The roots of quasi-spirituality and the misery it causes, based on people like this!

frozengull2 said:I’m writing this because I’m honestly just fed up with the blatant propaganda being shoved down our throats under the guise of "Christian values";
"The roots of faith, history built on the foundations of people like this..."

Sure, the topic shifted over to religion, but what was left hanging in the air—the stuff nobody wants to address—was that massive stench of hypocrisy and double standards trailing behind it.

It’s that classic New Age vibe where someone tries to lecture everyone else on morality while they’re busy sweeping their own skeletons deep into the closet back home.

I think it’s totally unfair, and we really need to have a real conversation about this.
The whole thing is basically the root cause for why so many people end up obsessed with all this spiritual nonsense.

To make my point, I’m going to bring up Carlos Castaneda, who is pretty much the poster child for this New Age garbage.

What really got under my skin is how the person who started this thread is clearly totally obsessed with him.

Okay.

Look, I haven't said anything until now because, hey, everyone’s entitled to their little obsessions, right?
But after reading her post, I just can't stay quiet anymore—I have to put this into some actual perspective;

And that perspective is this: she’s all about throwing "criticism" at Christianity (like, "Oh, let me show you how wrong you are"), yet she goes completely silent when it comes to the things she’s actually obsessed with.

Why is that?

Even the birds on the wire know that Castaneda was nothing but a con artist and a total fake who manipulated his followers straight into ruin.
And when I say ruin, I mean literal death.
These aren't just my random opinions; these are facts based on what people who actually spent years with him have testified to.

I’ve attached some links to an incredible BBC documentary on the subject (it's a seriously objective look at his life and his lies, featuring all those firsthand accounts I mentioned).
Once you watch it, you'll see what a complete circus and total mystification the whole Castaneda thing actually is.
He was just some ordinary, manipulative old man surrounded by New Age fanatics—mostly lonely, emotionally lost people—some of whom ended up meeting incredibly tragic ends.

It’s going to be interesting to watch this train wreck unfold;
People swinging a sledgehammer at traditional values, while simultaneously trying to dodge or make excuses for their own provenly fake obsessions.
Ugh, so frustrating!
Pay close attention to the woman named Alexander Nury at the start of the second clip.
Believe it or not, this woman claims she came directly from the astral plane to meet Castaneda!?
She didn't grow up in the real world; she supposedly just "appeared" a few years ago. At least, that's what he wrote in his book "dream art."
She’s supposed to be that "Blue Tracker" character he writes about... but in reality, she was just a 19-year-old waitress that the world-famous Carlos (who every fanatic wanted to meet) easily seduced at a restaurant in California.
After she took her own life, the police determined it was just a tragic case involving a girl named Dolly Parton... a girl with a rough background and parents, a messed-up childhood, who was naive and way too young to fall into Castaneda's web of lies.
Can you even believe that!?

The film basically rips the mask off Carlos's face and gives SilentWarrior a chance to clear up any doubts about whether there's any hypocrisy involved by just accepting what's shown.

It also paints a true picture of the man that so many people base their entire belief systems on.

And the worst part? People who are blinded by this stuff actually try to lecture others on "what's right and what's wrong."

I know I might be coming off a bit harsh, but sometimes you just have to slam your fist on the table and give someone a reality check.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCqYr...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrB5...feature=relmfu

ps.
I absolutely cannot stand transparent propaganda and two-faced behavior.

casualtiger2 said:Look, if some Popes were acting like idiots or straight-up criminals—which, let's be real, they were—what does that actually have to do with "undermining Christian values"?

People have endless reasons to bash Christianity: you’ve got history, fake texts, rigid dogmas, doctrines that make zero sense or just shift whenever it suits them, the way they used to hunt down anyone non-Christian, the Inquisition, all that hypocrisy... plus their takes on everyday stuff like marriage, birth control, abortion, sexual orientation, politics... you name it.

frozengull2 said:Daniel Castillo11;

People have endless reasons to bash Christianity: you’ve got history, fake texts, rigid dogmas, doctrines that make zero sense or just shift whenever it suits them, the way they used to hunt down anyone non-Christian, the Inquisition, all that hypocrisy... plus their takes on everyday stuff like marriage, birth control, abortion, sexual orientation, politics... you name it.

And look, don't go painting everything about abortion, marriage, or sexual orientation in such a negative light.

Personally, I stand right alongside the Church on these issues.

It's just intuitive to me.

The way you're talking? To me, that just sounds like neoliberal dogma.

It isn't cool to try and shove your views down everyone's throats as if they're the absolute truth.

That's just plain wrong.

Those aren't "correct" stances; they're just *your* stances (and trust me, I could find a billion people out there with a completely different set of values).

So, honestly, I'm glad there's at least someone in this world who stands firm defending what I actually believe in and support.
I'm not saying the Church hasn't had some seriously shameful moments throughout its history—far from it—but despite all that, I really respect the stance it takes in defending nature and traditional values, regardless of all this "massive populist pressure" it's facing today (which is really just people catering to the lowest common denominator).
If it weren't like that, I wouldn't give it the time of day.

The bottom line is my worldview doesn't get dragged through the mud just because you don't like it.
Especially not when that bashing uses the same garbage we're all covered in ourselves.

It's just not fair.

How can someone criticize another person when they aren't even being critical of their own obsessions?
When I say this, I'm not talking about asking questions or seeking explanations—that's always fine by me—I'm talking about pure propaganda meant to cause damage and paint a twisted, distorted picture.

Btw.
THE TOPIC ISN'T ABOUT BEING FOR OR AGAINST CHRISTIANITY; it's about the hypocrisy of New Agers when it comes to criticizing other people's beliefs.

Mods, please keep an eye on this.

Brenda Cook4 said:It almost feels like Castaneda is taking a direct swipe at Christianity just by presenting a completely different way of looking at things. It makes it seem as though the Mesoamerican Toltec culture has no place in the realm of philosophy or spirituality—without even getting into a deep dive of those concepts. But there’s a reason for that. When Castaneda talks about the "predatory mind," he’s describing a force that forces a single perspective on everyone, demanding total intellectual conformity: “a cheap model: one size fits all”.

Daniel Castillo11;41511076 said:

What’s not fair?

Oops... I keep forgetting how much the right wing hates free speech. 🙂

That’s exactly what isn't fair.

I am definitely not "right-wing" just because I hold onto traditional values, believe in the natural order of things, and actually respect our heritage.
Where on earth did you even get that idea?

The fact that you're trying to paint me that way is basically the whole point of what I’m calling out.

Honestly, this happens all the time on this sub—people trying to smear Christians and Christian values—and it really gets under my skin.

Especially when it comes from people who are obsessed with Eastern philosophies.

Yeah, that's just wrong.

ps.
Everything I said stands.

frozengull2 said:That's just not true.

I'm not out here talking about some "populist Castaneda-ism" bashing Christianity.

I mean, what kind of metric are we even using to compare those two things? It doesn't make sense.

The core issue is pretty obvious;

It’s well documented that Castaneda was a manipulative old man who preyed on young women, messing with their heads to the point where some of them ended up dead.
So, it’s perfectly logical to conclude he wasn't actually what he claimed to be.
Some mystical enlightened guru.
All of that throws the integrity and truthfulness of his entire body of work into question.
There isn't some "Blue Scout" who descended from the astral plane; it's clearly just a naive 19-year-old girl who was cast in that role.
From that angle (and keeping that in mind), trying to call out Christian sins or waving them around like propaganda just to prove someone else's value system is "fake"—it's just tacky. It's misplaced.

So I'm asking, and I'm asking for a reason;

What is SilentWarrior actually pointing at here?
Is it just the fact that there have been mistakes in church history and people being mistreated?

And while she's doing that, did she even bother looking at the root of what she's so obsessed with?
I'm talking about the life and work of the guy who is basically one of her main pillars in life.

Do you see the difference?

It’s widely accepted that Castaneda was a manipulative old man who seduced young women and played with them until it led to tragedy.
It’s logical to conclude he wasn't actually what he claimed to be.
A mystical enlightened master.
All of this casts doubt on the integrity and truthfulness of everything he wrote.

What exactly is SilentWarrior pointing at here?
The fact that there have been mistakes and abuses within church history?

frozengull2 said:That just doesn't seem right at all. It's simply not fair.

I don't consider myself a right-winger simply because I stand firmly behind traditional values, the natural order of human relationships, and a deep respect for our cultural heritage. It’s much more nuanced than that, really—much like how one might appreciate the foundational architecture of an old library without necessarily subscribing to every single political manifesto written within its walls. One can value the bedrock of history and the organic ways we connect with one another without being confined to a specific partisan label.

frozengull2 said:Daniel Castillo11;

People have endless reasons to bash Christianity: you’ve got history, fake texts, rigid dogmas, doctrines that make zero sense or just shift whenever it suits them, the way they used to hunt down anyone non-Christian, the Inquisition, all that hypocrisy... plus their takes on everyday stuff like marriage, birth control, abortion, sexual orientation, politics... you name it.

And look, don't go painting everything about abortion, marriage, or sexual orientation in such a negative light.

Personally, I stand right alongside the Church on these issues.

It's just intuitive to me.

The way you're talking? To me, that just sounds like neoliberal dogma.

It isn't cool to try and shove your views down everyone's throats as if they're the absolute truth.

That's just plain wrong.

Those aren't "correct" stances; they're just *your* stances (and trust me, I could find a billion people out there with a completely different set of values).

So, honestly, I'm glad there's at least someone in this world who stands firm defending what I actually believe in and support.
I'm not saying the Church hasn't had some seriously shameful moments throughout its history—far from it—but despite all that, I really respect the stance it takes in defending nature and traditional values, regardless of all this "massive populist pressure" it's facing today (which is really just people catering to the lowest common denominator).
If it weren't like that, I wouldn't give it the time of day.

The bottom line is my worldview doesn't get dragged through the mud just because you don't like it.
Especially not when that bashing uses the same garbage we're all covered in ourselves.

It's just not fair.

How can someone criticize another person when they aren't even being critical of their own obsessions?
When I say this, I'm not talking about asking questions or seeking explanations—that's always fine by me—I'm talking about pure propaganda meant to cause damage and paint a twisted, distorted picture.

Btw.
THE TOPIC ISN'T ABOUT BEING FOR OR AGAINST CHRISTIANITY; it's about the hypocrisy of New Agers when it comes to criticizing other people's beliefs.

Mods, please keep an eye on this.

It’s just providing some context for how things look.
Throwing mud at people.

Brenda Cook4 said:

It’s just providing some context for how things look.
Throwing mud at people.

Look, gle della, if you keep going down this road, I’m going to have to lock this thread. There’s no "throwing mud" here just because you personally feel like something is "dirty," nor can we have constant little jabs aimed at our female members throughout the discussion.

So, let me be clear one more time: this topic is perfectly fine as long as it stays focused on New Age beliefs, Christianity, the clash of ideas, or exposing what someone considers to be wrong.