The predominant message throughout the majority of religious institutions is that, regardless of the maladies which may befall us, as long as one retains their faith in God and his purpose for mankind, they can survive. As long as that faith remains intact, regardless of the suffering, they are reaping life's greatest rewards. Convinced that everything happens for a reason, they muster the strength and determination to overcome. One might find comfort in this view, but in reality, they wouldn't need the promise of some kind of after death existence unless their life was somewhat less than fulfilling. Having a feeling of tranquility in ones existence only due to the belief that you will obtain genuine serenity after death is not only senseless, it means your main goal in life is to die. Blind faith has always been a major contributor in human society. By far, most of the population do not have the capability or resources to validate that which they hold as truth. They happily consume what they are told by the "experts" and go on about their life assuming that these "experts" can provide necessary backing for their views. The problem is that those who furnish this information could be wrong, leading to the propagation of something which is not true. The practice of intentionally promoting false teaching is all too common in our world. Those that control the reigns of society view the majority of people simply as sheep, sheep to be herded in the desired direction. "Faith is powerful enough to immunize people against all appeals to pity, to forgiveness, to decent human feelings. It even immunizes them against fear, if they honestly believe that a martyr's death will send them straight to heaven. What a weapon! Religious faith deserves a chapter to itself in the annals of war technology, on an even footing with the longbow, the warhorse, the tank and the hydrogen bomb." - Richard Dawkins Because of this conformity, it is easy to cultivate beliefs that manipulate and control. With the use of deceitful tactics, it becomes a simple affair to obtain compliance and conformity. Although some leaders actually do have mans best interests in mind, there are those that use this control and manipulation to advance their own agenda. They are very destructive to society in their ability to discourage free thought. Unfortunately, a lot of the population prefer to live as sheep, looking to others for direction as they are unable to handle the responsibility that results from such independent thought. All one needs is to concentrate on what is truly important to them in their life. If one focuses upon the barriers that keep them from finding true inner peace through knowledge and understanding, the larger problems will take care of themselves. Reaching the point of discerning what is truly meaningful in ones life and seeing the conditioned ideals for what they truly are will grant freedom from a great amount of the stress and anxiety of the everyday world.
SeymourButts
JoinedPosts by SeymourButts
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64
Since it is obvious all religion is wrong why do so many believe?
by jwfacts inany religion that claims it is the only correct one is obviously wrong.
by it's arrogance it becomes mutually exclusive of any other religion.
when one steps back they can see that the contradiction of one religion over the others is a proof that they all must be wrong.
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If you can have any job in the world, what would it be?
by Dimples inanything in the field of forensic science.
it just fascinates me how crimes are solved.. so, how about you?.
dimples
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SeymourButts
Treasure hunter/explorer of uncharted regions
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64
Since it is obvious all religion is wrong why do so many believe?
by jwfacts inany religion that claims it is the only correct one is obviously wrong.
by it's arrogance it becomes mutually exclusive of any other religion.
when one steps back they can see that the contradiction of one religion over the others is a proof that they all must be wrong.
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SeymourButts
Would you trust your eternal destiny to a guy who calls himself SeymourButts?
LoL...One evening during a semi-drunken stupor, my brother-in-law and I were inventing book titles and their authors.
One of which was: "Under the Bleachers" by Seymour Butts (see more butts)
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64
Since it is obvious all religion is wrong why do so many believe?
by jwfacts inany religion that claims it is the only correct one is obviously wrong.
by it's arrogance it becomes mutually exclusive of any other religion.
when one steps back they can see that the contradiction of one religion over the others is a proof that they all must be wrong.
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SeymourButts
It all seems so totally unfair. As members of the species we refer to as human: Some will starve to death before we have even learned to walk, while others, will live out their lives to a ripe old age and do so surrounded by opulence and splendor. We can be born into many varied situations...an abusive family or a much hated ethnic group. We may start out with some sort of disease or disability. We embark on this voyage of life with a deck that has been stacked against us, and then we die, and that's it? Not even so much as a dream in the endless sleep we refer to as death? Where does the justice lie in all of this? This is cold, brutal and heartless. Shouldn't we be given a second chance on a playing field which has been leveled? Wouldn't we all like to be born again with circumstances that take into account the record of how well we played the part in our previous existence, regardless of how the deck had been stacked against us then? Or, if after we die, there was a period of judgement which, as long as we performed well with the life we were given and performed our faithful and humble duties, we should be rewarded with a wondrous and gleeful everlasting life in an exclusive refuge far removed from the woes of the material world? Societies that teach ones to be satisfied with their current position in life, based on an expectation of an after-death reward, in some ways vaccinate themselves to revolt. A culture that teaches the idea of an afterlife for heroes, or even for those that just did what authority instructed them, might gain a competitive edge or advantage. The idea that some part of us, our spiritual nature, survives in some state after ones death, becomes an easy sell for religions and nations. It's not something that will invoke widespread skepticism. People want to believe, even when the evidence is minute or non-existent. When large and powerful institutions insist upon an afterlife it should be of little surprise that dissenters are few. Even when applied sensitively, skepticism can come across as arrogant, heartless, and dismissive of the feelings and deeply seated beliefs of others. Some skeptics will apply this tool as bluntly and with as little finesse as possible. Sometimes it even appears as if the skeptical conclusion was arrived at before the evidence was examined. We all hold dearly the beliefs in which our faith is drawn. When someone challenges those beliefs as being insufficiently based or asks embarrassing questions that we hadn't thought of, or demonstrates our sweeping of underlying principles under the rug...it becomes more than just someone searching for knowledge. It feels much more like a personal assault. An assault on our intelligence and reasoning ability. There always seems to be the attitude of US vs Them....the sense that WE have the monopoly on truth....the others who put their faith in all of those silly doctrines are idiots.....if you are intelligent and sensible, you will believe what we say..... and if not, you are beyond redemption.
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64
Since it is obvious all religion is wrong why do so many believe?
by jwfacts inany religion that claims it is the only correct one is obviously wrong.
by it's arrogance it becomes mutually exclusive of any other religion.
when one steps back they can see that the contradiction of one religion over the others is a proof that they all must be wrong.
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SeymourButts
Religion is for those that can't handle the notion of an atheistic universe.
The journey from JWism to Christianity (or any other religion for that matter) is nothing more than a jump from the frying pan and into the fire. The replacement of one set of beliefs with an equally comical set of beliefs. Nothing more than a crutch for those that can't accept (or refuse to face) reality. One religions claims of truth are no more valid than any others. Each and every one should be examined with the same magnifying glass used on the Watchtower. When you do....they all fall.
I see more churchianity than christianity in the world. The JWs are wrong, so I am a Baptist. The Baptists are wrong, so I am a Catholic. The Catholics are wrong, so I am a Lutheran...and on, and on, and on.............
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42
So, Who are the people that ignore BIG warnings?
by upside/down ini mean...it doesn't matter what the potential disaster is...there is always a group of morons that think they are invincible and can weather anything mother nature can throw at them.... is this evolutions way of strengthening the strain?
or is it weeding out the stupid weak?.
i'm not talking about the sick and poor that can't ...but the healthy fools that stay...and die.. it doesn't matter it's a volcano, tsunami, tornado, forest fire, hurricane, typhoon.....or a big toothed carnivorous animal...there is always the moron who demands to stay and face imminent harm and death...instead of using his brain and just temporarily relocating...to a safer locale.
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SeymourButts
Resistance to predictions with dire consequences is, unfortunately, all too common. When one is faced with a prophecy which involves powerful forces that may not be immediately influenced, there is a natural tendency to ignore or totally reject that prophecy. Tempering or evading the danger may take time, effort, money, courage. We might even have to alter the course of our lives and change it's priorities. Not every prediction of disaster is fulfilled, so when a new and uncomfortable prediction is given to us we might be tempted to say: "It has never been that bad before." We'll be alright." "Doom and gloom." What's more, if predictions of the "Big One" are long-standing, the prediction is dressed-down or lessened over time. There is often a temptation to minimize or dismiss. "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."
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Is it OK for a Religion to change doctrines and beliefs as time goes by?
by JH in.
i say that if they are inspired from god, they shouldn't have to modify their beliefs.
either they are inspired from god, or they aren't..
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SeymourButts
From the Watchtower Feb 15, 1964 This brief analysis of just a few beliefs of “pagan” and “Christian” religions should show the thinking person that sincerity in believing a doctrine does not change what is wrong into what is right. It does not make it acceptable to God. He cannot condone what is wrong. He cannot bless what is falsehood. He is a God of truth. “It is impossible for God to lie,” states Hebrews 6:18; so surely he would not approve lies even when sincerely taught in his name. No doubt you are sincere in your beliefs. But remember, sincerity in itself will not change a wrong belief into a right one nor make it acceptable to God. God wants you to use his written Word to determine what is right. In this way he puts you to the test to see if you deserve his blessings. If you are apathetic, trusting in others to do all your religious thinking for you, then you cannot expect God’s favor.
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Jesus, the first Jehovah witness
by SeymourButts ini just happened to be doing a little research today and came upon these "delightful words of truth".
these are a few from an article in the oct 1, 1960 watchtower entitled...
the holy biblethe book by jehovahs witnesses
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SeymourButts
I just happened to be doing a little research today and came upon these "delightful words of truth". These are a few from an article in the Oct 1, 1960 Watchtower entitled... The Holy Bible—the Book by Jehovah’s Witnesses By birth Jesus was one of the nation of Israel to whom Jehovah God said, in Isaiah 43:10-12: “‘You are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.” So Jesus was born on earth to be Jehovah’s witness. This fact he refused to deny, even before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, who sentenced Jesus to death. To emphasize that Jesus was a witness the apostle Paul speaks of “Christ Jesus, who as a witness made the right public declaration in the audience of Pontius Pilate.” (1 Tim. 6:13) Further, out of Jesus’ own mouth we hear his confession to being Jehovah’s witness, when he says to Nicodemus, a Jewish teacher in Israel: “What we know we speak and what we have seen we bear witness of, but you people do not receive the witness we give. If I have told you earthly things and yet you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”—John 3:11, 12; Then Jesus commented: “Today this scripture that you just heard is fulfilled.” To show its fulfillment, he now proceeded to “proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor,” which Jehovah had anointed him to proclaim. Jesus was thus proving himself Jehovah’s witness. Said the apostle Paul: “Become imitators of me, even as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Thess. 1:6) The truth becomes plain, therefore, that true Christians, true followers of Christ, must imitate him in being Jehovah’s witnesses. True Christians are Jehovah’s witnesses. When such natural Jews left Judaism with its traditions and became Christians in the days of the apostles, they did not cease to be Jehovah’s witnesses. No; they became the Christian witnesses of Jehovah, like their Leader Jesus Christ the Greater Moses. The natural-born Jews who refused to accept Jesus Christ as the Greater Moses were the ones who ceased to be Jehovah’s witnesses as well as Jehovah’s national “servant” class. Thus the Holy Bible of which Jehovah God is the one Author was completed by means of his witnesses, even as it had been begun by means of them. Consequently, with no room allowed for Scriptural contradiction, it may be said that The Holy Bible is the Book by Jehovah’s witnesses. As Revelation 19:6 exclaims, “Hallelujah!”
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What do you call a bunch of WT magazines on the ground?
by the_classicist in.
street witnessing!
the inspiration for this joke came from seeing a "you can live forever on a paradise earth" brochure on the ground.
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42
Does your family still think you are coming back?
by kid-A inhope springs eternal in the wts.
despite having left before even being baptized, i would have to say my parents still wholeheartedly believe i will someday come around, .
get baptized, become active and maybe even become an elder !
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SeymourButts
Nope...They know that I won't return and they know some of the reasons why. They recognize my right to believe as I wish and have said that they will respect that decision. My father (elder) doesn't have a problem with any issues I want to bring up. He will discuss anything. To test him...I told him that I felt that the JW's were acting as false prophets and gave him several reasons why. He didn't freak out.
What has happened though is that he no longer believes JWs will be the only ones to make it to "paradise earth". He believes the earth is very very old, and has even asked me the reason why I support the Darwinian view of evolution and what evidence is out there. He even told me that if what I have given him regarding the date for the fall of Jerusalem turns out to be true...it WILL make a difference. What this specifically means, I don't know, but just the fact that he said it is a good sign.
Basically, we have agreed to disagree.