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Henry Rollins: Why I Am Not An Atheist

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ant

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Re: Henry Rollins: Why I Am Not An Atheist

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Answer this honestly, please:
Are you posting from a mental institution?
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Re: Henry Rollins: Why I Am Not An Atheist

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I was watching "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman" tonight and they showed an interesting experiment. They had two groups of children, about 4-6 years old. There was a felt target on the wall and the kids were to stand with their backs to it and throw velcro covered balls at it over their shoulder standing behind a line they were told they could not step over. If a ball stuck to the target, they were told they would get "a wonderful prize." The kids then each went into the room alone, one after another, and took turns. While being watched on hidden camera, none could get a ball to hit the target so they simply walked up and stuck the ball to the target and then pretended they had hit it.

Then the other group of kids was brought in and the game was explained to them BUT they were told that an invisible presence--Princess Alice--was sitting in a chair next to the target and was watching them. When each child went into the room alone to take his turn, none of them would cheat. One girl even approached the chair and called out for Princess Alice.

So maybe Rollins had something when he stated that religion keeps some people in line. First of all, we need to account for infantilism which is defined as "the persistence of infantile characteristics or behavior in adult life." Some adults have a greater need to be put into the role of a child. To wax Freudian for a moment, there is a conflict between the id (which demands immediate gratification) and the ego (which waits for delayed gratification). In adult Christians, we can see this gratification conflict at work.

The adult Christian desires to play the role of the child. This is common throughout society. When you are pulled over by a cop, the role-playing begins with the cop as angry parent and you as the mollifying child promising to be good if punishment is withheld. Doctor patient relationships are also based on the adult-child role-playing. In the military, the role-playing is highly pronounced via the system of rank. Even in online forums, adult-child roles are assumed by moderators and regular members. So it is hardly surprising that this role-playing should be of paramount importance in religion.

Christians don't call their clergymen "father" for no reason. The titles of gospel songs also reflect it: "Jesus Use Me", "I'll Be Good," "God Favored Me," "My shepherd Will Supply My Need," "I Surrender All" and the ever-disturbing "He Touched Me" all reflect the adult-child role-playing present in this religion. But you see it in Judaism and Islam as well (even more pronounced and pathetic in Islam than the other two put together).

The motivation to be good is the idea that someone in the role of adult is somehow watching them. I remember when Jimmy Swaggart was busted for riding around with a prostitute, the trouble started because Swaggart had pornographic magazines in his car. He asked the prostitute where they show "fuck movies" in town. She said she didn't know. Then Swaggart looked in the rearview mirror and saw a patrol car behind him. Suddenly, according to the prostitute, Swaggart started trying to kick the porno mags under the car seat. Why? It's not illegal to have them. But. in the role of a child in the presence of the authority/adult figure--in this case, the cop--Swaggart was overcome with panic. He was the little boy that daddy was about to catch going through his top drawer. The car began weaving crazily and the prostitute told Swaggart to cool it or they'd get busted. Too late, the cop pulled them over figuring the driver must have been drunk.

Swaggart's id wanted immediate gratification while the ego patiently awaits the 2nd Coming--the delayed gratification. These two are at cross purposes and so it causes a lot of problems. The Christian attempts to worm his way out of it by saying that atheists have the identical role-playing by looking up to scientists and philosophers. The difference, of course, is that we don't worship them and even reject them if they don't use good methodology.

My disagreement with Rollins lies in the idea that he doesn't buy into athiesm because religion may actually keep the infantilists in line. It isn't that I disagree that religion may serve this purpose, it's that being an atheist you already recognize that religion serves this purpose but that I myself reject the idea of an invisible Jewish spook in the sky watching everything I do because I do recognize it to be childish bullshit suitable for those adults who choose to play the role of child. On the other hand, Rollins was honest enough to say he wasn't an atheist because he was too lazy to bother putting in the requisite amount of study. I respect that. I think atheism DOES require a certain amount of study and if you are negligent about putting in the time then calling yourself an atheist is like calling yourself a scholar when you never made it through high school. So, at least, he's not being pretentious about it. I don't think anyone seriously expects Rollins to give a shit about the origins of the Christ myth. He knows it and so refrains from calling himself an atheist and so people should lay off him. He's just being honest. And he has a point about the infantilism that seemed to escape those on this thread who criticized him.

The bottom line is that, in the experiment, all the children cheated when they thought no one was watching because that is what children naturally do. So if an adult willfully assumes the role of child, they too need a motivator to stay honest. Like real children, they need to be watched. When they try to legislate Christianity into our lives, they are saying none of us are trustworthy and must all be watched. Any Christian who tells you that without the belief in the God we would all be running around killing each other, believe it--about people like him. We have enough evidence in history to show that religious people are childish enough to believe absurdities and so lack just enough of a moral compass to commit atrocities if Princess Alice says it's okay to do so.

But there is a warning for atheists too. Don't fall into the trap of infantilism. The best way to avoid it is to reject authority and think for yourself. Question everything including your own beliefs and do it on a constant basis.
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Re: Henry Rollins: Why I Am Not An Atheist

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The best way to avoid it is to reject authority and think for yourself.
But then of course you immediately blow this up when you read your favorite popular atheist's book and parrot their diatribes to other people that do not agree with them.

Brilliant, bozo..,another brilliant and original idea from you.
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Re: Henry Rollins: Why I Am Not An Atheist

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ant wrote:you read your favorite popular atheist's book and parrot their diatribes to other people that do not agree with them.
when did DB Roy do this ant? i've never seen DB Roy parrot diatribes.
ant wrote:Brilliant, bozo..,another brilliant and original idea from you.
why do you always post in that antagonistic way ant, as if you have sand in your vagina?
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Re: Henry Rollins: Why I Am Not An Atheist

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I have enough diatribes of my own that I don't need to copy anyone else's.
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Re: Henry Rollins: Why I Am Not An Atheist

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DB Roy wrote:I have enough diatribes of my own that I don't need to copy anyone else's.

Oh sure. You arent influenced in the slightest by your own authority figures.

What are you smoking today, Roy? Anything you can burn?
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