Self Conscious Narcissist

a reply to: Peeple

I mean it is not all bad when the small-g's notice you lol
...you might get butterfly wings

Yes. Quite true.

Back in 1995, there was this woman, smart, caring, just all around awesome. Needless to say, I had a pretty strong crush on her. I met her in '93, so not exactly love at first sight.

A thing happened.

Epicureanism is a philosophy all about suppressing passion in order to gain clarity in rational thought. But ... big but, Lucretius was a super genius, in presenting Epicurean philosophy with great passion and flights of the imagination.

Imagine Epicurus, in a fit of passion, being raptured to Mt Olympus to hang out with the gods!

Wild stuff. So I hitched a ride on his back and ascended, and I too hung out, chilling with the gods.

I came back to Earth and wrote a poem for my lady crush Mayday 1995. Probably my greatest masterpiece.

To be honest, I'm afraid now to look and see if I made a copy. How terrible it might be to discover that it isn't really as good as I remember.

On the Nature of Things

a reply to: pthena


check it out, comedy gold brought to you by ATS...

Demonic propaganda such as this will no doubt increase as the end nears. But the opposite will also and is also happening. People openly worshiping Satan and doing his bidding. Satan is a liar and the father of the lie. And so are all his children.

ats thread

a reply to: Terpene

That opens a big can of worms.

There was book written in 1965, The_Kingdom_of_the_Cults.

There is a category of what could be called Small Remnant Christian Sects. The ones I'm familiar with are Seventh-day Adventist (the one I grew up in), Jehovah Witness, and Mormon. I'm not sure about the origins, influences on Mormonism, but I understand the premise of how and why they exist as separate from "fallen, corrupt" "Christianity".

All three grew up as uniquely American movements.

SDA and JW have a very strong influence from Baptist/ana-Baptist movements of European Radical Reformation, which saw Catholicism and Protestantism as completely controlled by Satan, and only a small remnant of "true believers"

SDAs focused on 1844 as a pivotal point of belief, their reason to exist as separate from "nominal Christianity" nominal meaning in name only.

JWs focus on a 191? year where they see themselves being the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Mormons operate on the idea of Apostolic Succession, much like Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. But Apostolic Succession ended when John, last living Disciple of Jesus died, rendering all Earthly Church tradition null and void. The succession was restarted on Earth through direct anointing of Joseph Smith.

So small, persecuted by nominal Christians, group of "true believers", all other so-called Christians evil, Satan controlled, destined for doom.

So the enemy of the small remnant is Christianity at large, rather than secular society per say.

Looks like Mormonism is gaining some credibility as respectable American GOPers. Catholics divided over political party lines, Evangelicals in crisis whether to be Trump Christians or Jesus Christians.

The USA is a freaking mess.

=====
Extra note:

What the JWs have going for them as a positive:
They are apolitical
They value non-violence
Those are built in to their religion.

It's hearts and minds, not guns and power politics.
So Kudos to JW

a reply to: pthena

Psychological violence is violence too.

Any doctrine that makes you guilty by default uses psychological violence.

No kudos from me...

a reply to: pthena

I think it's 1914.

Such an obscure year to choose.

Jesus' Heavenly takeover must have needed The Archduke of Austria-Hungary shot first.

I feel you can pretty much blame/thank The Temperance Movement for that. I think all the Vampire crap people got into in the 1890s, and then after theosophy and Thelema took off, the teens became America's first 'Satanic Panic'.

The 1980s did something similar. The devil sold and by 1988 hysteria made its way to daytime TV, the trending topics of the day.

Today, similar thing, only Satan owns a daycare center and passes out secular coloring books.. It has to be really over-the-top Satan to move the needle now.

The country is the mess it wanted to be.

a reply to: Terpene

No kudos from me...

I mean a small kudos, in a comparative way.

Any doctrine that makes you guilty by default uses psychological violence.

That's a tough one.

In a binary (righteous/wicked) (saved/damned) choice, some may choose wicked as default. Original Sin and all that jazz. That's kind of the Mainline Christian starting point.

The question then becomes "Is there something like righteousness or salvation from that?"

If the personal answer is "NO" then who can hurt you? ( that sounds like Romans 8:28-39, flipped on its head ).

**** New Doctrine In Town *********

You have heard it said "Once saved always saved"
I'm telling you today
Once lost always lost
...
but for the select few only.

a reply to: Degradation33

Jesus' Heavenly takeover must have needed The Archduke of Austria-Hungary shot first.

I think it was the Fall of Ottoman Empire.
See the locusts were allowed to torment but not kill.
So fake Jesus kingdom was tormented by Islam.

Then boom, JW right on time. See? It all makes sense now; Bible prophecy fulfilled.

a reply to: Degradation33

It has to be really over-the-top Satan to move the needle now

"I've always lived a shut in scholarly life
If this evil is to be stopped it must be by you."
Deckard Caine - Diablo II

I missed most of the '80s culture,
busy loading bombs, missiles, and 20mm ammo on Fighter aircraft by day,
and
writing sermons by night.

Crazy stuff.

The Satanic Temple tried to help our local High School
But evil prevailed.
Supreme Court took the side of evil over Satan.

Now we're out something like $1.8 million,
over a completely frivolous lawsuit.

School is hurting and the freaking football coach is a freaking hero writing a book. Gee! If he actually cared he'd maybe give the money back.

***News Flash******
Part-time coach just resigned.

a reply to: pthena

The Satanic Temple tried to help our local High School
But evil prevailed.
Supreme Court took the side of evil over Satan.

Is that a true story?
Why? It's dog eat dog Capitalism. You get money within acceptable conditions, you don't ask about where it comes from. It doesn't change the value.

Social credit in that sense could be an interesting thing...
You're not punished for anything, everyone has the same baseline.
But you're money is worth more, the better you're rated.

We only have to agree on the moral values we apply for all. we didn't fight the most bloody wars over that, so that should be a piece of cake

a reply to: pthena

In a binary (righteous/wicked) (saved/damned) choice, some may choose wicked as default. Original Sin and all that jazz. That's kind of the Mainline Christian starting point.

The question then becomes "Is there something like righteousness or salvation from that?" point

It's not what you choose....
it's that you have to, the options are given, and there is only one right decision.
It's not a fair situation to put impressionable minds into.

With that technique, I could indoctrinate anything into a kid.

a reply to: Terpene

Is that a true story?

Yes. Look up Joe Kennedy.
www.bremertonschools.org...

He will be rich and publish a book and be called a hero and lionized by right wing Christianity. Meanwhile the school district is out a # ton of money. The kids suffer. The tax-payers suffer.

The Satanic Temple tried to intervene in the nonsense 8 or 9 years ago.

The supreme court ruling changed nothing. Prayer in school was never infringed. That remains. The school district had every right to not renew a contract. The Satanic Temple got involved because some students felt pressured to go along with the coach's prayer. That pressure is a definite no no.

a reply to: pthena

The Satanic Temple tried to help our local High School
But evil prevailed.
Supreme Court took the side of evil over Satan.

Now we're out something like $1.8 million,
over a completely frivolous lawsuit.

School is hurting and the freaking football coach is a freaking hero writing a book. Gee! If he actually cared he'd maybe give the money back.

That's not even Irony anymore.

Sill waiting for TST to hop on the gender reassignment surgery platform and offer The 14 and up all expense paid sweepstakes.

They took the premise Pastafarians v. Kansas State Board of Education and turned it into the the troll division of The ACLU.

Troll politics - the new sensation. Everyone is a hero and villain simultaneously. The Chruch/State goal gets a bit lost and made more righteous it seems.

I honestly want a time machine to just skip the next 30 years while that all gets sorted out.

a reply to: Terpene

It's not a fair situation to put impressionable minds into.

I've got zero idea how to change that. Not fair for sure.

a reply to: Degradation33

I honestly want a time machine to just skip the next 30 years while that all gets sorted out.

I would be satisfied with not having to answer for every freaking body else.
I am affiliated with no organization.
I'm an independent voter.
I'm a US citizen because of where I was born.
I didn't fight the Brits
didn't write the constitution

There is a whole long list of things I never done
and a whole long list of things I will never do
and saving the country from itself is one of them.

a reply to: pthena

you'll come to that crossroad anyway, but the chances are bigger that you learned to not decide or create other options.
You can't firm a contract till your legal of age but you have to accept one concerning your soul as soon as possible. It's an odd concept...

Sure people should have the right to make soul contracts with whomever, they can be very beneficial.

but not minors, they don't know their rights when doing contracts...

a reply to: Degradation33

I honestly want a time machine to just skip the next 30 years while that all gets sorted out.

Take two. Maybe a movie producer will steal this idea.

Scene: American G.I. in Europe fighting the War to End All Wars.

Some method of indicating his idea, perhaps a conversation or writing a letter:
I wish I could travel 25 or 30 years into the future after this last war is fought and peace reigns.

He sticks his head above the trench for just a moment. A bullet knocks his helmet off and grazes his skull. He falls unconscious.

When he awakes, his uniform has changed. His rifle has changed, but he's still in Europe fighting a war after the War to End All Wars.

Maybe someone has already written that story.

a reply to: pthena

That would be good actually.

From a soldier wearing a weird pointy hat in a trench to being pumped full of methamphetamine raiding a Pollish castle of its fine art. Work in the Amber Room and you got a time transcending winner.

a reply to: Degradation33

I am so confused now. Amber_Room_(disambiguation)

This was supposed to be a pleasant romp through my freaky narcissism.

Next thing I know, all the religio/political problems of the World are heaped on my shoulders like I'm Atlas or something.

What if I shrug? Then what?

*Footnote: Yeah I read that. I liked Hank Rearden the most. He actually invented a new alloy. Wouldn't you know it, Trump sees himself as Hank Rearden.

hint to Trump: Rearden doesn't get the girl in the end. He looses to John Galt because of name recognition.

a reply to: Terpene

You can't firm a contract till your legal of age but you have to accept one concerning your soul as soon as possible. It's an odd concept...

The concept of souls as currency is odd to me.

Suppose I had a commodity called soul.
SDAs don't practice infant baptism, being Baptist based after all.
So this "soul" is up for grabs.

Instead of following the family system, I decide instead to be a total juvenile delinquent at the age of 11. We're talking vandalism of the worst sort, a church even, school properties, private properties; burglary, beating up on people, drunkenness, drugs.

Did this "soul" get traded off then.

Pressured into getting baptized at 12. Did this "soul" get bartered?

Summoned a demon at 15. "Soul" barter?

Joined God at 16, under no conditions. "Soul" status?

Jesus people movement, College, change to Christian Church Disciple of Christ, then Assembly of God, then Lutheran, then Disciples of Christ again, then zip run off to nothing. Accidently do magic, then again, and again. Madness, then Shamanism, then Dionysus, Athena, Artemus, Chiron, and [] show up in my apartment. What's the status of this "soul"? Who's got it?

I left out the part where I was dying and saw my soul leave without me. Now what? I never saw it come back.
A Lost Soul

a reply to: pthena

What if I shrug? Then what?

Then you are a heartless, emotionless, cold sociopathic narcissist... You know how that goes...

I've enjoyed our little convo alot, please feel free to shrug me off anytime.... i should more often too, I think it's healty...