Posts by Midget-Sasquatch

20

Correlation between personality types and religio-spiritual leanings?

by daystar in

someone in a completely different segment of associates from you old ex-jws here posed this wish:.

i've often wished someone would do a study to see if there is a real correlation between personality type and religious/spiritual leanings.

i've long noticed that in fantasy subcultures and "new" religions, as well as those that attract many adult converts (and have trouble retaining people born into the faith), the same types keep showing up.

Midget-Sasquatch

Awesome link Blondie!

P.S. Good thing there were never any Moonies around my area. The way those lovelies dressed would have pulled me in on the spot.

64

Do we have non-Biblical evidence that Jesus Christ existed?

by Inquisitor in

what non-biblical, historical evidence proves or supports the notion that jesus once existed as a living, breathing jewish man?

i'll start with the one that i used to swear by back when i was a good jw.

the roman historian suetonius (c. 69-140 c.e.

Midget-Sasquatch

I'd say that the "god" of our material universe (the unfolding and evolving process) is manifestly still around, an intricate part of it, omnipresent. We're all in the very bosom of this "god". I'll agree thats not the god most people envision, but do any of us ever get to pick our biological parents?

RE:thread topic

Sure there's no evidence whatsoever to say that the life and acts of the biblical/apocryphal JC were history. So rationally you can discount all of those writings as fiction. But maybe more along the lines of allegorically. symbolically. basically mythically, conveying some understanding or truth. If the divine interactions and manifestations were primarily happening within, you wouldn't be looking for external evidence.

64

Do we have non-Biblical evidence that Jesus Christ existed?

by Inquisitor in

what non-biblical, historical evidence proves or supports the notion that jesus once existed as a living, breathing jewish man?

i'll start with the one that i used to swear by back when i was a good jw.

the roman historian suetonius (c. 69-140 c.e.

Midget-Sasquatch

Gumby

We should be grateful that all that mental power is conjoined with a helpful nature and that Leolaia wants to sincerely offer up the power of knowledge to others. Unlike the pseudo knowledge peddled by the WTS.

8

Anyone else raised in a "divided" household?

by dinah in

hey folks!.

i've noticed there are many here who were raised "in the truth".

are there any who were raised in a divided household--where one parent is not a jw?.

Midget-Sasquatch

My father became a dub when I was around 5. My mother stayed roman catholic for another 2 decades or so. My father also had a friend in the same congregation who had an unbelieving mate. While my father was obssessed about the whole "head of the household" thing, and rabidly fanatical when it came to the "truth", that other guy had a christmas tree set up in his house. He said his wife was vehement about it and he wanted to respect her wishes. Not my Dad. We couldn't celebrate anything "babilonica" in the house and he was always ready to go off on his rants anytime my mother even hinted at a contrasting view to wt dogma. He was very oprressive that way.The religious differences caused alot of quarrels, exacerbated the already tense atmosphere of the home, and in all the real ways that mattered, killed their marriage. My parents never separated or got divorced, because of us children and because they felt obligated by old Italian cultural norms.

My mother demanded that we stay and go to catholic school though. She would secretly give us birthday gifts once in a while, until my sibling became just as fanatical as my father about jws. I'd say that I'm naturally disinclined to believe anything supernatural and the jw experience has only sharpened my aversion to religion and dogmatism. I have to give credit though to my catholic educators, who were more open minded and actually tried to have the real world ammend some of their views and beliefs. They tried to honestly address, rather than suppress questioning or distort the facts. (Although I could tell they weren't always happy with where the questions were going). I'd say they, and not the jws, were the ones who sowed that kernal of interest in exploring spirituality.

105

SELF-SACRIFICE: the tool of the MYSTICS

by Terry in

a brief treatise on mysticism.

mysticism begins with a code of "morality" just beyond the reach of humanity.

guilt ensues; man cannot achieve this lofty standard of behavior.

Midget-Sasquatch

A person who chooses to be charitable and make some sort of rational contribution to the welfare of others out an honest valuation of their potential to get back on their feet and fend for themselves rather than feeling compelled by duty or guilt or unworthiness is the person who acts as a selfish individual and not an altruist. Why, because they are not sacrificing themselves; the are INVESTING in the VALUE of others.

How that warms the cockles of my sociobiologically bent heart. That somewhere within our neurons, even not so deliberately or consciously, we're running cost-benefit algorithms to decide who we should aid and when.

In all seriousness though, that self-interested approach may very well have been the utilitarian basis from which some of our cooperative behaviours had evolved. So why not continue going with what works? The bums who just don't want to reciprocate, well they're their own downfall.

Back to the topic of self-sacrifice and mysticism, from what I've read about how it changed the experiencers, it may make them more prone to being suckered into giving up alot, but I don't see how it would typically result in them deliberately being the bloodsuckers

105

SELF-SACRIFICE: the tool of the MYSTICS

by Terry in

a brief treatise on mysticism.

mysticism begins with a code of "morality" just beyond the reach of humanity.

guilt ensues; man cannot achieve this lofty standard of behavior.

Midget-Sasquatch

Dammit Terry! I was trying to be less cynical and bitter about the world, vaunting the kumba ya aspects of true mysticism, but you just had to call alot of the ugliness out there to my attention didn't you?

I think I'll modify my position to this: that there are some altruists with healthy self-images that know when they should stop giving and when they can begin again....not because I don't want to concede your valid points...but because I also want to describe myself as one of those balanced altruists, and not admit that I'm just a stingy cold heartless bastard.

5

Anyone know where Public Talks can be found online?

by mavie in

jw
friends

.

looking for public talk outlines, scans are preferred.. 100 posts and counting...

Midget-Sasquatch

Beautiful! Not the talks themselves mind you, but all the insider support that the re-examiner website is getting.

105

SELF-SACRIFICE: the tool of the MYSTICS

by Terry in

a brief treatise on mysticism.

mysticism begins with a code of "morality" just beyond the reach of humanity.

guilt ensues; man cannot achieve this lofty standard of behavior.

Midget-Sasquatch

Terry

You're absolutely right that there are those ready to exploit any impulse of "spirituality" or altruism/self-sacrifice. Yes, altruistic behaviour is about attributing more worth to the collective than to the self, but I don't think that it always means the extreme that the individual is worthless unless they sacrifice themselves. That particular idea may be what those manipulators and exploiters want to foster among those who are prone to negative self-image, to more easily leech/live off them. I think that altruistic individuals with healthy self-images realize how much they can give of themselves and don't push it. They are also unlikely to get trapped into making outright parasites their beneficiaries.

105

SELF-SACRIFICE: the tool of the MYSTICS

by Terry in

a brief treatise on mysticism.

mysticism begins with a code of "morality" just beyond the reach of humanity.

guilt ensues; man cannot achieve this lofty standard of behavior.

Midget-Sasquatch

I think that those who try to use "mystical" experiences as a basis to encourage self-sacrificing for:

a very exclusionary god
for a particular group

shouldn't really be calling those claimed experiences mystical. Ideally, mysticism has a unifying universalist bent. Yes, people are called to sacrifice for society, but several mystics that I've read usually take this to mean all of humanity not just their race or those of their creed.

So how then could some altruistic behaviour now and again be detrimental to the collective species?

75

Infallibility of Scripture

by drew sagan in

one of this biggest teachings present in mostly all christian denominations is the idea that the bible is infallibile.

my question is, where does the bible say this?

i know of many scriptures that point to the idea that what was written was directed by god, but where does the idea that what written is totally without error originate?

Midget-Sasquatch

He's got a point that in many cases it has a corrupting influence, though, hasn't he?
How many actually get past that stage before attempting to help others?

You're both right. There are a number of ways of that people can go down a constraining or selfish path. I've admittedly idealized the mystical path as a means of personal piety.