Faith.

by wearewatchingyouman 44 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  adamah

  WOWUM said-

  My issue is that vowing yourself to a man made organization at the time of your baptism seems like a form of idolatry. It seems that even their own publications agree, beyond the recent one I posted above:

  "We do not dedicate ourselves to a religion, nor to a man, nor to an organization. No, we dedicate ourselves to the Supreme Sovereign of the Universe, our Creator, Jehovah God himself. This makes dedication a very personal relationship between us and Jehovah." Watchtower 1966 Oct 1 pp.603-604

  They've already taken care of that objection, though, since note how in the vows you're dedicating yourself NOT to them, but to "Jehovah, to do HIS will"?

  (1) On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?

  They make their power play by claiming to serve as God's mouthpiece, claiming to be Jehovah's "spirit-directed" organization to communicate WHAT that will actually is:

  (2) Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?

  That's why accepting GB is God's spirit-directed organization is such an article of faith to REMAIN a JW, since that's where the transferrence of authority resides. If you lose the faith, you've got to hit the road.

  You really should see the film "The Usual Suspects" (if you haven't seen it already), since it's a tale of the power gained from creating and controlling a sock puppet, the identity of the ultimate bad guy (Kaiser Soze). Compared to the villain in that movie, the RCC and GB are controlling the ultimate sock puppet there is, God.

  Adam
• 

  jgnat

  There are limitations to logic. I like logic very much. It is measurable, testable, reliable. Logic and reason alone, however, can't play Chopin and cannot even help us cross the street.

  The coordination of the huge volumes of sensory data and the corresponding muscular commands - to successfully cross the street - require a wholistic, lightning fast, reflexive, and consensus style of brain power quite separate from sequential commands.

  As you can see, I am not trying to prove the existence of God in this discussion, especially not in the realm of logic or science.

  I'm simply allowing myself to acknowlege and access the inexpressible. Which will of course limit our discussion aboout it.
• 

  adamah

  jgnat said- There are limitations to logic. I like logic very much. It is measurable, testable, reliable. Logic and reason alone, however, can't play Chopin and cannot even help us cross the street.

  The science of neurology deals in logic and reason, yes, but let's not forget the role of inspiration and creativity in generating hypotheses, and more importantly, coming up with methods which are needed to test them! That tired ol' meme of scientists dealing in 'black and white' and being concrete-thinkers who are devoid of imagination is a cliche', and deserves to be put to rest (which you probably know, after watching HOW many TED talks by now?).

  The brains of musicians aren't above study and explanation, eg Einstein himself was an accomplished violinist who enjoyed playing music and understood its regenerative power. Of course, even if we solve the mystery and decode the basis from which musical expression stems, it doesn't mean the experience is robbed of the power of listening and performing music. Speaking personally, the more I learned of the logic of music (i.e. music theory, VERY analytical and logical stuff), the more my appreciation for its emotional power grew.

  eg you've probably seen this TED Talk with an autistic pianist who possesses an amazing talent for music as his way of connecting with the World:

  http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_paravicini_and_adam_ockelford_in_the_key_of_genius.html

  Even if we figure out WHY and HOW he's able to do it, I'd say it's still say it doesn't change the result of creating a very-enjoyable listening experience, as it stands (and maybe even would increase the experience, if we know why it happens).

  Similarly, the combined results of neuronal connections firing the muscles to allow an organism to walk down the street is actually MORE awe-inspiring by studying the mechanics of how it occurs. That's exactly what Einstein was saying about how anyone who actually studies the mechanisms of nature is left with more awe vs simply someone who simply takes it for granted but says, "God Dun It" and doesn't even attempt to understand it.

  Adam
• 

  Comatose

  That ted talk is incredible. I hadn't seen that one.
• 

  jgnat

  I'm not trying to reason out the workings of the inexpressible portion of my mind. I'm trying to access it occasionally, in order to benefit from its wisdom. Most successful is when I access the most effective portions of my mind, depending on what I am doing. Here is how a left-brain draws a chair:

  

  I access the right brain when painting and drawing. The best times I enter a state of bliss, and the drawing "flows". These are my favorite paintings.

  However, when I am balancing my chequebook, I access the left brain. Pick the best tool for the job, my dad would say.

  I am so freaking skeptical, I did not believe 9-11 happened for the first hour. Google was new back then. The flood of horrifying pictures over the next hour finally convinced me.