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Why would anyone want to deny a person right to do so?
Why would anyone want to deny a person right to do so?
I did the same thing with cigarettes, but how long is "a while"? I smoked 5 years, 0.5 - 2 packs/day, so I definitely had to fight through a withdrawal period. (Mainly consisting of two weeks of ignoring mental whispers along the lines of "who are they to tell you not to smoke? You can do what you want. Besides, withdrawal isn't so bad. You could do this at any time" and, the worst bit, waking up every 30-60 minutes every night because, in a dream, I had decided to smoke again. I'd wake up sucking in pillow, quite literally).
I ask because nicotine is physically addictive as well as psychologically addictive. So while someone who isn't psychologically addicted isn't likely to have the same oral fixation about smoke inhalation, place/time triggers, etc., they'll still have to deal with the physical symptoms and any resulting mental effects.
Who is talking about denying people the right to "pick an imaginary man in the sky (or the North Pole) to bow down to"?
How would you stop them if you wanted to? You can't control what goes on inside their head. That doesn't make it the factually correct thing to do though.
I didn't. I decided I didn't want to do it anymore and I just didn't. No withdrawals, no cravings, no nothing. My desire went out like a light.
Well, if you don't want to reveal anything personal, that's fine. I was curious because having a "non-addictive personality" doesn't exempt a person from physical withdrawal. It only makes them rather less susceptible to psychological addiction.
I guarantee you that every single person with a "non-addictive personality" would go throw a hell of withdrawal if they shot heroin twice a day for six months straight. And cigarettes, like heroin, are physically addictive. Just takes a tad longer and the withdrawal is nothing in comparison (ok, from what I've heard. I would not do heroin).
I didn't have any physical withdrawal. You can choose not to believe me if you like, I couldn't care less.
I simply asked how much/long you smoked, out of curiosity. I have no idea why that elicited belligerence. Whatever, life is short........
:2wave:
I did the same thing with cigarettes, but how long is "a while"? I smoked 5 years, 0.5 - 2 packs/day, so I definitely had to fight through a withdrawal period. (Mainly consisting of two weeks of ignoring mental whispers along the lines of "who are they to tell you not to smoke? You can do what you want. Besides, withdrawal isn't so bad. You could do this at any time" and, the worst bit, waking up every 30-60 minutes every night because, in a dream, I had decided to smoke again. I'd wake up sucking in pillow, quite literally).
I ask because nicotine is physically addictive as well as psychologically addictive. So while someone who isn't psychologically addicted isn't likely to have the same oral fixation about smoke inhalation, place/time triggers, etc., they'll still have to deal with the physical symptoms and any resulting mental effects.
Obviously, not everyone who is religious also has an addictive personality; many are born into religious families and never question their beliefs.
But, this thread is about those who convert to religion from a non-religious, or agnostic state.
I propose that there is a link between addictive personalities and conversion to religion. This came to my attention a few years ago when a family member who works in law enforcement explained how recruiting inmates was so easy. "They just go from one addiction, whether that be drugs, alcohol, sex or whatever, to another addition -- religion."
In fact, 12-Step recovery programs tend to focus on converting the addict to religion by claiming that they cannot control themselves, only a higher authority can. An ex-neighbor went to those meetings and she became quite inundated in the rhetoric. She stopped drinking, but only for a few years, then she went back on the bottle and claimed God had forsaken her. It was pathetic to watch.
Interestingly, I've read many other accounts of people who were heavy into booze/drugs who came out of their own accord (no religion), and their results seemed to be lasting.
Some may say that it's easy to convert this type of person because they are at a low point in their lives, but, I think it's more likely that they can be converted because they were addictive personalities to begin with.
What do others think? Can a person who is mentally strong and happy be converted as easily as one who is an addictive personality?
I'm really interested in hearing the views of others.
IMO, the primary trait required to become a religious zealot is the need to follow and belong. Strong willed, Lone Wolf types don't usually become zealots. Next, IMO, comes a lack of education. The well educated, although sometimes spiritual and strong believers in nebulously defined deities, rarely fall for the dogma of ancient myths.
So, it's probably a combination: addictive personality, needy, stupid etc. which drives one to become a religious zealot.
You bring an important distinction to the table -- "zealot." I probably should have specified that in the OP. Zealots are the ones who feel compelled to convince others that they're right, and that the others are doomed. Zealots feel as though their religion (church) is the only right one and that all others are off-track. They've convinced themselves -- or someone else has convinced them of that.
I also agree that being "needy" and under-educated are contributory factors.
These factors, when combined with an addictive personality, seem to be all that's necessary for someone to come along and offer the person a new addition -- religion. I also think most of the time these folks get inundated in evangelical-type denominations. The Pentecostal ones seem to be about the most indoctrinated.
There is no "your" reality. There is only reality. If your thoughts are out of sync with reality, you are just wrong.
I have a friend who's in AA (13 years now). When she was in her 2nd year some guy came in and basically started trying to recruit people into a nearby Christian church. They put an end to that, but the Christian overtones were there in the program before and after that.
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