Sincere Question to Anyone who Believes in God

by Big Tex 84 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

Big Tex

I hope, of course, that she will avoid all my mistakes and heed all my best advice.
In her vigor, her joy, her generosity, I see the best of myself. I am happy to give the future to her, to let her witness it unfold.
Sometimes when my children are asleep, I'll stand in the doorway watching them. They look so peaceful and serene.
My life that could have been .. and wasn't.
I'm very, very happy to give them all that I didn't have. I'm even more happy that they will never know what I know.
Wednesday, you are an accomplished deceiver.
That kind of talk gets my back up. I have never liked personal attacks, especially ones that are unwarranted. Wednesday is a very good friend of mine and I do NOT appreciate my friends being trashed on my thread. Your comment is inappropriate, cruel and has not one damn thing to do with the topic. Wednesday is a kind soul who has suffered horrifically at the hands of Jehovah's Witnesses and I will not stand by while newbies who don't have a clue attacks her. Take your hate somewhere else. It isn't welcome here.
Chris
wednesday

thanks Chris, all i can see is a red X. :)
who knew being liberated could provaoke hate.
wednesday

I was reading this thread and wondered if you'd ever felt like this? (the song below) I really like Jim Steinman, (he is the writer for Meat Loaf and wrote that Celine Dion song," It's all coming back to me now"
Faith is important, b/c it =does give us something to hold onto.
THE FUTURE AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE
I never knew so many bad times
Could follow me so mercilessly
It's almost surreal
All the pain that I feel
The future ain't what it used to be

It doesn't matter what they're thinking
It doesn't matter what they're thinking of me
It's always so cold
I'm to young to be old
The future ain't what it used to be

Were there ever any stars in the sky
Did the sun ever shine so bright?
Do you have any dreams I could borrow
Just to get me through the lonely night?

Is there anything left to hold on to
When the rivers wash it all away?
Is there anyone left to hold on to
Is there anything left I can say?

Say a prayer for the falling angels
Stem the tide of the rising waters
Toll a bell for the broken hearted
Burn a torch for your sons and daughters
The endless night has got a hold of me
Dark days are pulling me forward
And all the tears are washing over me
I'm crying, lost forever
In a future that ain't what it used to be
No more no more no more

It's like a storm that's never ending
It's like a shadow on the land and the sea
There's nothing as sad as
A tomorrow gone bad
The future ain't what it used to be

Some days I feel so numb and empty
And those would be the good days for me
Nothing gets to me now
Unless I'm thinking of how
The future ain't what it used to be

Is there anything left to hold on to
When the rivers wash it all away?
Is there anyone left to hold on to
Is there anything left I can say?

Say a prayer for the falling angels
Stem the tide of the rising waters
Toll a bell for the broken hearted
Burn a torch for your sons and daughters
The endless night has got a hold of me
Dark days are pulling me forward
And all the tears are washing over me
I'm crying, lost forever
In a future that ain't what it used to be
No more no more no more

The future just ain't what it used to be
It's never gonna be like it was
The future just ain't what it used to be
I wish it wouldn't come but it does
I wish it wouldn't come but it always does
nvrgnbk

Wednesday, you are an accomplished deceiver.
Yes you are Dr. House(Wednesday)! So much so that you made a believer out of me. Feels goood!
Nvr
mouthy

Grace you sound very much like my wife Nina. This is her philosophy as well.
Can I ask you something? I know you've had a rough life, and please believe me I know my life could have been much worse (I'm very lucky compared to so many others), so then how did you come to believe in a Higher Power that cares? Because it seems to me, at the end of the day when all is said and done, we just have to make a choice to believe a certain way. And honestly Grace, for me that's just not good enough. I've been fooled once -- twice actually because I foolishly made myself believe my mother and father really did love me but what happened was my fault.
So see, I don't want to get fooled again. You know, once burned twice shy and all that. I understand you my darling... You ask HOW did I come to believe in a Power that cares. If you want the absolute truth.... When my kids & hubby was dying, I felt so alone. frightened -I was still a JW when Frank was dying but did ask JAH to give me the strength to go on,I have Rheamatoid Arthrities - I used to carry my dying husband on my back to the toilet. I had awful pain -but I managed to do it.. I honestly felt HE gave me the strength -my family & friends were amazed at what I did( but I do believe it was from the begging to help from GOD) Then when my son was dying, I needed the strength to do it again, I could hardly walk- yet I was able to take his dog for a walk & help my son... No one could believe it. But the real big time was when I went to PA before Mell died & listened to all the EX Jehovahs Witnesses tell of what their experiences were ,some had the same feelings as me ( as JWS) yet they had now asked Jesus to be in their LIFE!!!I did just that.
When Mell was dying I found that feeling that I had had with Alan, & Frank return in a much stronger way ALL the time. He gave me the strength to do all I had to do. Remembering that I had learned as a JW God said HE didnt come to make it easy...WhO? JESUS was the one who came NOT the god I had trusted in,( in JW) I believe that Satan is the Prince of the earth, I believe he does cause all the rotton things that goes on, I believe GOD is a" Gentleman "He never enters our life unless we invite HIM....He gave us complete freedom. He isnt far off from anyof us, but he wont interfer. But When I asked him ( as a last resort) I found he replied. ... I am alone really, but there are occasions when I truly feel his presence. Many laugh at this !!! But since Oct 20th 1989.(I sound like a nut. ) but before I do things I ask his direction. Just one experience I have to tell you
One of my group called me collect from Toronto, said "Grace my Mother has moved to Waterloo today from Timmons , I have the van full of furniture & it has broken down, I have no money could you go over to their new house & tell them to come & get me "( an hour away from Toronto.) I had known his Mother as a JW I knew she had left the Organization & was married again. -I said "O,K, what is the Street & #.." Oh he didnt know!!! I said "what is her married name? "He didnt know ( they had only been married a short time) I said well how the heck do you expect for me to find them....? ( Also he wanted to call me back in an hour collect -cos he had no money)
He said go to West mount, & there is a St called Princess ...There is 3 big towers on that St...She has moved into a house somewhere in between those big towers...I thought I was stupid to even go & look... But I did.... I sat at the top of a very long ST ,,,, & prayed?
" Jesus if you want me to help this boy! YOU have to lead me to these folks"...
I drove around a bend & I saw a man with his sleeves rolled up looking up the St,, I said "Excuse me do you know if anyone moved into this area today?" He said "Yes I did"I said "would you be Brenda's.husband? " He was>>>>> All in one hour.... Sorry it was a long tale but since I have known JESUS I have a lot of those miracles....Loads & loads!!! That why when Jesus healed folks & said dont tell anyone---- It is because folks wont believe it. Yes HE could have healed my kids & not let them die, That baffles me -but they did suffer from the illnesses ,maybe he believe in euthinasia (sp) because I do now...But how can I believe ???? Because he helps, guides, directs me now.. I know that. If I am delusional ( sp) well I am loving the feeling I am getting of peace that I feel . Yes I would like to kick the bucket but it is because I NOW believe what HE promised. NO PAIN NO SUFFERING Boy I looking forward to that. Sorry darling for the mouthy fingers. but you asked I replied..
Guest with Questions

"He never enters our life unless we invite HIM....He gave us complete freedom.
I'm reminded of the painting where Jesus is knocking on the door. There is a handle on only one side of the door; His side doesn't have a handle-He wants us to open it. God respects our decision and unless we ask, He won't interfere.
Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. Gen 1:26-27
God gave man dominion over the earth. When He did that He took away His right to legally influence and interfere on the earth. Because of His integrity and commitment, He will never violate or break that word. He's obligated to obey His own word.
Liza

Big Tex, getting back to your first post, well I found this article intriguing, it is a "debate" consisting of Micheal Shermer's(editor of Skeptic mag) response to a book by Deepak Chorpra on evidence for the afterlife, and Chorpra's rebuttal to it.

http://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/debates/afterlife.html
bernadette

jst2laws gave me a reading assignment last night, so come paycheck next week I'm off to the bookstore! I've been in the mood for something new reading wise anyway.
bigtex, I'm curious - which book on buddhism did jst2laws reccommend. I've browsed through books on buddhism in bookstores - but it seems such a big subject I've ended up not buying anythin.
patio34

Hi Big Tex,

Thanks for your reply to my post. It's great to be talking to you again.

"Is Zen related to Buddhism? Is the belief system similar or the same? What are the similarities and differences?"

Zen is, I think, a Japanese or Tibetan form of Buddhism. The term Zen comes from 'zazen' which means "sitting" as in meditation. All of the forms of B'hism are based on the Buddha's teachings, which don't have much to do with gods. The belief systems are very similar. Zen is more of a non-religious philosophy or psychology, independent of theism (it's irrelevant whether one believes in a god). B'hism does have some deities, but it seems to me when I've run across it to be just representative of ideals.

"Seriously now, do you think that we are recycled? That we come back again and again? And if so, then why? What is the purpose? If we never remember the previous life, except in flashes, then any mistakes or lessons learned are lost aren't they?"

'Recycled' is not a good descriptive term as the belief seems to be that what "we" are is not our bodies or even our minds, but the essence is that which observes what we think, the Observer or Watcher. This is the part that is reborn into different bodies. It's not that WE have a spirit or "soul" but that the spirit or soul has us (our bodies). The same way that WE may not have genes, but that genes have us. And genes are not so much recycled but passed on thru different bodies. The same may be true of the consciousness of us.

There is no why really, just that, like gravity or some other universal law, it just is. There isn't any god overseeing it, determining what we learn, etc. The details of the growth that we have wouldn't have to be recalled for the growth to take place during a lifetime. And the teachings seem to be that the lessons aren't lost, tho not recalled.

Maybe it's a universal law like gravity or magnetism. Before the laws were discovered, it may have seemed mysterious the way things behaved. Maybe there's some undiscovered universal law that would explain reincarnation.

These are my personal, ever-developing, ideas. That's kind of how Buddhism is: personal growth on your own journey or path. It's not arguable nor dogmatic. Just a peaceful tool for inner exploration and growth.

Namaste,
Pat

P.S. I don't have a formatting bar on my reply screen, so it's turning out weird and I can't change the font or anything. Any ideas?
LittleToe

~waves at Pat~
Haven't seen ya since that weekend in Florida - howzya doin?

Sincere Question to Anyone who Believes in God

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