Og

Yes, imaginary friends can be useful tools for assisting the human brain through difficult psychologically stressful times (or life in general). Some people go to get a physical representation of such an imaginary friend in a cat or dog or fish or plant to which they can address themselves. Sometimes they make up this thing called god or borrow it from someone and use it to help their mind deal with stresses.

This is one of the useful functions of this imaginary friend system that is passed around. It's extremely useful, for example, in 12 step programs when you need to ween someone off of a physical dependency on a substance and move them to a psychological dependency on a deity. It lets their body heal so that you can deal with the mind part later (if ever).

I don't think anyone's really implying that they are dumb. I think the main deal is that they didn't have that much information about the nature of the world they live in. At least, we've done a pretty good job of expanding our lack of knowledge and furthermore, we have very well defined boundaries where we know where "unknown" exists.

__________________
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
Satchitananda - True Being, Pure Consciousness, and Bliss
Tat Tvam Asi - Thou art That.
You & I, no distinction.
Mettā & Namaste

Abel

Og
I align myself with Jesus Christ. That's why I am called a Christian. I try to live my life in accordance with His teachings. Jesus has made very real changes in my life. If you wish to deny His existance and call Him my imaginary friend, very well.

Let's take a look at who you align yourself with. You call yourself a Campbellite, in reference to Joseph Campbell. I found it quite interesting to learn a little about him. He listed several men as having a profound impact in his life.

One of the most influential men in Campbell's life was James Joyce. Joyce appears to have been an alcoholic, who according to Carol Loeb Shloss in her 2003 book was also invloved in incest with his daughter. Shloss cites Joyce's son Stephen as her source. Joyce also appears to have been a bum, unable or unwilling to hold a job to support his family. He received finiancial support from wealthy women.

Another influence on Campbell was Thomas Mann. When Mann's diary was unsealed in 1975, it was found that he was involved in pederasty.

Then there was Carl Jung who admitted to a split personality. Jung recalled offering small pieces of paper with writings of a secret language to a tiny manaquin he himself had carved. Jung also believed in flying saucers.

Also influential on Campbell was Sigmund Freud who referred to himself as a Godless Jew. It was a well known fact that Freud was a cocaine addict. He also confessed to having sexual desires for his own mother.

We cannot overlook Heinrich Zimmer a Hindu mythologist, Wilhelm Stekel a suicidal psychologist, or Jiddu Kirshnamurti who had hallunications of his dead sister and mother.

A homosexual child molester, an incestous drunken bum, a cocaine addicted atheist, a psychologist with split personalities, a Hindu mythologist, and a man who saw dead people were the men who influenced the man you align yourself with.

I found all this information on Wekipedia. If you wish to follow Campbell's teachings, that's your choice, but as for me and my house, we will follow the LORD.

__________________
God loves you and I'm trying.

Astreja

Abel, what was the point of that barrage of ad hominems? Critique the work of Campbell, Joyce, Jung, et al. Not their personalities.

romansh

As expected ...
I was impressed by the RATE researchers' credentials and they seem to have published a fair amount. For some for some reason it seems to be all with the Institute for Creation Research?


Here's a quote from answeringenesis.org ... this is why many of us here find some aspects of Christianity so dismaying.
.... and like you said, for me a literal interpretation of the Bible ... blah, blah, blah... I am a scientist

A literal interpretation of the Bible just does not pass mustard when it comes to the abundant evidence against. Be a scientist just a bit ... it will help.

__________________
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. ........... Douglas Adams

shadowind

[quote=Abel;28944]

A homosexual child molester, an incestous drunken bum, a cocaine addicted atheist, a psychologist with split personalities, a Hindu mythologist, and a man who saw dead people were the men who influenced the man you align yourself with.
[quote]

i may well still align with those people, after all doesn't the bible have some of the same type of people with in it.
also i may not agree with all their actions, but i may very well agree with their ideas. you speak of atheism and hindu mythology as if its equated with drug use and "immoral" sexual activitys.

If the devil come to me and i agreed with his ideas, i wouldn't care if he was the devil. if god come to me and i agreed with his ideas, i wouldn't care if he was a god. i want the ideas, i can care less who the ideas came from. who they came from doesn't discredit the ideas. a "delusional" pschopath i may well agree with.

why is it that its a common occurance for people to judge others based on the others friends. if someone done that for me i would be guilty of many things i have never done, and it would describe me in the lest. i think its becuse most people seek out similarity, and thus hang around similar people, it provides a false security, a comfort. however not all people find comfort in something that is so obviously a false security, a hollow thing. i prefer to have my friends different from me, perhaps a few similar to me, but i have yet to really meet some one i see to much of my self in.

__________________
remember "for mere impulse of appetite is slavery, while obedience to a law which we prescirbe to oursleves is liberty"-rousseau: the concept of the general will "if we can not reconcile all opions, then let us endeavour to unite all hearts."-?"to be is to be perceived"-? "‘We can be as honest as we are ignorant. If we are, when asked what is beyond the horizon of the known, we must say that we do not know’-Robert G. Ingersoll

Og

Abel,

Perhaps you could clarify. What does the first paragraph that I've quoted here have to do with Campbell's teachings about mythology?

I don't care one little bit about the personalities of any of these folks. It's campbell's academic pursuit of unifying theory of world mythology that I respect. Furthermore, I think there's plenty of evidence illustrating that Joseph Campbell had NONE of the properties that you quote above.

__________________
Vi veri veniversum vivus vici. (By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
Satchitananda - True Being, Pure Consciousness, and Bliss
Tat Tvam Asi - Thou art That.
You & I, no distinction.
Mettā & Namaste

AB517

Originally Posted by Abel
"Romansh
I'm going to be honest with you. There are some websites that explain inaccuracies concerning C14 dating (www.answersingenesis.org & www.drdino.com), but I could not understand any of it. There were detailed explainations of C14 decay rate, C14 - C12 ratio, blah, blah, blah... I'm not a scientist.

Again, the Bible was not written to be a science book or history book."

This is why index fossils are important too.
Cross checks.

Astreja

Well, on the "Carbon 14" problem -- That method is far from state-of-the-art. Here's a good overview: Radiometric dating

Notice also that Carbon 14 is listed under short range dating.

romansh

Thanks Astreja

My wife just walked in and wanted to know why I am interested short range dating techniques ...

But with a half life C14 is ideal for the 6000 to 20 000 year period that covers history and and recent prehistory.

__________________
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. ........... Douglas Adams