It doesn't matter whether you believe in hell or not. The blackmail and extortion still exists, only the particular threat has changed. "I won't burn you forever, I will just destroy you forever, while everyone who loves me gets to live forever". This would still be abusive, horrific behaviour for any human parent.
Free will- Divine blackmail?
by nvrgnbk 16 Replies latest jw friends
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nvrgnbk
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FiveShadows
It is true that there is an entity that you mistake for the Father that blackmails his believers. It is true that there is an entity that uses FEAR in order to ENSLAVE his believers. It is true that there is an entity that uses th BIBLE and states 'you must FOLLOW IT!' in order to be saved. It is true that there is an entity that BLACKMAILS his followers into submission.
but this is not the FATHER. The father IS love and LOVE throws 'FEAR' out. religion has used the BIBLE as the means in which to indoctrinate fear into people. We are NOT to follow the bible. it is A BOOK. People have given it the title 'the Word of God' ...and yet It is NOT. There is no proof of it being the 'Word of God.' It even SAYS what the Word of God is (John 1:1, 1:14, 17:17, 14:6) But we must use wisdom in our understanding of what is TRUTH. We were never meant to follow a book, but merely to follow TRUTH. We all can agree the pursuit of TRUTH is the utmost importance. The truth of everything, that answers our questions within.
This world is not the Father's world. It lies in the power of the wicked one. Imagine if you will, you walk into your bathroom and you look into the mirror and see ALL the wrongs and rights about yourself. THIS is the means for judgement. When you stand before the FATHER ...if you judge NOT, you will not see JUDGEMENT in the reflection. If you have judged, the mirror (Father) will reflect back WHATEVER judgement YOU have casted out. this is the means of how JUDGEMENT is occuring. Those that are resurrected for life and those resurrected for judgement.
Why is there evil? There was once a man who had a garden. One day when he strolled through his garden he saw a cacoon and upon inspection he noticed that the insect was attempting to come out. So he took the cacoon and got a sharp knife and cut out the outter portions of the cacoon to free the butterfly. As the butterfly came out...it was no longer able to fly. Because the muscles that it needed to use in order to generate enough strength to fly were spared with him asissting the butterfly when it NEEDED to FIGHT it's way through the cacoon. The physical realm is this cacoon, and we are the butterfly trapped within it. We will need assistance from time to time, but that does not by any means state we will get it EVERY time. After all there was a garden and there was a place for the butterfly to be born. We are being helped from time to time, even if we don't see it.
I have more to state but i must go to study group. I will respond later.
Fs
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journey-on
Five Shadows...........your points sound a lot like mine. I've even posted that butterfly coccoon analogy here on JWD before. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/138004/1.ashx
I also believe that the God of the Bible is not GOD. The Bible was written by men searching for God and the meaning of Life, and it is a good book to learn about this Search and the nature of Man.
But the Intelligent Energy Force...The Eternal One...is NOT Jehovah...the one worshipped by religions. This force moves in and through all that IS. You are part of it and there are ways to experience it.
Everything has a goal and a purpose in this Oneness of Being. There's more, but it gets too esoterical and new agey for most folks to want to hear.
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nvrgnbk
This force moves in and through all that IS. You are part of it and there are ways to experience it.
I am an atheist and I believe this, journey-on.
Is there a need to describe the what you are talking about as him, as an entity that exacts worship?
We're all connected. That's purely supported by Naturalism.
Why mess that up with an imaginary supernatural entity?
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journey-on
Is there a need to describe the what you are talking about as him,
I agree, Nvr. That's why I didn't use him in my description. I think this Intelligent Force is both male/positive and female/negative energy and because we do not have a pronoun that describes this, many people resort to using the generic term him. My only difference in thinking is that the Naturalism you talk about is only part of this Intelligent Force. I believe there is a Spirit Essense or "Mind" behind the overall of creation. In other words, the Creator, Creation, and Act of Creating is One but Separate.
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purplesofa
Nice post Five Shadows
I can never formulate into words what goes on in my mind
purps -
LittleToe
Those who espouse a pure "free-will" doctrine are usually in one Armenian camp or another. Calvinists acknowledge a dichotomy between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.
While I ascribe to some of the rudiments of panentheism, I also acknowledge that we have a tendency to anthropomorphise our surroundings. "Him" may not be entirely accurate, but its a useful mental placeholder for a concept relating to "something" bigger than merely ourselves.
When you let go of the egoic self-delusion, what observes?