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I have left a religious cult. Can anybody help me???

Watch: Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
 
ataraxia said:
You probably think all of the medical organizations on the planet talking about pandemic recommendations, and all the scientific organizations on the planet talking about climate change, are a cult too- but listening to some known Manhattan real estate huckster and known liar is the smart thing to do.

Does he make you pray 5 times a day facing Mar-a-Lago?
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Why do you say that?
 
Grandpappy said:
....anybody with half a brain knows....
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This common retort convinces nobody. Reminds me of Trump and his totally bogus claims that "everybody knows..." or "lots of people tell me..." or "I know it, you know it, everybody knows it..." No, they don't.

In your case, with your trite "half a brain" retort, you're basically saying "If you disagree with me, you must be stupid." That way, you don't have to make any relevant argument about why you're claiming they're stupid. Disagreeing with you is all you need. In other words, your argument is the epitome of impotent.
 
donhughesmusic said:
Leftism, rightism, both sides yes. Both sides' leaders lie to them, and yet they keep following without any questioning.
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"Both sides" baloney. Trump took lying about 3,000 levels higher than any other politician in history. MAGA Republicans fit the definition of a cult. "Leftists" do not fit the definition:

"In modern English, cult is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal.
 
Paradoxical said:
Why do you say that?
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Trump has gotten his followers to believe all sorts of weird things and do all sorts of weird things, from not believing what his top people were finding on Obama's secret birth certificate (for 6 years straight), to that he knew more than all the doctors and scientists on the planet on how to handle a deadly pandemic, to attacking the US Capitol when he loses an election, to sending money to his "charity" organizations, LOL.

Cult prophets can have that sort of effect on people. I hope it's just a phase.

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ataraxia said:
Trump has gotten his followers to believe all sorts of weird things and do all sorts of weird things, from not believing what his top people were finding on Obama's secret birth certificate (for 6 years straight), to that he knew more than all the doctors and scientists on the planet on how to handle a deadly pandemic, to attacking the US Capitol when he loses an election, to sending money to his "charity" organizations, LOL.

Cult prophets can have that sort of effect on people. I hope it's just a phase.

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Where did you get those lies from?

PS. I am no Christian
 
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the Buddha teaches that one can determine the validity of a tradition if "These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them
 
anatta said:
the Buddha teaches that one can determine the validity of a tradition if "These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them
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This is all great. But also very subjective. To many people, Jim Jones delivered all those things.
 
ataraxia said:
This is all great. But also very subjective. To many people, Jim Jones delivered all those things.
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read the entire sutta before this verse. it's shows the vigor/qualities you apply to determining their worthiness/harm
If it's a harmful quality it's rejected upon evaluation.
One worthiness is accepted/determined then the internalizing the belief are valid if you use the criteria in post 61
a redact: (shows qualities that are rejected)
https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/kalama1.htm
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Greed, hate, and delusion

5. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does greed appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" - "For his harm, venerable sir." - "Kalamas, being given to greed, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?" - "Yes, venerable sir."

6. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" - "For his harm, venerable sir." - "Kalamas, being given to hate, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?" - "Yes, venerable sir."

7. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does delusion appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" - "For his harm, venerable sir." - "Kalamas, being given to delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by delusion, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?" - "Yes, venerable sir."

8. "What do you think, Kalamas? Are these things good or bad?" - "Bad, venerable sir" - "Blamable or not blamable?" - "Blamable, venerable sir." - "Censured or praised by the wise?" - "Censured, venerable sir." - "Undertaken and observed, do these things lead to harm and ill, or not? Or how does it strike you?" - "Undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill. Thus it strikes us here."

9. "Therefore, did we say, Kalamas, what was said thus, 'Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, "The monk is our teacher." Kalamas, when you yourselves know: "These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill," abandon them.'


The criterion for acceptance

10. "Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher.' Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them.
 
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ataraxia said:
Which of those things are lies?

OK. You just fell for a different cult prophet.
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So no matter who is president you would say that I fell for that "prophet"? If it were DeSantis, you would say the same thing, amirite?
 
Paradoxical said:
So no matter who is president you would say that I fell for that "prophet"? If it were DeSantis, you would say the same thing, amirite?
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When you support someone who takes pride and builds his brand on being a shockingly rude liar, cheat, and huckster, who lied to you with temerity for 6 years straight about how you are not going to believe what his top people are finding on Obama’s secret birth certificate, and then give him credibility over every single scientific organization on the planet on climate change, and every medical organization on the planet during a deadly pandemic, and every Republican election official in the country over claims of a stolen election- you might be caught up in a dangerous cult of personality.

I don’t know much about DeSantis yet. He just strikes me as your average dirty politician. I just don’t think though that he has what it takes to carry on the mantle of a cult though.
 
ataraxia said:
When you support someone who takes pride and builds his brand on being a shockingly rude liar, cheat, and huckster, who lied to you with temerity for 6 years straight about how you are not going to believe what his top people are finding on Obama’s secret birth certificate, and then give him credibility over every single scientific organization on the planet on climate change, and every medical organization on the planet during a deadly pandemic, and every Republican election official in the country over claims of a stolen election- you might be caught up in a dangerous cult of personality.

I don’t know much about DeSantis yet. He just strikes me as your average dirty politician. I just don’t think though that he has what it takes to carry on the mantle of a cult though.
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Your unlearned opinion is duly noted.
 
ataraxia said:
Apparently so. In America, mainstream science is starting to be seen as a cult.
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and for good reason because they allow politics to control and silence them.
 
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