Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Beliefs (and Mormonism)

A blog reader recently asked me if I really believe "that ridiculous story that came with the Book of Mormon." Here's what I replied:


Someone else was asking me recently about my beliefs. I thought of an analogy that might help explain. I was in New York and wanted to meet up with an old school friend. We were trying to figure out a good activity given the weather constraints -- 40% chance of rain. She explained to me that in that part of the country, 40% chance of rain doesn't really mean that there is a 40% chance of any precipitation, rather it refers more accurately to the amount of rain you could expect that day -- 40% of what would be considered a good downpour (100%).

My beliefs are very similar to this. I don't expect to have absolute certainty about anything in my life, in fact I don't think I do have absolute certainty about anything in my life (including my own existence, despite Descartes' brave assertions). So I assess all "facts" in my life in terms of not just likelihood that they are true, but also the amount of what they are that is true. And then there is the uncertainty in the assessment itself. I may guess that there is a 40% chance of rain (or 40% of "rain"), but what if I am only 40% certain of it? Or maybe I only feel like I understand 40% of it, so what does that mean in terms of how much or whether I believe? Add that to the fact that I have never really felt the need to define myself, not by my beliefs, not by my what I "like" on facebook, not by my profession, or my religion, or my gender, or my race -- and that even if I were to try to define myself I am constantly changing, more like smoke and mirrors even to my own eyes than anything more tangible -- and I really don't spend hardly any time thinking about what exactly I believe.

Despite all of this uncertainty about what I may or may not believe, there are patterns in my behavior that suggest that certain things are more important to me than others. I keep showing up to church Sunday after Sunday. I pay 10% of my money to my church. Every time someone asks me for something church related I say yes. Does that mean that I have some underlying belief about things? It must, or maybe I just like doing those things for whatever reason. Or am afraid to not do them. And how tied up are those feelings of like and fear with whatever my beliefs are? I don't know.

It's not like I think my beliefs are any more or less ridiculous than others. And if I had been raised with a different set of beliefs and shared that different set of beliefs with my family and a support system, maybe I would "believe" those things instead. Although the Mormon religion is sort of uniquely suited to my mindset -- we're all gods in embryo and will continue to progress until we have unimaginable power? Yeah, that appeals to me. I like that combined with the Mormon story of Moses, who is shown a vision of just a fraction of time and expanse of the universe and faints. Upon waking Moses says about his experience: "Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed." So I like that too, this idea that we all have a universe of potential but that we don't come even close to expressing a fraction of that potential yet. It makes me feel like there is a lot to look forward to still.

98 comments:

  1. I hate mormonism.

    I would have to say, if there is anything that makes you seem like a less credible authority, or genuine sociopath, It would have to be this.

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    1. Hate is strong, heavy energy... why waste it on a religion you don't have to participate in? Let go dude. Save that hate for something worth while, like... um, give me a minute here... I'll come up with something.

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    2. I would have to say, if there is anything that makes you seem like a less credible authority, or genuine sociopath, It would have to be this.

      You need to broaden your intellectual horizons then. It’s a well known observation that for those so inclined, religion can be a potent tool in the right hands. I’m not saying that’s ME’s motivation for being religious. I am saying that religion and sociopathy are not mutually exclusive.

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    3. Hellz yea! Just look at what Constantine did with it and the ramifications are still being felt more than 1500 years later.

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    4. Sociopathy and religion go hand in hand.


      Anything with great power, wealth and followers.


      The Vatican has more wealth than many small countries combined.

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    5. LOL.....And you really think there are less sociopaths not following religion.

      hahahahahahahah

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    6. Then again, if she is a sociopath, she is a liar.

      So, this whole blog has a fair amount of bullshit!


      Good marketing for a book.

      Banana

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    7. As a Mormon myself, I am somewhat amused both Ms. Thomas' (or whoever s/he is) apparent eagerness to proclaim her membership and visitors' reactions to it. Honestly, I have my doubts about her claims, as the superficiality of them make me wonder if it isn't some kind of front or cover. Even if she is, it doesn't really matter, because her outward piousness means nothing.

      She is right in one aspect, which is Mormonism is a good place for sociopaths - or at least a certain kind. But then, if there ever was a pure religion, be it Mormonism, Judaism, Protestantism, or any other -ism, the sociopaths have taken them over and corrupted them for their own ends. All the things religion has been blamed for - the wars, the witch hunts, the hate, etc., is largely due to sociopaths who run the show. In most religions one can find teachings that emphasize patience, kindness, charity, etc., but the sociopaths have no understanding of such things, and warp religiosity into dogma and from there, whatever suits their own ends.

      Then there is spirituality, the personal search for deity and enlightenment, which sociopaths do not understand. Jesus Himself said "With their lips they do honor me but their hearts are far away from me." He says that those who claim to have done things in His name will be rejected if they do not seek Him personally. So it's clear that whatever Ms. Thomas thinks, the heart and intent DOES matter, and it means a great deal. In matters of spirituality, the empath has a distinct advantage.

      Mormonism emphasizes works over grace, but both matter. The sociopath's lack of compassion may find a home in the Mormon church, but they will never find the straight gate unless they find a way to overcome themselves. This is true for all of us.

      As for sociopaths in the Mormon church, they are certainly there. My former BIL was/is a sociopath (I bear a few scars from knowing him) who joined the church at the behest of my sister, but a few years later left, very much against Mormonism. I think it takes a certain kind of sociopath to stay in a church - one who is willing to put forth the effort to climb the ranks in a religious setting in order to play fun and games with people's lives. For the other sociopaths, they will leave, and try to take as many with them as they can on their way out.

      Reading of Ms. Thomas' bed-hopping and seduction exploits, I have no doubt that if the sociopaths who run the part of the church she supposedly occupies, they would've kicked her to the curb years ago. If she remains, it is because she lies to keep her cover.

      So either way, Ms. Thomas is a liar and deceiver. Bear that in mind when you read her writings. Now I will continue my internet journeys and wander out of here with the intention to not spend a dime on her book. The guise of honesty is usually the best way to tell lies. Buyer beware.

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    8. I think Mormonism is exceptionally superficial compared to say Baptists or Catholics or even non denominational. I don't think that it prizes works over grace at all... unless those works are simply for the Mormon Church's own benefit to the detriment of it's members (I've heard the church makes their congregation do all types of exhausting work for free to financially benefit the entity of Mormonism). Not to mention the HIGH rate of anti depressant use amongst Mormon women compared to the general population.

      Yes, I think this author is exactly where she belongs as far as religions go... though she could probably fit healthily into any organized religion and do well. Where I think she may have a problem is via a more Unitarian/Universalist and/or progressive faith -- not as much constriction and not as many silly rules to follow. Rules shield crazy people well -- if they just follow the rules they are considered good... but to truly expand one's consciousness and extend empathy (which is love), I don't think she could do it.

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    9. I despise Mormonisn. They took my wife away after 20 years. We were doing fine until they showed up. The reason it was easy for her to go that way was that she grew up a Mormon and left when they refused to help her with feeding her two sons after her Mormon husband abandoned her in Salt Lake City. He led her to the welfare office and told her to go and get some help.

      Can't believe she fell back into his pyscopath charms after she spent years tellling me he was a snake charmer.

      Well here I am in 2018 all grown up at 67 and this guy takes my wife away.???

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  2. Religious people and narcissist the perfect mix. Like peanut butter jelly time.

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  4. Yawn. Convoluted writing is convoluted. You suck, M.E.

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  5. I must admit, it is this piece of information about you I find most puzzling as well. LDS is a strict set when followed. And to follow anything so strictly with "blind" faith after everything I have read here just doesn't seem to fit your character.

    Thank you. It doesn't fit because I have come to a preconception of you as a whole person from a blog in which you show us maybe 10% of who you are. What an idiot I have been... hope to meet you one day soon.

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  6. My respect for this site just fell through the floor. Mormon, come off it, more like moron. You let a little too much slip about yourself and undermined your credibilty in the process. Thanks for all the previous posts but i shan't be returning to this blog.

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    1. You are such an idiot. Truly, this is just ridiculous.

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    2. Look on the bright side, Anon 639. The idiot said he won't be returning :)

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    3. I understand his comment. A sociopath who follows willingly schedules in a regular basis sounds like a tamed sociopath, so a mild sociopath, so not really a sociopath… If you find any kind of peace by following rules, maybe you are something else… And this is the way it sounds from the post. Religion sounds like a corset for ME not like a tool. Compare it to Sssnake’s comment.

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    4. Ooh yes. Because surely, sociopaths can't follow something so mundane as a schedule! Why, it would mar their impulsive superpowers, by which they can magically soar to successful heights without ever having to submit to the gruelling shame of a timetable, like normal people.~

      Why do you presume that M.E's faith centres around a "peace" obtained by following a bunch of rules? Faith concerns and encompasses hope, belief, ideology and philosophy, among a host of other concepts. Your understanding of religion is very narrow.

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  7. There's more to reality than just personality disorders. We all love a good mystery.

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  8. Hmm I can't bring myself to believe in anything, at least not the same thing daily, including the lack of something. The closest I get is following natural law. Because I am in tune with my base, animalistic nature I think--what would I do in the wild? I feel we should maintain some autonomy over our individual being and life. So we are not to take the life of another unless they are a direct threat that cannot be avoided. Although my first instinct is to strangle someone if I feel they are infringing upon what I deem as my territory, I remember that I am not in a position to possess anything that is strictly mine, except for my own existence. It is the only thing that is completely ours. So I let them have theirs while I fight to keep mine, despite how meaningless it probably is.

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    1. Hi Chet,

      You are in a position to do anything you want to. You can posses and strangle all you want. You don't REALLY want to and that is what keeps you from being some maniacal psycho... (a sudden urge to be violent isn't quite the same as a violent person)

      What do you mean by base animalistic nature? How did you come to this "base"/standard?

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  9. haha how do you know what sort of position I am in? I am currently financially dependent. Also, I did not claim to be a violent person. But I feel that if humans were still living as the savages we are at our core, we would do what other animals do and get in threatening/defense mode first, then if that doesn't work--attack. This is what I do. I give the most devious, hungry look I can muster, make a usually subtle but piercing threat, attempt to get the "fiend" to go away. Sometimes I swear I start growling. See, I'm not a sociopath. I'm a cat.

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    1. I know what position you are in because it is the same position as any living creature... you can do what you want to do as long as you have the physical ability and are willing to accept whatever consequences.

      You gesture, posture, and actually act like that? I know people who do very similar. I also know A LOT of people who posture in a loud yelling manner. Doesn't make much sense to me for me, but to each their own.

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    2. Yes, but what I'm saying is that it surprises me that M.E can commit to something as rigid as an organized religion like Mormonism, completely with regular church attending etc...it isn't everchanging like M.E herself. I try to listen to nature because nature is constantly changing and indifferent to those that are affected by the fact. It seems like a better match for the whimsical. But that's just an opinion, of course.

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    3. maybe a person just needs something stable, , , anything. I mean it can be any sort of thing, like a person or an activity with solid rules for engagement.


      When a person is like smoke or whatever , doesn't the person need to stick onto something in order not to feel idk.. nonexistent?

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  10. why not be a sociopath and attend mormon church? it gives structure to your life and thoughts. it makes a perfect mask. it makes you meet a lot of gullible people. if M.E. "really" is a believer - only god can tell...

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  11. More power too her. Just seems like it would be quite challenging. Remarkable that she has this much discipline. The incentive must be one greater than she can pinpoint.

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  12. ME is one of few religious people I know of that isn't on some level completely irrational, stupid, absurd or all three. One reason is her pragmatic approach. She doesn’t stress the veracity of Mormon dogma for instance. She’s smart enough to know that she wouldn’t have a leg to stand on there. And per this post, being a Mormon apologist doesn’t interest her anyway.

    The other reason is her refreshing honesty. She knows how religion benefits her and that’s what matters to her. Most religious people, especially monotheists, can’t admit something like that without sounding more concerned with themselves than they are with their god.

    Those are the reasons why I find her being religious completely non-annoying and unobjectionable. I can’t do religion myself. She apparently can however, so more power to her.

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    Replies
    1. Love everything about this, Daniel.
      You just said exactly what I was thinking, but far more eloquently.

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    2. What she says doesn't sound very sociopath like, I agree with Anon 12:12. I don't see it as a power but as a constraint she accepts because she doesn't see an exit door and she is not going to make the effort to find it. She cares enough to be trapped, but not enough to release herself. The combination of both makes me think her sociopathy might be mild. You might not all be sociopaths to the same degree... there might even be among you some who just think they are sociopaths when they are not more than reasonable empaths like me ;)

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    3. If ME is Mormon and female than she is utterly powerless and /her/ religion hates and holds zero respect for her.

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    4. Only men can feel empowered in Mormonism. Women are subjugated.

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    5. I doubt if ME allows anyone to treat her/him poorly. Right?

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    6. Do you know anything about Mormonism? I do. Mormonism does not value women.

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    7. "Do you know anything about Mormonism."

      Yes, I lived in a mountain community of Mormons. Female neighbor was a Mormon. The couple had a hot tub in their bedroom suite and she had 6 different wigs to wear only at night. Smart girl? Modern? Who's to say.........

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    8. "Liar"

      3:58 - Ignorant !

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  13. Fuck it. Three's a charm, "More power to her."

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  14. Her most recent tweet "The experience of challenge, of adversity, engages the mind beyond anything else. Which explains why we like law, politics, business, etc" also sort of answered the question.

    I should have remembered the challenge aspect of it all. Nothing makes one feel more in control than being successful with a challenge.

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    Replies
    1. It seems to me as though some are trying to justify ME to themselves... as if this revaltation has shattered or at the very least shaken a personal view they hold to nearly as much as a religion. Religion isn't there for a challenge. You don't join a religion to challenge yourself. It's done for support, sanctuary, and solice.

      For many these things are of NO concern. I don't need the support of a church, the sanctuary of a congregation, or the solice of a forgiving Lord.

      What's more, the absence of a dogmatic rant from the blog host does show intelligence, I agree... but it doesn't mean anything as to her fervor for her savior. Let us not forget in the end that is what christianity is about. Regardless if it is Baptist, Catholic, or Mormon... it's about being "saved". This can mean a myriad of different things to as many different peoples.

      Ask yourself this? Do you really know ME? Some here have claimed to actually know her in person and those would be the only person ready to answer this. Should you think you have a very good idea of who this ME is by reading this blog... I have to ask you another question, how well do you know yourself?

      Have a nic day!

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    2. Oh, and where the hell is Alter!?!

      There is were the rants are...

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    3. Believing or not in being saved... A sociopath who accepts dogmas in his/her life sounds too limiting for a sociopath.

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    4. Jessi,

      Tell me what a sociopath is. In your own words.

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    5. TUA 10:38
      Monica, will tell you she knows ME personally.

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    6. Yes. So do I.

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    7. In my own words is that read better than in more expert words, and it's long, but definitely it includes shallow emotions and incapacity for love. A sociopath can have children for a use but can't care about them besides as useful tools. So he/she will not make a sacrifice for them, just acts of investment for more selfish goals.

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  15. I have never claimed to know M.E. I am a fairly new reader, in fact. But she does post these things partly to evoke thought and discourse. To catch our attention. That's how the blog remains a success. I did not insult her or denounce my respect for her. I feel no emotional attachment to her...obviously. But I may as well compare my own beliefs or what I constitute as beliefs with Mormonism and state why I imagine it would be a challenge for anyone, sociopath or empath. There is a lot of commitment to attending regularly, teaching Sunday school, and donating. Whether or not the actual faith is there. Committing to a schedule, to a ritual, is something I have always found challenging. I do so in smaller scales in my own life, but it certainly does get mundane.

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    1. Schedules are my tool to staying emotionally balanced. I don't like when things don't go MY way. Schedules help me with this. Perhaps it has something to do with Apsergers or something... IDK. When I go off my schedules, when I go with impulses, shit gets fucked up and I get crazy/irrational in attempt to gain control back. I have peoblems with impulse controls sometimes and this can make shit very annoying because I know I should follow my schedules.

      I have family memebers who are devout Christians and have been their whole lives... they from time to time skip a Sunday School or Wednesday sermon, but then they actually "feel" bad when the do this. It isn't hard for them. It isn't a challenge.

      Chet? Is that short for something? And you REALLy like cats, don't you?

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  16. I ABHOR when someone else so much as dares to change my schedule. But I have no problem endeavoring to change it at my accord even if it is inconvenient for someone else.

    Chet is one of several pseudonyms I have...I plan to change my name legally...eventually. Something that either matches me, or makes for a beautiful paradox. But first I will need to be less inconsistent.

    Yes I love cats. I think of all animals (including humans) being equal, except with myself and cats just a hair superior. We're just cuter. haha

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    Replies
    1. You have a femine look but I can not tell for sure... cute? Sure. What do you mean something that fits you? Can you describe what this name might say?

      I get the all animals are equal thing, and yesterday's post by ME was fucking awesome. It also supports the statement I made about you being in a position to do whatever you want.

      I like cats. However, I don't see anyone superior to moi... and def not cats.

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    2. I am biologically female. Do not have a gender identity, or it is dual-who knows. Each of my three main entities is a different gender. My friends have a name for me, I use another for business purposes. I use my legal name when I have to, and my entities each have names as well.

      I feel that a name viewed as gender neutral with layers of symbolism for numerous things, however loose the association may be, is ideal.

      haha yesterday's post got intense with the comments. Yeah I wasn't logged in and I remember suggesting to Jessi she just pick something and go with it, because expectations are useless.

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    3. These different entities have me curious. Are you a different person with each, or is it more allowing certain aspects of a complex personality to take charge for a while?

      Gender neutral... have you ever seen the SNL skit "Pat"?

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    4. I'm not entirely sure. There is Richard-the cultured, dominate, middle-aged man who likes the finer things in life. Carol-the sometimes nurturing sometimes femme fatale of about 30 years, and "little Johnny/little Sally"- the naive, easily deceived, awkward yet sunny children. Then there is "the stranger"-detached an empty. Unable to truly connect with anyone. I am each of them separately as well as all of them at once. And anything in between. Whatever I feel like, really.

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    5. and no, I don't remember watching that

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    6. So you're conscious of the shifts? Sounds a little like Dissociative identity disorder.

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    7. Pat was a character that no one could figure out the gender. Others would try to "guide" Pat into sterotypical gender related activities so as to decipher it's sexuality. It was funny...

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    8. No I do not take on the persona and life of a middle-aged man. When one entity becomes prominent I identify more with its age and gender and some of the qualities. As I child I would observe women and girls a lot. I always felt a bit different. I didn't understand their flowery language, their need for gossip, just the way they would think. (yes I know this is a generalization). But I'm not quite trans, as I feel all bodies are prisons that have little to nothing to do with who we are, and I'm not a lesbian. But I do think my way of thinking is different from most of the people I'm surrounded by, especially the women. Could be their tendency towards irrational emotional reactions to things but it's anyone's guess.

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    9. What do you do, Chet? Your thought process is a bit different from anyone I have talked to about such things. Cool.

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    10. I do nothing I'm a college dropout ha

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    11. Chet, I think it is a mistake to think that majority means normality. Maybe those women are the unhealthy ones. History is a clear example of the atrocious things "normal" majorities can do... I think that to have irrational emotional reactions is nothing but very primitive, not very normal for a homo sapiens.

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    12. Eh I would think primitive humans would use more simplistic thinking. It's bored, modern women, or rather people in general who have been conditioned to initiate conflict when they have nothing worthwhile to do. Worrying about petty things...forgetting that to possess that time their basic needs have obviously been met.

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    13. When a dog gets bored becomes frustrated, then aggressive. Same for primitive humans, they have to release their energy in some way and they are not able to do anything constructive by themselves.

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    14. Okay but I wasn't speaking of frustration and aggressive. But I do agree that most of the people around me seem incapable of being alone, or simply being quiet for five minutes. I've gotten to the point where I'm no longer able to pretend I would prefer isolation. If I am bored with someone's presence, the sentiment comes out without being filtered or sugar-coated. Gets me in trouble but I wish everyone would cut to the chase.

      Delete
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    Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog?
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  18. sunday school? mormon church? 10 percent of income? "exotic" vacations?

    ohhh my god having no feelings is soooo boring!! jesus h christ, no wonder we want to die already

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    1. I have no empathy when it comes to religion...

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    2. Who want's your empathy?

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    3. everyones missing the point... ME is so bored with her lack of feelings, that she teaches sunday school and hangs out with mormons.

      there are the things she does for FUN!

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    4. ^ Can I use your crystal ball for stocks? LOL

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    5. To give to church 10% of income for FUN? I don't buy that.

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  19. Never have I had such little respect for one of your posts. What bullshit. The only real power is that which we have in our own right.

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  20. I'm apparently in a mood tonight.

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    1. Hey you! How Have you been?

      This is a rather interesting turn of events.

      -Tom/Virus/"Cookie Monster"

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    2. -Tom/Virus/"Cookie Monster"

      You forgot single homeless man, rejected by his own enfants.

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    3. Hello there! I've been doing alright. Well. All of the stuff considered. How are you?

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    4. What country are you from haven?

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    5. Anon... you're so funny. I don't have any "enfants". I don't have any infants either. (1) pre-schooler, (1) in primary, (1) in secondary, and (1) in the School of Hardknocks at the University of Life.


      Haven, I'm doing pretty good. There is a chance I could be up your way in July/August. I don't think I have ever been there in the heat of the city. A little Loving Spoonfulls camne to mind.

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    6. heat of the summer...

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    7. Anon I'm a New Yorker. Good ole U.S. of A.


      TUA all the name changes. Bored easily? hahaha. New York in the summer is fabulous. Unforgivably hot, but never a dull moment.

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    8. HA HA! I do get bored easily... it's why I like NYC. Bored? Turn a corner.

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    9. Truer word m'dear! I need constant stimulation but I'm oddly OCD about certain things staying that same ;)

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    10. TUA, a sociopath with children?? You have them but you don't care about them I hope. Or aren't you a a sociopath?

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    11. You hope?

      My, my, you're just a veritable fount of opinions and assumptions, aren't you Jessi? What makes you such an expert on everything and everyone?

      Delete
  21. What a relief - Monica in the forum as Maria :)

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    1. What a relief that you're here :)

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    2. Which Monica? the one who believes she knows better about the other one about their lives and who they are?

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    3. Quite a spin, Jessi, or who?

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  22. Does participating in any religion mean that you are more or "ethical" or have more empathy than those who don't participate? That has not been my experience. I can absolutely reconcile the sociopath and religion, ANY religion.
    ME has described a flowing belief system about everything, including her own very being - like water, maybe it's confined to a country creek sometimes, then to a wide, fast-paced river, and then to the world-dominating sea. And back up to the sky to become rain. Then she'll be a puddle. Then she'll get lapped up by a hungry dog and become piss. But all the while, she's interfacing with her environment in a way that is beneficial to her, in a way that perpetuates her existence.
    I was actually a "devout" Jehovah's Witness for some time; it gave me some structure and helped me to curb my impulsive tendencies. When I couldn't hide any longer, I left. No problem. If it serves you, do it. No need to qualify faith, is there?
    Fun post, ME, way to not give a shit what those haughty narcissists think. They're just jealous because they can't shed their skins like some can. If they shed their outer shell, they crumble. That's why I love snakes, because they keep changing the part that everyone sees; they "re-face" and become brighter, shinier, and bigger.

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    1. I re-read this and thought I said M.E. was like "waiter" rather that "water;" felt mortified for a second there.
      But waiters really morph alot, too, to give them some credit.
      Please be nicer to waiters AND water today.

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    2. It is called shedding, not refacing.

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    3. ooh, anon 9:15, you're defending snakes!

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  23. me's trying to chase away the badasses so when the book hits the stores this place is all Sunshine and lolipops

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  24. Smart to attract sunshine and lollipops, isn't it? Isn't that what a sociopath would do? Silly you, thinking there's a chase-away happening, when really, it's a rally and a set-up for an entertaining war!

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  25. I was just watching Independence Day and wonder if it is possible if Dozens of Alien ships were hovering over the planet in some sort of stealth mode? Do Humans have the technology to perceive them? And What exactly are they doing here? Has the Military looked into this at all? Is it possible they are interested in our natural resources, like the main character said in The Day The Earth Stood Still? And is there anything Humans can do about it, or do they just sit around like lambs awaiting the slaughter? And would they be like the Sheep in the Sociopath literature, for example, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, and the Sociopaths like the Wolfs? And Does that mean Sociopaths possess the sheep, and does that make the Sheep "Different"? And is that at all like Cain and Able from the Bible? And does that make Sociopaths like a "Different" species/race/form of being entirely from Humans? And is there some reason the word "Different" is used so much in mainstream media like movies? And does that mean Sociopaths already control Human media, if that is so, then what else do they control on this planet as their spacecrafts hover over us? And is that at all like the Show V on Television, that was cancelled after the second season? And what exactly does this have to do with all the Vampire movies/media lately? And does that make Sociopaths like Vampires or Cain from the Bible? And what exactly are Humans to do about all of this? These are some of the questions I ask myself. Thanks again for your blog, and thanks again for your valuable time and energy ;)

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  26. As a Mormon, let me say that what ME expresses as her belief system is not Mormonism. ME appears to know nothing of right and wrong, and she appears to be incapable (biologically? spiritually?) of understanding that she must love others as herself -- if she's even capable of that -- and that would mean the kind of hurts and manipulations she uses against others for her own benefit or amusement would be an irrational act within that belief system. I can only conclude that, as a completely rational actor, she is not following that belief system.

    However, as some (including herself) have pointed out, clearly ME has found something in Mormonism that meets her needs. And, as others have pointed out, there is a certain honesty in admitting this. She could have found this 'something' in any number of other religions. Indeed, the beliefs that attract her to the religion -- man (she?) can become god, and man (everybody else?) is nothing -- are not coincidentally the two beliefs most supportive of her sociopathic worldview.

    From my perspective, true religion is not about picking and choosing things from a belief system (or systems) that fit your worldview. In the end, Christianity and Buddhism (the two belief systems I know best) both challenge you to put aside your own worldview and adopt an entirely different -- and life-changing/transformative -- worldview. Those that refuse to do so find a 'religion' in which they can admire their own reflection. Those that drop the mirror both lose and find themselves. I guess in both cases each person could be very happy with their choice. But, this does not mean both are actualizing the path outlined by these religions' founders.

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