Posts by GentlyFeral

76

Fear of athiests

by changeling in

jw
friends

i seemed to have missed some of the excitement from last night.

but i wanted to post my observations.. it seems to me that some have an irrational fear of athiests.

it's as if they fear we are evil people that are out to destroy their faith.

GentlyFeral

gently feral

54

We're all connected- Spiritual Atheism

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

as you know, common theists believe in a literal "god" who supposedly created and rules the universe; while common atheists reject the idea of "god" altogether.. generally,spiritual atheists are people who do not believe in a literal "god" (thus the term "atheist"), but still consider themselves to be (often deeply) "spiritual" people.. for spiritual atheists, being "spiritual" generally means to have thoughts, words, and actions that are in harmony with the idea that we are all, in some way, connected - that the entire world can be thought of as one entity made up of smaller interacting entities.. therefore, spiritual atheists generally feel that as they go about their lives striving to be personally healthy and happy, they should also be striving to help the world around them be healthy and happy.

this empowering concept is referred to as "wholistic ethics".. although spiritual atheists do not believe in a literal "god"; they generally recognize "god" as an important and powerful symbol of the inter-connectedness and one-ness of the universe.

they see that, individually, everything in the universe is a part of "god"; and, collectively, everything in the universe is "god".

GentlyFeral

Hmm, as a theist I may be a "Spiritual Atheist" after all. This isn't much different from Pantheism or Panentheism, with a little linguistic squeamishness added. Religious Science is a denomination that teaches a very similar definition of God. Their position on "sin" is: "The only real sin is believing you're separate from God." I take this to mean that alienation is the root of all acts that make other people miserable.

Yesterday I was chewing on that verse where Jesus says: "If you disown me before men, I will disown you before my Father in Heaven." My answer: "To call myself a Christian these days is just another way of dragging Jesus' name through the mud." I'm not talking about being "the worst of all sinners," either – just about the gut reaction that most Americans have to that confession.

gently feral

52

Do you still believe in God

by solidergirl in

i was wondering why da or df jw no longer believe in god when they make up their mind to no longer attend a meeting.

first off let's not say that all of us become athiest when leaving.

many on this board believe in god.

GentlyFeral

Yes, I do. For "personal reasons." "Again," not "still." It's the damnedest thing.

gently feral

11

How long does the typical church service last?

by B_Deserter in

sitting anywhere for 2 hours is a recipe for dozing off as far as i'm concerned.

i would think the typical church service wouldn't be the 2-hour ordeal the sunday meeting is, but i don't know for sure.

GentlyFeral

My church experience is limited but varied.

Actually, it depends on the church. I don't know anything about Catholic services, but I have the impression that they are at most an hour and a half long, only about 20 minutes of which is taken up by a sermon. I know that's true of Episcopal services, which are closely modeled after Catholic ones.

Non-Fundamentalist Protestant services tend to be an hour or less, including songs, prayers, and announcements.

Maybe "Fundamentalist" is the wrong word. I suppose "charismatic" may be closer. Anyway, churches where they really get into "the Spirit" tend to have longer services -- 2 hours is typical. The sermon might last longer than 20 minutes, but if shouting, dancing in the aisles, and lots of good music don't bother you, it's a lot more fun.

In a dozen years of sporadic church attendance, I have never seen anything like a Watchtower study. Churches often do have something more like a book study, on a weekday evening. The last one I heard announced from the pulpit was in a Baptist church, and they were about to start studying The Purpose-Driven Life. Can't be too bad an idea -- if Jimmy Swaggart is against it, I'm for it -- maybe.

As many on this board can advise you, the safest place for the church-burnt to start attending again is probably a Unitarian Universalist church.

gently feral

81

Ahhh, just what is your guilty pleasure?

by FlyingHighNow in

jw
friends

sausage biscuits from mcdonalds.

i broke down and got one today.

come now, tell me about your guilty pleasures.

GentlyFeral

John Doe,

If you all have such great vibrators, why do you even want men? ;-)

My vibe can't do Steven Wright impressions like my husband can.

GentlyFeral

15

Lying is okay

by Hiddenwindow in

jw
friends

there are several doctrinal explications in the wt literature about which the average jw is not aware.

one that has always puzzled me is the definition that the insight book gives to lying.

it explains that lying does not mean to provide false information, but that it means to give wrong information to whoever has the right to know.

GentlyFeral

Look, there are times when questions like "Are you a Christian?", "Are you a Jehovah's witness?", or "Are you gay?" mean "Do I get kill you?" The correct answer is always "NO, you don't get to kill me."

But there are times when the misunderstood have to come out, because at the end of the ~~day~~ century, it's other people's fear and ignorance that'll kill you.

gentlyferal

61

What about your JW past are you thankful for?

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

in the interest of self-healing and finding the peace that comes from being grateful, can you think of anything at all that was positive about having been one of jehovah's witnesses?.

not to be misunderstood with missing something about it, is there something about the experience that has enriched you?.

to answer the question myself, being forced to face the fallacies of the teachings of jwism, i was also prompted to look past those teachings and reevaluate everything i believed in.. that experience was frightening and unsettling, but i'm thankful for it.. i now have a greater appreciation for life in all its wonder than i did when i took it for granted as one of jehovah's witnesses.. i'm more determined now to find meaning in this life, after having lived for so long for a future that was never to arrive..

GentlyFeral

It just so happens that the person who introduced me to Renaissance Faires was a semi-active Witness. Was great prep for the whole Neo-Pagan scene I got into about 20 years later :)

The person who told my son, "Your art shows talent and confidence. If you have a couple hours, I can show you everything I learned in 4 years of art school" was a Witness.

The people who encouraged us to homeschool - which, even now that we've all left, is still one of the best things we've ever done - were Witnesses.

The only Witnesses I miss, the ones I am still grateful for, were the ones who shoulda been hippies - the RenFair, book-a-day, responsibly countercultural types.

GentlyFeral

14

Super Fluff - What was your favorite children's album?

by Nosferatu in

jw
friends

i'm sitting here listening to "free to be... you and me".

it only dawned on me as an adult that this is a feminist's children's album!

unbelievable.

GentlyFeral

My absolute favorite - played almost every day, sometimes more than once - was "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," narrated by Basil Rathbone and derived from the Disney movie of the same name which came out in 1949. I owned a (second-hand?) copy of the record in the early 60's. Very early; I wasn't even ten years old yet, I'm pretty sure. Part of the appeal was Rathbone's commanding, meticulous, aristocratic voice.

GentlyFeral

13

Movie Title question - Making a sandwich while in the market

by VM44 in

i am trying to find the title of a movie i saw many many years ago.

perhaps some here might recognize this scene from it.. a man is shown walking up and down the aisles of a grocery market.

he is shown opening a package of bread and taking a couple of slices out of it.

GentlyFeral

My mom used to do this sometimes while shopping – not break open packs of lunchmeat, etc., but she'd take a candybar, eat it, and bring the wrapper up to the counter so she could pay for it on the way out. Same with soda; she'd take the empty can up to the counter with her other purchases. It always seemed fair to me. Mind you, she was a diabetic and might have been battling insulin shock... GentlyFeral

30

Most Witnesses Don't Know the "Current Truth" on Matthew 5:5!

by deaconbluez in

matthew 5:5: "happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.".

if you ask most witnesses what this verse means, they will say that it means those who are meek/mild/humble will be given the earth as a reward to live forever on.

i was surprised to find out that this is not the official watchtower teaching of that verse.

GentlyFeral

OH THAT MAKES ME SO MAD!

Matt. 5:5 and Psalm 37:11 – given the "earthly paradise" interpretation – was the bait that got me into the jaydubs in the first place! And I loved Insight on the Scriptures when it came out, and I completely missed this one!

In retrospect, though, given the early date on your last citation, it looks like this is another case of "strobing" light.

Dammit.

gently feral