Also where is the rationality in the overuse of a drug that has a sound therapeutic basis but which becomes overused because treatment lasts too long, too much of the drug is used, or the drug is used more frequently than needed? Overuse is not only irrational but destructive and repeated administration of the same dose leads to a lessened effect. This tolerance is believed to underlie drug dependence and is demonstrated with all the common drugs of abuse. The psychic dependence exists when stopping use of the does not produce the continued physical reactions but results in drug seeking behavior or ?craving,? or ?to Joan?s? and the person must employ larger and more frequent doses to attain the original effect. They may now change their drug of choice given by the doctors to the 100 or more drugs and chemicals used for recreation. Drug use has been defended as an integral part of individual and social needs, accepted as normal in many contemporary circles. Alcohol remains the cornerstone of recreational drug use worldwide. Smoking marijuana and hashish is used in certain Moslem groups where alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Chewing coca leaves in South American countries have caused problems with relations with the United States, because they do not want our medicines. Another drug widely used is caffeine, which is a stimulant of the central nervous system and causes degrees of tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and high psychological dependence. The physician prescribes drugs to lessen the severity of the disease, to relieve pain signals to the brain, to improve the patient?s day to day life, and to increase the survival time of the disease, without any expectation of a cure. Symptomatic relief remains the most important part of the practice of medicine and the goal is the use of prescription drugs.
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What would Jesus teach us today?
by petespal2002 ini'm wondering, if jesus was on earth today, what would he be teaching, and would we believe it , or would we set up a website to discuss his thoughts?
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Patrick
Keep it simple and stupid, it is the American way.
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Demonized objects
by Patrick inok, if you have belief in the teachings of demonized objects than my photo attachments should confirm your beliefs.
if you do not believe than please explain my photos as so many sciences have tried and failed.
this is not a trick and the transformations are real and this carved rock is of unknown form, very high density, harder than jadeite and has been dated to pre 17th century or older.
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Patrick
In your bedroom as a child. Divination is a mystical technique and illustrates the roles of ancestors and divination as mechanism of social controls by government. Many, but certainly not all, non-Western societies believe ancestors play a strong and positive role in the security and prosperity of their people. It is important, however, to recognize that ancestors are but one of several categories of spirits whose actions directly affect society. Ancestor spirits, the "living dead," are those whose memory still exists in the minds of their kin, and who are beneficial to the surviving relatives. When the living dead are forgotten, they are believed to be transformed into "nameless spirits," non-ancestors, characterized as malicious vehicles for misfortunes of all kinds. "Ancestor spirits" or "ghosts," who can be invoked by the living and cause misfortune to befall those whose acts threaten the solidarity of the wealthy, are used by many governments and religious leaders. The ancestral world in many ways is an extension of the real world. Although one can argue to a point with an elder, no one questions the wisdom and authority of an ancestor. The power of the dead is an important aspect of social and religious control. Because ghosts are capable of severely punishing an earthly mortal desirous of change, the force of conformity is strong and according to religious leaders and governments dead ancestors do not smile favorably on any kind of change. Not all societies believe in the power of ancestors or ghosts. In many cultures, including North America, a high god (monotheism) or gods (polytheism) exert authority over the living, punishing those who violate religious leaders rules that often are duplicated in civil laws and serve as the base of social oppression. In these groups ancestor worship is not found, although the spiritual nature of ancestors and a belief in the afterlife is very severe and strict. Very few peoples do not support the idea of a separate spirit world. To most people in Western culture the word "ghost" brings forth an image of a disembodied spirit of a dead person swooping through the dark halls, hovering over a grave, roaming aimlessly through damp woods, or in phantom form. Religious leaders and government use this because no one wants to be subjected to supernatural punishment by vengeful and angry ghosts who do not like changes in society.
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What would Jesus teach us today?
by petespal2002 ini'm wondering, if jesus was on earth today, what would he be teaching, and would we believe it , or would we set up a website to discuss his thoughts?
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Patrick
The non-rationality of a myth is its very essence, for religion requires a demonstration of total faith by the suspension of logic or critical doubt. All stories which occur in the Bible are truths for the devout Christian, whether they correspond to historical fact or not. All human societies have myths in this sence, and normally the myths to which the greatest importance is attached are those which are the least probable. It is common for all religious systems to make sure all important stories recur in several different versions. Man is created in Genesis 1 verse 27 and then is created all over again in 2 verse 7. And, as if the two first men were not enough, we also have Noah in chapter 8. "Only a couple thousand years later." Likewise in the New Testament, why must there be four gospels each telling the same story yet sometimes totally contradictory on details and facts? In the technical sence that religious leaders are taught, it is a measure of freedom of choice in selecting a message that fits their stories. In the mind of the believer, these stories do indeed convey messages which are the Word of God. To such a human the redundancy of the story is a very reassuring fact. Even if the message is badly snarled up with interference and contradictions, the most confident devotee might feel a little uncertain as to what precisely is being said. But, as a result of redundancy, the believer can feel that, even when the details vary, each alternative version of a story confirms his understanding and reinforces the essential meaning of all the others. To explain what is surely the most striking of all phenomena, and the passionate adherence to delusional sectarian belief is to understand this paradox. The whole of Christendom shares a single corpus of mythology stories, so it is surely remarkable that the members of each particular Christian congragation are able to convince themselves that they alone possess the secret of revealed truth. But if the true believer can interpret his own mythology in almost any way he chooses, what principle governs the formation of the original story? It is only by chance that a story assumes one pattern rather than another. In every religious system you will find a persistent sequence of binary discriminations as between human / superhuman, mortal / immortal, male / female, legitimate / illegitimate, good / bad, followed by a "mediation" of the paired categories. "Mediation" is always achived by introducing a third category which is "anomalous." Thus religious stories are full of fabulous monsters, incarnate gods, virgin mothers. This middle ground is abnormal, non-natural, and yet to the believers it is holy. It is typically the focus of all taboo and ritual observance that some things are just not talked about. In these repetitive and inverted tales it asserts the over riding virtue of close kin endogamy. That the sacred hero ancestor Abraham can carry this so far that he marries his paternal half sister, an incestuous relationship. That a rank and order is established which places degrees of inferior status depending upon the nature of the defect in their original ancestry as compared with the pure descent of those of clean bone.(Israel) Abraham's incest goes unnoticed in the context of such outrageous characters as Ham, and Lot's daughters, and the men of Sodom. Just as Adam and Eve are virtuous as compared to Cain and Abel. The Bible is full of incest and breaches of sexual morality, but because of the status of being of "clean bone" thus likened to the Pharaohs." (wealthy men) The laws of God only pertain to the lower status. Isaac marries a kinswoman in preference to a Canaanite woman. Esau's marriage to a Hittite woman is marked as sin. Jacob marries two daughters of his mother's brother, who is, in turn, Jacob's father's father's brother's son's son. There are other stories, Hagar, Sarah's slave, bears a son Ishmael to Abraham, whose desendants are of low status. It seems evident that much the same paterns exist throughout the whole Bible message, and all religions of this world hold the same racial status, and that these sexual morality laws, and all laws, only pertain to lower classes and those likened to Pharaoh are above the law and this book called the Word of God.
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Demonized objects
by Patrick inok, if you have belief in the teachings of demonized objects than my photo attachments should confirm your beliefs.
if you do not believe than please explain my photos as so many sciences have tried and failed.
this is not a trick and the transformations are real and this carved rock is of unknown form, very high density, harder than jadeite and has been dated to pre 17th century or older.
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Patrick
It is nice to see that everyone here is not on pharmaceutical drugs. Who is James Randi? Never heard of him, but I will check his web link if my zone alarm will permit it. If pre-literate students and their teachers are ignorant of the procedures and philosophies underlying the supernatural, so to are those trained in the supernatural ignorant of witchcraft and its effects. Someone should volunteer their professional services to this fledgling school. But, than it is the American way to keep the youth simple and stupid with their pharmaceutical drugs. What is the stats on children coming out of high school who can not read or write more than a paragraph; 80%