Philosophy Now Forum

I have some inkling of the religious impulse, of the need for a caring parent and the desire for a tidy, simple Theory of Everything.
I have a fair grasp on the drive to righteousness and judgment of others.
But I do not understand what makes spreaders of the unwelcome "Word" persist in their thankless labours.

Skip wrote:I have some inkling of the religious impulse, of the need for a caring parent and the desire for a tidy, simple Theory of Everything.
I have a fair grasp on the drive to righteousness and judgment of others.
But I do not understand what makes spreaders of the unwelcome "Word" persist in their thankless labours.

If you were, rightly or wrongly, thoroughly convinced of your message, no matter what others say, would you persist?

Dalek Prime wrote:

Skip wrote:I have some inkling of the religious impulse, of the need for a caring parent and the desire for a tidy, simple Theory of Everything.
I have a fair grasp on the drive to righteousness and judgment of others.
But I do not understand what makes spreaders of the unwelcome "Word" persist in their thankless labours.

If you were, rightly or wrongly, thoroughly convinced of your message, no matter what others say, would you persist?

A good Christian is prepared for ridicule and torment. As their predecessors were thrown to the lions, so they throw themselves into viper pits of deadly atheists where they not only endure the unjust slings and arrows of the heathens but they walk away unscathed, triumphant as always, as is the will of the Lord.

Tis ye olde worlde bethinking as you'd expect, given that Abrahamic religions are based on two thousand year-old ideas. The law of averages suggests that a meme's rate of change will vary both between and within large populations.

Dalek Prime wrote:If you were, rightly or wrongly, thoroughly convinced of your message, no matter what others say, would you persist?

No, I do not go out of my way to start arguments with climate-change deniers, capitalists and Republicans. Nor do most adherents of most religions feel obliged to pass it on.
There is something unusual about the missionary personality - which functions in the same way, no matter which message.

Greta - - A good Christian is prepared for ridicule and torment. As their predecessors were thrown to the lions, so they throw themselves into viper pits of deadly atheists where they not only endure the unjust slings and arrows of the heathens but they walk away unscathed, triumphant as always, as is the will of the Lord.

And yet, the majority of good Christians do not invite ridicule or persecution. Lots of bad Christians are quite willing to persecute others, or have those persecuted in their name, while they sit at home. Most Jews, good and bad, are content to keep their religion to themselves, so long as Israel is secure. While approving aggression by their states against other nations, or minorities within their own nation, only a very few actually risk their own dignity, prosperity, social standing, let alone life and limb, for the sake of their god.

This changes in times of crusade or jihad or whatever swarm has been stirred up by political turmoil - but violent action, whether by gangs, elite contractors, armies or cadres is very different from proselytizing by individuals.

Perhaps a desire to feel important?

Yes, I believe that must play a prominent role. Out of all the available unworthy worm-bait, God tapped them for a messenger.

Greta wrote: A good Christian is prepared for ridicule and torment. As their predecessors were thrown to the lions, so they throw themselves into viper pits of deadly atheists where they not only endure the unjust slings and arrows of the heathens but they walk away unscathed, triumphant as always, as is the will of the Lord.

There's no greater masochist than a Jehovah's Witness.

crowd control

-Imp

Harbal wrote:

Greta wrote: A good Christian is prepared for ridicule and torment. As their predecessors were thrown to the lions, so they throw themselves into viper pits of deadly atheists where they not only endure the unjust slings and arrows of the heathens but they walk away unscathed, triumphant as always, as is the will of the Lord.

There's no greater masochist than a Jehovah's Witness.

Not a JW, but I've been informed by an armchair shrink here that I am an extreme sadomasochist. Should I join JW?

Only if you don't mind spending your Saturday mornings knocking on the doors, in tandem with an elderly lady who has more yellow highlighting in her bible than you have in yours. People who eventually come to the door in sleep-wear (and, yes, i have deliberately discarded an article of apparel on the way) invariably groan when they see you. The politests and sleepiest let you maunder on for a full minute and take your Lighthouse without glancing at it. The sadistic know-it-alls ask questions about the unhighlighted bits, which you're not exalted enough to read.
Still, it gets you out of the house.

Skip wrote:Only if you don't mind spending your Saturday mornings knocking on the doors, in tandem with an elderly lady who has more yellow highlighting in her bible than you have in yours. People who eventually come to the door in sleep-wear (and, yes, i have deliberately discarded an article of apparel on the way) invariably groan when they see you. The politests and sleepiest let you maunder on for a full minute and take your Lighthouse without glancing at it. The sadistic know-it-alls ask questions about the unhighlighted bits, which you're not exalted enough to read.
Still, it gets you out of the house.

Too much work for a sadomasochist.

Dalek Prime wrote:

Harbal wrote:

Greta wrote: A good Christian is prepared for ridicule and torment. As their predecessors were thrown to the lions, so they throw themselves into viper pits of deadly atheists where they not only endure the unjust slings and arrows of the heathens but they walk away unscathed, triumphant as always, as is the will of the Lord.

There's no greater masochist than a Jehovah's Witness.

Not a JW, but I've been informed by an armchair shrink here that I am an extreme sadomasochist. Should I join JW?

Politics, the law, the military and Catholic clergy provide much opportunity to both suffer and pass that suffering on to others.

Done one, and done with it. I'll let others cause the suffering from now on.

Dentistry pays better.

Dalek Prime wrote:Done one, and done with it. I'll let others cause the suffering from now on.

Does that now mean you're just a masochist or are you over that too?