current mathematical models of the universe involve what is termed 'hyper-dimension.".
ever read the book flatland?
it describes how a 2-dimensional being would perceive the intersection of a 3-dimensional object in "their" universe.. a flatlander would never be able to comprehend a sphere.
Cool. I loved Flatland. It gives a great metaphor for why we might not be able to see god if there is one. Otherwise, you are way beyond me. I couldn't begin to imagine it. I have a friend who is a physicist and his field is string theory and I can't understand one word of it. But apparently it's all getting very interesting now.
Edited to sound not quite so ignorant.
shouldn't a religion bring people closer to god?
it would seem that many became atheist after being deceived by the wts.
unlike other religions, the wts was very precise in what was to happen during the 20th century.
It totally made me an atheist, at 14 or so. And I stayed that way a long time. Then I became a sort of skeptical agnostic believer. I hang around right on the other side of edge. I'm a classic case of what the rationalists always say about believers: I believe because I want to and it makes me happier. Intellectually bankrupt, maybe, but I'd rather be happy than right.
well, i got done with my taichi class.
after driving around for a little while, seeing the sights etc.. i decided to head to work early, to get changed then head to the bar for a beer or two before my shift starts.. i filled up on gas, then as i was driving away, i noticed a poor gal (35ish) walking down the sidewalk slowly.. thumbing a lift.
obviously she had been drinking, though not to the point of totally stumbling all over.. i felt so sorry for the woman, i just had to pull over and give her a lift.
I'm with LT, it was noble AND risky (well, if it wasn't risky it wouldn't be noble either, would it?). But just a little risky. I agree with the people who said that your intuition won't lead you far wrong. You'd have probably had a feeling if she was dangerous. Some little thing would have struck you funny. What's really risky is ignoring that feeling. Remember the English girl who was killed by the bus driver? She told friends beforehand that there was something off about him. I know when I've gotten in trouble it's because I ignored a bad feeling, not because I didn't have a clue.
many jehovah's witnesses believe what they've been told about ex-witnesses.
they say that exjws simply want to live an immoral life.
they say that exjws cannot live up to "jehovah's standards".
I left because I wanted to do things they considered immoral, which at the time consisted of holding hands with boys. (I did move onto bigger things, hey, just like they said I would ). I didn't grasp the doctrine very well in the first place, so I wasn't very interested in finding holes in it. Besides, I saw the inconsistencies all around me. I always had a sense that their policies were unkind and unfair, although I wouldn't - at 11 years old - have used the word "immoral". But, for example, when I was around 10 a man was disfellowshipped for asking his wife for oral sex. I didn't have a very clear concept of oral sex, but I remember even now, so many years later, that what outraged me most was that his wife had SNITCHED on him.
what if god was just experimenting with different planets from different galaxies and solar systems?
i mean that what if god grew bored at one point and decided to create?well, everything?
neighborhoods = different galaxies and solar systems, metaphorically.
Super. I bet if god read that he'd think his experiment didn't turn out so bad after all.
let's assume that there is a creator of life who gots things started eons ago.
that's my persuasion, although i am not actively religious.. one major problem with belief in a creator is that he/she/it is supposed to be benevolent, loving and caring.
many evangelical christians feel he has helped them personally in various ways, emotionally, even financially.
Maybe god doesn't help us because he wants us to help each other (hey, isn't that straight out of Bruce Almighty?). When we suffer we learn compassion for others' suffering. In fact it seems to be the only way we learn compassion. Maybe in the bigger picture we connect through suffering more than through anything else. It's a nice idea but I have a hard time with it when I see, for example, my friend who has cancer and might well leave behind a small child and pregnant wife. Still, I can't see any other reasonable response in the face of suffering. We can only give it meaning by reaching out to each other.
one of the comments i have heard many times is what good manners i display.
i open doors, allow others to cut in line ahead of me, say please, thank you and may i all the time, stand for a lady and many other simple little and often goofy actions that seem to have been lost on the current generation.
in fact the thing that attracted my present girlfriend was her observation of my good manners.
Shotgun, I love it. Too funny.
thoughts?
opinions?
experiences?
Actually I've attended a number of different congregations (eek! that old word) in different places and I have to say I haven't noticed that UUers are mostly the rejected of society. It's more those who choose to think for themselves, and the rejection is usually only partial, and mutual. They tend however to be quite a successful lot overall, in one way or another, with plenty of friends and community focus, and I wouldn't call them real misfits.
thoughts?
opinions?
experiences?
It's silly, but it feels as if I have always been a Unitarian in my heart but never knew it until now. It feels like I have come home.
That's exactly how I felt. It was the first church I went to, 30 years after escaping the Borg, and I felt instantly home. I loved the ritual, which is very community centred, with people lighting candles for their hopes and griefs before the congregation. The songs can be almost as embarrassing as JW songs, but always life affirming and nobody cares if you sing or not. They are really into music and the one I went to in Denver has wonderful musicians that come and play or sing every Sunday before the service. They do loads of community stuff too. I wish there was one in my neighborhood but there are actually not any, not a single one, in all Berlin.
so i'm reading this book you can't afford the luxury of a negative thought, by peter mcwilliams and this chapter jumped out at me, i'll quote it below because to me it totally answers the jw dogma and how ingrained that feeling of never being good enough, or just plain enough.
i would be interested in some feed back if you have any.. where does negative thinking come from?.
part i page 49.. why do we use the power of our mind to create a negative reality?
Little Toe
I knew that's what you were trying to say and I didn't think you were being inept, either. I think it's very difficult to say because it goes against our most basic cultural assumptions about good and bad. I spent an hour on that post, and I still don't think I got it right. Maybe that's why the Zen masters don't give answers, just riddles.
