US and Israel attack Iran

[seeds]

Compared to any human who has ever walked the face of the Earth throughout all of time.

What is it that you don't understand about the motives and actions of the Antichrist?

All Earthly power and all power-machinations are actions of an Antichrist spirit, aren’t they?

How about clarifying what you mean by ^^that^^?

All I was doing was responding to Walker's "reverse TDS" and pointing out how Trump being the most prolific liar to have ever walked the face of the Earth - coupled with his actions - makes him an extremely strong contender for the title of "Antichrist."

What the boneheads of planet Earth need to understand is that the so-called "Antichrist" is not going to appear amongst us in the "exalted form" that the boneheads are imagining or expecting.

In other words, what better way for the so-called "Antichrist" to achieve the predicted outcome (the "ruination" of the world) than to arise in the form of a truly moronic (yet charismatic) fool...

(not unlike a darker and nastier version of the lovable "Chauncey Gardiner" in the movie "Being There")

...who somehow manages to acquire power from a populace who misinterpret the fool's words, motives, and intentions - a fool who then stumblebums his way into fulfilling all of the predictions necessary to qualify for the title of "Antichrist"?

You really need to look a little deeper into the subplot of this fascinating story that we (the actors) are performing in this live and impromptu presentation.
_______

[Lacewing]

...Trump being the most prolific liar to have ever walked the face of the Earth - coupled with his actions - makes him an extremely strong contender for the title of "Antichrist."

What the boneheads of planet Earth need to understand is that the so-called "Antichrist" is not going to appear amongst us in the "exalted form" that the boneheads are imagining or expecting.

In other words, what better way for the so-called "Antichrist" to achieve the predicted outcome (the "ruination" of the world) than to arise in the form of a truly moronic (yet charismatic) fool...

...who somehow manages to acquire power from a populace who misinterpret the fool's words, motives, and intentions - a fool who then stumblebums his way into fulfilling all of the predictions necessary to qualify for the title of "Antichrist"?

You really need to look a little deeper into the subplot of this fascinating story that we (the actors) are performing in this live and impromptu presentation.

That's awesome.

It IS fascinating! Who could write this stuff? It's a dark comedy of epic proportions.

Religious believers manifest dark thrilling reality they crave while accusing non-believers who are just minding their own business. And it turns out that the flock of sheep are the most blindly delusional of all and would willingly plunge over a cliff in a type of demented ecstasy. You know what? That's just fine. You guys do that. But leave everyone else alone. This is a public service message from Lacewing.

[Alexis Jacobi]

How about clarifying what you mean by ^^that^^?

Oh, quite simple. The entirety of the Christian viewpoint is constructed by way of the realization that there is an extremely powerful anti-god that is a symbol — this is my view — of “the real nature of the world”. The world in that sense is anti-Christian because the idealism of Christianity is one not really of the world as it is, but a massive projection of what is should be. This world cannot ever become what Christianity envisions it can become, because it is now, and will always remain, within conditions of brutal power-seeking.

I did not spend so much precious time in exchanges with dear IC without arriving at some conclusions, and for this reason I share my thoughts.

Now, as it pertains to Trump and American politics, we should not deceive ourselves. Too much emphasis on Trump as the sole figure of chaos and ruin will lead one to failure to understand that there is a shadow government that really controls the political machinations of America at this later stage of its evolution and, as many say, in the overt stages of decline. Trump is a figure-head but he is more largely a representative of a very powerful plutocratic class. To see him as “anti-Christ” (though you put this in quotes which deflates the actual meaning) is a child’s view.

[Alexis Jacobi]

You really need to look a little deeper into the subplot of this fascinating story that we (the actors) are performing in this live and impromptu presentation.

You can look and look and look, and you can speculate and speculate and speculate, and project and project and project …

… and yet still only find yourself within a Theatre of the Mind.

Alexis Jacobi know these things, and so much more, and thus has concluded that he can only help people by numerous physical visits and a package of Spiritual Alleviation with a base cost of $19,995.00! I can only do the good I was destined to do if I have direct access to the chaos-infested, darkly dreaming victim of intense spiritual confusion!

(More on this later of course!)

Call to mind Michael Burkun’s A Culture of Conspiracy:

American society has changed dramatically since A Culture of Conspiracy was first published in 2001. In this revised and expanded edition, Michael Barkun delves deeper into America's conspiracy sub-culture, exploring the rise of 9/11 conspiracy theories, the "birther" controversy surrounding Barack Obama's American citizenship, and how the conspiracy landscape has changed with the rise of the Internet and other new media.

What do UFO believers, Christian millennialists, and right-wing conspiracy theorists have in common? According to Michael Barkun in this fascinating yet disturbing book, quite a lot. It is well known that some Americans are obsessed with conspiracies. The Kennedy assassination, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 2001 terrorist attacks have all generated elaborate stories of hidden plots. What is far less known is the extent to which conspiracist worldviews have recently become linked in strange and unpredictable ways with other "fringe" notions such as a belief in UFOs, Nostradamus, and the Illuminati. Unraveling the extraordinary genealogies and permutations of these increasingly widespread ideas, Barkun shows how this web of urban legends has spread among subcultures on the Internet and through mass media, how a new style of conspiracy thinking has recently arisen, and how this phenomenon relates to larger changes in American culture. This book, written by a leading expert on the subject, is the most comprehensive and authoritative examination of contemporary American conspiracism to date.

Barkun discusses a range of material-involving inner-earth caves, government black helicopters, alien abductions, secret New World Order cabals, and much more-that few realize exists in our culture. Looking closely at the manifestations of these ideas in a wide range of literature and source material from religious and political literature, to New Age and UFO publications, to popular culture phenomena such as The X-Files, and to websites, radio programs, and more, Barkun finds that America is in the throes of an unrivaled period of millenarian activity. His book underscores the importance of understanding why this phenomenon is now spreading into more mainstream segments of American culture.

My point? I am uncertain we can really see reality because there are so many extraordinary layers of imposition that comprise what we see, and moreover what we conclude.

[Alexis Jacobi]

...who somehow manages to acquire power from a populace who misinterpret the fool's words, motives, and intentions - a fool who then stumblebums his way into fulfilling all of the predictions necessary to qualify for the title of "Antichrist"?

That is a topic that needs to be carefully gone over. True, Trump as extraordinary demagogue made extraordinary promises to a culture of very confused individuals very capable of massive hopefulness and projection. So, we would need to discuss them and their situation. They are a class that is an “outcome” of many different factors and influences.

I could propose a cool, calm investigation along these lines, but here there is (I sometimes think) no one with the coolness to carefully list things as they are, and calmly arrive at “understanding”.

I think you are onto something when you propose that unconscious factors lead the major world players to create, unconsciously or semi-consciously, the Outcomes that were (I suppose) pre-visualized in Prophetic Literature.

The “general mind” is rather much a mind steeped in Visions of Chaos and Apocalypse.

Gary? Is this the point where you insert one of your absolutely hopeless ultra-downers? Make it good.

Alexis Jacobi preaches ultra-optimism! Come, come all ye to the Mystic Cloud that hovers over the Theatre of the World!

[Alexis Jacobi]

Everything is subject to the Law of Nature.
Blaming your vices on demons is not original.

But wait, it is Nature that is our very strata, our matrix. We are totally and completely in Nature.

But all religious ideation is of metaphysical nature, and what is metaphysical (a concept arising in non-materialism) imposes itself against Nature. In contradiction.

What is it that impedes Man from realizing his Metaphysical Visions? Which are usually based on negations of materialist and mundane impulses and desires?

When Gary says (and Gary does fundamentally believe) that the World is under the sway and power of a Ruling Demon, he acknowledges in essence Nature: blind, grasping, claiming, striving material impulse. Like a spider jumping on that fly. Like a dog that can’t help himself and grabs the roast off the dinner table and runs off to devour it.

To turn against our Idealisms, our belief that sacrificing the lower to attain the higher is the best course, and to behave like that semi-conscious dog is, in a way, to be influenced by an Inferior Spirit, no?

[Janoah]

Everything is subject to the Law of Nature.
Blaming your vices on demons is not original.

, to be influenced by an Inferior Spirit, no?

A person has the opportunity to either lie to himself or try not to lie to himself, the rest is a consequence of this.

[Alexis Jacobi]

A person has the opportunity to either lie to himself or try not to lie to himself, the rest is a consequence of this.

But Janoah, you are as much in the dark as anyone about the real powers in operation in our world and in ourselves.

Ask 10 participants on this forum to 1) define a lie and 2) define what is surely ‘true’ and you will get very different responses. Or, proposing another route (this is interesting and will be fun) define for me how you view your (i.e. your nation’s) claims to the land you presently inhabit.

What you will reveal is (likely to be) not “truth” but rather a web of (what you are calling) lies.

So, I propose that you, having the opportunity “to either lie to himself or try not to lie to himself”, will prefer the lie and the semi-truth.

Only Alexis Jacobi, from the vantage of metaphysical height, gets really really close to Pure Truth.

[Lacewing]

Only Alexis Jacobi, from the vantage of metaphysical height, gets really really close to Pure Truth.

[seeds]

Now, as it pertains to Trump and American politics, we should not deceive ourselves. Too much emphasis on Trump as the sole figure of chaos and ruin will lead one to failure to understand that there is a shadow government that really controls the political machinations of America...

...Call to mind Michael Burkun’s A Culture of Conspiracy:

Instead of me paying you $19,995.00 for your “package of Spiritual Alleviation,” I thought I’d seek out the “free advice” from one of my favorite oracles - Google’s AI Overview...

Me:

Someone wrote the following in a philosophy forum:

"...there is a shadow government that really controls the political machinations of America..."

Can that be considered as being a conspiracy theory? Or, are they correct in that assessment?

AI Overview:

Yes, that statement is a classic conspiracy theory. It claims that a secret group secretly runs the government, which is the exact definition of a political conspiracy theory. There is no hard proof from credible sources, government audits, or investigative journalists to show that a hidden shadow government controls American politics.

What is a Conspiracy Theory?

• Definition: A belief that a hidden, powerful group causes major events in secret.
  
  Lack of Proof: These ideas rely on secret plots instead of open, testable facts.
  
  Complex Reality: American politics are messy and public, driven by open groups like voters, parties, and rich donors rather than a secret puppet master.

Why People Believe It

• Simple Answers: Big world events feel scary and confusing. A secret group makes it easy to blame someone.
  
  Distrust: Many people do not trust the government or the news, so they look for hidden explanations.
  
  Real Influence: Rich people and big groups do use money and power to shape laws openly, which looks like a "shadow" control system to some people.

I think that this bit here...

Big world events feel scary and confusing. A secret group makes it easy to blame someone.

...best fits your (sleepwalking) state of mind and is what informs your responses.

...to see him (Trump) as “anti-Christ” (though you put this in quotes which deflates the actual meaning) is a child’s view.

I was simply attempting to point out that the sketchy (yet ominous) prophecies set-forth in the Bible are being fulfilled in (mundane) ways that the, again, “boneheads” on planet Earth are not expecting.

Indeed, they are expecting the Antichrist to be an actual GENIUS, as opposed to a blithering (adult diaper soiling) idiot like Trump.

They also seem to be expecting that the Antichrist’s sidekick known as the “False Prophet," might be some sort of “Gandalfian-like” wizard,

(who, according to Biblical prophecy - "...makes fire come down from heaven...")

...as opposed to someone like Elon Musk*.

*(See the amusing post I made on the ILP forum where I show video evidence of how the "False Prophet" - Elon Musk - has already demonstrated how he "...makes fire come down from heaven...". At the very least, by checking out my post on the ILP site, you might realize that there is a whole new [untapped] source of suckers for your [twenty-thousand dollar] email course. Here’s the link - https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-t ... 08?u=seeds)

Furthermore, it is also important to point out that not only have the boneheads of planet Earth misinterpreted the “End Times Prophecies” regarding the true status of the Antichrist and the False Prophet,...

...but they also seem to have misinterpreted the reason why the world (excluding the U.S.) will be allied in a war against Israel.

Indeed, it won’t be because the Israeli Jews are God’s "chosen people",...

(something that was proclaimed and set-forth in the Bible by the Jews themselves)

...no, it will be because the Israeli Jews are land-stealing, genocidal maniacs, who, by their evil and malevolent treatment of their fellow humans, are hell-bent on proving how prophecies can be brought to a “self-fulfilling” fruition as a result of the actions of the very people who penned the prophecies in the first place.

Again, you need to try and free yourself from the mesmerizing thrall of this amazing story of which you (as an unwitting actor) are participating in,...

...and look a little deeper into the story’s subplot.
_______

[Alexis Jacobi]

Let’s clear up the most basic. When I refer to “shadow government” I do not organize that view by way or irrationalism, but rather through very simple logical fact. The powers that really control the nation are not its elected representatives but those concentrations of immense wealth who are, to put it colloquially, the actual owners (of industries, media corporations, military industrialists, etc.) To point this out is realism. Have you not read your Bernays?!?

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.

The reason that class can do so is because that class is organized. The “masses” are by definition un-organized, dis-organized.

This is nothing new, nothing out of left field, but rather the most basic elements of political philosophy.

[Alexis Jacobi]

...no, it will be because the Israeli Jews are land-stealing, genocidal maniacs, who, by their evil and malevolent treatment of their fellow humans, are hell-bent on proving how prophecies can be brought to a “self-fulfilling” fruition as a result of the actions of the very people who penned the prophecies in the first place.

First, all peoples, at all times, steal land. Rome conquered the Northern tribes of Europe and what resulted? Europe that at one time (prior to WWl) was “the jewel of the world”.

There are numerous adjacent murderous acts by Israel’s neighbors that are similar in intensity of violence, and the destruction and death at the hands of the US power after WWll have been enormous.

Israel is a small bit-player but because of history’s focus on the Jews, and Jew’s focus on Jews, and because of the bizarre centrality of Israel and the Middle East, a special focus is projected onto them.

Jewish “fate” is always rife with innumerable problems, as is the Jewish view of Jewish mission in history.

If you really are committed to making a list of the larger perpetrators of cruelty against “fellow humans” the Israelis would be waaaaay down at the bottom …

Thus, Alexis Jacobi demonstrates clear-thinking, clear-seeing, clear-explaining.

[Lacewing]

Thus, Alexis Jacobi demonstrates clear-thinking, clear-seeing, clear-explaining.

...of one distorted and limited view.

[Alexis Jacobi]

Thus, Alexis Jacobi demonstrates clear-thinking, clear-seeing, clear-explaining.

...of one distorted and limited view.

I did not say nor do I imply that the view I presented could compete with the sort of conclusive view that a real champion of perception and understanding would, if challenged, put forth! How, clear-thinking one, would you correct what I stutteringly put forward? Be merciful!

[Alexis Jacobi]

Seeds quotes AI: Yes, that statement is a classic conspiracy theory. It claims that a secret group secretly runs the government, which is the exact definition of a political conspiracy theory. There is no hard proof from credible sources, government audits, or investigative journalists to show that a hidden shadow government controls American politics.

I recently used Meta’s AI to investigate the differences and strengths of Leica lenses I was interested in. It was extraordinarily useful I must say. I know too that it has uses, and is being used, in nearly inconceivable ways for projects of scale.

But you see here that it really steered you wrong with its “answer” which took you very far off the trail of the ‘truth’. Horrifyingly, the AI models will eventually become information and perception molding vehicles. And then there will be competing models that only reveal the ‘truths’ that one is already invested in. (Andrew Torba offers a Christianity-aligned AI model for example which, by design I gather, cannot steer its users into paths of error).

It is all, of course, going to get infinitely more complex and intensified as the political, economic and ideological battles rev up. The world is at war, is it not? but it is taking shape in extremely novel ways.

Do you wish for Alexis Jacobi to guide the conversation through the maze of ideational warring that is the present structure and platform that we all exist in and function through? Or we can if you wish resume traditional mindless bickering?