Posts by IT Support

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

happehanna,

so then do I believe in a Creator, or do I believe in Creators?

Are you then convinced that evolution has no validity?

Regards,

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

ThiChi

I am still a Christian and encourage you to keep the faith. Christianity is under attack on many levels. I encourage you to speak with men of Faith in your area, and read all viewpoints of the matter....

May I ask what convinced you to 'remain' a Christian? (Is it correct to say JW's are Christian?) Any particular men of faith?

Any suggestions for reading?

Thanks.

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

Euphemism,

Well, I skimmed through Hans Kung's Does God Exist?, which is pretty much a survey of all the philosophers that Narkissos mentioned. It's a pretty heavy duty read, however; not only is the topic deep, but Kung is a very dry writer.

Sounds like that's one to get out of the library.

You'll also find a lot of stuff on the 'net just searching for keywords like "existence of God" and "atheism" (although you should be sure to keep your BS detector active!).

Absolutely! I've spent a few weeks doing this, and there are many more weeds than wheat!

If you're interested in the argument by design, rather than more abstract arguments, then you may want to read Behe's Darwin's Black Box for the theist viewpoint, and Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker for the atheist.

I've got (and read!) them both. I found Behe making a more convincing overall argument ('the devil's in the detail), though Dawkins' 'long view' is also very compelling... <sigh>

Appreciate your reply. Thanks.

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

Special K,

I'd like to believe in something higher than myself..

Me too, I'd like to, but I'm trying to find out if it's all just wishful thinking...

Thanks,

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

Sirona,

It is possible to speak to a deity and have that deity reply. Encountering a Goddess (or God) is an unmistakeable experience.

I guess it would also be pretty convincing!

Again, I'm not being argumentative, but say the Bible is correct, and what if you're experiencing 'demon' contact? How can you tell?

Regards,

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

Hi Sirona,

Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not criticising you, but isn't that in itself rather circular, asking God to direct your path, if you're not convinced he/she/it even exists...?

Actually, I'm just as inconsistent myself, I continue to pray with the family, even in the midst of these doubts...

I knew a "higher being" existed and therefore I set out to find Him (or Her, LOL).

Do you mind me asking what made you so certain?

Thank you,

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

Carmel,

a lot of reading led me to believe in an intelegince behind the ordered universe.

May I ask what you read?

Thanks,

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

stillajwexelder,

I have read around the subject of God and religion in the last few years that I now question everything -- and that I am afraid includes the existence of God

Thanks.

May I ask what you read that led you in that direction?

Regards,

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

Narkissos,

Realistically, I don't.

I've a horrible feeling I may end up reaching the same conclusion, though I'd far prefer it would be otherwise...
Why "horrible"? How can you know what it is like being an atheist?

I said 'horrible' because I would really like to be able to prove to myself, beyond all reasonable doubt, that there is a God, and that He has a Grand Plan for man, earth, the universe and everything, and that the Bible is His Word and that I haven't wasted the last half-century of my life...

But to me admitting I didn't believe in "God" anymore was not "losing faith" at all. It was rather "walking by faith", as it were, on an unexpected path.

I think I know what you mean.

Check any recent critical Bible introduction (from a non-fundamentalist Bible edition for example): you will realize the process of writing the texts which now make up the Old Testament hardly began before the 8th century BC, and that all the former texts were subject to monotheistic rewriting after the Babylonian exile (6th century BC). Still the old polytheistic view, in which Yhwh is just one god among many others, show in many places...

Interesting, do you have any suggestions for a "recent critical Bible introduction"?

I attended the Pioneer School too instead of going to college, but there's still plenty of time to read when you're out!

Precisely! You know, one of the things I'm really enjoying at the moment is reading novels, that I never had time to read before.

I suggest his masterpiece Thus spake Zarathoustra (very Gospel-like in style), and also the provocative The Antichrist as an introduction to Nietzsche's thinking.

Thank you very much, I'll look into them.

The classical, metaphysical "proofs" of God's existence have been developed by a number middle-age Church Doctors such as St. Anselm or St. Thomas. After the collapse of metaphysics, many attempts have been made at giving a new base for "God". Epistemological in Descartes' Discours de la méthode, moral in Kant's Practical Reason... For one time I was quite fond of Kierkegaard's paradoxical view of God, or Emmanuel Lévinas' humanistic and poetical vision of "God" as the "other's face"...

Brilliant, thank you. I suspect I'll have no shortage of reading for some time to come...

However, I came to realize the definitions of "God" I was mostly attracted to didn't suit the common meaning of the word "God" -- so I finally preferred to confess my atheism, while feeling free to refer to "God" (or "gods") as a metaphor...

I don't understand your use again of being 'attracted to' one definition or another. Do you mean that, at the end of all your own reading, for you it all boiled down to your own personal preference?

Thank you for your very helpful suggestions.

Regards,

Ken

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

IT Support

happehanna

do you remember some years ago they (that is wtbts) talked about "perma-frost" of the brain it was like a double bluff...............

I only vaguely remembered something about it, so checked in WT Library. Was this what you had in mind?

17 Permafrost well illustrates the situation of one whose mental powers are not actively involved with taking in, remembering, and using accurate knowledge. (Compare Matthew 13:5, 20, 21.) The person likely has the mental capacity to learn various subjects, including Bible truth. He studied "the elementary things of the sacred pronouncements of God" and may have qualified to be baptized, as did those Hebrew Christians. He might, though, not "press on to maturity," to things beyond "the primary doctrine about the Christ."?Hebrews 5:12; 6:1. (w93 8/15 15)

but does it really matter what any of of believes ??????

I suppose we all want answers to questions, the knack is knowing who to ask...

Regards,

Ken