Comments on: Narcissism and religion http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/ Commentary, news, and rants on the evils and stupidity of belief in the big invisible daddy in the sky. Illuminating and watchdogging the widespread attempts to institutionalize the theocratic rule of the US. Making fun of believers everywhere. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:41:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Fritzy http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336984 Fritzy Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:56:26 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336984 Yeah, I've often said it's pretty difficult to seriously follow the dictates of any dualistic religion and transcend the ego--by virtue of the fact that these religions feed into and operate off of the ego in rather unhealthy ways. JJR--I can kinda sympathize--I ended a four year relationship with my last girlfriend in a similar manner. There were other factors, but the religion thing played a large part in the demise of our relationship. Yeah, I’ve often said it’s pretty difficult to seriously follow the dictates of any dualistic religion and transcend the ego–by virtue of the fact that these religions feed into and operate off of the ego in rather unhealthy ways.

JJR–I can kinda sympathize–I ended a four year relationship with my last girlfriend in a similar manner. There were other factors, but the religion thing played a large part in the demise of our relationship.

]]> By: Krystalline Apostate http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336749 Krystalline Apostate Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:06:02 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336749 This reminded me of Feuerbach, who said in <i>Essence of Christianity</i>: <blockquote>What man calls Absolute Being, his God, is his own being. The power of the object over him is therefore the power of his own being. Thus, the power of the object of feeling is the power of feeling itself; the power of the object of reason is the power of reason itself; and the power of the object of will is the power of the will itself.</blockquote> http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/feuerbach/works/essence/ec01_1.htm This reminded me of Feuerbach, who said in Essence of Christianity:

What man calls Absolute Being, his God, is his own being. The power of the object over him is therefore the power of his own being. Thus, the power of the object of feeling is the power of feeling itself; the power of the object of reason is the power of reason itself; and the power of the object of will is the power of the will itself.

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/feuerbach/works/essence/ec01_1.htm

]]> By: ChuckA http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336731 ChuckA Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:32:29 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336731 (Puts down portable mirror) ;) Interesting Post, Stardust; with equally interesting comments. JJR..."bat-shit crazy" Such a great way to describe crazy! Does that go back to the caveman days? "Ummm...Jane?...my dearest...there's a bit of bat shit on your left shoulder. I think some of it fell into the dinosaur stew. Maybe it'll taste better than the last batch you made... (under breath:)...you crazy Bitch!" Indeed, that OT Gawd of man's projection would be the "Infinitely Bat-Shit Narcissist"? Tommy...RE a deity needing to create worshipers...Yeah...like us 'naked apes'...seems to baffle the mind unto the ultra-narcissistic, "bat-shit crazy" state! Somehow the "Dawn Of Man" scene from Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" comes to my mind...you know...starting with the apes in a cave and progressing to their being totally flabbergasted by the "monolith"; and discovering the first weapon to kill each other with?... kinda religious Fundie-like? Oh, WTF!... "2001: A Space Odyssey Dawn Of Man" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdoA3AJ6zGE Of course when I first saw the film in Chicago's Michael Todd theater in 1968...totally impressed, of course...I thought it was VERY suggestive of Extraterrestrial Alien shtick. [It WAS one of my favorite "dating" flicks, in those days. (sigh!)] (Picks up portable mirror...and resumes... bat-shit-like?) :shock: (Puts down portable mirror) ;)

Interesting Post, Stardust; with equally interesting comments.

JJR…”bat-shit crazy” Such a great way to describe crazy! Does that go back to the caveman days?
“Ummm…Jane?…my dearest…there’s a bit of bat shit on your left shoulder.
I think some of it fell into the dinosaur stew. Maybe it’ll taste better than the last batch you made…
(under breath:)…you crazy Bitch!”
Indeed, that OT Gawd of man’s projection would be the “Infinitely Bat-Shit Narcissist”?

Tommy…RE a deity needing to create worshipers…Yeah…like us ‘naked apes’…seems to baffle the mind unto the ultra-narcissistic, “bat-shit crazy” state!
Somehow the “Dawn Of Man” scene from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” comes to my mind…you know…starting with the apes in a cave and progressing to their being totally flabbergasted by the “monolith”; and discovering the first weapon to kill each other with?…
kinda religious Fundie-like?
Oh, WTF!…
“2001: A Space Odyssey Dawn Of Man”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdoA3AJ6zGE

Of course when I first saw the film in Chicago’s Michael Todd theater in 1968…totally impressed, of course…I thought it was VERY suggestive of Extraterrestrial Alien shtick.
[It WAS one of my favorite "dating" flicks, in those days. (sigh!)]

(Picks up portable mirror…and resumes…
bat-shit-like?) :shock:

]]> By: Tommy http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336729 Tommy Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:12:08 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336729 <em>I’m also struck by Stardust’s list of Narcissistic personality traits and struck by how close these come to describing the OT Gawd of the Bible. Since THAT character was ALSO an invention of humans, he seems to be a projection of the Narcissistic consciousness writ large and personified as a kind of Platonic “Ultimate Narcissist”.</em> Yeah JJR, I noticed the same thing and pointed it out in the comments section to this post on Stardust's blog. It strikes me as bizarre that any being powerful and intelligent enough to make this vast universe in which we are but a tiny speck would need to be worshipped and adored by us mere humans. After all, we don't feel the need to be worshipped by amoebas. I’m also struck by Stardust’s list of Narcissistic personality traits and struck by how close these come to describing the OT Gawd of the Bible. Since THAT character was ALSO an invention of humans, he seems to be a projection of the Narcissistic consciousness writ large and personified as a kind of Platonic “Ultimate Narcissist”.

Yeah JJR, I noticed the same thing and pointed it out in the comments section to this post on Stardust’s blog.

It strikes me as bizarre that any being powerful and intelligent enough to make this vast universe in which we are but a tiny speck would need to be worshipped and adored by us mere humans. After all, we don’t feel the need to be worshipped by amoebas.

]]> By: JJR http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336723 JJR Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:04:36 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336723 Great article, Stardust, thanks for posting it. Chaoswes asked aloud: "...I have always wondered if it is a persons low self esteem/worth that drives them to find religion and therefore a “god” that finds them special. In essence does religion create a false sense of narcissism in people that actually have almost no self value?" That's a good question and I would say that that was certainly the case with my Ex-wife, who was raised Fundie, was a wishy-washy agnostic when we hooked up, and went back to be a raging Fundie again after we split up; that drift back to religion ripped our relationship apart, ultimately--and I realized after the fact that she actually had never been that far from her roots to begin with, having read way more into her supposed agnosticism than was really there. My Ex definitely had low self esteem, probably still does. On the other hand, I will allow that she was extremely intelligent, but also bat-shit crazy. Such a waste of an otherwise brilliant mind. I'm also struck by Stardust's list of Narcissistic personality traits and struck by how close these come to describing the OT Gawd of the Bible. Since THAT character was ALSO an invention of humans, he seems to be a projection of the Narcissistic consciousness writ large and personified as a kind of Platonic "Ultimate Narcissist". That's all bad enough, but the Bible makes things worse by exalting the stupid and the mediocre over the intelligent and rational. If people make fun of you for your dipshit beliefs, rejoice for thou art exalted in the eyes of the Lord, blah blah blah... Great article, Stardust, thanks for posting it.

Chaoswes asked aloud:
“…I have always wondered if it is a persons low self esteem/worth that drives them to find religion and therefore a “god” that finds them special. In essence does religion create a false sense of narcissism in people that actually have almost no self value?”

That’s a good question and I would say that that was certainly the case with my Ex-wife, who was raised Fundie, was a wishy-washy agnostic when we hooked up, and went back to be a raging Fundie again after we split up; that drift back to religion ripped our relationship apart, ultimately–and I realized after the fact that she actually had never been that far from her roots to begin with, having read way more into her supposed agnosticism than was really there. My Ex definitely had low self esteem, probably still does. On the other hand, I will allow that she was extremely intelligent, but also bat-shit crazy.

Such a waste of an otherwise brilliant mind.

I’m also struck by Stardust’s list of Narcissistic personality traits and struck by how close these come to describing the OT Gawd of the Bible. Since THAT character was ALSO an invention of humans, he seems to be a projection of the Narcissistic consciousness writ large and personified as a kind of Platonic “Ultimate Narcissist”.

That’s all bad enough, but the Bible makes things worse by exalting the stupid and the mediocre over the intelligent and rational. If people make fun of you for your dipshit beliefs, rejoice for thou art exalted in the eyes of the Lord, blah blah blah…

]]> By: democommie http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336722 democommie Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:51:13 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336722 I met a fellow at the Goodwill today (LL Bean sweaters for $2--hooray!!) and we talked about a number of things. He was a pretty nice, old coot, just like me. When he left he said "I'm reverend so-and-so from the XXXX Assembly of God and I told him I wasn't much of a church guy but if I found myself in the area some Sunday I'd stop in to deconstruct his lesson. I didn't mean to jerk his chain, and he did seem like a nice man. I hope he wasn't writing down my license number (it was a rental). I met a fellow at the Goodwill today (LL Bean sweaters for $2–hooray!!) and we talked about a number of things. He was a pretty nice, old coot, just like me. When he left he said “I’m reverend so-and-so from the XXXX Assembly of God and I told him I wasn’t much of a church guy but if I found myself in the area some Sunday I’d stop in to deconstruct his lesson. I didn’t mean to jerk his chain, and he did seem like a nice man. I hope he wasn’t writing down my license number (it was a rental).

]]> By: Chaoswes http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336699 Chaoswes Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:31:45 +0000 http://gods4suckers.net/archives/2008/03/28/narcissism-and-religion/#comment-336699 I have always wondered if it is a persons low self esteem/worth that drives them to find religion and therefore a "god" that finds them special. In essence does religion create a false sense of narcissism in people that actually have almost no self value? Do we (the general public) and the way we treat certain people create the evangelical people that we so despise? If these people had self value would they be less likely to seek a foundation that accommodates their need for being valued? I have always wondered if it is a persons low self esteem/worth that drives them to find religion and therefore a “god” that finds them special. In essence does religion create a false sense of narcissism in people that actually have almost no self value? Do we (the general public) and the way we treat certain people create the evangelical people that we so despise? If these people had self value would they be less likely to seek a foundation that accommodates their need for being valued?

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