Hey y'all. Still chugging along.
Mornings are super hard for me. I'm out the door and already at work before my room mates are even awake and the waking quietbis a huge trigger for my worries. Today my brain tried to tempt me with old thoughts on Fatima, telling me that the timing alone would be miraculous even if the mechanism is not (I had already come to the conclusion, thanks to a long article by a physicist who endangered his own vision to prove that these miracles are nothing but mirages) but in the early morning when my brain is rebooting, it suddenly seemed miraculous that the rain should stop and the clouds part just when the girl needed them to. It seemed too huge a coincidence to happen on its own.
But then, I stopped myself, not wanting to go down that path again, and I asked myself, is magic the ONLY explanation for this? Is it IMPOSSIBLE for such a coincidence to occur or simply unlikely? A hundred to one, a million to one, it's still possible
And honestly it's one of the clearest moments I've had in a long time. Even if someone seems amazingly unlikely, it doesn't require magic or god or fairies at all. I often fall victim to the fallacy of incredulity; I can't fathom how x could happen, so it must be goe. Nope! and with how much of the world is Christian and activly seeking signs and wonders and making prophesies, probability says sometimes they're just going to get fucking lucky
Disclaimer again, I am not reading or researching anything, I'm only dealing with the thoughts I already have as I learn to dismiss them and learn new skills , and I'm pretty proud of how I'm going, being able to shove shit aside and pretty much go "not today Yahweh"
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Is it a coincidence when the stage magician says they will pull a rabbit out of their hat, and then they do?
@Mikhael
"Is it IMPOSSIBLE for such a coincidence.."
Speaking for myself only, I avoid the word 'impossible'. Once you get away from logical impossibilities such as say a square, not a claim many will care to make. Mostly, I have no way of knowing, and such a claim is exceedingly difficult to prove .
I have no problem saying "I don't know" when that is the case .Scientists and scholars say it all the time**. It's not a crime, nor even worthy of criticism to be ignorant---BUT wilful ignorance of the kind shown by the apologists we get here is damn near inexcusable imo.
**EG: "Did Jesus exist?" Correct answer: We really don't know,. Many people believe so, but it has never been proved. Pretty much the case with most individuals individuals who may have lived a couple of thousand years ago. EG Jesus' next door neighbour for example, or the name of Julius Caesar's cook.
After the last person who knew me has died , it will be as if I had never existed. Does this bother me.? No, of course not; I'll be dead. What difference does fame or notoriety make to the dead?
@Mikhael
Good to hear you are still chugging. It seems to me you are still making great progress.
As for odds of perfect timing of supposed miracle, I don't even go as far as to calculate the odds.
Was I there? Did I see it with my own eyes? No? Is there any way I could know such a thing happened? Maybe pictures, video? No? Perhaps the event left something behind that could prove it? No?
What is the most likely outcome? That the event did not happen exactly how it was said it was, somewhere along the line someone got something wrong, or lied, now that... THAT seems likely. People lying? Yeah I have experienced that about a million times already.
@Mikhael: Shoving the shit aside is not going to solve the issue for you. That is called suppression. What you need to find is something more important than dwelling on unsubstantiated bullshit. How about your own sanity? Isn't rationality and being sane more important? You can not look at Fatima rationally or sanely and still get caught up in the mystical bullshit. THE SUN DOES NOT MOVE ABOUT IN THE SKY. IT DOES NOT MOVE ABOUT NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE SAID THEY SAW IT. THE DAY IT MOVES IS THE DAY WE ALL DIE!!!!
Hey there, Mikhael. I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but here is something to consider when you get fixated on your Fatima issue...
Consider going outside for awhile on a really bright sunny day without sunglasses. Maybe you're just sitting and relaxing while reading a good book.... saaaay, the bible, for instance. And the sun is shining directly on the pages you are reading. Then you reach a passage that truly "speaks to your heart". Perhaps it was one of the verses where god is telling us he will always "see us through the dark times." So you look up from the bible to stare at the shaded treeline across the yard to reflect a moment on the profound words of your beloved god. And - Lo! - what do you see?... *gasping in awe*... An image of the bible you have been reading floating in your vision! And no matter where you look where there are shadows, that image stays within your eyesight. But eventually it fades away. Oh, my LORD! God is speaking to you and letting you know his words are TRUE! It's a MIRACLE!..... NOT!
Now, imagine hundreds of people gathering at one place because they were told a miracle will happen there for them to witness. Most (if not all) of these people are poor, barely educated, but INTENSELY religious. Moreover, they are already EXPECTING to see a miracle. And on top of all of that, anybody in their community who "dares to be different" typically gets severely chastised and, in some cases, even risks getting ousted from their family/friends.
So, there they all are, standing around, all heads turned upward, staring at the sky and the sun for several minutes or hours out in the middle of the day. Then, at one point, somebody in the crowd exclaims, "Oh, praise Jesus! I just saw the sun move across the sky!" As you might expect, this causes everybody... EVERYBODY...to start staring intently at the sun waiting to see it move. Sure enough, it starts happening. After staring directly at the sun for several minutes, they start moving there strained eyes around a bit, and - LO! - the sun is EVERYWHERE they look in the sky! Oh, LORD! It's a miracle! And even those who might not have seen this "miracle" are certainly not going to admit that to their families and friends. Hell, they might as well pack their bags and leave as soon as they get home. (Providing they are even ALLOWED to go home.) So, "Yes! Absolutely! I saw the miracle too!"
See what I'm saying? (Pun intended.)
It also makes sure that everyone is on the same page and knows what they need to do. By using the same format for all regulations, workers will feel more at ease. foodle