Religion

MineralMan

(148,357 posts)

4. I've never thought it was sad.

Fri Apr 19, 2019, 03:20 PM

Apr 2019

he was a charlatan, a plagiarist and a con man. I read a couple of his books shortly after they were published in the late 1960s, and discarded them as nonsense. But, many, many people were taken in by his fantasies, and believed it all to be true, because it confirmed their own biases.

There are parallels that can be drawn between Von Däniken's writings and religious scriptures. I don't think I'll draw them here, though. I don't really have time to do it.

The entire area of Fortean books is fascinating. I don't read them any longer, but for a time, I found them extremely entertaining. It was a wonder to me that there was a market for such fantastic nonsense out there. It does exist, certainly, probably driven by the same thing that drives religious belief. We all want to believe in something marvelous and full of conspiratorial truths.

Humans have wonderful powers of imagination.

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Using Bible apologetics sites as information about things [View all] MineralMan Apr 2019 OP

But this apologetics site says there is no evidence that what I want to believe *didn't* happen. trotsky Apr 2019 #1

A lack of evidence for non-existence is just a lack of evidence. MineralMan Apr 2019 #2

I read those as well edhopper Apr 2019 #26

Fanciful speculations are attractive to some if they seem to explain MineralMan Apr 2019 #27

On another board edhopper Apr 2019 #29

Not surprising, really. MineralMan Apr 2019 #30

The epitome of the appeal to ignorance fallacy Major Nikon Apr 2019 #41

To be fair, that's exactly how religious belief often works. trotsky Apr 2019 #55

"faith" in a religious context is exactly an appeal to ignorance fallacy Major Nikon Apr 2019 #57

It's sad about von Dniken. We now know that ancient people could and did cross oceans Nitram Apr 2019 #3

I've never thought it was sad. MineralMan Apr 2019 #4

As a child we had a photographic book of his Kon-Tiki expedition, and it captured my imagination. Nitram Apr 2019 #5

The interesting thing about the Kon-Tiki thing was that MineralMan Apr 2019 #6

Ha! You're right. Now I remember who Von Daniken was. Chariots of the gods and all that crap. Nitram Apr 2019 #17

Just because you want something to be true, does not make it any more true Major Nikon Apr 2019 #7

Religion has its own privilege. MineralMan Apr 2019 #8

Hearing voices and hallucinations are generally associated with mental illness Major Nikon Apr 2019 #11

Most opinions are based on interpreting secondhand/acquired knowledge. That led Karadeniz Apr 2019 #9

Um... uriel1972 Apr 2019 #10

Spiritual experience? What is that? MineralMan Apr 2019 #15

Don't ask me I haven't had one... uriel1972 Apr 2019 #16

The neurosurgeon who wrote about his own near death experience explained how he knows his brain Karadeniz Apr 2019 #20

NDE have long been debunked edhopper Apr 2019 #25

From what I've read, the dying brain theory has been disproven. But to each, his own. Karadeniz Apr 2019 #40

So you haven''t read the actual neuroscience edhopper Apr 2019 #49

lol Act_of_Reparation Apr 2019 #56

Luther said he was depressed at his inadequacy, but landed on Paul's grace statement. Karadeniz Apr 2019 #19

But, you see, the initial premise that MineralMan Apr 2019 #12

They seem so certain... uriel1972 Apr 2019 #13

Faith is their substitute for evidence, the substance of MineralMan Apr 2019 #14

But...would you accept a personal experience as evidence? Perhaps you might if you knew Karadeniz Apr 2019 #39

Not necessarily. MineralMan Apr 2019 #46

You're right. No one can prove the existence of a different reality. What about the child Karadeniz Apr 2019 #21

Do you have a link to a first-hand account of that story? MineralMan Apr 2019 #23

I could go to my kindle and list all the books I've read on the subject, but I don't think it's a Karadeniz Apr 2019 #35

Or you can read real science edhopper Apr 2019 #50

You're suggesting reading real science? Mariana Apr 2019 #51

What child are you talking about? Mariana Apr 2019 #28

I was conveying the gist of one of hundreds of reports made of survival after physical death. I Karadeniz Apr 2019 #33

You presented no evidence or corroboration at all. Mariana Apr 2019 #34

Please see my reply to mineralman in which I give resources. Sorry that my post Karadeniz Apr 2019 #36

You didn't provide a single example Major Nikon Apr 2019 #43

This is a discussion board. Mariana Apr 2019 #44

Never happened.* Iggo Apr 2019 #31

You can refer to my reply to MineralMan. The researchable evidence has been done for you Karadeniz Apr 2019 #37

Which book by which author contains that story? Iggo Apr 2019 #42

There you go, Iggo. Mariana Apr 2019 #45

Yeah, I caught that. Iggo Apr 2019 #47

It'll be pretty easy for anyone who reads this thread Mariana Apr 2019 #54

I'm still waiting for a source for that dead cousin MineralMan Apr 2019 #32

Please see my reply above. Those resources won't contain that particular story;that was in a Karadeniz Apr 2019 #38

I saw your post. MineralMan Apr 2019 #48

"Biblical scholars agree..." Iggo Apr 2019 #18

An additional reminder, to those who would link to such sites: Mariana Apr 2019 #22

Quite true, but that takes a deeper dive into MineralMan Apr 2019 #24

Wackadooism - perfect description. Permanut Apr 2019 #52

I know who von Danikenn is. akraven Apr 2019 #53