/lit/ - Literature

By filling my life with work so I can buy consumer products.

Ice cream.

Dick.

My dick.

You mom is the void.

>>3615122

By adopting the consumerist life style, eh?

But even the consumerist life style is empty. (Have you read American Psycho?)

>>3615127

Hedonism, eh?

Binge eating, drugs, and sex (lots of it). The only problem is that it will eventually wear you out and you end feeling as empty as you felt at the beginning. It is even worse, now you have a lot of addictions that you have to deal with.

>>3615119

With Jesus Christ my Lord, Savior and Healer. I read my Gospels, I say my prayers, and I find His love quite fulfilling.

>>3615119

You must understand - the void is not in you, but somewhere in the world itself.

You can cram anything you like into the 'hole' of your being but you will never be satisfied. What you must do is find the 'hole' out there in the world and fill that.

>>3615129
>The only problem is that it will eventually wear you out

Opium.

>It is even worse, now you have a lot of addictions that you have to deal with.

More opium.

>>3615131
Jesus is a surrogate for your father.

t: Wilhem the Reich

>>3615131

Religion is fine, it works well enough.

The only problem is that religion as we know it is riddled with problems (hurr durr my creationism, hurr durr my Sharia).

Some of us are not into the whole religion business, what can they do?

>>3615131

No. No no no.

The contemporary organized religions are poison.

>>3615136

Become a Catholic? It works for me.

>>3615136

Well, I keep the politics aside and it works wonders for me. I don't picket, argue or try to impose my beliefs on others. I, simply, in the loneliness of my room, with me and myself only, read the Gospels and pray. My spiritual life does not cascade into other aspects of my life nor unto others, for I simply apply the live and let live.

I know what you mean, but I keep myself away from organized religion. It has worked wonders for me.

I don't, it doesn't bother me anymore

>>3615138

Perhaps it is a cultural thing? Here in Finland it is consider ultimately rude to speak about your spiritual beliefs, try to convert others, or verbally base your socialization process upon religious blocks. We simply keep it to ourselves. I have neighbors and friends and family from all creeds, and I found out accidentally.

>>3615139

I read John Gray's piece on religion the other day and I agree that religion (or Catholicism) work for some people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14944470

I have no problem with anybody converting to any religion (even though I have a problem with organized religion shoving its nose into politics); but religion is just not my thing. Organized religions either do not make sense to me or rustle my jimmies.

>>3615146

Maybe the problem is with organized religion and not with the spiritual teachings of Jesus?

Just a thought.

>>3615140

Congratulations, bro. (I am not being sarcastic, I am really glad for you. Continue being a bro.)

>>3615148

Always. My love for humankind is regardless of them agreeing or not with me.

Hey, we can be bros even if you support Manchester United! lol

>>3615147

> Maybe the problem is with organized religion and not with the spiritual teachings of Jesus?

I personally like Jesus, but hate many of the organized religion built and imposed over his image.

What about Islam that was political and organized from the get go?

>>3615151

> My love for humankind is regardless of them agreeing or not with me.

*brofist*

> Hey, we can be bros even if you support Manchester United! lol

I am soccer agnostic as well. :D I have no problem with people who like soccer as long as they do not turn into hooligans and trash my car.

>>3615153

>What about Islam that was political and organized from the get go?

Making it the shitiest of all the Abrahamic religions.

>>3615153
>>I personally like Jesus, but hate many of the organized religion built and imposed over his image.

It bothers me too. Jesus is no group's property.

>>3615154
>Making it the shitiest of all the Abrahamic religions.

And fastest growing one as well.

>>3615155
>>I am soccer agnostic as well

The horror!

+1 for jesus.

and/or injectable meth (in moderation, ovcourse)

>>3615126
>But even the consumerist life style is empty.

Nope. Consumption let's me have things to fill my life. If you can't be happy with buying what is provided, then there is probably something wrong with you.

>>3615178

Are there any real works praising consumerism and developing it as a way of life? This is nor a rhetoric question.

>a void exists

>>3615186

> I dug a hole in the ground.
> A hole in the ground exists.

Hellenism.
In fact, if Hellenism applies to the ancient Greeks, what -ism applies to the Romans?
Maybe jus graeco-romanism.

>>3615154
Actually, that's what makes it the best.

>>3615142
this

embrace the void, become the void, you already were the void

>>3615192

Because shitty is the new good?

>>3615198
I don't see how a religion being ingrained in politics and in organization makes it bad, it just means that there is more harmony in a society between the personal, social and political spheres.

>>3615154
Islam isn't an Abrahamic Religion as it denys blood sacrifices as atonement for sins

Mahayana Buddhism, it's the only religion that embraces the void (emptiness) and it's got some cool spiritual practices too, plus, hipster and hippy chicks everywhere

>>3615202

A religion being ingrained in politics and organization does not necessarily make the religion bad, it is the shitty political and organization teachings that makes the religion shitty.

> it just means that there is more harmony in a society between the personal, social and political spheres

Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me?

>>3615203
So does Christianity, you dumbass.

>>3615202
this, Religious institutions aren't any worse than other human organizations - all inevitably do stupid things, and IMO they are far better than 'secular' institutions like state organs of power and corporations. Atheists are just autists who are mad that other people won't accept their logic and reason, well guess what, most humans don't give a fuck

I myself am an atheist, but I hesitate to call myself that because most of the times I will side with religious people and detest the whole new atheist campaign/movement.

>>3615210

Dude. I criticized a particular shitty religion (contemporary Islam, do not fucking dare compare it to whatever they had during the Golden Age of Islam) especially because it is trying to shove its brown dick into everything.

I do not have an a-priori problem with religions including those that have a tendency to spill into politics; just Islam.

>>3615209
What?

Jesus Christ is the ultimate blood sacrifice for Christians.
That's why Christians aren't required to do animal sacrifices.

Muslims don't believe that Jesus died on the Cross.
Furthermore they don't believe that Jesus is God.

If Muslims truly follow Abraham, they would sacrifice animals everytime they sinned as many Jews who don't believe in Jesus do to this very day.

Do you know any muslims who sacrifice animals when they sin?

tl;dr - Islam is not an Abrahamic Religion

>>3615184
>real works

Do you mean scholarly articles, like from Psychology and Sociology? Or do you mean narrative works in praise of consumerism? For the later, you need only look around. It's in everything you absorb daily: shows, websites, podcast, literature, songs. The list of works that praise consumerism is endless. And for a very good reason too. The message is abundantly clear you have to have stuff or you are not sensible. If you can't come to terms with that, then sorry, there is no help for you. Either you get on board like everyone else or you die alone and unappreciated.

>>3615213
there is a fair chance he was responding to shit like >>3615206
and the those who hold the same opinion.

No need to take it personally. Your anon for fuck sake.

>>3615215
>Do you know any muslims who sacrifice animals when they sin?

Ex-Muslim here.

Muslims do sacrifice animals on many occasions (pilgrimage to Mecca, celebrating child birth, oaths, etc.).

Islam is much closer to Judaism than Christianity.

>>3615146
>Evangelical atheists who want to convert the world to unbelief are copying religion at its dogmatic worst. They think human life would be vastly improved if only everyone believed as they do, when a little history shows that trying to get everyone to believe the same thing is a recipe for unending conflict.

>We'd all be better off if we stopped believing in belief. Not everyone needs a religion. But if you do, you shouldn't be bothered about finding arguments for joining or practising one. Just go into the church, synagogue, mosque or temple and take it from there.

>What we believe doesn't in the end matter very much. What matters is how we live.

mah nigga

>>3615222

I agree 100%.

As someone else said above, my problem is that those who join religion have a tendency to turn to full retard mode (hurr durr, Sharia, let's stone adulterers, cut thieves hands, and call "immodest" women sluts).

>>3615225
>a tendency to turn to full retard mode

But that's only a very small group of people

>>3615221
>Muslims do sacrifice animals on many occasions (pilgrimage to Mecca, celebrating child birth, oaths, etc.).

It's like you didn't even read

>Islam isn't an Abrahamic Religion as it denys* blood sacrifices as atonement for sins
>denies blood sacrifices as atonement for sins

Animal sacrifices for occasions that have nothing to do with the atonement for their sin are not animal sacrifices atoned for sins.

Islam, like every other religion has no answer to the problem of Sin.

>Islam is much closer to Judaism than Christianity.
>Ex-Muslim
How anyone could say such a thing with a straight face is beyond me.

>>3615119
I embrace a smug pessimism and practice do-nothing. I don't try to fill or avoid the void, I'm setting up camp there. Trying to claw and crawl your way out of the void will always have you tumbling back in with the impact of the drop making it worse than you were off before. The trick is to accept the void, it's the only way to get some of that autarkeia/apatheia/ataraxia/upekkha.

>>3615233
Muslims _do_ sacrifice animals to atone for sins. Google Eid_al-Adha.

>>3615222
>What we believe doesn't in the end matter very much. What matters is how we live.

I obviously doesn't really believe that it matters how we live, considering he himself admits that it doesn't what we believe. What gives more credencce to this hypothesis is that the guy writes for the BBC which is hardly evidence of a prophet or saint or believes that it truly matters "how we live".

>>3615243
You aren't understanding the problem here.
This event has nothing to do with sins muslims commit.

Are you meaning to tell me that muslims who don't partake in this -event- will die in their sins and go to hell?

>>3615221
>Ex-Muslim here.

Is it true that if your muslims friends know that you're ex-muslim, they will kill you? I heard that to exit islam is death.

>>3615216
>Or do you mean narrative works in praise of consumerism?

Get these feels bro

>tfw no college education
>tfw no bullshit day job
>tfw no marrying a girl and getting her pregnant
>tfw no house in the suburbs with a dog
>tfw no wife who gets fat and you don't want to fuck her anymore because she's disgusting, and her pussy hole cannot be found underneath the mountain of fat
>tfw no escort to fuck on a monthly basis because of fat wife
>tfw no un-grateful as fuck teenage kids who are typically suburban (ie, lame and white)
>tfw not getting job lay off because white colllar job gets outsourced to some Indian, or automation
>tfw dying a meaningless life

>>3615256
Those are some good feels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azw0JvYmj7Q

>>3615222
>They think human life would be vastly improved if only everyone believed as they do, when a little history shows that trying to get everyone to believe the same thing is a recipe for unending conflict.
>We'd all be better off if we stopped believing in belief.

That's hypocritical. Even the notion of unilaterally nullifying belief in itself is in that same 'dogmatic worst'.

Why is it people are so adamant at wanting to prescribe the 'right way of living', but are almost vacant at seeking out how to live with the pluralism of the world? It's as if most of the world is uncomfortable at reasoning on their own or letting others reason for themselves; at some deep level begging to become besotted over something, so as to alleviate the worry of what to do with ones own life.

Personally I think it's that 'British Disease' that's the real problem: that behavior to dull the worth individualism in favor of some supposed altruism of authority.

>>3615254

Almost all interp. of Islam agree that by leaving Islam I lose all my rights. If I get killed the killer does not get punished for murder but for vigilantism (they get a slap on the wrist, that is) because it is the Islamic state's responsibility to eliminate me.

Islam is very cute. :P

At any rate, I do not have any retarded friends willing to execute me for apostasy. I am safe as long as I do not leave a physical evidence of my apostasy (e.g. a FB post).

>How do you fill the void?

so that you may not become
a martyred slave of time,
you must be intoxicated.
get intoxicated
and never pause for rest.

-Charles Baudelaire

>>3615269
>Personally I think it's that 'British Disease' that's the real problem: that behavior to dull the worth individualism in favor of some supposed altruism of authority.
Don't forget the filthy puritan work ethics that comes along with it.

A defense of consumerism, as pragmatically less lethal than religion and nationalism appears in Charles Arthur Willard Liberalism and the Problem of Knowledge: A New Rhetoric for Modern Democracy. University of Chicago Press. 1996.

>>3615310
Don't think i'd read any commie propaganda suggesting religion and nationalism are bad things.

>>3615311

> defense of consumerism
> commie propaganda

wat?

>>3615293
>puritan work ethics

As I recall a good deal Purtians left England because they didn't want to conform to Anglicanism-- which is one of root causes of the 'British Disease' not Puritan work ethics

>>3615314
cultural marxism

>>3615320

You're funny.

Cultural Marxists do not hate religion, they adore Islam!

>>3615310
>A defense of consumerism, as pragmatically less lethal than religion and nationalism

It's less lethal only because its deaths are less noticeable. Anyway, it's not as if the value of something is determined by how many people it has or hasn't killed.

>>3615326
they like the ideal of the alien, as they are xenophiliacs, the reality of islam is less appealing to these liberals. Their liking of islam is fueled by their anti-white/anti-western tendencies. Notice how much these same liberals cry about "woman's rights" under islam.

>>3615337

This reminds me of the Unabomber's "Industrial Society and Its Future".

He offered the same analysis.

>>3615119
currently, with a wierd kind of inadvertent berkeleyan idealism that i kind of got from reading borges's "tlon,uqbar,orbus,tertius", basically this means i connect thoughts and mysticism with reality, for instance if someone hates me i feel like they produce this kind of aura about me into the collective consciousness that influences the way others think, i make connections with everyday happenings having to do with the sweeping energies of masculine and feminine divine energies, i feel like thoughts can influence physical objects for instance if something is lost and everybody forgets about it it may eventually fade from existence, i feel like dreams influence future actions, and a whole bunch of other stuff, i know it's utterly ridiculous and unfounded but it really makes life interesting, it's like my whole existence is a magical realist novel

prejudice, racism, xenophobia

>>3615215
>Jesus Christ is the ultimate blood sacrifice for Christians.
No, untrue.

Christians believe that Christ 'died for our sins'.

How you interpret that -- as 'blood sacrifice' or as 'cracka will always keep a nigga down' -- is up to you. Christian dogma makes no preference one way or the other.

FYI, the 'blood sacrifice' idea is very fringe in Christianity.

>>3615252
>Are you meaning to tell me that muslims who don't partake in this -event- will die in their sins and go to hell?
Are you meaning to tell me that Jews believe that people who don't sacrifice animals will go to hell after death?

>>3615310
Fundamentalism and jingoism are perfectly aligned with consumerism, and are rightly justified because consumerism is the proper and best way to live. If you can't homogenize with what the rest of the world consumes, then there is something wrong with you. And it's only fitting that in order to help you, you most be stripped of sovereignty so as to be nurtured by the proper influences.

Religion and Politics are packaged and delivered as products today because they know consumerism is the most beneficial way of living. If you can't understand that not being a part of consumerism makes you subhuman, then it's reasonable that you also can't understand why your beliefs and politics shouldn't be tolerated.

If you'd read your major publications in the way you're suppose to, you'd know this is both true and good.

>>3615361
>Christians believe that Christ 'died for our sins'.

Not quite. Christ died for the sins of those who believe.
Yes Christ died for the sins of the world but if you don't believe he did, what makes you think you're covered?

>FYI, the 'blood sacrifice' idea is very fringe in Christianity.

Blood sacrifices are no longer necessary because Jesus Christ defeated sin on the cross.

>Hebrews 10:4
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

>>3615368
Please answer the question.
I don't know why you're trying to change the subject.

Fulfilling a complete life.

>>3615119
What void?

>>3615582
BOOM zen mastered.