Marc Perkel Rantz

Well, it occurs to me that there is at least one potential problem, best illustrated by an excerpt from the great novel "Breakfast of Champions" by the phenomenal Kurt Vonnegut:

--> "And here, according to Trout, was the reason human
beings could not reject ideas because they were bad:
"Ideas on Earth were badges of friendship or enmity.
Their content did not matter. Friends agreed with friends,
in order to express friendliness. Enemies disagreed with
enemies, in order to express enmity.
"The ideas Earthlings held didn't matter for hundreds
of thousands of years, since they couldn't do much about
them anyway. Ideas might as well be badges as anything.
"They even had a saying about the futility of ideas: 'If
wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'
"And then Earthlings discovered tools. Suddenly
agreeing with friends could be a form of suicide or worse.
But agreements went on, not for the sake of common sense
or decency or self-preservation, but for friendliness.
"Earthlings went on being friendly, when they should
have been thinking instead. And even when they built
computers to do some thinking for them, they designed
them not so much for wisdom as for friendliness. So they
were doomed. Homicidal beggars could ride."

The point being, of course, that social psychopaths throughout history have convinced people that THEY know what's best, that THEY have the real deal, that THEY've got a handle on reality, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Every tinhorn dictator/sociopath in the world, from Hitler to Pol Pot, to Jim Jones, to David Koresh have set themselves up as the daddy-figure leader that everyone else should follow. It doesn't really matter to them what is "reality" and what isn't, it's that YOU accept what THEY tell you, right up to drinking the poison koolaid because THEY say "it's GOOD for you!". I say: FUCK ANYBODY THAT SETS THEMSELVES UP AS THE "LEADER". You wannabe my "leader"? SHOVE IT.

Nuff said? Good.

not to mention that christians teachings say to 'hate' all non christians. at least that's what i have seen amongst christians and other religious cults... yeah, they're all cults...

cult
n.

A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
The followers of such a religion or sect.
A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.

Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
The object of such devotion.
An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.

re·li·gion
n.

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

They seem the same to me. If it ain't christian, then it must be a cult... bunch of hypocrites...

this is a badass site. i just with all these stupid christians would realize that the idea of god is sooo dumb, and jesus was a mexican, and a lier.

Listen people, there is no god, dont be a jackass. If you were god, would you really pick a name like god, i mean please, thats the most simple word there is, i can find that in scrable all day. look, its dog backwards. Any christian son of a bitch who tries to convert me can GO TO HELL. and if you think that, your still stupid. theres no heaven, theres no hell theres no god and no devil. when we die, we all rot in our coffins, no matter what religion we are, im sorry thats just the way it is. Peace out

You've got a problem at the edges of knowledge in general, and also in quantum physics. At the edges of knowledge there is the question "What constitutes proof?" Scientists don't necessarily agree on what's real. There is a possibility for realists to disagree on that basis, perhaps resulting in a schism. On the other hand, it would be hard for a realist to take such a schism seriously.

I would love to get away from the term "religion" - but then again, this is our current reality. And it bites.

How does the Church of Reality deal with quantim physics/string theories and the idea of time-space continuums of past, present and future realities?

On a tangent (I love tangents), I found your site via dem fighting dems (go blue!)and was stunned by it. I found truth hidden by the serious joke of all jokes, channeling idea's that are the way of progressive and abhored by the religious fundamentalist as it doctrinations ultimately reduce thier ability to squeeze the necks of its congregation until thier extremities swell well around thier bibles.

My partner and I loved the site and are going to spead it like wildfire. We are will be printing out many passages and reading it to family members on New Years Eve. Have you any bumper stickers at the ready for the C of R?

- afk

You know what im tired of, when people yell at me every time I try to burn a church down, I mean "WHAT THE FUCK"? Just let me burn down one church, just one, and I really will feel better.

This will be my last post, just because im sure this guy is getting tired of my opinion. Just think about this, if I said that I was the son of god, people would laugh at me and put me in a "nut hut", and if I am the son of god and you christians kill me or put me in a mental institution, I promis, I wont forgive you. I will end the fucking planet and make every single one of you christian son of a bitches suffer for not believing me. Just remember the name "Blake Cook" and if you see me, you better worship me.
PEACE OUT

I've been a confirmed atheist for over fifty years and loved the idea of C of R until I eventually realized it was more than just a literary device used to satirize existing religions. Apparently, you genuinely believe yourself to be the enlightened founder of a paternalistic hierarchy dedicated to elevating your own opinions to the status of sacred doctrine. Although I agree wholeheartedly with the inherent wisdom of your views, I must warn you against personally becoming "the First One." Down that pathway lies genuine insanity. However pure your intentions, no good can come from using deceit to further your cause. Think of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Jim Jones, David Koresch, etc. Do you really wish to become the figure-head of a religious cult? Regardless of the philosophical merit of the dogma you preach, you place your own mental health in jeopardy if you imagine yourself to be somehow uniquely gifted (The First One). If you must continue down the path you've already chosen, I strongly recommend you begin some form of interpersonal psychoanalysis. Even though your business is helping others to find the truth inherent in objective reality, you may find psychological counseling useful to help keep your own subjective reality healthy. History has repeatedly taught this lesson -- few have listened.

Unlike Bill Bromley, I had automatically assumed that adopting the title "First One" was merely a satirical poke at the terminology of faith-based cults and religions. I doubt if Marc is at risk of any Messianic complex at this point.
BTW I see there is a web site devoted to something called the "REALITY CHURCH" which is, of course a Christian organization, whose intent is to dilute the "brand name". I would hope that anyone smart enough to be a potential Realist would be smart enough to notice the difference right away.

Marcus