The Feral Underclass
17th August 2003, 22:21
I am working for a Humanitarian Organization which trains people over a six month period and then sends you to Africa. I am going to Africa in March, to Angola :D. Anyway, we get lots of different people from all over the world coming and training as a Development instructor. Many different cultures, many different religions, creeds and colors so it is always exciting to meet and talk to all these people.
Well, I met one such person. An Indian guy who is a Christian. He is married with three children and has an undergraduate and two post graduate degrees, and is doing the DI programme for research for his PhD. This man, is by no means stupid. He is a well educated, articulate and interested in everything. But he told me a story. And he told me, with great passion and excitment. He was absolutly convinced that it is what happened and in fact he believes it so much he changed his entire life to follow his religion.
He says that at the age of 19 when he was awaiting to visit a canteen at his univeristy. He was sat in his room waiting. As he sat thinking a large beam of light fell through the ceiling of his room, which was on the thrid floor of a block of student hostels. And he was pulled into the light where he saw thousands and thousands of people dressed in white cloaks. He said he heard a voice in his ear which was telling him religious scriptures, he said the light carried him back down and he could see his body and he was chattering something, when he came around he was completly wet.
Now, if someone other than this man had told me this, I would have thought 'what a crock of shit'. But this man, so educated, so intelligent and so believable made me wonder a little.
What are peoples explanations for this. What do you think could have happened? And if it was just a lie why would such intelligent people lie in order to bring credibility to their religions?
Well, I met one such person. An Indian guy who is a Christian. He is married with three children and has an undergraduate and two post graduate degrees, and is doing the DI programme for research for his PhD. This man, is by no means stupid. He is a well educated, articulate and interested in everything. But he told me a story. And he told me, with great passion and excitment. He was absolutly convinced that it is what happened and in fact he believes it so much he changed his entire life to follow his religion.
He says that at the age of 19 when he was awaiting to visit a canteen at his univeristy. He was sat in his room waiting. As he sat thinking a large beam of light fell through the ceiling of his room, which was on the thrid floor of a block of student hostels. And he was pulled into the light where he saw thousands and thousands of people dressed in white cloaks. He said he heard a voice in his ear which was telling him religious scriptures, he said the light carried him back down and he could see his body and he was chattering something, when he came around he was completly wet.
Now, if someone other than this man had told me this, I would have thought 'what a crock of shit'. But this man, so educated, so intelligent and so believable made me wonder a little.
What are peoples explanations for this. What do you think could have happened? And if it was just a lie why would such intelligent people lie in order to bring credibility to their religions?