Jake: Found your post fairly sincere sounding, if confused. Look below for last comment.
In a message dated 1/26/99 1:41:08 AM Central Standard Time, guenette4@bc.sympatico.ca writes:
<<
> I believe it has more to do with people wanting to believe for whatever
their
> reasons are, and through this desire discarding critical thinking. We tend
to
> interpret reality in terms of our expectations.
That's just not the case with me.
>
>
> Yeah, and the bad part about it is that nobody rational will listen to
> testimonial evidence without corroboration - and its gotta be pretty
excellent
> corroboration for such astounding hypothesis which I am sure you are just
> dying to talk about.
The lack of corroborating evidence is the reason why it pisses me off so much.
>
>
> You can talk until you are blue in the face, but still all you have done is
> talk.
I had my reasons. It bugged me that people posted reasons why I believed, and
they
were all wrong. Had to clear it up.
> If that's the case, it's a pretty cruel predicament that this Jesus
> person seems to have put you in - making you want to talk about it so much,
> and then not giving you a leg to stand on.
True. It sucked.
> If it was me, I'd say "tough
> luck", and not bug my neighbors about it too much.
That's my position now. If my experience reflected anything real, He's gonna
have
to produce something tangible.
>
> My mother-in-law had some very "real" hallucinations under the influence of
> Darvicet after her last operation. She had no problem understanding later
> that they were not real.
If I could live out your mother's hallucinations, I could tell you if they
have
any similarity to my experiences. Obviously, I'm unable to.
>
>
> >>I have had that experience.<<
>
> Unclear referrant - "that". Are you a rat? Did somebody pick you up out
of
> your rat cage? Did you meet some man who told you that he was "Jesus
Christ"?
> (I've met a few of them too).
Subjectively, yes. If it was external as my story, I probably wouldn't be
doubting
it.
>
>
>
>
> Which experience? It may be a trick of your brain that you aren't being
> clear. If you have had an hallucination, perhaps it would be good to
> recognize that and consider the causes of it. Many drugs - both legal,
> perscription, and illegal - can do this.
The precursor to my conversion had some elements that would enhance a
hallucinatory experience. I was in mental agony at the time regarding the
meaning
of the universe. I was also isolated, suffered from sleep deprivation and
lack of
nutritional intake. Believe me, I have considered this as being the culprit
to
deception.>>
Jake: It doesn't sound like you should stop considering this either.
>>> The evidence is definitely not shrinking. All of the "evidence" in favor
of
> it has been testimonial, erroneous, or outright fraudulent. After this
> millenial fever subsides, there will be fewer pieces than ever to gather up.
I am looking forward to Jan. 1st. If nothing happens, it'll be another nail
for
the coffin of my death-bed faith.
SG<<
Jake: It will get here soon enough. I expect a few non-essential computer systems will putter out for a bit, a lot of people will be disapointed about not going into rapture, some will be disappointed when the social order does not break down, and we will all go on with our merry lives in short order.
That, of course, is a falsifiable hypothesis, but I am sticking to it.
The doubts that you have expressed about your experience seem very genuine. Even when you do finally feel satisfied in discarding this experiment in faith (as involuntary as it may have been), you will probably emerge a bit wiser to the power of human imagination. It isn't magical, but it can sure seem that way at times.
-Jake