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I'm an Ex Scn and Atheist - How many atheists are here at the board?

Hypatia

Pagan
There's a cable tv show called "I survived". People who make it through assaults, natural disasters, accidents, etc. For a while tgey had a spinoff called "I survived...and back" which was about NDEs. I really liked it. If you can find old episodes on streaming somewhere and are interested in that sort of thing, I recommend it.
 

SuperPowers

Patron with Honors
There has been several takes on past lifes in this thread. So here's mine:

I did spend a lot of expensive hours on rudiments, Dianetic auditing etc in the seventies.
And most of those auditing hours where spent on past lifes. At that time it seemed strange and awkward to me to plough through all those "memories of past existence". But using coaxing and having the authority of using the scientific artifact, the auditor got me "into it" and I found myself exploring the seamingly endless number of past lifes. At that time it became a part of the general jargon amongst my fellow scientologists to refer to and to know the "reality" of past lifes. And oh yes, at times the "quality of re-experiencing" the forgotten lifes was quite clear and emotional which locked my position that this tech was effectively doing a miraculous job.
But that was then and now is now. I'm convinced the past life tech is addressing the imaginative capability of a person and hypnotic suggestions is used to have him find whatever could be imagined. The metering brings two things into the "religious therapy" - 1) A sense of precise scientificness (a placebo booster) and 2) a false way of entering a persons inner life. The memories accessed by Hubbards "tech approach" were useless because they were synthetic episodes, and the so-called EP, usually expected to result in a happy halleluja moment but the life enrichment didn't last very long. And that's my point about Hubbards "tech" - It maybe got you high for a day or two, but then you needed to come back for more expensive dope.

I don't believe in past lifes, UFOs, psychic powers, paranormal phenomena etc. I don't believe in miracles except for this wonderful universe and the capacity of life to evolve into complexities like homo sapiens, arts and science. We could say we are part of universe exploring itself.
 

lotus

stubborn rebel sheep!
It's interesting that Cayce hypnotized himself in order to access his Abilities. I thought that LRH did precisely the same thing with writing .

Perhaps Phenom...

But I'd say that their inner motives were totally opposite

If my recall serve I understood that Cayce was going into a state ressembling hypnosis and was very humble since he nerver refered to it as of abilities..but view it as being a transmission channel. (he was doing ''reading'' of people's energies, past lives and medical problems and giving natural prescriptions to heal)

Although I don't have any opinion on this phenomanon.

Concerning Hubtard...I don't think he had those same motivations of sincerely trying to help...
His use of hypnosis, was really to become a super human.
My thought is that he was in the field of self-serving interests.
(The admissions can serve as a blattant proof of his true motive)

What he wrote , IMHO, was a body of policies to rule people's life, to lecture people on life and pseud-sanity through his own paranoid, lunatic sociopathic mind, and thus, to ensure he, and his cult, would become the world rulers and make lot of $$$. His pseudo technical bulletins ??? Pfit..... garbage as far as I am concern. Shall be recycled in toilet paper since it has 0 scientific value and been wrote by a sociopath narcissist pathological liar who had no concern about mankind other that ''shall be my slaves''

Unfortunately, what may have been of interest was not at all from his work....

Although I respect any view that may differ from mine.
 
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Operating Wog

Patron with Honors
There has been several takes on past lifes in this thread. So here's mine:

I did spend a lot of expensive hours on rudiments, Dianetic auditing etc in the seventies.
And most of those auditing hours where spent on past lifes. At that time it seemed strange and awkward to me to plough through all those "memories of past existence". But using coaxing and having the authority of using the scientific artifact, the auditor got me "into it" and I found myself exploring the seamingly endless number of past lifes. At that time it became a part of the general jargon amongst my fellow scientologists to refer to and to know the "reality" of past lifes. And oh yes, at times the "quality of re-experiencing" the forgotten lifes was quite clear and emotional which locked my position that this tech was effectively doing a miraculous job.
But that was then and now is now. I'm convinced the past life tech is addressing the imaginative capability of a person and hypnotic suggestions is used to have him find whatever could be imagined. The metering brings two things into the "religious therapy" - 1) A sense of precise scientificness (a placebo booster) and 2) a false way of entering a persons inner life. The memories accessed by Hubbards "tech approach" were useless because they were synthetic episodes, and the so-called EP, usually expected to result in a happy halleluja moment but the life enrichment didn't last very long. And that's my point about Hubbards "tech" - It maybe got you high for a day or two, but then you needed to come back for more expensive dope.

I don't believe in past lifes, UFOs, psychic powers, paranormal phenomena etc. I don't believe in miracles except for this wonderful universe and the capacity of life to evolve into complexities like homo sapiens, arts and science. We could say we are part of universe exploring itself.

Interesting. Similar experiences here. There was also a certain community validation. "oh... you haven't gone past track yet? well, you will." "she's not able to run past track. she needs a remedy" "oh, you recalled a past life! congratulations!"

I kind of felt like I graduated, moved up a notch the first time I remembered something. Like I had joined and elite club. I was a real scientogist then.

Now... no frigging clue. And don't waste time worrying about it. There are so many logistical problems with the idea of past lives, what starts out as a seemingly simple concept gets ridiculously complex real fast.
 

Francois Tremblay

Patron with Honors
No... atheism is not a religion. A religion is a system of belief. Many atheists have a religion, whether Buddhist, or Wicca, or Subgenius, or whatever, but atheism itself is not a religion.

Atheism in itself doesn't tell you what a person believes. For that, you need to ask them. But I guess that's too much to ask for?? Give me a break.
 

phenomanon

Canyon
Perhaps Phenom...

But I'd say that their inner motives were totally opposite

If my recall serve I understood that Cayce was going into a state ressembling hypnosis and was very humble since he nerver refered to it as of abilities..but view it as being a transmission channel. (he was doing ''reading'' of people's energies, past lives and medical problems and giving natural prescriptions to heal)

Although I don't have any opinion on this phenomanon.

Concerning Hubtard...I don't think he had those same motivations of sincerely trying to help...
His use of hypnosis, was really to become a super human.
My thought is that he was in the field of self-serving interests.
(The admissions can serve as a blattant proof of his true motive)

What he wrote , IMHO, was a body of policies to rule people's life, to lecture people on life and pseud-sanity through his own paranoid, lunatic sociopathic mind, and thus, to ensure he, and his cult, would become the world rulers and make lot of $$$. His pseudo technical bulletins ??? Pfit..... garbage as far as I am concern. Shall be recycled in toilet paper since it has 0 scientific value and been wrote by a sociopath narcissist pathological liar who had no concern about mankind other that ''shall be my slaves''

Unfortunately, what may have been of interest was not at all from his work....

Although I respect any view that may differ from mine.

I toadly agree with you, O Wise Lotus, as to motives of the rwo. I'm just saying that Edgar Cayce's life is a testament to Psychic ability and to the ability to access past lives. He used self hypnosis ( this was told in the book(s), which, I believe were written after his death). I was greatly influenced by " Many Mansions", and another book or two after his Son started a Foundation etc. I thought that LRH was using self hypnosis to access his imagination, and I believed that he was able to access automatic writing skills as well.
Another book that influenced me early on was " Bridey Murphy", which story was proven False, I think, later on.
When I was 8-10 years old, we lived in a house shared with a retired English/History teacher. Up in the attic of the house was a Library in which were stored books of Eastern Religions. I pored over them for hours, days, months, never understanding much, but continued to read in spite of the difficult Hindu/Buddhist names. That's where the Theory of Reincarnation became real to me. Notice I said "Theory".
No. Lotus. There is no parallel in the motivation between Hubbard and Cayce.
 

Bill

Gold Meritorious Patron
No... atheism is not a religion. A religion is a system of belief. Many atheists have a religion, whether Buddhist, or Wicca, or Subgenius, or whatever, but atheism itself is not a religion.

Atheism in itself doesn't tell you what a person believes. For that, you need to ask them. But I guess that's too much to ask for?? Give me a break.
Correct. Atheism is not a religion ... but it is a religious opinion. If you have an opinion about "God", that is a religious subject. You might also note that neither "theism" nor "agnosticism" are religions either but are, obviously, also religious opinions.

If a person says they are an atheist, that tells you they don't believe "God" exists. You are right that it says nothing about what else they might believe.

"Theism" and "agnosticism" also say nothing about what else a person believes. The same goes for an infinite number of other labels. Thank you Captain Obvious.
 
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oneonewasaracecar

Gold Meritorious Patron
"Theism" and "agnosticism" also say nothing about what else a person believes. The same goes for an infinite number of other labels. Thank you Captain Obvious.

I don't know that I would refer to Francis as 'Captain Obvious.' It is obvious to many people that atheism is not a religion, but not those on this thread to whom Francis is responding.

I suspect that, in order to make it less personal, he has not addressed the specific people in general. The religious are often easily offended.

I'd call him 'Captain Polite,' or possibly 'Bluebeard' given in a past life he was a pirate. Thankfully, unlike others on this thread, he didn't kill me. Protip: Always hand over the doubloons to a pirate if you want to live.
 

strativarius

Inveterate gnashnab & snoutband
quote_icon.png
Originally Posted by strativarius

You're not from the sayouth are you by any chance oneone? :biggrin:

Yes. In a past life...

...on this planet.

Thought so... definitely not from the noith.
 

Margaret

Patron
I'm an atheist now.

I don't believe in super natural things any more.

Science and reason is my ground.

I love arts and music.

I hate religious violence and oppression.

I despise fake science and knowledge.

And that goes for Hubbard and his phone ideology.

What are you today my ex scn friend?

Are you still some sort of a religious believer or are you a non-believer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Te4zkbgeuw&t=1204s


I'm with you for the most part. I do however think there may be a spiritual aspect to a person, but I'm not sure. I have a strong dislike of organised religion and anything even vaguely dogmatic.
 

Anonycat

Crusader
That was so great, Chris! There are so many personal things I could add, but for the moment will be reserved. Could you please post his book tour dates that go with the locations he mentioned. I'd like to attend one or two.

Thank you again.
 

programmer_guy

True Ex-Scientologist
That was so great, Chris! There are so many personal things I could add, but for the moment will be reserved. Could you please post his book tour dates that go with the locations he mentioned. I'd like to attend one or two.

Thank you again.


You might also watch for Matt Dillahunty who has also done presentations and debates on the same topics & subtopics.
 
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