Posts by humbled

38

Wolf, sheep - or sheepdog?

by Nathan Natas in

jw
friends

on sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs - by ltc (ret) dave grossman, author of "on killing.

honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age.

it does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost.

humbled

thanks for the link jgnat. the roots of violence are often complex.

544

FINALLY! Can you prove God exists? If you can I won't ask again!

by punkofnice in

i have seen debates and shizzle about god or not god etc etc.. i was even confronted by an aggressive and trheatening muslim in the street, who was angry that i wanted proof that god existed.

he ranted on a load of old b0110cks about 'hell' and stuff.

finally he yelled at me: 'do you want god to write your name in the sky?

humbled

Cofty,

I would never deny that non-theists and people of other religions love one another--But for christians to fail to love is to fail completely.

544

FINALLY! Can you prove God exists? If you can I won't ask again!

by punkofnice in

i have seen debates and shizzle about god or not god etc etc.. i was even confronted by an aggressive and trheatening muslim in the street, who was angry that i wanted proof that god existed.

he ranted on a load of old b0110cks about 'hell' and stuff.

finally he yelled at me: 'do you want god to write your name in the sky?

What evidence/proof did the early christians offer? Scriptures were only relevant if you were Jews, then you had the Scriptures and the Exodus/Passover as a point of reference for God--(so the story has Jesus talking scriptures to disciples on the road to Emmaus.)

But---- other than fellow Jews the gospel has Jesus saying there was one measure by which non-believers would know who THEY were-- his love would be shared among themselves.

Christians today have nothing much to recommend of their God if they do not have that love. It is tiring to have scriptures researched and diagrammed when love was given as the proof---over and above anything else.

Jesus gave signs and so did the apostles, so say the scriptures. These were the proofs: the blind see, the lame walk, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. jesus supplied proofs, so say the gospels. The book of acts says there were healings done by the apostles. Does Jesus now expect belief on the basis of threats or just hearsay?

Maybe we who believe don't have the love and so there are no proofs for those who don't have faith. Maybe?

I truly wonder what it means.

Maeve

49

Time for this Newbie to say - Hello everyone!

by SeventhSojourn in

in just the several months i've been lurking here, i have benefited from many of the posters comments and viewpoints.

this is truly a special place for the unique community that has been created here.. after years of holding off my exit from the org (that may be another post) i recently became officially out (by letter of da), but it was a very difficult process as many of you know.

thankfully, i now have my wife (was also a witness) onboard and we support each other.

humbled

Glad you're OUT!

Maeve

6

God's problem: Randomness

by rawe in

i would like some input on this idea.

i have seen folks speak about god's problem in regards to suffering.

that subject does raise some serious obstacles between the views of god most people have and the real world.

humbled

So how do we know that this randomness is random--just because we don't have a theology that encompasses what is going on around us? I guess we are still the center of the universe, huh?

I try to live now without the theology of the past because I cannot trust it.

I see all the random pain and suffering. I live with it. It seems more to the point than ever before that the only thing that lets us transcend chaos is the will to extend kindness, love, in suffering.

Jesus taught this. He said this is the new command and the singular mark of one who hears and follows Jesus, it is the only thing that can stand in front of the chaos--not the worthless dogma of religious teaching.

Who does know God?

If th am wondering, if the nature of the universe is this orderly chaos--and we exist in it--well, I've got to deal with it without infusing any intentional, needless suffering into it. Love the creation and love one another.

152

7 graphs that prove America is overrated

by Simon in

before the usual suspects start reaching for the pich-forks and forming a mob, i invite you to actually read and consider this, not just leap to conclusions.. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130607/7-graphs-america-overrated-nsa-prism-privacy.

why do i care?

it seems the people being screwed the most are also the most visciferous defenders of the status quo which sees them being severely disadvantaged.. maternity leave?

humbled

talesin,

You hit it right on the head--"..gross interference in other countries business.." . Look at what it has been doing at Ft. Benning, Georgia at its School of the Americas(renamed Western Hemisphere for Security cooperation-or WHINSEC)

The graduates of this program of study have committed crimes that are DOCUMENTED. Google it please. It is a horror show.

Years ago I wouldn't have believed it, but if you think about it, the U.S. has been putting more and more iron in its fist and been dealing from the bottom of the deck.

I am an American. But if you are born in a family or religion that espouses certain virtues but doesn't back it up with action--you are in for disillusion.

It is painful to know that there was--and still are--military/CIA covert operations that violate all the principles that ordinary flag-waving U.S. citizens think we stand for.Sometimes its more than dirty work. Its criminal.

Gotta face it.

43

New Job

by LouBelle in

jw
friends

well i have been up and down this year with this current company i work for.

from the time they employed me they have paid me late, without explanation.

i have been miserable coming in here.

humbled

LouBelle, congrats! what's the news ?

20

Falling asleep praying...did you?

by punkofnice in

i remember there being 'admonition(tm)' from the platform about how disrespectful it is to sky twat jar hoover if we nod off when speaking to our imaginary despot god.. i was always nodding off when praying.

i noticed in the end it didn't matter if i prayed or not the results were always equally disappointing snooze or not!.

humbled

I read yesterday that the new Pope Francis said he falls asleep when he prays before he hits the sack-

-I fell asleep in the middle of my prayer last night --happens to me a lot.

I used to fall asleep during meetings--but the worst were assemblies. Who didn't have trouble with that--especially in the afternoon after lunch. Snoorrrrrre....................

544

FINALLY! Can you prove God exists? If you can I won't ask again!

by punkofnice in

i have seen debates and shizzle about god or not god etc etc.. i was even confronted by an aggressive and trheatening muslim in the street, who was angry that i wanted proof that god existed.

he ranted on a load of old b0110cks about 'hell' and stuff.

finally he yelled at me: 'do you want god to write your name in the sky?

humbled

There is no way to prove to others the existence of god. If I experience something that I am certain is the action of god, that story doesn't "prove" god to anyone else.If that is how faith is transmitted then small wonder there are so many religions--MAY THE FIRSTEST AND BESTEST STORYTELLER WIN!

If there is god, then it makes no sense that we should believe by proxy.

A huge problem for me was that i was born into a world that expected me to believe the stories I was told without question. (cradle Catholic) I left my church for some years but down the line I had a series of phenomena and a sinular event that convinced me that there was a being-a god --something --out there.

Being Catholic I "translated" or "interpreted" what I experienced through the lense of my upbringing and culture. And I returned for a while to Catholicism.

The problem is that other people, in other lands, cultures and religious traditions tell of encounters with God and their experience as they tell it sounds like my own. Except when they tell their story, they interpret their experience using their own religious/cultural language.

So, to keep my prejudice with my church, I either have to say that a Hindu, a Muslim, a Boot-strap Arkansas Baptist didn't--COULDN'T-- experience God's mercy. But thre is a problem with this, if I am honest.

Here it is: If the evidence for MYSELF, my personal proof of God's existence, is the acknowledgement through my senses that a supernatural experience has occurred--how do I dismiss what I hear expressed by another person? Just because they don't believe in transubstatiation, call god by another name, never heard of jesus--how can I deny that my experience and their own are materially the same?

I have to wonder if God might extend the same mercy to them even without us sharing the same religion.

Uh-oh.

If such is the case that god could be that promiscuous, maybe I should divorce Him.

But I can't. Because when I think about it, I have to wonder if all the priests, preachers,mullahs and so on have been wrong --not in telling stories--but in expecting us to believe things that are second-hand allthe time. Thet system is a set up for abuse--as we well know who sat in rows waiting for the latest God-story from the FDS.

We all can tell our story if we like--and I think it is perhaps important to do that. But an "official story" is a real danger. That's my opinion.

If God is there, he is there.

53

For Those who believe the Bible is truly the word of God

by sosoconfused in

what exactly is the reason?.

i am not an athiest or agnostic... i definately believe in god.

however i would honestly like to hear others explain to me why they believe the bible is truly the word of god.. .

humbled

Well, soso.

Is the bible the only writing that is inspired by God? There were other writings around.

The Catholic church claims that their churchmen were in line from Peter to make the selection.

Problem.

But I believe there is God and I believe that the wonderful teaching of Jesus reflects God. And the fact that other teachers from other faith traditions have similar teachings only makes me happy. God draws us everywhere in the same direction.

How to use the bible yourself if you don't have religious rulers to define doctrine and theology? You will have to as Jesus how that works. I cannot see how he delegated a hieracrchy, a governing body.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A good read for me the other day is the story of Franz Jagerstatter. A man whose reliance on what he understood of Jesus was not backed by his church. The Nazis didn't like him either.

Way to make the truth your own. google search him. It helped me.