Posts by sonnyboy

40

What Would YOU Do?

by GetBusyLiving in

jw
friends

this is an email forward i got from a friend.

interesting.

you make the choice don't look for a punch line.

sonnyboy

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that opportunity, and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

I always go out of my way to help a stranger. I think we should all do a little something every day to make people realize that the world doesn't have to be a cold place. It can definitely spread to others. I've helped old ladies with their groceries, never turn down the opportunity to give a homeless person some change, and let people in front of me when traffic is heavy. I believe that the smallest of deeds can change the world to some extent (but they apparently don't change the a-hole who doesn't wave when you let them out or say thank you when you hold the door for them). That's discouraging. Coldness can also spread to others. I remember holding the door for a lady who was pushing two strollers and being followed by an older child with a shopping cart. She didn't even acknowledge my existence, yet alone say thank you. Her older child nearly ran into me with the cart and wouldn't even look in my direction. People like her are responsible for all the coldness in the world.

56

List Your Favorite Foreign (non-American) Films Here!

by Funchback in

i hope this thread receives a lot of responses.

not because i am egotistical.

heck, really, i like any sort of film.

sonnyboy

I can't remember the name, but it's a Scottish film about a boy who gets mixed up with organized crime and ends of stabbing his best friend. I only saw it once and couldn't understand half of what was said (the accents are very thick), but it kept my interest. The acting was exceptional.

I also liked an Irish film about two guys who sold toupees and had a run in with the IRA (don't know the name of that one either).

58

Question for agnostics and/or atheists

by sonnyboy in

jw
friends

i've just recently declared my agnosticism to myself and to one other person in my life.

i don't necessarily consider myself an atheist because i believe there very well may be some higher power or non carbon based entities in existence with 'godlike' abilities.

my question is, do you still find yourself secretly believing in god?

sonnyboy

If you can let identification itself go, that will be a real change.

That's basically the theme of this thread. The question is, how do you let the identification go (whether it be with God or the JWs)? TS gave some good avice, but I've been looking into this for a number of years and a part of me still wants to believe. If I could have the part of my brain removed which holds such nonsensical thoughts, I would.

Concerning labels, I remember visiting self-proclaimed atheists as a kid during field service. When the brother first told us they were atheists, everyone was agasp and the car went quiet. The 'adults' of the group then talked about them as if they were incarnated demons. The philosophy of our group was, "If you're not for Jehovah, then you're for Satan." It was years before I discovered that atheists didn't worship Satan and that the world doesn't exist in black and white.

If we choose to label ourselves, we must be prepared the accept the responsibility that comes along with it. If we're worried about being judged, then misconceptions should be dealth with right off the bat.

58

Question for agnostics and/or atheists

by sonnyboy in

jw
friends

i've just recently declared my agnosticism to myself and to one other person in my life.

i don't necessarily consider myself an atheist because i believe there very well may be some higher power or non carbon based entities in existence with 'godlike' abilities.

my question is, do you still find yourself secretly believing in god?

sonnyboy

If its there and it wanted us to know, it would present itself.

Exactly. What's the point in believing something based on faith? "Even though there is no evidence that I exist, you'll never see me, and I'll never talk to you, you MUST worship and obey me!"

Obviously God's creators knew that people would smarten up and realize that there is no evidence of his existence, so they threw in faith as a catch-22.

Steve and TS: Thanks for the info. I'll have to delve more deeply into the site a little later.

....if you exercised due diligence in seeking Him out.

CYP, I did exercise due dilligence in seeking him out for nearly 20 years. This is what ultimately led me to where I am today.

Now when I see televangelists spewing forth scripture as people are crying, putting their hands in the air, and praising Jesus, I get angry. They seem so deceptive an alien. They urge people to put all their burdens on an unseen alien instead of taking the initiative to help themselves. I get so frustrated by the fact that people can't see how they've been conditioned to think in such an illogical manner. Considering the possibility that God does exist, I get even more angry by the fact that people can't see how they've been duped by their "creator". I'd love to use Al Pacino's quote from Devil's Advocate (in my first post) as a signature.

16

What is up with God requiring vindication?

by M.J. in

i've related before that i have started studying with a superbrother from the local congo.

in the knowledge book we came across this quote:

*** kl chap.

sonnyboy

Every god is created in the image of the one who worships it.

What does that say about people who worship cows?

58

Question for agnostics and/or atheists

by sonnyboy in

jw
friends

i've just recently declared my agnosticism to myself and to one other person in my life.

i don't necessarily consider myself an atheist because i believe there very well may be some higher power or non carbon based entities in existence with 'godlike' abilities.

my question is, do you still find yourself secretly believing in god?

sonnyboy

I've just recently declared my agnosticism to myself and to one other person in my life. I don't necessarily consider myself an atheist because I believe there very well may be some higher power or non carbon based entities in existence with 'godlike' abilities. Who can say for sure?

My question is, do you still find yourself secretly believing in God? By secretly I mean that a part of your brain won't let him go, although the rest of your being thinks that he most likely doesn't exist.

Does this feeling ever pass? God-belief has been so instilled within me that it seems impossible to let it go completely. Some may believe that this is God's way of letting me know that he exists, and others may say that this is due to years of brainwashing. Whatever it is, the guilt of rejecting the Judeo/Christian god is there whenever I mention it. I keep thinking, "What if I'm wrong about this and he one day confronts me with it?"

7

cruises

by pratt1 in

jw
friends

.

has anyone gone on a cruise for vacation?.

i am going to the bahamas on holland american, leaving from ny and since i've never gone before, i don't know what to expect.. what was your experience like?

sonnyboy

take your own booze (vodka in a water bottle) they RAPE you when you check out.

That sounds as bad as a baseball game: $5.50 for ONE beer, and $6.75 for the smallest mixed drinks you've ever seen in your life. The cups couldn't have held over four ounces. The next time we went, my brother and I smuggled in our own stuff.

Just one of the many benefits of wearing baggy pants with lots of pockets.

47

Drama at DC in KC

by stillajwexelder in

.

well basically it was aimed at youths and was all about timothy and the apostle paul.

it was rammed down everybodys throat --no college- get pionerring just like timothy

sonnyboy

The reason they are hinting that the end will come in 2034 and telling the kids not to go to college is because they want more money.

Exactly. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that NO ONE KNOWS when the end will come (not that I believe it ever will come). I'm astounded by the fact that they keep on claiming to know.

Their whole idiology revolves around "the end". They could do so much good for the world if they focused on "the present" once in a while.

15

So, what exactly makes Jehovah's Witnesses wrong? I need a list.

by sonnyboy in

jw
friends

ok, i'm attempting to collect a list of jw wrongs in this thread so i can give it to my parents.

i haven't been here long enough to know some of the inside information that you guys have, so any contributions would be welcomed.

sonnyboy

Thanks, SNG. Those are good points.

Evolution does indeed occur.

For some reason they refuse to see how life has adapted to its environment all over the planet. The Galapagos islands are a prime example.

I'm not sure if this is due to evolution (some say it's due to a better diet), but the average shoe size for women in 1900 was 3 1/2. The size steadily increased, decade by decade, and the average today is size 8. I think it's kind of interesting how people in general are getting bigger year by year.

60

Does the Ransom Sacrifice doctrine add up?

by nicolaou in

common to almost all flavours of the christian faith is the teaching of the ransom.

that the sacrifice of jesus' perfect human life paid back the debt of the perfect human life which our forefather adam had forfeited.. but is it truly a 'corresponding sacrifice'?.

points to consider:.

sonnyboy

I think the whole thing's ridiculous.

What kind of god would require something so horrible just so that we can be forgiven for the actions of two 5000 year old apple-eaters?