Accepting Destruction To Obtain Life

by choosing life 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  choosing life

  One of the major premises of most religions is to accept that some must be destroyed in order for others to obtain everlasting life. Of course, there are many platitudes that a person relies on to soothe the conscience and sanitize the mind.

  The ones to be destroyed deserve it. They refuse to do something, worship God, beg for forgiveness, live a clean life, whatever.They are selfish and nobody can change them but themselves.

  But underneath the smug acceptance of salvation, while the others suffer destruction is probably the most selfish concept of all. I don't know how many times I've heard people say, "I don't know why God chose me and not so and so." Is that not an arrogant attitude to have? When fully developed, a person will walk over the dead bodies of friends, parents, children and even their lifetime mate to get to their heaven, paradise, nirvana, etc.

  This is a sickness that mankind must abandon before any real progress can be made in bettering human relationships, making the survival of this world possible.
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  nvrgnbk

  This is a sickness that mankind must abandon before any real progress can be made in bettering human relationships, making the survival of this world possible.

  Amen!
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  Anony-Mouse

  I was actually thinking about this today.
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  fifi40

  Choosing life

  Do you think it is driven by an absolute fear of death...........that can somehow make some lose their 'senses' when it comes to those they love and cling determindely to their 'hope' of eternal salvation?
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  DeusMauzzim

  Ahhh.. much better thread than the last I was on :) no prophets here, just rational discussion

  I'm researching Jungian archetypes at the moment, and yesterday I read that, according to Jung, the concept of God reflects the concept of Self in the psyche. God is projected Self.

  So, with x billion believers in the Judeo-Christian God, that is not a nice picture for humanity: jealous, selfish, arrogant, destructive.

  Truly man created God in his own image.

  Regards,

  Deus Mauzzim
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  quietlyleaving

  deus mauzzim

  I'm researching Jungian archetypes at the moment, and yesterday I read that, according to Jung, the concept of God reflects the concept of Self in the psyche. God is projected Self.

  So, with x billion believers in the Judeo-Christian God, that is not a nice picture for humanity: jealous, selfish, arrogant, destructive.

  Truly man created God in his own image.

  very interesting. Just wondering - re 'God is projected Self' above - if man copes with the death and devastation that he sees all around him, including the death and decay of loved ones - by anticipating it through god bringing destruction on men women and children. Does that make sense. What do you think?
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  DeusMauzzim

  Dear quitelyleaving,

  Interesting thought. I think there is no question that the archetypical manifestation of God is (in part?) a coping mechanism. At least it has to be a mechanism for something, otherwise it wouldn't survive. The mind has undergrone evolution, just like the body (another one of Jung's insights). If this is so, there are all sorts of vestigial structures in the mind just as there are in the body (which makes it so difficult to get a clear picture of it).

  Perhaps one of these vestigial structures was the concept of self/god (and soul as imago dei, immortal image of self/god) as coping mechanism for death (of self, and loved ones), constructed in a primitive line of reasoning like 'if they must die, then by my own hands!' Having a (projected) God above you at least gives certainty.

  These conceptual frameworks are by their nature very risky, I'm just probing here.

  Regards,

  Deus Mauzzim
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  Scully

  I was thinking of this when I was reading the latest Harry Potter book, where Harry essentially becomes a Messiah figure to save everyone from being under Voldemort's rulership and bring about a better world for wizards and muggles (and all the other magical kinds) alike.
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  Effervescent

  Darn... I hope that wasn't a plot giveaway... I hadn't read it yet!
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  nelly136

  There but for the grace of God (go I).

  this little saying has always given me the willies,

  to me its like saying someone is more deserving of affliction than someone else.

  As for the waiting for a genocide to wipe out millions of people to make room for a 'special few' I tend to think thats kind of based on a greed motivation.