Steve, this has been a most interesting topic! By any chance do you or have you played any video games? For several years now I have enjoyed playing the Silent Hill series of video games. (Yes, even while I was supposed to be a Witness, I was playing 'demonic' video games! LOL) The last game in the series, Silent Hill 4, has the main character trapped in his apartment which is haunted. Some of the 'manifestations' are quite unnerving. Hopefully, you'll never experience anything quite like that! The atmosphere of Silent Hill 2 was IMO the best of the series.
As a Witness, I accepted the fact that paranormal phenomenon occured, and I accepted the WTS explanation that it was caused by rebellious wicked spirits that had once been angels in heaven. Now I know that the JW's are just a cultlike sect of Christianity. I have carefully studied the Bible and found it to be the evolving work of men. I understand the theory of Universal Common Descent for human origins. I've become pretty agnostic on the religious front, but I don't have a problem believing in non human intelligences. Also, to classify things (spirits) as either 'good' or 'bad' is very immature thinking, very subjective and limiting. Perhaps our approach to these 'phenomenon' is largely colored by our 'education' and background. Ignorance has often fueled fear. Still, never having personally experienced unexplainable phenomenon, I am reluctant to open the door, as it were, by attempting contact. I must admit that I have been looking at various talking boards for sale on the internet, so who knows.
Dave
PrimateDave
JoinedPosts by PrimateDave
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106
Well, I think my apartment is haunted.
by Steve Lowry inyep, thats right, haunted.
i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.
lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.
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PrimateDave
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Men's hair getting longer?
by JH inwhen i was a youngster, many guys had long hair, then a few years later it got short, very short.
now i've noticed that hair for guys is longer again.. this spring, i saw boys go to school, walking in front of here, and many had very long hair.. .
just a few minutes ago, i watch the news on tv, and the man in his late 30's had very long hair....lol.
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PrimateDave
In the Carribean one sees both styles; the short finely edged style and the longer, tied behind the head style which is what I'm going for now. I've never had long hair before, being JW all my life. My only restriction is that I will continue to be clean shaved with no mustache, but that is because of what I think looks good on me and not because of some organization that still thinks we are in the 1950s.
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B-12 shot for the WT -"Deliverance" DC & Mideast flare up timing
by Gregor inonce again, world events come along and give the wt a free booster shot.
nothing better than coming home from the dc, opening the paper and seeing headlines like "mideast in flames" "is nuclear confrontation far off?
" "north korea tests nuke capable missiles" etc etc.
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PrimateDave
Yes, but the reality is that these flareups are mere blips on the radar. The website www.dieoff.org makes predictions of doom as well, but does so from a purely secular/scientific point of view, with no Kingdom of God to take over at the last second. Other writers, like James Howard Kunstler in his book The Long Emergency, make a decent case for assuming that the 21st century will be difficult, to say the least, for the less well off portion of humanity, which is to say the vast majority. (Please, no comments about how great everything is just because one lives in a protected bubble of wealth and social privilege.) I think it would be safe to assume that ten billion people will die before the dawn of the 22nd century, maybe more, maybe less. Even spread out over the next 94 years, that is still an unprecedented amount, nothing like it in all of human history.
So, yes, the Witnesses have much fuel for their fire, so to speak. Long live religion, I say. Just don't go running back to the Kingdom Hall.
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Dubs at my door ... what will I do?
by ithinkisee infor those that don't know, my wife and i moved away from our family and friends to fade away.
my mom and her new uber-elder husband with gb connections have been spreading it around where we are from that he is going to send a couple of elders to my house for spiritual "assistance".
so, everytime an unfamiliar car comes up my driveway a small wave of dread comes over me as the car gets closer.
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PrimateDave
I too have wondered what I would say if/when? the local elders decide to 'shepherd' me since I haven't had any contact with them for about a month. I figured I might just go along with what they say to keep the peace, smile, and keep doing the fade. Yes, I might even have to lie and say, "okay, I'll see you at the meeting" or whatever. I figure that when they still don't see me, then they just might ignore me.
I remember that when I used to go door to door, the thing I used to try to get away from really fast was anyone who tried to show me apostate material. I guess if you just want to get rid of regular dubs, just pretend you're a Baptist and pull out Crisis of Conscience or whatever and see how quickly they excuse themselves.
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Contacting the "other side"
by sinis ini find it very interesting that the bible and mythology are very close, when speaking about god.
also the statement made by god in the bible to worship no other god but him, in effect saying that there are others gods.
has anyone actually looked into the occult, for lack of a better word, and actually made contact with an entity?
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PrimateDave
Hi Brigid,
Questions-
Who are these beings you contact?
How does one contact them safely and responsibly?
One method I am aware of for contacting the other side is via 'talking boards' (aka Ouija boards). Years ago I knew a young lad who claimed to have made his own talking board and to have made contact with something. The Wikipedia states that use of such boards may be harmless 'provided that basic guidelines are followed. These rules often vary from user to user, but usually include things like never playing alone, beginning and ending a séance "properly", and always using the board in a "comfortable" environment.' Do you have experience with this?
I am curious, but i am understandably skeptical as well. I do know that my father claimed to have heard noises once, which supposedly disappeared when my brother got rid of his music collection. He also said that he saw a hand waving in the air over my sleeping grandmother. For over two years before her death, I lived with her in the same house and never once experienced anything strange at all. One Sunday afternoon she died in her sleep in her bed. I continued to live in the house for another 6 months and nothing strange ever happened. Did my father hallucinate? I have always trusted him. Others that I have spoken to who claim to have had contact have admitted drug use, though not everyone.
Thanks,
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106
Well, I think my apartment is haunted.
by Steve Lowry inyep, thats right, haunted.
i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.
lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.
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PrimateDave
Thanks for the link. I'm checking out the Thelemapedia at the moment. Some of it looks quite Lovecraftian.
I guess this is kind of like the final frontier for me.
First I allowed myself to be convinced that Evolution is a Fact of Biology.
Then I allowed myself to disprove the Flood of Noah.
Then I said, "What the heck", and jumped on the apostate bandwagon.
Now I'm getting curious about the occult.
It must all be a trap of Satan (cue spooky music) so that I die at Armageddon which is coming this very October (Yahve Elohim always likes to exterminate in October.)
Dave -
106
Well, I think my apartment is haunted.
by Steve Lowry inyep, thats right, haunted.
i have never had a dwelling place with so many unexplained noise and goings on.
lights that have been turned off, magically turn back on and visa versa.
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PrimateDave
I am curious about this. Not that I want to practice magic, but is there a good guide for more information on this that is perhaps scientific in its approach?
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15
Who is this?
by Outlawed inwho guess.
animal farm;.
" all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others", .
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PrimateDave
mr pigs
mr not pigs
osar pigs
lib, m R pigs!
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28
What Type Of Congregation Were You In ???
by minimus inthe older i get, the more i appreciate serenity and tranquiity.
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PrimateDave
The last congregation was pretty average: about 60 or so publishers and a half dozen elders. The P.O. seemed to be a nice fellow, a real 'gets-things-done' type with a nice family. One elder has a son at the local branch office. The B.S. conductor was nice enough until he got in my face about service and missed meetings. Another elder was nice enough but obviously tired of conducting the W.T. Study. An older elder, school conductor, suffers from Parkinsons. Plenty of average publishers around a few pioneers. Sadly, there were a few really good friends that I made not too long before I stopped going. Other than that, besides meetings, service and hall maintenance, there wasn't much of a sense of community. Just your typical spiritually materialistic congregation.
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35
Contacting the "other side"
by sinis ini find it very interesting that the bible and mythology are very close, when speaking about god.
also the statement made by god in the bible to worship no other god but him, in effect saying that there are others gods.
has anyone actually looked into the occult, for lack of a better word, and actually made contact with an entity?
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PrimateDave
Very well said, Ringo5! That is exactly how I see things, too. God never did answer any prayer I made even when I tried to be the best Witness I could be. That's why I stopped asking. And, I can't help but feel anger when anyone tells me to 'pray about it'.
As far as contacting the 'other side'... I have never had an 'experience' with a non-human intelligence. I have spoken to friends and acquaintances who claim to have had 'experiences'. Honestly, I don't yet know what to think about the 'other side'. I find it difficult to believe in non-corporeal human intelligence due to the fact that our thought processes are directly tied to electro-chemical reactions. Now, that is something I have experience with as one of my grandparents suffers from Alzheimers (too lazy to check the spelling, sorry) which as we know actually deletes memories by destroying brain tissue. Therefore, without living brain tissue, one does not exist.
Dave