Posts by Geronimo

72

What does your REAL name mean?

by Peaches-n-Cream in

jw
friends

jordon is hebrew and it means "to descend or flow"....ha~!

not very interesting, .

.

Anyone here any good at fixing TVs?

by ballistic in

jw
friends

sorry for the completely non-jw related topic, but.... my sony trinitron tv had a number of thin blue horizontal lines appear towards the top of the screen.

i did some research and these appear to be "fly back lines" caused by the retrace showing as the gun moves back up the screen.. rather than call an engineer, i decided to buy another tv on ebay.

get it home, plug it in and this one has exactly the same problem except red lines instead of blue.. i'm just wondering what are the chances of this happening???

I've had a great deal of experience with these sorts of problems. If you have a tool kit, remove the rear protective plate from your television. Be sure the television is plugged in, or you won't be able to find the problem. Using a nail held in your hand, touch as many internal parts as you can, and push the nail into as many crevices and holes as you can find. Anything that looks like an electrical connection, such as a spot with wires soldered in place, touch those too. Keep doing this until the picture clears up or you're electrocuted, whichever comes first. G

43

If Money Were No Object, What Hobby(s) Would You Pursue?

by Stephanus in

jw
friends

i'd probably have a pretty well stocked backyard machine shop, complete with lathe(s), milling machine, welding gear, etc.

i'm a fitter and turner by trade, so it kind of makes sense...

Geronimo

World travel and rare books. G

14

Post Your Strange/Interesting Animal Anecdotes

by Stephanus in

jw
friends

a mate of mine used to live in penshurst, and i had to pass the corner pet shop to get to his place.

more often than not, a small black and white cat was sitting just out of the doorway in front of the shop.

he was sitting patiently, with that dreamy, half-asleep expression cats sometimes get, looking up at the cages full of birds fluttering around!.

Geronimo

I had a wire-haired terrier named Pooch, for about fifteen years. She was a canine Einstein. She knew dozens of words. When she'd get in the car I'd say "Get in the back Pooch" and she'd jump over the seat into the back. If I was eating and she was staring at me I'd say "Stop staring at me" and she would. She'd turn around, lay down, and sigh deeply. The truly amazing thing about her is that when she chased squirrels (her favorite activity besides eating) she'd chase them right up the tree! That's right, she was a tree-climbing dog. There were so many times she chased squirrels up trees and caused people's mouths to literally fall open and gape that I lost count. People would walk up to me and jabber, amazed, at my dog. She could'nt climb back down though (or was afraid to try) so she would leap into my arms. I loved that little dog to pieces. She was the smartest dog I ever had, and a wonderful companion. She almost never licked, so when she did it was something special. She was very choosey about people too, and an excellent judge of character. She was also a fine watch dog. I preferred her company to that of most people. She's been dead for at least fifteen years, but I still recall her with love. G

12

Jehovah God and God

by Geronimo in

i realized today that when i was a dub i unconsciously made a distinction between jehovah god and god.

i had always thought of god as infinite eternal conscious energy and love, the sum and ground of being itself.

impersonal except as personified in sentient beings such as ourselves.

Geronimo

Hello Narkissos. Thanks for the response. Yes, I figured you were speaking in historical terms, but one can always HOPE for somethign else! Having read so many of your threads I know better than to truly expect any lunacy. I have read Plato, but only in English. So, as far as Greek is concerned I'm just another pony. Though I am learning, slowly but surely. Drop a line any time Narkissos. G

22

Could this really be the TRUTH?

by purplesofa in

an explanation of the genesis account

this is from a friend of mine that is not a baptised jw.

he was raised by a jw mother, unbelieving father.

Geronimo

Geronimo--great post, and I very much agree with you...but, could a reasoning person go against his his predisposition....(say he is genetically predisposed to stealing and his circumstances are such that he is in need and in an easy position to do some swiping) What if he is able to reason it out in his mind that this is really wrong. It might be quite a mental fight for him...but would this be free will of sort? When learned behavior actually takes over? Like when a genetically fat person learns new behaviors that helps them to lose weight...it almost goes against nature for them to achieve it but they want to do it so much they make the extra effort that it takes. Perhaps this is what the Apostle was referring to when he spoke of pummeling his body and leading it as a slave....I hope the other poster was incorrect about the suicide thing since my Dad was a suicide! That bites! Guess I had best keep an eye on myself!

Hi Louisa Was! In a nutshell what I'm tryint to convey is that each of us is simply a part of an infinite web of cause-and-effect. None of us, myself included, is aware of all the various causes and conditions that go into making our predetermined choices. It is especially a habit of the Western mind to see ourselves as "individuals" in isolation from the cosmic web and weave of cause and effect. The Western mind has a difficult time undersstanding and accepting cause and effect. If you, Louisa, notice a predisposition for some behavior...let's say punching the wall when angry...and you "decide" to cease that behavior, both the recognition of the behavior and your subsequent efforts to overcome it are all part of the web of Determinism, of cause and effect. A friend once asked me, "If what you say is true, why don't you just give up and go sit on the freeway at rushour?"

The question struck me as very odd, and made me realize how completely and utterly Westerners are unaccustomed to thinking in terms of cause and effect, and the tremendous effect Determinism has upon the Western psyche, generally speaking. My answer, in a nutshell, was "If I go and sit down in the middle of the freeway at rushour, that too is part of my predetermined life. If I don't do so, so is that. Every effect has a cause."

That's about as thoroughly as I can explain Determinism, but I always leave people with the reminder that none of us is aware of all the causes of our thoughts, speech, and actions, so it does indeed seem as though our will is free. So, for most people, it's for the best to simply understand and acknowledge Determinism/cause and effect, and then ignore it and go about your life.

Unless you are a person that detests yourself for who you are and what your life has been. Then you need to be liberated from all that negatvity by understanding Determinism. G

12

Jehovah God and God

by Geronimo in

i realized today that when i was a dub i unconsciously made a distinction between jehovah god and god.

i had always thought of god as infinite eternal conscious energy and love, the sum and ground of being itself.

impersonal except as personified in sentient beings such as ourselves.

Geronimo

Greetings Narkissos!

The reply I tried to post was formal:
At least, in English, "Jehovah God" may seem to mean something: "Jehovah" works as a determinative (hence a semantic reduction) of "God". But the French usual translation is completely meaningless, since there is no similar use of the juxtaposition in French syntax. Unless you take the two terms as first name and family name, as in "Jacques Chirac".
(Not to mention "Satan the Devil," who sounded like a cartoon character and is not even found in the Bible...)
As to the core of the issue, I believe the big problem of monotheism is historical. The notion of "God" happen to emerge, not as an alternative to "the gods," but as the self-revelation of Yhwh, previously regarded as "one of the gods". As a result, most of the earlier Yhwh stories simply do not suit "God," and monotheism is constantly struggling at explaining them away -- through allegory, anthropomorphism etc. Gnosticism, otoh, severs the Gordian knot by positing the true Origin as distinct from the OT god altogether.

I love your posts! You're not only informative but often damned funny! I know a bit of French (I'm studying with the use of language CDs) so I do understand what you're saying. Especially the cartoonish sound of Satan the Devil.

When you say that the notion of "God" emerged not as an alternative to "the gods" but as a self-revelation of YHWH, are you universalizing this particular tribal deity and it's cultic accoutrements? I sincerely disagree that YHWH is the Supreme Reality, that which we call in English "God." If YHWH is God's actual literal Name, and that is Who God literally is, then that particular sound ("Yahweh") would have to also be made by the speaking mechanisms of all the other sentient beings throughout the cosmos. They would also have the same cultic accoutrements in a form palatable to their particular planet and psychology. (I enjoy speaking of human religion in this sort of cosmic way because it alll becomes rather obvious that we're being silly when we universalize our human ideas of god and their various names) If we're merely talking about earth, then we're not really talking about GOD, then are we?

You know I hold you in high regard, so this is by no means either a frivolous bit of frappery, nor a serious challenge. Hopefully, this can be an enjoyable tete a tete. G

12

Jehovah God and God

by Geronimo in

i realized today that when i was a dub i unconsciously made a distinction between jehovah god and god.

i had always thought of god as infinite eternal conscious energy and love, the sum and ground of being itself.

impersonal except as personified in sentient beings such as ourselves.

Geronimo

Okay, my computer got ahead of me and sent my reply prematurely. Anyway, after leaving WTS, I started challenging all of what I had been taught up to that point, including the name Jehovah. Personally, it always felt like obnoxious overkill how much the dubs insisted on its use. Once I really dug into other belief systems, I stumbled into some Gnostic theories. I don't think ANY man-made school of thought can have the monopoly on the divine, however, some theories have some really good points. Definitely, I don't think Christianity in any form today has much to do with Jesus' life and teachings. Gnostics feel that our planet is governed by an inferior demi-god that gets a kick out of animal sacrifice and bloodshed. The supreme creative force is far beyond all of that. For the record, I do not consider myself a Gnostic, I just think they make some very valid points. Peace to all, Loli

Thank you Loli! Yes, I too realized that to use a sacred name with such familiarity is to de-sacralize it and rob it of it's mystery and it's numinous qualities. As to Gnosticism, it has much to commend it if one remembers one is dealing with sacred Myth, as one is dealing with in all religions.

I agree with your assessment of the total disconnect between "Christianity" and Jesus. What we call Christianity in the Western world was formed by Paul, Augustine, and Jerome (among others of course), not Jesus. Eastern Orthodox Catholicism on the other hand was far more influenced by the Apsotle John, almost completely ignoring the Cosmic Courtroom emphasis of Paul and Augustine in favor of a living connection with the Divine, a connection that results in the Theosis, the Deification, of the believer.

You made this comment as regards the Demiurge and it's love for animal sacrifice, for spilled blood, and the Supreme Reality, the God above God:

The supreme creative force is far beyond all of that.

Amen. G

12

Jehovah God and God

by Geronimo in

i realized today that when i was a dub i unconsciously made a distinction between jehovah god and god.

i had always thought of god as infinite eternal conscious energy and love, the sum and ground of being itself.

impersonal except as personified in sentient beings such as ourselves.

Geronimo

Hey Trevor. I think I remember that song! Wasn't it from the movie Paint Your Wagon? Yes...I think so. I recall meeting a girl whose parents had named her Moriah after the last line in the song. "And they called the wind Moriah."

How very odd and hippie-ish to hang such an awful name around a childs neck! G

12

Jehovah God and God

by Geronimo in

i realized today that when i was a dub i unconsciously made a distinction between jehovah god and god.

i had always thought of god as infinite eternal conscious energy and love, the sum and ground of being itself.

impersonal except as personified in sentient beings such as ourselves.

Geronimo

Nark, coz you are not quoting :) But on topic. I agree, and they don't think much even what the name "YHWH" means. That exactly means - "One who brings existence into being"... Even names of God reflects only some of his characteristics without actually saying too much about his nature. This name YHWH is the most close we can get to God by means of language. For more is dangerous, for more God have to do it on his own initiative, and he did - in Jesus Christ

Greetings Shazard. I am quite aware of the etymological origin and significance of YHWH. You made the stement that YHWH is the "most close we can get to God by means of language." I would consider studying other world religions Shaz. Each has it's own Sacred Name, which is indeed imbued with Power, a Power that comes forth from the Mind of those who have faith in the Name. Be it YHWH or OM or Shiva or simply Universal Mind. What matters is the faith of the faithful. Faith opens inner channels, for want of a more precise terminology, that allow the immanental Divine Consciousness to flow unimpeded into our personal consciousness, which is itself an individualized manifestation of the Universal Consciousness. I'm not denying that you do indeed experience the Divine Presence in your use of and reverence for YHWH. I AM saying that by making a universal claim for a divine name that arose in a particular time and place is every bit as limiting as making the same claim for any other divine name. Such a Krishna or Brahma. One should find what works best for oneself, but not absolutize or universalize the particular. G