LiveLife

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Posts by LiveLife

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  26

  The End of Faith- How Sam Harris defined it.

  by nvrgnbk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  clearly, it must be possible to bring reason, spirituality, and ethics together in our thinking about the world.

  this would be the beginning of a rational approach to our deepest personal concerns.

  it would also be the end of faith.-.

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  LiveLife

  Hell's bells, man, I gave up on choosing friends based on whether they agree with me decades ago.
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  27

  Transcript from DC audio: "The Superiority of Being Taught By Jehovah"

  by LiveLife in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  almost entirely transcribed from the audio provided by fading away (thanks, fading away!!).

  i couldn't bear to type out all of one experience, you'll have to listen.. the audio link: education talk from follow the christ dc.

  the superiority of of being taught by jehovah.

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  LiveLife

  Yes, Borgia. And thanks for raising the point. I would like to make very clear that the grammatical errors are taken directly from the talk itself. I did not correct a single thing the poor uneducated brother Prince said.
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  26

  The End of Faith- How Sam Harris defined it.

  by nvrgnbk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  clearly, it must be possible to bring reason, spirituality, and ethics together in our thinking about the world.

  this would be the beginning of a rational approach to our deepest personal concerns.

  it would also be the end of faith.-.

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  LiveLife

  Birth, death, love, hate, longing, emptiness, all of these experiences and feelings are real and universal.

  I submit that if these feelings were truly universally experienced (in the sense that we all experience the same feelings, the same responses, etc.) poets would have nothing to write about, no one would have reason to read their writings, no one would be moved by them. Painters would have nothing to paint about, no one would care to look at the variations between expression, all senses of the experience would already exist within us all.

  No one experiences love the same way as anyone else. The same goes for the rest of the items on the list.

  Science seeks to thingify reality, but much of reality stubbornly resists their conceited attempt. The driving reason behind the scientific quest to thingify reality is simple: Science can only study the tangible. It is a limitation in the perspective of the scientific model that leaves anything intangible as a scientific blind-spot. Not that science is lacking for practical usefulness, but the scientific model cannot be truly applied outside tangibility.

  Love is not a thing. No attempts to label it and define it by what it is not will ever change that simple fact. I agree that it is real, but it is intangible reality. Therefore, it is automatically outside the bounds of the scientific method. It is untestable, in and of itself. Only its effects can be tested.

  Live Life
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  26

  The End of Faith- How Sam Harris defined it.

  by nvrgnbk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  clearly, it must be possible to bring reason, spirituality, and ethics together in our thinking about the world.

  this would be the beginning of a rational approach to our deepest personal concerns.

  it would also be the end of faith.-.

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  LiveLife

  nvrgnbk: Reality, that which all persons experience universally, is a great place to start.

  I sure hope I can make it Wednesday night! Interesting topic.

  Reality is experienced universally by every thing, not just persons. However, reality is rendered subjective by the act of experience. That is, by the very act of experiencing/interacting with reality we make reality subject to perception.

  Even if we experience reality universally we do not share a perfectly common universal experience with reality. Each experience with reality is (at some level, in some way) unique to the observer. "Similar" does not equal "the same."

  I am coming to believe faith is part of what fills in the gaps between our experiences and the experiences of others; part of what bridges the gaps between the rational, the real, and the potential. I am starting to believe that the potential is the spiritual, it is the ever present phantom reality of the unknown, both the yet to be, and the could have been. Ethics are simply general guides toward a subjectively desirable reality from among the vast array of potential realities.

  I already firmly belief (and I don't have many of those firm beliefs) that faith is inseparable from hope. Faith makes a reality that is more desirable to us much more likely. For instance, I really believe faith will make it much more likely Shroedinger's Cat is alive.

  Live Life
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  4

  My friend needs your help

  by Grouper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my friend the package started a topic "sitting here alone" i asked for any help on the following and i felt it warranted its own thread.

  all suggestions are appreciated.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/137244/1.ashx .

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  LiveLife

  Grouper:

  Perhaps if you fleshed the problem out a bit ... maybe let us know what the issue is, then we might be better able to help with it.

  I bet you hit enter before you meant to, didn't you. I hate when that happens.
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  30

  Grammar test what is wrong with these sentences ?

  by 5go in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am trying to find an online c.l.e.p.

  test.

  yesterday i found one on grammar.

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  LiveLife

  1: Johnson (1) has (2) no equal as a salesman; his commissions are (3) larger than those madeearned by almost any other (4) salesman.

  2: (1) If people (2) had helped solvedsolve the energy crisis,(3) it might (4) of have been a lesson to humanity.

  3: The student (1) thought that (2) the lecturer had (3) referred (4) to The Communist Manifesto.

  4: He (1) has always been negligent (2) abouttoward his health, and he (3) is feeling the (4) effects of his carelessness.

  In sentence #3, "that" is superfluous to the sentence. Without the benefit of context, "had" seems superfluous, as well.

  Other issues that are arguably incorrect (difficult to judge without the benefit of context) include:

  • the passive voice of "had helped"/"have been" in sentence # 2, could be rewritten in active voice.
  • the passive voice in sentence #3 "had referred to" could be easily rewritten in active voice as "referenced".
  • the passive voice in sentence #4 "has always been negligent" could be easily rewritten as "neglected".

  I can't really argue whether your textbook is correct, since the author seems to have something specific in mind.
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  48

  Outa here

  by snarf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it seems you have to be of the "popular crowd" on this forum to express feelings and views.

  as i am not of this crowd, i have recently recieved alot of not so friendly comments and p.m.s from people who seem to think they need to put me in my place.

  it is funny how some people can express their views and opinions and everyone still loves them.

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  LiveLife

  Popularity plays for power had a small part to play in why I stopped posting a while back, too. Some posters made a friend of mine quit the forum altogether, but he was brand new to it all and to leftover JW judgmentalism and egocentrism. When he told me about what happened I thought it was funny and typical of some of my own experiences here.

  I don't understand why a place that is supposed to be welcoming would ever foster such callous reactions, but I have decided JWD isn't the real source of the callous reactions. I think some posters take out pent up crap on whoever happens to be handy.

  Sorry you have gone through it, but it is a downside to the Internet. It is a public forum. Just like people in traffic can be complete asses, people online can be complete asses.

  I hope you will look past it all and keep posting. Most of all ... LIVE LIFE!
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  16

  Jehovah Witness confusing doctrine about abstaining from blood

  by Blindbutnowisee in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  why do jehovah witnesses say they abstain from using blood when they are now allowing their members to use certain blood fractions.

  the answer i always get "if their concious allows them its ok it not for us to judge".

  if that is the case, whole blood should also be allowed if their concious allows them to.

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  LiveLife

  Here's the convoluted explanation in a nutshell: Albumin, for instance, can be passed by nursing from mother to child and is present in cow's milk. Therefore, it can have a source other than blood. In theory.

  Here's where the theory utterly breaks down under their doctrinal basis for refusing blood transfusions: If the source of the albumin used with your medical procedure is not from a cow's teat and, rather, is from donor blood (or even animal blood) in what way exactly is someone abstaining from blood if they choose to accept albumin? How can such a person be said to "pour the blood out upon the ground" if they use it for any purpose, even as wall paint, or perhaps as ink to sign their Mephistopholian contract with the bOrganization?

  Either it is okay to use blood for the saving of lives or it is not. They want to have their blood and "eat" it in small bites, too.

  Not that I believe intravenous tranfusion equates to eating. Any doctor can quickly confirm the immediacy of the deadly effects of injecting a Big Mac smoothie directly into your bloodstream, but I ate one last night with no ill effects save some minor bloating about the midriff; it will take at least a few months for the Big Mac to kill me by ingesting it.

  When introduced into the bloodstream, blood functions as blood. It is no different than an organ transplant. The function does not change, the form does not change; only the host organism changes. It isn't showing disrespect for life to donate blood or to receive blood; it is showing incredibly high esteem for life.

  The perverse views of Jehovah's Witnesses on this matter brings great reproach on the God they claim to serve, even though there never has been a true God named "Jehovah." If they called their God "Tiddlywinkumsnotrags" this policy would bring reproach on the good name of the Almighty Creator of all living things, Tiddlywinkumsnotrags.

  Live Life (and try to do it smiling)
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  27

  Transcript from DC audio: "The Superiority of Being Taught By Jehovah"

  by LiveLife in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  almost entirely transcribed from the audio provided by fading away (thanks, fading away!!).

  i couldn't bear to type out all of one experience, you'll have to listen.. the audio link: education talk from follow the christ dc.

  the superiority of of being taught by jehovah.

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  LiveLife

  It is tough for me to pick a starting point in demolishing the reasoning in this talk, but I figure I can start with sister Tracy Fuentes:

  TF: No. It was a disappointment for me. I did work within my field for a little while, but, I didn't even need my degree for what I was doing. And my current employment has nothing to do with the field that I studied. And Brother Prince, let's not even mention the student loans that I'm still paying, and I've been out of school for over ten years now.

  She is married to an ex-jock JW. She was a kinesiologist, the physical therapy side of medicine's equivalent to an oral hygeinist. She doesn't say what her current employment is, but if she is baby sitting with sister Russo or cleaning house for those same teachers sister Russo sits for, maybe that is why it is taking so long to pay back those damn loans ...

  If not for her College education, she wouldn't have met her husband and she wouldn't be able to be proud of her son that she has.

  Next, I have to mention brother Prince's effective use of droning repitition:

  There's also lots of demands. The demands of keeping up with schoolwork and doing well on examinations can crowd out your spiritual activities. It's demanding. You have to try to maintain certain grades and things of that nature, it can be very demanding.

  How do you maintain "certain grades"? By keeping up with schoolwork and doing well on examinations ... but he says this as if it is two separate things.

  Higher education is very expensive in many places. It can take years of secular work to pay off student loans. So, higher education is not free, you have to pay for it and it's gonna take you some time to possibly pay off money that you've borrowed.

  WTF? [*wags head at self for ever believing this sh--*]

  Let's talk about higher education. What does "higher education" mean?

  Yes, brother Prince. Very convincing argument: I must explain to these people what "higher education" means, thereby proving they don't need any more education.

  Ungodly conduct such as binge drinking, sexual immorality is common on many University campuses.

  And in many congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses, and in many neighborhoods where they go to preach ... whatever could possibly be your point, brother Prince?

  TF: Well, the challenge was that my degree wasn't ... didn't qualify me for anything real specific, I wasn't able to go get a ... a real job. So, in order to be more specific within my field I needed more schooling, which I wasn't willing to do from a time standpoint, but also financially because it was getting very expensive.

  In other words, "I say higher education is pointless because I was unwilling to spend the necessary time and resources to make it worthwhile for my life." She crapped out of life and blames ... herself! Please explain what the heck that has to do with higher education being pointless?

  Of course if you pursue a Bachelors of Science for Kinesiology you will have to parlay that into a specialty field to make money. Duh! But there are plenty of other high-demand four-year-degree fields that she could have pursued instead.

  But, all-in-all, sister Russo takes the cake. She was praised (flattered) by people who couldn't find a baby sitter that pleased them. Anyone who has ever looked for a sitter knows how tough it can be to find someone willing to care for your brat. So, sister Russo was in the right place at the right time and happened to need an ego stroking (that last isn't unusual for JWs). Because of that, she didn't need no College edumacashun ... her husband is the primary breadwinner (and no one said whether he has a degree). She can work without any promise of retirement and without benefits and teach her son (who is going to Bethel) to do the very same.

  Blech! to you, sister Russo, as you strive to be nothing in this world and achieve it in a resoundingly successful way!
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  35

  New Here, just want to introduce myself....

  by lies all lies in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, i never was baptized but studied for a very long time before i finally got my sanity back and realized that although the individual jws for the most part were good people and doing what they thought was right the org itself was total b.s.

  anyway ive been lurking here off and on for a while and figured i would stop being lazy and register.

  so hello, i enjoy everyones posts and hope to be around for a while!

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  LiveLife

  Welcome, Lynne!

  The organization is BS. Those who love and care within the organization do so despite the organization, not because of it. And you are surely not alone, not in the feelings of sadness at seeing a promise of an eternal future for what it really is, nor in the longing for the many people still trapped to find their personal release from the organization.

  The good news is, the Internet has already delivered the death bite to that organization. The time has passed when they could hide what they are from the eyes of the average householder. It is increasingly common for people to check first with the Internet before devoting time to any enterprise, even going to the movie theater or buying a music CD. This ungainly beast of an organization is already gotten necrotic in large patches with much of its skin and muscle sloughing off as it goes, yet it still lumbers on to its inevitable end.

  So, in addition to welcoming you I would like to encourage you to take the antidote: Live LIFE!