I'm not sure how to express this, but one thing has bugged me for awhile

[skykiii]

EDIT: I'm kinda just mood-posting so... let me know if I made ANY sense at all, please?

So I like listening to videos about scary subjects and sometimes reading up on things like alternate history or ghosts or whatever but...

.... Okay, I'm not sure if there's a better word for this, but I keep noticing that a lot of thoughts these days are overly... "sciencey?" "Techno-ey?"

Just for example, a common theory is that "we all live in a simulation."

But what I wonder is... well, wouldn't it be just as easy to say "we all live in a magical Mist of Illusion?"

Except they don't.

I notice this in a lot of places, actually.... there's a subtle linguistic desire to avoid anything that mentions anything that could be called religious or spiritual, and instead replace it with something that is based firmly in tech-based (or at the very least pseudo-scientific) thinking.

This is the main thing that always bugged me about the Ancient Astronauts theory. It's pretty explicitly just an excuse to "update" myth and legends by replacing them with a sci-fi version... a version which, perhaps coincidentally, I find depressing and basically deadening.

I'm reminded of something Penn Jillette said on an episode of Bullshit, when responding to a Bible-thumper who tried to make the crossing of the Red Sea "logical" by claiming it was a mistranslation and Moses' people actually crossed the "Reed" Sea. Quothe Penn: "Once you buy the Red/Reed thing, the problem with the story becomes that there's nothing special about it. They crossed a low-tide marsh on a windy day. So what's the miracle? That the smell didn't kill them? If it isn't a miracle, it isn't God, and if it isn't God, its just a bullshit story. You're peein' on your own argument."

In this case I almost feel like replacing mystic terms with technological/biological ones is meant exactly to achieve this purpose. If its technology, then its man being controlled by other man, and nothing is higher. Which then makes it easier to justify degrading animal behaviors and perversions. With nothing higher to look up to, its easier to beat us into submission and make us buy into stupid, self-destructive things.

Now, I'm not saying we need to all pull out our Bibles right now... I do however think some form of spiritual belief is important, even if its as silly as praying to Fuzzy Lumpkin the Property Bear. It's better than "oh aliens basically just wanna fuck us because even advanced space people are motivated by sex."

EDIT: Like I said, these thoughts have been in my head for awhile now and I don't think I've talked about them before, so let me know if I'm making sense. I think my thinking needs refinement.

 

[The Evil Midnight Bomber]

We decided to embrace the void instead of sticking with god after the end of WW2. Post war Society was in large parts shaped by spiritually crippled, faithless individuals.

 

[Meat Target]

This is the main thing that always bugged me about the Ancient Astronauts theory. It's pretty explicitly just an excuse to "update" myth and legends by replacing them with a sci-fi version... a version which, perhaps coincidentally, I find depressing and basically deadening.

IMO, I think the Ancient Astronauts theory is more absurd than belief in the supernatural. It leads to even more implausible speculations; for example, "the Ark of the Covenant was some kind of nuclear weapon that also made Manna", or "these Egyptian hieroglyphs of big gourds are acktchually light bulbs, therefore aliens".

I've also heard that the author of Chariots of the Gods? stole a lot of ideas from H.P. Lovecraft.

 

[skykiii]

IMO, I think the Ancient Astronauts theory is more absurd than belief in the supernatural. It leads to even more implausible speculations; for example, "the Ark of the Covenant was some kind of nuclear weapon that also made Manna", or "these Egyptian hieroglyphs of big gourds are acktchually light bulbs, therefore aliens".

I've also heard that the author of Chariots of the Gods? stole a lot of ideas from H.P. Lovecraft.

I mean yeah, its impossible to read/listen to any Ancient Astronaut theorist and not think "isn't this basically At the Mountains of Madness?"

Except even Lovecraft had an aura of the spiritual about his work (paradoxically considering the man was an atheist). The modern variation comes off like its just trying to emasculate one's soul, if that makes sense.

 

[Sexy Senior Citizen]

(I'm thoughtposting too; I'm also speaking as a Christcuck, so don't laugh too loudly.)

Humans were made to venerate something greater than them; when you understand this, it's not hard to understand why some atheists postulate aliens came and shaped humanity. While denying the existence of God, the sheer complexity of life shows that something formed us; evolving from primordial soup is impossible, chemically speaking, without some outsider intervening (as far as we know). But this ancient aliens theory falls flat when you ask who formed those aliens, and who formed those creators, and so on. The universe stretches back some 14 billion years; eventually, you need intelligent life that isn't bound by matter to create life.

Alternate take: 14 billion years is young, on a universal timescale. The universe still feeling the effects of the Big Bang. If the primordial soup theory is correct- though I don't believe it is- humanity may be the first species in the universe to evolve. That's right, we are Lovecraft's Old Ones.

While God has been denied, other idols have taken His place. Not necessarily statues of Molech and Baal, but things and people we revere (think of people who're slavishly devoted to Netflix shows, or the cults of personality surrounding individuals like Donald Trump.) Even the high and mighty have things they worship- be it power, money, sex, or themselves.

Without God, we too will worship these things.

 

[Idiotron]

Well, technology is real, magic is not.
It makes more sense for techno-y explanation to be true.
If the universe was indeed consciously created, it wasn't done by an eternal wizard, it was done in a laboratory.
You're right, it is basically an update of our mythology for the modern times but what do you expect?

The simulation theory is logical given what we see in the world right now.
We're creating more and more detailed open world virtual spaces, more and more advanced AI.
Given enough time, we will make something that is so detailed and so intelligent that it will look and feel like reality.
When that happens, we will definitely create more than one fake reality.
Since there's only one real world and a possible millions of fake virtual ones, it's more likely that we live in a fake one.
That might be far fetched but at least plausible.

Old school religious stories are far more ridiculous so many people are turning away from traditional religion.
Unless we have total collapse of society Mad Max style, we will never go back to traditional religion.

 

[Milkis]

Given enough time, we will make something that is so detailed and so intelligent that it will look and feel like reality.
When that happens, we will definitely create more than one fake reality.

You need Jesus. He is waiting for you if you look.

 

[Gunter Hatherer]

If the universe is a simulation, what is it a simulation of?
A real universe? Being simulated in an even realer universe?

Verdict: A psyop to make you feel stupid.

 

[Just A Butt]

deep shit man
keep going and you'll uncover the truth i'm sure

 

[Maniacal Foreigner]

Of all religions to turn to for "muh traditional values" why do seemingly most people here choose Christianity? Is it just because most people here are from the West, and that's just what you're familiar with?
Honest question, not trying to be snarky.

 

[Blasterisk]

Of all religions to turn to for "muh traditional values" why do seemingly most people here choose Christianity? Is it just because most people here are from the West, and that's just what you're familiar with?
Honest question, not trying to be snarky.

All the other ones are retarded.

 

[Jewthulhu]

Religiosity seems to be an inherent part of humanity. Even if not worshipping a God or gods per se, analogues of priests, prophesies, myths, creation myths, moral codes, and miracles seem to be a constant across humanity. As rationalism becomes the predominant philosophy across the western world, this aspect of humanity doesn't diminish, but is rather recast through this rationalist lens. Our myths, prophesies, and miracleshave largely become "scientific," running in parallel to current fields of ongoing research (even if existing outside of what the scientific consenses thinks possible). It is all still come at and believed solely through faith, and preached through whomever people listen to to get their information.

 

[Catler]

Of all religions to turn to for "muh traditional values" why do seemingly most people here choose Christianity? Is it just because most people here are from the West, and that's just what you're familiar with?

You’ve hit the nail on the head, it’s because that’s what they know. For the vast majority of humanity you believe in what the people around you believe, you never had a real choice in religion.

You see so many Christian larpers on here because it’s an easy way to go against clownworld/the current social climate with minimal effort.

All the other ones are retarded.

They’re all straight up retarded, Christianity included.

 

[Kermit Jizz]

If the universe was indeed consciously created, it wasn't done by an eternal wizard, it was done in a laboratory.

Source?

 

[Cyborg Braphog]

IMO, I think the Ancient Astronauts theory is more absurd than belief in the supernatural. It leads to even more implausible speculations; for example, "the Ark of the Covenant was some kind of nuclear weapon that also made Manna", or "these Egyptian hieroglyphs of big gourds are acktchually light bulbs, therefore aliens".

And it just pushes the question of "where did it all come from?" back another step. It's like panspermia - if life came here on meteorites then how did it get on the meteorites? Once you're into infinite regression territory you're just navel-gazing.

 

[PipTheAlchemist]

All the other ones are retarded.

Multiple things can be retarded at the same time

 

[timewave0]

People have put cities to the flame in the name of religion, but the cult of technology and “progress” will destroy the entire world. People delude themselves into believing that every imaginable problem will eventually be solved by technology. Transhumanist technomagic offers the same promise as religion — you will have eternal life and you will never again be deprived of your loved ones. The opposite is true. The feeling world of soil and bark and flesh and fur is being systematically replaced by a numb world of steel and concrete, a world in which there are no more ineffable mysteries left to elevate the spirit of Man.

If God is dead, he leaves behind a void in all of us. One way or another, that void will be filled. How will we fill it?

It’s all good though, I’m sure some really smart Chinese teenager will figure it all out!

 

[Safir]

While God has been denied, other idols have taken His place. Not necessarily statues of Molech and Baal, but things and people we revere (think of people who're slavishly devoted to Netflix shows, or the cults of personality surrounding individuals like Donald Trump.) Even the high and mighty have things they worship- be it power, money, sex, or themselves.

Without God, we too will worship these things.

This is 100% correct. There's also a dash of sexism in it, as Science(tm) is more acceptable for soyboys to worship. Thus Serious Media gives free airtime to soy takes on AI, but they only pay attention to river goddess rites when trannies are forbidden from swinging their dicks around the bonfire.

Well, technology is real, magic is not.

It's almost 11 pm where I am so it's safe to say this is the dumbest thing I read today. Magic has never been "not real". If people think garlic helps against vampires (it does) or sing the little teapot song three times when boiling fern root (exactly enough time for the useful chemicals to get into the water but to not yet decompose), then that is, for them, natural and real.

Science-flavored woo is at best just as real as magic (when you're too dumb to check for yourself, so you trust the CDC that Masks Work) but usually wrong, fake and gay. Layperson medical knowledge is indistinguishable from what it was thousands of years ago. Do people think about a pill's effect like, this molecule gets dissolved... this radical binds to that segment of RNA... blocks this reaction... which leaves more of that chemical... increased acidity... less of that... Fuck no! They think, oho, effects, side effects. Might as well be "good for the root chakra, bad for the throat chakra".

Magic / religion has a moral aspect (unsurprisingly, as it is its primary function) -- this makes a religious perspective more valuable, thus more real, than soy Science takes.

IMO, I think the Ancient Astronauts theory is more absurd than belief in the supernatural.

I really like Ancient Astronauts / Chariots of the Gods as a fantasy setting. I try to stay away from uninspired adherents of the theory so that ancient astronaut fiction doesn't get ruined for me like psychic abilities did.

 

[Jacob Schiff]

The simulated universe theory is completely separate from the idea of magic. It's based on the argument that a highly advanced simulation would build computers to simulate the Big Bang, thus creating a simulated universe which itself would develop solar systems, planets, life and civilisations that themselves would simulate the Big Bang. Then the number of simulated universes would dwarf the single, real one.

Ancient astronaut theory is used to explain technological feats in mostly architecture that its proponents consider impossible. Interpreting myths and legends as extraterrestrial encounters is just a shoddy way of supporting their theories but comes second to the material aspect.

Spoiler

Ancient astronaut theory is more likely a grift to earn money with an interesting sounding idea. It's biggest proponent, Erich von Däniken, earns tons of money through books, comics, tv-shows and the like. Similar with modern Atlantis theories, like the one proposed by Graham Hancock. Spirituality is a huge part of his theories, since he believes the ancient Atlantians had reached a higher level of consciousness.
These people aren't trying to eradicate religion. Just get your money.

 

[LinkinParkxNaruto[AMV]]

Scientism.

Science is just a method not an ideology but its made to be a dogma that everyrhing has to be filtered by.

You can't have "the wizard did it" its " the wizard did it but he used advance alien techniques thata really soyence but looks like magic"

You can't have an opinion, only "science says" even if the "science" is a paper written by a first year sociologist after asking three random people question in their campus in california. And if science says it then its sacred truth because the science is the objective fact and not debatable.