The Skeptics Guide #970 - Feb 10 2024 (Ad Free)
Added 2024-02-10 16:43:08 +0000 UTCWhat's the Word: Cardinal; News Items: New Virus-Like Microbes Found, SLIM Lunar Lander, Misinformation and Wellness Influencers, Super Earth in Habitable Zone, Climate Change and Storms; Who's That Noisy, Name That Logical Fallacy, Science or Fiction
Comments
That is a powerful story. Thank you for sharing it. Others on the fence and wrestling with the same issues may find guidance in your words.
Jason 'Jake' Kennedy
2024-03-01 15:11:14 +0000 UTCI became christian at the age of 11 at church camp because it was the thing to do. From that point, constant "failures" piled on top of normal teenage angst and hormones wrecked my self-esteem, and it took me over 2 decades to overcome those issues. I also struggled the whole time because just believing never quite seemed to cut it. I always wanted to back that faith up with knowledge, so I asked questions, and accepted answers at face value. Yet, it never bolstered my faith. I just didn't feel god. Other things happened, I stopped attending church, but I clung to that veneer of faith, more because it was ingrained rather than believing in it. I did explore other religions from an analytical angle, thinking that surely each might have a piece of the puzzle. I shifted more toward exploratory agnosticism. About 18 years ago, my dormant skepticism awoke. And as I relied more on evidence and developed critical thinking, what faith I clung to just evaporated. About a year prior, I had also gave into depression and absolutely shredded my psyche in the most destructive manner possible, feeding every horrible thought with as much fuel as possible until a conflagration of self-loathing raged inside my mind. When I finished, a voice in my head, my voice, just said, "None of that was true." A great weight lifted from my mind. Decades of self-doubt, self-destructive thoughts, suicidal ideation and emotional baggage gone. I have never felt happier and freer in my entire life. I felt like I had stopped developing at 18. My growth reignited and I matured. I feel more like 25. I think this is a good place to remain; young enough to retain my optimism and childlike curiosity, while also backed by twice that amount of wisdom and experience. Skepticism saved me from myself.
Asymetra
2024-02-12 12:27:03 +0000 UTCJust in time for me to go out on a Saturday walk!
Frederick Cossette
2024-02-10 16:45:21 +0000 UTC
