Cultists Taking Over ATS!!!

What's the deal with all the cult-like talk going on here lately? Does the new year have anything to do with it? or the war? or the election? or the upcoming 2012?

This is very bothersome that at such a mainstream place to discuss conspiracy theories, I feel like people are trying to recruit me to join in with their 'cults'. I mean some of the thinking here reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials with people dying because others had these outrageous beliefs.

Check this out:

cult (kŭlt) Pronunciation Key
n.

A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
The followers of such a religion or sect.
Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
The object of such devotion.
A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.

Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
The object of such devotion.
An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest

Now tell me how this thread:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

And this one:

www.belowtopsecret.com...

With a combined total thus far of 13 flags and 8 stars, DON'T fit into the above definition of cult.

Will people believe EVERYTHING that's told to them? Are they really THAT desperate to believe?

right on brother!!!!!

i agree with you 100%. i find myself posting less and less. i was having some trouble placeing it but you hit the nail on the head. but im sure some would be glad im posting less and less. my views tend to differ from the majority here but thats a diffrent subject altogether.

on the other hand people have the right to believe what they will even though you or i may not agree,

Look everyone!

It's the first "ATS is going downhill" thread of 2008!!

Ummm... it's hard to fathom how somebody can be a "charismatic" leader on a written discussion board. Outrageous beliefs can be found anywhere and everywhere you care to look IMO



P.S. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
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reply to post by Gools


i wouldnt say its going down hill. i have just noticed a shortness of threads i care to comment on. or more so my feelings on some subjects might cause me to get a little heated so its better to leave them alone. i havent been here that long and i more than likely am guilty of it but there has been a lot of repeat here lately(just my oppinion).

reply to post by bigbert81


I couldn't agree more.

Not only do they post these outlandish claims but they offer no supportive evidence at all other than a poorly written, prophetical discourse that is remeniscent of some sub-standard fantasy novel.

Why can't they just speak in plain English then at least members might be able to enter into a coherent discussion but they continously spout cryptic mumbo jumbo which can be interpreted in any manner of ways.

I suppose the fact that I have had no evangical, all enlightening, illuminating, hallelujah moment, the cryptic, gnostic meanings evade me.

These threads only serve to detract from the quality threads that arise on these boards from time to time.

Indeed you are correct. Slowly but surely, the really smart people on ATS are taking over. We're learning to let the less able prattle on while we focus on the important things. We leave a few "dreg threads" out there, much the same way you leave out flypaper, so that some will quibble over how many angels will fit on the head of a pin. It leaves the rest of us to pursue more stimulating conversation.

I think it's working.

I'm new here. I must say that I'm enjoying some of the nutty, cult-like posts. The diversity of this crowd is what draws me to ATS now. Another year or two... who knows.

I've been reading ATS (and now finally posting) because I want to think more deeply about the world I live in. I've come to realize that running into people I think to be fruitcakes is part of the price of enlightenment. I'm hoping to sharpen my BS detector. I'm wondering if our OP has reached the point of discomfort because he has grown past where I'm at. In that case I hope to catch up.

Totally agree with this thread. It seems like ATS is the"in season" place to promote your new age religions and cults. I have also noted that there are a lot of people claiming to be aliens/ beings from another world too. What I want to know is why are they allowed to post rubbish like this, without any proof or backing evidence?

Here is a cliche':

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Been there, done that, have the t-shirt.

Been here since 2004, trust me, they go away and then come back.

So, while I agree with the poster, it is futile to create threads like this. Unless of course, it helps release your stress levels and lower your blood pressure. Lord knows we do not want to be responsible for a heart attack.

Hmmm, ok I didn't mean for this to be a 'Fall of ATS' thread. It's certainly more of a when I see how many people are flagging and agreeing with some of these, IMO, insane threads.

If anybody's seen the movie 'The Mist', I think they'll have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about.

And CAN you be charismatic on a discussion board? Yes. Are the posters of these threads? To some I'm sure.

char·is·mat·ic (kār'ĭz-māt'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or characterized by charisma: "the warmth of a naturally charismatic leader" (Joyce Carol Oates).
2. Of, relating to, or being a type of Christianity that emphasizes personal religious experience and divinely inspired powers, as of healing, prophecy, and the gift of tongues

Preaching like the threads I've mentioned, and countless others could certainly be a start to #2, don't you think? Not quite as far as 'divinely inspired powers' though....yet.

reply to post by OzWeatherman


Yes, totally agree. It doesnt' even need to be religious. And the time traveler thing and alien thing I think certainly does fit here also.

Good post!

reply to post by bigbert81


For somebody complaining, I would like to point out that you did a lot of participating in the thread you linked for us to look at in the BTS forums.

I would like to point out that you sometimes get what you deserve when you participate in a thread that is supposeldy being typed in by a person who is claiming to be Jesus.

I mean, come on, what did you expect exactly?

reply to post by Enthralled Fan


Aaaawww! You caught me! I guess telling these crazy people what I think of them should be off limits if I think it's...well, crazy.

Like I said above, it's the people who are flagging and agreeing with these posts which is the main reason I partipated. I KNEW I shouldn't have started this thread after going in and telling these OPs that they're either out of their minds, or just doing some casual trolling.

Which takeover would you prefer, cults or the government?

It's just a point to ponder. Afterall this year is less than one week old. Who knows what will show up on ATS in the months ahead.

If one finds a cult here they dislike, then try to shoot them down.

If one finds a cult here they like, then join them.

reply to post by bigbert81


No, it's ok that you started this thread. Everybody has their own opinions, you know. Somebody must apparently agree with that thread or it wouldn't be getting flagged.

Just be secure in whatever it is you believe in, and don't worry about it.

People are going to believe whatever they want to, and you are not going to change their minds.

I think Jesus said in one of the posts it was going to be his last one, anyway!

I agree with the OP and was thinking of a method to cut back on this nonsense.

Its not useless to post a thread like this, it lets the OP and others know that they have some solidarity in this matter and that the population of ATS isn't 100% filled to over flowing with lunatics.

Now, I'm off to fight the reptilian demon shadow spiders that the NWO sent to attack me with blurry photos and backwards recordings.


[edit on 3-1-2008 by Legalizer]

Originally posted by Enthralled Fan
reply to post by bigbert81

 

I think Jesus said in one of the posts it was going to be his last one, anyway!

Haha, how many times does that happen and you never see them again!



What was his reason for that? Armageddon?

reply to post by Gools


Actually I read both threads when they first started and to my surprise the have lasted longer that I thought.

The first link took me a personal web site that belong to a very controversial cult link to another web site.

The second thread, well I thought it was pure rant but is still going and alive.

Yes we are going to see this type of scenarios and threads pooping out more and more as the bad slide on the economy brings us closer to the doomsday scenarious.

reply to post by bigbert81



I couldn't agree more, although I do feel that it's that time of year for such topics so I guess you just have to wait it out.

I do however have a problem with the way ATS handles these posts. Someone claiming that the reptilian ships will drop from their orbit in 2012 to reclaim the earth IMO is no different than claims of Satan not only controlling the US government but creating a death ray for angels.

Although I'm very, VERY new to this site, I have felt a need to declare my firm belief in fairness. Allowing one type of unsubstantiated post simply because it references the bible while sending the other to the nut-job area (skunk works) is wrong; you can't be selective if someone just isn't selling your brand of crazy.

Oh, could we be so blessed, that the very last Savior would stop by, the very last prophet, and then go away into eternity?

Armageddon comes every day, in a thousand ways. To a child who is molested or one who starves. To an adult who can no longer compete. To a nation that loses hope. The end is always a personal thing. Sometimes public, but always personal.

The doom sayers are the same ones that smile at a wreck on the highway, and congratulate themselves for being good drivers, never realizing that the good and evil perish with equal swiftness.

How futile to give arcane solutions to futuristic problems. Thankfully, for all their volume, they're only a loud minority.