Why am I not surprised that it takes one hallucinogenic delusion to know one?

indeed.

Lots of my friends take mushrooms. I had assumed that they were more or less harmless until I started reading this guy's posts. Is that what they do to your mind, or was he an idiot before he started taking drugs?

Probably a little of both. The mushrooms don't help.
Seriously, anyone who thinks hallucinations are proof of God wasn't all there to begin with.

Although, I have seen many instances of people becoming wacked out religious from continual use of hallucinogens.

A guy I knew in high school went from atheist to wiccan/pagan to hard core right wing Jesus freak from hallucinogens. They destroy the ability to reason and the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. When that happens, they latch onto anything that seems to give them stability.
I've seen it happen, up close and personal. I've also seen it happen, over and over again, among people I didn't know. I'll take my 20+ years of experience of dealing with people who do things like hallucinogens over pretty much any other kind of evidence.

They may be fun every once in a while, I don't know, however continual use makes one crazy, stupid, and gullible.

How many of those who do a lot of shrooms over a long time period will only do shrooms? I bet a lot of them are doing acid occasionally, and other substances.

I'm totally open to the possibility that shrooms are harmful; with the information I have, I'm not convinced either way. I am far more confident that excess prolonged acid use is harmful.

No they don't.

What book are you reading?

Time to use Einstein again to destroy this Atheist. Ready for Einstein's magic words??? Here they are:

"Anyone who becomes seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that there is a spirit manifest in the laws of the universe. A spirit vastly superior to that of man." -Albert Einstein


also:


"All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force. We must assume behind this force is the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter." -Max Planck -The Father of Quantum Physics 1858-1947


The reason people become "religious" when they use mushrooms is due to the SIMPLE FACT that they allow you to undergo deep meditation. Try opening your mind, and maybe you will learn something.

"Wisdom is gained through open-mindedness." -Happydude111

C'mon, keep this going Arcamedees... I want to see if you can successfully bash Einstein now... C'mon.. Keep 'em coming, and I'll keep setting you straight all day every day...

Einstein was a scientist who did lots of wonderful work in the realm of physics and chemistry. If he has something to say about physics or chemistry, I'll be very interested. Otherwise, it's like listening to Hollywood stars talk about politics.

This go knows what he is talking about. Cheers to intelligence.

Hell yeah. Its like the whole 'overdosing vitamin C must be a good idea, because Pauling got a nobel prize in something else. Its pure argument from authority, in all its glorious stupidity, to think that "Because Einstein was 'smart' " we should automatically value his opinions.

hopeless... Have you guys lost your abilities to love?

and that follows from... ?

Love has nothing to do with God, if you read the Old Testament...God really doesn't seem to love all that much.

a documentary does not prove anything. i'll watch it sometime, not tonight though. and if being religious means you don't accept the different beliefs of others that in no way hurt other human beings and you feel the need to call them ignorant pricks, then i'll pass on it, even if there is actual proof of a higher power

and why does your profile say open minded to the extreme?

I've found in several "alternative" communities (alternative medicine, alternative lifestyle, alternative spirituality...) that "open minded" has come to mean "dogmatically assert a minority position that isn't substantiated by evidence."

By this usage of the word, it would appear he is "open minded".

as opposed to "Receptive to new and different ideas or the opinions of others" like a dictionary might say. i might have to try this whole using my own definition of a word. in my profile i can say im a "billionaire" and "Perfect"

God vs. Science


'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.'



The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.



'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'



'Yes sir,' the student says.



'So you believe in God?'



'Absolutely. '



'Is God good?'



'Sure! God's good.'



'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'



'Yes'



'Are you good or evil?'



'The Bible says I'm evil.'



The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible! He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'



'Yes sir, I would.'



'So you're good...!'



'I wouldn't say that.'



'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'



The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?'



The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?'



'Er..yes,' the student says.



'Is Satan good?'



The student doesn't hesitate on this one.. 'No.'



'Then where does Satan come from?'



The student falters. 'From God'



'That's right. God made Satan , didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'



'Yes, sir.'



'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'



'Yes'



'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'



Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'



The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'



'So who created them?'



The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ , son?'



The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'



The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus ?'



'No sir. I've never seen Him.'



'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus ?'



'No, sir, I have not.'



'Have you ever felt your Jesus , tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus ? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ , or God for that matter?'



'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'



'Yet you still believe in him?'



'Yes'



'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?'



'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'



'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'



The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat? '



’Yes.



'And is there such a thing as cold?'



'Yes, son, there's cold too.'



'No sir, there isn't.'



The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of
Heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'



Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.



'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'



'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'



'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and its called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'



The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'



'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'



The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'



'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.' 'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'



'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'



'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'



The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.



'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'



The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so.. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'



Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.'



'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'



To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God.. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'



The professor sat down.




If you read it all the way through and had a smile on your face when you finished, mail to your friends and family with the title 'God vs. Science'



PS: The student was Albert Einstein .



Albert Einstein wrote a book titled 'God vs. Science' in 1921.....

Was there something resembling an intelligent argument within that lengthy and boring text? I saw only a a dramatic narrative focused on strawmen.

This is the kind of thing that people who are both weak-minded and theist especially enjoy, as it reassures them. Intelligent theists recognize it for what it is.