What would cause someone from a normal background to become a religious zealot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought our society and culture had moved on from calling mentally ill people “crazy,” and had reached a place where the stigma of mental illness had somewhat lessened. I don’t know if that’s really true after reading some of these posts. Especially the posts where it’s clear the poster is making fun of mental illness and calling it humor.

If someone says they are “hearing voices” they are either mentally ill or lying.

Or the very rare few actually heard God. Stop trashing Christians exclusively, this also applies to Moses and Mohammed. That’s just the difference between you and the rest of us believers – you won’t accept the supernatural and we will.

I am the poster who has been asking he question of how you can tell the difference between someone who hears genuine voices from a deity and mental illness. I explicitly did not mention any religion and yes I apply the question to all religions to which it would apply. So how do you tell who is among the “rare few” who have actually heard a god from the others?

As for your second point - it’s not that I “won’t accept the supernatural” - it’s that I don’t believe anything for which we don’t see evidence. If someone presented me evidence of the supernatural I would accept it readily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought our society and culture had moved on from calling mentally ill people “crazy,” and had reached a place where the stigma of mental illness had somewhat lessened. I don’t know if that’s really true after reading some of these posts. Especially the posts where it’s clear the poster is making fun of mental illness and calling it humor.

If someone says they are “hearing voices” they are either mentally ill or lying.

Or the very rare few actually heard God. Stop trashing Christians exclusively, this also applies to Moses and Mohammed. That’s just the difference between you and the rest of us believers – you won’t accept the supernatural and we will.

I didn't say anything about Christians.

??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another zombie thread of the same old, same old.

It’s Christmas time. Make cookies, listen to Christmas music, go for a walk, buy some gifts for kids, do anything but haunt this forum and try to debate about religion and voices.

No one is forcing you to open this thread.

Except, maybe…voices?

Why would mental illness be funny to you? It’s not something that is humorous. I find the lightness of tone when discussing such things extremely distasteful. I don’t know why it’s a joke, because if you’ve ever actually dealt with seriously mentally ill people, it’s devastating for those people and their families. It’s not something that anyone laughs about.

Well, I do know a few “religious zealots”.

Atheist pp’s true colors

I know some MAGAs too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us are sick of ranting atheists trying to derail every.single.thread. I’m not the one who came up with the formulations of “24/7/365” presence on DCUM indicating a miserable person, but I’m totally on board with it, obviously. Others have used it on other threads. Nothing else has to be worked, so maybe shame will.

You want to shame people for expressing opinions and beliefs that differ from yours?

That's an incredibly shameful thing to me.

No one wants to shut you up. The atheists here encourage you to post, but prefer that you discuss the merits rather than resort to ad hominem (even though that is your right also).

See the difference?

I think the ad hominems are hilarious. They don’t have anything meaningful to contribute so they whine about someone posting 24x7 constantly - 24x7 you might say.

I'm guessing the "24x7" comment comes from one poster, as do the "trolling" comments and the concern about atheists commenting on a religion forum. Lots of other people don't care and are satisfied coming to this forum for suggestions about certain types of congregations, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us are sick of ranting atheists trying to derail every.single.thread. I’m not the one who came up with the formulations of “24/7/365” presence on DCUM indicating a miserable person, but I’m totally on board with it, obviously. Others have used it on other threads. Nothing else has to be worked, so maybe shame will.

You want to shame people for expressing opinions and beliefs that differ from yours?

That's an incredibly shameful thing to me.

No one wants to shut you up. The atheists here encourage you to post, but prefer that you discuss the merits rather than resort to ad hominem (even though that is your right also).

See the difference?

I think the ad hominems are hilarious. They don’t have anything meaningful to contribute so they whine about someone posting 24x7 constantly - 24x7 you might say.

I'm guessing the "24x7" comment comes from one poster, as do the "trolling" comments and the concern about atheists commenting on a religion forum. Lots of other people don't care and are satisfied coming to this forum for suggestions about certain types of congregations, etc.

Multiple posters have called you 24/7 atheists out repeatedly on multiple threads. I’ve seen them and they’re not me. It really does beg the question, why 24/7? No, “general interest” doesn’t explain what appears to be a 24/7 obsession. Some of you are so recognizable, like the childish atheist with the insults about mental illness and ho mamas wanting free childcare during the service (at least Jeff deleted that one—it was on this thread).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought our society and culture had moved on from calling mentally ill people “crazy,” and had reached a place where the stigma of mental illness had somewhat lessened. I don’t know if that’s really true after reading some of these posts. Especially the posts where it’s clear the poster is making fun of mental illness and calling it humor.

If someone says they are “hearing voices” they are either mentally ill or lying.

Or the very rare few actually heard God. Stop trashing Christians exclusively, this also applies to Moses and Mohammed. That’s just the difference between you and the rest of us believers – you won’t accept the supernatural and we will.

I didn't say anything about Christians.

??

Paul is a Christian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us are sick of ranting atheists trying to derail every.single.thread. I’m not the one who came up with the formulations of “24/7/365” presence on DCUM indicating a miserable person, but I’m totally on board with it, obviously. Others have used it on other threads. Nothing else has to be worked, so maybe shame will.

You want to shame people for expressing opinions and beliefs that differ from yours?

That's an incredibly shameful thing to me.

No one wants to shut you up. The atheists here encourage you to post, but prefer that you discuss the merits rather than resort to ad hominem (even though that is your right also).

See the difference?

I think the ad hominems are hilarious. They don’t have anything meaningful to contribute so they whine about someone posting 24x7 constantly - 24x7 you might say.

I'm guessing the "24x7" comment comes from one poster, as do the "trolling" comments and the concern about atheists commenting on a religion forum. Lots of other people don't care and are satisfied coming to this forum for suggestions about certain types of congregations, etc.

Multiple posters have called you 24/7 atheists out repeatedly on multiple threads. I’ve seen them and they’re not me. It really does beg the question, why 24/7? No, “general interest” doesn’t explain what appears to be a 24/7 obsession. Some of you are so recognizable, like the childish atheist with the insults about mental illness and ho mamas wanting free childcare during the service (at least Jeff deleted that one—it was on this thread).

So “recognizable” that you conflate posters? LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought our society and culture had moved on from calling mentally ill people “crazy,” and had reached a place where the stigma of mental illness had somewhat lessened. I don’t know if that’s really true after reading some of these posts. Especially the posts where it’s clear the poster is making fun of mental illness and calling it humor.

If someone says they are “hearing voices” they are either mentally ill or lying.

Or the very rare few actually heard God. Stop trashing Christians exclusively, this also applies to Moses and Mohammed. That’s just the difference between you and the rest of us believers – you won’t accept the supernatural and we will.

I didn't say anything about Christians.

??

Paul is a Christian.

I didn’t say anything about Paul. Was he the only religious figure ever in any religion to hear voices?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another zombie thread of the same old, same old.

It’s Christmas time. Make cookies, listen to Christmas music, go for a walk, buy some gifts for kids, do anything but haunt this forum and try to debate about religion and voices.

No one is forcing you to open this thread.

Except, maybe…voices?

Why would mental illness be funny to you? It’s not something that is humorous. I find the lightness of tone when discussing such things extremely distasteful. I don’t know why it’s a joke, because if you’ve ever actually dealt with seriously mentally ill people, it’s devastating for those people and their families. It’s not something that anyone laughs about.

Well, I do know a few “religious zealots”.

Atheist pp’s true colors

There are the troubling voices heard by mentally ill people and then the acceptable voices sometimes heard by religious people.

If a voice tells a person to murder someone, then that person is clearly mentally ill - If the voice is from God or a saint speaking to a religious person, then the voice is considered "OK" by other religious people, assuming the voice is, for example, simply giving direction or providing solace.

If a religious person acts on a voice it hears, suggesting that the person should break the civil law (e.g., murder, theft) then it's also considered to be a sign of mental illness, as well as criminal intent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought our society and culture had moved on from calling mentally ill people “crazy,” and had reached a place where the stigma of mental illness had somewhat lessened. I don’t know if that’s really true after reading some of these posts. Especially the posts where it’s clear the poster is making fun of mental illness and calling it humor.

If someone says they are “hearing voices” they are either mentally ill or lying.

Or the very rare few actually heard God. Stop trashing Christians exclusively, this also applies to Moses and Mohammed. That’s just the difference between you and the rest of us believers – you won’t accept the supernatural and we will.

I didn't say anything about Christians.

??

Paul is a Christian.

I didn’t say anything about Paul. Was he the only religious figure ever in any religion to hear voices?

Are you pretending all the posts about Paul, and only Paul, being a certified nutcase don’t exist?

Anyway, this voices thing is OT. OP asked about becoming a zealot. Start your own thread if you want to talk about voices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us are sick of ranting atheists trying to derail every.single.thread. I’m not the one who came up with the formulations of “24/7/365” presence on DCUM indicating a miserable person, but I’m totally on board with it, obviously. Others have used it on other threads. Nothing else has to be worked, so maybe shame will.

You want to shame people for expressing opinions and beliefs that differ from yours?

That's an incredibly shameful thing to me.

No one wants to shut you up. The atheists here encourage you to post, but prefer that you discuss the merits rather than resort to ad hominem (even though that is your right also).

See the difference?

I think the ad hominems are hilarious. They don’t have anything meaningful to contribute so they whine about someone posting 24x7 constantly - 24x7 you might say.

I'm guessing the "24x7" comment comes from one poster, as do the "trolling" comments and the concern about atheists commenting on a religion forum. Lots of other people don't care and are satisfied coming to this forum for suggestions about certain types of congregations, etc.

Multiple posters have called you 24/7 atheists out repeatedly on multiple threads. I’ve seen them and they’re not me. It really does beg the question, why 24/7? No, “general interest” doesn’t explain what appears to be a 24/7 obsession. Some of you are so recognizable, like the childish atheist with the insults about mental illness and ho mamas wanting free childcare during the service (at least Jeff deleted that one—it was on this thread).

So “recognizable” that you conflate posters? LOL.

Wait, there is more than one atheist who thinks mental illness is “humorous ” and churchgoers are “hoes who want free childcare”? Do any of you want to share your ages and shown us you’ve completed elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought our society and culture had moved on from calling mentally ill people “crazy,” and had reached a place where the stigma of mental illness had somewhat lessened. I don’t know if that’s really true after reading some of these posts. Especially the posts where it’s clear the poster is making fun of mental illness and calling it humor.

If someone says they are “hearing voices” they are either mentally ill or lying.

Or the very rare few actually heard God. Stop trashing Christians exclusively, this also applies to Moses and Mohammed. That’s just the difference between you and the rest of us believers – you won’t accept the supernatural and we will.

I didn't say anything about Christians.

??

Paul is a Christian.

I didn’t say anything about Paul. Was he the only religious figure ever in any religion to hear voices?

Are you pretending all the posts about Paul, and only Paul, being a certified nutcase don’t exist?

Anyway, this voices thing is OT. OP asked about becoming a zealot. Start your own thread if you want to talk about voices.

I wasn't involved in the Paul exchange. I said: "If someone says they are “hearing voices” they are either mentally ill or lying." Nothing about specific religions. Nothing about Paul.

wrt OP - fervently believing that people "heard voices" isn't really what I would call "sane"...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us are sick of ranting atheists trying to derail every.single.thread. I’m not the one who came up with the formulations of “24/7/365” presence on DCUM indicating a miserable person, but I’m totally on board with it, obviously. Others have used it on other threads. Nothing else has to be worked, so maybe shame will.

You want to shame people for expressing opinions and beliefs that differ from yours?

That's an incredibly shameful thing to me.

No one wants to shut you up. The atheists here encourage you to post, but prefer that you discuss the merits rather than resort to ad hominem (even though that is your right also).

See the difference?

I think the ad hominems are hilarious. They don’t have anything meaningful to contribute so they whine about someone posting 24x7 constantly - 24x7 you might say.

I'm guessing the "24x7" comment comes from one poster, as do the "trolling" comments and the concern about atheists commenting on a religion forum. Lots of other people don't care and are satisfied coming to this forum for suggestions about certain types of congregations, etc.

Multiple posters have called you 24/7 atheists out repeatedly on multiple threads. I’ve seen them and they’re not me. It really does beg the question, why 24/7? No, “general interest” doesn’t explain what appears to be a 24/7 obsession. Some of you are so recognizable, like the childish atheist with the insults about mental illness and ho mamas wanting free childcare during the service (at least Jeff deleted that one—it was on this thread).

So “recognizable” that you conflate posters? LOL.

Wait, there is more than one atheist who thinks mental illness is “humorous ” and churchgoers are “hoes who want free childcare”? Do any of you want to share your ages and shown us you’ve completed elementary school?

You must be either very young or very old to not comprehend that there are many different people on the interwebs. Or just dumb.