Messages

WB!

I think something I would tell a young person is that if you want to work in a field, find someone who actually does the job you want to have, and see if you are able to shadow them for a day.

A young person's interpretation of what a job would be like is often an idealization. But seeing the work in the flesh is super helpful in evaluating if it is something for you!

I am lucky enough to have a sort of dream job myself these days... and it just sort of happened by accident. One day, while being between architecture jobs, I just started making computer games with friends. Now I can do just about every job that goes into creating one, and help manage a really fun team, and we've published some successful titles. I guess the takeaway from that life experience that becoming really good at something you both like and can see yourself doing every day often pays off. No one hired us, we never went to college for it... we just studied a craft and ended up with elite skill after so many years of work. If you realize that in some fields the barriers are non-existant, I think that can be very empowering. 

And oddly enough I get to have fun doing what I wanted to do as an architect, but with far less constraints.

Sure, I would if the decision was totally up to me. But I would first do my homework from down here (boots on the ground) to learn the best way to do that.

My thinking is very simple. Why not?

How do you convince humanity you are not here "To serve Man" (see twilight zone ref)?

No matter how you present yourself, humanity will assume you are here for the worst possible reasons, and disguising yourself very well, for starters. And how would humanity be able to tell the difference between someone with good intentions, and someone with godlike powers of deception?

[Loving saviors:]

Please know I'm not trying to be antagonistic with this post but what, exactly, do you think will happen if/when this information is made public? Do you think it will usher in some new era? If so, what areas of our lives do you think will be affected? Do you see wholesale changes and/or societal collapse? Do you think this will be similar to the coming of Christ in terms of an en mass spiritual sea change?
For me, if this phenomena is real, I don't see much in my life changing that much. I'll still have to pay my mortgage and fight over who cuts the grass.

When a credible authority comes out and offers hardcore evidence and affirmation on this subject, and is believed on a global level in a non-contested fashion, the effect will be profound. The way society views itself will be transformed. Its longterm goals will be transformed. It will not erase the problems we have now, it will add more.

Consider an important existential fact too: What disposition these others has toward us matters. And our inability to truly know their real disposition matters, because whatever disposition we perceive them to have (and if there are any, there are likely to be various kinds), we will always suppose it could be far worse than we are lead to believe. Let's look at some cases:

Loving saviors: Many people suppose theoretical ET's to be these. It would be very strange if they were, because to me I feel like they would not have allowed us to be deceived. They would have made themselves known and offered loving guidance, and they would have known how to do this without causing harm. They would have provided humanity with all of the knowledge, theory, and perspective we needed to better our situations. I don't see this happening, I think one of the other cases likely describes any civ nearby to us to effect us.

Friends: I consider this case less likely but possible. I would expect a friend to have declared themselves, and like the Saviors, they would have known how to do it and not cause harm. It is possible they want brotherly coexistence and mutual betterment. Maybe, as in Startrek, they did not want to destroy the beauty of our unique perspective and way of thinking by contaminating it with their own in colonialist fashion. Perhaps they are waiting for us to grow up enough to interact on their level, and may even be protecting us from harm by outsiders or ourselves. Read: the anecdotal accounts of missile silos being deactivated (I don't know how accurate these accounts are, just using it as an example).

Peers: I think this is a likely case. They are others. They don't feel strong love for us, and they don't feel contempt or fear over us. They view us as foreigners. They are interested in our perspective, but we aren't THAT fascinating to them, and they don't feel the need to give us a courtesy introduction. They are more interested in interacting with us later on when we are further along.

They look down on us: Also a likely case to me. They don't have much respect for us. They view us as a lower form of life, not worth acknowledging, only study. They think we are badly flawed, or may probably destroy ourselves, and they don't care. They don't want us taking part in the discourse, because we don't deserve a seat at the table, at least not yet, and for a long time to come. Maybe they pity us, and may throw us a scrap, to see what we do with it. Maybe there is no discourse at all, but just various agents acting our their own goals to the degree no one stops them.

They hate everything we are, or they view as as competitors for resources of some kind:Very possible. And by resources, I mean galactic-scale resources, such as access to star systems and their energy output. I think anyone who wanted us gone would have done it a long time ago, unless someone was stopping them. But on some level this makes sense. If there were no ET's out there, I think humanity's manifest technological destiny is to take over not only this entire galaxy, but every galaxy we will be able to reach in this local cluster that doesn't get far enough away from us by universal expansion as to be unreachable even at the speed of light. Now suppose there were ET's. Now we are competing for the same goal. Who gets the resources? Are we able to share them civily? Or will one faction subjugate and disinherit all the others? I think based on how some civilizations may think, the seed of any competitor is an incubating dragon to be crushed as an egg, because it will become an uncontrollable and unpredictable threat. Such a civilization would view any friend as just a future enemy.

This view of the world describes humanity as an extension of biological competition and evolution, and extends that view a few levels further to galactic civilizations, suggesting that no matter how advanced a society gets, it never ceases to function outside of evolution and competition.

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Now no matter what this credible gov says, no one will accept what they say about the motives and dispositions of the others. Society will factionalize into those who view the others in the way they most accord with believing they would be.

Cults will form for the people who want to view the others as saviors no matter what. They will seek to submit society and its resources.

A large number of people will become obssessive about ways to contact our "friends" and learn what we can from them.

Some people will remain unmoved by the revelation, and those people most likely view the others as peers.

I think a very large percentage of the population will react with fear, because it is the most natural of all the responses to me, given the circumstances. We don't know much about them. They are likely a threat on some level. Any unknown is a potential threat and should be treated as such. But there is very little we are likely to be able to do about it currently. I think this group of people would be shaken to their core, like being in the prescence of a great revealed monster, in Lovecraftian fashion. I think the interests this group would promote would be "catchup". Learning anything that can be discerned about their technology, and what it suggests for what we should be investigating in our own science. This group would lobby for re-organizing society around prioritizing science and research above all other pursuits, in order to overcome our current vulnerability.

And of course some faction of people are always going to doubt the messengers. They would ask why now? What self-interest do these governments have in making disclosure now? What mass movements and ideas do they want to advance in the minds of the global populace? Is what they said even real? If not, why did they say it, and what is their agenda? If it is real, did they say the whole truth?

Ok, here is a real treat... this one really gets me wet. Wait till it is late at night (you need to, these are nighttime songs), and your mind is fully clear and receptive, and pop it on with full attention and absorbtion. You will be transported.

It is so rending, and so euphoric at the same time.

It amazes me that humans are able to share what is deepest inside them this completely. This is core-deep stuff.


"Hats" Album, Pure Bathing Culture
https://youtu.be/a5Y03s95dZ8


The original that Sarah is covering here is a masterpiece:

"Hats" Album, The Blue Nile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTAAgVOdTLI

Oh man, forgot about this topic!

Maybe we should do this regularly again... here are a few:

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"Play for Today"- Belle and Sebastian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FCA55QhMWo

"Lazy Line-Painter Jane"- Belle and Sebastian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB2R8bb0vkk

"Black Starling"- Pure Bathing culture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yxquj3VMPg&list=PLVs0DfbRc_AbUDFXgsGjL22DSIqm1Soon&index=5

"Pray for Rain"- Pure Bathing culture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtc0Rql69Cs

"Divers"- Joanna Newsom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48xlgXqQKLA

You know all and you can get well in his position.

I think you may be ascribing super powers to Frank, hehe. Not saying Buhlman didn't help cure his own cancer (possibly with the psychosomatics of intention, that is a big part of it), but to expect that someone accomplished at projection has every other ability and talent is a bit much. I think you may be idolizing this ability and what it represents.

You know the thing about being a Navy Seal? Takes just as many bullets to kill you if you don't see them coming. This is kind of like that.

Frank's last post to the other mods:

Hi, Nay:

Public announcement  of what?

My chances of physical survival are rather limited, perhaps in the region of 10% and I shall be lucky if I make it to end October. I will do my best but do not count on it. I just hope that none of you people ever suddenly reach such a critical stage in your life without warning.

With kind regards,
Frank

Third to last:

Thousands of dollars, lol, I wish.

I have endured a situation that would never have ever entered my mind when I set out to create what I did. For those who do not like it they have already received a full refund.

Regards,
Frank

In these posts you can see the seed of the myth.

Frank had a major health episode in September to October 2005, and probably died as a result. As far as I can see, it is never specified what that episode was. Around this time Frank had accepted some advance money for something he was putting together, hence the conspiracy theory. Some folks at the time suggested this was his cover story. There was a lot of argument and factionalization among the large mod-base at the time. It is natural given that climate that different views of what happened would emerge.

I think Xanth has it right here. One way or the other, Frank has moved on. Enjoy the writing he left, try not to obssess beyond that. I know it is oddly a fun topic, because it is like the Pulse's greatest long-running mystery. 

So, for years I have been researching nutrition, but every time I read about health benefits of something, I find another article with stating the negative effects. Even for fruits and vegetables. Recently I read and checked consumer lab tests done on my beloved cacao powder. All samples even from organic brands showed high concentration of a certain toxin. I started questioning is anything we eat really clean of toxins, bacteria, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42QuXLucH3Q

Studies are a tricky thing. On the one hand, they are some of the best tools we have for arriving at actual truth. on The other... you have to look at who is funding, what the actual methods are, if the argued conclusions follow from the data, etc. Also there is an issue with reporting bias. The same topic can be studied 5 times, by five different groups, and provide negative results in 2 of them, and positive in 2, with the other being inconclusive. But people tend to quote the studies that support their bias, and the studies with more sensationalist conclusions have a better chance to be published. It is the same old story with anecdotes vs stats... sometimes you have to look at the entire body of studies, rather than just one, and even then you may not arrive at the truth.

If you are having worthwhile experiences, and you like your state of mind, that is all that matters!

Where are you guys chatting... is the IRC channel up again?

Without training and control of our libido the energy will seep into the groin and sexual chakras.

Yeah this is a common concept across a lot of the older texts... the idea of sexual energy being the core energy which humans can sublimate for other purposes.

I have my own views on this stuff... I tend to look at things from a critical angle. I look at the facevalue reading of the old concepts, and think about what they may represent in the context of what we know about the world today, and what we may not. I think the concept of the Chakras relates very closely to the major nerve centers of the body (and possibly endocrine responses as well, linked to them). I think their concept of the root chakra powering the whole system is a recognition of how at least on a biological level our physical energy levels, emotions, and motivations are tied closely to our sexual activity and the horomones attached to them. I don't take the concept of the chakras literally, but I do think the idea itself has insights worth examining.

I also think it goes a bit deeper than... don't engage in sexual activities, and instead use that energy for metaphysical practices... paradoxically, some of the most potent metaphysical experiences are to be had from engaging directly with sexual energies. You mentioned the concept of Kundalini yogas... in their system, an example of that is called the "3 Bandhas". It is a series of "root locks" or muscle contractions which create a positive feedback loop of pleasure sensations intense enough to trigger metaphysical experiences. Not to say that it is the best path, or a recommended one... but merely to say "it is a path"; but I think the existence of such practices indicates that it is more complicated than "leave off sexual experiences, and progress".

Progress comes through many doors!

So I'll just be honest and say that I probably jerked off a lot and had sex too since I was a teen.

A lot of young people feel guilty about this. I think the guilt is about the way hormone balance can cause us to think in ways we otherwise wouldn't.

Pleasuring yourself is not something in itself to feel guilty about. It is a natural part of growing up. For males it serves important biological functions which keep your reproductive system healthy. It is not dirty or shameful, and if you have positive feelings about it, it can be a fully positive part of your life.

To me I think it is more about balance and moderation. There is a level at which good things are good things, and a level at which it can become indulgent and compulsive. I think it gets confusing in regards to self-pleasure, because it already IS a biological compulsion, but I think it matters the degree to which we visit that part of ourselves, and separate it at other points. Understanding it on a deeper level gets complicated because it ties in to a cycle of hormones (Testosterone, Dopamine, Prolactin and others) which all exert psychological effects, and follow predictable but complex curves based on the timeline of sexual events in a person's life. Because you feel different at different times, and those specific markers drive different emotions, finding a balance in your lifestyle that leads to a mentally stable situation is a skill that various people learn over time in their own way.

My opinion is that sexuality will not hinder your personal or spiritual development. In fact it can also be worked with and harnessed. There are lots of different paths and approaches, and different ways humans develop themselves, and many of them are valid and healthy, even if they are different, so I also do not think moving past sexuality will greatly harm you. But consider the reasons for taking one path or another, and examine your own motives. My impression is that you may be approaching it from a place of guilt that is worth looking at.

In my view the supreme question isn't "who am I", but "what should I do".

That's kind of the root of existentialism throughout literature, right? So we exist... and there doesn't seem to be cosmic evil or cosmic good... what do we do in such a case? Our goals must be our own, and how do we form them?

My point is that one should try to find out the goal of their life by himself, with no (as much as possible) bias from any external belief system.

To me, "a science for understanding self" is a collection of beliefs, and because it tells you what to believe (e.g. AP is a distraction), impedes one's quest for knowledge (what is life, why am I here, why are we here,  why is it happening to me, what should I do, etc.).

So, when a dilemma like "should or shouldn't I AP" arises, I don't go to a book, or guru, for an answer, but I turn toward inside to find out the answer.

Very well said. I think we can learn from the old texts, but we shouldn't just take on their goals as our own, and default to letting them do our thinking for us.

There is this concept found throughout the Upanishads, yogic teachings, and Buddhist writings, called the "Siddhis", which is a word that translates to something "Perfections" / "Attainements". The idea is that there are extraordinary abilities which a person may stumble upon on the path to greater knowledge, and these should genrally be ignored completely, because they will be a source of distraction. In some circles, Projection is considered a Siddhi which should be ignored.

Should you ignore them?

To put things into context, these writings take certain core assumptions into play, such as what the goals of "spiritual" practices should be. If you don't share the same goals, you don't come to the same assumptions.

I'd say apply the same reasoning to this area that fits most: be moderate about it. Maybe take some time to explore it, but also don't be consumed by it. Take it as part of your life to be experienced in balance with other things.

Other facts to know about to what their astral projections as them can do:
They know when you are sleeping
They know when your awake
They know if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sakes. Oh....................................

I was thinking the exact same, hehe. It seems like they did their research by listening to a Christmas song about Santa.

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3. They can be the reason you wet the bed or have a wet dream.

I can testify that I have never induced or compelled anyone to wet the bed. I am confident.

Something around .1% deviation from base chance toward the desired direction of the test subject.... which admittedly doesn't sound super impressive, but was consistent between 10's of thousands of trials. If the data is accurate and un-tampered with, it is actually extremely statistically significant against the number of trials done. 

PEAR was criticized for a few issues, like using the same test subjects in too high a percentage of the trials. Others also failed to replicate their data in other cities.

What that means is different for everyone. Some people (it seems) are meant to live a totally physical life in which they do not ever encounter these paranormal events. Or, if they do they are meant to pass through them with not much more than a nod. Others however are dragged, sometimes kicking and screaming into a world that by all accounts does not seem to be even real and certainly not concrete.

When I first came here as a younger person 16-17 or so years ago, I had a view in mind of projection as a tool to experience a broad new reality beyond my past experiences. While... projection is that thing... over time I really came to appreciate how incredibly important and sublime / singular our current physical experience is, and by being too focused on reality outside of it, we can sort of miss the main event. It is a bit like a person that pulls out a cellphone in the middle of a movie.

Today I don't think those people drawn into the thick of our current reality are missing out. They are having a rich experience that we are all here to have, one way or another.

It is sort of a human thing to want to belong to a privileged group, or to view the groups one belongs to that way. Everyone wants to think that their religion is the final truth, and everyone else is a bunch of schlubs. They know the big conspiracy that all scrubs are fooled by...they figured out the life-hack that has them in the fast lane, etc. I think there are great experiences over in this corner, and equally valuable ones over there where no one has heard of any of this.

Truth is I am done with this world and I want to withdraw myself completely from it for personal reasons and what I am looking for is a way to open myself to the spiritual world. Do you get me??

The problem is, you have may have things reversed. You are looking to escape away from a place, in order to change the way your mind experiences itself. While this is not totally a fruitless pursuit (move from a hectic city to a more secluded place, and you will experience benefits, for instance), the problem is probably more your mental state, and you will bring that with you no matter where you go, most likely. Find a way to cope with the problems of your current place, or find a means for moving elsewhere, absolutely. But you can begin doing the mental work that will help you to better thrive internally wherever  you are.

There is something in particular going on with your situation... I think you need to fill us in a bit more, and we may be able to give more direct advice that will be directly useful to you. If you don't want to share details publicly, feel free to message me or the other moderators.

What exactly are you asking?

Seconded.

Please explain it in a paragraph or two, the combination of words you used leaves too much up to interpretation, it isn't clear what you might mean.

Maybe in the 70's that grant would go through 

Princeton's little deal with the falling foam balls (PEAR) was always a neat little anomaly, but not sure if they ever eliminated all the alternative interference possibilities, like the gravity of people in the room, nearby obects, etc.

Did it 8 times, got it right 7 times, with two choices ( there is about a 3.5% chance of an outcome that strong or better in 8 trials).

Is it statistically significant? Would have to do it 10,000 odd times and get back to you on that 

Matthew 12:32
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

What do yous think of this?

I think you have to put it into its own cultural context to understand it, not our modern society.

In that time and place, the various regional gods are sort of in a turf war. Several religions have a regional god that later gets elevated to god-god (the only, monotheistic god). You can sort of apply the same rules to these gods as you can to druglords... they thrive on respect, awareness of their name and deeds, and fear. The scriptures that deal with them establish a similar relationship between their followers as well. This is an excerpt from the time the concept of Yahweh was drawn in fierce combat with the concept of Babylonian , Assyrian, proto-Persian, etc gods.

Yahweh's first concept was a kind of angelic warrior that fought in the heavenly realm for the Jews against their enemies. As time grew on, he was deemed to have greater and more expansive traits, until the inevitable declaration of omnipotence. Even then, Yahweh continued to be the god of only the Jews, for the Jews and their interest over all others. That should tell you all you need to know.

[August 24, 2018]

August 24, 2018

I am sort of in a kind of headspace without a setting, where I am worrying about "exams". It is a time in my life where I have 6-8 of them stacked up in a two week period, and they absolutely dominate my life. I am thinking of ways to schedule the studying, essays, and attending the exams themselves, and I am underwater every time... no matter what, even if I schedule the whole two weeks full, I only have time for 60% of what needs to be done. I don't look forward to the pain of overexerting myself to that degree, and for something that brings me no happiness. The perspective shifts a bit, and I am back in a biology class. Incidentally, it is the same biology class as in one of the earliest logged dreams here, but the scene doesn't last long. The instructor is berating the students, and explaining that most people don't really deserve to pass, and won't.

I leave this setting, and walk out into the hall, and I just seem to wander like a loose leaf. I walk for ages down the halls, and look into empty classrooms, and just sort of change direction from time to time, with no real destination. I wander into my old high school calculus teacher, and a couple girls I knew in highschool, one of whom was my best friend. This particular calculus teacher was known even at that time for being an ancient person, so by now he has probably moved on from this life. We walk just outside. It is well past sundown, and an early winter night, so maybe 40 F (5 C) degrees outside. We walk out and sit in a sort of open wooden structure, that is like a gazebo, but with walls, and open windows, dark inside, but with a great view. Out the windows... it is sort of hard to describe what I see exactly... it is like they are vignette landscapes that are illuminated by distant shimmering lights... they are distant and unreachable, but incredibly alluring in the night setting. They are like some kind of ephemoral paradise that can't be attained by simply walking there. We all are seated against a couple walls inside the wooden structure now, and our calculus teacher is telling us about his childhood. It is sometime in the mid 1760's. He tells us all about the people he knew there, and how they behaved and dressed, and about how his head was full of entirely different sorts of thoughts and desires in that place. It is a place lost to him, and there is no way to return, because he has seen too many things since then to be blank enough to experience it in that pure way again.

I interject that the buildings must have been beautiful (what an odd comment to such a profound story, hehe). He said that they were indeed, but then he moved on to "Fort Lauderdale" (which was to say that there they were not). I knew this to be a place in Florida. As I was gazing out the window again, I could see the buildings and towns of ancient Fort Lauderdale out in the distance forming before me. I commented that "they must have all been heavily water-damaged and storm-stricken". He sort of half nodded in affirmation. I sat a little while longer, and just felt the cold on my face. I had enough clothing that it was managable. I stood up, and the two girls were each seated on a bench along one of the walls, both asleep now. I walked over to them and was sort of captivated by how peaceful and at ease they both appeared. I gently felt each of their noses to make sure they weren't suffering any ill effects or damage from the cold (it felt like the way to do that for some reason), and just let them continue to sleep, as I sat back down. A while later, we all went back inside.

After passing through a single hall, we walked through a heavy-looking door. It was wider than a normal door, and required a lot of heft to move. It had a little window in the top middle. After shutting it on the other side, I noticed another of my good friends was waiting on the other side now, so we reopen the door to let her pass. After that, I notice that written on this side of the door is a message in bold white text, that said something to the effect of "Always open this door for others to pass. You have been warned, and next time will be punished". What an odd thing to be written there...

We climb up through a series of stairs and ramps, sometimes through spaces that were school-like, and other times more like a sort of commercial shopping space, like a closed-down mall after hours. One of the girls breaks off to leave and go to her "dorm", wherever that was. My friend and I continue on to the roof level, which is a place I have never been.

It is hard to really describe it, because it seems to have contradictory qualities. It is open to the night sky above at the beginning portion, but later portions are covered by more levels, sort of like a parking garage, where you feel like you are outside in a sense, even though you are fully enclosed. It is mostly quite dark, but it is also full of these various lights and wonders. There is somehow a rollercoaster track that is snaking along through the various spaces, and shortly after noticing it, a cart rattles by at high speed. I turn to my friend and say, "I didn't know you guys had a 'devastor' up here!" (which must have been some special kind of rollercoaster since we both understood the term naturally). We walk a bit deeper. This place feels like it is her domain rather than mine, since this is the area her own dorm is located, and I think that is where we are headed. Out to the right, the there is some sort of magnificent garden embedded in a sunken space, complete with geometric formations and plant-finials reaching up like spires. It echoes the gardens that stretch out over the landscape at the ground level.

We walk a bit further yet, and now we are under one of the upper floor levels I mentioned before. There are some people queued up to enter an elevator, so we wait in line. The line progresses quickly enough, and we enter it. There seem to be about 4 people there already. The elevator door closes, as someone tries to get inside, but it shuts on their sleeve. We push the open button again to free the person, and he waits outside as the elevator closes again. The elevator rises a couple floors, but then just seems to stop, and I get the feeling we are waiting for something. The elevator is quite a bit larger now, and there are more people here than before, maybe 15, but I don't really notice. Everyone's attention is drawn to the one corner, of the elevator, where some folks are engaged in some sex acts, fully derobed. People don't really react with outrage, so much as curiosity, and more people join in, in participation. I look over at my friend and laugh, sort of thinking about how this is awkward and funny at the same time. She seems encouraged, and joins in herself. So I am standing there at this moment, thinking... "well isn't this a situation", when a woman walks up to me and lovingly beckons for me to participate as well, and I am drawn in also. There are folks engaged in every orientation's version of sexual acts, and it feels like a strange expression of community in a way. The intense revelry continues for a few minutes before I ultimately wake up.

As I dug deeper, I actually realised that those atheists, that I have despised for their pseudoskepticism and that so many people on Astral Pulse are ranting randi-ing about, are actually doing a great job of exposing religion(s) for what they really are: institutions trying to impose their monopoly of truth on others and trying to enslave them in the process. And doesn't Astral Pulse serve the same purpose, among others? To provide people with a hub where narrow-minded religious belief systems are put to question in order to help and free those, who have a dogmatic fear of astral projection?  Yes, sometimes some of these atheists get carried away and attack not only the stupidity of debunked, yet still widely reverred fundamentalism, but also any idea of "supernatural" at all. Yet, even the Devil himself, Richard Dawkins evil ,said in one interview that while not a believer, he is open to other possibilites.

This might not be a popular opinion here, but I think that I have to reassess my misconceptions about some atheists and the the purpose of the movement as a whole, that I have had. They might actually have a lot in common with my opinions.

Any thoughts? smiley

The "New Atheists" (Dawkins, Hitchins, Tyson, Bill Nye Krauss, Harris, etc) do important work in my opinion. Technically most of them are agnostics, but that word doesn't seem to rile people up as much, lol. I feel people should be directed away from "revealed truth" and scripture, and toward a method of thinking the uses reason and evidence as the basis for evaluating statements for truth value. There are some things of value in the old scriptures (especially tucked away in places like the Upanishads, where there is a lot of old information that relates to altered states of consciousness and how to navigate those states by being aware of bodily events), but I think it is better to read them as old texts written by mostly pre-scientific peoples.

Now talking about the angst people seem to feel for folks like Randi... I think an important concept to refer to is an idea called "scientism"; scientism is a religion-like mindset where people take statements that are claimed to be backed by scientific reasoning and accept them without questioning them. It is important to note that the adherence to scientism is grossly unscientific, ironically enough.

An example of scientism is the claim that materialism is the only viable explanation for this universe we are experiencing, and that other alternative theories are not worth thinking about or investigating. This is a profoundly anti-scientific mindset, but nonetheless a majority of the scientific establishment seems to currently hold this position consciously or unconsciously. When people express dissatisfaction with Randi, I think it is concepts like this they have in mind.