maybe he/she/it isn't happy now, but can you visualise a happy god?
is the god in your belief or faith system capable of happiness?
is it emotional?
Why is He jealous if there are no other gods?
Presumably because mankind designed their own material Gods and thrust them towards the heavens?
But to answer the thread question - no idea at all. I would be happy as a God until I looked at the earth, then I would get really really pissed off at mankind. Still, not sure though. Who knows?
i do.
it's great knowing that leaving the organization has not produced our "weeping and gnashing of the teeth" as we might once have believed.
we've become free!!!!!!!!!
Corvin:
Please put your old avatar back - I miss the stern expression, it was superb and I felt chastised when gazing upon it. Not ever having had a strong father figure in my life meant that it was a kind of therapy
.. ahem
Nope, still feel the same low self-esteem issues that I had when I was a serving JW. Same old me, same old "feeling like crap" most days.
BUT - the freedom to read what I like and form my own opinions is a liberation that allows me space to breath mentally.
i have been saying numerous bad things about a "witness" these past few days, it's time to say something "good".. i am an artist and teach at the college level.
one of my favorite "genre" of art is "allegory", the reprentation of religious themes.
the "art work" used in the watchtower is of high quality.
To be fair - some of it is rather good. I agree.
http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=search&adudisc=y
click the link up there and if any of you haven't seen the film, i can't recommend it enough.
sheer beauty - i am only sad that i missed this years ago.. well worth the investment in terms of money and time spent.. sniff... almost makes life worth living again...
http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=search&adudisc=y
Click the link up there and if any of you haven't seen the film, I can't recommend it enough. Sheer beauty - I am only sad that I missed this years ago.
Well worth the investment in terms of money and time spent.
sniff... almost makes life worth living again...
so my mother opens the door for a discussion (via email) and i totally freeze up.
i find it almost impossible to tell her how i feel about the jw religion.
when i finally figure out what i want to say, she completely dismisses my thoughts.
So I went about my business succeeding in life and this had more effect on nephews and neices and sister-in-laws, but didn't seem to dent the immediated family.
I think that is the way forward. To cope with the real world on the outside and show that you are stronger than how they would have you be.
Ex-JWs are supposed to fall into bad ways and become corrupt in their thinking and remember - return to the vomit!!
If you haven't read it already, get a copy of "In Search Of Christian Freedom / Raymond Franz" and be uplifted by the thoughts expressed in that fine publication. It will help to strengthen your resolve, whilst taking an abstract stance away from your loved ones and still remaining in love towards them.
I have a good friend who I tried to show 'real truths' to last year and nearly broke the friendship up completely. Now, I don't even bother to mention these things and allow him to live the way he wants to. He knows how I feel and that is fine, we both know where we stand. As long as I do not stray too far into attack mode he still thinks I am with him and has hope that I will return.
I remember the Bible teaching us to "seek peace and pursue it", which I hold close to my heart. Regardless of the subjective delusional state that I consider others to be in, I personally won't attempt to usurp their own intellectual decisions & choices beyond what is reasonable.
probably dating myself, but remember all those assemblies/yearbooks, etc., that focused on the possibility that jws would suffer persecution at the hands of nazi-like regimes?
i remember attending an assembly which dramatized jw's being held, as in wwii, as having to make a choice to either "renounce?
" their jwism or die.
Satan doesn't care how many humans he has to kill to get at the Anointed.
Well he is obviously not doing too well then. There is a claimed anointed who lives by me and she happily toddles around the territory going about her business.
Anyway.
The idea that JWs would be the exclusive group as far as persecution is concerned is flattering themselves beyond all belief. What about other Christian groups who are equally as vigorous within their own form of worship? The Bible reminds the Christian not to be so judgemental about others who come forward in Christ's name (it was Jesus who said so) and presumably this means that other groups baring his name would likewise be in for a kicking?
As has been already mentioned above, it is exciting to feel exclusivity and in a special relationship. It is also a deceptive condition of the mind that can eventually lead a man away from the humble spirit.
left 2 years ago and surf nearly every night.
i was an elder for 11 years did circuit assembly items etc.
in fact i did everything the society said.
I know others who feel the same as you - it is not uncommon. Fortunately you still hopefully have many years to go on this earth and may be able to fill those years with greatness.
In a way, do not feel too bad about the message you carried to others, it is not worth the mental anguish. You did, afterall, what you thought was the right thing at the time and at least you gave those ones something to focus upon aside from pure material values. Those ones may have gone on to better things that benefited their own life and enriched their own spiritual pathways.
You never know, one or two may be active here or lurkers
Maybe you could build a website as a project, collate your thoughts and express them through web-based essays?
All the best to you sir.
i noticed somebody said they were bored, so i thought i'd start up a ' fluff ' thread .
i have been a minor fan off and on of comic books through the years (although not as obsessed as a guy i know of who owns 1000s of the comics and delves deeply into that particular universe of artwork for spiritual insight) and have a favourite book that inspires thought and fires up my imagination:.
' watchmen ' written by alan moore.
I noticed somebody said they were bored, so I thought I'd start up a ' fluff ' thread
I have been a minor fan off and on of comic books through the years (although not as obsessed as a guy I know of who owns 1000s of the comics and delves deeply into that particular universe of artwork for spiritual insight) and have a favourite book that inspires thought and fires up my imagination:
' Watchmen ' written by Alan Moore. My favourite character being from within those pages, Rawshark.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1852860243/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202-0683404-0332651 - the book itself.
Any other characters that inspire?
last year i went through the painful ordeal of having an abortion.
it was a tough decision to make but i have no desire to give birth any time soon, if at all.
but after mixing with those blasted jws they began to ever so slowly put guilt into me for my past choice.
I'm sorry you had to make that choice years ago, but there is no real point to suffer endless guilt trips over the situation and those who would keep lashing you are being unkind.
It is a choice made by many mothers each and every day and although in my heart I do feel it is wrong (there may be exceptions - I can't think of any specifics at present), I can understand that some feel the need to abort the child and have to live with the consequences for doing so.
Friends of mine chose to abort a child a few years ago due to poor financial circumstances and feeling that it was not the right time for a baby due to career choices. They asked me what I thought about the decision to my face and rather than lie, I tried to express myself in a truthful yet caring way. Unfortunately there is no easy way to tell somebody under those circumstances that one thinks that they were morally wrong to do so and the conversation ended up in the midst of awkward emotions.
It is a highly emotive area, but ultimately it is up to the parents involved to make that choice and not for me or any human (IMO) to ultimately sit in judgement, although we have the right to voice an opinion.
I think under similar circumstances, if I were forced into that postion I would choose the fostering option.
I hope you feel better about yourself soon and find a loving expression to give to others from within the pain you bear.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040426/ap_on_sc/noah_s_ark
once this expedition is over, they will also search for the following:.
10. the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.. .
The likelihood of the ark being preserved in a fine state is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, slim indeed (sorry for the verys).
The last program I saw on BBC1 in the UK which appeared to be relatively well researched, suggested that the ark if it had rested upon a higher slope of Mount Ararat, would have been pushed down by the formation of ice into a valley region. During this process the ark would have broken apart and would most likely have decayed. Of course this was only theory, but it is as good as any other I have heard.
I'd love them to find the ark.
I understand your feelings IronGland - I go through phases like that myself. My faith is up and down like the proverbial yo-yo.
