by lriddle80 53 Replies latest jw friends
Hope doesn't have to be as existential as dreams of a utopian world. Hope can be a powerful motivator toward beating a disease, healing a relationship, owning your own home. All these things are what really keep us going, not a pie in the sky promise.
Having hope is simply trusting that life has as many good things in store for us as bad. Its healthy, its balanced and its pragmatic.
Thanks for that thoughtful answer! For me, I got saved and my soul finally found peace when I realized I didn't need to know who is "right" only that Jesus would save me if I asked him to and I believed him.
I like that you have an open mind. I think it's fun when all possibilities are considered. It leads to better conversation!!
First I thought about the story of Pandora’s box. You see, the ancients had wisdom and thought about these things long before Jesus time. I wonder, what hope did the people of Northern Europe circa 5000 BC have, I wonder? Would you consider their hope legitimate?
Because I have a strong sense of fair play, I often wonder why it is only those born after a certain time and in very specific areas, have the possibility of declaring faith in Jesus and being saved. It just doesn’t seem fair or logical, to me. That’s just my take. I’m open to conversation around it and having my mind changed.
My hope is simply that no one gets hurt or is in pain. But that’s never going to happen. My neighbour, a father of four, was knocked from his push bike and killed on Friday. We’ve shared the same front door for 17 years nearly. I have to hope no one else I care for will suffer the same fate. But 15 people have died that way in London so far this year. 15 destroyed families. Without hope no one could live. That’s why even those without faith have hope. We’d simply shut down and stop breathing without it.
A lot of things were "counted" to people "as righteousness" before Jesus, usually involving some action showing they believed what God said.
I guess I see your point. We as humans are always "hoping" for something we know might not happen and that keeps us going. Is that it?
So, even though politicians may fail my atheist relatives, they will probably just "hope" for other things along the way and that will distract them from seeing the futility of it all. That makes me feel better for them. Thanks!
TD
So, if feelings are just hormones chasing each other. Then why pay attention to any of them? Why this insatiable need for justice? Isn't this just hormones and should be treated as such? But, the whole world has erupted over it!
(This is off topic, but it made me think!)
So, if feelings are just hormones chasing each other. Then why pay attention to any of them?
I don't think the organic cause of feelings trivializes them. (Perhaps I did not convey that thought as well as I thought I did in my initial comment.) The point was that they originate from within.
And some definitely shouldn't be listened to. Suicidal thoughts, for example, can be very powerful and strike without much warning. If you ever have them, I hope you don't listen.
TD
Ok, good, I agree, biology doesn't account for the whole picture.
Oh yes! Feelings lie to us all the time, especially fear, anger...maybe the scripture about the heart being deceptive fits!
I know! Suicide takes away all hope for that person and that's why I believe so strongly in helping to bring hope to people who think no one sees them or cares. There are people who seem almost like withered, dried up flowers, but then you show them some love, attention, care and if they really believe someone cares, they start to perk up and maybe it could create a spark for them to start living again or change their life!
Iriddle80 your superimposing the conceptual ideology that its only human made politics is the only hope mankind can possibly retain.
This is false ideology created and promoted by religoius organizations like the JWS which I'm guessing your a member of.
As history has shown in the end its humans alone that have the inherent responsibility for making the human experience better for all concerned.
Religious organizations look for people in peril to exploit their situation as a means to mentally lure them into an engaging false ideology of embracing supernatural beings and their select earthly chosen ones to guide them toward a better living experience.
Sure there may be at first some positive results in the beginning giving people some hope of reassuring confidence within themselves by being involved in a socialized group effort with others but the long term can prove crippling as well.
You can see this in people who got too deeply involved in the JWS religion.
People who participated for many years in special pioneer work only to be let go when they aged, leaving them impoverished with no financial or healthcare support by the organization to which they served.
People waiting for Jehovah their worshiped god to resolve mankind struggles and perils accomplished by being subjectively obedient to his supposed earthly chosen ones the GB leaders.
Creating dependency upon envisioned ancient gods has proven to be overall an endeavor of harmful futility for mankind.
Ok, good, I agree, biology doesn't account for the whole picture.
That is not at all what I said, but I do applaud your positive outlook...
For those who don't believe in God - I was wondering if only politics was the answer for them because they seem to be for my atheist relatives and if those relatives lost hope in politics, then what else was there for them.
I will tell you a kind of funny story from my volunteering:
Last Wednesday, I was talking with my homeless friend, D, about God and salvation, etc, asking about his life. D said he didn't feel God was with him because he is getting angry at so many people and doesn't have any peace and I know he isn't sleeping well. Well, the devotion that we did that day, no less than 10 minutes later was about ANGER and loss of sleep because of it and that if we give it to God we will have more peace! He was shaking his head and I had a big cheesy grin! Afterwards, he said, "it's gone, I am giving it to God" and I was able to say that God is with him!! It was cool!!
In all my years of being dependent on an ancient God, I have not been disappointed and he is my delight, amidst all the suffering that life has brought to me.
But I started this to see what others had to say about the topic of hope. It helps me as I have conversations with people where I volunteer (called The Hope House) and how I think about my relatives.
Thanks for your reply! :)
TD
Haha, thanks! :)
