Gullibilty (to Ian)

yoel haalmoni (core@rof.net)
Tue, 1 Apr 1997 09:57:38 -0700 (MST)

>(Christ-Ian 4/1) That's certainly part of the reason that I'm here. The
>problem
>is that it is very difficult to deprogram a person once these fundies get
>them.
> As anyone can see, if we ridicule them, they get upset.
>My feelings are that if we can get to people before they get caught up in this
>fundamentalist craze, it will die off for lack of converts.
>
>The question is, "How do we do this?" At least half the people in this country
>can't read at the eighth grade level. With few exceptions, this is where they
>get their converts. So I wrote a book, "Holy Moses?" It's not a great literary
>work by any stretch of the imagination. It just makes fun of the five books of
>Moses and urges the reader to read the bible along with the book. Will it
>sell?
>I don't have the foggiest idea. Prometheus Books turned it down so I sent
>it to
>a literary agent. It's been two weeks and I haven't heard.
>
>I feel very strongly that if we are going to stop the fundies, we are going to
>have to educate the young people - preferably while they are in their
>rebellious
>state. Your thoughts - please

yoel-
I agree with most of what you say. But... some people, a lot af people,
don't mind stupidity or ignorance or arrogance. They are very comfortable
with it. Some revel in it. Some wouldn't live their lives any other way.

My motto is "I am not a missionary". There is little I can do to convince
anyone to change their minds. All I can do is put out alternative
information and hope that eventually the duped may find the thread and
follow it, therby pulling themselves out of the darkness they are in. Not
into my "light" which is personal and subjective- just into a less harmful
and cruel -ism than, say- Christianity. Or- preferably into a faithless
managing of their own lives and into a process of formation of their own
constructive, individual UNuniversal life scheme- their own plot of
"heaven" on this planet. People have to start thinking for themselves.

Neither Farell Till nor you nor I nor anyone can do their thinking for
people entrenched in religion. They have already found someone to do their
thinking for them. My experience when I worked in deproigramming was this:
The deprogrammed usually want something else to replace their discarded
faith. They feel uncomfortable making decisions on their own. When I worked
in Israel, I would try to integrate the deprogrammed into an orthodox
Jewish setting which, I thought was less detrimental. Ususally the convert
integrated himself just fine. But rarely did I encounter an individual who
said "Boy, was I an idiot. I'll never trust any guru again without
thoroughly and skeptically investigating their claims."

I would definitely agree with you about children. Many Christians have dug
the hole they are in. They accepted their particular story, submitted to
the requests of their chosen book, got married to someone equually as
entenched in the fog of religion as they themselves were, have
indoctrinated their children into their chosen lies... their entire social
support structure is based on their acceptence of this lie. Such people
have a lot invested in keeping the lie alive.

yoel

Hide, witch hide!
The good folk come to burn thee
Their keen enjoyment hid behind a gothic mask of duty.
Jefferson Airplane