Religion Is Absolutely Essential For Life As We Know It

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Kataclismic's picture
Religion Is Absolutely Essential For Life As We Know It

Lately, I've been seeing ads on television for this new vibration plate workout system. It seems that if you stand on something that vibrates at a certain frequency you will react with all the muscles in your body automatically, or at least that's what you are meant to believe I gather. They claim that if you stand in the middle with just a bit of vibration it's like a walk, whereas if you stand on the outer edges with the most vibration it's like a sprint, maximizing your workout. These claims come with two or three people that say they have lost weight (or improved their muscle mass) by standing on this device just a few times a week. We have no confirmation for this claimed causality that the weight loss is due to standing on a vibrating plate, of course, but it is most assuredly implied.

So it finally hit me. If children weren't taught that they need no evidence to confirm a claim or assertion by the industry of religion, they wouldn't grow up to be consumers of vibration plate workout systems and our entire economy would collapse.

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Nyarlathotep's picture
I've often wondered if

I've often wondered if religious indoctrination at a young age predisposes people into believing crap when they are older. Would be pretty hard hypothesis to test I think.

I suppose someone might think the opposite: that getting burned by religion and realizing it might make them more skeptical in the future.

Kataclismic's picture
You always make a good devil

You always make a good devil's advocate Nyarlathotep, I enjoy that about you. I will be the first to admit that I may be particularly sceptical about a vibrating platform that is supposed to increase your muscle mass or make you lose weight. I can think of some farm equipment that rattle and shake something terrible but the guys driving them around aren't even reasonably fit. That could be a biased opinion, though, and I just don't know the secret of their little device (magic frequency). I just see it as an extraordinary claim and they have no real evidence.

But again, you're right, because I could feel that way about most of the ads I see on telly these days. =)

Nyarlathotep's picture
There is really only one way

There is really only one way to lose weight (other than to sever body parts):

You have to consume less calories than you expend and excrete.

There are of course lots of ways to implement the above: more exercise and reduced calorie diets are good examples. But if your reading about a weight loss program and it doesn't address one (or more) of those 3 E's (eat, expend, excrete) it is bogus (and I'd suggest avoiding anything that deals with altering excretion, that can be quite dangerous). I suppose a device that keeps you off balance might cause you to expend a tiny amount of extra energy. But I think I agree with you that the whole frequency thing is a huge red flag, as it does not address any of the 3 E's.

Kataclismic's picture
So by that rationale, the

So by that rationale, the objective is to make it sound appealing to the desperate and uninformed, otherwise it will never sell. Why isn't there a government authority that says, "Wait a minute, no clinical research has been done to support those claims so you can't make them"? Oh wait, because nobody would be able to sell anything, would they?

So in effect, religion lays a foundation for the desperate and uninformed rather than encouraging information and security.

Nyarlathotep's picture
Kataclismic - Why isn't there

Kataclismic - Why isn't there a government authority that says, "Wait a minute, no clinical research has been done to support those claims so you can't make them"? Oh wait, because nobody would be able to sell anything, would they?

Pretty much, yeah. Dishonestly and advertising pretty much go hand in hand. For example: did you know that "organic" products can (and generally are) produced with chemical pesticides? How can that be? Because if you can't economically mass produce the product without using pesticides, you are allowed to use pesticides and maintain the "organic" label!

But that being said, it has gotten a lot better. When I was a kid you couldn't get accurate information about what many products contained; now-a-days companies are required to not only put that on human food, but also pet food! It's a good thing!

Kataclismic's picture
Yeah, don't even get me

Yeah, don't even get me started on the food industry. I was diagnosed with diabetes just a couple years after they introduced the RDA table on food labels. I have enough trouble while having the information in those, I couldn't imagine not having it. My wife has multiple digestion issues along with a sensitivity to sulphuric preservatives. For years she would get headaches that she couldn't explain and it's because they use sulphuric preservatives on things without bothering to let people know. My wife has completely stopped eating grapes (and she loves grapes) because ninety percent of them are sprayed with a sulphuric compound to keep their color, but it's only been recently that they started putting labels on them to let us know. But because everyone else on the planet will only buy grapes of a specific color, my wife can't eat them without a pounding headache. I won't even go into the chemical concoctions known as artificial sweeteners that the medical system has encouraged me to use. I grow a Stevia plant in my backyard which is perfectly natural with no carbohydrates. It doesn't taste anything like cane sugar so you have to train your pallette but I'll never drink another diet soda or use a packet sweetener again. I hate the food industry, I really do.

algebe's picture
I've seen that thing on TV

I've seen that thing on TV here. It looks like it could rattle your brains until you can't think at all. Just like religion really. Wasn't there a tribe of Xtians called the Shakers?

Kataclismic's picture
Indeed! *lol*https://en
ThePragmatic's picture
The diversity of human

The diversity of human delusions never ceases to amaze me.

chimp3's picture
If vibrating your whole body

If vibrating your whole body causes weight loss why are there so many fat Harley riders?

Kataclismic's picture
OH NO YOU DIDN'T!

OH NO YOU DIDN'T!

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algebe's picture
God moves in mysterious ways.

God moves in mysterious ways.

mbrownec's picture
@chimp3

@chimp3
Thanks ... I needed a good belly laugh today!

Pitar's picture
HDs are like instant mashed

HDs are the instant mashed potatoes of pride.

Alembé's picture
Harley riders tend to eschew

Harley riders tend to eschew helmets and thus make wonderful organ donors.

bigbill's picture
religious indoctrination is

religious indoctrination is very dangerous and should be avoided at all cost.A persons would be very wise to carefully examine what is being said, I like dialogue, The other day I was speaking to hank hanagraff from the bible answer man radio program he is an apologist and he was knocking the scripture scholar Bart Ehrman of chapel hill north Carolina, So I politely asked him to invite bart on his show. But he wouldn``t answer me, I n fact he cut the microphone off on me where I couldn`t be heard on his radio program by others who were listening to the show.This is how so called people of God act and react they can`t handle honest dialogue, They use these tactics to discourage a person.

ProgrammingGodJordan's picture
religious indoctrination is

religious indoctrination is very dangerous and should be avoided at all cost.A persons would be very wise to carefully examine what is being said, I like dialogue, The other day I was speaking to hank hanagraff from the bible answer man radio program he is an apologist and he was knocking the scripture scholar Bart Ehrman of chapel hill north Carolina, So I politely asked him to invite bart on his show. But he wouldn``t answer me, I n fact he cut the microphone off on me where I couldn`t be heard on his radio program by others who were listening to the show.This is how so called people of God act and react they can`t handle honest dialogue, They use these tactics to discourage a person.

Who then would entertain us atheists?

Kataclismic's picture
Ha! Well, apparently they've

Ha! Well, apparently they've proven it works ... in mice! So it must work for us ... right?

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