i'm not really sure as to what category that i should put this into, so i'll just try, and put it here.
this is based upon a posting that i saw and read on facebook recently.
and, the question is: what if life---as you know it---was just one big dream?
Yes, what is it, to be?
Who or rather, what are you?
The most fundamental question one has to answer, really.
Who would want the random and irrational existence that is a dream?
Were I a butterfly who dreamt I was a man, methinks it better to be a butterfly
Regardless, you won't find the answer of an afterlife until you're dead
So as has been said, carpe diem
identical twin studies show there is a strong inheritable component to religiosity.
thomas bouchard studied identical and fraternal twins raised apart and tested them on religious attitudes.. the correlation for the former turned out to be 62% compared to just 2% for the latter.
his colleague.
cofty
Our personal experiences and opinions are not valid data when held against scientific studies.
Interesting viewpoint considering the thread title
it has been a good 8 years away from my area, a good 10 years + since i was regularly at meetings.
a good 12 years since i was hesitantly active.. it is a slow process but it does happen.
i now feel no connection to the belief system beyond memories.
Yes, it is a good feeling to lose the connections to that world.
Sometimes when I'm down, I remind myself of the battles fought and won for my freedom of expression and thought; things that should not be taken for granted.
being that this is not "ex jws" and in fact, more driven by atheists talking a bunch of crap, im not even going to address you people like you know anything about jws because you dont.
nor am i going to assume you know the bible because none of you do.. and yes, im speaking down at you all because you men have actually went out your way to make a site to speak down at an entire group of people.
yet i bet you cant even handle a single uswer talking down at you, like you talk down about jws can you?.
From that acknowledgment I think there should be a level of empathy offered to him and people like him.
Agreed
i don't know why, but i put off getting a haircut way longer than i should.. i might go as long as 5 or 6 months between haircuts.. i desperately need a haircut.. what do you desperately need, but you've been putting it off?.
(disclaimer: minimus is going to be jealous.
this sort of question is his tradmark :).
well, i have been lurking on this site for several months and i recently decided to join as a member.
i have made several observations and would like to make a few comments.. first, i am perplexed by the attitude of many on this site that are either former or active (but apostate) jws.
they seem to have a strong hatred for the wts and also for rank and file jws.
My greatest growth occurred after researching (and dismissing) the Bible, then went on to Taoism and Zen Buddhism thoughts. The thing I took to heart most about eastern thought was that I don't have to be right, I don't have to know everything, and I don't even have to embrace all of the eastern beliefs in order to benefit from the wisdom I do accept.
It is a fascinating train of thought to ride...
scientists seek religious experience -- in the brain.
by geoffrey mohan.
published:.
Persinger is the co-inventor of the 'God helmet' which when worn tries to evoke religious experiences by running an electromagnetic current into your skull, particularly the temporal lobes.
I saw a documentary about this guy; I think it was in the Through the Wormhole series. Or perhaps PBS Nova.
Cool stuff. It would stand to reason that if you think or feel it, the cause is chemistry in your brain and body. How else would you be aware of it?
That being said, do androids dream of electric sheep?
;)
well, the switchover happened - there were a couple of things i had to fix which meant the posting was disabled for longer than i planned but it's now enabled and some people have already posted.. if you have any questions about the new format or suggestions on how to improve it, please post them here.. if you are having trouble signing in or posting then you'll need to email me instead.. many thanks to everyone for their patience during the changeover !.
Liking the new format I am
Excellent job Simon!
do you get confused sometimes whether this site is a discussion forum or a debating forum ?.
just asking.
whats your thoughts.. smiddy.
Do you get confused sometimes whether this site is a discussion forum or a debating forum ?
No
Clearly a discussion forum, though considering the site's nature, informal debates are often a result.
an athist made this casual statememt on another thread:.
this would suggest to me that there are at least some atheists that do have consistant beliefs.. .
as an atheist, how could he possibly trust the reason that suggests this to himself?
Rephrase it any way you wish for yourself, I no longer wish to judge peeps based on their beliefs.
I won't say the org didn't do some damage in my life but i chose to leave as soon as I could in my teens. So I didn't waste many years as a choice personally
Your mileage may vary
