Big Dog

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Posts by Big Dog

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  15

  Why do you worship your god? Or do you?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the discussion on god and why it allows bad things to happen was eye-opening for me.

  as i had hoped it would be!.

  one thing i drew from it is that those that believe in god don't necessarily have any basis at all for that belief.

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  Big Dog

  Dog, by worship I mean "The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object." Or to make it simple, if you pray to it, we'll consider that worship. If you're simply aware of it, believe it exists, but don't expect it to know or care that you exist, then we'll say that isn't worship.

  
  

  
  Dave,

  I was raised by a dub (my father) who spent 15 years in the military and never lost that edge. Respect was taught to me from the get go, and if there is a God that's what I have for he/she/it. A deep and abiding respect for a being that if responsible for all we percieve is impressive to say the least, and deserves my respect for this existence. I always remember dad talking about superior officers that he didn't like, he might have hated them personally, but he rendered them the respect their uniform demanded. I don't hate God like many here do, but on the other hand I have never felt that overwhelming love that many profess to feel for God, and I have sometimes wondered if I was defective because I do not. But when I go with my wife to church (Roman Catholic) on Sundays I sit and meditate and go along with the program as a show of respect and appreciation for my possible creator and what I have.

  So, does that count as worship? I don't know, don't really care to be honest, its what I feel and I go with it.
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  13

  Surgery Sucks!

  by whyamihere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  oh my god............. i know what pain is and this sucked.

  i have war scars now...sniff..i hope i will get over the sadness of how it will look.

  i just want to thank everyone who was giving me well wishes.

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  Big Dog

  Brooke, glad you are doing well, pain sucks but at least it lets you know that you are alive. Hope you are back to your usual irrepressible self soon!
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  15

  Why do you worship your god? Or do you?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the discussion on god and why it allows bad things to happen was eye-opening for me.

  as i had hoped it would be!.

  one thing i drew from it is that those that believe in god don't necessarily have any basis at all for that belief.

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  Big Dog

  Dave, how do you define worship? What are its components?
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  28

  Really, Do You Look Down Upon Religious People?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i find myself doing that at times.

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  Big Dog

  I guess that depends on how you define religious people. If you are talking about total fundamentalist (JW's included), faith healing, rolling on the floor speaking in tongues religious people, then no I don't look "down" on them but I see them as pretty misguied.

  If you are talking about people with a healthy faith that brings them a lot of peace and joy in their lives, that don't try to convert everyone they meet, don't go on about their faith constantly, and seem to be better people for it, then no, I think those people are great.
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  105

  How do you defend your god's inaction?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a question for those that believe in a god or gods, particularly those described as "all knowing" or "almighty".. how do you defend to yourself that your god has not in any modern situation saved his people from anything?.

  people of all faiths are regularly killed by various natural elements.

  of course, if you knew such a thing was going to befall a person and you could do something to protect them, you would.

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  Big Dog

  Old Soul, what you said is so true, language has limitations, hell, its my understanding that even math has limitations, there are somethings just beyond the ability for language to capture or adequately describe, thus the job of a poet is much more difficult than people ever imagine.
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  105

  How do you defend your god's inaction?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a question for those that believe in a god or gods, particularly those described as "all knowing" or "almighty".. how do you defend to yourself that your god has not in any modern situation saved his people from anything?.

  people of all faiths are regularly killed by various natural elements.

  of course, if you knew such a thing was going to befall a person and you could do something to protect them, you would.

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  Big Dog

  Dave, I get the thunder and lightning analogy, but I guess I see it as we have advanced a fair bit scientifically and while I am in no way science saavy but I like to read and I know of no theory based on scientfic principals that even would begin to explain matter from nothing, that in a vacuum canister energy/matter would suddenly spring into existence. By our own scientific theories that just isn't going to happen.

  But, ultimately I agree, there is just too much we don't know, too much to dogmatically argue for or against there being a God. I lean towards there being a God for reasons of my own which I foist upon no one, nor do I feel the need to defend, like my love for my daughter those feelings just exist.
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  9

  Meat on fridays & hypocrisy

  by ackack in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was reading some older watchtower articles on the catholics and meat on fridays.

  i only have a couple of quotes here.. tell me, he asked, how can i have confidence in anything?

  how can i believe in the bible, in god, or have faith?

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  Big Dog

  I have spent about equal amounts of time in WBTS and around the Catholic Church and I'll take those crazy Catholics anytime, at least those folks know how to live.
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  105

  How do you defend your god's inaction?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a question for those that believe in a god or gods, particularly those described as "all knowing" or "almighty".. how do you defend to yourself that your god has not in any modern situation saved his people from anything?.

  people of all faiths are regularly killed by various natural elements.

  of course, if you knew such a thing was going to befall a person and you could do something to protect them, you would.

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  Big Dog

  Without some evidence one way or the other, I agree. However the universe has the advantage of undeniably being here, while god can't make the same claim. While many claim not to believe in god, almost nobody claims not to believe in the universe.

  Dave,

  Right, but I guess to me that is a loop, yes the universe is here, but we are back to how did it get here, it either always was or something had to cause it to be, so I could argue that fact that there is a universe is as strong an arguement that God exists as anything.
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  105

  How do you defend your god's inaction?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a question for those that believe in a god or gods, particularly those described as "all knowing" or "almighty".. how do you defend to yourself that your god has not in any modern situation saved his people from anything?.

  people of all faiths are regularly killed by various natural elements.

  of course, if you knew such a thing was going to befall a person and you could do something to protect them, you would.

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  Big Dog

  Dave, my GUESS would be that most believe in God because that's what they were taught as a child. Then as adults they came to a crossroads where the choice is, I can't believe the Universe and everything I see just happened or yes, I believe that all this I see is a mathematical probability playing itself out.

  The thing that stops me short of going atheist is where did everything come from, not to be confused with evolution stuff, but why is there anything instead of nothing. Big Bang, well, what caused the big bang? If the universe just always was, then that is no different to me than the arguement that God just always was.
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  9

  Meat on fridays & hypocrisy

  by ackack in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was reading some older watchtower articles on the catholics and meat on fridays.

  i only have a couple of quotes here.. tell me, he asked, how can i have confidence in anything?

  how can i believe in the bible, in god, or have faith?

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  Big Dog

  We are truly blessed that the WBTS never changes anything, they are a rock we can depend on unlike the Satan run churches of Christendom.