I'm not at all well at the moment and am in considerable pain. The prospect of surgery (again) terrifies me, so I am attempting to deal with the issue using other means, including magical work.
This is not working as I cannot focus. Its not the pain, I've worked through that before. Its the stress of what will happen if I have the surgery. The long convalescence, the time off work need to recover during harsh economic times resulting in termination of my employment, further debts, etc. Every time I try to focus in order to get to a state from which I can alter my situation, I last about a second before all the stresses reappear and my mind goes into freefall ending at panic.
This has led me to believe something is seriously wrong, not necessarily on a physical level, but somewhere deeper. Only, its Catch 22, because I cannot concentrate long enough to locate the problem, let alone the symptoms. I can see I have my work ahead of me over the weekend. It could not have come at a worse time, though. I have a lot to do before the year ends and very little time to myself to achieve my goals without the interference of old problems/illnesses.
That "Arse Doctrine" is seriously getting up my ... ahem ... arse these days.
Showing posts with label polytheism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label polytheism. Show all posts
15 August 2008
10 July 2008
Arse Doctrine of Polytheism - Sucks
I was thinking about the current state of my life this morning, after suffering some injuries inflicted by an inaminate object, and Toby Lamb's "Arse Doctrine of Polytheism" came to mind, more particularly this sentence:"The (gods) that cause the most pain in your particular arse won't let you not talk to them, so just get on with it and quit moaning."
Why? Because I would like to know which of the gods I'm not talking to enough to deserve the gargantuan pains in my arse.
13 June 2008
A belief in in god[/gods] infers you are stupid??
So, I was home yesterday and had the chance to watch daytime TV. On "The Wright Stuff", they were discussing how a belief in God was almost absent from those of higher intelligence. There apparently had been reports of a study stating that 699 out of 700 nobel prize winners had no belief in god and, thus, that believing in god meant you were stupid. The topic originated from the following article:
Intelligence is a predictor of religious scepticism, a professor has argued.
Belief in God is much lower among academics than among the general population because scholars have higher IQs, a controversial academic claimed this week.
In a forthcoming paper for the journal Intelligence, Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Ulster, will argue that there is a strong correlation between high IQ and lack of religious belief and that average intelligence predicts atheism rates across 137 countries.
In the paper, Professor Lynn - who has previously caused controversy with research linking intelligence to race and sex - says evidence points to lower proportions of people holding religious beliefs among "intellectual elites".
The paper - which was co-written with John Harvey, who does not report a university affiliation, and Helmuth Nyborg, of the University of Aarhus, Denmark - cites studies including a 1990s survey that found that only 7 per cent of members of the American National Academy of Sciences believed in God. A survey of fellows of the Royal Society found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God at a time when a poll reported that 68.5 per cent of the general UK population were believers.
Professor Lynn told Times Higher Education: "Why should fewer academics believe in God than the general population? I believe it is simply a matter of the IQ. Academics have higher IQs than the general population. Several Gallup poll studies of the general population have shown that those with higher IQs tend not to believe in God."
He said that most primary school children believed in God, but as they entered adolescence - and their intelligence increased - many began to have doubts and became agnostics.
He added that most Western countries had seen a decline of religious belief in the 20th century at the same time as their populations had become more intelligent.
Andy Wells, senior lecturer in psychology at the London School of Economics, said the existence of a correlation between IQ and religiosity did not mean there was a causal relationship between the two.
Gordon Lynch, director of the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society at Birkbeck, University of London, said that any examination of the decline of religious belief needed to take into account a wide and complex range of social, economic and historical factors.
He added: "Linking religious belief and intelligence in this way could reflect a dangerous trend, developing a simplistic characterisation of religion as primitive, which - while we are trying to deal with very complex issues of religious and cultural pluralism - is perhaps not the most helpful response."
Alistair McFadyen, senior lecturer in Christian theology at the University of Leeds, said that Professor Lynn's arguments appeared to have "a slight tinge of intellectual elitism and Western cultural imperialism as well as an antireligious sentiment".
David Hardman, principal lecturer in learning development at London Metropolitan University, said: "It is very difficult to conduct true experiments that would explicate a causal relationship between IQ and religious belief. Nonetheless, there is evidence from other domains that higher levels of intelligence are associated with a greater ability - or perhaps willingness - to question and overturn strongly felt intuitions.
Source: Times Higher Education.
Now, I know the report relates to the xian god or a single god, but what about polytheists and/or pagans who believe in a higher energy/source/[insert appropriate name here]? Are we considered less intelligent again?
For my part, and given the (what I believe to be) genuine pagans with whom I have contact, I would dispute this. Many have degrees or are in the process of higher education and, from what I can see, also have high IQs. I know that I am in the top 10 percentile for intelligence, and I believe in more than one god.
Personally, I think belief is more dependent on how you were raised. If you grew up in a household where religion played a factor (regardless of it being xian or non-xian), you are more likely to continue on some spiritual practices, whereas if you were raised in a family where rational thought was more valued, you are less likely to explore the unexplainable, or anything that may require faith.
To my mind, Profess Lynn's argument is flawed as it does not explore the backgrounds of the nobel prize winners. What's more, I thought Rev. Desmond Tutu was a prize winner, so it he the only believer?
I wonder what the rest of the polytheist and/or pagan community might feel about this.
Intelligence is a predictor of religious scepticism, a professor has argued.
Belief in God is much lower among academics than among the general population because scholars have higher IQs, a controversial academic claimed this week.
In a forthcoming paper for the journal Intelligence, Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Ulster, will argue that there is a strong correlation between high IQ and lack of religious belief and that average intelligence predicts atheism rates across 137 countries.
In the paper, Professor Lynn - who has previously caused controversy with research linking intelligence to race and sex - says evidence points to lower proportions of people holding religious beliefs among "intellectual elites".
The paper - which was co-written with John Harvey, who does not report a university affiliation, and Helmuth Nyborg, of the University of Aarhus, Denmark - cites studies including a 1990s survey that found that only 7 per cent of members of the American National Academy of Sciences believed in God. A survey of fellows of the Royal Society found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God at a time when a poll reported that 68.5 per cent of the general UK population were believers.
Professor Lynn told Times Higher Education: "Why should fewer academics believe in God than the general population? I believe it is simply a matter of the IQ. Academics have higher IQs than the general population. Several Gallup poll studies of the general population have shown that those with higher IQs tend not to believe in God."
He said that most primary school children believed in God, but as they entered adolescence - and their intelligence increased - many began to have doubts and became agnostics.
He added that most Western countries had seen a decline of religious belief in the 20th century at the same time as their populations had become more intelligent.
Andy Wells, senior lecturer in psychology at the London School of Economics, said the existence of a correlation between IQ and religiosity did not mean there was a causal relationship between the two.
Gordon Lynch, director of the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society at Birkbeck, University of London, said that any examination of the decline of religious belief needed to take into account a wide and complex range of social, economic and historical factors.
He added: "Linking religious belief and intelligence in this way could reflect a dangerous trend, developing a simplistic characterisation of religion as primitive, which - while we are trying to deal with very complex issues of religious and cultural pluralism - is perhaps not the most helpful response."
Alistair McFadyen, senior lecturer in Christian theology at the University of Leeds, said that Professor Lynn's arguments appeared to have "a slight tinge of intellectual elitism and Western cultural imperialism as well as an antireligious sentiment".
David Hardman, principal lecturer in learning development at London Metropolitan University, said: "It is very difficult to conduct true experiments that would explicate a causal relationship between IQ and religious belief. Nonetheless, there is evidence from other domains that higher levels of intelligence are associated with a greater ability - or perhaps willingness - to question and overturn strongly felt intuitions.
Source: Times Higher Education.
Now, I know the report relates to the xian god or a single god, but what about polytheists and/or pagans who believe in a higher energy/source/[insert appropriate name here]? Are we considered less intelligent again?
For my part, and given the (what I believe to be) genuine pagans with whom I have contact, I would dispute this. Many have degrees or are in the process of higher education and, from what I can see, also have high IQs. I know that I am in the top 10 percentile for intelligence, and I believe in more than one god.
Personally, I think belief is more dependent on how you were raised. If you grew up in a household where religion played a factor (regardless of it being xian or non-xian), you are more likely to continue on some spiritual practices, whereas if you were raised in a family where rational thought was more valued, you are less likely to explore the unexplainable, or anything that may require faith.
To my mind, Profess Lynn's argument is flawed as it does not explore the backgrounds of the nobel prize winners. What's more, I thought Rev. Desmond Tutu was a prize winner, so it he the only believer?
I wonder what the rest of the polytheist and/or pagan community might feel about this.
10 June 2008
Association of Polytheist Traditions - Membership Offer
The Association of Polytheist Traditions [APT] is a non-profit organisation based in the UK. Most of us practise Reconstructed European Pagan Religions. But we welcome all polytheists, including those who adhere to 'world religions' and those who simply have personal relationships with individual gods.
The Association of Polytheist Traditions has an announcement for all RENEWING and NEW MEMBERS for the year May 2008-2009.
"Last year 2007-08 - we know that we didn't do that much. Really we know. Personal circumstances intervened for so many people that it wasn't funny at all... This year, we've started with a fantastic Mini-Conference in Birmingham on Gods and Ancestors in the Landscape, and are holding more events around Britain, with a revised website coming up shortly and issue 5 of our members' magazine Many Gods, Many Voices now being posted out.
So here's an offer. This year's membership is on us. Membership of the APT is free until 31st May 2009 - whether you are renewing or joining fresh. However you have to tell us through our joining form, sending it to us electronically or by snail mail (obviously omitting the cheque) and make sure we have your current address and email."
The Association of Polytheist Traditions has an announcement for all RENEWING and NEW MEMBERS for the year May 2008-2009.
"Last year 2007-08 - we know that we didn't do that much. Really we know. Personal circumstances intervened for so many people that it wasn't funny at all... This year, we've started with a fantastic Mini-Conference in Birmingham on Gods and Ancestors in the Landscape, and are holding more events around Britain, with a revised website coming up shortly and issue 5 of our members' magazine Many Gods, Many Voices now being posted out.
So here's an offer. This year's membership is on us. Membership of the APT is free until 31st May 2009 - whether you are renewing or joining fresh. However you have to tell us through our joining form, sending it to us electronically or by snail mail (obviously omitting the cheque) and make sure we have your current address and email."
05 January 2008
The Nature of Gods
This was posted to polytheist list by Toby Lamb. In my opinion, it is brilliant and deserves a wider audience, so I am posting it here.
So it is written.”
“My newly devised Arse Doctrine of polytheism:Most gods are a pain in the arse. Some of them are quite nice as well as being a pain in the arse. If they appear to be just nice, look out for the massive pain in the arse that's on the way when you least expect it. The ones that are just a pain in the arse are best avoided, though they will probably get to you sooner or later."Different gods like to cause different pain in different people's arses. Talk to the ones that cause the least pain in yours. The ones that cause the most pain in your particular arse won't let you not talk to them, so just get on with it and quit moaning.
So it is written.”
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