Posts by Twitch

I recall that part of my journey of belief after leaving the dubs long ago was pondering the possibilities of integrating dub beliefs with others in an attempt to resolve/replace said beliefs. Looking back, this lead to some interesting theories, one was the creation/evolution issue and the process was not unlike "diluting" dub beliefs with reason over time. I had believed in the dub version of creationism and though it didn't jive in my head, neither did the pure chance theory of evolution since I still believed in some form of God at the time, rather strongly as I recall. It made sense to me that one couldn't ignore the undeniable evidence of fossil records, carbon dating and the hard facts of science. To ignore such evidence is pure ignorance and though the dub world I was leaving was blissful there, I wanted more. Paradise lost.

I reasoned that to create something required taking something in it's raw form and making it into what's in the mind's eye. The artist sees the sculpture within the rock, the musician hears the music within the notes. Perhaps all that is living is the physical manifestation of God, the art of it's mind and will with the universe as the canvas. Surely we came into being somehow and the creation account left so much to the imagination with no evidence or reasonable theories. How did we get here? How did God create us? Science sought the answers and compiled evidence based on hard facts and I liked the process and reality there. However, it was hard at the time to deny God entirely and believe that we are the result of pure chance. Einstein said "God does not play dice". I was inclined to agree with the man who revealed much about the rules that govern "Gods" universe, whether he actually exists as we think or not.

Why not integrate the two? If God did exist, why is is so hard to think that evolution was his will in bringing us into being? Why does it have to be one extreme or the other? Why does it have be black and white? Us and them? Perhaps in time such theories will become more acceptable. Science itself has and will continue to evolve and much like ourselves, make mistakes, learn and progress towards higher understanding. Yes, at one time the earth was the centre of the universe and was flat but if it wasn't for science, we would still be holding onto outdated beliefs. Lets not forget that that religion in general has evolved as well, case in point being the progression from Mosaic law to that of Christ. From there have arisen many sects and doctrines that expand upon the foundation. There are things in both disciplines that still defy understanding but perhaps at some point there will be convergence. I know there are those who write on such subjects and I am not well read but enjoy the mental exercises. Belief is such a subjective thing and it's a shame to have to fight about who's right. Diversity and freedom of expression have both good and bad sides.

I'm just glad to be able to exercise the freedom of thought. It should not be underestimated or taken for granted.

31

World of Warcraft fans???

by Confucious in

jw
friends

.

hey guys.... i'm a big gamer.

i play a game called world of warcraft.. i know of 2 other people on my server that are jw.. one is a fader and the other a regular at the meetings.. i actually discovered them by accident after chatting with them during christmas time.. just wondering if anyone else here plays on wow.. confucious

Twitch

I know a few ppl that play and talk bout it all the time. Sounds pretty cool actually. They've asked me several times to join as they know I've been into online gaming but I've declined coz i know once I get into something like that, I would get hooked. So I stay away. Don't game that much anymore anyways. Maybe in the winter though,....

33

Fluff- Have you named your vehicle?

by serendipity in

jw
friends

i was emboldened by elsewhere's post where he called his mini cooper "nancy".

the large glass of wine also helped me to make an admission.

many years ago, i named my car "sully" after the scrumptious character in "dr quinn, medicine woman", mainly to tease my daughter.

Twitch

I refer to my jeep as "Lil Burro" sometimes, affectionatly of course,....;-)

15

Last night She told me size DID matter.......

by AK - Jeff in

.

so i decided to buy the correct shoe.. bet you thought this was about something else, huh?.

too damn early in the morning -jus' messin' wicha.. jeff

Twitch

You know what they say 'bout guys with big feet,........

Big shoes

;-)

21

Did you stop believing Armageddon is coming?

by plmkrzy in

how many just stopped believing in the jw predictions/description of what armageddon is all about?

ive met exjws that stopped believing in everything they were taught and ive met some that stopped believing in everything except armageddon.

ive heard comments like: boy wont they be surprised when the day comes and they find out they arent the only ones surviving.

Twitch

(((plmkrzy)))

Sorry if i was vague; i tend to be. It's the reductionist in me, ;-) A butterfly in China turns left instead of right and it rains in NY instead of being sunny. Everything is connected, everything is dependant on everything else, ad infinitum. My point is that it's really impossible to know how things would've turned out had different choices been made for and by me, specifically here in regards to religious beliefs. Who knows what road would've been taken and who and what would've influenced me along the way? Was it the dubs and the doctrine that caused me to question it's validity as a result of some innate cognitive dissonance? Would I have questioned the doctrines of another religion as much and rebelled the same way, regardless if that religion was a more "accepting" one? (subjective) Or would I have found peace in being raised catholic, protestant, buddhist, etc? Is it just the way I am? Or because of what I experienced? Am I purely the result of my own experience or just a complex collection of chemicals reacting a certain way to external stimuli? I'll never know the answer to your question.

However, that being said, the experiance of being dub has caused me to gravitate towards some place between agnosticism and atheism, that much is true. I didn't stop at questioning just the dub version of christianity. The journey continues,.... Thanks for the thoughts. Good movie, btw

17

What Great Resources Apostates Have - Created Bottom Up, Not Top Down!!

by Seeker4 in

a couple of things got me thinking today.

i was reading jgnat's thread on responses to elders, and it reminded me of the reasoning book in some ways.

then i got to thinking about having access online to all of the elder's letters for decades, and websites with wts literature, copies of the un letter on the wts being a ngo and so much more.

Twitch

Well said, S4

Cheers!

21

Did you stop believing Armageddon is coming?

by plmkrzy in

how many just stopped believing in the jw predictions/description of what armageddon is all about?

ive met exjws that stopped believing in everything they were taught and ive met some that stopped believing in everything except armageddon.

ive heard comments like: boy wont they be surprised when the day comes and they find out they arent the only ones surviving.

Twitch

Do you think you would still believe in religion or the bible if you had been anything other then a jw? Or was it the expierence as a jw that turned you off?

Good question but ultimately unanswerable, methinks. Lemme ponder it tho.

Have you seen the "The Butterfly Effect"?

21

Did you stop believing Armageddon is coming?

by plmkrzy in

how many just stopped believing in the jw predictions/description of what armageddon is all about?

ive met exjws that stopped believing in everything they were taught and ive met some that stopped believing in everything except armageddon.

ive heard comments like: boy wont they be surprised when the day comes and they find out they arent the only ones surviving.

Twitch

We humans don't need god to drop the big-A. We're perfectly capable of doing that ourselves with nuclear weapons, overpopulation, pollution, deadly viruses.

Agreed.

The other possibility of course would be a "doomsday" asteroid. In astronomical terms and time frames, it's only a matter of time, as it has happened before. Perhaps such a thing could be attributed to the "will of God" however, should this such catastrophe (or any for that matter) actually happen, do you honestly think the "meek will inherit the earth"? IMO, the "Mad Max" scenario is far more likely with those that have the guns and willingness to use them being at the top of the new "society". The will to survive should not be underestimated. Lets not be naive.

I don't buy the God induced apocalypse with only the "good" and "meek" surviving.