Rapunzel

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Posts by Rapunzel

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  61

  Does Someone Have to be Religious to Be a Good Person?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is something my wife and i were discussing the other day .

  in a general view of religious people - most religious people feel it makes them holier, better, or on a higher moral plane claiming to worship god in an organized religion.

  in the jehovah's witnesses view - the outside world is evil, and they claim that if you get away from their religion , and " fall away" a person is doomed to go astray, doing various sundry things like murder, adultery, stealing, orgies, because " they claim " that they have fallen " out of " god's favor.

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  Rapunzel

  I heard the joke - "Some people only go to church three times in their lives: when they're hatched, matched, and dispatched" - back when I was in high school. And from the mouth of a priest, no less!!

  I also heard another expression - "Mr. Thomas went to church, never missed a Sunday. But Mr. Thomas went to Hell, for what he did on Monday."

  Then, there's the old blues song by Led Zepplin, entitled "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?" The guy singing the song is talking about how he and his pretty girlfriend go to church, "and all the menfolk are standing in line. They say they come to talk with the Lord, but you know, my little girl, she looks so fine."
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  61

  Does Someone Have to be Religious to Be a Good Person?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is something my wife and i were discussing the other day .

  in a general view of religious people - most religious people feel it makes them holier, better, or on a higher moral plane claiming to worship god in an organized religion.

  in the jehovah's witnesses view - the outside world is evil, and they claim that if you get away from their religion , and " fall away" a person is doomed to go astray, doing various sundry things like murder, adultery, stealing, orgies, because " they claim " that they have fallen " out of " god's favor.

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  Rapunzel

  Speaking of etymology, the word virtue shares the same etymological root as virile, that is to say "manly." The word virtue came into English via French. French got it from the Latin word virtutem, which meant "morality" and "manliness." The Latin virtutem is itself derived from vir, meaning "man." So, presumably, a woman might possess "chastity" or "purity," but she was necessarilly barred from possessing "virtue" due to her gender. This idea only serves to prove the French expression that I quoted in my previous post, "Autres temps, autres moeurs." The morals and ethics of people change from place to place, and from era to era.
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  61

  Does Someone Have to be Religious to Be a Good Person?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is something my wife and i were discussing the other day .

  in a general view of religious people - most religious people feel it makes them holier, better, or on a higher moral plane claiming to worship god in an organized religion.

  in the jehovah's witnesses view - the outside world is evil, and they claim that if you get away from their religion , and " fall away" a person is doomed to go astray, doing various sundry things like murder, adultery, stealing, orgies, because " they claim " that they have fallen " out of " god's favor.

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  Rapunzel

  Hi Flip, my take on the issue is essentially that of Immanuel Kant who demonstrated that morals are autonomous, or else, they don't exist at all. If a person refrains from murdering his neighbor only out of fear of divine retribution, his behavior is dictated not by moral virtues, but by caution, fear of the Holy Policeman, and selfishness. And if a person does good only with an eye to salvation, he/she is not, in fact, really doing good (since his/her behavior is dictated by self-interest, rather than by duty or love) and will thus not be saved. A good deed is not good because God commanded me to do it; on the contrary, it is because an action is good that it is possible to believe that God commanded it. Rather than religion being the basis of morals, morals are indeed the basis of religion. Religion is not the foundation of morals. Rather, the converse is true - morals are the foundation upon which religion is based.

  The English words morals and ethics derive from the Latin and Greek [respectively] terms mores and ethos, which both essentially mean customs. In Latin and Greek [respectively], mores and ethos referred to the customs of people. What was deemed "moral" or "ethical" was merely that which was customary, the societal norm. Throughout the world, and throughout time, these societal norms have been in flux. As the French say: "Autres temps, autres moeurs." It means that people follow different various moral codes from one era to another.
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  39

  Big News or rumor!

  by Burger Time in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a friend just informed me that the c/o in his hall will be instructing the elders that anyone with a child in college will be stripped of privileges in the hall.

  i am not sure if this is true this is just what i was told.

  it could be that it is only a campaign directed at him as he has some ties to ex-jw's and some how got found out.

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  Rapunzel

  As for putting the pursuit of a college education in the same category as masturbation and pornography, I have to say that I agree with the Organization on this point because - whereas a B,A. or an M.A. may not necessarily be all that useful in obtaining a good job and achieving the "American Dream" - it certainly is fun doing it!!! In that sense, it could be that porn, masturbation, and getting a B.A. are all pleasant amusing goals in and of themselves, irrespective of any ultimate, "practical" purpose. In regard to all three, the pleasure is in the process itself. The proverbial destination is the "train trip" itself, as it were.
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  81

  Ever have a paranormal event in your life, please share?

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am one who believes strongly in the spirit realm, paranormal activity, etc.

  even with such a strong belief, i am often told by skeptics that such things are foolish and nonsense.

  while i accept people have the right to feel however they want, i have often shared stories with people that are hard to explain with logic and find others have events like this too.

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  Rapunzel

  Justhuman - Your experience # 4 sounds like an out-of-body experience [O.B.E.]. O.B.E.'s are usually associated with near death experiences.

  Your experience # 2 is especially intriguing. I wonder: How do you interpret it? I know you saw the elders meeting, but did you hear any voices? Did you you talk to your mom or dad? If yes, what did your mom or dad say? Didn't your mom or dad want to go back iinside and investigate? Did you later talk with the elders whom you saw? Did you ask the elders about it? Could you have seen a "secret" elders' meeting? The situation that you describe is quite odd and intriguing. Did you ever talk to anyone at your Kingdom Hall about it?
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  5

  J G Fraser on "Serpent God" magic.

  by hamsterbait in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "the golden bough" discusses a west african tribal practice not unlike that done by israel in the wilderness.. chapter 52 "killing the divine animal" subheading "killing the divine serpent":.

  west africa appears to furnish another example of killing the sacred animal and its preservation.

  the negroes of issapoo in the island of fernando po, regard the cobra-capella as their guardian deity, who can do them good or ill, bestow riches or inflict disease and death.

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  Rapunzel

  I forgot to add that, in the Bible, there are legends that connect Moses and Aaron to snakes I'm relying solely on my very poor memory here, but I seem to recall a passage in the Bible in which Moses [or maybe Aaron] tosses some [sticks?] on the ground and they are transformed into serpents. Perhaps I am wrong, but it seems to me that there is such a passage in the Bible. Maybe you or someone else could verify this. At the moment, I have no access to a Bible.
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  5

  J G Fraser on "Serpent God" magic.

  by hamsterbait in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "the golden bough" discusses a west african tribal practice not unlike that done by israel in the wilderness.. chapter 52 "killing the divine animal" subheading "killing the divine serpent":.

  west africa appears to furnish another example of killing the sacred animal and its preservation.

  the negroes of issapoo in the island of fernando po, regard the cobra-capella as their guardian deity, who can do them good or ill, bestow riches or inflict disease and death.

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  Rapunzel

  Hi Hamsterbait - There were various snake/serpent gods and demons in the ancient Egyptian pantheon; these gods varied from region to region. For example, the ancient Egyptians worshiped snake gods such as Nehebkau [Nehebkaw]; Apep [Apophis]; Renenutet; Meretseger; Wadjet; and Amunet;
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  28

  dawn bible students

  by jehovahsheep in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  many ex-jws have become bible students-in essence students of charles russells writings.i have also started to study his writings and find them interesting.what are some your thoughts on these groups?

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  Rapunzel

  The truth is either in the ether or in the aether. Then again, perhaps it is in neither, but rather in the nether [world], that is to say in the cthonic depths of the unconscious.
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  49

  Well, I'm nauseated now. Gag inducing dramatizations at my DC

  by Lady Zombie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  during the hour long symposium: empowered by holy spirit.

  under the part "to fight temptation," a little dramatization of a young married man doing some work on his laptop.

  he is tapping away when he suddenly slams his laptop shut.

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  Rapunzel

  Lady Zombie - It is not my intention to highjack your thread, and I mean no disrespect, but I have to say that the word symposium really caught my eye. For me, a true symposium consists of discussion among the participants. It consists of reasoned and rational debate. In a true symposium, the audience members are participant-observers, with an emphasis on the word participant. In a true symposium, the audience members all observe and participate. There is a mutual exchange of ideas and perspectives.

  For example, in the situation where the "brother" was viewing "pornography," someone could ask if pornography is distinct from erotica. If so, what is the difference?

  In the case of the kid ratting out informing the elders of the transgression on the part of his friend, someone could inquire as to the virtue of loyalty. A person might bring out the idea that the elders do not necessarily have to become involved in every single matter. Someone could also mention that, throughout history, the Nazis and other brutal, totalitarian authorites used similar techniques to control the populations that were under their rule. One big negative consequence of such a tactic was that it created a general sense of paranoia in society, the end result being disastrous.

  To be brief, these are complex situations.
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  7

  opinions on this verse please

  by bite me in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  on first john 5:20 it says that jesus christ is the true god and eternal life.

  i decided to see what it said in the nwt and it was very similar just that it read life everlasting instead of eternal life.

  i realized that they didn't lower case the 'g', unless i overlooked it, when saying jesus was god or even a god.

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  Rapunzel

  Hortensia - Your statement is an interesting one. The term verse is normally associated with metrical composition in either poetry or song; it also refers to a subdivision of the Bible. This is curious though because, whereas some of the Bible is written in poetic metre, a lot of it is in prose. And yet, the term verse refers to any subdivision of the Bible, whether it is poetry or prose.