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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
 Posted - 05/27/2004 : 08:19:52
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Ever wonder if your skepticism is truly yours and not engendered by demonic possession? Perhaps your belief in evolution really is as stupid and insane as the Creationists think. Perhaps you have been duped by Satan. If you're TRULY a skeptic, shouldn't you be skeptical about your skepticism?
I think the only way you can really be sure you think what you think you think, and are not at least partially influenced by a demon, is to have an exorcism. Do you need faith for that to work? I wonder if you can drive a demon out, or at least detect the presence of one, but drinking holy water? You know, like if you drink the holy water and immediately vomit, does that indicate something? Or if you drink it and immediately black out, waking up unknown hours later in a cemetary, naked, with a pentagram drawn in blood on your chest? Would that indicate something?
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-Chaloobi
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 09:45:07 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by chaloobi
Ever wonder if your skepticism is truly yours and not engendered by demonic possession? Perhaps your belief in evolution really is as stupid and insane as the Creationists think. Perhaps you have been duped by Satan. If you're TRULY a skeptic, shouldn't you be skeptical about your skepticism?
I think the only way you can really be sure you think what you think you think, and are not at least partially influenced by a demon, is to have an exorcism. Do you need faith for that to work? I wonder if you can drive a demon out, or at least detect the presence of one, but drinking holy water? You know, like if you drink the holy water and immediately vomit, does that indicate something? Or if you drink it and immediately black out, waking up unknown hours later in a cemetary, naked, with a pentagram drawn in blood on your chest? Would that indicate something?
I think we covered this subject in the religion folder under the title GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.skepticfriends.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2398
Skepticism is just using that lump of grey matter between your ears. If the arguement conforms to the rules of logic and is properly supported, you really can't fault a supernatural being.
Having an exorcism assumes that the extraordinary must be true without requiring extraordinary evidence. Exorcism has been abandoned by most Prodestant churches and rarely used by the Catholic church. The Catholics require the subject to undergo psychiatric evaluation before preforming exorcisms.
Using your own set of logic, are you sure you aren't demonically possessed? Suggesting everyone who expresses skepticism undergo an exorcism is a bit extreme. Are you sure that exorcism as it is practiced by the extremist fundamentalist evangelicals isn't just a way for demonic possession to spread?
You can contact my younger brother, he might give you a discount on your "love offering" if you mention my name. |
Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
| Edited by - Valiant Dancer on 05/27/2004 09:48:34 |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 10:02:13 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Valiant Dancer
I think we covered this subject in the religion folder under the title GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was? Damn, and here I thought I was especially witty and clever. Is it still an original idea even if someone else thought of it first but you didn't know about it?
quote:
<snip>
Having an exorcism assumes that the extraordinary must be true without requiring extraordinary evidence. <snip>
Can't you be entirely skeptical of exorcism but cautious enough to want to cover all the bases just in case?
quote:
Using your own set of logic, are you sure you aren't demonically possessed?
No, I'm not sure. LOL. Are you? 
quote:
Suggesting everyone who expresses skepticism undergo an exorcism is a bit extreme.
I know. That's what was funny about the whole thing, don't you think? 
quote:
Are you sure that exorcism as it is practiced by the extremist fundamentalist evangelicals isn't just a way for demonic possession to spread?
Actually I was just thinking this while eating lunch. How do we know the real demon isn't INTRODUCED during the exorcism process??? Hmmm. . . . . How do we know we arn't actually demons made to think we're human? Call it deep undercover infiltration . . . .
quote:
You can contact my younger brother, he might give you a discount on your "love offering" if you mention my name.
No thanks. I assume he's a christian fundamentalist . . . I find those folks intolerable to be around for any length of time. I wonder if that's an indication of demonic possession??? |
-Chaloobi
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 12:57:02 [Permalink]
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Hmm. I think that before we can discuss demon posession, we must first establish the existance of demons, and we'll leave my ex-ol' lady out of this. Contrary to popular belief, she is not a demon. I don't think. Maybe.
As there has been no empirical evidence for the existance of demons in many centuries of looking for them (my ex aside), demon possesion falls under superstition and only happens in the minds of the superstitious. A compentant councelor would be more saluberous than a priest, although my understanding is that the Catholic ceremony is worth seeing and rather soothing.
'Nuff said?
Demon posession is actually quite popular with some of the more rabid, Protestant sects as well as Catholics. All too often we read about some unfortunate, usually a child, being killed in a home-brewed exorcism. And it seems that every day we hear about some poor soul(s) being ritually murdered in Africa for witchcraft, which is much the same thing.
The long and short of it is that superstition in general and various religions in particular foisted this nonsense off on us and it seems that no amount of enlightenment will rid us of it.
And there is the real demon: irrational belief in the supernatural (and my ex).
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 19:26:02 [Permalink]
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| Chaloobi, I think what we first need is a way to tell if the exorcist we use is possessed, him/herself. Any suggestions? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 20:49:38 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
Hmm. I think that before we can discuss demon posession, we must first establish the existance of demons, and we'll leave my ex-ol' lady out of this. Contrary to popular belief, she is not a demon. I don't think. Maybe.
As there has been no empirical evidence for the existance of demons in many centuries of looking for them (my ex aside), demon possesion falls under superstition and only happens in the minds of the superstitious. A compentant councelor would be more saluberous than a priest, although my understanding is that the Catholic ceremony is worth seeing and rather soothing.
'Nuff said?
Demon posession is actually quite popular with some of the more rabid, Protestant sects as well as Catholics. All too often we read about some unfortunate, usually a child, being killed in a home-brewed exorcism. And it seems that every day we hear about some poor soul(s) being ritually murdered in Africa for witchcraft, which is much the same thing.
The long and short of it is that superstition in general and various religions in particular foisted this nonsense off on us and it seems that no amount of enlightenment will rid us of it.
And there is the real demon: irrational belief in the supernatural (and my ex).
But are you sure it's not a demon in you that makes you believe this? Shouldn't you get an exorcism just in case? |
-Chaloobi
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 20:51:35 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
Chaloobi, I think what we first need is a way to tell if the exorcist we use is possessed, him/herself. Any suggestions?
Well I think you'd be an idiot to get an exorcism from someone who hasn't been recently exorcised himself. Don't you think? Duh. Sheesh.
(Damn 60 second rule!  )
EDIT: This forum needs better emoticons. Dave, you're an administrator, right? Can you brew up some better emoticons? |
-Chaloobi
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| Edited by - chaloobi on 05/27/2004 20:52:23 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 21:11:37 [Permalink]
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Chaloobi wrote:quote:
Well I think you'd be an idiot to get an exorcism from someone who hasn't been recently exorcised himself. Don't you think? Duh. Sheesh.
How can you tell?
[Jon Lovitz] Yeeeeeaah, I got myself exorcized at lunch. That's the ticket. [/Jon Lovitz]quote:
EDIT: This forum needs better emoticons. Dave, you're an administrator, right? Can you brew up some better emoticons?
I'm not the webmaster. That's @tomic's job. I see you've already posted your request in the right place, though. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2004 : 06:33:31 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W. How can you tell?
<snip>
Clearly what is needed is an Instant Possession Test, or IPT for short. Something like a little white stick you can dip in your urine and if there are 2 pink lines, you're possessed.... I'd be surprised if some church out there hasn't already developed something like that. |
-Chaloobi
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2004 : 07:00:17 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
Chaloobi wrote:quote:
Well I think you'd be an idiot to get an exorcism from someone who hasn't been recently exorcised himself. Don't you think? Duh. Sheesh.
How can you tell?
[Jon Lovitz] Yeeeeeaah, I got myself exorcized at lunch. That's the ticket. [/Jon Lovitz].
[Jon Lovitz] By my wife.....Morgan Fairchild. Yea, that's the ticket. [/Jon Lovitz] |
Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2004 : 09:20:14 [Permalink]
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Chaloobi wrote:quote:
Clearly what is needed is an Instant Possession Test, or IPT for short. Something like a little white stick you can dip in your urine and if there are 2 pink lines, you're possessed.... I'd be surprised if some church out there hasn't already developed something like that.
And if the inventors of such a test were, themselves, possessed? Obviously, the instructions would read backwards. Two pink lines would really mean that you're not possessed, but since the instructions say otherwise, you toddle on down to your local exorcist, who pumps a demon into you (since he's already got one, and knows you need one).
And now we all know that Val does a much better Jon Lovitz than I. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2004 : 11:03:06 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
And if the inventors of such a test were, themselves, possessed? Obviously, the instructions would read backwards. Two pink lines would really mean that you're not possessed, but since the instructions say otherwise, you toddle on down to your local exorcist, who pumps a demon into you (since he's already got one, and knows you need one).
And now we all know that Val does a much better Jon Lovitz than I.
Hmmmm . . . . . you have a point there. And it's not just the little itty bitty point that the test could be reversed. It's that you can NEVER be sure you and/or everyone else in the world are not possessed by a demon, there's no reliable way to find out, and there's no reliable way to get rid of one if it's there. You can never be sure your thoughts are not unduly influenced by evil.
Accepting this reality, there are only two choices for dealing with this conundrum:
First, you can selflessly protect humanity through suicide. That's the only way you can be sure the demon that might be in you can never cause any more harm to society.
Second, you can selfishly forget about it. Since the demon that might be influencing you can't be detected or removed and life with or without the demon feels more or less the same, then, if you intend to keep on living, for all practical purposes it makes no difference.
Besides, if there is a demon in you, then it can be inferred that God exists and Christianity is correct. If that is the case, then suicide is a mortal sin and you will spend eternity as a tree in hell for doing the selfless thing. In that case, you might as well live your life with the demon and claim ignorance on Judgement Day. Sheesh. No wonder there's so much evil in the world. . . . |
-Chaloobi
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| Edited by - chaloobi on 05/28/2004 11:04:32 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2004 : 21:59:32 [Permalink]
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Chaloobi, you've got it.
See also an old back-and-forth discussion between Computer Org and myself on the subject of telepathy. It starts about halfway down the linked page, with Computer Org's 11/13/2003 post. Don't neglect the next page, which has Computer Org's wonderful punchline to the whole discussion. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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R.Wreck
SFN Regular
USA
1191 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2004 : 19:40:20 [Permalink]
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quote:
Or if you drink it and immediately black out, waking up unknown hours later in a cemetary, naked, with a pentagram drawn in blood on your chest? Would that indicate something?
In my case, it indicated I was possessed by the spirit of Jack Daniels. Didn't need an exorcism, though, just a bunch of aspirin and an extra large bloody mary. |
The foundation of morality is to . . . give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibliities of knowledge.
T. H. Huxley
The Cattle Prod of Enlightened Compassion
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Roki
New Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2004 : 03:42:13 [Permalink]
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What if EVERYONE'S possessed and they pretend to perform an exorcism on you, only to place an extra Demon somewhere inside?
Just stay as you are to be safe!
Oh no, what to doooo.... |
It was determined that I would believe in determinism |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2004 : 07:55:00 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
Chaloobi, you've got it.
See also an old back-and-forth discussion between Computer Org and myself on the subject of telepathy. It starts about halfway down the linked page, with Computer Org's 11/13/2003 post. Don't neglect the next page, which has Computer Org's wonderful punchline to the whole discussion.
You're description of the telepathic organization controlling the Earth - of which you are a powerful member - is chillingly convincing. You had me going for a moment.
Clearly these discussions about mind control and direct mental deception are pointless. (If you're doing in for anything beyond simple entertainment ). You might as well be discussing the existance - or not - of God.
It's like trying to prove that anyone else in the world actually exists outside yourself. How can you prove that you yourself are not God and the only independent entity in the universe? Perhaps you're so freaking lonely, your all powerful mind has conjured the rest of us up just to keep you company. But in fact, we're all pieces of you. You all are alone. Totally alone. |
-Chaloobi
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