The Good Peson Test
Monday, June 09, 2008
OK, so by that standard I'm a liar because I've told something untruthful. I'm an adulterer because I've looked at someone with lust sometime in my life. I'm a murderer because I've been angry before. I'm a blasphemer because I cursed with the name of an imaginary being.
I'll take being guilty of the first and the last, but the other two are just silly. There's a difference between thought and action. That's why we don't convict people for thinking things. We're not the Orwellian thought police.
Or maybe some of us are.
Growing up in the evangelical church life was full of magical thinking. Saying that something was so would make it so. You you had to be very careful what you said. And even thinking something bad made bad things happens. Now that I know about OCDs I would say that the religious dogma resembled someone with an OCD who freely embraced the disorder.
That kind of thinking is so wrong. Thinking things doesn't make them happen. Life isn't magic. You can't wish your way into entitlement or think your way into damnation. That takes action and even actions don't necessarily lead to greatness or destitution.
Now I realize why it was so easy for me to embrace woo once I gave up on the concept of a higher being. There was still the belief that magical thinking could change the world that had to be purged.
Monday, June 9, 2008 at 4:40:00 PM CDT
Well, you're a better person than I am, because I had to add theft to your list (yeah, I shoplifted some as a kid). I am so going to hell!
Monday, June 9, 2008 at 4:54:00 PM CDT
That's weird. I came out as a person who likes butter pecan ice cream and should vacation in London.
Monday, June 9, 2008 at 5:28:00 PM CDT
Chappy: Well, I suppose I did steal the image above... but I did link to it! ;)
Ex: That's cause they know you're a life-long atheist. You're not going to feel guilty. You're just going to laugh and eat ice cream in London.
Monday, June 9, 2008 at 7:20:00 PM CDT
Is this from Chick? Sorta looks like their artwork.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:23:00 AM CDT
You know, it occurred to me that The Good Person Test requires a satirical version with lots of biblical testimony, where we all end up in heaven.
I wish I knew how to do web page design.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 10:26:00 PM CDT
Venjanz: I'm not sure. I didn't really think about it at the time, but it does resemble something Chick would do and draw.
Dikii: That would be great! My web design skills are minimal html. My CSS isn't very strong. I'm sure someone out there will have the same idea and more skill. :)
Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 9:11:00 PM CDT
Magical thinking expresses it perfectly. Much contemporary religion is 50% magical thinking (things like The Promise count, too) and 50% Teflon God...
And it can be a hard mindset to get out of. There's some truth to the "if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything" line - the problem is that what they're standing for is really just another flavor of "anything"...