Are Christians harmless?

by gumby 245 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  FlyingHighNow

  Did I miss an American colloquialism?

  Huh?

  Flyin'
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  Utopian Reformist

  Hey there FlyingHighNow:
  
  I appreciate your comments and the golfing analogy. But, I am talking about PERSONAL spirituality. It is that internal motivation or impetus that one either satisfies personally, or gives in to pressure and searches for an external satisfaction, in a group or a church.
  
  I find that it takes an awful lot of effort to force oneself to silently and personally meditate upon life's questions, life's problems, life's directions and death and the future. It is hard to stop and think on your own and train oneself not to consult or collaborate with others and figure out who you really are, what you really believe about a subject. It is a process of struggling and testing one's own fortitude and security.
  
  I believe it is a worthwhile process and brings great benefits. It has helped me trmendously since leaving the JW borg.
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  FlyingHighNow

  Hey there FlyingHighNow:
  
  I appreciate your comments and the golfing analogy.

  I think maybe that was Gumby who used the golf analogy. Mine was the going to the movies analogy.

  I agree that you have do a lot of thinking and soul searching on your own. I am on my own for now. I don't believe you're going to find the absolute, pure truth in any religious organization. I think it might be interesting to go to church with Little Toe however.

  Flyin'
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  LittleToe

  Flyin:

  I think it might be interesting to go to church with Little Toe however.

  Naww, I just sit n listen and sing n stuff. Most of the stuff that interests me goes on in my own head.
  Unless it's me in the pulpit, of course...
  

  Of course, we could always sit at the back n giggle n stuff.
  And hey, who took my "writing style" chip and replaced it with Gumb*st*rds?

  GUMBY!!!!!!?
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  ozziepost

  Unless it's me in the pulpit, of course...

  It's quite a nice place, actually. Why don't you try it...you might find it's just for you.
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  FlyingHighNow

  Of course, we could always sit at the back n giggle n stuff.

  That sounds like alot of fun. If ever I'm in Scotland I'll look you up and we'll do just that. Then I'll pick your brain for some of that interesting stuff. You in the pulpit? This I'd like to see. Hey, what church do you go to anyway?

  Flyin'
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  LittleToe

  Ozzie:

  It's quite a nice place, actually. Why don't you try it...you might find it's just for you.

  Flyin:

  Hey, what church do you go to anyway?

  Believe it or not my usual haunt is a conservative, evangelical denomination called "The Free Church of Scotland". Though I'm not shy about going to other places.
  I love Psalm singing even better than Hymns (which I also enjoy), so it suits me. It's also VERY strong on theology, which I love to argue about with a passion, now that I can
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  myauntfanny

  LT:

  Take "Amazing Grace" as a good example.

  Or that one about the green and pleasant land, what's that called? I love that one. I think the music is the most sublime part. I was walking in Tintern Abbey once while someone was playing the music of Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, that was..... indescribable.

  Satanus:

  It's simple, really. A reaction of wanting to defend/maintain against a group or individual, doctrine, or whatever would threaten that sublime. Out of the sublime grow controlers - priesthood, and theology. The priesthood and theology also would need to be defended. Especially as it is seen as irreplaceable.

  I don't believe it's that simple. Because murderousness is fundamentally about protecting the self. And this experience of the sublime is something quite different, the self dissolves somewhat. I've only experienced it briefly and rarely and I'm sure I haven't experienced anything very profound, as I know some on this board have. But I know that what I mean by sublime is something that does not leave me feeling I have to hoard it or protect it and certainly not murder over it, because it's available to all. When I say it's irreplaceable, I mean that there is no other experience like it, not that it's a commodity in short supply.
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  bebu

  Thanks for the link to the church, LT. I enjoyed reading several of the letters from the pastor; he's a real whip. I can imagine what an enjoyable as well stimulating church that must be.

  Great thoughts here, everyone!

  bebu
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  gumby

  You know what I wanna do? I wanna go to some pentecostal, holy rollin, mouth frothin, eye buggin, demon lookin church with LittleToe and sit there for awhile all normal and stuff......then I wanna stand up and start speakin in gumtongues..like.... "hanna mamma, shilo biaca gumbastard cana tana me ca ta abba da........untill LT laughs so hard while I run like a madman and leave him rollin in his pee pee laughter. Now that would be fun!

  Anyways,

  But, I am talking about PERSONAL spirituality. It is that internal motivation or impetus that one either satisfies personally, or gives in to pressure and searches for an external satisfaction, in a group or a church.

  Hey UR....not to pick on you here....but.... Since I'm looking at things from a christian apologists view as to see both sides, do you feel people who decide to meet in a group feel pressured to do so? I think many do and in many churches, but not ALL christians feel pressured. As for external satisfaction in meeting with a group.....I see no harm in that. That's why people go to bars, nightclubs, and all other social gatherings........correct? Throwin the wink in there in case yer mad at me

  Gumby