Hi Q, and welcome.
Last summer two female missionaries came to my house and we had a very pleasant 1 hour conversation, mostly on my part, as I tried to give a nondualistic explanation of life, the universe and everything (is that a subtle reference here for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?, hehe). They were very open to it all, and I think it made them question their own firmly held beliefs, though probably for just a few minutes. At least they said they will have to think more about it, which to me was a positive sign. When they left I pointed out my neighbor's house two houses down, who are jw. I don't know if they went there or not, but was curious as to what kind of encounter it would have been if they did. Had a jw come to my door I am sure that they wouldn't have stayed to listen with the openness that these two young missionaries displayed.
You said, 'I guess when you love your church and someone else stops feeling the same way it feels a little like they rejected you.'
Yes, this is how identified we become with something outside ourselves. Those identifications give one a sense of 'self' that is comforting and when that sense of self is threatened we react, usually negatively. My question to people is to ask them to find out who and what they really - what are you before any identification with ideas and beliefs has been made? Who and what are you without anything to hang on to, to identify with? Discover directly for yourself what you are without any reliance on someone else's interpretation of god, the world, or self. When you discover for yourself what you really are then notice what happens to suffering and separation from 'god' and others.
poppers
JoinedPosts by poppers
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41
Understanding why people leave
by Qcmbr inhi all, just thought i'd introduce myself before i make any other posts - i'm lds through and through 'nuff said.
why am i here, well i've been reading the posts here for over a year and i initially enjoyed them in a sneaky rival faction way (i.e.
one in the eye for jw's yehaw..)but of late i've been redaing these posts and using them to critique my own approach to my faith.
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poppers
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Hate leaving my family behind.
by Big Dog inafter lurking about for a while i finally decided to join the board.
i have never done anything like this and was amazed at how stressful it was to sign up and press the return key to join up and actually post something.
just a quick bio: 41 year old lawyer who was raised a jw but had the good sense to never get baptized.
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poppers
Hi Big Dog. Welcome to the forum. I can't answer your question since I've never been a dub, but I will throw out this observation: in effect, you have recognized that your family is stuck in a dream world while you are awake to the fact that it is a dream world you want no part of - it is a world held together by nothing but beliefs. If one is awake then there can be compassion for those who are still stuck. They really don't know better, even though they think they do. They are stuck in conceptual loops - let there be patience and compassion. Good luck.
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NEW Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy preview @ Amazon!
by pr_capone inhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/103-7450245-4831845 .
damn i am posting alot of video clips here lately!
kansas district overbeer
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poppers
...and when it's all over let's all go to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and watch the floorshow.
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NEW Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy preview @ Amazon!
by pr_capone inhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/103-7450245-4831845 .
damn i am posting alot of video clips here lately!
kansas district overbeer
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poppers
...and maybe some prozac for Marvin.
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NEW Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy preview @ Amazon!
by pr_capone inhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/103-7450245-4831845 .
damn i am posting alot of video clips here lately!
kansas district overbeer
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poppers
...and bring plenty of fish for the dolphins.
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NEW Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy preview @ Amazon!
by pr_capone inhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/103-7450245-4831845 .
damn i am posting alot of video clips here lately!
kansas district overbeer
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poppers
...and let's all stock up on everything needed to make a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster and make a party of it.
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NEW Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy preview @ Amazon!
by pr_capone inhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/103-7450245-4831845 .
damn i am posting alot of video clips here lately!
kansas district overbeer
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poppers
All of you who are yearning to know the answer to life, the universe, and everything watch this movie!
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NEW Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy preview @ Amazon!
by pr_capone inhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/home/home.html/103-7450245-4831845 .
damn i am posting alot of video clips here lately!
kansas district overbeer
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poppers
Can't wait - the production from the 70's will be hard to top, though.
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Do You Ever Think of God ?
by minimus indoes "god" come to your mind anymore?
jehovah god, christ, a supreme being???
since you've stopped believing as a jehovah's witness, does "god" in any form come into your heart and mind?
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poppers
'Supreme Being' is closer to the reality of the concept of god; 'Being' is closer yet; drop the IDEA of 'Being' altogether and rest within the 'Being' at the very core of you and then there is no thinking at all - discover directly what 'being' is and see where that takes you, see if there is a compulsion or desire to think about god.
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The cross............ Why the denial of what it represents???
by coz ini have talked with some jw's recently and they seem to make a big deal out of this.
whut is up with that???
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poppers
I have never been a jw but my best friend from childhood became one at the age 36 (he had been raised Catholic). When he told me about the 'truth' of Christ's crucifixion upon a stake rather than upon a cross he was livid toward the Catholic Church, and subsequently toward every teaching they espoused. "They lied about everything! If they deliberately lied about something like that then everything else that is based on that lie must also be untrue." This thinking simply entrenched his newly held beliefs, and made him believe that any and all other teachings were lies as well. This thinking gave him a definitive sense of identity and created nothing but a more pronounced separation between himself/jw and all others. He became just another mindless cog going along with the party line. Very sad for me to see.