Posts by Awakened07

27

How did you think the GB made decisions?

by LearningMore in

i was just thinking about this today.

c of c opened my eyes on how the gb makes decisions.

i used to think that they must have prayed a lot together and then had moments of enlightenment from god.

Awakened07

I have wondered about the same thing myself: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/143624/1.ashx

Didn't get too many replies, but you can find a few views there.

24

Eyes are the Window of the soul

by caliber in

jw
friends

scientists discover that eyes really are 'the window to the soul'left: distinct contraction furrows (marked '3') - a sign of the person being neurotic.

right: numerous 'crypts' lines going away from the iris (marked '1') - this signifies a warm-hearted and trustworthy person.

the eyes really are a window to the soul, according to scientists.. patterns in the iris can give an indication of whether we are warm and trusting or neurotic and impulsive, research has found.. everyone has a different structure of lines, dots and colours in their iris.. so scientists at orebro university in sweden compared the eyes of 428 subjects with their personality traits to see if these structures in the iris reflected their characters.. they focused on patterns in crypts - threads which radiate from the pupil - and contraction furrows - lines curving around the outer edge - which are formed when the pupils dilate.. their findings showed those with denselypacked crypts are more warmhearted, tender, trusting, and likely to sympathise with others.

Awakened07

Color of your skin, shape of your nose, shape of your skull, your height, your hair, length of your fingers... iris of your eyes.

I'll know all about you just by looking at you.

Or will I?

21

has anyone needed Meds to get thru this process???

by New light for you in

jw
friends

im' really thinkin' i might need to get.... something!

some kind of drugs to go thru this... ativan, xanax.... something... or i'm gonna make myself sick dealing with saying good-bye to all my life-long friends and family by saturday.... any suggestions on good drugs?

didd you have to go to your general dr. to get them... or psych?.

Awakened07

I made it through with no pills, alcohol or psychiatrist, although I'm not saying this would work for everyone. Talking to someone about it would probably be the best option of the three (not necessarily a psychiatrist).

I faded out, so it took some time, and I had time to go through several phases of doubt, coming up with new belief systems, discarding those, researching many things, coming to terms with my mortality (that was the worst for me) and finally accept my "fate". There were some tough 'episodes' in there, but I got over it relatively fast, actually. Since I faded out, my family gradually got used to the idea, and I didn't have to suddenly "out myself" as an apostate in one night. When it finally happened recently that I had to tell them in so many words, it went relatively smoothly.

I'm pretty much a whole other person than I was two, three years ago. So it can be done. Not that I'm 'done' with it completely yet, but... I don't know... 99%?

Good luck whichever way you end up handling it.

18

-Let's say you had never heard of the Bible:

by Awakened07 in

jw
friends

let's say you've grown up in a country that - somehow - has shielded you completely from any knowledge of the bible and its god and history.

all your life you've believed in the four legged, three headed, four winged borlifingus (of course, the arms, legs etc.

are just representations of it's spiritual properties).

Awakened07

None! It's not about evidence. Evidence doesn't convert you, the Holy Spirit does.

Well - conversion by Holy Spirit would constitute evidence of the Bible's truthfulness and validity in my book, so I'll still jot it down on my list.

18

-Let's say you had never heard of the Bible:

by Awakened07 in

jw
friends

let's say you've grown up in a country that - somehow - has shielded you completely from any knowledge of the bible and its god and history.

all your life you've believed in the four legged, three headed, four winged borlifingus (of course, the arms, legs etc.

are just representations of it's spiritual properties).

Awakened07

The Bible predicted things hundreds of years in advance that came to pass. No man could have done this; it must have been God. Cyrus was named as the liberator of the Jews 200 years in advance.

-Now we're talking! That's the stuff.

7

~ I escaped it, a life wasted - I'm never going back again ~

by Awakened07 in

jw
friends

lyrics and melody by pearl jam.. the music may not be for everyone, but i recognized myself in the lyrics.. .

you're always saying that there's something wrong.

i'm starting to believe it's your plan all along.

Awakened07

Lyrics and melody by Pearl Jam.

The music may not be for everyone, but I recognized myself in the lyrics.

You're always saying that there's something wrong
I'm starting to believe it's your plan all along

Death came around, forced to hear its song
And know tomorrow can't be depended on

I've seen the home inside your head
All locked doors and unmade beds
Open sores unattended
Let me say just once that

I have faced it, a life wasted
I'm never going back again

I escaped it, a life wasted
I'm never going back again
Having tasted, a life wasted
I'm never going back again

The world awaits just up the stairs
Leave the pain for someone else
Nothing back there for you to find
Or was it you you left behind?

You're always saying you're too weak to be strong
You're harder on yourself than just about anyone

Why swim the channel just to get this far?
Halfway there, why would you turn around?

Darkness comes in waves...tell me,
Why invite it to stay?

You're warm with negativity
Yes, comfort is an energy
But why let the sad song play?

I have faced it, a life wasted
I'm never going back again

Oh I escaped it, a life wasted
I'm never going back again

Having tasted, a life wasted
I'm never going back again

Oh i erased it, a life wasted
I'm never going back again

33

GOD---the anti-concept

by Terry in

telling you what something is not is the opposite of identification.. .

1.someone the human mind cannot grasp.. 2.not human.

3.not earthly.

Awakened07

we are unable to understand these processes in order to control them or see these things coming and avoid them due our fallen natures

Well, you have to see the argument through though: This means we in our "pre-fallen nature" would be able to avoid for instance an asteroid hitting nearby while we're sleeping, causing dust clouds that cause diseases and death of crops and thus food supply, in addition to the death of those directly hit.

How would we avoid that? Why would we need to, when God could perfectly easily have either stopped the asteroid, or not created the potential for its existence in the first place.

We've had this discussion before. I find it ridiculous, you and others find it perfectly reasonable. I guess we'll all just have to decide for ourselves based on what we see and can reason from.

33

GOD---the anti-concept

by Terry in

telling you what something is not is the opposite of identification.. .

1.someone the human mind cannot grasp.. 2.not human.

3.not earthly.

Awakened07

So it's our fault that we're hit by hurricanes, earth quakes, lightening, and get painful, disabling diseases for not being able to avoid them? Or it's nobody's fault?

God created the potential for natural disasters (or, "natural life threatening occurrences") because...?

Or is it caused by our fallen state? Meaning; are natural, life threatening occurrences part of the consequence of mankind's sin? Has, as JWs say, God 'let go' and we are experiencing the effects of him 'pulling the plug' a few thousand years ago?

I find it much simpler to accept that we are part of a naturally volatile universe (although we are located in a relatively calm area of it, otherwise we wouldn't be here to talk about it) and are therefore hit by natural disasters - or life threatening occurrences if you will - because that's the nature of the universe we happen to exist in and planet we live on. No reason, no rhyme; "time and chance happens to us all", if I may be so bold as to paraphrase a scripture.

33

GOD---the anti-concept

by Terry in

telling you what something is not is the opposite of identification.. .

1.someone the human mind cannot grasp.. 2.not human.

3.not earthly.

Awakened07

The Divine Intelligence has not created man's problems and inefficiencies......man himself has done that.

I see what you're saying (I think), but how has mankind created the physical and mental pain caused by natural diseases, natural disasters, and loss of loved ones?

18

-Let's say you had never heard of the Bible:

by Awakened07 in

jw
friends

let's say you've grown up in a country that - somehow - has shielded you completely from any knowledge of the bible and its god and history.

all your life you've believed in the four legged, three headed, four winged borlifingus (of course, the arms, legs etc.

are just representations of it's spiritual properties).

Awakened07

Thanks for replying (and thus 'bumping' my thread that I had forgot about).

Keep it coming.

My 'plan' with this thread was not to have religious people post their beliefs so that I in turn could 'bash' them.

-I want this thread to be a collection of the best evidence for the Bible being the word of God, the Creator of the universe, presented in such a way that it would convert said villager.

And, following that, people could look over said evidence, research it, and come to their own conclusions (and no, they wouldn't have to come to my conclusion).