Unhealthy Reading?, page 1

posted on Nov, 16 2008 @ 05:24 PM

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Hello,

My mother has been taking into a lot of empowermwnt books, which instruct you to do so via mind power and your thoughts.I have no problem with the "Secret" and the "Law of Attraction". But recently my mom has taken into some new books with which intermingle these subjects with religion. She is a Christian. I plan to find her new books and look into them to find out what she is reading. So far, she is getting ridiculous thoughts in her head and saying really absurd comments.

I can hear her talk on the phone all the time, she is a very, loud speaker.
She keeps quoting things from these books, as if they are fact. "You have to believe and have good thoughts" and the like, no prob for me. But her new books intermingled with religion seem to go to far. Here is a recent comment. My Grandmother is sick with 4th-stage cancer, my mother is uttering horrible things. "She must be thinking bad about someone or be doing something bad to be sick like that. That's the only way you get diseases." I got really mad at that comment because she had no right to denounce her mother's character like that. Over time I see her believing in stupid, injustified ideals. It makes me upset to see her like this, believing everything she reads without taking it with a grain of salt.

We were never on good terms but now this just silly. If I find these books, I will post their names. Basically they are teaching her bad ideals to think of people in an oldish kind medival churchish way. People who get sick did something bad? If you just sit and wait and think things come to you? She is being more reliant on these books and her thought rather than going out and trying to do what she needs to. Her new outlook justifies her right to be lazy, non self-reliant and very judgmental. I wish I could post more without thinking I am really damaging her character.

Jemison

posted on Nov, 16 2008 @ 06:14 PM

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I have some religious friends and family members that do exactly what you are describing. It's hard to get someone to understand that what they are saying/doing is about as far from "Christian-like" as you can get.

I dont know if you have ever heard of the book "The Shack" but it might be a good Christmas gift for your Mom. I recommended it to one of my cousins who used to think diseases were a result of God punsihing people and such and after she read it she stopped saying that type of thing ... more importantly, she stopped THINKING that way. It gave her an entirely new way to look at God and why things happen.

I can understand your frustration and I wish you the best in this situation. It's really tough to hear someone you love saying the type of things you have heard her say.

Jemison

ashamedamerican

posted on Nov, 16 2008 @ 06:20 PM

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For goodness sake don't let her get her hands on David Rockefeller's Memoirs, or Men and Powers: A Political Retrospective by Helmut Schmidt.

Seriously though I actually had a similar problem with my mother reading "The Secret," and coming out of it with the impression that the universe was a giant karma based vending machine.

I can totally understand your concerns, my mom will buy a book and I can show her page after page of information proving that what she just read was garbage, but to her it's "the holy gospel" because it was published in a book.

The saddest part is my own brother get's her reading half of this crap, and he seems to buy it all "hook, line, and sinker" like she does.

It's scary because they both seem to be fairly intelligent people, but if it's published in a book, or on the evening news they seem to lose their ability to discern reality.

They also both view the internet as a universal compendium of hoaxes and garbage, show them a copy of operation northwoods and you get a response like "oh that's nonsense if that was real you would see it on the news" I can even show them the proof that 4 or 5 major corporations own almost all mainstream media, and also get government defense contracts, or show them the opposing side of a story from a media source outside of the U.S. and it's like trying to teach string theory to a dog, they just stare at me with a blank look on their face.

I'm in the same boat as you, I feel your pain.
And sorry to hear about your grandmother

I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope to hear about a miraculous recovery.

NGC2736

posted on Nov, 16 2008 @ 06:22 PM

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reply to post by thehype16

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

I understand how you feel. But as people reach the final few chapters of life, many seek some peace. I know this to be true for those in my own life, and expect it is near universal. My mother-in-law is a dear lady, (I have called her Mom, and meant it for decades), but at 84 she is reaching a time when health fails.

Today I was there at her house, (To fell a tree that was lightening struck), and saw her in almost the same situation. She's on a widows pension for social security, and barely making ends meet, yet she was writing a check for a televangelist.

I even watched the show, which she seldom misses, by one John Hagee. (I have no problem mentioning him by name.) He extolled the need to give not only 10% to "the church", meaning him, but to go beyond this and "lay up treasures in Heaven" by giving an extra "offering" to God.

I couldn't help but notice the fact that this rather plump man, in his high dollar suit and rings on his finger, was in a church that cost more to heat for a night than she draws in a year. I swallowed my anger, in respect for her feelings, but I had to leave the room when he told the audience, in essence, that if you don't pay God, he'll get even with you; that bad things will happen to you.

These people, and they are not just Christian churches, prey on the fear of the elderly. They are a blight on humanity. I hope, if there is an all powerful Deity, that these soulless bastards get a fitting reward. I have no anger towards any religion or faith, that is a personal choice each of us has the right to seek. But I despise those who gain power and prestige, and perks no end, from fleecing those that are the weakest in our society. A pox on the lot.

I can offer no wisdom, no recourse, for these things. But you have my heartfelt feeling of sympathy for the state of affairs. Sadly, it is the best I can offer.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

thehype16

posted on Nov, 17 2008 @ 04:53 PM

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Thank you for posting.

She is very irritable and now seems to be not a people person. My mom is losing alot of people that would care for her. I don't know she lets all these things slowly ruin her. The unhealthy Reading is helping very much to slowly push everyone she loves away.

thehype16

posted on Nov, 17 2008 @ 04:56 PM

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reply to post by NGC2736

I have seen 2 main people like who you describe. I can only remember one's name, Peter Popoff. "Buy my miracle water" it answera prayers. I could only look in disgust as this infomercial was repeatedly played in the early mornings. It is sad to see these guys pay off on people's beliefs.