IN previous blogs (last year), in my various face-offs against a certain pastor and his “I-net church”, I often pulled him up for simply copying and pasting responses as opposed to truly thinking them out and offering an ARGUMENT that embodied that reflection. It has become evident to me over time that the guy (my brother) never paused to consider or think about his answers, he merely went to his Google machine – grabbed whatever link was convenient (from his searches) and spouted it back out. Thus, engaging him in debate was like engaging a tape machine that replays the same tape over and over and over. And over time that gets tiresome.
In his latest fusillade against ‘Science of Mind” as a “cult”, he word for word uses this site:
http://www.allaboutcults.org/science-of-the-mind.htm
to confect his criticisms, but he doesn’t reference the site anyplace. All the criticisms he scribbles are actually those he just lifted in toto from the site, as readers can see by checking the text against (blog dated Feb. 28):
http://www.pastorstahl.blogspot.com/
(Beware: When he sees this blog, he will scurry back and edit his claptrap to include the proper citation - showing his ruminations on 'Science of Mind' were never original.)
In his latest fusillade against ‘Science of Mind” as a “cult”, he word for word uses this site:
http://www.allaboutcults.org/science-of-the-mind.htm
to confect his criticisms, but he doesn’t reference the site anyplace. All the criticisms he scribbles are actually those he just lifted in toto from the site, as readers can see by checking the text against (blog dated Feb. 28):
http://www.pastorstahl.blogspot.com/
(Beware: When he sees this blog, he will scurry back and edit his claptrap to include the proper citation - showing his ruminations on 'Science of Mind' were never original.)
His criticisms are also off base, in terms of branding Science of Mind a “cult”. Let’s examine why:
1) Cults have a belief system independent of facts and logic, however Science of Mind uses current facts and logic (such as related to recent scientific discoveries, e.g. quantum nonlocality) all the time. In addition, cults are recognized by their appeal to ONE source of truth, or one book – but Science of Mind allows that there are multiple sources.
2) A real cult chooses to deliberately isolate itself from the rest of society, but Science of Mind understands that within a Universal Mind, subsets of minds can't be isolated. Thus, opportunities are afforded to meet with others, meditate, as well as pray- and make new friends with NO ulterior motives to "convert" you. In addition, while cults like my brother’s fundies reject unbelievers as Satan’s fellow travelers, Science of Mind accepts ALL humans into its fold – no one is rejected. Further, Science of Mind people require no sacrifice of integrity on the part of anyone to be a genuine friend. Whether one embraces their system or not, will not make a dime's worth of difference to them in the realm of friendship.
3) Unlike my bro’s mind-LESS cult, with its “witnessing”, Science of Mind has no need to recruit others. Recall that recruiting is one sure sign of a cult. Nor do people have to be saved because in Science of Mind they already are, they merely need to recognize it.
4) The Science of Mind isn’t a cult because true cults dictate to people WHAT to think and believe. (Like my brother’s fundies). The Science of Mind teaches people HOW to think, and thereby arrive at their own conclusions which they are then invited to compare with those of Science of Mind.
5) Science of Mind is not a religion “founded by a man”. Technically, Science of Mind isn’t a “religion” – but a metaphysical system of thought about a religion (Christianity) or derived from a proper interpretation of a religion.
6) Evangelical Christianity, meanwhile, is not any authentic religion that existed from the year dot, but a syncretic aberration of numerous Protestant offshoots – all of which broke off from Roman Catholicism. Evangelical sects like my brother’s are actually relatively recent creations based on a mix of old time Calvinism, Baptist biblical inerrancy, and Utilitarianism. The putative founder of modern evangelical religion was the Rev. Josiah Strong ca. 1885-86– and he can’t even claim to have a metaphysical system.
It is sad when those smitten with religious and spiritual envy have to resort to such tactics to attack and besmirch a noble manifestation of what Christ truly taught (See ‘The Gnostic Gospels’ buy Elaine Pagels) . Instead adopting such cant and vitriol as:
“The “spirit” that inhabits Religious Science is the spirit of anti-Christ, who is Satan,”
In fact, the spirit – if it can be called that- which attacks a holistic metaphysical system (which attempts to unite all humans in a higher place) is anti-Christ. As a former Loyola Theology Professor related to me:
“AntiChrist is the spirit of rancor and separation that persists in men’s hearts which causes them to attack beneficial beliefs that seek to heal, as opposed to incite war with each other. When you see a constructive spiritual system being sullied and labeled as "antichrist”, know that a person bound by the spirit of antichrist is doing it!”
1) Cults have a belief system independent of facts and logic, however Science of Mind uses current facts and logic (such as related to recent scientific discoveries, e.g. quantum nonlocality) all the time. In addition, cults are recognized by their appeal to ONE source of truth, or one book – but Science of Mind allows that there are multiple sources.
2) A real cult chooses to deliberately isolate itself from the rest of society, but Science of Mind understands that within a Universal Mind, subsets of minds can't be isolated. Thus, opportunities are afforded to meet with others, meditate, as well as pray- and make new friends with NO ulterior motives to "convert" you. In addition, while cults like my brother’s fundies reject unbelievers as Satan’s fellow travelers, Science of Mind accepts ALL humans into its fold – no one is rejected. Further, Science of Mind people require no sacrifice of integrity on the part of anyone to be a genuine friend. Whether one embraces their system or not, will not make a dime's worth of difference to them in the realm of friendship.
3) Unlike my bro’s mind-LESS cult, with its “witnessing”, Science of Mind has no need to recruit others. Recall that recruiting is one sure sign of a cult. Nor do people have to be saved because in Science of Mind they already are, they merely need to recognize it.
4) The Science of Mind isn’t a cult because true cults dictate to people WHAT to think and believe. (Like my brother’s fundies). The Science of Mind teaches people HOW to think, and thereby arrive at their own conclusions which they are then invited to compare with those of Science of Mind.
5) Science of Mind is not a religion “founded by a man”. Technically, Science of Mind isn’t a “religion” – but a metaphysical system of thought about a religion (Christianity) or derived from a proper interpretation of a religion.
6) Evangelical Christianity, meanwhile, is not any authentic religion that existed from the year dot, but a syncretic aberration of numerous Protestant offshoots – all of which broke off from Roman Catholicism. Evangelical sects like my brother’s are actually relatively recent creations based on a mix of old time Calvinism, Baptist biblical inerrancy, and Utilitarianism. The putative founder of modern evangelical religion was the Rev. Josiah Strong ca. 1885-86– and he can’t even claim to have a metaphysical system.
It is sad when those smitten with religious and spiritual envy have to resort to such tactics to attack and besmirch a noble manifestation of what Christ truly taught (See ‘The Gnostic Gospels’ buy Elaine Pagels) . Instead adopting such cant and vitriol as:
“The “spirit” that inhabits Religious Science is the spirit of anti-Christ, who is Satan,”
In fact, the spirit – if it can be called that- which attacks a holistic metaphysical system (which attempts to unite all humans in a higher place) is anti-Christ. As a former Loyola Theology Professor related to me:
“AntiChrist is the spirit of rancor and separation that persists in men’s hearts which causes them to attack beneficial beliefs that seek to heal, as opposed to incite war with each other. When you see a constructive spiritual system being sullied and labeled as "antichrist”, know that a person bound by the spirit of antichrist is doing it!”
The very fact this surreal lunatic, who fancies himself espousing the "word of God" could surmise that a decent, loving man (my father-in-law) could be "burning to a crisp" because he was devoted to the Science of Mind, shows how his limited mental faculties have degenerated. Not to mention how he has put himself into the crosshairs of whatever Hell he accepts, by virtue of JUDGING and thereby making himself subject to Matthew 7:1-5 which clearly states:
"Do not judge that thou be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you measure it shall be measured unto you.And why do you look at the splinter which is in your brother's eye, but the beam in your eye you do not consider? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the splinter from your eye', and behold the beam is in your own eye.
Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye!"
But we have come to expect such limited thinking from certain “pastors” of the Jim Jones stripe, because this is how impoverished their own belief system is. Thus, their only recourse is to attempt to debase and villify the superior ones, i.e. which do not require fear to gain control of human minds, but by appeal to the "better angels of human nature". That hidden aspiration we all have to be linked with all others, as opposed to being isolated.
Copernicus, you need to tell your dumb idiot brother that the citation he gives Titus 2:13 doesn't prove Jesus was a "Savior". In fact it's one of the eighteen odd quotations sneaked into the bible by transcriptionists to try to make "unbelievers accept the word" (Geza Vermes, in 'The Authentic Gospel of Jesus', and Rev. Thomas Bokenkotter, in 'A Concise History of the Catholic Church')
ReplyDeleteAs Oxford scholar Vermes has said, at no time or point did Jesus ever call himself a 'Savior' and those who did call him that were anti-christian. These diabolical changes to the so called good Book shows one can't trust it, thought morons like Pastor Mike use it.
Your brother has some nerve saying what's right and wrong, and claiming his asinine cult is superior to Science of Mind - which as you point out is no cult.
Pastor Mike's creepy religion which hates everyone outside IS a cult. That much people need to know.
I'm also glad you put up a photo image of this asshole so people can recognize him when they see him. Don't let the little SOB hide under any cover of anonymity. The venomous little bastard doesn't deserve it.
As we know the one way to get rid of toxic fungus is to let bright sunlight fall upon it.