What religion does Steven Hassan practices?

by cyberjesus 57 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • cyberjesus
    cyberjesus

    Do you know? I think I saw a video stating he is now jewish? I am not certain, does anybody know?

  • designs
    designs

    He says he belongs to Temple Beth Zion.

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut

    According to Wikipedia:

    Hassan, who is Jewish and belongs to a Temple that teaches Kabbalah warns us that the actions of the Kabbalah Centre have little in common with traditional or even responsible Jewish renewal Kabbalah teachers.

  • Think About It
    Think About It

    Kabbalah is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Rabbinic Judaism.

    Sounds like a cult.

    Think About It

  • designs
    designs

    Steve's got it all under control

    Think for yourself, act accordingly

  • cyberjesus
    cyberjesus

    I think he believes in God..... So the leading expert on Mind Control Cults has a religious belief?

    I would be interesting to ask him why does he believe in God.

    Is he experiencing cognitive dissonance? Self deception? justification? Has he questioned his beliefs?

    I WANNA KNOW!

    Lets do an intervention

  • Markfromcali
    Markfromcali

    Would yoube able to distinguish what's true and what's not from his work without the automatic change in perception given this personal detail? You don't have the belief that if you read his stuff you'll automatically be under some kind of influence do you? If something is reasonable don't you believe it's self evident if you can just look at it for what it is?

    Is fear also at work here? Otherwise why not actually consider the material and put it on the table, rather than going with this kind of ad hominem logic? I'll go with the actual content, rather than perception of the person whether it's positive or negative.

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut

    CJesus, I get your drift. Steve Hassan's first book was my mind-opener. While he's not totally a "HERO" to me, you might say that he is a bit of a mentor from his two books to me. That said, I have to accept that people don't all fully look at the evidence the same ways to reach the same conclusions.

    I don't have a problem with people that believe in a God and may even desire to give some form of worship to him. The ones I wouldn't be able to accept anything from would be the "experts" that still believe in the literal 6000 years+ old Garden of Eden and the global flood some 5000 years ago or people that swear the Holy Ghost has actually appeared/talked to them and given instructions, but offers no proof of this.

    But I can imagine Steve H. is grateful to his family for rescuing him and enjoys the community of his religion and that he studies modern psychology and not so much ancient beliefs or detailed science. Plus, students of detailed science can still believe God did it, regardless of the fact that they study how it came about without the need for God.

    My counselor seems to have religious beliefs and I wouldn't be the least bit interested in hearing what they are, but that doesn't take away from her ability to counsel.

    But on your hint above, I tend to agree that there may be some cognitive dissonance at play even with an expert. Belief is comforting despite the total lack of evidence. But these same people might find that some minds need belief as an anchor before they can even begin to drift away from dangerous long-held cult beliefs. I mean, look at the JW's that don't free themselves. They would be much harder to reach with an atheist message at the start. It's only those who have mentally worked themselves to the point where they are ready to properly examine evidence that consider the fact that there is no evidence of God.

  • cyberjesus
    cyberjesus
    kind of ad hominem logic

    evidence please

  • cyberjesus
    cyberjesus

    otwo : I would really like to talk to him :-) I have sooo many questions for him. It makes me wonder... in which ways I am deluding myself without knowing?

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