Thinking of becoming a Witness again and my reasons for doing so :(

by reniaa 383 Replies latest jw experiences

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  sass_my_frass

  Well all the best, whatever you decide.
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  reniaa

  I believe science is not an exact science! especially as a recent fossil find of a large wolf-like mammal with a half eaten dinosaur in it's belly means hundreds of dinosaur books will have to be rewritten, Science is not an infallable tool and can change with every new discovery or scientific opinion.
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  R.Crusoe

  Reniaa,

  Do you believe the WTBTS are the faithful slave of the Divine Reality?

  And by the way how is baby doing?
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  reniaa

  I'm in a bit of a catch 22, situation even If I have doubts about Jw's divine or otherwise, the alternatives are slim, I either completely give up christianity or embrace the idolatory of the cross :\

  Baby is good and kicking like mad tonight, probs trying to get in on the discussion :)
• 

  R.Crusoe

  Neither do I believe that science is an infallible tool but I dobelieve it has educated mankind in ways religion has not!

  The elliptically shaped planets and their orbits for one!

  And so I do not readily dismiss science and cautorise my mind over it but feel it is enthusing to wonder about it!

  I take your feeling that science is predominantly funded by those wealthy enough to advance their own causes and as such prevented from actively tackling world problems in our midst, but it should not detract from yoru own inner self being enthused and encouraged to ponder what it will and not feel it some satanic trickery! Similar stuff was about at the discovery of the above!

  So open minded inquiry and love of life with what gifts it offers you now is my place! Because it happens to be in our reality and not some concocted hypothesis of some human someplace else communicating what I ought to think and feel about all manner of things!

  So what is your feeling and is it influenced by the new life within you?

  Are you looking forward to it or does it fill you with a degree of trepidation considering the father seems reluctant for reasons unknown?

  I hope you are good but how are you really?
• 

  B_Deserter

  especially as a recent fossil find of a large wolf-like mammal with a half eaten dinosaur in it's belly means hundreds of dinosaur books will have to be rewritten, Science is not an infallable tool and can change with every new discovery or scientific opinion.

  At first glance I find this "large wolf-like mammal" claim to be quite dubious. Can you link to the story? That said, if it was real, most biologists would look at you and say, "so?" Mammals existed in the time of the dinosaurs. Evolution is not a linear process. Dinosaurs and mammals did have a common ancestor, but that doesn't mean mammals evolved from dinosaurs. According to the most current research, it's likely that birds evolved from dinosaurs. This is confirmed as scientists have been able to turn genes in chicken fetuses on and off, causing feathers to grow where there are normally scales, and vice versa, as well as stimulating tooth and tail development. Manipulating the genes of a chicken fetus to grow a longer tail and teeth like a reptile is pretty compelling evidence. It means that those genes are there to turn on. If your story is true, it's likely, the mammal is a small rodent with a half-eaten dinosaur FETUS in it's stomach, which is a pretty likely scenario.

  That said, you'll be hard-pressed to find any scientifically-minded person to say science is infallible. It's not. It's not because we don't have the whole story. But, as more and more facts are collected, many theories are being confirmed and refined, while certain others fall out of favor. Theories in the scientific realm are not "guesses," or theories in the layman's sense. A theory in the scientific context is used in the same way Music "theory" is used. At any rate, no, science is not infallible, but mountains of evidence continue to weed out the bad theories while strengthening the good ones. Evolution is a good theory, as it is confirmed with just about every piece of evidence we find.
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  nvrgnbk

  Go back if you like, reniaa.

  Reality can be overwhelming.

  Delusions are comforting.

  If you're looking for comfort and find reality a bit too harsh, I suppose the JW brand of delusion is about like any other brand.

  Best of success to you.
• 

  willyloman

  I haven't read eight pages of dialog so perhaps someone already said this, but here's my two:

  If you want to go back to being a JW, you should.

  There are many paths in this life. Each of us gets to choose, but few really do. Most just go along, swept up by events or circumstances.

  Choose the path that makes you happy.

  Realize it's not the path that makes everyone happy, nor are all the people on that path happy, nor will they stay on it. But if it works for you, then that's enough.

  It worked for me for many years. Then it stopped working. When it stopped working, I knew I had to do something else and I did. I followed my instincts, my heart and my conscience, and I have never regretted my decision. Here's hoping you have the same experience on your own very different path.
• 

  BFD

  If you do decide to go back full fledge, you'll have to cancel your JWD account.

  For one.

  BFD
• 

  Leolaia

  I think you mentioned earlier that you were told that stauros meant "stake", not "cross". This is not true. It referred to both. Originally, it only meant "stake" because the cross had not yet been invented as an instrument of execution. Then when it was invented, the word stauros came to refer to it. It is like saying that the term "record album" only can refer to LPs and NEVER to CDs, when in fact people now use it to refer to both. Sure, a record album couldn't have meant "compact disc" in music articles written in the 1960s, but the reason for this is obvious.

  Some descriptions of the cross used by the Romans:

  "They struggle to rip themselves from the crosses (crucibus) into which each of you drives a nail. Those who are crucified are placed on a single pole each, but these who punish themselves are stretched on as many crosses as they have desires. Yet they have no hesitation in slandering and insulting others. Because they are so vociferous about the sins of others, I would have thought they had none of their own if it were not for the fact that criminals spit upon spectators from their own crossbeam (patibulo)!" (Seneca, De Vita Beata, 19.3).

  "For the cross (ho stauros) is like death and the man who is to be nailed carries it beforehand (proteron bastazei)....Being crucified (staurousthai) is auspicious for all seafarers. For the cross (ho stauros), like a ship, is made of wood and nails, and the ship's mast resembles a cross (hé katartios autou homoia esti stauró)" (Artemidorus Daldianus, Oneirocritica 2.53, 56).

  "Men weep and bewail their lot, and curse Cadmus with many curses for putting Tau into the alphabet; for they say that their tyrants, taking his body as a model(somati phasi akolouthésantas) and imitating his shape (mimésamenous autou to plasma), have fashioned similar-looking timbers (skhémati toioutói xula) to crucify (anaskolopizein) men upon them, and the vile device is even named (eponumian) after him (i.e. sTAUros). Now, with all these crimes upon him, does not Tau deserve to die many times over? As for me, I think the only just thing to do would be to punish Tau on what has been made in his own shape (tó skhemati tó hautou), for the cross (hostauros) owes its existence to Tau, but its name to man (hupo de anthrópón onomazetai)" (Lucian, Lis Consonantium, 12).

  I know this is real minor, insignificant point, devoid of any real importance to real issues, but I wanted to mention it nonetheless.