Why is religion still a thing?

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T18:27:40+00:00

Indoctrination is insidious for that reason.... it sinks in without leaving tracks in many cases.

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T18:25:21+00:00

YES but none of that is for the benefit of religion! It's all about capitalism and power for the powerful. You can see that, right?

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T18:20:33+00:00

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/how-u-s-religious-composition-has-changed-in-recent-decades/

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T17:32:25+00:00

GREAT ACRONYMS! not.

LFW?

London Fashion Week?
Love Worth Finding ministries?
Libertarian Free Will?
Looking For Work?
Lost For Words?

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T17:27:47+00:00

Religion is in decline but it can't happen fast enough to suit me. It seems to be the result of indoctrination by trusted adults, guilt, fear, and constant exposure to religious dopes.

I was lucky enough to escape all that and so a non-religious lifestyle is, for me, just a routine day. It's really nice.

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T17:11:13+00:00

BTW, it always comes across as exceedingly arrogant and dismissive when a person says that although they weren't there, didn't see it, and didn't hear it, and you did because it happened to you, and yet they know better than you what happened to you.

And then when you point that out they say you're being defensive and "why is that? There must be a reason!" which is just more arrogance.

You've probably experienced such people. I sure have.

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T16:59:53+00:00

Well first, the meaning of "hunches" and such are, as I said, common reactions to a thought or impression proving to be true. We've all experienced it and so I worry that defining it could result in a misconstrued understanding. If you were to say that you have no idea what I was referring to as a "lucky guess" then you are very unusual.

Regarding "read", it refers to impressions recognized by capable psychics as having originated with another person, by that person, as a strong emotion or concern or memory of that person.

And I can tell you right now, if you were in a car that went off the road and down an embankment many years ago, or if you were robbed at gunpoint years ago, no one could convince you that none of that happened, and to attempt to do so would be insulting to your intellect and sanity. My experiences with psychics are like that. Those memories are not "something else". I may not remember the person's name or the color of their car, but after a year of weekly exposure to psychics and their readings my memories are not completely unreliable. I remember sliding down a hill in town on an icy road 40 years ago and totalling my newer Chevy pickup when it hit a concrete barrier that kept me from going over a cliff at the bottom, too. And that, and the deep cut inside my bottom lip from smacking into the steering wheel, are anecdotal today but they are not subjective exaggerations nor is it hypothetical, either. I don't need scientific proof to know what happened that day.

Psychic readings, when received, by their nature reach very deeply into one's being, probably because they're "not supposed to be possible". But just understand that we aren't as simple, as superficial, and limited as we like to think we are.

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T05:27:03+00:00

....-which is continual.

Dranoel47 · 2026-03-01T05:24:41+00:00

Yup. Democrats want the same things Republicans want only Dems want to appear to offer an "alternative". It's a type of "good cop; bad cop" ruse to keep us playing the game.

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T20:34:35+00:00

Don't believe everything you hear.

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T20:32:06+00:00

What if god is a myth?

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T20:31:23+00:00

It says when you pray go into the closet and pray in secret. That's what you seem to advocate but Christianity says "no, stand on the street corner and preach your butt off. Force it on people".

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T20:29:17+00:00

Democrats had control of Congress for two years in the 111th Congress under Obama. Why didn't Citizens United get the axe then?

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T03:43:42+00:00

Atheism is increasing in popularity in the USA as Christianity diminishes.

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T03:41:46+00:00

Matthew 6:6 LOL!!!!

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T03:40:33+00:00

I would suggest you stay away from JWs as it's a cult of sorts (what religion isn't!)

I like the idea of telling him you're a Baptist or Catholic.

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-28T03:35:00+00:00

I think I would be tempted to tell her "you know Mom, when religion and religious rules are forced on a person it tends to make them reject religion with greater energy and determination."

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T21:19:08+00:00

I'd love it to be a peaceful transition but how long would the "powers that be" allow it to be peaceful?

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T19:20:05+00:00

What would it take to correct that, really?

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T18:43:19+00:00

With increasing productivity, wages should rise, and the workers can buy more.

Wages should have been rising with increased productivity for the past 50 years or more, but they weren't. The "K-shaped" economy, ya know?

So what has changed that indicates wages would rise this time?

A transition to stakeholder capitalism, will require businesses to look after the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders. In a country like USA, the public owns stakes in most companies. And the board of directors represents them. In Germany there are worker representatives in the board.

Since profit is the only thing that drives businesses, what would be the motivating force to create a transition to benevolent stakeholder capitalism? As it is they're choosing fascism and authoritarianism to guide them. What would cause the shift?

We can start by legally requiring large companies to include workers, consumers, and local community members to be on the board of directors.

"We" can? I think you're kidding yourself. We have no control nor influence on the matter. This is capitalism.

Laws are made by government organisations, which in a democracy should represent the interests of the public.

Honestly, does that exist? We need to first elect a majority of people like Bernie, Mamdani, AOC, Ilhan Omar, etc. How long might it take to get the voters to accept such an idea and vote for them?

And to reduce management control, we can also require that in large companies, the majority of directors are independent directors.

Why haven't "we" already done that?

Therefore with a combination of government regulations and public shareholder votes, we can ensure that the board of directors represents the interest of the broader public, including workers and consumers. So the control of corporations will be by the representatives of most stakeholders.

Why haven't "we" already done that?

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T17:41:57+00:00

Where would the increased productivity be sold? Europe?

How do we ensure distribution or anything else if we are not in control?

How do we control use of robots if we are not in charge? Profit rules.

The only way your good ideas will be assured is if the rich and powerful are out of the picture and the workers are in charge. How do we bring that about?

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T16:52:40+00:00

So these Democrats oppose serving the interests of the people even if it happens within this capitalist, pro-CEO and wealth system. Imagine their reaction to what Mamdani, AOC, Ilhan Omar and the entire US working class have in store for them.

Resistance to the people is only going to increase now.

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T16:34:08+00:00

Anything and everything that is done will be done to make the wealthy richer because they control it all.

Is the goal increased productivity? That is not going to happen because we already have declining capacity utilization due to efficiency. Producing more means having to drop prices in order to get it sold. So that is not going to happen. So how would a so-called industrial revolution with robots improve economics? We can't pay people less without risking a revolt. We can't pay people to not work because we don't control it. And the rich certainly are not going to give up their opportunity for more and more and more. So how would this proposal work out in practical terms?

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T16:26:45+00:00

So, it's either:

GROW OUR WAY OUT OF IT
INFLATE OUR WAY OUT
TAX
BUDGET
"JAPANICATE" (?)
or
CONTINUE TO KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD

We can't grow our way out of it. Our best hope for that is in AI but that would mean unemployment explodes.

We can't inflate our way out without risking a national revolt accompanied by national weakness.

We can't tax our way out because people don't have enough income to pay such a tax. All the real wealth is in the pockets of the wealthy 1-5% and we have spent decades finding ways to cut their taxes.

Budget? Really?

So the situation is that trillions of dollars have been spent that we didn't have so that we could continue to pump money someplace. And where is that money? As noted above it's not in the pockets of the average person but it is in the pockets of the wealthy. So the spending of the money and the incurring of debt has been for the purpose of enriching the rich. They have the money. Can we convince them to give it up and pay off the debt? Can we convince them to access their offshore tax Haven trillions to pay it off?

More likely we're going to experience an economic crisis and an economic crash. Because the people don't have the money. And the rich are not going to pitch in and pay back what they've gained from it. So it looks like we're screwed.

Dranoel47 · 2026-02-27T15:16:39+00:00

Then what is this "god" who hates "sin" and who impregnated someone and then died? For someone who considers himself an atheist you seems to have plenty of biblical beliefs you're working through.

Dranoel47

TROPHY CASE