the ever growing vampire community

[Dancing David]

HGiya Blauregen!

Thank you for the clarification.



Here we have to disagree. How long a religion has been perpetrated isn't a deciding factor for me in attributing 'ridiculousness' to it. That's more a matter of how the underlying philosophy seems detached from practical applicability and internal consistency, and what the cost of your religion in terms of restrictions, implausible claims and financial investment is.

My own position as an outsider regarding religion is that i recognize that many people obviously derive comfort and security from their religious beliefs as well as from their social affiliation to a religious group, and that this gain has to be set into a relation to your investment.

Wicca as a rather laid back, liberal and inexpensive religion is therefore to me a less ridiculous choice than for example Scientology ( expensive courses and lots of underpaid work ), Mormonism (tithe and a restrictive moral philosophy) or catholizism.

Laid back, yeah i suppose from one perspective it is. You don't have to follow a creed, just put up with all the flaky woo.

Religion is what it is, a way to discourse with ones own self in an inutitional way.

I practiced long and hard to do an impressive, Spock-like raise of one eyebrow, followed by a long inquisitive look at the claimant if such claims are made in my presence. It often does the job of motivating them to put the claim into perspective. I rarely have opportunity to use it though.

I am known as a galloping sceptic and a blacklighter.

But it seems you were at least spared from people claiming they were members of the most persecuted religion.

Which is a sort of true and sort of not true claim, we do know that women were victimised on a grand scale.

I don't disapprove of magic as a mental and spiritual discipline completely though. Projecting your psychological processes into a ritualistic and mythological framework to work with them, seems, depending on your disposition not worse than trying to get a grip through free association with your therapist. And to me doing a ritual and calling upon various mystical concepts with a few people looks a lot more entertaining and social.

Total agreement, most witches are passengers and don't want to drive the bus. Too many years of attending church.

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

Well Lamia did not just steal them but drank their blood.

{snip snippyness}

Do you have evidence that these ancient "blood-suckers" (I put it in quotes since you simply reasserted it instead of evidenced it) are analagous to the sexy, seductive, intuitive vampires of the 20th Century or are you the one trying to conflate memes?

Just to be clear, and responsive to this statement, are you not limiting the time frame for literary and cinmatic evidence, or do you mean only things prior to the publication of Stoker's Dracula?

You put too many qualifications into your questions. I'll reiterate my position and try to keep the parameters close. Is there any evidence for the sexy, seductive, intuitive vampire that late 20th and 21st Century role-player Goth wannabes are trying to emulate before, say, the 20th Century after Legosi or prior to the publication of Stokers novel. Either or. If there are examples prior to the Legosi, Hammer, Langella, etc. I will change my position. If there are examples prior to the publication of Stokers "Dracula" I will abandon it.

 

[~enigma~]

 

[~enigma~]

[URL]http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/thum_1325747b718d5c455e.jpg[/URL]

Are you all cowering in fear of vampire kitty?

 

[fuelair]

{snip snippyness}



You put too many qualifications into your questions. I'll reiterate my position and try to keep the parameters close. Is there any evidence for the sexy, seductive, intuitive vampire that late 20th and 21st Century role-player Goth wannabes are trying to emulate before, say, the 20th Century after Legosi or prior to the publication of Stokers novel. Either or. If there are examples prior to the Legosi, Hammer, Langella, etc. I will change my position. If there are examples prior to the publication of Stokers "Dracula" I will abandon it.

Sorry, but your request did not (to me) indicate you referred to pre-Stoker though it seemed (why I asked) that you would be logically doing so. None I am aware of!!!

 

[Frozenwolf150]

They might want to get checked for these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porphyria#Vampires_and_werewolves

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/rabies-symptoms

Other than that, it might be part of the same "emo" behavior, where kids become fascinated with blood and cutting. This neo-pagan vampirism trend may just give them a convenient means of expressing such behavior.

 

[Lilith]

The folks that claim to be vampires - especially those that use their claim to justify harm to other living things - give the literary vampire a bad name. Some of the classics, and even some newer tales, are so entertaining and enthralling; but the enjoyment is mixed with a little guilt for liking the source of ideas for the (most likely) troubled people that identify so completely with vampires. It's as though I'm helping in a small way to perpetuate their beliefs.

However, if they'd never heard a vampire story, I imagine that these same people that think they are vampires would adhere to some other belief system that is equally disturbing. It is the nature of their neural biology with a smidgin of their brain-shaping experiences. IMHO.

In the meantime, I enjoy reading the classics, especially, and pondering the evolution of the folklore even into modern writing. Darnit.

 

[ponderingturtle]

{snip snippyness}

Do you have evidence that these ancient "blood-suckers" (I put it in quotes since you simply reasserted it instead of evidenced it) are analagous to the sexy, seductive, intuitive vampires of the 20th Century or are you the one trying to conflate memes?

And you can't come up with a convincing reason why something sucking one symbolic life force is more meaningful than a different one in equating these things.

 

[DRBUZZ0]

In regards taking the whole goth thing way too far and actually drinking blood and being all over that and not going out in the light: If that makes you a vampire. Then I contend that when I don't shave for a few days that makes me a warewolf!

 

[Brattus]

Let me just state for the record, I am NOT a vampire!

 

[Madalch]

Then I contend that when I don't shave for a few days that makes me a warewolf!

And if you try to sell Tupperware, does that make you a Tupperwarewolf?

 

[DRBUZZ0]

And if you try to sell Tupperware, does that make you a Tupperwarewolf?

Um. No. That's a wolf who sells Tupperware. They often do it in packs, which makes it hard to get away. You find yourself surrounded by wolves pushing Tupperware and as soon as you say "no thank you" to one of them, there's another which has blocked your exit and yet another behind you sneaking up with a coupon and and a free sample container.