Amarillo’s ABC affiliate reports: The Grinch tried to steal Christmas. Dressed as The Grinch, David Grisham carried a sign during the morning drop-off at Sleepy Hollow Elementary in Amarillo, Texas that read “Santa is Fake. Jesus is Real.” Parents, as you might imagine, were not happy to see him. One dad grabbed the sign and …
Jesus is Santa for grown-ups.
I think the only reason why people believe in something that defines if they go to hell or not based on their actions is that, regardless of their actions, they always think they are good people.
I’ve seen awful, awful people call themselves “good people”. They are convinced they are going to heaven.
Pedophile priests probably think they are good people who are eventually going to heaven. The people in the Vatican who forgive pedophiles, they also think they are good people.
I honestly hope their God exists so they rot in hell for eternity.
So here we go: are you a good person?
Seems a bit off topic of my comment, but I’ll bite.
I don’t believe in free will. I don’t make choices or decisions, as such. My biology responds to environmental stimulus and cues.
Having said that, objectively I’m not very effective at being a human. I’m in a straight marriage, but bisexual (leaning gay) and only figured that out after a decade. I shout at my kids when I lose my temper. Or I sit in the dark and mope instead of dealing with my problems. Or use recreational cannabis. Although I’m physically healthy, I’m not very social and don’t have or provide a social safety net. But I have a good job that I enjoy.
Am is good person? I don’t think that means anything. But I know there are a handful of people who like being with me and benefit from my actions. So I’m a net benefit to my circle. I think that’s good enough for me.
I wasn’t asking you the question hehe, it was more rethorical to prove the point that everyone probably thought “yup, I’m a good person”. Thanks for supporting my point though. I don’t think you’re a bad person, I just think everyone thinks they are good.
Yes, I believe that you’re right on that point. As crazy as it seems.
Thank you for your candor! And no, I don’t believe in freewill either.
Ever read Dr. Peter Watt’s novel Blindsight? Fiction of course, but written by a very smart biologist. Two of the main questions are, is freewill real? And, what is the use of consciousness?
Both absurd questions on the surface! But are those really dumb questions?
It’s a first contact novel, and the captain of the ship sent to investigate is a vampire. Really. Using current human and discovered DNA, we’ve resurrected extinct hominids from the Pleistocene. Book does a great job examining what an obligate homo sapien carnivore would look and act like, how they might evolve. It also examines near post-human possibilities and what those might look like.
I’ll stop now. If I start quoting the cool parts, I’ll just end up quoting it all. Worst complaints I’ve heard are people not relating to the characters. Well, they’re not “baseline” humans, they’re cutting edge so to speak. We’re not meant to understand them completely. And the narrator is unreliable. People have bitched about that, but he pretty much admits it from the first chapter.
Anywho, it’s free to read/download from the author’s site. If you like that one, the only sequel, Echopraxia is a worthy follow up.
Give the prologue a spin y’all. If that doesn’t suck you in, no hurt feelings.
Thank you. I look forward to reading it.
Excerpt From The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr.
I just finished reading it. I’m not sure I understood all of it, but I enjoyed it.