God's Messenger And Social Uses Of Religion

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God's Messenger And Social Uses Of Religion - Dr. Andy Thomson @ W&L Law School.

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Dr. J. Anderson Thomson gave his lecture "Why we believe in gods" at the Washington & Lee Law School (W&L Law) in Lexington, VA on October 15, 2008.

J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., M.D. (Andy) is a part-time staff psychiatrist. He received his B.A. from Duke University (1970), his M.D. from the University of Virginia (1974) and did his adult psychiatry training at U.Va. (1974-77). His private practice is oriented toward individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy, forensic psychiatry, and medication consultation. He is the Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction at U.Va., which involves interdisciplinary intervention and research in large group ethnic and political conflict. He has publications on narcissistic personality disorder, PTSD, and the psychology of racism, and psychobiographical essays on Robert E. Lee and Lee Harvey Oswald. His current research interest is in the area of evolutionary psychology. (Source: University of Virginia)

Watch the full lecture at www.richarddawkins.net/article,3373,Why-we-believe-in-gods,J-Anderson-Thomson

Credit: http://www.richarddawkins.net/
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[KARIN094]

Fantastic lecture! This class should be in all educational institutions. Need to educate the fantasy out of our populace!

Example; got an email on how a childs last chemotherapy treatment successfully removed all the cancer cells. Awesome! What isnt great, is that God was thanked for it! The entire past 3 years of treatment.

What about all the doctors? Or, about all the science and technology behind finding cures? I would be running around hugging everyone in that hospital!!!!!

[tryingtobereal]

I think organized religion is the hijacking of human spirituality, Ritualized human values.

All in order to create integrity within the group,and in western culture expliot. Individual spirituality is dangerous as so long as you have an attachment to the established world order's view.

Ultimately people are group creatures

The perfeet example of Religion used as a brainwashing tool is white jesus given to all the colonized nations.

[dymchurch1]

I'd like to see theists kept so busy trying to keep THESE ideas out of the schools that there would be no time left over to try to put intelligent design INTO the school curriculums.

[Nocturnalux]

@KARIN094 I wish that those 'Thank God for *add something* realized that it is borderline insulting to those that actually did the good to atribute it to imaginary beings. It really is annoying.

[Idotgotit]

@MrJackclarke You have hit the nail on he head, my sentiments exactly. We are here to get a long; it is amazing that you came to the right conclusion. Only you left out the reason for this result! You cannot change a person’s point of view so I won’t try. However what I said is only my point of view and no one else’s. That is why we have the choice of right and wrong.

[MrJackclarke]

@Idotgotit what is god in the first place?? the problem with god is that it is tied in with religion no matter what... and people devolop egos becuase of it, and people start disagreeing. and wars start. but the main thing is that god and religions do create an ego and thats the only and biggest evil any species can have. why cant we just have the collective idea that we just need to live as a species that has evovled and work together not agianst each other becuase of man made ideas

[YedemiSeMusaka]

Is it possible to found some of this material in writing ?

[chromolitho]

I think I'm missing something due to unreadable screen.

[Idotgotit]

God dose not work through religion, religion try’s to work through God.

Religion has tried to reproduce God’s truth through out the centuries always

ending with the same results. A miss quote or miss use of a passage and a loss of human life. God did not pick religion for religion picked God. His truth has not changed (Love and compassion to wards one another) this is not meant for an individual race it is meant for all!! Peace be with you!! .

[Britt3x3]

thanks for these videos!

[ShadowofProclimaton]

I am so mirroring these vids

[moety2]

Hold on now, you are putting words into my mouth. I think Dd. andy is using fairlyy decent examples. He could have used a few more from mild leading towards extreme. Where you got that I think he doesn't understand his examples is beyond me and unwarrented lol. As Blaz asked, what special logic you use for other/past gods that you don't use for your view of god. That statement of yours is very confusing. Sounds like you view "God" in your own way which is personal. Please explain.