by Decided 35 Replies latest jw friends
I spent decades looking "out there" for god. Never found. The pentacostals told me that god puts his spirit in a person in the stomach area. There were right, partly. That is where to look for god, for the answers. Yup, it's not out there, it's inside you.
S
At present, there's quite a bit of futility in the explanations of various scientists like Steinhardt and others who are attempting to explain the origin of the universe.
http://www.physics.princeton.edu/~steinh/
They are working on models to explain the origin of the universe using deeply abstracted tools in mathematical physics (built on ideas that are extrapolations of other ideas implied by other ideas that might be a mathematical, maybe even physical consequence of other ideas - none of which have been observed), that might possibly account for some of the things that we see. There is not now nor could there possibly be (in any remotely meaningful way) anything that qualifies as genuine evidence for these types of theories. They are somewhat elegant theories, but they are not remotely "science." It is mathematical philosophy at best. String theory alone may one day find some evidence, but the pre-big bang models based on string theory are fundamentally un-empirical.
Furthermore, as it currently stands, these models appear to be fundamentally incompatible with current cosmological observations, hence the enormous number of non-empircally based ideas that go along with them.
As an example, the Ekpyrotic/Cyclic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekpyrotic_universe) models that they are working on end up positing extraordinarily complicated "mathematical entities" (fancy words for bigger universes) that require a tremendous number of non-trivial assumptions that are based on nothing other than "to make it work out.”
So sure, you can hold out for one of these theories, but you don't get to pretend that you're sticking with empirical or scientific ideas. You're at least as religious as any hyper fundamentalist in any religion. Theism often provides the greatest metaphysical explanatory power with the fewest non-trivial assumptions. If one insists on holding out for a scientific answer, then you will never find the answer. Any proposed explanation for the origin of the universe will be metaphysical and outside the reach of empirical science, whether it is theism or a string derived model. There's reason people have difficulty understanding.
Decided,i appreciate your post.Just wanted to let you hear my post.I have decided that I am my god.Not yours,or anyone elses,but mine.I make life altering decisions for myself everyday,I look out for myself,I look out for my friends.I am happy.I AM GOD....Ive read the bible many times.Sorry,dosnet make sense in this head.I dont like imagined authority.Real authority os enough.If the translating the bible into whatever you want makes one happy,than ,cool! Great! Same with jogging,smoking or drinking.Or watching reruns of I Love Lucy.Do what makes YOU feel right and good.Thats all we need to do.The rest will follow.Good luck,and enjoy this beautiful day,its a personal gift from me!!!lol
So sure, you can hold out for one of these theories, but you don't get to pretend that you're sticking with empirical or scientific ideas. You're at least as religious as any hyper fundamentalist in any religion. Theism often provides the greatest metaphysical explanatory power with the fewest non-trivial assumptions. If one insists on holding out for a scientific answer, then you will never find the answer. Any proposed explanation for the origin of the universe will be metaphysical and outside the reach of empirical science, whether it is theism or a string derived model. There's reason people have difficulty understanding.
translation:
I dont know how the universe came about so i will just say "Goddidit". It offer the same amount of insight as believing Thor created lightning did 1300 years ago and has time again stood in the path of human progress.
This implies that science is an orthodox religion, while i am merely a self-righteous muppet who use my own stupidity as a prima argument FOR being the center of the universe and as an added bonus, i get to be part of a destructive cult which destroy families and has much blood on its hands.
Sorry Ken but you're a little late. You should have asked me 30 years ago when I had all the answers. I kept them in a little blue book that had all the right question and all the right anwers to life the universe and everything. I seem to have misplaced it.
About that time I discovered Douglas Adams and was watching Carl Sagons Cosmos. They along with some other things in my life were making the remains my Watchtower god and belief system seem very small. Even when I was still a Witness some of my beliefs were becoming more Eastern than Western. Once out I was started to learn how to enjoy the journey and not worry so much about were I was going. I still go to church when I can and believe in God but what I believe now isn't set in stone. It is always evolving. I can accept that this is my path and might not be yours or anyone elses so I don't feel the need to beat anyone over the head with my beliefs.
Ken, I too have felt this way at times...I often think, is this all there is?...
Snoozy of the amost 70 class..
