From Richard Dawkins' Preface to "The God Delusion" (page 2)

designs

God in the Age of Perestroika..........

How do the ideas of String Theory, T-Duality, and Quantum Physics change your concepts.

streets76

I often wonder if those who have left the JW's - after realizing they had a delusion about the organization, have thought about applying that experience to the belief of god?

Yes, once the cat is out of the bag there ain't no going back.

By the way, I'm currently reading Dawkins' "Greatest Show On Earth," also a good read. When I finish, I'm going to go find my old copy of "Did Man Get Here By Evolution or Creation?". Remeber that old blue book, from the late 1960s I think.

AK - Jeff

I think that those who remain believers in some measure,are probably unread as to God, the Bible etc. and/or they cannot face the reality of no God to lean on, or blame alternately.

I agree Wobble. Those folks have pinned all hope on deity. It seems outside their ability to actually consider the evidence for his existence or not. I understand that. It was not long ago that I found myself in the same position. My pathway was similar to yours in that respect. I think for me the key was deconstruction of the WT dogma. Once I saw that lightning bolts did not strike as a result, all other religions/holy books/theologies became open for examination and eventual rejection. It honestly did not take long to see through them once the hood was removed from my cerebrum.

I see many here on this forum who have gotten part way there, then got stuck. They seem to have developed a new form of deity worship - one that involves some 'personal relationship' with deity that does not require devotion to the Bible [which is so easily shown to be full of contradictions/myths/outright falsehoods] from which the concept was originally drawn for the Christian culture today. They have found a way to hold onto the 'god' of their cultural upbringing, while at the same time circumventing the bible as essential in that relationship.

To do so must involve psychological defense mechanisms that are nearly pathological [as opposed to adaptive defense], certainly neurotic in nature. There clearly is displacement in their thinking, as they redirect their emotion away from, unable to deal with reality. Some will, or perhaps are, considering these matters honestly. Are these folks in clinical denial, hiding behind very Watchtoweresque thought patterns, though they seem [and likely are] unaware of the contradictory nature of the substitutionary religions they are developing to deal with these problems psychologically?

Still, live and let live I suppose. But in the end, oh what a waste of good minds, potential contributors to our species' progress.

Jeff

designs

streets-

I had one of my most embarassing moment because of the Society's 'DMGHBEOC'. In the late 60s I gave a talk at a local college's Comparative Religions class. Great group, they asked me what JWs views of Evolution and Creation were and specifically how old Man and the Earth were...... You guessed it, I told them Man was 6000 years old and the earth 48,000 years. The collective laugh almost knocked me off the stage.

streets76

designs-

I remember using the "Evolution/Creation" book as a source in a science report I wrote in the 7th grade. I quoted the Awake! in that same report. Teacher probably thought I was nuts.

BurnTheShips

‘a persistent false belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence, especially as a symptom of psychiatric disorder’.

And what contradictory empirical evidence can you provide to the existence of God?

I think that those who remain believers in some measure,are probably unread as to God, the Bible etc. and/or they cannot face the reality of no God to lean on, or blame alternately.

I don't consider myself unread or ignorant, and I've wrestled with the same issues for quite some time, and come to different ideas. I think intelligent, reasoning people can come to different conclusions based on the same information.

How do the ideas of String Theory, T-Duality, and Quantum Physics change your concepts.

How do they change yours? I am intrigued.

BTS

snowbird

I believed in the God of the Bible before becoming a JW.

I still believe in the God of the Bible after leaving the JW's.

My choice. My belief. My journey.

That same option exists for all others.

Hallelujah!

Syl

notverylikely

Yes, just like believing everything came from nothing is totally rational - sheesh....

If you are suggesting I beleive in that then you are mistaken. As usual.

PSacramento

Dawkins stuff is good, though his knowledge about religion needs some work and he tends to quote sources that have not done all their home work and sometimes he confuses his opion for a fact.

Dawkins is far better than Harris.

The Irrational Atheist is a good read after you finish Dawkins book, while i don't agree with all the Dox says, he does show by present evidence that not all of what Dawkins ( and Harris and Hitchens) say is based on fact.

BurnTheShips

The Irrational Atheist is a good read after you finish Dawkins book, while i don't agree with all the Dox says, he does show by present evidence that not all of what Dawkins ( and Harris and Hitchens) say is based on fact.

Gerard (I think it was) excerpted some Vox Day stuff from that book recently. I haven't read the book, but it seems to be a pretty righteous smackdown on the misinformation these guys have peddled knowingly or not.

BTS

From Richard Dawkins' Preface to "The God Delusion"

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