Posts by serotonin

76

How do you see the world heading if all religion was eliminated?

by Guest with Questions in

many, like dawkins, think that religion is the root of all evil.

hypothetically, if all religion was eliminated and all people stopped believing how would you see the world in a few years?

with atheism on the rise do you think that society will improve or deteriorate?.

serotonin_wraith

We can already see the benefits when countries move away from religion. Sam Harris wrote:

'Countries like Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom are among the least religious societies on Earth. According to the United Nations' Human Development Report (2005) they are also the healthiest, as indicated by measures of life expectancy, adult literacy, per capita income, educational attainment, gender equality, homicide rate and infant mortality. Conversely, the 50 nations now ranked lowest in terms of human development are unwaveringly religious. Other analyses paint the same picture: The United States is unique among wealthy democracies in its level of religious literalism and opposition to evolutionary theory; it is also uniquely beleaguered by high rates of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy, STD infection and infant mortality. The same comparison holds true within the United States itself: Southern and Midwestern states, characterized by the highest levels of religious superstition and hostility to evolutionary theory, are especially plagued by the above indicators of societal dysfunction, while the comparatively secular states of the Northeast conform to European norms.'

40

You Must Marry Only In The Lord!

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

you must marry only in the lord!how many times do you recall that expression blaring from .

the sound system at a district convention or circuit assembly?

you must marry only in the lord!

serotonin_wraith

She has her sights on a guy, but how much of an impression can you make in twenty minutes after a Watchtower study?

No offense to other guys, but it doesn't take us too long to know if we like someone and want to get to know them better!

15

For Those Raised in "Da Troof" Would Your Life Had Been Better If...

by XJW4EVR in

jw
friends

you had been raised by the same family, but in a different religion, or non-religious home?

i am not addressing birthdays or holidays.

i am thinking about everyday life.. the reason i ask, is that so much of our parents problems may have been caused, or enhanced by "da troof.

serotonin_wraith

Any problems my dad and stepmother caused me were mainly due to the religion, and how strict the teachings were. It was their life, so it's hard to think of JWs and them as seperate things. I have no idea what they would have been like without religion, I never got to see that side to them. All I know is most of the things that they made rules about was because 'the Bible says so', not 'we say so.'

6

What Do I Do Now?

by R.F. in

jw
friends

as some of you may know, i'm currently an active jw that is tired of the lies, deception, and overall bs of the wts.

right now i'm finding myself going into the angry stage as to how manupulative the org is in the lives of so many and how they ruin them.

i feel a little helpless sometimes now that i just wonder how things will turn out.

serotonin_wraith

It seems that the only thing that could be a problem is losing your fiance. If you can sort that out, I wouldn't bother with any of their 'rules of departure'. Just stop going, and if people start asking, tell them you're now out and that's the end of the story. The rest is none of their business.

If you realize it's all a bunch of sh*t, who cares what a few elderly men think of your actions? They're not being guided by any god, they're just men, and they deserve no more information on your personal religious choices than strangers on the street. Why act like they're still in control?

74

Science vs. Religion - Must We Choose Between Them?

by bavman in

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.

serotonin_wraith

Narkissos, I'm (hopefully now!) coming to understand you a little better. I too suspend disbelief during the many times I discuss religion, if only to make things easier to understand, or to relate to the more religious person. For example, I can believe God does not exist, yet I would also act like he does when saying things like 'God must not care about humans if he allowed his word to be corrupted by so many translations and interpretations of the bible'. Or asking a Christian why he will not follow the barbaric, out dated rules set down in Leviticus, when Jesus says in Matt 5:17-19: 17 ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
It is the discussion of religion from their viewpoint, in a way they makes more sense to them, but with the ultimate goal of trying to get a personal point across. We need the opposite view to be acknowledged before our own can be set as opposition, otherwise, there is no debate. The bible and theology are, as you say, not meaningless in that sense.

My culture doesn't teach the black and white approach, perhaps my youthfulness does at times (!) but if I understand you correctly, I agree with what you are saying in regards to this.

5

BBC Radio 2 Today Canada Sextuplets

by ThomasCovenant in

jeremy vine show at bbc radio 2 is discussing canada sextuplets and jw's and blood today.

show starts midday uk time

serotonin_wraith

I was listening to this in work (wondering if a topic would be made too!) and I found myself arguing against many points out loud. There is no mention of the blood fractions, and how stupid that is. One woman even calls and says 'they believe they are going to heaven!' and I almost shouted 'NO THEY BLOODY DON'T BELIEVE THAT!!' But whatever was wrong with the debate, I made sure my workmates knew the truth, so I did my part. :)

74

Science vs. Religion - Must We Choose Between Them?

by bavman in

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.

serotonin_wraith

Narkissos, your beliefs certainly have me intrigued, but I still see one part as contradictory (which I'm sure you'll be able to clear up in no time). Do you believe in God or not, because in one post you say you don't, and in an earlier one you talk of a personal God in your life. Is your God different in meaning to most people's interpretation? You say: "I don't believe in God, or gods, in any realistic sense." Is it possible to explain in words the kind of 'God' you believe in, and possibly even your honest reasons for your beliefs?

trevor, I can completely see how there is a human need for things unreal or unproven - I'm a big sci-fi fan! - and most of it is harmless. However, religion brings about much of the persecution, wars and hypocrisy we see in the world. I'm sure that horse has been flogged to death on this site, but I think it remains valid. I see a big difference in entertainment, and living your life to rules filled by a need for a higher being. I don't follow the Ferengi Rules of Aquisition, for example. I see it for what it is, and in my day to day life, it will have little influence. But for people who follow the bible in their 'need', their actions can influence the very fabric of humankind's existence. Religion infects politics, disrupts science and closes many people off from searching for facts. I'm not saying every religious individual is responsible for this, but it would be wrong to think religion does not run much of the world's events today. And certainly not always for the best.

For your question:

"How far we will have to advance before we can live without illusion of any kind is anyone’s guess.

What I ask is - would such an existence be better than the balance that the world has arrived at now."

my answer would have to be- there needs to be a distinction between religion and entertainment fiction, but in the case of religion, YES.

16

I am not defined by my past

by Lady Lee in

jw
friends

every now and then the question comes up about how we define ourselves; whether we will always be ex-jehovahs witnesses.. if the answer to the question is yes then i am married forever to a definition provided by an organization that cares for no one - not even its chosen ones.. it colors who i am today.

but i am not defined by it.. in the 1960s when few kids had parents who didn't live together i was the odd kid who didn't have a mother around.

not only had she left my father but she left me.

serotonin_wraith

However life treats you, no matter what happens to you, no matter what support you do or don't have, you will always be YOU.

74

Science vs. Religion - Must We Choose Between Them?

by bavman in

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.

serotonin_wraith

Narkissos,

You must forgive me if I appear foolish here, I am relatively new to such deep debates, but in essence, what I gather from your post is that you see the historical aspects of 'God' coming into existence, and yet you also support said beliefs because it helps in your self-understanding. If you see the beginnings of this God, if you can discect this God with the wisdom you do seem to hold, how can you still view this God as a real part of everything? You accurately described the beginnings of the beliefs religous people hold, and yet in the same post, you support this, knowing full well it was not due to God's intervention, but human wants and needs. Or if you believe it was God's ways, that leaves the door open to debates about other Gods worshipped in the world, why you did not claim God put these feelings in people to find him, and so on.

Mysteries fill the human existence, and there could be many things that can fill those gaps, but religion is given that free pass. Mainly, as I see it, due to a support system from most of the world, with each person backing the other up. Can't mysteries just be mysteries? Would you expect a caveman (if indeed you believe they existed, cough*cave paintings*cough) to understand how a mechanical vehicle could travel across the sea transporting people? I would doubt you would. But it isn't due to their value or a lack of belief in anything, it comes down to understanding it is foolish to expect any generation to have foresight of the knowledge two or more generations in front of them.

With that same understanding, I understand I just don't know everything. You seem to have a need to fill those gaps with a higher being, and my question is why?

74

Science vs. Religion - Must We Choose Between Them?

by bavman in

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.

serotonin_wraith

Narkissos,

I can see the crossed wires came about because of a different view of the word 'religion'. I did assume it to mean the theory of God in this instance and thread, perhaps I was wrong. Being too metaphorical can cause all kinds of misinterpretations, and I apologize for my part.

Looking for the meaning of life may be more about spirituality than scientific answers, it's all about how we view the world personally after and during all our life experiences, so your earlier post makes more sense now.

I will stick to my idea that science holds more answers than 'God', and I have used my 'spirituality' to come to that conclusion. If indeed you did not mean God, can you tell me your views on God vs science, for my own curiosity, whether or not it was the argument the thread starter intended?

serotonin_wraith

Posts by serotonin_wraith