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What's that gonna do except make it more real?
I understand your reasoning here, and I agree that by delving into the occult, ignorant people may bring about unintended events. I believe there is a lot of fact in the Tulpa theory...the "energized thought" theories.
In actual, documented exorcisms, people have levitated and exhibited telekinesis. People have babbled gibberish, that when recorded and re-played, turned out to be an archaic Latin dialect, or even backwards English. (I thought the backwards-speaking was especially bizarre)
originally posted by: FlyInTheOintment
a reply to: midicon
So in one moment you apologise for the way you spoke to me, and then you go on to grossly offend me, ridiculing my personal beliefs & debasing the nobility of widely shared spiritual beliefs? I don't understand you, that is true, but I certainly think you are morally suspect. I can't be bothered explaining all the many reasons I believe that - it should be obvious to all who read the thread, hence posting a lengthy rebuttal would be redundant..
Their goals are evil, but their means? Not so much.
A Noble Demon is a villainous character with a Code of Honour. They don't care that they have a bad image — they may even actively cultivate and embrace it. However, every so often a situation presents itself and they're just not willing to go the extra mile necessary to be completely evil. They'll topple your castle, but they'll do it right after everyone has cleared out first. They'll sacrifice whole armies to achieve their goal but they'll also sacrifice themself if they must. They'll conquer your village but they won't cause more destruction than necessary. They want to kill The Hero but they won't stab an enemy in the back. They'll hold some innocent Hostage for MacGuffin while treating them well and letting them go unharmed once the MacGuffin is handed over, and proclaiming that I Gave My Word. Their ambition might be to Take Over the World, or merely to uphold the evil side of the Balance Between Good and Evil. They might ask, "Would You Like to Hear How They Died?", but they won't press the issue any further if you say no.
They might be obsessed with explaining this behavior so people won't think that they've gone soft. Killing enemies or servants who have failed but are loyal is "a waste of resources" and their inevitable newfound friends are "tactically advantageous allies."
In common language, the phrase 'playing devil's advocate' describes a situation where someone, given a certain point of view, takes a position they do not necessarily agree with (or simply an alternative position from the accepted norm), for the sake of debate or to explore the thought further using valid reasoning that both disagrees with the subject at hand and proves their own point valid. Despite being medieval in origin, this idiomatic expression is one of the most popular present-day English idioms used to express the concept of arguing against something without actually being committed to the contrary view. Playing devil's advocate is considered a form of the Socratic method.
A scientist has calculated that there is a 67% chance that God exists.
Dr Stephen Unwin has used a 200-year-old formula to calculate the probability of the existence of an omnipotent being. Bayes' Theory is usually used to work out the likelihood of events, such as nuclear power failure, by balancing the various factors that could affect a situation.
The Manchester University graduate, who now works as a risk assessor in Ohio, said the theory starts from the assumption that God has a 50/50 chance of existing, and then factors in the evidence both for and against the notion of a higher being.
Factors that were considered included recognition of goodness, which Dr Unwin said makes the existence of God more likely, countered by things like the existence of natural evil - including earthquakes and cancer.
The unusual workings - which even take into account the existence of miracles - are set out in his new book, which includes a spreadsheet of the data used so that anyone can make the calculation themselves should they doubt its validity. The book, The Probability of God: A simple calculation that proves the ultimate truth, will be published later this month.
Dr Unwin said he was interested in bridging the gap between science and religion. He argues that rather than being a theological issue, the question of God's existence is simply a matter of statistics.
Tulpa is a concept in Theosophy, mysticism, and the paranormal, of a materialized being or thought form, typically in human form that is created through spiritual practice and intense concentration. Modern practitioners, who call themselves "tulpamancers", use the term to refer to a type of willed imaginary friend which practitioners consider to be sentient and relatively independent.
Spiritualist Alexandra David-Néel stated that she had observed Buddhist tulpa creation practices in 20th-century Tibet.[8][1][/url ] She described tulpas as "magic formations generated by a powerful concentration of thought."[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulpa#cite_note-David-Neel-15][15]: 331 David-Néel believed that a tulpa could develop a mind of its own: "Once the tulpa is endowed with enough vitality to be capable of playing the part of a real being, it tends to free itself from its maker's control. According to David-Néel, this happens nearly mechanically, just as the child, when her body is completed and able to live apart, leaves its mother's womb."[15]: 283 She said she had created such a tulpa in the image of a jolly Friar Tuck-like monk, which she claimed had later developed independent thought and had to be destroyed.[16][3][/url ] David-Néel raised the possibility that her experience was illusory: "I may have created my own hallucination", though she said others could see the thoughtforms that she created.
Egregore (also spelled egregor; from French égrégore, from Ancient Greek ἐγρήγορος, egrēgoros 'wakeful') is an esoteric concept representing a non-physical entity that arises from the collective thoughts of a distinct group of people.
Some authors seem to have merged the esoteric concept with the Enochian concept to arrive at an idea of "spiritual entities" that "feed off the thoughts and energy of a unified multitude",[12] as the website Occultist.net described it, while nevertheless having more of a life of their own – their more specific features and powers will depend on the particular author. Kate Strong, writing for the newsletter "Know Thyself, Heal Thyself", described egregores as "symbols, ideas, or ideals that exist in the collective psyche of a group of people and are thought to have an autonomous existence".[13] This usage seems to have come largely from the Meditations on the Tarot, as may be seen in the next section. The concept of a tulpa is similar, as Gary Lachman[14] and Mark Stavish[9] noted.
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
[color=#e82a1f]Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”
― Epicurus
"POWER tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'' This statement of Lord Acton's has been illustrated many times in history.
What does the Bible say about power and corruption?
The New Testament portrays corruption as [color=#e82a1f]something that affects every aspects of the personality (Eph. 4: 22, II Peter 1: 4). Corruption is expressed in the mind and conscience (I Tim 6: 5, Titus 1: 15) and also in character (I Cor. 15: 33).
[color=#e82a1f]Dystheism (from Greek δυσ- dys-, "bad" and θεός theos, "god") is the belief that a god is not wholly good and can even be considered evil. Definitions of the term somewhat vary, with one author defining it as "where God decides to become malevolent".[1] The broad theme of dystheism has existed for millennia, as shown by trickster gods found in ethnic religions and by the view of other representations of what the various belief systems regard as the Supreme Being, such as the creator deity as conceived in Abrahamic religions, through a non-religious lens as angry, vengeful, smiting, and hypocritical.
1“Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.…
I am the LORD, and there is none else. [7][color=#e82a1f] I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
The Wages of Sin originates from the starting of the biblical verse [color=#e82a1f]Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Ecclesiastes 4:2-3 King James Version (KJV)
Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
[color=#e82a1f]Jesus and the rich young man (also called Jesus and the rich ruler) is an episode in the life of Jesus recounted in the Gospel of Matthew 19:16–30, the Gospel of Mark 10:17–31 and the Gospel of Luke 18:18–30 in the New Testament. It deals with eternal life[1][2] and the world to come.[3]
First, Jesus advises the man to obey the commandments. When the man responds that he already observes them, and asks what else he can do, Jesus adds:[color=#e82a1f] If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
Take Up Your Cross
24Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?…
The [color=#e82a1f]temptation of Christ is a biblical narrative detailed in the gospels of Matthew,[1] Mark,[2] and Luke.[3] After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus was tempted by the devil after 40 days and nights of fasting in the Judaean Desert. At the time, Satan came to Jesus and tried to tempt him. Jesus having refused each temptation, Satan then departed and Jesus returned to Galilee to begin his ministry. During this entire time of spiritual battle, Jesus was fasting.
The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs
9And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. 10And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?” 11Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.…
John Greets the Seven Churches
…5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, 6who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father— to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen. 7Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.…
This means they control the collapse of the wave function and what they believe is true becomes facts, hence God, Jesus, Satan, Heaven and Hell are all REAL, whether the rest of us agree or not.
The real irony is that I am probably more 'spiritual' than any of you. Isn't that strange?
I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
originally posted by: FlyInTheOintment
a reply to: midicon
The real irony is that I am probably more 'spiritual' than any of you. Isn't that strange?
Anyone who says this automatically disqualifies themselves from having any real spiritual life to speak of, because to speak in the manner you chose to in the above quote demonstrates pure pride & lack of humility. Humility is a prerequisite for a spiritual life, and if you claim to be 'more spiritual' than others, then you are clearly not at all spiritual, for you are wrapped up in a prideful approach to self-appraisal. Isn't THAT strange?
Shallow, silly, self-serving morons who brain wash children into believing harmful nonsense.
I don't think Jesus was exercising humility when he cleared out the money changers from the temple.
Shallow, silly, self-serving morons who brain wash children into believing harmful nonsense.
I don't think Jesus was exercising humility when he cleared out the money changers from the temple.