Posts by freemindfade

27

People who are happy in the org

by jhine in

i don't know if i can put my musings clearly into words , but i' ll try to be coherant !

on a couple of other threads lately folk have said that they have no wish to disenchant jws who are happy in the org .

those who have no personal problems and are content to stay in , thinking that it is good way to live and the nearest thing to the truth .

freemindfade

It's not a simple situation. I have faded pretty far out but i still associate with witnesses I really like and I love those people. If and when they speak of religion I am silent. In trying to tell an active witness about the real truth of what they believe, you typically will accomplish little more than causing them to put up the cult shields and go deeper in.

In their mind they have been conditioned to put you into a lose lose situation. yes the cult ruins lives, but to reference the Matrix, why didn't they just wake everyone up? In the movie they said it was too much for them. Some of us are in position of outright activism, and some of us in a much more subtle and organic way.

I refuse to speak to a JW about anything religious unless I feel they are genuinely ready to open their mind, and most just aren't yet. But when they are their are good people that need someone to show them the way out.

Shattering their dreams is good, most of us had to do it to ourselves, but how you do it and when makes the difference of driving them further in or helping them out.

41

The positive achievements of Science and Religion in 2015. How do they compare?

by nicolaou in

science.. landed a probe on a comet, found liquid water on mars and successfully completed a ten year mission to pluto.. developed the first successful vaccine against ebola, discovered another human species in homo naledi, developed cancer killing molecules and high intensity ultrasound therapies which avoid surgery and leave healthy cells alone.

successfully mapped the human epigenome and developed the gene editing tool crispr, it's potential for medical and agricultural advance is staggering!.

found a way to produce graphene for a 1000th of the previous cost, developed cheap and sustainable methods to supply clean drinking water where water borne infections have been killing thousands, scaled up production of clean, renewable energy.. there's loads more, please feel free to add to the list.. .

freemindfade

Many great minds were members "of the church". If it weren't for the church however their progress could have been much greater. I don't think its fair to say its because of the church (take Galileo for instance having his findings suppressed by who? The church).

Many who made scientific advancements were in fact christian's and Muslims too, some even monks and priests. Did they make them because of Christianity or Islam?

The religion worked against progress, and progress happened despite that. Doesn't make religion a champion of science.

Its two different things.

Religion was a product of mans imagination and superstition. But it also suppresses real knowledge, many who would make these advancements were also considered trouble makers and heretics.

"In contrast, the groups that opposed science in classical antiquity were small, few, rare, and ultimately powerless. That is exactly the opposite of what happened under Christianity." . -Historian Richard Carrier

During the medieval period the little science that did occur progressed with little religious influence or, in most cases, in spite of Christianity, but not because of it

38

Re: New Songs for Memorial

by pixel in

to all congregations.

re: new songs for memorial.

dear brothers:.

freemindfade

The religions new system is keep changing so fast, and being so confusing no one has time to question or think anything is wrong, they are just afraid of falling behind.

79

The really cool feeling of community within JWs

by Phaedra in

i remember going out with other jws after the memorial.. small gatherings.. picnics at some local landmark.. the feeling of closeness, camaraderie, friendship with like minded people you could trust.. haven't experienced it since i left.. really miss that..

freemindfade

The feeling of closeness, camaraderie, friendship with like minded people you could trust.

To not say that was a byproduct of the cult would be a lie, it is. Keep in mind other high control groups have a similar benefit, be it a government like North Korea, or a pseudo religion cult like Scientology. You can always fall back on "Unity".

It comes at a price though. The world is an indifferent place and its definitely more complex to navigate. But it is possible. Also think about this, if that tight knit group didn't shun you, would you miss anything about the "Religion"? no. They have put you in this position to have your friends and family or not.

41

The positive achievements of Science and Religion in 2015. How do they compare?

by nicolaou in

science.. landed a probe on a comet, found liquid water on mars and successfully completed a ten year mission to pluto.. developed the first successful vaccine against ebola, discovered another human species in homo naledi, developed cancer killing molecules and high intensity ultrasound therapies which avoid surgery and leave healthy cells alone.

successfully mapped the human epigenome and developed the gene editing tool crispr, it's potential for medical and agricultural advance is staggering!.

found a way to produce graphene for a 1000th of the previous cost, developed cheap and sustainable methods to supply clean drinking water where water borne infections have been killing thousands, scaled up production of clean, renewable energy.. there's loads more, please feel free to add to the list.. .

freemindfade

What has atheism "produced" ever?

Atheism has produced nothing
Critical thinking and knowledge has reclaimed atheism out of ancient superstitions
Ignorance produced religions
Religions produce ignorance

41

The positive achievements of Science and Religion in 2015. How do they compare?

by nicolaou in

science.. landed a probe on a comet, found liquid water on mars and successfully completed a ten year mission to pluto.. developed the first successful vaccine against ebola, discovered another human species in homo naledi, developed cancer killing molecules and high intensity ultrasound therapies which avoid surgery and leave healthy cells alone.

successfully mapped the human epigenome and developed the gene editing tool crispr, it's potential for medical and agricultural advance is staggering!.

found a way to produce graphene for a 1000th of the previous cost, developed cheap and sustainable methods to supply clean drinking water where water borne infections have been killing thousands, scaled up production of clean, renewable energy.. there's loads more, please feel free to add to the list.. .

freemindfade

What has atheism "produced" ever?

This might be one of the worst questions I've ever heard on here. Almost like a JW said it.

Theism is a belief and ideology, atheism is nothing more than not subscribing to that. How could "it" produce anything???

Atheism has nothing to do directly with scientific progress, do you think that conveying the best available scientific information is a religious act? If you abandon faith in supernatural things because of science, as many do, that is a collateral benefit to critical thinking. Not a product of "atheism". I believe it works the other way around, atheism is a product of knowledge.

Its too early in the week to smack my head

41

The positive achievements of Science and Religion in 2015. How do they compare?

by nicolaou in

science.. landed a probe on a comet, found liquid water on mars and successfully completed a ten year mission to pluto.. developed the first successful vaccine against ebola, discovered another human species in homo naledi, developed cancer killing molecules and high intensity ultrasound therapies which avoid surgery and leave healthy cells alone.

successfully mapped the human epigenome and developed the gene editing tool crispr, it's potential for medical and agricultural advance is staggering!.

found a way to produce graphene for a 1000th of the previous cost, developed cheap and sustainable methods to supply clean drinking water where water borne infections have been killing thousands, scaled up production of clean, renewable energy.. there's loads more, please feel free to add to the list.. .

freemindfade

44

The Lion Awakes

by eric hendrickson in

my name is eric hendrickson.

i have been on a journey led by the holy spirit which has brought to this point that has allowed for me to open the seventh seal and understand god's master plan.

i am the lion from the lost tribe of judah who has come to the world and be the messiah king.

freemindfade

Cocaine is a hell of a drug...

12

Wooly Mammoths

by Bloody Hotdogs! in

a jw came to my door a while back and used wooly mammoths as evidence for noah's flood.

he was a bit older, so i thought this must be some oddball out-of-date teaching of jehovah's witnesses.

i could remember something in the insight book about frozen mammoths, but not much else.

freemindfade

Heard a talk not to long ago on a Sunday about the flood. It was awful buy he mentioned the apply mammoths. Fascinating how they latch on to something like this that isn't really proof, and ignore volumes of other real evidence there was no flood.

56

What made you turn atheist or agnostic?

by LevelThePlayingField in

if you were a jw and are now an atheist or agnostic, what was the tipping point that made you turn to it?.

the reason i ask is i have noticed that many who leave the jw's seem to turn to atheism, versus still having some form of a faith.

have many of you given up on god first or have you had atheistic views first and then found atheism to be true.

freemindfade

I believe a lot of the constraints of the JW cult have little to do with faith in God and more to do with strength of being born in a cult ie fear obligation guilt. So let's say you would naturally be an atheist if not born in, the social and emotional pressure of the cult makes you fight to believe even if you don't. "You just don't have enough faith".

Scientologists don't believe the desert god yet they are equally as screwed in a control system. And north Korea as well. Even when God is absent high control groups are doing what they do and replacing it with something else.

For me it was a big moment allowing myself to be atheist, I would say I turned, I was just constantly trying to force myself to be a theist.