Why not be totally free from it all?

by braincleaned 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  James Brown

  What I get from the bible is that this life is a time for us to decide if we want to go Gods way or the highway.

  This life is what it is like to live in a sinful fallen world without God directing mankind.

  God's final plan is not for life to be savage and for animals to eat each other.

  The final plan is to live in peace, love and harmony.

  People in this dimension get to choose whether they want to buy into living with God or to go on directing

  their own lives apart from God.

  This life is the forum of many truths, we all have the save facts. The question is how to do we want to interpet them?

  I hope there is something better after this life. But I am not denying myself anything in this life waiting for the next life.

  If the atheist are right and this life is all there is, there is nothing I could or would do different.

  I only have x amount of dollars and 24 hours in a day.

  For the past 2 years I have been retired and I could do anything I want.

  The only limit I have had for the past 2 years is the amount of money I could spend.

  If I had unlimited money, I would have more guitars, more motorcycles but I wouldn't have had any more time

  to play with them.

  Plus I like to read which is cheap but time consuming.

  I agree religion is a snare and a racket and a waste of time but for all of us here it is part of the journey.

  I suspect if a person was filthy rich there would come a time when he would reflect on religious, spiritual matters.

  Then he would decide God or no God.

  That seems to be the question before us all.
• 

  braincleaned

  If the atheist are right and this life is all there is, there is nothing I could or would do different.
  
  Then you are a happy man... and a reasonable one in practice.
  
  Plus I like to read which is cheap but time consuming.
  
  Yep, we must be related! :)
  
  Then he would decide God or no God.
  
  This on the other hand, is not that easy.
  Nobody decides to 'believe' anything. We can only decide what sources to trust, then believe or not those sources if their reasoning and logic makes sense to us, or not.
  When I used to believe in the existence of God, it was because I was persuaded by my upbringing/environment and the sources I trusted to be true.
  Now I have come to the conclusion that the Biblical god is just fantasy and folklore, because as I have opined in my OP, he makes no sense.
• 

  tec

  Well, everyone is free to choose their own path. Can't argue with that because it is true.

  The fear and fuzzy feeling for a sky-daddy is a generalization that some atheists make to explain to themselves (I think) why some people continue to have faith, while they no longer do. I never had faith because I feared death. I never had faith because of a warm-fuzzy feeling. Faith came from hearing the truth about God, in Christ... and loving Christ, so loving God. The joy and peace that comes from that faith, came from knowing Christ and God through Christ... knowing that God IS love, that all that God DOES do is for us.

  Yes there is freedom from death in Christ. (real freedom from 'it all', as I understand it) But I never spent much time dwelling on this in the past. I understand more now, mind you. But I just loved Christ and followed Him. Still do.

  I will not disagree with you on any particular point about religion. No need to. Religion is not Truth. Religion is not from God, but from men. So religion goes the way that the men running/leading it wants it to go... and that more often than not, has nothing to do with what God wants or has said, through His Son. You find a man who has the choice from the bible (or his religion) to forgive or to judge... and he chooses to judge; well, that man is not listening to Christ.

  Peace,

  tammy
• 

  Finkelstein

  Good write up Vince.

  Religion is embracing and living off the ignorance from others, who actually might have lived thousands of years ago.

  To live off those lies is such a human waste from a individual standpoint as well to the betterment of humanity now living.
• 

  braincleaned

  I will respect your opinion Tec, and leave it at that — because I believe we have covered our different views on other threads, and we will probably stay on our positions.
  
  I will just point out that Jesus and religion are related in that you would have never 'encountered' (and recognized) him without all the religious and cultural iconic references already available.
  What I mean is that your description of Him, his character and message — all fit the religious christian standards.
  
  To say God is Love and ignoring the obvious I stated in my OP, is repeating what the Bible says — a Religious book by any definition.
• 

  braincleaned

  Thank you Finkelstein.
  
  Indeed, old scripture is demonstrably ignorant of the knowledge we have now — this being proof that an all-knowing creator did not "inspire" such writings.
  Furthermore, the claims of this "Loving god" are in total contradiction with observable evidence.
  
  We need to evolve a little faster — because this nonsense is still crippling our progress.
• 

  Finkelstein

  I think what Tec might be trying to say is that Jesus Christ is the greatest god that ever appeared in the human imagination

  and some good has come out of that focused belief of him.

  There is a Truth in that assertion.
• 

  braincleaned

  Yes... that is true. Especially the "imagination" part... :D
• 

  LisaRose

  I want to believe in God, but I just don't see the evidence. I am almost envious of those who still have faith, I wish I had that comfort. But refusing to give up a belief because it is comforting, even when there is no evidence, is just not possible for me. If I ever see evidence of a creator I will be glad to revise my opinion.
• 

  tec

  I will respect your opinion Tec, and leave it at that — because I believe we have covered our different views on other threads, and we will probably stay on our positions.

  We have. You did say you wanted to get the discussion going though, so I though perhaps I would also comment.

  I will just point out that Jesus and religion are related in that you would have never 'encountered' (and recognized) him without all the religious and cultural iconic references already available.

  I 'might' not have heard about him outside of religion. MAYBE. (and men learned of God without religion as well, so it is possible to learn of Christ without religion) But...

  What I mean is that your description of Him, his character and message — all fit the religious christian standards.

  I did not come to know Christ or God through 'christianity'. I would never have known God through religion. Fact, I would have had to reject much of it, and did have to reject the things I had been taught ABOUT God, in order to hear the Truth. And I think that there are plenty of people who profess to be christian who would completely disagree with you on this point about me, lol. There are so many different 'christian denominations'... I'm not sure there even is a 'christian standard'. I am not in religion, braincleaned. Neither is Christ... as He is calling His people OUT. Religion is all about what man thinks (or enforces on others) about God. Faith is about spirit and truth. Christ.

  To say God is Love and ignoring the obvious I stated in my OP, is repeating what the Bible says — a Religious book by any definition.

  I learned that God is love from Christ... not from the bible, and not from religion. And I don't mean that I learned it by rote, like I am just repeating words. Religion does that... having no understanding of what is meant by what they are parroting. I mean knowing it, seeing it, experiencing it, understanding it.

  As you say though, the above, we have discussed plenty ; )

  But as for the cycle of life:

  This world is not the Kingdom of God. Death has no place in the Kingdom of God. But death entered into this world (meaning death had not been in this world before it entered), through sin. We exist in this world that man made; that the Adversary rules (because man allows him to rule in him).

  See a world that belongs to God, that is ruled by God (being ruled actually by Christ)... and find fault with THAT one... then you might have a point in saying that nature reflects God. In the meantime, this world and all that is in it (including animals), is not in subjection to God, and so does not reflect God.

  Peace to you,

  tammy