More Religulous Thoughts

[jamesq]

Okay. Mormonism. A guy starts preaching that he's a prophet. His evidence of this is the translated gold tablets of an Archangel. The tablets are conveniently whisked away to heaven so nobody can confirm this. Contemporary skeptics manage to catch the founder in contradictions. Eventually, he starts having revelations as he requires, up to and including god's commandment to sleep with lots and lots of women.

And people bought this? They didn't immediately realise he's a con artist. 150 years later, where every confirmable fact in the book of Mormon (Jesus coming to the new world, Native American's being genetically related to Middle Eastern Jews of the 1st century) has been proven wrong, they still buy it.

I know some Mormons, and they've seemed to be pretty reasonable folks, but come on.

Scientology. A professional Science Fiction writer invents a religion. He's on record as saying that the best way to make money is to invent a religion. The religion involves the idea that all our mental problems are the result of alien soul implants leaking out of nuked volcanos. Every single honest description of what Scientology is that I've ever seen includes a disclaimer that these ridiculous tenets really are what Scientologists believe in.

And people bought it. Not just famous Hollywood actors, but people who haven't gone completely around the bend.

Ok it's settled. If I want wealth and regular sex (and I do), I should become a cult leader. The beautiful thing about it is, even though I'm admitting right here and right now that it's a scam, it won't matter. People will still buy it.

All I have to do is be a lying SOB.

Comments

[catalytic.livejournal.com]

Ah, but the trick is you have to be consistent in your SOB-ness. Not your lies. Your lies can change with the wind so long as you maintain your SOB-ness. But can you bury your care and consideration that deep, and for the rest of your life?

[gifted-spirit.livejournal.com]

And it's tax deductable! *eg*

[oblivions.livejournal.com]

That's odd you should mention Mormons... I was dreaming about them this morning, specifically an old friend of mine as I was in the process of chewing on my foot. Very surreal.

[tyroticon.livejournal.com]

All I have to do is be a lying SOB.

You also have to be the sort of person that gives people something they feel to be in their advantage to claim they believe.

[jamesq]

I'm having a tough time parsing this. Please clarify, since I'm very close to concluding that you just said I have less to offer someone then a lying SOB.

[tyroticon.livejournal.com]

I think you got it, though I don't necessarily agree that you have to be able to trick them -- or at least not all of them.

See, I don't think that, "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS BELIEVE!" is entirely true. Maybe many do believe it, but there's always someone willing to pay lip service to a system in exchange for the opportunities it provides.

[tyroticon.livejournal.com]

Only when it comes to starting a cult.

Sure, people like you, and with good reason. They'll listen to your positions, because you usually put a lot of thought into them and (the important part I usually miss) how you express them.

But you're not selling anything that will pack the tents at dawn, which is what you'd have to do. Being a lying SOB is not required. It might help, but I don't believe you've got that part in you.