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Permalink Reply by Strega on December 8, 2012 at 7:54pm

The difference is that you can differentiate between fantasy and reality. 

There is an evolutionary survival technique in imagination.  With imagination, we can decide that we would not eat a mixture of fish, custard and crushed spider - even though we have never actually tasted it. Someone else will probably have a far better analogy, but with imagination we can make choices, because we can imagine several outcomes of different actions, etc.  I'm sure you see what I mean.

Fantasy is simply a spin-off from imagination.  We, as humans, entertain children and ourselves with magical stories, but even so, you will note that the underdog usually wins, and good triumphs over evil in an absolute way in these stories.  So I can see that we might yearn for that to be as clear cut in life - which it isn't.

The films you watched were actually designed to have the emotional effect that they seem to be having on you.  That is the precise outcome that makes people want to watch them.  But tell me, do you really look around you and imagine you can see real ghosts, after watching the Ghost Whisperer?  Of course you don't.

That is because you can differentiate between fantasy and reality.  At some stage, you discovered that Santa and co were not real.  I wonder if you would have been so certain of that discovery if all the adults around you were seriously certain he did exist.  Eventually you might have worked it out anyway, but not necessarily immediately.

Religious folk have not managed to learn how to differentiate, because nobody in their surrounds has taught them how to tell the two apart. 

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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on December 9, 2012 at 2:22am

Far be it from me to discount your analogy, but the only good spider is a crushed spider, whether you eat it or not --

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Permalink Reply by James Cox on December 12, 2012 at 8:37pm

I think there could be an error with the "..nobody in their surrounds has taught them how to tell the two apart." 

I really think they know, but the social conditioning makes demands on their common sense, to always silence doubt, and replace it with constantly refluxing dogma. A little like an invasive thought, or a well composed piece of music that you just can't get out of your head!

I do have a few of these as part of my chemistry education, like 'Leo and his Ger', 'Leo= loses electrons oxidises', 'Ger= gains electrons reduces', and 'PI=3.141592657...'. Happily, I can control these just by making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or checking the statis of our junk food inventory...;p).

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Permalink Reply by Lewal on December 12, 2012 at 4:19pm

Freud and infants.

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Permalink Reply by Strega on December 8, 2012 at 8:00pm

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Permalink Reply by James Cox on December 9, 2012 at 12:26am

Sadly, for some, they wish to know how we got to 'here'.

Looking back, it feels that for some, it was an easy walk in the park. For others, a vast web of cruel moments, tortured trust, slamed doors, and love betrayed. And then others, a life time of study, moments of insight, and testing of boundaries. I wonder how many of us might consider our destination as an outcome similar to the lives of Old Testiment characters.

Job anyone?   

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Permalink Reply by Gregg R Thomas on December 9, 2012 at 5:42am

The letter "A" means "non", the word "theist" means something different to every person who chooses to wear the "Theist" label.

I don't wear the "Atheist" label myself, I'm a self described "Realistic Absolutist" ie. That which is real is true, absolutely true unto itself.

There are no doGs, only doG lovers and they can't be trusted.

Hope that helps.

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Permalink Reply by LJ on December 9, 2012 at 1:12pm

There are as many type of atheist as there are atheists.

In my own humble opinion, what term means is a person who does not believe in (is not convinced of) the existence of god(s).  I have seen this usage about as frequently as the slightly stronger one, which holds that atheism means belief (conviction) that there is/are no god(s).  It is a small but vital difference.

Many Christians would have you believe that it means someone who believes in god but denies it, or someone who hates god or, in some extreme cases, a Satanist.

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Permalink Reply by code-zero on December 11, 2012 at 1:19am

just no belief in gods,keep it simple;)

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