Madame Quixote

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Posts by Madame Quixote

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  31

  Question for Believers: How can God be PERFECT?

  by kid-A in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  several weeks ago the issue of god's 'perfect nature' came up on a thread.

  the concept of "perfection" is a persistent in vitually all faith traditions and theological constructs.. jws in particular, have an obsession with the concept of perfection and use it regularly in their propaganda: "live forever in a perfect paradise earth"; "live forever in perfect health"; "humans and animals will live together in perfect harmony", etc etc...... the point was raised about the possibility or impossibility of god being perfect.

  if we begin with the basic judaeo-christian tenet that god created the universe from nothingness, then he is the designer and creator of every single entity, sentient or non-sentient, and object within reality.

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  Madame Quixote

  Wafe said:

  "The fact is that not everyone's basis for perfection is the same. Take my belief about the Bible.

  The Bible says that it is inspired of God but it does not say HOW it is inspired of God. Tell me where the in the Bible does the word infallible appear? Where does it say that this is the criteria in which to measure it?"

  "the criteria by which to measure it"?

  I will be the first to admit that I am not a bible scholar. Nor do I care to be, for the very reason you give here:

  "not everyone's basis for perfection is the same"

  Take your belief in the bible . . .On a number of points, we can agree. That the bible is a very subjective and flawed document is one of them. You suggested, saying in one breath it is inspired of god, but then you seem to say the bible is imperfect and not infallible. So, if the bible is in fact inspired of god, are you suggesting that god is imperfect, too? Why would a perfect god publish an imperfect book and why would I bow to anyone making the kind of claims that people (in the bible and outside of it make about this god) if he is in fact less than perfect?

  For purposes of staying on topic, (as the original question of this thread is, how can god be perfect?), I can only say that my knowledge of the bible and of its writers shows that the bible alsofrequently contradicts itself while its authors wrote various stories and interpretations of stories, often long after the original stories took place.

  In other words, the bible writers were often transmitting an oral tradition of stories - some of which are factual and some of which are skewed.

  On this point I also partially agree with you Wafe: that "the bible is a newspaper." I see it however as a bunch of newspapers though, a number of which are tabloids like the National Enquirer and such; it consists of newspapers with more than one editor, that have had many different runs over the millennia, and which eventually got put together in the format most of us recognize it in today.

  By your own admission, the bible you "believe in" is flawed. Why wouldn't its main protagonist and/or author also be equally flawed?

  I think that is the point of kidA's question, don't you?
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  74

  Science vs. Religion - Must We Choose Between Them?

  by bavman in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i dare to say science and religion are two different animals.

  they may try to explain similar things but in different ways.

  i don't believe man will ever live without either religion or science nor would i want us too.

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  Madame Quixote

  Kid A said:

  "I would challenge JT to provide one example of this unfiltered, pure reality he purports to have access to.

  However, if JT can demonstrate to me that he has mastered some perceptual technique to perceive and think in the absence of neurochemical transmission, I would be delighted to arrange some fMRI scans, and have the findings published in Nature...."

  I would simply be delighted to experience it (without the MRI scans)!Unless it meant that I had to die to do that.

  Remember the song: "Marijuanna, marijuanna, LSD, LSD! Parents smoke it. Teachers toke it! Why can't we. . .why can't we?!

  Thanks for the response, JT. I wasn't sure if you meant what you said or said what you meant, and I'm still not so sure. Anyway, keep on smokin.'
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  31

  Question for Believers: How can God be PERFECT?

  by kid-A in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  several weeks ago the issue of god's 'perfect nature' came up on a thread.

  the concept of "perfection" is a persistent in vitually all faith traditions and theological constructs.. jws in particular, have an obsession with the concept of perfection and use it regularly in their propaganda: "live forever in a perfect paradise earth"; "live forever in perfect health"; "humans and animals will live together in perfect harmony", etc etc...... the point was raised about the possibility or impossibility of god being perfect.

  if we begin with the basic judaeo-christian tenet that god created the universe from nothingness, then he is the designer and creator of every single entity, sentient or non-sentient, and object within reality.

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  Madame Quixote

  I must apologize for insinuating my non-believing opinions into this thread, Kid-A. I just realized you were addressing believers, not unbelievers.

  Qcmbr - I must also confess that this is one of the most bizarre and truly disturbing, (if not imperfect), arguments for god's perfection that I have ever come across, albeit a commonly held one:

  "If you love all people equally, if you love them enough to allow your son to pay for all their mistakes, if you love them enough to allow their mistakes, if you love them enough to order a world for them then I think you can qualify for the description of perfection."

  Yes, in this best of all possible worlds, no doubt allowing one's child to suffer torture - (at a cross or stake or whatever you believe must happen) - to atone for everyone else's mistakes is about the most perfectly pathological behaviour known to man.

  That is merelyusing the child as the poison container for all of the flaws of a supposedly perfectly ordered world. Would it not be perfect and remain perfect if the creator of it was also perfectand all-knowing and all powerful?

  It begs the question, how did a perfect god "order a world" that needs atonement by human sacrifice?
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  68

  That's What I'M Talkin' About!

  by Farkel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  call me a curmudgeon.

  there are just some expressions in today's vernacular that are just idiotic, and "that's what i'm talkin' about" is one of these.

  it is so ghetto.. several people are saying 'blah, blah, blah, de blah and more de blah..." suddenly, a dimwit in the group hears something that dimwit didn't even mention but happens to like the subject and then dimwit blurts out, "now that is what i'm talkin' about!".

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  Madame Quixote

  I hate "wazzup,"

  and "soo ghetto" in the valley girl tone

  and valley girl speak

  and ebonics

  esp. when the one speaking substandard english act like sumpin's wrong wit u if u don't spk thr langwich
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  43

  This should be fun....

  by BlackPearl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it seems most of us are of the 'a little older' crowd, so i'v got something fun for us to do.

  go to this website: http://www.klipradio.com/living/playing.php and request your favorite songs and be sure to leave your name and a message next to your request.

  it's live internet radio, and you can request 70's and 80's songs live!

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  Madame Quixote

  403 forbidden Server configuration does not allow access to this page. Please and try again.
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  22

  Life with Jehovah's Witnesses...

  by Who are you? in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we are getting ready to host my mates extended family today.

  hosting this particular extended .

  family of jehovahs witnesses has become fairly predictable over the years.

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  Madame Quixote

  Ask them what happens if they are drunk while Armageddon arrives.
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  20

  Why is it everytime.....

  by WANTMOMBACK in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ..i speak to my mother about any type of current event she tells me how the end of the world is coming.

  she always says that people do not care for one another anymore and tells me that is how the end has been described as b eing.

  it is driveing me crazy!!

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  Madame Quixote

  WANTMOMBACK asked,"Why is it that whenever you speak to a JW about another religion they look as though they are going to throw up on you? My mom will either snicker like THEY are all crazy or tell me a big long reason of why this religion or that religion is bad."

  In my opinion, the answer to why jws maintain any of their beliefsand attitudes about the outside world, especially about other religionsis simple: constant negative reinforcement, along with occasional positive reinforcement for promoting and maintaining such beliefs.

  The constant reinforcement comes from meetings, field service and maintaining little or no contact with outside "worldly" people.

  That's why Scully and I suggest more positvist approaches to her.

  Avoidance of negativity works to keep you sane, as others have suggested. Screening calls is a wonderful tool for maintaining sanity. If she's visiting, you can remind her to keep her negativity to herself - repeatedly remind her.

  She may not even realize how negative she is until you do that.

  Sorry about the red; I can turn it on, but cannot turn it off. grrrr
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  18

  JW Terminology

  by KW13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok guys, list the ones ya know.. the truth/truth = the truth according to jw's is their religion.

  for example someone baptized as a jw is baptized in the truth, whereas someone baptized elsewhere is not.. new light/light = a better understanding of the current status quo or 'light' in general which is just knowledge, new light allows for a complete change in beliefs without exception.. god's word = mainly the bible but anything else published by the wbt tract society is also acceptable.. true christians = refers only to jehovah's witnesses or suitable examples from the bible.. apostates = anyone who has been a jehovah's witness who opposes their beliefs (not necessarily people or individuals) and shares how they feel about the watchtower bible and tract society with anyone.

  a person who hasn't been a jehovah's witness but does clearly oppose their message and beliefs may also be referred to as an apostate.. experiences = stories that will upbuild and encourage jw's.

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  Madame Quixote

  My big question for a couple years has been,"what the heck do IMO and IMHO mean?" I've yet to get an answer . . .
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  10

  Ghosts in the machine...

  by LtCmd.Lore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/129464/1.ashx.

  tetra's recent 5000 posts post made me think... what happens when a valued board member dies?.

  what if tetra had died?

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  Madame Quixote

  Awwww . . . ((((Lt.Cmdr.Lore)))) . . . we're all just cartoons and sock puppets, doncha' know?

  Just kiddin'! What a thoughtful post you made.

  I sometimes think about those things, too. But, what jaguar said above is true; focusing on who is available today, and on how you can be available is more important than worrying about dying; we're all gonna' kick the bucket eventually.

  Maintaining and building relationships (something I need to work on) is healthier than worrying about losing them. Focus on the positives; what you focus on increases.

  I suspect that few here and few in my immediate family would miss me, as most of my family have no contact due to d'f'ing issues. I try to stay in touch with the family who cares, and I recognize that they are the ones who will miss me, few though they be. And they are the ones I will miss.

  I would rather be missed sincerely by a few than insincerely memorialized by many. There are many people at these boards. Some I will someday miss; some I will not. It goes both ways, you know. Just stick with people who care, and surround yourself with as many sincere people as you can find, because people coming and going is just part of life, online and otherwise.

  I know there are posters here who mean a lot more to me than I do to them; for the most part, I am okay with that; there are actual human beings who come to this board regularly and whose posts I would really miss if something bad happened, but ultimately, I have no control over that.

  Just be here, LCL! Here and now, like TPS suggested in his post. Does make you think, though, doesn't it?
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  25

  Myers Briggs Personality Indicator

  by Outaservice in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know how many have taken the myers briggs personality test?

  my wife told me i was a esfj, whatever that means!.

  do you think people not getting along, poster's differences, or war, or values, etc.

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  Madame Quixote

  Just google it up. I did and have seen "extrovert" misspelled at least half a dozen times, unless there's some new word like "extrovert." It appears that what your wife was saying was not at all a put-down, if that's what you were wondering.