Novus Lightbulb moment question

[prewitt81]

I'm Ian and I'm a recovering Novus adherent.

Hi, Ian.

(Sorry, had to do that!)

Honestly, to our new posters: it does my heart good to see you all coming and taking part in the forum.

Many of us who now call ourselves skeptics had our worlds turn upside down when we started looking at things through doubting eyes. It isn't always sunshine and roses - sometimes it's downright frustrating and painfully sad - but the good far outweighs the bad. You are in a position to make a difference for the better with what you know. Even if it's just to change one mind or give pause to a die-hard believer, what you do will ripple into the future.

 

[Slimething]

For those from the Delaware church, I strongly recommend joining and attending PHACT meetings. They meet in Philadelphia and I know 95 is a real pain but this is a very good group. I used to be a member before moving to AZ. One of their bylaws is to NOT discuss religion. Other than that, it's a great place to learn about skepticism and critical thinking.

For people outside that area, here's a page from CSICOP.org that lists US and International groups.

Good luck to all of you!

 

[Susan Gerbic]

Hello and welcome to all you ex-Browne fans. I am fairly new to forums but have followed the skeptic world for many years. I am amazed to find you here, it is so interesting to read between the lines about who you must be and how hurt you must have been. I'm sure you met some amazing people with-in the organization.

I had never heard of Gostic (sp?) people, but I did tour Lilly Dale in New York a couple years back with Joe Nickel and friends. This is a all medium community with the cutest houses and a lake. We were all taken down to a stump and the mediums came out and "read" the audience. They did this to offer their services to the tourists. But before they did that they offered up a Christian like prayer. I had never heard of this before. Does this sound similar?

On another note, I just want to mention that the TAM meetings are great, but kinda impersonal cause so many people attend. I want to put in a good word for those of you on the West coast who might be interested in a smaller TAM. Another skeptic organization offers a "Skeptic Toolbox" in Eugene Oregon each August. It is very small (only about 100 attend compared with the 800+ at TAM). They have lectures and workshops on the Skeptic theme. The first one I attended dealt with people who "talk to the dead" It was just eye-opening for me.

One of the leaders of the group is a retired professor who is amazing at cold reading. His name is Ray Hyman, there are other very talented speakers that speak on whatever the theme is each year.

So in a nutshell, welcome to the skeptic community, it is wonderful to see believers challenging their world-view. I hope you will meet with only insightful thoughts and questions. The TAM events are great, the Skeptic Toolbox is great, and there are some excellent books that you can read in-between events. I think everyone should start with Sagan's "Demon Haunted World" or possibly "Why people Believe Weird Things."

Just my two cents....

Susan

 

[grayman]

sgf8, it's spelled "GNOSTIC" and here is a description from Wikipedia:

Gnosticism (from Greek gnosis, knowledge) refers to a diverse, syncretistic religious movement consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an evil spirit, the demiurge, who is frequently identified with the Abrahamic God.

Hope that helps.

 

[supercorgi]

Angrybeliever, TruthBeTold, PastBrowneFan (et all) - Challenging ones belief system is tough; it takes a lot of guts to come here (for example) and listen with a objective mindset. Nicely done.

I've got to agree with Locknar. I'm very impressed with all of you past-NS members. It does take a lot to examine things critically, allow yourselves to see evidence, and change your world view accordingly. I understand that you are all still united in your Gnostic philosophy/religion and that's fine. We're all entitled to hold our own viewpoints and find things that nourish us spiritually/philosophically/emotionally. Like many of the people here, I am an atheist because I have not be able to find any compelling evidence for a divine being(s). I adhere to what people here call the "default" position - that in the absence of evidence of the divine, it is logical to assume that there is no divine being. That being said, I do feel a sense of wonder and awe at the beauty and complexity of the world around me.

So welcome to JREF, but please accept that your beliefs will sometimes be challenged. But a challenge isn't a personal judgement against you, it's just what we do here. Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable!

I must say that I am especially impressed by RSL. In fact.....he'd make one heck of a charismatic leader!

OMG, don't give him any ideas! We don't want to have to attend any RSL tent revivals!

You don't have to be religious or even believe in a God to do the right thing for your fellow human beings. If you see a man about to get hit by a car, it doesn't matter what your beliefs are...you do your best to get him out of the way of the car, right? (unless he just stole your wallet in which case, let the car hit him so you can get your wallet back)

TBT, I like the way you think!