Deepak Chopra’s spirituality is even worse than religion (DAWIKSN TRIGGER ALERT!!!)

[trotsky]

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/richard-dawkins-deepak-chopras-spirituality-is-even-worse-than-religion/

“That’s 56 million religiously unaffiliated adults of all ages,” Skeptic magazine publisher Michael Shermer noted. “That’s more than Protestants or Catholics. Are we winning?”

“Well, that’s very good news,” Dawkins replied, before lamenting that “nones” sounded far too much like “nuns.”

Shermer and Dawkins noted that many people described themselves as spiritual, but not religious.

“One of the problems is that the so-called ‘nones’ often give up religion for something even worse,” Dawkins remarked. “I mean, they take up Deepak Chopra or something like that.”

For the record, I think Dawkins is wrong about that. Repulsive and tedious as Chopra's pablum is, I have yet to see anyone base their hatred of LGBTQers or different races or women on it.

[nil desperandum]

1. Chopra

DISCOVER THE POWER OF QUIET. Silence is when you connect with your core consciousness and your deepest self. That silence is the source of creativity, love, compassion, joy and peace. Who you are is not your assumed identity but consciousness that it is at all times a sea of infinite possibilities. Consciousness transcends time and, because it is not in time, cannot be destroyed. That's your true self. You cannot get in touch with your soul unless you get past the noise that your mind produces. Once you have overcome that noise, you're in touch with your source. Your source is also the source of the universe. Some people would call the source God or the infinite consciousness or the unlimited spirit. It doesn't matter which name you use. That connection can only come through in silence.

When I read these types of instruction sets or comments where people use phrasing of this nature, I have no idea what the heck they are talking about...I must be too noisy for my own good apparently.

So much of this "search for inner meaning" language seems a waste, but there appear to be a great many people searching because these "advisers" seem to have no shortage of business.

I sometimes feel quite different from others in that there is no desire to pursue any of this for me. I enjoy my life and my family and my work immensely. I spend a lot of volunteer time running a huge athletic program for about 6,000 kids and I don't feel I need to find my inner child or inner self or any of whatever that means. I have no idea why I have no desire to find any of that, but I also don't feel I'm missing anything....

I don't know that this fellow is worse than no religion, but it's clear I have zero understanding and zero desire to understand any of what he's selling.

[trotsky]

2. I certainly don't understand the appeal either.

I read that entire paragraph and it might as well have come from this:

http://www.wisdomofchopra.com/

[nil desperandum]

4. Now that is funny!!

That's an awesome link..."strings of profound sounding words strung together randomly"...indeed that's my takeaway when I struggle through those essays.

[SusanCalvin]

15. First thing I thought of when I saw this.

http://www.atrixnet.com/bs-generator.html

[Promethean]

3. The "nones"

Lotta atheists tell the same story just with different small details. Wanted to learn more about own religion. Researched religion. Learned religion was a giant pile of crap. Explored other religions. Gradually came to realize didn't need the supernatural crap.

I can easily see a lot of people never taking that final step. They don't identify with a religion because of the bad taste but are still attached to the woo. Enter the shysters like Derpak Chopra.

[nil desperandum]

5. Spot on

that's what happened to me at an early age. Eventually I rattled the local RCC variant to the point at age 16 where they called my folks and told them I was no longer welcome to come to the catechism classes for high schoolers...I went to the methodists for a bit and then figured out exactly what you said.

I joined the army in the 70s and went with "no pref" on my dog tags because I don't know that I thought about atheist much as a label...more of a no preference for any religion rather than actively stating I'm against religion or belief...it was interesting to learn some of the comments that were made to me for those two simple words no pref....made me dislike some christians even more than I already had.

Shysters is probably the right price point for Chopra et al...

[trotsky]

8. Yup, that was how things played out for me too.

Minus the part about getting stuck in the quagmire that is Deepak.

[Warren Stupidity]

14. He starts out ok.

Meditation really is good for you. Then he just turns on the woo warp drive.

[AlbertCat]

6. I have yet to see anyone base their hatred of LGBTQers or different races or women on it.

BUT...


Deepak does give them the tools to think irrationally and illogically so they may come to those kinds of decisions more easily. It's maybe more dangerous because it SEEMS benign.

[mr blur]

7. Worth watching the video where DAWSKINNS!!1 interviews Chopra about "Quantum"

just for the LOLs.

[trotsky]

9. Our buddy Deep.

In 1994:



In 2011:



"Ageless body"

[Yorktown]

16. 1 LOL

[Act_of_Reparation]

11. Positivity is the quanta of happiness.

Happiness is a state of sublime equilibrium with the myriad vicissitudes of the infinite.

Fuck, man. I could do this shit all day long. Where's my fucking million dollar book deal?

[onager]

12. DeeplyPacked REALLY hated this guy...

The (unfortuanately) late Victor Stenger. A working quantum physicist who also taught philosophy at the university level.

Stenger was one of the first to write about Chopra's quantum con job, and he had exactly the combination of skills to expose Quantum Dumbfuckery for the nonsense it was.

Like Richard Feynmann and Carl Sagan, Stenger also had the rare ability to translate the weirdness of quantum physics into everyday language.

The link below is to Stenger's classic 1997 takedown of Chopra, "Quantum Quackery." I had the great pleasure to see Stenger deliver this as a lecture at the Skeptics Society. In front of a live audience Stenger was really great. For one thing, he could get away with a lot more humor and sarcasm, where he plays it straight in the article:

http://www.csicop.org/si/show/quantum_quackery/

[edhopper]

13. I firmly believe

that the Universe is telling me not to believe in God.

[Yorktown]

17. That's because you're out of touch with your inner quantum

[awoke_in_2003]

18. Maybe...

but I was touching my outer quantum earlier today

[Yorktown]

19. And you didn't get arrested for indecent exposure?

[awoke_in_2003]

20. Well, I didn't do it in public

[Yorktown]

21. God gave you guidance