Posts by Midget-Sasquatch

36

BSOs on the Daniel book

by IP_SEC in

so here comes patdp very soon.

it's not as bad as ipalfatn i & ii, but still its based on the idea of 607 and 1914.. how have any of you ex or current book study overseers handled this problem.

i'd like not to conduct but thats not really an option.

I feel for you and I don't doubt your motives at all. I've felt like a hyprocrite just doing alot of small parts in the TMS like talks #1 and 4 and the highlights. Even then I tried to push some small outside source on things - and later got questioned on them. But I couldn't imagine having to conduct!

Hope this tip will work for you. Sure its a little embarrasing but know how to work the systema dn the system wil work for you. Even though I was made an MS, I've never been made an elder because of my obviously mediocre (even by dub standards) effort at assignments. They gave me a part in the KM ONCE...it was so flat and boring and mechanical that I was never given one of those parts again. They mostly used me for paper work for the secretary, mags, accounts from there on in with occasional announcements and bible highlights. If you keep up the lame @$$ approach I'm pretty sure the BOE will be relieved if you tell them you want to step down.

Take care and keep sane.

14

The Literature Counter

by the_classicist in

at your congregation did it ever seem that the literature counter had nothing in stock except for a lot of the basics (armageddon revelation book, evolution book, brochures, cheap nwts, and what's being studied).

what made me think of this was someone saying posting about how the elders wait until the last minute to hand out the kms.

do you think they do the same kind of thing with the literature?.

Midget-Sasquatch

IP_SEC

Thats similar to how the literature counter is being run now at the KH I'm on record with. The servants from the 3 congregations there all coordinate through the literature overseer of the title holding cong. and place one order. They even share the same shelves. While they all keep their own records of publishers' requests, only the servant from the title holding cong does the inventory (of so many given out, still on hand per month etc.). I thankfully never was the literature servant, I got the easier job of the magazines.

87

Is pantheism a form of omnipresence?

by LittleToe in

.

discuss.... .

Midget-Sasquatch

Given the findings of quantum theory, I wonder whether or not the underlying energy of which our universe(s) is constructed is inately "intelligent", and at least having a laugh at our expense

LT

Have you read some of Teilhard De Chardin's writings? I think you may find his comparable ideas interesting. While he is talking about an overall evolution from consciousless matter to the more complex and conscious (eventually reaching God/ the Omega Point), if I understand him correctly he says that from the beginning that matter implicitly has the spiritual/God/psychic and the whole process is just about making it explicit.

DD

Are christians as part of Christ's metaphysical body part of God? A limited pantheism of sorts?

Edit: - In Vinnie Barbarino's voice " Limited pantheism? I'm so confused!!!"

87

Is pantheism a form of omnipresence?

by LittleToe in

.

discuss.... .

Midget-Sasquatch

I'm with Xena.

If there's nothing beyond the universe/multiverse, so that it is "all", then pantheism and omnipresence would be the same right?

But if Pantheism has boundaries, and If God doesn't, then pantheism is like an Omnipresence Lite.

234

Intelligent Design

by Delta20 in

hey all,.

i am currently studying the topic of intelligent design (id).

basically the id theory is the revival of the teleological argument for the existance of a deity.

Midget-Sasquatch

Yep...I'd rather have pros too.

But I wouldn't mind being that ingenious.

234

Intelligent Design

by Delta20 in

hey all,.

i am currently studying the topic of intelligent design (id).

basically the id theory is the revival of the teleological argument for the existance of a deity.

Midget-Sasquatch

ElderWho

Remember the TV show Macgyver? Dude could jerry rig all sorts of useful things from items used for different purposes. Natural selection also works with what's available. Its just an algorithm that can yield results that we would look upon as intelligent choices in that given situation with the given materials. A non-sentient process can mimic intelligence. There's one possibility besides the Bible god scenario that can be considered. There can be more than one as FrenchBabyFace was saying before.

21

da vinci code??

by myvalk in

anyone know what it is about?

?

Midget-Sasquatch

I've got to be able to immerse myself in a storyline for me to enjoy it. While that takes some suspension of disbelief, all the errors, and making out things that just aren't in the artwork of Davinci, made the whole story too hard to get into. I think the only thing that kept me reading it was the character Silus. First thinking that he was going to be a key "evil" figure ( come on, those characters are fun, admit it). But then I mostly felt sorry for how he was exploited. The Body with Antonio Banderas was a more believable story to me, but I'm not saying it was good.

12

You've seen me you've seen the Christ

by peacefulpete in

ok that title was bit provocative but that's not far from my theme in this thread.

who was paul?

even separated from the pseudopauline material attributed to him we seem to find a stoic philosopher, a mystery cultist, a selfless martyr and a self glorifying egomaniac among other things.

Midget-Sasquatch

Very interesting thread topic. I've enjoyed everyone's thoughts on it.

Put another way, IMHO you should be able to see "Christ" in every "Christian".

That expression in particular struck me. The divinty within is both gift and responsibility to be the vessel/channel for divine action within the material world.

That the deity, or some aspect of it, is infused into the believer upon imbibing its body was key to some of the surrounding mystery religions. Since Paul did make use of some of their elements in his evolving teachings, I'm not surprised that this concept is present in some form. Who knows if Paul actually meant to take it as those religions did or the more appealing and nobler view expressed by LittleToe. If Simon Magus was completely fictitious, maybe he was the Jewish Christians' caricature and envisioned end product of such teachings?

13

Why Let The Elders Tell You What To Do?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if any are still going to meetings or allowing the organization to control you, i'd like to know why are you allowing the elders to dictate to you what is right and wrong.

the elders are no better than you!

Midget-Sasquatch

Like Maverick mentioned, for alot of us there's the family as hook. From at least this fader's perspsective, its about working the system, and letting the system somewhat work for us. Every group has some amount of social reciprocity within it. Gotta give to be able to take, simple as that.

I try to meet the bare minimum of those and do what I damn well please behind closed doors. I'd venture that alot of elders and ministerial servants do too, because less than two years ago, I was still an active MS, and in our meeting with the CO he was spending quite a bit of time on internet porn.

32

Growing Old and Dying on the Paradise Earth

by Leolaia in

the standard watchtower teaching about the coming "paradise earth" has, as its most prominent feature, the promise of everlasting life and eternal youth.

this expectation is especially based on such texts as revelation 21:1-4 which declares: "i saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea.

i saw the holy city, and the new jerusalem, coming down from god out of heaven.... here god lives among men.

Midget-Sasquatch

I've got to stop reading these threads. I'm opening up the bible, looking up WT publications...My JW family would think I'm dying of something.

Here's some goodies from Brooklyn on "family planning" in Paradise:

***
g88 4/8 p. 27 Abortion?The Answer to Overpopulation? ***
Some 6,000 years ago, Jehovah God articulated his purpose concerning the population of the planet Earth. Jehovah declared to the first human couple: "Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28) Note that God?s stated purpose is to fill, not overpopulate, the earth. The Creator will achieve world population equilibrium?maintain reasonable population density, ecological balance, and adequate food production.?Isaiah 65:17-25.
It is reasonable to conclude that the Creator of human reproductive power will himself justly regulate its use to attain this perfect balance. There will be no need for abortions to limit population growth. Jehovah through the Kingdom of his Son, Christ Jesus, will ensure that the earth is comfortably filled with obedient mankind living in a global paradise.?Isaiah 55:8-11;

*** g83 8/8 pg.10 ***
It is reasonable to conclude that when that point is reached the Creator of the human procreative power will regulate its use as far as the earth is concerned.
Then obedient and grateful mankind will be willing to cooperate with whatever new requirements may be expressed. (Compare Revelation 20:12.) There will be no population explosion to threaten mankind?s future existence.