Greenpalmtreestillmine

Joined

• started 24 topics
• posted 420 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Greenpalmtreestillmine

• 
  105

  What kind of atheist are you?

  by Narkissos in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  chief rabbi leon ashkenazi said: "the difference between an atheist christian and an atheist jew is that an atheist christian does not believe that god exists, while an atheist jew believes that god does not exist.".

  i'm not so sure about the jewish-christian borderline, but i love the nuance.. so which sentence suits you better?.

  "i don't believe that god exists.".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  SixofNine,

  Wow. Just goes to show that trying to reconcile the ugliness of a do-nothing god (or a nation building god, lol), will eventually drive a person mad. Sad.

  "Mad" I am, SixofNine.
• 
  105

  What kind of atheist are you?

  by Narkissos in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  chief rabbi leon ashkenazi said: "the difference between an atheist christian and an atheist jew is that an atheist christian does not believe that god exists, while an atheist jew believes that god does not exist.".

  i'm not so sure about the jewish-christian borderline, but i love the nuance.. so which sentence suits you better?.

  "i don't believe that god exists.".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  Hillary_Step,

  Perhaps Alan is alluding to the fact that if God created the earth he seems to have designed it so that every living creature has to capture and kill other creatures in order to stay alive, and that includes you. Do you not see a disparity with the Biblical God of love and this 'design' feature?

  I presume you to be an intelligent man. Man kills, HS. Man rapes, HS. Man kills and rapes his own children, HS. Man wars for no good reason, HS. Man destroys the earth. Man is, shall we say, a demon in his own right.

  Please, don't complain to me about the rats, the insects and their creator. Until man rises above the insects he has no right to complain.
• 
  105

  What kind of atheist are you?

  by Narkissos in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  chief rabbi leon ashkenazi said: "the difference between an atheist christian and an atheist jew is that an atheist christian does not believe that god exists, while an atheist jew believes that god does not exist.".

  i'm not so sure about the jewish-christian borderline, but i love the nuance.. so which sentence suits you better?.

  "i don't believe that god exists.".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  AlanF,

  My belief has nothing to do with what any "religionists" have told me. It has to do with what the Bible itself says about the Christian God, and what demonstrably is his complete inaction in doing anything positive for mankind today. What does the Bible say? That this God wiped out entire communities of people to allow the Israelites to take over their land. That this God was perfectly happy to hear the Psalmist write words encouraging Israelites to kill their enemies' babies. That this God often encouraged the Israelites to kill all the males and nonvirgin females of their enemies, and steal the young virgins. That this God is petty, jealous and often acts in a way that, if a human did the same things, he'd be viewed as a horrible criminal. Provide the quotes and the context please. You are not stupid. The context of much of what you are saying involves nation building. If you are naively thinking that God has no right to give the land to whom he wants but mankind, on the other hand, can divide the land as he pleases then you are putting your head in an ostrich hole because it pleases you to do so. Grow up please. If man can do as he pleases so can God. This the most stupidist thing on the net, this stupidity of: "why does God war? why does God kill?" lol wake up man. We kill, so does God! This is a no brainer! Just look at the misery in the world. Does this Biblical God do anything about it? No. Any human who had the power to stop such misery and refused would be seen as a monster. Excusing God by saying, "He must have his reasons" answers nothing. If mankind really, now really, wanted to eradicate hunger could he? How about war? Preventable diseases? Child abuse? Child sex trade? Please, don't give me this whining bit that God should fix what we ourselves refuse to fix. Either we are intelligent beings or we are chimps. Of the two, man has much less right to complain! Sabrina, dear, you must learn to argue logically and stop emoting. I said nothing about anything beyond the universe. AlanF, dear, you must learn the art of hyperbole. The purpose of the hyperbole was to point out that you (please sit down before reading this), do not know everything! Obviously you object to my statement. The only effective way to contradict it is to give some examples of how you think the universe functions as if the Christian God does exist. But I don't think you can find any. The universe functions according to the laws of physics and I am very sure other laws which have yet to be discovered. I am open to discovery, you are not. The very nature and essence of a "law" is in itself a declaration of a maker of that law.
• 
  6

  The Society's Jewish Matrix

  by Greenpalmtreestillmine in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  they are more jewish than gentile in every sense.

  they are more christianized jew than any other christian religion, imo.

  if jesus were to look for a religious home close to the first century religious home he lived in i believe the witnesses would both negatively and positively fit the bill.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  Aniron,

  I don't think Jesus would touch them with a ten-foot pole.

  Why not? Are they really that much worse than other Christian religions? Have they really killed more? Are they more hypocritical? Do they idolize their religious organization more any other Christian religion does?

  More importantly, was the first century Jewish arrangement more righteous?
• 
  61

  How does God communicate with us?

  by JH in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the past, god spoke to humans through angels, prophets, and jesus.

  today, there are no prophets, angels don't show up anymore, and jesus isn't there to speak to us.. we can talk to god through prayer, but how does god talk to us?.

  so, other than the bible which is pretty outdated, how can god communicate with humans?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  Wordlywife,

  When I see the sun breaking through the clouds, and it casts rays down in all kinds of patterns. When I see a baby. When I look up at a clear night sky and can't at all fathom what I see before me, it leaves me in awe and wonder.

  That may sound simplistic, but that's how it happens for me. God leaves the rest up to me.

  Beautifully said. Thank you!

  Sabrina
• 
  6

  The Society's Jewish Matrix

  by Greenpalmtreestillmine in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  they are more jewish than gentile in every sense.

  they are more christianized jew than any other christian religion, imo.

  if jesus were to look for a religious home close to the first century religious home he lived in i believe the witnesses would both negatively and positively fit the bill.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  They are more Jewish than Gentile in every sense. They are more Christianized Jew than any other Christian religion, imo. If Jesus were to look for a religious home close to the first century religious home he lived in I believe the Witnesses would both negatively and positively fit the bill.
• 
  105

  What kind of atheist are you?

  by Narkissos in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  chief rabbi leon ashkenazi said: "the difference between an atheist christian and an atheist jew is that an atheist christian does not believe that god exists, while an atheist jew believes that god does not exist.".

  i'm not so sure about the jewish-christian borderline, but i love the nuance.. so which sentence suits you better?.

  "i don't believe that god exists.".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  AlanF,

  I believe that the Christian God does not exist, because if he did, he'd be a monster.

  If you are going to believe evey stupid thing you are told by religionists then yes I can see your point.

  So far as I can see, the universe functions precisely as if he doesn't exist.

  So far as "you" can see. And how far do you see? Does your vision go beyond the universe? Can you even see what some insects can see? Please, have a little humility for your own limitations and that of mankind.
• 
  44

  Do belief and logic have to be enemies?

  by new light in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  after much, much soul searching this past weekend i was once again confronted with the possibility of what can be called the divine.

  it was not exactly a pleasant experience, as i have been denying, even ridiculing the idea of god basically since exiting the jws (guess i was more traumatized than i thought).

  during this last year i have been convinced that i must have been crazy for believing in god.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  New Light,

  Don't worry about it. Do what brings you peace. Listen to music that brings you peace. Go to places that bring you peace.

  Love to you,

  Sabrina
• 
  61

  How does God communicate with us?

  by JH in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the past, god spoke to humans through angels, prophets, and jesus.

  today, there are no prophets, angels don't show up anymore, and jesus isn't there to speak to us.. we can talk to god through prayer, but how does god talk to us?.

  so, other than the bible which is pretty outdated, how can god communicate with humans?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  JH,

  The Bible is not outdated. It has been misrepresented and misunderstood but it is not outdated. It is still a way God can and does communicate himself to us. As for direct communication I like to think of it in terms of how a human parent communicates with their child. Sometimes we give an approving glance, sometimes words, sometimes a gesture and sometimes we may place that glass of milk in front of them and by our facial expression they know its time to drink their milk.

  God too has many ways to communicate with us, we may not always recognize them but if we are looking for God he is listening, he is there. One of my favorite movies is Jim Carrey's "Bruce Almighty", at the end of the movie he's given the advice to BE THE MIRACLE, in other words be there to help others, make the miracle happen for others by his own efforts to help them. This translates into one word really, love. But now I've gone off your topic, sorry.

  If we are hoping in God and looking out for his attempts to communicate with us, whether through the Bible, or our friends and family or perculiar co-incidences, or even dreams, we would see that he does indeed communicate. The key is an earnest heart and humility. If we have those things God will find us.

  Love to you,

  Sabrina
• 
  67

  Jim Penton

  by Greenpalmtreestillmine in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jim penton wrote on channel c:.

  "posted by jimpenton on sun - oct 31 - 6:48pm: .

  .... therefore, i want to devote the last years of my life (i am 72)to more positive, upbuilding activities such as giving a testimony to my faith through manifesting the fruits of the spirit, attempting to minister to the widows and orphans in their affliction, and to giving a positive witness through my writing.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Greenpalmtreestillmine

  Jst2laws,

  I just doubt he is inclined to participate where he has to justify his life discussions and religious beliefs

  Okay, thanks for your response.

  Sabrina