FUNDAMENTALISM: A Powerful, Mental Growth Inhibitor

 

Evangelicalism - A Mental Disorder

(Photo: Wikimedia commons)

A child is born neither Christian, nor Jew, nor Muslim, nor atheist, nor an adherent to any other brand of religious or philosophical order. A child is born a human being with an ability to learn and from this raw material society builds her walls of nationalism, [prejudice] and religious certitude —Max T. Furr, The Empathy Imperative

An insider explains how rural Christian white America has a dark and terrifying underbelly


06 FEB 2018 AT 02:20 ET

As the election of Donald Trump is being sorted out, a common theme keeps cropping up from all sides: “Democrats failed to understand white, working-class, fly-over America.”

Trump supporters are saying this. Progressive pundits are saying this. Talking heads across all forms of the media are saying this. Even some Democratic leaders are saying this. It doesn’t matter how many people say it, it is complete BS. It is an intellectual/linguistic sleight of hand meant to draw attention away from the real problem. The real problem isn’t East Coast elites who don’t understand or care about rural America. The real problem is that rural Americans don’t understand the causes of their own situations and fears and they have shown no interest in finding out. They don’t want to know why they feel the way they do or why they are struggling because they don’t want to admit it is in large part because of the choices they’ve made and the horrible things they’ve allowed themselves to believe.

Read more at https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/insider-explains-rural-christian-white-america-dark-terrifying-underbelly/

Intersex and proud: model Hanne Gaby Odiele on finally celebrating her body

This is an extremely rare but important article not only for understanding the disaster we often bring to the lives of our children, but also it shines a bright light on the sheer depth of society’s ignorance and fear of those we see to be “different.”

Think about it. Why is society so ignorant in matters of its genetic heritage and sexual nature. The root cause, I’m convinced, is hereditary religion. We are taught from tot-hood that everyone is born genetically the same–male and female, and never the twain shall meet. It ain’t so, Joe!    —Author


Intersex and proud:

When the Belgian model revealed she was intersex earlier this year, she gave voice to something she’d always been told to hide. Here, the face of Balenciaga talks about knowing she was different.

intersex and proud1

Shirt by Ellery.com; skirt by joseph-fashion.com. Photograph: Jody Rogac for the Observer

Like many models, Hanne Gaby Odiele has a lovely limber angularity. Sitting in a Manhattan restaurant booth she seems to open and close like an umbrella, expanding when she’s in full flow, folding up when she’s mulling something over. Folded up and closed off was how she felt for a long time. As a child, she knew something was different about her. Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2017/apr/23/intersex-and-proud-hanne-gaby-odiele-the-model-finally-celebrating-her-body


 

Donald Trump Needs an Appropriate Moniker

donald-trump-capt-queeg

Captain Philip Francis Queeg

AMERICA, MEET DONALD (CAPTAIN QUEEG) TRUMP,” a real-life version of the fictional Captain Philip Francis Queeg of the minesweeper USS Caine. The Caine Mutiny, was the 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by Herman Wouk, and subsequently became, in 1954, a five-star movie starring Humphrey Bogart—one of my all-time favorites.

The “Queeg” moniker came to me yesterday after months of observing and listening to Trump’s unstable lashing out at virtually anyone of note (and some not-so-much of note) from whom he perceives an insult and his consistent display of an uber authoritarian persona. It reminded me of Captain Queeg’s monomaniacal obsession with strict discipline—dominating and micromanaging his crew—which easily distracted him from his primary duties in WWII.

I recalled Queeg’s paranoia, his turning the Cain inside out in a search to find the thief of a can of strawberries, his demanding that no one may interrupt him while he’s talking, his intolerance of being contradicted and his angry rebuke of a subordinate while his ship steamed over its own tow cable.

Considering this juxtaposition with Trump, his presidency is chilling on many levels, especially that he’s now in possession of the nation’s nuclear missile launch codes (Dr. Strangelove comes to mind), his global-warming denial and his intention to go full bore in opening up more land to drilling for fossil fuels, a bow to the Kochs and which includes rescinding the sanctions on Russia for the sake of huge profits for Exxon Mobile (the corporation of Rex Tillerson—Trump’s nomination for Secretary of State and likely confirmed on Jan. 23rd).

As for Trumps thin skin, in my mind he needs some early conditioning on how to thicken it. Since his subordinates in the White House and most congressional conservatives likely are sycophants (yes men) who would bow to his demands for no other reason than for profit and power (although I hope the military types are not so greedy and demonstrate the integrity his Wall Streeters are not likely to display), his education is left to the public.

I will, henceforth, refer to him as Capt. Queeg, until and unless he proves me wrong. I won’t, however, bet the farm. I hope others adopt this view as well.

I once thought that GW Bush was much like Queeg and suggested as much in my novel, The Empathy Imperative, but at least Bush’s insecurity left him open to manipulation (mainly by Cheney). Trump, however, masks his insecurity in extreme narcissism and hostility, therefore, he is not likely controllable.

 

Mothers, Orient your Daughters to Independence and Self Worth . . .

. . . rather than focusing them on society’s empty trivialities such as glamour and becoming eye candy for men.

See The 5 Kick-Ass Women This Mom Dressed Her Daughter As Instead Of A Disney Princess

The only change I would make in the examples presented in the article would be to toss out Coco’s cigarette and add a civil rights activist such as Angela Davis or Rosa Parks.

Okay, I’ll stick my neck out here and go further than the article. At a much younger age for both girls and boys, I suggest orienting the TV programs they watch to subjects about nature (especially non-animated nature) and various subjects of science and cultures. As well, I suggest toys of a more intellectually-nurturing nature such as animals and science oriented toys, puzzles, and games. Avoid toys for boys such as guns, military hardware, and weapon/war figures. Avoid toys for girls such as fluffy dolls and tea sets.

As I’ve mentioned before, along with all this, it is important to teach them empathy for others and the value of sharing.

And before you mothers out there take up torches and pitchforks and come after me for stereotyping mothers, I know that there are many mothers who do much, if not all of the above. You, I salute! You are the path to a better future.

Biblical Counseling — Exposing the Darkness Disguised As Light

I’ve little to add to this wonderful post. It should be required reading (including its links) to all parents and expecting mothers:

Victoria NeuroNotes

Excerpt from Got Questions.org:

Secular psychology is based on the ideas that man is basically good and that the answer to his problems lies within himself. The Bible paints a very different picture of man’s condition. Man is not “basically good”; he is “dead in trespasses and sins”(Ephesians 2:1), and the unregenerate heart is “deceitful and beyond all cure” (Jeremiah 17:9).

View original post 1,520 more words

CHILD’S PLAY: All Girl-Child Band – The Warning

I just now came across this video on a wonderful friend’s blog post, which I am posting here. Victoria, owner of the blog, is deeply interested and well read on the subject of behavioral neuroscience, especially early childhood development. Give her a “like” and a “follow,” and read her posts.


Max T. Furr is author of The Empathy Imperative, a philosophical/spiritual novel.

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