Posts by Patrick

7

Christianity

by Patrick in

those who feel the influx of divine energy after they are initiated into christianity suffer not only from unfortunate accidents but often from manic outbursts ending in madness.

it is the business of the preachers to avoid this outcome and to see that his initiates can become possessed by this energy of jesus and still remain sane.. we might thus call a christian one who has been possessed by a spirit after a private initiation which has no aim other than the desire continually to be possessed, unlike a voodoo ceremony with its definite beginning and end.

the christian cannot but wish his experience will continue for ever, even if he realizes that his body will disinegrate under the impact of the religion and that he then can no longer call his soul his own.. the teachings, which slow down physical activity, and the group meetings which speed it up, are particularly apt to bring about the state of living on borrowed time; this is not only because they bring out long term metabolic changes but also because the will cannot detach itself from the pleasures it seeks.. the question of whether it is ethical to take a mans soul is a difficult one to answer.

Patrick

Being a dub? As in the health food movement in the 80's a follower of Dubisch, the health food guru? Or, a clumsy unskilled performer? The Dubisch analysis of the religious aspects of the health food movement made me laugh. Ever see those people who come out of health food stores, they look pale and sickly and take to many Vitamins. Their brains just stop producing chemicals and they are synthetic humans. As far as being dubbed to confer knighthood the Ku Klux Klan rejected me cause I am half Indian.

7

Christianity

by Patrick in

those who feel the influx of divine energy after they are initiated into christianity suffer not only from unfortunate accidents but often from manic outbursts ending in madness.

it is the business of the preachers to avoid this outcome and to see that his initiates can become possessed by this energy of jesus and still remain sane.. we might thus call a christian one who has been possessed by a spirit after a private initiation which has no aim other than the desire continually to be possessed, unlike a voodoo ceremony with its definite beginning and end.

the christian cannot but wish his experience will continue for ever, even if he realizes that his body will disinegrate under the impact of the religion and that he then can no longer call his soul his own.. the teachings, which slow down physical activity, and the group meetings which speed it up, are particularly apt to bring about the state of living on borrowed time; this is not only because they bring out long term metabolic changes but also because the will cannot detach itself from the pleasures it seeks.. the question of whether it is ethical to take a mans soul is a difficult one to answer.

Patrick

Never been an elder in a church. I was thrown out of kindergarden because I refused to talk, I did not start talking untill the 3rd grade, not because I could not talk but because my sisters never shut up. My mother was a Native American and her family all died at the wounded knee thing. My father is English but was disowned by his relatives because he married an Indian. I own my house in Florence Oregon and walk the beach every day or go up in the woods to pick berries and stuff. As far as Bible teachings I have none. I read the book and it did not seem to me as being from God; the stories are so perverted with men taking their sisters as wives.

One story sticks in my mind; The bible says King David see a girl named Beth-sheba in the courtyard and lusts for her but she is married; so he has her husband killed and fathers a son named Solomon; who later with his mother attempts to kill the rightful heir to the thrown; this heir, the first born in turn runs and hides in the woods because his father the King is on his death bed, and god finds favor in that??? Next this Solomon has many wives, sends his mother away; than she comes back and becomes Solomons wife?? Than he builds the first Temple to his god. Who was his god that found favor in murder and incest? This was not gods doing but Beth-shebas bastard son. The Temple of God in my opinion is the human body. There is no morals or values to these stories of incest, lust and murdering. Its a jig-saw puzzle of evil and every where you look there is evil in this bible. Men giving away their daughters to protect some angels. Angels do not need protection; this whole book is full of stories that make no sense at all. Beth-sheba and Solomon made a pact with the Devil; and I am willing to bet this man named Jesus comes from the loins of Solomon the bastard child of a murdered mans wife. Once a pact with the Devil is made it follows their blood lines according to witchcraft. Christianity and Witchcraft are real close in their delusional behaviors but Christianity goes over into some of the Voodoo practices which are gods or spirits of the Haitian pantheon. The Loa.

I read all about Voodoo and their delusional beliefs and rituals, and in my opinion they too make pacts with the Devil and demons to gain knowledge and power over people.

7

Christianity

by Patrick in

those who feel the influx of divine energy after they are initiated into christianity suffer not only from unfortunate accidents but often from manic outbursts ending in madness.

it is the business of the preachers to avoid this outcome and to see that his initiates can become possessed by this energy of jesus and still remain sane.. we might thus call a christian one who has been possessed by a spirit after a private initiation which has no aim other than the desire continually to be possessed, unlike a voodoo ceremony with its definite beginning and end.

the christian cannot but wish his experience will continue for ever, even if he realizes that his body will disinegrate under the impact of the religion and that he then can no longer call his soul his own.. the teachings, which slow down physical activity, and the group meetings which speed it up, are particularly apt to bring about the state of living on borrowed time; this is not only because they bring out long term metabolic changes but also because the will cannot detach itself from the pleasures it seeks.. the question of whether it is ethical to take a mans soul is a difficult one to answer.

Patrick

Those who feel the influx of divine energy after they are initiated into Christianity suffer not only from unfortunate accidents but often from manic outbursts ending in madness. It is the business of the preachers to avoid this outcome and to see that his initiates can become possessed by this energy of Jesus and still remain sane.
We might thus call a Christian one who has been possessed by a spirit after a private initiation which has no aim other than the desire continually to be possessed, unlike a Voodoo ceremony with its definite beginning and end. The Christian cannot but wish his experience will continue for ever, even if he realizes that his body will disinegrate under the impact of the religion and that he then can no longer call his soul his own.
The teachings, which slow down physical activity, and the group meetings which speed it up, are particularly apt to bring about the state of living on borrowed time; this is not only because they bring out long term metabolic changes but also because the will cannot detach itself from the pleasures it seeks.
The question of whether it is ethical to take a mans soul is a difficult one to answer. They have been and still are being taken as an aid to Charisma, and a complex of factors based on devotional patterns; but the masters of this art of gathering souls for Jesus are unanimous in condemning them, since they tend to inflame the preachers imagination and give him a wrong idea of its powers.
No one becomes a Christian unless he has made a pact with it, a pact in which he dedicates his will to the power of the church. There is no doubt that the mythology surrounding Christianity reflects certain basic notions about black magic for this reason. They wish to keep you in the dark. Black magic is rightly regarded as a dangerous pastime because it provides immediate gains without immediate payment; it is a pact with the Devil, who comes later when it suits him and presents a bill on which are written the ominous words, One Soul.
What does it mean, to enter into a pact with the Devil? The traditional reasons for such a pact include the obtaining of wealth, of power over men and Nature, and over the hearts of silly women ladden with sins. The central reason was to overcome depression and to find a father substitute.
Once you enter this pact you sense an increase of self control and you feel more vigorous and more capable of work. I suggest that its effects were due, not to direct stimulation but the removal of your soul, which produced a return to a state of normal euphoria. The soul has to do with the superego in your system, and I can enlarge this description by remarking that by removing the "censor" of your superego, also removes your soul.
When at such a time the use of Christianity is stopped, this soul must be at least one of the most unpleasant withdrawal symptoms; numbing sensations, dissociating the mind, anxieties arising in the body.
Christianity becomes subservient to the force of your intellectual drive and just as in Voodoo the soul does return once the connecting pact is broken.
I recommend that you create a special form of ritual to the real God, and stay away from man made gods.

Paragraphs as noted.

13

Faith beyond beliefs

by Narkissos in

to make a long story short, i'm an xjw from france: born and baptized as a catholic, i became a jw in 1972 at the age of 13 with part of my family; then a pioneer and a bethel member, before being disfellowshipped for "apostasy" in 1986. afterwards, involved in theology and bible edition with the mainstream protestant churches, slowly drifting from the evangelical to the liberal wing and finally out of all religious groups and beliefs.

the "atheologist" label, i guess, would suit fairly enough by now.. the question i'd like to ask my fellow xjw "brothers and sisters" (and there seems to be plenty of them around .

the question is especially directed to those of you who would not easily term themselves "christians", and who have not sticked to any recognized "creed".

Patrick

The drugs used in other religious rites tend to be hallucinogenic rather then narcotic or stupefying, and these have a quite different effect upon anxiety. Common to plants with such active principles as Banisteria, Amanita and Datura is the production of a sudden surge of energy with visions in which terror and splendour may be equally present. "Banisteria" one must remember that shamanistic traditions speak of an initiatory experience in which the body is torn apart by beasts of prey, after which a crystalline body is given by the spirits. The traditional method is to accept the attack which the drug makes on the self without fear, an acceptance which transforms anxiety into knowledge. "Amanita" puts the motor system into spasm, and the shamans who use it must go through a long education in this experience and have to grapple with the visions it produces before they can master its effects. "Datura" also activates a sense of physical power together with pyschic ambition that may lead a person so far out of his personal range that a spasm of timidity may leave him stranded on a ungovernable activity. "Psilocybe mushrooms" which is clinically said to be that of depersonalization, but the tribal practitioners in fact call it dematerialization and use its effects when they wish to penetrate material obstacles, to free consciousness from its bodily entanglements and allow the shaman to inhabit bodies other than his own for healing.
"Peyote" traditionally used has yet other consequences. Visions occur without apparent reason, and the Indians phrase this by saying that peyote is a power in itself that works from the outside. Under this drug one does not dream, one is dreamed. It was used by the Aztecs for divinatory purposes, and by the Tarahumara of Mexico as the body of divinity.
Amateurism in these matters does little but create a problem, and if the mind is to reach beyond itself by the use of a drug like these, you must be placed into the sevice of someone you trust, rather then folly and isolation. Anxiety is what causes the so called "bad trip;" alcoholic beverages will reduce effects. Never take any religious rites plants with people you do not trust. You want to come over for a plate of Lasagna with mushrooms? Oh; where is your faith?

16

The Rock has an army already.

by Patrick in

infectious diseases are illnesses caused by the attack of tribesmen in nature.

these tribesmen are tiny living creatures, so small they can be seen only with high-powered microscopes.

these tribesmen invade the tissues of our giant bodies, where they grow, multiply, and interfere with the normal functions of the flesh.

Patrick

You got to stop using those mind expanding drugs Shamus; that marijuana is starting to work.

A substance known as a drug in the worse sense of that word also has the characteristic of being paradisiacal and poisonous. One cannot read widely enough about drugs these days without coming across persistent references to the "drug problem." The serpent coiled about the Tree of Life, (symbol of doctors) is always there if you use drugs to enter paradise. Drugs are indeed a problem in that they are addictive and encourage strange forms of narcissism which, through they may end with death, are still attempts to regain paradise. There are five categories, the paridise of narcosis, euphoria, intoxication, stimulation, and hallucination. Drugs are used throughout the world, sometimes for entertainment, often for therapy or as a religious observation. The use of toadstools and of other hallucinogenic mushrooms was more widely spred in the past then our religious leaders claim, and its effects quite possibly helped to give form to a number of traditional descriptions of heaven and God with his Angels. These substances were sacred to the shamans, because they used these plants, with the chance of fatallity, to cure illnesses of the soul and body. If the plants can be used to enter paradise, what are the uses of paradise itself? However, no modern doctor considers such substances sacred and with this fact in itself, it has much to do with the existence of the drug problem. Modern pharmacology has added to the number of psychotropic substances (mind controling drugs) with highly potent and highly addictive derivatives of opium, anaesthetics, synthetic narcotics, tranquillizers, pep pills, hallucinogens, and so many others. Man is a discontented animal beset by psychological and physical troubles, and because of boredom he uses drugs to relieve pain and illnesses, and this also changes his entire way of looking at things that were once sacred, and brings about a state of dissociation in which the mind finds a new faculty of expression. Mankind has what I would call a nervous complaint of some severity. Such unsatisfied and unbalanced states of mind are continually looking for a resolution of their frustrations, and they do so by using traditional methods of modern pharmacology that do not consider any substance sacred.

29

Mental health issues

by YellowLab in

how many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?

were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?

do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.

Patrick

According to the cybernetic approach, a human being is made up of sensory organs receiving information from outside the body; sounds, images, odors, temperature and taste, and converting them into signals into the central nervous processor, which is your brain. As this is mediatized according to the chemical potential of the neurotransmitters, and thus does involve hyperbolic metrics. The measurement of a voltage is fundamentally the measurement of the chemical potential of the electron. A humans central nervous system is made up of neurones, in the number of 1E12 to 1E13; exchanging infomation with the entire body through facial nerves, the spinal chord and peripheral nerves. It is the conscience mind that involve the whole nervous system, even peripheric nerves, which is acceptable in the Taoist approach of the human body. The central nervous system treats information and recognies them in comparison to an internal data base of memory. Learning involves such processes and intergration in reflective actions through training the ability towards which result from the autoadaptive function of neurons. A lot of these functions are fully automatized and their disruption is very exceptional, which proves the reliability and spontaneous curing performance of human beings, in normal situations and even extreamly unusual situations through adequate training. Biofeedback is now enabling completely paralyzed people to dictate a letter by voluntary control of a cursor on the screen of a computer, through decoding of voluntary evoked cortical slow potentials on their EEG. I do not think any scientifically recognized telekinetic or telepathic action has even been proved, but direct coupling of mind to matter is possible in my opinion. Western sciences and Christian doctors do not distinguish manifestations of disease that are defenses from those that are defects and consider neurosciences close to a taboo form of witchcraft. You can heal with the conscience mind and the power of thought with training.

The sociological phenomenon of ruling aggregations of oligarchical families, has been consistently associated with a special kind of religious belief since the Chaldean worshipers of that Ishtar whom the New Testament describes as the Whore of Babylon. That Whore is know by various tribal names, including Shakti, Astarte, Venus, Cybele and Isis the Great Mother. In Christian hommage to the memory of Venus, doctors came up with the name "venereal disease." But before Hitler and the "new dark age of lies;" she was known as the Great Mother Earth, Demeter, or the Russian?s Matushka Rus.

To believe in yourself is a good thing.

29

Mental health issues

by YellowLab in

how many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?

were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?

do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.

Patrick

Ok, you got me to laugh. Blondie

29

Mental health issues

by YellowLab in

how many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?

were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?

do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.

Patrick

To discuss the religious and philosophical aspects of the so called "consciousness expanding" drugs, particularly marijuana. " The Serpent Power," by Arthur Avalon, is a translation of an ancient Hindu text, the Mahanirvana tantra, one of the more conservative texts of the Shaivite school of Hinduism. This text deals with ritual, prayer, and the formal religious use of marijuana. One who engages in mantra prayer and chanting will use this narcotic hemp in his ceremonies, and these rituals should be protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. But, like I have said before the laws of this country are superimposed by common interest groups. Pharmacological companies have spent serious money to prove the adverse reactions to unadulterated preparations of this flower and in extreme doses of 20 cigarettes a day of the highest quality. They include paranoia and psychotic reactions, and increase in heart rate and dilation of the blood vessels of the eye. A particular concern of the Pharmacological Industry is the "amotivation syndrome;" which is their term for feelings of apathy. These companies and government (that backs up big contributers to their re-election campaigns) blame marijuana smoking for the appearance and performance of teenagers. It is difficult to understand a youth's diminished drive and ambition and in my opinion the disruption of the family structure, domestic violence, and general social unrest of these turbulent times of injustice seem a little closer to truth then blaming marijuana use. Despite the lack of any clear evidence linking marijuana to harmful physical effects it is still against the law, and the fact that producing advertising that induces young people to smoke cigarettes or purchase expensive merchandise that some parents can not afford is legal make a weak argument. One of the most alarming developments has been the tremendous growth and exploitation by the Pharmacological drug industry and their mind control drugs for children. Abnormal behavior as well as overt psychiatric symptoms are brought on or changed by social and cultural conditions. Marijuana according to government is a drug used by low social classes, poverty, sexism groups, racism groups, people with lack of family support that correlates with poor psychological adjustment, people with stress, anxiety, depression, role confusion, a sense of helplessness, and the failure to achieve potential. The interaction between a child and the most significant caretaking person is another major determinant of early development of marijuana abuse according to government. Now, in our culture that would be your mother! Government and doctors and pharmacological giants put the blame on your mother. I think my mother would have a problem with that. A child whose life situation is too disadvantaged and whose minimal survival needs are not met may not develop healthy ways of coping with life, but to put the blame on mothers is not the case. The ingredient in healthy psychological growth is freedom. Over twenty million Americans currently require treatment for emotional difficulties. One third of all hospital beds are occupied by people with mental illnesses. Their disorders account for more days of hospitalization than any other cause. Including lost productivity, the cost of their hospitalization is over $20 billion a year to American taxpayers. The drug treatment for all these mental disorders are the bread and butter to the pharmacological giants. Marijuana exists like many other things in this world, and it would be extremely superficial to forbid, to outlaw, or to consider marijuana evil or immoral. I think anyone who contemplates taking any drugs, including pharmacological drugs, deserves to have all of the knowledge necessary so that he can make an intelligent choice as to just what risk is involved. In this country the automobile kills thousands of people a year, and yet I have not heard of anyone advocating the abolition of the automobile. Many things in life involve risk and we do not shun them. In any case if the marijuana substances have substantial spiritual and religious advantages, the I would be prepared to say that this outweighs the perils and disadvantages. If it could cut the $20 billion plus spending for mental health a year, that would be a consideration worth looking into. It seems to me that the genuinely religious person would not think his relationship to God was in a sugar cube, a bottle, or a chemical, instead of patience, serenity, humility and just waiting for enlightenment. For social use it seems that marijuana in the streets is over priced for what it is, but then so are the pharmacological drugs. It is only about the money and the oppression of the lower status people, the working classes.

29

Mental health issues

by YellowLab in

how many of you have experienced or are experiencing any mental health related issues?

were/are any of these issues related to you being a jw?

do you feel many dubs still in "the truth" have mental health issues but are afraid to seek treatment from a "worldly" psychologist or psychiatrist?.

Patrick

Man?s mind is both rational and irrational, and so is his drug taking behavior. The wide use of drugs and medicines for therapeutic purposes is irrational behavior. Man has used his irrational mind to select and invent remedies designed to provide relief from a variety of symptoms such as pain, inflammation, cough, and vomiting. The only rational use of drugs is to cure disease, which is different from using them to relieve symptoms. In recent decades, drug therapy has been used most extensively for symptoms of anxiety caused by doctors and society. This anxiety is not easily defined nor measured, so it is difficult to assess a drug?s success scientifically. The basic conflict to rationality arises from using part of the brain for a decision that involves the brain itself, the organ affected by the disorder. A simple question about man?s ultimate ability to understand illness. Also where is the rationality in the overuse of a drug that has a sound therapeutic basis but which becomes overused because treatment lasts too long, too much of the drug is used, or the drug is used more frequently than needed? Overuse is not only irrational but destructive and repeated administration of the same dose leads to a lessened effect. This tolerance is believed to underlie drug dependence and is demonstrated with all the common drugs of abuse. The psychic dependence exists when stopping use of the does not produce the continued physical reactions but results in drug seeking behavior or ?craving,? or ?to Joan?s? and the person must employ larger and more frequent doses to attain the original effect. They may now change their drug of choice given by the doctors to the 100 or more drugs and chemicals used for recreation. Drug use has been defended as an integral part of individual and social needs, accepted as normal in many contemporary circles. Alcohol remains the cornerstone of recreational drug use worldwide. Smoking marijuana and hashish is used in certain Moslem groups where alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Chewing coca leaves in South American countries have caused problems with relations with the United States, because they do not want our medicines. Another drug widely used is caffeine, which is a stimulant of the central nervous system and causes degrees of tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and high psychological dependence. The physician prescribes drugs to lessen the severity of the disease, to relieve pain signals to the brain, to improve the patient?s day to day life, and to increase the survival time of the disease, without any expectation of a cure. Symptomatic relief remains the most important part of the practice of medicine and the goal is the use of prescription drugs.

24

What would Jesus teach us today?

by petespal2002 in

i'm wondering, if jesus was on earth today, what would he be teaching, and would we believe it , or would we set up a website to discuss his thoughts?

Patrick

Keep it simple and stupid, it is the American way.