I am often approached and asked about how to deal with the right-winged, bible thumping, religious Christian zealots who object to hypnosis and hypnotism. The following essay was written in early 2003 and addresses some of my views on the subject.
I am a very liberal, open-minded individual and the following is my argument against people that think "Hypnosis is Evil." But, before you read anything further, please understand completely that as an open minded person, my first belief is that my belief is not necessarily the only one, or the best one for everyone. I do believe we are all able to make decisions for ourselves and are allowed (as Americans) to express our opinions. But, I again repeat, what is good for me, is not what I think is good for everyone. so read on, but with a liberal, open mind...
It is impossible to accommodate everyone in everything. Bill Cosby has college ethics professors proof scripts for his shows, but still it isn't possible to get over everything people find offensive or against their personal belief systems. Current astigmatisms include inter-racial marriages or inter-racial relationships and the expression or symbolism associated with other religions (i.e., a crucifix, a star of David, a Yamulka, Muslim's covering of the body completely or Hindu turbans).
The bible was written to allow translation. You can find support and defense of anything you want to argue in the bible. The Bible endorses slavery; the bible endorses polygamy; God commits murder; people are stoned, caned and body parts are removed for trivial offenses like coveting.
I once met a man who came up to me and showed me scriptures from the 16th century. I think the world was finally round by then, but I believe the church made The Italian Astronomer, Galileo denounce that the earth evolved around the sun around that time, too. The church repeatedly sets science back hundreds of years!
There are lots of misbeliefs about hypnosis. The person who objects, (or might object) probably has not read anything on hypnosis and does not know how to explain it's origins, what it is, how it works nor its uses.
In the last 100 years, hypnosis has done imeasuarable good in the world from solving crimes, to eliminating the needs for drug therapy for depression. It is used for regression therapy, dream therapy, sex therapy, pain therapy, and more. I personally received help overcoming a life long stigmatism by regression therapy; I lost my mother when I was three. Under hypnosis I dealt with it and finally can leave it behind me and go on with my life. The list of theraputic uses for hynosis includes: weight loss & other eating disorders, nail biting, bed wetting, smoking, chewing tobacco, anger management, pain management, sexual disorders, ability to focus and ADD, obsessive compulsive disorders, lots of phobias, stage fright...
If someone has a "personal" objection to hypnotists, then they can abstain from visiting a clinical hypnotist and attending hypnosis shows. I myself have a personal objection to faith-based religions. I consider myself a secular humanist - so when prayers are said, I respectfully sit quietly and allow those around me to engage in what they choose to partake in. I can also leave the room, or not attend these functions until after the prayer is said, but I believing I can only make an educated decision on a subject after I am exposed to and experience the ideas, and educate myself on the ideas involved.
I can't go to Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu areas of the world and convince fundamentalists that what they feel is wrong. I can't go to Isreal and the surrounding areas and convince the fundamentalist there that "Gehads are murder" and there is no after life. Therefore, if fundamentalist Christians feel hypnosis shows are wrong, then they probably are very naive and they should go to the library and read even a minimal amount in a book that has been written in this or the last century on scientific grounds, not religious grounds. But I think my argument will be ignored by those very people.
Ask your religions zealots what they really want? Is it a control and a power issue that they want to project their personal morals on the entire group? Or are they open minded and realize they can not control the world with their personal religious morality and that the majority of the people attending a hypnosis show feel differently than they do.
Southern Baptists tell me, "EVERYONE who does not follow our path is going to Hell!" Give me a break!
Buddha had a great philosophy. I paraphrase him here. Buddha said "this is a good path. It is not the only path. There are many good paths. If you choose another path, and it is a good path, then good. If you choose this path and you follow it and it sheds light in your life, then this is good. Follow a good path."
If someone objects to the existence of hypnosis in their personal lives and to them hypnosis is a bad thing, and they feel hypnosis is bad for everyone, then they choose to denounce something very good in the world. You might as well denounce all religious views but your own. George Bush, Sr. might ask you to throw in broccoli while your at it. I personally object to the totolitarianism of Christianity when they say, "this is the only path." However, I openly embrass a lot of the great family values of the Christian Church. I certainly do not object to the fact the belief in Jesus has helped a lot of people find a good path in thier lives, regardless of whether I embrass all of Christianity or not.
I wish I could assure committees that they are not going to get religious fundamentalists that are going to bother them. But I can't. Remember, the Americas and the Pacific Islands were conquered in the name of Christianity - they killed and enslaved all the natives that did not conform. Let's not forget all the other misinformation out there and all the good it has done:
The Inquisition was all in the name of what some believed and what others did not go along with. Don't forget The great 15th Century Polish Astronomer Copernicus who never saw his works in print until his deathbed, Giordano Bruno was put to death, Galileo spent years in prison, Newton, Kepler, Pascal and the Salem Witch Trials.
Joan of Arc was "lead by God" and won war after war, then the Church denounced her and had her put to death because people were following her and the church was envious.
Don't forget, "Harry Potter is evil". Yet, these same people will go to a birthday party or a county fair and watch magicians.
Martin Luther and John Calvin had the story right; right? If you are unfamiliar, they saw everything in Black and White - there was a right way, and a wrong way, and wars were fought because if it. Joseph Smith, the founders of the LDS (Mormon) church had another story - but then maybe we should only accept the Catholics, for they were first and therefore must be pure...
There are those that think the Jews are the chosen ones, or perhaps Abraham's first son Ishmael was the real one to follow, born to Hagar his slave because his wife, Sarah, could not conceive (which created the Muslim Religion) - but then 13 years later Sarah does conceive Isaac (the forefather of all Jewish People).
The late greats of our lifetime; Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa and Ghandi all decided to "cause change" and they caused death and destruction in their wakes - all because of religious fundamentalists that "knew they were right" and stood in their way - So who was right?
Christians and Islamics have used the bible to translate what they felt was right, but throughout time they have been oppressed and executed because of it. Those that didn't use the bible were also executed and opressed. So, you can't win.
This quote is from a Scientific American Magazine early 2003:
"Creationism is detrimental to scientific thought not only because it is void of empirical evidence but because it betrays logic and philosophical thought in general. The tragic irony is that if creationists were successful in proving their theory, they would deprive themselves of the intended relationship to their religion: faith."
In other words; religion is based on "Faith" -- not scientific evidence. If you prove the bible is true, then you would have proof and not "faith" to go on.
Love, light, laughter and lemonade,
Alan Sands 02/03
