My thought is me: that's why I can't stop. I exist because I think? and I can't stop myself from thinking. At this very moment - it's frightful - if I exist, it is because I am horrified at existing. I am the one who pulls myself from the nothingness to which I aspire- Sartre
Abbaddon- I agree with you on this:
Have more sex, smoke more pot. The answers to those questions will have near to zero impact on your life, IF there are 'answers' (a human concept) about something (existence) which is in no way obliged to conform to human conceptions.
Regardless, humans will ask the questions.
greatteacher
JoinedPosts by greatteacher
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52
Why does anything exist at all?
by logansrun ingod or no god, why is there something rather than nothing?
why do elements have properties?
why does consciousness exist?
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greatteacher
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WBTS gets foriegn funding in INdia 2000-2001
by Wallflower ini found this article by accident.
foreign funding for indian ngos.
2000-2001 beneficiaries - third biggest the watchtower and tract society.
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greatteacher
Great find! Excellent information!
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Awake! says we can pray in Jesus' name!!!
by Leolaia inaccording to this, jesus is not just the mediator of the 144,000 -- he's the mediator of mankind!!
and apparently "dear jesus" prayers are okay!
the watch tower says i can say, "dear jesus, you are my mediator as you are for all mankind..." "the bible clearly says that jesus christ is mankind's redeemer, so he is mankind's mediator.
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greatteacher
through jesus christ's name...amen
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Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?
by SM62 insomething i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.
for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.
however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?
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greatteacher
I always see spirits, gnomes, elves, unicorns, banshees, demons, angels, and floating shit! I even saw the blob from the movie the blob.
A must read for rationalists: Banshees, Bugles and Belles: True Ghost Stories of Georgia by Barbara Duffey. This book will change your entire system of thought. Shit! it's a must read for everybody!
Nathan's example about the boiling water can be elaborated on. Let's say for example that we put a pot on a stovetop, turn on the heat and walk away. We return ten minutes later and the water is frozen. What is your first thought related to the water? Is it that god or some demon is involved? Hopefully not, hopefully you check to see if the stove works, or if your furnace works, or something that provides a rational explanation. Would you turn the heat off and back on? Or would you get down on your knees and pray to god about the stove, asking him to help you get some boiling water?
The point is that when scientists or rationalists don't know how something happened or why something is, they experiment and ask questions! They don't say it's supernatural or that god is involved, demons are involved, ghosts are involved, the unknown is involved. That's the difference you believers never seem to understand!
rem, nathan, and the other rationalists, great arguments! -
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Did the Circut overseer ever scare you as a kid?
by Singing Man ini will tell you what used to scare me real good was the circuit overseer when he would come to my parents home to stay.
my parents would get real stressed out trying to find just the right food dishs and fix his bed real nice, and fight among them self's because of the stress of it all.
so he always looked like this to me at the young age of six:
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greatteacher
As a kid (0-12) I was a little nervous. As a young adult (12-16) I didn't care. As an adult (17-22) I thought they were condescending assholes.
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Do JWs fear God or the organization? Can they distinguish between the two?
by somebodylovesme ini bring this up because i was just thinking about some crap i went through with my jw in-laws awhile back -- when i was marrying their son and we were desperately trying to figure out a way to do a wedding without him getting disfellowshipped.
the things i heard them say (their objections) seemed framed by what the elders would say, how it would look to the congregation, their privileges, etc.
i don't remember ever hearing them say that anything would displease jehovah.
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greatteacher
Just out of curiosity:
Are there any christian religious organizations where the followers seperate the fear of the organization and the fear of god (not in word only)? -
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OK you New Yorkers, WHERE ARE YOU!
by jst2laws ini know there are some new yorkers here.
you are well represented by franklin j, blueblades (i think), and homey.
what i can't understand is new york is, to me, the archetype of independent thinking - individuality.
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greatteacher
From Brighton Beach.
I now live where all New Yorkers move to get away from the cold. -
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Leonard Cohen.
by Englishman ini always loved his poetry and music.
"suzanne" and "the butcher" were a real part of my early ex-dub days.. he's now well into his 60's and i've just seen a progamme about him on the biography channel.
he seems at peace with himself now and smiles freely when questioned about his old age.. i enjoyed this poem of his that he wrote quite recently:.
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greatteacher
Closing Time is my favorite:
Ah we're drinking and we're dancing
and the band is really happening
and the Johnny Walker wisdom running high
And my very sweet companion
she's the Angel of Compassion
she's rubbing half the world against her thigh
And every drinker every dancer
lifts a happy face to thank her
the fiddler fiddles something so sublime
all the women tear their blouses off
and the men they dance on the polka-dots
and it's partner found, it's partner lost
and it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops:
it's CLOSING TIME
Yeah the women tear their blouses off
and the men they dance on the polka-dots
and it's partner found, it's partner lost
and it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops:
it's CLOSING TIME
Ah we're lonely, we're romantic
and the cider's laced with acid
and the Holy Spirit's crying, Where's the beef?
And the moon is swimming naked
and the summer night is fragrant
with a mighty expectation of relief
So we struggle and we stagger
down the snakes and up the ladder
to the tower where the blessed hours chime
and I swear it happened just like this:
a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss
the Gates of Love they budged an inch
I can't say much has happened since
but CLOSING TIME
I swear it happened just like this:
a sigh, a cry, a hungry kiss
the Gates of Love they budged an inch
I can't say much has happened since
CLOSING TIME
I loved you for your beauty
but that doesn't make a fool of me:
you were in it for your beauty too
and I loved you for your body
there's a voice that sounds like God to me
declaring, declaring, declaring that your body's really you
And I loved you when our love was blessed
and I love you now there's nothing left
but sorrow and a sense of overtime
and I missed you since the place got wrecked
And I just don't care what happens next
looks like freedom but it feels like death
it's something in between, I guess
it's CLOSING TIME
Yeah I missed you since the place got wrecked
By the winds of change and the weeds of sex
looks like freedom but it feels like death
it's something in between, I guess
it's CLOSING TIME -
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3 heavens?
by yxl1 in2 corinthians 12. .
1i must go on boasting.
although there is nothing to be gained, i will go on to visions and revelations from the lord.
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greatteacher
Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley helps support Shotgun's explanation.
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greatteacher
I drove from Syracuse, NY to Brooklyn, NY on acid. I peaked on the upper level of the Verrazano Bridge and literally came a foot away from driving off the thing when I scraped the guard rail. I was alone and I had to scream at myself for four hours straight. I had to repeat who I was, what road I was on, and that I was "only driving." Also, I had to constantly play with the dials.