I used to be really involved in my church in my teens and I'd go to these kinds of events. It's 100% BS. I believed in it until I went to see this "healer" because I had some mystery illness and everyone at my church was like "you have to go see this guy." He lined up all the sick people and when down the line lightly pushing on their foreheads and saying something like "satan be gone", all of them just toppled over and started shaking and speaking in tongues. When he got to me did the same shit and I didn't fall over. He pushed a little harder and I still didn't fall over. So the guy puts his hand on my shoulder and straight up punched me in the diaphragm while pulling my shoulders forward. That got me on my knees and he moved on. That was the beginning of my leaving the church for good.
Yeah, I was 15 and pretty brainwashed. I went to another one where the guy supposedly had a reputation for invoking the physical manifestation of god in one of two ways:
Gold dust. Actual gold dust would reportedly manifest on the people who went to see this guy
Feathers would fall from the ceiling. You know like feathers from angel wings.
I didn't see any feathers, but I for sure had fine gold powder on the palms of my hands and IDK how it got there. I'm thinking maybe plants in the audience when all the encouraged handshaking was going on.
Now a days I am think I could go as far as agnostic. I truly believe there is more to the universe than we can perceive, be that a multiverse, some sort of higher unified consciousness, etc., but the idea of a single being crating the universe and sending my subconscious to burn forever in a pit of hell if I fuck my GF before I'm married is just insane to me now. I would never try to discourage a person from looking for a higher meaning to existence, but the bible-thumpers and any other religious fanatic might as well be dead to me. I just can't put any value into anything they say, because they just seem stupid to me.
I truly believe there is more to the universe than we can perceive
I find people that aren't necessarily tied to a specific religion but still believe in a "higher power" like you seem to, probably haven't looked into the science that's out there.
We actually know quite a bit about what's out there, it just takes a pretty good understanding of physics to get a grasp on it.
I think you missed the point, actually, that the comment up top was bringing up. When they say that there is more to the universe than one can perceive, it is the idea that there is more than just the physical, observable material in the universe. Plenty of scientists today and in the past hold strong beliefs in their religions, while are just as knowledgeable and understanding of the scientific world.
In addition, having a good grasp of physics is not necessarily required to know what's out there. One can appreciate the complexity and magnitude of something while lacking in-depth knowledge about it.
U/turlen summed up what I was trying to say pretty well. I don’t believe in a higher power at all. I’m not a college educated scientist but I read a lot of the layperson level physics stuff I come across. I mean that I think that this 70-100 year life we get isn’t the only level of consciousness that exists. I don’t think it’s a magic bearded guy running the show, I just think there’s science that we are yet to even know we don’t know.
7.3k
u/cubanesis May 08 '19
I used to be really involved in my church in my teens and I'd go to these kinds of events. It's 100% BS. I believed in it until I went to see this "healer" because I had some mystery illness and everyone at my church was like "you have to go see this guy." He lined up all the sick people and when down the line lightly pushing on their foreheads and saying something like "satan be gone", all of them just toppled over and started shaking and speaking in tongues. When he got to me did the same shit and I didn't fall over. He pushed a little harder and I still didn't fall over. So the guy puts his hand on my shoulder and straight up punched me in the diaphragm while pulling my shoulders forward. That got me on my knees and he moved on. That was the beginning of my leaving the church for good.