sickolies, please do not take my comment as atheist bashing. I have several excellent friends that are atheists and/or agnostics. I simply felt the zealousness and enthusiasm of your feats at the conference laced with so many first person singulars sounded so much like that of the JWs beating their chests over the obvious blessings of Jehovah that they alone were privileged to appreciate. Although I never made it to the sacred grounds of atheism, many of my years were spent as an agnostic seeking answers and appreciating all the diversity of belief system and human condition. That I was attracted to a religion known for its tolerance, nay even celebration of diversity, is no mere accident or feat of opportunism. I do not subscribe to the proseltyzing by any group or individual regardless of how checkered there past may have been or how much intolerance they have subjected to. We are all responsible for our choices and our behavior and if it walks and talks like a duck, my first inclination is to see if it next lays an egg. may you live well carmel
Posts by Carmel
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34Apostate Presence Rattles World Conference on Religion
by SickofLies ini know many of you probably never saw my post a few days ago inviting everyone to the world religions conference where i was a key note speaker.
i'd like to send a big thank you to kwintestal and mincan for showing and giving their support, surfice to say it made quite an impression that the three people standing up and defending atheism at the event were all ex-witnesses.
the theme for the event was on the topic of morals and modesty.
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30
Do you know?
by mouthy inhow long mail takes to india.
i sent mail weeks ago... never arrived there ...any idea???
?from canada
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Carmel
Mouthy, When our sons live in New Delhi ten years ago it often took three months to get a parcel to India via first class. Priority mail would still take ten days. On more than one occassion the items never even arrived. Hope you have better results. carmel
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34
Apostate Presence Rattles World Conference on Religion
by SickofLies ini know many of you probably never saw my post a few days ago inviting everyone to the world religions conference where i was a key note speaker.
i'd like to send a big thank you to kwintestal and mincan for showing and giving their support, surfice to say it made quite an impression that the three people standing up and defending atheism at the event were all ex-witnesses.
the theme for the event was on the topic of morals and modesty.
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Carmel
Unfortunately you sound like the local JW braging about how many new recruits were baptized at the assembly! I think your friend nailed it as to your motive. Sorry to dampen your wick. Carmel
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21
growing up native american
by BIG D infor those of you that dont know, iam half choctaw indian, my mom told me an sad, but interesting story the other day, she is jw, and my dad elder, she had her indian boarding school reunion, in oklahoma, and did not want to go, the first i have ever heard of her reunion, in all my life,.
she told me this story, similar stories i have heard from indian relatives, when she was a little girl, about 7 , she had 11 brothers and sisters, she lived on tribal lands in oklahoma, her great grandmother signed the 5 civilized scrolls act in 1907 that said indians would give up there ansterial lands and be relocated to indian territory, oklahoma.our tribe was from louisana.. her older family traveled from louisana, to oklahoma, in the dead of winter, on foot and hungry the whole way, over half the tribe died, sickness and malnourishment set in on the journey, and the military escort was berating them the whole way, the exodus, known to history books tday as the trail of tears.
the soldiers learned the words tish-pa, which means hurry up.. for some time after they made it to indian territory, they were given dispersments of money, they did not use money, and had no real use for it, it stopped shortly thereafter, the site named skully, to this day, which means money, a new word made up for it.. .
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Carmel
My ancestors were part of the Trail of Tears too! As a 1/4 Seminole I've often wondered whether it would be of any value to research my own heritage. But alas, the 3/4 Irish/Scottish/German pat tells me it wouldn't make any difference at this point. My you live well and prosper. carmel, the mongrel
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20
Why all the Testing?
by zack inthe bible is full of stories about god needing to test people, either as individuals or as a group, the most notorious being the testing.
of adam and eve.. why does an omnipotent and omniscient being need to "test" his creation?
are we like products in a factory?
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Carmel
Take the bible literally and you will be like the dog chasing its tail wordofancientphilosopher
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Carmel
...hmmm a group that isn't organized.... what does that look like? Is there an oxymoron in the bushes? carmel
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52
Do you still believe in God
by solidergirl ini was wondering why da or df jw no longer believe in god when they make up their mind to no longer attend a meeting.
first off let's not say that all of us become athiest when leaving.
many on this board believe in god.
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Carmel
For years I considered myself an agnostic as I couldn't honestly decide on what to believe re: God. Not until I got outside the box of biblical limitation could I begin to see a pattern that underlies all the worlds religions. their origins, efflorescence and decline through divisionand disunity are very similiar enough so to suggest to the fair minded that a paradigm that unifies all of them as coming from the same source is worth considering. Otherwise I'd still be stuck with the dichotomy of chosing between no god or accepting the limited god of the bible, a false dichotomy to which I refuse to subscribe. So I'm now amongst the "believers" but with a much more inclusive and liberal understanding of what is "god". carmel
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40
If your God were in charge...
by nvrgnbk inwhat would the world be like?.
for example, today orthodox jews and christians don't kill witches and homosexuals because they can't legally.. but if things were as their god decreed in the bible, they'd be dead.. islam, when it has enough power to enforce it's laws, summarily kills and dismembers those that offend allah.. so if you're unhappy with all the gays and druggies and atheists and witches and hippies, are you secretly longing for the day when your deity of choice exterminates them?.
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Carmel
A) He is and B) it's a "do-it-yourself" kit! Everything is as is should be. We are evolving socially, politically and even spiritually. carmel
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18
How many times have you heard this...
by Amber Rose inalmost every non born-in jw that i know tells the same story of how they found "the truth".
and it goes like this: i didn't know anything about the bible before becoming a jw.
one day br.&sis.
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Carmel
I'm always facinated by those who claim to "know that all religion is a snare and a racket" (a la Russell) because they "investigated" as JWS. There are many ways to study a belief system most of which are likely biased against and/or unsympathetic. For me an unbiased investigation into lets say Hinduism requires a considerable amount of research otherwise one is likely to come away of a superficial understanding. I know I spent several years attending various christian denominations once I left the JWs, but looking back on it, my investigation was based a great deal on blinders prescribed by growing up as a JW. Accepting that the JWs have the "truth" compared to other denominations or sects belies ones level of true scholarship. carmel dismounting his soap box
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41
Hmmmmm... I wonder...
by AGuest inif i opened/ended my exchances with "assalamu alaikum," would so many be so offended?
i personally don't think so.
in fact, i think there would be some who would think, "hey, cool!
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Carmel
...allah'u'ahkbar, my dear! carmel