I am speaking in approximate terms, just as OrphanWilde was. That does not mean never ever having a single negative emotion, just as I presume that he was not speaking of never having any emotions of any kind.
There is plenty of devotional literature which promotes refusing negative emotions and keeping the positive ones. And while I’m sure that it does not work for some people (as in OrphanWilde’s experience), it does work for others. One reason I know it works for some people is that it did work for me for many years, when I was still religious.
There is plenty of devotional literature which promotes refusing negative emotions and keeping the positive ones.
There’s also plenty of devotional literature about how to heal people by praying for them.
The terms are also not quite clear standard Christianity has Confession’s and I don’t think it’s considered proper that a person who confesses represses their emotions while doing so.
That does not mean never ever having a single negative emotion, just as I presume that he was not speaking of never having any emotions of any kind.
I was, indeed, speaking of not having any emotions of any kind. Or rather, not qualitatively experiencing them; I’d get angry, for example, but I’d notice I was angry because my hands would start clenching of their own accord, not because I’d experience anything resembling an “anger” qualia, or have my thoughts actually influenced by my emotions. To such an extent that, because I didn’t experience either lust or love or any of the variations on those two themes as an internal emotive force, I assumed for many years I was asexual.
Ok. Personally I wouldn’t consider that to be preventing emotions, but ignoring them. I think it is an undesirable thing precisely because you don’t notice the emotions, but have them anyway, and they have consequences. Since you aren’t paying attention, you can’t do anything about those consequences.
I was talking about actually not having the emotions at all, as physical realities, which of course is not something that can be done 100% of the time.
What makes you think that certain religious people don’t have negative emotions?
I am speaking in approximate terms, just as OrphanWilde was. That does not mean never ever having a single negative emotion, just as I presume that he was not speaking of never having any emotions of any kind.
There is plenty of devotional literature which promotes refusing negative emotions and keeping the positive ones. And while I’m sure that it does not work for some people (as in OrphanWilde’s experience), it does work for others. One reason I know it works for some people is that it did work for me for many years, when I was still religious.
There’s also plenty of devotional literature about how to heal people by praying for them.
The terms are also not quite clear standard Christianity has Confession’s and I don’t think it’s considered proper that a person who confesses represses their emotions while doing so.
I was, indeed, speaking of not having any emotions of any kind. Or rather, not qualitatively experiencing them; I’d get angry, for example, but I’d notice I was angry because my hands would start clenching of their own accord, not because I’d experience anything resembling an “anger” qualia, or have my thoughts actually influenced by my emotions. To such an extent that, because I didn’t experience either lust or love or any of the variations on those two themes as an internal emotive force, I assumed for many years I was asexual.
Ok. Personally I wouldn’t consider that to be preventing emotions, but ignoring them. I think it is an undesirable thing precisely because you don’t notice the emotions, but have them anyway, and they have consequences. Since you aren’t paying attention, you can’t do anything about those consequences.
I was talking about actually not having the emotions at all, as physical realities, which of course is not something that can be done 100% of the time.