Thanks, Billy.
I ordered a used copy off Amazon for under 5 bucks. Lots of strong reviews plus yours. I'm glad you put this out there.
humbled
JoinedPosts by humbled
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8
The Feeling Good Handbook -- by David Burns
by Billy the Ex-Bethelite inmy psychiatrist recommended this book, the feeling good handbook by david d. burns, md, to me a couple years ago.
this book has been mentioned on the forum several times before, but i thought i found some things threadworthy in it.
it's a big book of 732 pages.
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Why hasn`t / doesn`t the "TRUE GOD" clarify his " GODSHIP" between the JEWS , the CHRISTIANS and the MUSLIMS.
by smiddy init has been about 2000 years since jesus walked the earth and has been hailed as the son of god by christians .. the jews refuse to acknowledge jesus as the son of god.. the muslims recognise jesus as only a prophet .. their are billions of christians earth wide.
their are at least a billion muslims world wide.
i`m sorry i dont know how many jews their are world wide ( please add the 6 million who died in concentration camps ).
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humbled
FHN--I think that is true.
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I think Im an Atheist :(? :)?
by chrisuk inive been pondering my beliefs for a while now and ive come across things that i just cant accept.
i was recently walking with a christian who stated that the universe couldnt just come from nothing.
he said that the universe was so complex that it needed a designer, he also said something which ive heard before.
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humbled
Chrisuk,
I's not so much an either/or problem, as I see it. Am I really an atheist or an anti-christ if if I don't trust the religionists who have shape-shifted old scriptures and conjured kooky doctrines?
I have, in spite of a lot of troubles in life, a regard for wonder, goodness, kindness and love. Is it a blind chance that the name of Jesus was swapped around? Maybe. But in the crazy world I know, it is just as reasonable that this Jesus(yes, it is a common name) had some good insights and some ambitious men (screw the women) rode in on his coattails, made him into a religion instead of a teacher.
What if I don't give a rat's @$$ about the trinity, the 144,000, the virgin birth, transubstantiation, filioque OR the every thing the bible says of Jesus. If I have an abiding sense that he was clued in to the deepest sense of the wonder, goodness, kindness and love that keeps me afloat, I am not ashamed of it.
Words fail me as-they do all of us- if I try to talk of the divine. There. words have just failed me again.
I have been told that I am not a Christian.
?
My only statement of faith may be truly atheistic: God is love.
So I want to say: Don't worry about the word atheism. Who knows what it means?
And don't be afraid.
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The Definition of Insanity: LOYALTY TO THE GOVERNING BODY
by Terry inthe definition of insanity boils down to expecting success by repeating actions which cause failure.. .
jehovah's witnesses are expected to prove their loyalty to the organization by believing and practicing what they are told.. does this lead to success or failure?.
ask the thousands of loyal believers who were led to expect armageddon in 1914, 1925, 1975!.
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humbled
I like that you emphasize the word that we were trained with: LOYALTY.
Loyal to Jehovah = loyalty to the Governing Body
Do not think otherwise! Having a problem? Then stop thinking at all.
Still having problems? You know where the door is.........
Sick-sick-sick-faith-destroying religion.
"Follow us, God endorses every word we say."
Their best followers have not even a bit of bread or wine to sustain them. Still they gut them and throw the husk away. Wonderful brotherhood.
GB Loyalty is their rotten counterfeit for Love. Their worthless IOU for Truth.
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Why hasn`t / doesn`t the "TRUE GOD" clarify his " GODSHIP" between the JEWS , the CHRISTIANS and the MUSLIMS.
by smiddy init has been about 2000 years since jesus walked the earth and has been hailed as the son of god by christians .. the jews refuse to acknowledge jesus as the son of god.. the muslims recognise jesus as only a prophet .. their are billions of christians earth wide.
their are at least a billion muslims world wide.
i`m sorry i dont know how many jews their are world wide ( please add the 6 million who died in concentration camps ).
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humbled
Steve 2,
About wondering:
Being able to wonder without prohibition and examine the Rules-and-Regs without fear helps us to live productively. My own wonderings that I carefully wrote were substantially what got me out of the JWs and all religion.
I DO wonder why so many peoples around the world have had a version of the Golden Rule for ages and ages, for instance--( a thing we might conceivably attribute to a god who wanted peace). So why wouldn't I wonder how we can lodge a general complaint about God's silence.
George Carlin certainly saw how corrupt religion is--I certainly valued his cutting insights into its hypocrisy. Maybe it is a stretch to call him a messenger of God.
Maybe he was a messinger of God .
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Why hasn`t / doesn`t the "TRUE GOD" clarify his " GODSHIP" between the JEWS , the CHRISTIANS and the MUSLIMS.
by smiddy init has been about 2000 years since jesus walked the earth and has been hailed as the son of god by christians .. the jews refuse to acknowledge jesus as the son of god.. the muslims recognise jesus as only a prophet .. their are billions of christians earth wide.
their are at least a billion muslims world wide.
i`m sorry i dont know how many jews their are world wide ( please add the 6 million who died in concentration camps ).
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humbled
What if the thing we call God has given us clear examples of how to live in peace with all mankind(Godship between Christians/Jews/Muslims). Isn't it possible that every time one of these examples occurs it is turned into a copyrighted "brand" by scribes, preachers and priests to divide and market madness and misery--and to consolidate power?
If there is a Goodness that is the basis for our well-being--(mind/body connection if you will), a Goodness that appreciates good humor and kindness, a Goodness that makes us resent unfairness, how would we find it through religion?
How could we know the Goodness if we believe that the only knowing-of-it comes through a third party (religion)? We believe the bloodiest and most incoherent interpretations of past testimonials. These stories have been passed on through the most inefficient and faulty means possible--through tribal loyalties and priestly entities (and sometimes bad writing and editing)--Yet we react only to these as if these are reliable representations of that thing we call God.
Whether we claim to be atheist or theist it seems clear that we are reacting only to religion's control of our minds.
What if we are actually supposed to love our neighbor as ourself and love Goodness with all our heart, soul, and strength?
What if George Carlin was really one of God's messengers?
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Well it is time for me to say GOODBYE!!!
by mouthy init has been nice talking with you.but i seem to upset a few because of my faith.. so have a great christmas.... & be good, i wont be here to send you to your rooms .
i have grown close to many of you.... if i have ever said anything to hurt you sorry!!!!.
when i kick the bucket i am sure "mary" who ssometimes post will let you know.. mouthy grace gough.
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humbled
Hurrah and hello, Grace!
I am still trying to find out the difference between naughty and nice---Being Mouthy is nice, right? So -- can mouthiness be naughty?
I love you Big Mouthy.
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is all religon crap?
by thesaint inlike jw are crap is there any religon dat is atally conneced to god?.
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humbled
As soon as you join any religion your conscience is not entirely your own afterward.
So maybe, if there is God, then God thinks all religion is crap.
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My 10 000th Post
by cofty inin honour of this personal landmark i have decided to choose my personal top 5 threads i am pleased to have posted.. 1. jehovah's witnesses view of jesus compared to the early church.
2. soldiers of jah.
3. the current state of the watchtower & the cynicism of soviet communism.
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humbled
You have helped me think through some hard things, cofty. Interesting what Chris Hitchens said:"We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors...."
Anyway, I'm glad you put questions out there that should be asked.
Maeve
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Let's Talk About Sex
by cofty ina old thread was bumped recently in which posters from 9 years ago raised objections to evolution basesd on personal incredulity regarding sexual reproduction.. i remember an elder in one of my old congregations saying something to the effect that "how could evolution be true, if men evolved before women...blah blah" you get the picture.. i have refreshed my memory of a chapter in nick lane's excellent book "life arising - the ten greatest inventions of evolution" and put together a summary.
it would be great if others would add to it - cantleave, adam, tiktaalik, s&r, bohm et al?.
here is my starter focusing on the problem with non-sexual selection.... if the driving force in evolution is the struggle of selfish genes to pass on copies of themselves to future generations, then sex seems counter-productive.
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humbled
Maybe pleasure is not simply a bonus but a necessary advantage to success in reproduction.
Young inexperienced animals fumble the process until positive feedback (pleasure) says "You got that right". As for whether it ought to be pleasant for the female? She may have no options to offer as in the case of a hen with her single vent but when the female has other openings available down under,it might be an advantage if the female as well as the male experience a moment of "BINGO!" that said "Make deposits HERE".