10 Bizarre Theories And The Facts Surrounding Them
Published on July 24, 2008 - 404 Comments
Previously we posted a list on conspiracy theories, but the items on this list are not really suited to that genre. This is a list of bizarre theories or beliefs that many people subscribe to - with a list of the facts as far as modern science is concerned. This is not meant as a criticism of believers, but as a discussion of the theories and facts.
The Theory: The theory is by using certain objects such as a candle, a dagger and a wide variety of things you can bend the universe to your will completely ignoring the laws of physics and the practical laws of the universe.
The facts: Many people claim that they can use such powers as summoning demons, angels or other things and the OOBE or out of body experience under laboratory conditions but no one has been able to prove it so far. There are incidents that do defy logical explanations, such as some people’s claims of using the Ouija board, though since none of these events can be proven it is very weak evidence.
The Theory: This has to be one of the most outlandish theories ever brought forth, it is claimed most famously by David Icke but as well by several others. It states that the royal family of Britain, President Bush’s family as well as many other higher ups are actually aliens that are here to secretly take over earth, feeding off of humans to maintain their “human form”.
The facts: Most of the theorists proof consists of enhanced photos of people such as Mr. Bush with reptile looking eyes, though they have come forth with many other forms of proof such as videos and other reptile aspects of the reptoids here on earth. The videos all brought forth have been proven fake or are so obviously fake no one has wasted time and resources to look into it.
The Theory: The theory here is that the early Middle Ages never existed and we have been counting the earth almost 200 years older than it actually is.
The facts: Well, there is no solid way to prove or disprove it, since the very theory says the carbon dating of this age is flawed. They also claim the written test from that era is a forgery from people of that era. Though they have not put forth a reason why and there is no solid evidence from them to prove this theory since the basis of their theory stops us from being able to scientifically prove they are wrong. It is a matter of who believes what, though the evidence does seem to be stronger for the side against the Middle Ages not existing. Since all this theory says is that the carbon dating is incorrect and the writings are forgeries though we have an almost perfect time line with the carbon dating we use, we can almost cast this one aside without proof.
The Theory: The theory is the Nazis were much farther ahead than technology would allow them to be at the time. It ranges wildly but one of the most popular versions is that the Nazis landed on the moon as early as 1942 and established a moon base on the dark side of the moon. They also had establishments with at least half a dozen alien civilizations, and that the remaining Nazis remain on the moon to this day.
The facts: There are so many holes in this Theory, for example most skeptics believe that we haven’t had any contact at all with aliens as of yet, as well the dark side of the moon is freezing, they would need amazing machinery to accomplish living there. They would need a way to renew all their resources; this could be explained by growing plants for food and air. But they would also need an energy source of some kind, which there would have to be one not yet discovered by us back here on earth.
The Theory: The theory is the earth is actually hollow and is not filled with magma. It ranges from there being several layered shells on the inside (usually four) to the inside having ground like ours, with 800 miles of crust between us and them, most people usually say there is also an inner sun.
The facts: Though this is not quite as insane or as impossible as the others it is still highly unlikely. We don’t know for sure what’s under our earth’s crust but this theory completely forgets to mention where the magma that erupts from volcanoes comes from if the earth is hollow. As well, the inner sun would pose numerous problems such as the inner inhabitants most likely being sucked into its gravity or caught in solar flares from it. This theory is often supported by the fact that it is impossible to search the bottom of the Arctic currently for it. There is also a castle in Europe with defenses set to defend against an attack from the inside out. Since the hole to the inner earth is under a chapel in the castle, that would involve taking down the castle to check this theory, the owner’s won’t allow this, many often use this as proof. Note sometimes this and number 7 have been mixed together, saying the remaining Nazis fled to the inner earth.
The theory: The theory here is that Mars is already being terraformed behind our backs by groups such as NASA and the ESA, it is a fairly new claim and is supported only by speculation and a few pictures.
The facts: First off the price, it seems almost no theorist takes price into account when they come up with these ideas, NASA is already having trouble as it is keeping themselves funded. The price of bringing something to Mars that could terraform it would cost billions, possibly even trillions. The computer technology required to make sure it did every little thing right would cost even more. Not to mention the time, it takes a Lander to get to Mars from earth so something that big would take years to get there and might not even work when it did. Our best bet for terraforming Mars at the moment is to take prehistoric microbes that feed off carbon dioxide and others gases and let them form Mars in the same way scientists think they formed earth. Of course this in itself would take millions of years, at the present there seems no way to terraform Mars and no reason to.
The Theory: The theory is that using your mind to think positive and encourage yourself and others to feel better really helps and can replace medicine.
The facts: Sadly this is believed by many people, and though it certainly can’t hurt for the common cold, since rest and relaxation are the best things for it after all. For more serious diseases people who really believe in this may not go to a doctor, and as such they can damage their body, or even kill themselves. This is no more effective than prayer which when it does seem to work can be explained away as coincidence. Many people actually do believe in it and luckily for some of them the placebo effect makes a major appearance, since they think their getting better, their bodies get stronger and they do sometimes pull through.
The Theory: We each have seven chakras going down from the top of our head to our feet, they can be used for a variety of things and awakening one can usually help you with a specific thing, such as enhanced hearing, sudden realization and the list goes on.
The facts: There is no way to prove these things exist. But people believe in them, some more so than a soul. They are usually connected with paranormal cases and as such usually don’t have any specific stories all their own. Though there have been some reports of people having slightly greater abilities or knowing what will happen before it does. This is usually explained by a ’sixth sense’, often described as the brain’s way to activate the subconscious mind which helps us gather information and process it in such a way that we don’t know how we acquired it but we have the information. This can explain why people think they’ve been to places they never have, and many other feelings of that nature; this can also explain away almost all if not all of the chakra cases.
The Theory: The theory here is that life does not exist, we are all in fact test programs in a giant virtual reality or the players of that reality itself.
The facts: Once again there is no specific way to disprove this theory. Though it would mean in reality we would probably look much different or not exist at all. There is not much of a base for this to stand on, since it is another ‘can’t prove can’t disprove’ paradox, it is back to our own judgment. Strange as it may seem this theory could explain a lot of the problems with the world and things such as carbon dating. If we all were/are just test subjects in a large-scale virtual reality test, then all of the anomalies we find, and many of the world mysteries could be explained as bugs and glitches in the program. There is no solid proof that it does exist though, and it is most likely just generated by people’s fears of the age of technology we’re stepping into, and what it may do to us.
The Theory: Though the theory varies greatly from religion to religion, most of them believe that there is a being or beings greater then anything else in the universe that created the earth. It is still generally accepted in western civilization that there is a god.
The facts: We find ourselves at another paradox, there is no way to prove or disprove any religion. Many believers in their religion will often say god is testing us as he has faked much of the things we see in history. Such as dinosaur bones being millions of years old. However skeptics usually point out other facts, such as the second you accept one religion you are literally rejecting thousands of others. Skeptics will also point to the overwhelming evidence that all so-called effects of prayer can be explained through mere coincidence. They will also point to errors in the Bible writings, and problems with the whole idea of heaven in general. Despite this evidence many people continue to worship their gods. Skeptics generally believe that religion was established for one of two reasons. Reason one because people were scared and looked for a way to say this life isn’t all you get. The second reason is that people were confused and tried to come up with an answer as to why and how all this stuff got here, so they came up with the ideas of gods. None the less following certain things from certain religions isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The one common thing you will find in all religions usually written in different words but with the same meaning: do unto others what you would want others to do to you. A fine motto to live by.
Contributor: Beranabus, Editor: Cyn
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1. rob - July 25th, 2008 at 3:18 am
i smell trouble with #1…
2. Maheahlaurus - July 25th, 2008 at 3:23 am
rob: I think you’re right. That one is going to cause a stir.
I’ve read David Icke’s stuff on reptilian alien races. Potent stuff for any conspiracy theorist.
3. diamond - July 25th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Fix the grammatical mistakes please
Interesting list though
4. Tempyra - July 25th, 2008 at 3:25 am
I nominate entry 8 as the longest sentence I’ve read this week…
5. Vanamonde - July 25th, 2008 at 3:28 am
About #7: the dark side of the moon is not “freezing”. Not always, anyway.
The dark side of the moon is not always dark: when here there is a new moon, the dark side is bright (though we don’t see it) and the temperature on the surface goes over the boiling point of water.
6. Vanamonde - July 25th, 2008 at 3:31 am
Anyway, I agree than #1 has no sense. I’m not religious and I’m against religion, but religion is commonplace. There is nothing “bizarre” (i.e. grossly unconventional or unusual, following the dictionary) in it, and it feels forced to put it on a list along with the hollow Earth. The same thing could be said for other items on the list.
7. Toolhead - July 25th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Do onto others what has been done to you!
8. Johnny T - July 25th, 2008 at 3:46 am
Concerning numbers four and one. Positive thoughts have actually been linked somewhat to healing and being healthy. Not all on their own when it comes to serious illnesses of course. Medicine is the number one factor but people with positive outlooks have a better chance at recovering. Angry and depressed people are aslo usually physically weaker than the happy. Number four is not so far-fetched it’s one of the many mysteries within the mind-body connection.
As for number one, I don’t beleive in any particular religion or their version of god. However I do not call it stupid either. Consider this, if matter cannot be created nor destroyed then how did it get here in the first place? How did that infinately dense matter before the big bang get there if it cannot be created?
9. dirtyrockerbarbie - July 25th, 2008 at 8:27 am
ah, the hollow earth theory. that was a short on one of my favorite mst 3ks… “the mole people”. classic.
shouldn’t #1 say “God” instead of “religion”? religion exisits, its more the question of if God exists that people ponder.
i’ve never heard of holographic reality. don’t take the red pill.
10. Joshua - July 25th, 2008 at 8:28 am
It is Mars, not Mar’s. It’s not something that belongs to Mar.
11. Jeffreygvl - July 25th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I’ll keep it short and true:
All of them are bullsh*t
So why discuss it? haha
12. Nico - July 25th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I was Just Wondering Concerning #6, which Castle are you reffering to?
13. Jeffreygvl - July 25th, 2008 at 8:31 am
nice list bytheway,
14. Teddy - July 25th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Nice list; love the holographic-reality theory! And what about the Flat Earth Society; that’s a society that believes that the earth is flat and all the top scientists are covering it up, and
15. Teddy - July 25th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Nice list; love the holographic-reality theory! And what about the Flat Earth Society; that’s a society that believes that the earth is flat and all the top scientists are covering it up, and posting fake pictures of a round earth. They have their own website with proof and stuff; its actually really interesting!
16. Sidereus - July 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I grow tired of opinion lists. You can’t get excited and want to tell all your friends about somebody’s opinion. Save those for the forum and bring back factual lists!
Also, please check the grammar and spelling. Errors detract from the quality of this site.
17. ohrmets - July 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Thanks for taking it down for a couple hours to fix *most* of the spelling and grammatical errors.
It’s still a pretty bum list though.
18. kowzilla - July 25th, 2008 at 8:43 am
I liked #2 better when it was called The Matrix…
Personally though, I was hoping to see the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.....hypothesis
19. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 8:45 am
It’s true, you can pseudo-science your way into getting people to believe anything!
Nice list, but yeah- number one should be “gods” rather than religion. You could say I guess that, as our “sentience” is just material stuff (ie. No “soul”- just meat and chemicals and whatever else a brain is) then it’s quite possible that the universe is material that forms some kind of “sentience”.
Hell, you’d get some believers and it’s impossible to prove either way! It’s certainly more plausible than the guy in the sky sending our “souls” to some immaterial heaven and hell (are they officially immaterial or do people still think hell’s underground like in the Divine Comedy, or what?).
20. Maleficence - July 25th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I take issue with no 1 solely for calling it bizarre. I don’t think it counts as bizarre when approximately half of the worlds population subscribe to the “theory”. Also anthropolgists and scientists in related fields have attributed religion to a simple need to beleive in something greater, so if you look at it from that perspective it’s far from bizarre.
I do agree that there is little to no way to prove or disprove religion.
21. billyshears - July 25th, 2008 at 8:46 am
lol joshua
this is off topic but what bothers me about religion is that people think it’s completely normal to believe in god but it makes you CRAZY to believe in aliens.
I mean, just because the idea of religion is older doesn’t mean it’s better, and even though 99.99999% of the claims aren’t true, there have been images, videos, and claims and stuff about people seeing aliens and ufos, so why is it so crazy to believe in that kind of stuff?
22. dangorironhide - July 25th, 2008 at 8:48 am
For #10: usage of the Ouija board and other moving things has been disproved by people making small unconscious movements in the direction they expect things to go.
#5: The terraforming of Mars would start by landing machines on the surface which could travel around converting the natural minerals into carbon dioxide to pump into the atmosphere. This would thicken the atmosphere and create an effect similar to global warming here on earth, warming the place up. They would then start landing mosses and lichens on, to bring more oxygen to the place, eventually moving on to larger plants, then animals etc.
Apart from that, interesting list, but the addition of religion doesn’t seem to add anything to the list, it just looks to me like a shit-stirrer.
23. kowzilla - July 25th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I liked #2 better when it was called The Matrix…
Personally though, I was hoping to see the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis included on this list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.....hypothesis
24. frank - July 25th, 2008 at 8:50 am
stupid list… this site has lost my respect.
25. Crumpet - July 25th, 2008 at 8:51 am
I want to know where this hollow earth castle is and see what it looks like.
26. Tara - July 25th, 2008 at 8:52 am
The inability to prove something is not proof that it does not exist, and vise versa.
27. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Ahh yet another list that had the potential to be interesting, but instead decided to be another self-important slander against religion. It’s always amusing to watch those who are anti-religion go out of their way to slam religion in any way possible.
Frankly, I think it detracts from the list as a whole. That’s rather sad, honestly, because many of the other theories would have been fun to discuss.
I’m not religious, but I wouldn’t call religion a “bizarre theory” and the “facts” are matters of opinion. The author of the list holds him/herself superior to those who follow religion. That’s arrogance at its finest. Quite typical with these sorts of lists.
Be irreligious, don’t be pompous about it. It’s annoying and, honestly, rather childish.
28. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 8:52 am
“stupid list… this site has lost my respect.”
Not really my business… but why?
I mean, it’s one list out of a gazillion on this site. And it’s interesting.
29. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Also- I like how science and facts are blamed for somehow disrespecting religioun and the religious. Is it science’s fault that religion doesn’t tally up?
If you’re gonna get pissy at someone, get pissy at the people who tried to pass off
http://listverse.com/bizarre/t.....cal-tales/
as truth- at the original fraudsters, not at the uncoverers of such fraud. Don’t shoot the messenger is what I mean to say!
30. Callie - July 25th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Kowzilla:
“I liked #2 better when it was called The Matrix…”
lol love it. Methinks this list will have many more comment by the time I get back from lunch. Oh dear, places we’ll go…
31. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Not to mention jfrater is not the one who wrote the list.
He published it, but I’m sure the intent was to stir up discussion.
32. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:04 am
To Hobolad - From the author of the list him/herself “We find ourselves at another paradox, there is no way to prove or disprove any religion”.
This is a list of theories. Religion isn’t considered a “theory”. The author of the list put religion on there specifically to be controversial and/or to take the pose of many, supposed, intellects who believe that anyone who practices a religion is somehow less intelligent than they. Again, it’s the height of pomposity.
Whether or not I agree with religion and belief is irrelevent. I don’t toute myself as an intellectual better because of that stance.
33. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:08 am
One last thing, when someone states they will be listing supporting facts I expect to actually see facts. Things like, supporting documentation would be nice. When the ‘paranormal’ and psychics were on the chopping block, at least there were clips showing how such things were debunked.
34. Beranabus - July 25th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Actually this was not meant to be a “shit-stirrer”. Nor was it meant to be a slam against any religion, I had originally had something else for the first place and religion as a bonus, J obviously figured it would be better this way. People are free to think what they want, and it’s in no ones place to judge them for what they do.
The intent by putting it as a bonus was because overall, religion/god’s are just theories. I’m not saying that in a bad way, I’m saying it because it is the most widely accepted and believed theory, and I thought it would be an interesting addition. Apologies to anyone who might have been offended by that, but understand this was not a bash against religion.
35. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 9:15 am
You can’t disprove the others on this list, either. You can point out how religious claims, or magical claims, or Holographic-reality claims compare to the facts.
To not include religion would be a major cop-out, criticism of a *theory* (what makes religion more than that?) isn’t saying that a person is intellectually better, it’s challenging a theory and waiting for a response. “You think you’re better than me because of your science and *questions*” isn’t an intellectual response.
People can believe whatever the hell they like, but I don’t see why they should expect their beliefs to never be questioned, though if they reply to questioning is up to them.
36. Csimmons - July 25th, 2008 at 9:16 am
well this was a great list, Great job beranabus!
37. JLo - July 25th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I agree with those who say there is nothing “bizarre” about religion, or the need for it in society. I would say bizarre would be something that a minority This is probably the most obvious attempt to stir the pot that I’ve seen.
Also, the “facts” section should be deleted from all the entries. A theory is no longer a theory when it’s a fact, and conversely, if it is proven incorrect (inasmuch as possible) with facts, a theory cannot remain a theory any longer, can it? Also, if you can’t disprove the theory, why list a section called “Facts” or attempt to dispute them.
This list is probably a low point for Listverse. I think the theories are interesting, but the surrounding text is poor.
38. dirtyrockerbarbie - July 25th, 2008 at 9:21 am
you mean they are just theories to *you*. to others it is a very real thing.
39. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I can’t understand the criticism this list is getting! There’s no claim that the theories are definitely false, it’s an explanation of what the theory is and then comparing that theory to accepted fact. What’s so bad about that?
40. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:26 am
“This is a list of bizarre theories or beliefs that many people subscribe to - with a list of the facts as far as modern science is concerned.”
I merely state that religion is used to stir controversy because it is listed under this heading of bizarre. I don’t disagree that the others may be construed as bizarre. There are fewer adherents. But when we’re referring to, at least, half the world’s populace I don’t think “bizarre” truly applies.
Also the author states that a list of facts to disprove the theory would be provided. None of the theories listed have any scientific ‘facts’ noted, at all. There is no supporting evidence or documentation, just other theories from the scientific community or vague references that it can’t be proven.
41. DB - July 25th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Regarding #2, holographic reality:
There is a theory out there that, logically, this is almost a 100% certainty. I don’t personally subscribe to it (too mind boggling), but it something along the lines of ‘the universe has existed for so long that some civilization must have come up with the computing power to create virtual universes, and have then likely created millions or billions or infinite fake universes. Therefore, the odds that we are in the sole ‘real’ universe among billions of fakes are staggeringly low.
42. SaturnIon - July 25th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Great Great list Beranabus!
Very interesting
43. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:29 am
From author: “People can believe whatever the hell they like, but I don’t see why they should expect their beliefs to never be questioned, though if they reply to questioning is up to them.”
I haven’t any issue with my beliefs being questioned, just as any good scientist wouldn’t have issue with their theories being questioned. That’s why they’re still theories and not ‘laws’. I take umbrage when someone claims to have facts to disprove said theories, but provides opinion and/or vague references. Solid research/evidence would be nice - if you’re claiming to have it (which you do in your introduction)
44. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Fair enough, but it is an interesting piece on a website rather than some kind of scientific journal. The Astonishing Miracles list didn’t go into heavy detail, either- but it’s easy enough to google should complete clarification be required.
About the bizarre thing, bizarre may be in the eye of the beholder, sure. Can’t really argue with that.
45. Sharki - July 25th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I really liked this list. I’m curious about #8. How the hell did this theory get started and how do the explain the missing time?
46. Lark - July 25th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Seems to me like someone needs to take a logic class. As mentioned before, “cannot prove or disprove” does not mean that something does or does not exist. There IS such thing as inductive reasoning, ya know.
Critical Thinking 101.
47. Colinius Romul - July 25th, 2008 at 9:38 am
proofread! what is Mar’s?
48. dirtyrockerbarbie - July 25th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Colinius Romul: haha, i had that same thought
49. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I’m not the author though (post 42)
I do like it though, it was interesting- I enjoyed it. It made attempts to placate the followers of these theories and make it obvious that no monopoly of the truth is claimed that I certainly wouldn’t have. I can’t understand the criticisms.
I do find it delicious that people say those who challenge religions are claiming to be intellectually superior, when it’s the religions that make unsupported claims of being the One True belief etc.
50. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Not all religions make that claim. In fact, not even ‘most’ do.
51. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 9:44 am
“Not all religions make that claim. In fact, not even ‘most’ do.”
I can only really think of Buddhism that doesn’t. Christianity certainly does, as does Islam. From what I remember of church, it’s very little “this is what we think and this is why and this is the opposing viewpoint, it’s up to you to decide” and a whole lot of “this is correct, it’s BIBLE!”
52. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Shinto, Taoism, Sikhism, Wicca, Confusionism, Santeria, Hinduism, etc. do not claim to be “The One”. I am well aware of the patriarchal monotheist’s proclamations of the “one true faith”, but I wouldn’t paint all religions with their brush.
53. kittym - July 25th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I have to say this list had the potential for being very interesting, but in all honesty I had a difficult time following the text, and stopped reading altogether by item number three. This, of course, is coming from someone who spends all day proof-reading articles, so I’m trained to nit-pick. It was rather distracting, though, and took away from the overall impact of the list.
Other than that I thought the concept was a good one, and will be spending my afternoon looking some of these theories up!
54. krysten - July 25th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Johnny T: energy cannot be created or destroyed, not matter.
matter sure as hell can be created and destroyed.
energy just transfers from one thing to another.
55. Kreachure - July 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Wow, great (and INSANE) list! All of the items are worth discussion as long as several list discussion put together!!!
After being led to a dead link when trying to click its link on the latest lists thingie, I thought this one was a goner! Thank the gods it’s here now for everyone to enjoy and rant about
56. copperdragon - July 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Another nice “bizarre theory” is the “twin Earth” or “Nemesis” theory.
It claims that there is another planet, called Nemesis, that is identical to Earth in size, shape, environment and orbital plane, that orbits the Sun directly opposite our Earth. We can never see it because the Sun is in the way.
It is claimed that a variety of objects/beings come from this planet, including aliens (or the Nemesians are advanced), angels, gods (of many cultures - ancient and current), demons, dinosaurs, Atlantis myths, etc.
Proof against it comes from NASA and things like shuttle astronauts haven’t seen it, Hubble hasn’t seen it, etc.
57. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 9:56 am
krysten: Actually, according to the Law of Conservation of Mass/Matter it can’t.
Do a bit of research, I don’t just want to copy/paste from 900 scientific websites.
58. Kreachure - July 25th, 2008 at 10:00 am
*All of the items are worthy of discussion as long as several list discussions put together!!!
Oh, to still dream of a wonderful edit button…
59. Carlyn - July 25th, 2008 at 10:00 am
It makes me sad that a list this interesting is made so unreadable by extensive grammatical errors.
Otherwise, though, fun entry!
60. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 10:01 am
“Shinto, Taoism, Sikhism, Wicca, Confusionism, Santeria, Hinduism, etc. do not claim to be “The One”. I am well aware of the patriarchal monotheist’s proclamations of the “one true faith”, but I wouldn’t paint all religions with their brush.”
Sure, thery’re hardly the norm though. Taosim isn’t the immediate association with the word “religion”. The ones that do claim a monopoly of the truth tend to be the ones criticised in any case precisely because of their claims of the Truth (which a capital T).
61. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 10:01 am
It would have been nice to see the inclusion of things like the String Theory or parallel universes. People really believe in those and I would definately call those bizarre.
62. notas - July 25th, 2008 at 10:03 am
this list is certainly not among the better ones on listverse.
Some of the arguments against some of the theories plainly states “there is no proof”. That’s a great reason to not believe in the theory but had made this quite a dull read. (although some examples are interesting)
the author doesnt seem to have done much research into this
63. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 10:04 am
“Sure, thery’re hardly the norm though. Taosim isn’t the immediate association with the word “religion”. The ones that do claim a monopoly of the truth tend to be the ones criticised in any case precisely because of their claims of the Truth (which a capital T).”
They’re not completely outside the norm either. Some of the aforementioned religions have hundreds of thousands or millions of adherents. I would state that those who claim Truth tend to have the loudest voices, though.
64. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 10:06 am
“They’re not completely outside the norm either. Some of the aforementioned religions have hundreds of thousands or millions of adherents. I would state that those who claim Truth tend to have the loudest voices, though. :)”
True, true! I guess it’s a fault of mine that religion immediately implies Christianity for me. So much for the UK’s supposed destruction of culture, I’d guess for most in the UK “religion” means “Christianity” still.
65. Kreachure - July 25th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Oh right, #9 shouldn’t be REPOTOIDS but REPTOIDS (obviously
)
66. jc123 - July 25th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Really interesting theories but I would have liked to see shorter more concise explanations. Other than that very interesting Beranabus!
67. julesw81 - July 25th, 2008 at 10:10 am
J Frater,
Religion does a lot of good for people. It encourages compassion, charity, unity, goodwill towards others and much more. This world is much better off with religion than without it. The fact that it is included in this list makes me sick. Even if you don’t believe it yourself, a smart person such as yourself should be able to see all the good it does for humanity. I’m very disappointed in you. I really respect you, but the more I read the lists on this site, the more I think that you use it as a soap box for your own personal opinions.
Get back to the facts.
P.S. #4…. they’re, not their
68. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 10:14 am
jules - jfrater didn’t write this list..
Hobolad - “True, true! I guess it’s a fault of mine that religion immediately implies Christianity for me. So much for the UK’s supposed destruction of culture, I’d guess for most in the UK “religion” means “Christianity” still.”
That’s the case here in the USA, honestly. I’m just an oddball who thinks of all the other religions too. I study world religions as a hobby ;>
69. Hobolad - July 25th, 2008 at 10:16 am
@julesw81: These lists are done by a load of different people, this one in particular isn’t by jfrater. Whether religion is a positive force is debatable (I agree that it is, or at least was a force for good- even a necessary one) but, like I said it’s *debatable*- as in it should be discussed and talked about (they’re both the same thing, not sure why I added “talked about”).
70. jhm - July 25th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Haha David Icke is crazy. I have thoght about Holographic-reality myself, its cool, but is probably wrong.
71. TerranRich - July 25th, 2008 at 10:19 am
LOL, did somebody get #7 from the episode of Star Trek: Enterprise where Captain Archer is sent back in time where aliens have helped the Nazis take over the U.S.?
72. Yun - July 25th, 2008 at 10:21 am
“I can’t understand the criticism this list is getting! There’s no claim that the theories are definitely false, it’s an explanation of what the theory is and then comparing that theory to accepted fact. What’s so bad about that?”
Look at the title of this list! If calling a theory “bizarre” is not implicitly saying, “How can any reasonable person believe this crap?” then what exactly IS it supposed to mean?
JFrater: If you wonder why people think this site has an Atheistic bias, here’s exhibit A.
———-
In a less confrontational point: The problem with #2 is a common one in transcendental belief systems, namely if existence itself is an illusion, how is something that doesn’t exist supposed to experience an illusion if it’s not there in the first place?
73. Tenebrae - July 25th, 2008 at 10:26 am
“Look at the title of this list! If calling a theory “bizarre” is not implicitly saying, “How can any reasonable person believe this crap?” then what exactly IS it supposed to mean?”
Thank you, you’ve said in a couple of sentences what I’d been trying to get across.
Bizarre - conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
74. YogiBarrister - July 25th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Interesting list, but #9 does not belong here, as it is a stone cold fact of life.
75. R.C.C.M - July 25th, 2008 at 10:30 am
“Do unto others as you would have them do to you”
Does this sound like a bizarre theory ? No, it’s a moral.
“God” isn’t a magician, he’s a master scientist/architect!
76. Double D - July 25th, 2008 at 10:32 am
#4 - Could not the placebo effect be the same thing as healing thoughts? You think that your taking something that is going to make you better and you actually get better by just thinking it. Take away the “something” that you are taking and replace it with “healing thoughts” and you would get the same result, right?
77. Seven - July 25th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I saw #1 coming from a mile a way when I read the title. That was about all I could read as well- I have a hard time taking someone’s opinions seriously when it is apparent that they have not even mastered fifth grade grammer.
If you want to talk about your opinions all day perhaps you could get a livejournal
78. Cubone - July 25th, 2008 at 11:14 am
They’re all true. In fact, the reptoids are the off spring of Shakra-beings and moon-Nazis from the dark ages.
79. Crumpet - July 25th, 2008 at 11:14 am
julesw81 you’re right,
Aside from the persecution of people, the segregation of people, the many wars fought, the violence it breeds, for example, the crusades, the Spanish inquisitions, the stoning of rape victims in northern africa etc. and the suppression of free thought and creativity…
… the hypocrisy of the powers that be in certain churches with their blatant non-compliance to the very 10 commandments they teach and preach for us to follow…
… or the wife-beating man who neglects his kids and pisses his paycheck away at the bar and thinks its all justified by going to confession or taking communion on Sunday…
… and oppressive governments using it as a tool to keep the status quo…
… and a lot of people that I have met that pervert the Bible to justify their own ignorance and/or stupidity,
and just having some holier-than-thou person try and cram their beliefs down my throat like I haven’t heard it all before, like some glorified telemarketer…
Religion is not so bad at all!
80. Crumpet - July 25th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Religion is like dungeons and dragons, it works on paper, but you try fighting a REAL dragon with a pair of dice =D
81. Cedestra - July 25th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I enjoyed reading the different conspiracy theories and any proof to back them up, even though I had heard of most of them. I can’t excuse the grammatical and spelling errors, which detracted from the list. (I don’t claim perfection in my lists, but I know the difference between a possessive and a regular word.)
I also agree that #1 could have been replaced with something else, even just God/god/gods over religion.
82. Cedestra - July 25th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Crumpet, you may have fun on some of the lists, reading the works of S_R. He’s since banned, but I believe the testament to his idiocy still stands.
83. Cubone - July 25th, 2008 at 11:29 am
WOW CRUMPET!!
Every argument you just cited shows a real lack of any kind of wisdom what-so-ever! These common arguments from non-believe are so emotionally laced, it’s pathetic!
It’s like saying that because yor dad beat you, that fatherhood is wrong! Oh, wait! How about if you had a teacher that told you that 2+2=5, that means that all teachers, in fact all education is wrong!
Nice logic!
84. Einar - July 25th, 2008 at 11:32 am
#4: “This is no more effective than prayer which when it does seem to work can be explained away as coincidence.”
Really? Have you tried it?
People think that prayer is just asking God for stuff and when you don’t get what you want, then obviously prayer doesn’t work.
God’s not a vending machine. You can’t just put in prayer, pick what you want and suddenly get it. It doesn’t work that way.
#1: “None the less following certain things from certain religions isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
So after completely slamming religion in the first part of the entry, I can’t help but feel the condescending tone oozing out of the way the entry says “oh, but it’s okay if you choose to follow *some* aspects of religion…there, there…”
Don’t cheapen what others devote their lives to. The billions of people who are religious or believe in God (and there’s a difference), are all of them, every single of one of them honestly brainwashed and complete idiots. Religion’s not a buffet, you can’t take a scoop of meditation, a handful of prayer, a few slices of incense and hope your life is ‘enriched’.
And it’s technically “Love your neighbour as yourself” that Jesus gave as the second greatest commandment.
85. Cubone - July 25th, 2008 at 11:39 am
amen
86. CynthiaDelatorre - July 25th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Awesome list! =D
I really like all of your lists x]
87. Flock O’Seagulls - July 25th, 2008 at 11:48 am
So, belief in any kind of deity is a “bizarre theory,” huh?
I think it’s much more bizarre for people to be able to ponder such things, which requires consciousness or self-awareness, which they cannot seem to grasp; to use their eyes and depend on a myriad of other bodily functions that man cannot hope to duplicate, but which they blithely conclude sprang up through chance; and to ignore the fact that the universe–matter in its many forms, energy, laws of physics–had to come from somewhere. Now that’s what I call willful blindness.
88. Eve - July 25th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Well,everything that is man-made could be classified as “bizarre” to a certain point-and I can’t see why this shouldn’t be applied to religion as well.Richard Dawkins is very right in suggesting that every mention of religion causes reactions which are well beyond logic or explanation in their severity.Why doesn’t any other man-made theory do that?Truly bizarre,eh…
Seven,unless you are absolutely certain about the level of your grammar(not grammer),maybe you should refrain form criticising others?!(I am not brilliant at it myself,but this is partially justified by the fact that English is my third language,I think!)
I like the list,but I agree that it could be improved.
89. Rusty - July 25th, 2008 at 11:54 am
#4 HEALING THOUGHTS - there is an interesting Englishman called Dr. Rupert Sheldrake who has re-introduced the concept of ‘Morphic Fields’in an attempt, amongst other things, to explain this type of phenomena. Basically he postulates that rather than ‘laws’ of science (he is a botanist) their could be habits (the universe has a memory). So the more some thing happens (at a human or organic level), the more likely it is to happen again. Some of the experimental evidence he gives includes the difficulty of growing newly discovered crystals (compared to later attempts), and a lovely experiment that showed it is far easier to solve crossword puzzles the day after they have appeared. So the more people doing the same thing, the more likely that habit will give a result…
http://www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html
#2 HOLOGRAPHIC REALITY - here is a delightful philosophical ‘proof’ by Neil Bostrum (director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University):
“At least one of the following propositions is true:
(1) the human species is very likely to go extinct before reaching a “posthuman” stage;
(2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof);
(3) we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation. It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we will one day become posthumans who run ancestor-simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation…”
http://www.nickbostrom.com/
http://www.simulation-argument.com/
If nothing else, this list should stimulate our thinking about the bigger picture.
90. JayArr - July 25th, 2008 at 11:55 am
The beauty of theories and opinions is that they can be discussed at a variety of levels. I like the list in that it brings forth some theories that elicit critical thinking in some and gut reactions in others.
Religion as a practical expression of a group of individuals with similar beliefs can be both powerful and inspiring to those who have faith sufficient to fuel their beliefs. In that religion is a theory for this list, I suppose it makes sense that that which is the focus of religion can be compared with that which is the focus of magic. Regardless of proof, fact, observable context and such, people can and will continue to believe in their own magic, religions, gods and martians… from now until the end of human-endurable time.
I like lists that make me think, even if they have spelling errors and run-on sentences.
91. Laura - July 25th, 2008 at 11:56 am
This list could be great. . .but I couldn’t read it because it was so poorly written and spelled. Please, somebody do some editing before publishing these things. At the very least, the damn planet is not called “Mar’s.” Yeesh.
92. JayArr - July 25th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Hey Kreature (#65), there really are REPOTOIDS! My best friend had one come and take away his truck, his stereo and his TV! Beware the Repo-Toid!!!
93. fabXtaC - July 25th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The definition of magic is a a bad one. Those who practice the Craft, the Wiccan form of magic, are the ones who use candles and daggers. But they never claim to go against the laws of physics. Do not try to pass judgement on something that you know so little about. Do you even know someone who practices magic? True Witches don’t even believe in what you are describing as biblical angels and demons.
94. JayArr - July 25th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Poor S_R… I remember him well… errr… well, I remember him, anyway… Ah, who was it that said that one first, anyway?
95. Carol - July 25th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
billyshears :
If it makes you feel any better, I believe in God and also believe in aliens \o/. I know what you mean when you say that people find it very difficult to believe in aliens hehe but I don’t think the whole “rulers are aliens” thing is true…but anyway, can’t prove the opposite, right? hehe
96. JayArr - July 25th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Einar, et al: The phrase I think you are all looking for is “The Golden Rule” insofar as doing unto others as you would have others do unto you. At least, that’s how I was brought up…
Gosh, I’m in a good mood today! Thanks, everyone, for the banter and ammunition for my brain canon!
97. Vera Lynn - July 25th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
diamond(3)
Tempyra(8)
Kittym(52)
I am with you!!! Although Temp you said it best:longest sentence. I read the first entry and immediately thought RUN-ON SENTENCE!!
98. Carol - July 25th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Double D :
You point out something good for me. It could be the same thing, right? The placebo effect is pretty similar to #4, and I personally believe it works hehe maybe not for everybody, but for some…i think it works the same way as faith, to believe in something and it’ll actually happen. Interest point ^^
99. Vera Lynn - July 25th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Tenebrae (61) String Theory is being explored. There is a lot of truth there. The math works.
YogiBarrister (74) I’m very surprised, this coming from you. Were you being facetious?
100. Callie - July 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Carol:
It could be, but I would think positive thinking is the act of willing yourself to get better, whereas if you were under the placebo effect you would just feel beter without willing it. If you think you took a medicine and you start feeling better, your positive thoughts didn’t really have anything to do with it, your psyche did. I do see where you’re coming from- I suppose if you feel better you feel more positive in general. I’m suffering from a sinus infection as we speak and feel pretty miserable. Can I get some positive thoughts, listversers?
101. stevenh - July 25th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
the topic is facinating.
the selections are adequite.
the writing is appalling.
the comments are, as usual, terrific.
i am also quite surprised that there was no mention (so far) of the most bizarre theory of all - ‘theory of evolution’
102. Dustfinger - July 25th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I know, stevenh - the theory of evolution has so many holes and made-up things in it that are being covered up it’s laughable. I still don’t know why anyone could call themselves an evolutionist.
103. segue - July 25th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
My Psychologist is big-time into # 4, Healing Thoughts.
She doesn’t expect it to cure me, just to maybe relieve some of the pain. The joke is, however, that the pain is actually worse, except when I get into a deep trance state, which I can only describe as my being totally absent.
She wants me to stop doing that, and “make friends with the pain”.
Sorry.
Being absent means I don’t hurt. That means I don’t need to be friend with it.
End of story, as far as I’m concerned.
104. Moe Shinola - July 25th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
quote:
(2) any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of their evolutionary history (or variations thereof); -unquote
I don’t understand why it’s unlikely. Don’t we run computer simulations on lots of things even now, like weather? If it were in someone’s interest to better understand human history and progress(maybe for business reasons or to predict future events, like in Psychohistory), they could be running simulations of us all the time.
105. Cedestra - July 25th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Segue- there are some amazing modalities out there that can relieve pain. Whether or not it’s doing something or feeding into a placebo effect, I can’t tell. I’m sure you’ve been thrown the book, though, and I’m sure most people would be very challenged by your condition.
I’m fairly young and at this point can’t imagine what it will be like to be older, to live daily with pain that I just “normalize”.
106. Kreachure - July 25th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Okay, I think I figured it out:
After Terraforming Mars, the aliens known as Reptoids noticed the Nazi Bases on the Moon and went there, forming an alliance with them that ended up conquering the world through Magic; and afterwards created a Holographic Reality machine hidden in Earth’s hollow space, which is being used to enslave human minds and making them believe that 1711 is actually 2008, and where Healing Thoughts and other effects of Chakras actually work; all while having invented Religions to keep us busy from finding out the truth.
I knew it!
107. Tyler - July 25th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
@68. Tenebrae
“With or without religion and God, good people would do good things and bad people would do bad things. But for good people to do bad things–that takes religion.”
108. oliviajade - July 25th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I wish everyone would just shut the fuck up about it and say something nice or don’t say anything at all. Didn’t your mothers teach you anything?!
109. kittym - July 25th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Segue: I had a psychologist try the “healing thoughts” with me as well, though my “hurt” was mental, not physical. Didn’t work for me, but maybe because I thought it was a farce from the very beginning, and wasn’t in the mindset to try new things. I’m sorry to hear that your pain is so severe. I remember other comments you’ve posted about your condition, and think you’re a very strong person indeed to be able to go on like you do.
Kreacher: That was brilliant!
oliviajade: Yes, she taught me not to swear at strangers.
110. segue - July 25th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
****
05. Cedestra
…there are some amazing modalities out there that can relieve pain…
**So far the only things that work at all are opiates, and even with those I need a fistful of support drugs to help them work more efficiently.
…I’m sure you’ve been thrown the book…
**The entire library! Some of the early experiments would be funny if they were on a sit-com. Drug interactions, and side effect’s are fascinating subjects. I’d lay odds that some of my experiences are the reasons behind some of the “possible reactions” on the warning label that comes with Ambien now.
…to live daily with pain that I just “normalize”
**I’ve forgotten what normal *is*. Really.
After what is now 11 years of this, I can no longer remember what it was like to live pain-free.
I know I did it. I swam a mile a day. I danced. I was lithe and agile, could climb rocks and mountains, ski, swim in the ocean…but it’s like a dream.
Someday, someone will figure out a way to fix this problem. Until then I have to do what I have to do…my options are limited.
And LV is here! So thats a bonus.
111. kris - July 25th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
WOW nice list…will read all the comments tomorrow
112. kerrick - July 25th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Why does someone bother posting a list that they’ve done (seemingly) no research on whatsoever? These are far more enjoyable when you can tell that the author has put some effort and thought into posting.
I nearly fell out of my chair when I read #10, it’s so off base it’s incredible. If the author was referring to the practices of Wiccans, he/she completely missed the idea. Some in my family practice it, and it’s almost offensive to see it described as such.
The only mildly interesting theory put forth on this page is the one concerning “Simulations” (The Matrix). I’ve given it a lot of thought, and all I can come up with is “Wow, that would suck ass.”
113. Uberplum - July 25th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
@#52. Tenebrae
Confusionism? That’s the only religion for me,Tenebrae! Transcendental confusion every day is my natural state………now where was I? Oh,yeah…Thought-provoking list,Beranabus,thank you. Now I really must be going, I think I live at Shady Pines…..I know I had my label here somewhere!
114. Waterboy39 - July 25th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Topic 1 is my favorite subject to think about and discuss with people along with the existence of a god.
I also enjoy the thought of number 2 compared to The Matrix which is a great movie btw
115. icarus - July 25th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
not the best list. it seems to offer [controversial] opinions as more or less established fact (e.g. that it is a “sad” occurrence that people believe in positive thinking). the writer takes on a condescending, quasi-omniscient p.o.v. that really takes away from an otherwise good concept for a list. beranabus, i don’t mean to sling mud at you personally, but imo a little less bias in your next list might be something to consider.
116. MPW - July 25th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
May not have been the most well written list, but there is no need to be a dick about it. I thought it was definitely interesting.
117. lomez - July 25th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
#2 is very interesting. Just fifty years ago there were basically no computers at all, how powerful will our computers be in a hundred years from now?
118. Jamesus81801 - July 25th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
One thing that has made me think a little:
It is pretty bizarre, to me at least, that so many people do believe in religions. When you think about it, it is not possible to prove a lot of the things that the world’s religions claim. Yet, so many people believe in them and their teachings… I find it bizarre that so many would believe in something that cannot be proven…
I don’t know of anything else that cannot be proven that is followed or believed by so many… To me that makes belief in religion bizarre in it’s own unique way…
119. fabXtaC - July 25th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
@101 Stevenh
really? the theory of evolution?
How can you say that is the most bizarre when they have prove that the 99% of mouse genomes have analogues in humans.
120. Ro - July 25th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I had this book which went at great lengths to describe some of the Nazi wonder weapons under construction during the World War 2. It actually was some very perplex stuff and so I didn’t bother reading everything; but what I understood was that the Nazis were far ahead in technology than the rest of the world. At least in warfare. But I sometimes wonder, so that was it? You are telling me, if only they had finished building those secret weapons we would be under the mercy of the Nazis, in modern 21st century?
It seems pretty extraordinary to me and coupled with #7 I’m beginning to dismiss it all as some more Nazi propaganda.
121. Reformission - July 25th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
You ever watch David Letterman and notice that some of the Top 10 lists are very obviously written as a vehicle for one single joke. Like the Andy Dick one the other night. You have a great idea for what number one would be and so you write nine other entries just to fill in the blanks. That’s the feeling I get with this list. Beranabus wanted to write a list that called religion a bizarre theory just to be insulting and stir the pot, and so he filled out the ten with stupidity like lizard aliens and Nazis on the moon.
I think this is the first list which qualifies in its entirety as a straw man. Beranabus = FAIL
122. jasontimmer - July 25th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Ok, first of all, who in the hell puts an apostrophe in “Mars”? Neat list, but I’ve got problems with a few. The “healing power of thought” is the same as the placebo effect, some people have learned to direct it. Also, on religion, every atheist I’ve ever heard claims to attack “religion” but most frequently is attacking Christianity, and more often than not, is only attacking his/her own understanding of it. What about Buddhism? We claim no god, and all of Buddha’s teachings can easily been seen as truthful and logical simply by observing the world around us.
123. Scott - July 25th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
This is such a worthless list.
124. BMac - July 25th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Scot - How can you say this is a worthless list. You’ve got to admit the ridiculous beliefs of some are funny to the rest. Especially No1. Oops.
125. BMac - July 25th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Sorry. Scott.
126. krow - July 25th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I have been enjoying this site for almost 9 months now but recently I have been disappointed with the direction its going.
I like the idea of everyone being able to send in own lists but they are poorly made. Possibly jfrater could review the lists and switch a few things.
I love the ideas but the writing is amateur, biased or based on the author’s oppinion and I can’t seem to look back and say I learned something today.
127. chershey - July 25th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Interesting list but I must put my grammar Nazism to good use: in #6, “…sucked into its gravity or caught is solar flares from it…” should be “in solar flares”, and in #1, “…beings greater then anything else in the universe…” should be “than anything”.
128. jasontimmer - July 25th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
krow- agreed
129. jasontimmer - July 25th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
chershey- how about “Mar’s”?
130. Cyn - July 25th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
okay- i do not know what happened but i had sent J this edited version earlier today. you’ll have to ask J about that.
so please stop your bitching and moaning about this list!
this is the best i could make of a list that was quite frankly a bit of mess to begin w/…no offense to the original author but it needed work.
it is still not a perfect list. i did the best i could. i tried to keep the author’s bias intact but frankly i might have infused a bit of my own…especially anything to do w/ religion. (i am the LV resident atheist ya know
)
my sincerest apologies to the author for any liberties he/she thinks i may’ve taken w/ the list.
my sincerest apologies to J. i have no idea what happened.
so if you take issue w/ this edited version…i guess you should direct your criticisms to me.
this list republished @ my time about 11pm Fri nite CST.
131. jfrater - July 25th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Oops - it appears Cyn and I were working at cross purposes - I just published her earlier edited list over the top of her most recent edited list! Nevertheless - at least it is now edited. Sorry for the big delay - all of my stuff just arrived from England and I have had to spend the day moving it all in to storage.
132. t_man - July 25th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Ok… for all those christian fanatics who don’t even want to hear what other people have to say about how life came about or errors in the Bible and such. YOU are the ignorant ones! I personally am not religious and have my reasons, for example, as Goerge Carlin once said “God is one of the leading causes of death!”
And on a side note, so what if the person making the list makes a few spelling or gramatical errors. Sure I noticed the whole “Mar’s” thing and that really long sentence in #8, but as long as I can read it and understand it it’s alright by me, great list!
133. jasontimmer - July 25th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
t_man- I’m no Christian fanatic. Buddhist, actually. I was making the point that all the atheists I’ve heard rant are always talking about Christianity, and talking about it in a very silly way. The attack the fundies for taking the bible literally, but their attacks against beliefs of Christians are very often based upon a literal interpretation of the bible. And I’m still waiting for a good argument against Buddhist teachings!
134. big ski - July 25th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Putting religion in with all these crackpot ideas is very provocative. I dont know whether to admire the person who made up this list or get mad. Im not that religious but including it in this list shows bias and an agenda.
135. t_man - July 25th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
One more thing, I don’t have a problem with God, it’s His fan club I can’t stand.
136. Tempyra - July 25th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
t_man: There are standards for the use of English and some of us would expect them to be met on a site of this calibre.
137. lott7979 - July 25th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
You should have made #1 a dual opposing theory by putting both creationism and evolution in the slot. Then we could have had a more thought out comment section arguing both sides with valid reasoning instead of people complaining about the opinion of the submitter. I, myself, find creationism a little hard to believe because in the past it was shoved down my throat and I was told not to think for myself on whether it was true or not, but to believe because the bible told me so. On the other hand, I respect people who do believe in it and stick to their guns (as long as their counterpoints are valid). What you believe in is good for you, but it might not be good for me.
All spelling errors, personal opinions aside, the list was entertaining.
138. ChrisG - July 25th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Very interesting list, but these theories are mostly insane and completely implausible (including # 1). I would like to see a list dedicated to a bunch of theories that just may be possible, and that actually have evidence to support them beyond the imaginings of attention-starved crackpots.
I’m not complaining, though. Neat list.
139. t_man - July 25th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Tempyra: you misspelled “caliber”.
140. Cyn - July 25th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
given the tone of some comments made since i made my last comment…
you may need to clear cache and refresh screen for the edited version. check spelling of Mars..if its correct as in ..Mars. then its the edited list.
scroll up for more about this in my previous comment.
141. t_man - July 25th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Jasontimmer: hey man i’ve got nothing against Buddhism, it’s actually the coolest religion in my opinion.
142. Lynn - July 25th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I find it amusing that people are so deeply offended by religion’s inclusion in this list. How can anyone say believing in higher beings without solid evidence is anything but bizarre? Just because it does good for humanity and has been around for thousands of years doesn’t mean it’s exactly logical or normal. When something is around for so long, of course it’s going to be viewed as ‘normal’, but does that truly make it so?
If you don’t like the list, fine, but why get so riled up? Take a deep breath, and relax. It’s just a list based on opinion, nothing less, nothing more.
143. Crumpet - July 25th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
My father didn’t beat me you idiot, how did mentioning the crusades and persecution and segregation make it seem like it was emotionally laced?
144. astraya - July 25th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
t_man: Tempyra spelt “calibre” correctly. It’s called “English is an international language with accepted variant usages”.
In general, I’m prepared to say that 9 out of 10 of these are more or less complete crap, and the 10th (#1) doesn’t belong here.
Two at least - hollow earth and counter-earth - are disposed of by elementary physics. Most of the rest cite no evidence whatsoever, except that someone has claimed it. I claim that I have been kidnapped by Kim Jong-il to teach his hand-picked successor to speak English.
I verge towards being a grammar and expression stickler. If this is the edited version, then I hate to think what the original version looked like. “Mar’s” just should not happen on a reputable website. (Presuming we are one.) All future contributors, please check out http://listverse.com/literatur.....t-writing/ before you submit.
145. sdggrant - July 25th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Well, I enjoyed the list!!! I don’t get how number one slanders religion at all though. In fact the very last sentence compliments religion. People need to get off of their high horses and realize that ideas other than their own exist in the world. The list does not slander religion, but I won’t hesitate to. If religion would of had its way with all of history, then we would still live in a world where the Earth is flat and the Sun revolves around the world.
146. Cyn - July 25th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
HINT! scroll up and read preceding comments. if you are seeing ‘Mar’s’ AND not ‘Mars’…you need to clear cache and/or refresh to see the edited version.
granted my edited version is only edited in general terms. otherwise i’d had to have rewritten the list. as i’ve said before…it is not a perfect list or perfect edit.
is no one reading preceding comments before mounting their pulpits to pontificate?
147. t_man - July 25th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
To err is human
148. Tempyra - July 25th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I didn’t err
149. Tempyra - July 25th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Thanks astraya
150. t_man - July 25th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Wasn’t talking about you Tempyra…
151. Jenna_Bug - July 25th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I read these lists every day, and I really enjoy them though I hardly ever comment. I kind of get frustrated though when all I seem to see on here is people bashing religion, mainly Christianity. I rarely see people preaching their religions, but I always seem to find people preaching that all or some religions are just myths. All I ever see on here is that people who are religious in their own personal faith are brainwashed into believing it’s true.
It’s annoying reading post after post after post that there is no “God”, and everyone who believes otherwise is stupid. At least that is the way it seems to me.
I really do enjoy this site, I love learning new interesting things every day, I just get sick of seeing the religion (Christianity) bashing. I’m proud of being a Christian, but I’m not going to shove it down your throat either.
Not everyone is an Atheist…
Sorry, I just had to vent. Feel free to bash me, I’m sure some of you will…
152. Tempyra - July 25th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Jenna_Bug: You must have missed the days of S_R
153. t_man - July 25th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Jenna_Bug: I’m not going to bash you but i will suggest listening to George Carlin’s bit on religion. In case you don’t know he was raised Roman Catholic until he “reached the age of reason” and actually has a very good argument against religion. Funny as hell too.
154. Juice - July 25th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
That was beautiful what you did with number 1.
155. Jenna_Bug - July 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Well I have 2 sides to what I believe. I have my faith. I pray every night, I believe in Heaven etc. I haven’t been to church in I couldn’t tell you how long, and I don’t read the Bible. I also believe in the scientific theory of things, to an extent. There isn’t always just one side to everything.
156. outsane…… - July 25th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
The whole Religion section is deliberatley bashing Religion indirectly by saying what skeptics say…..not clever at all…..stop beating around the bush and say what u feel, keep it 100
157. Jenna_Bug - July 25th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I am saying what I feel. obviously. All I am stating is that in my personal opinion it’s annoying seeing the same argument in every list.
Might seem a little crazy to some, but after becoming a mother and going through each stage of pregnancy and childbirth etc, I can’t imagine there not being a higher power responsible for it all. Just my opinion, everyone else preaches theirs….
158. jazjsmom - July 26th, 2008 at 12:09 am
I was raised devoutly religious, but I do not believe everything I was taught. I have to believe there is a higher power, but I do not take the Bible literally. I’m sure my grandfather who was a preacher is rolling in his grave at that statement. lol Anyway, aren’t most theories objective? I mean I want to believe and maybe that contributes to my beliefs, that there is more to life than just this. I love to learn about all religions, and I believe some things can be explained scientifically. I don’t think it’s wrong to question any religion, but I think it’s part of most people’s lives in some way and that is not very bizarre. It’s the basic human condition to want to believe that there is something better, that they can see lost family members again, and I hope it to be true. Oh, and I believe in aliens, too. I also believe in reincarnation and many other things, but I won’t go into the details. I just feel it’s important to believe in something, even if it’s just to be a better person.
159. Nimnimnumnim - July 26th, 2008 at 12:38 am
At the end of the day it is not the job of skeptics to disprove a theory, it is the job of those who believe it to prove it. You cannot prove a negative.
So until someone offers me proof of God, a hollow Earth, reptiles ruling us or Nazis on the moon then I will disregard them as fiction.
160. Tenebrae - July 26th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Uberplum - You’re absolutely right, misspelling 1 word (Confucianism) invalidates every point I could have possibly made. *rolleye*
161. Tenebrae - July 26th, 2008 at 2:09 am
I wasn’t going to touch this, but..
“The theory is by using certain objects such as a candle, a dagger and a wide variety of things you can bend the universe to your will completely ignoring the laws of physics and the practical laws of the universe.”
Actually, those who claim to practice magic(k) don’t believe that using certain objects you can bend the universe to your will. Perhaps you could (read should) have read s