Posts by Galileo

67

Athiests please answer these questions

by Mrs Smith in

jw
friends

i'm not trying to pick a fight i was just sitting at my desk pondering on some threads on jwd and i would very much like this question answered.. why is it that athiest often (not always) direct their argument for athiesism towards christians?

why not direct your argument towards buddists or muslims or even new-agers?

i mean they also believe in a higher power so why is it that only christains seem to get knocked?

Galileo

I agree with what the other posters said. I think funnyderek gave a very good and concise explanation. There is a rather prominent atheist that deals largely with muslem issues named Ibn Warraq - http://www.challenging-islam.org/articles/warraq-debate-muslims.htm

could Buddists be considered Athiest?

There are indeed many atheists that are also Buddhists. I think even Sam Harris is. If he doesn't consider himself such, he has at least adopted a great many of their practices and speaks very highly of their philosophy.

87

What do we have to do to get Gods' Attention

by LouBelle in

jw
friends

this is *if* you believe in god / a god / gods.

there are moments when i sit down and have a conversation, almost with myself, because even though i am looking up at the heavens/searching my soul, there is no answer, no supernatural feeling, it is quiet and still, but i speak the words just in case there is something listening.. if there is a god and he is all that he claims to be through all the religions on this earth, why doesn't he rule us as a god should?

why doesn't he come on down and sort out this world?

Galileo

Why should god reach out to me?.....because he himself professes he wishes that no man should be destroyed - I've been trying on my side, perhaps it's not good enough, perhaps god feels he needs to drive me to the edge of all reasoning to make his point, perhaps I need to go to the depths of depression to hear his voice - that isn't necessary, that isn't love.....just take my outstretched hand.

Amen. God knows exactly what each of us needs in order to believe. He could have created us to just know that he exists, and to know which god is the real one. He could have prevented so much misery, war, terrorism, destruction of families, depression, despair, etc. etc. Instead he chooses to hide. If that god did exist, I wouldn't worship him anyway. The kindest conclusion you could come to, from god's standpoint, is to say that he doesn't exist. If you assume he does exist, it is almost inevitable that you must also assume he is also insane, petty, or evil. Probably all three.

87

What do we have to do to get Gods' Attention

by LouBelle in

jw
friends

this is *if* you believe in god / a god / gods.

there are moments when i sit down and have a conversation, almost with myself, because even though i am looking up at the heavens/searching my soul, there is no answer, no supernatural feeling, it is quiet and still, but i speak the words just in case there is something listening.. if there is a god and he is all that he claims to be through all the religions on this earth, why doesn't he rule us as a god should?

why doesn't he come on down and sort out this world?

Galileo

This sounds like a fairly good explanation to me but I'd like to hear your thoughts. God created our universe but he's probably left it to see what happens or he's working on a different project. Sound realistic to you?

This is Deism, a once popular idea among thinking people. Many of the founding fathers of the United States were Deists. As we have learned more and more through the scentific method, this scenario seems less and less likely. To quote Stephen Hawking:

"What I have done is to show that it is possible for the way the universe began to be determined by the laws of science. In that case, it would not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe began. This doesn't prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary."

30

Nothing but the Blood - Chapter 4

by daniel-p in

jw
friends

[this is the true story of my life.

i'm posting it in installments.

the final installment will include post-script-type thoughts, with acknowledgements to those who've helped me along these last two years, as well as those who've been an inspiration.

Galileo

Thanks once again Daniel. Your imagery is amazing. I felt like I was there with you, although I never served at Bethel. I can't wait for the rest.

49

Who has lost faith?

by logic&reason in

i am curious about who (after leaving) went on to other religions vs. lost faith completely.

once i started questioning the wt society, i began to question everything.

as jw's we are taught from childhood up that other religions are false - so it seems easy, after elliminating the last one, to be rid of religion altogether.. .

Galileo

Well sure. But a-theos is a poor term for most nonbelievers.

A-theos, as you stated, means no god, as in, no belief in a god. It is a perfect term for nonbelievers. Non-believer means "Does not believe" as in "Does not believe in a god."

Only someone with infinite knowledge could claim a universal negative.

Exactly, which is why I don't know of a single atheist that believes they have absolute proof that there is no god. That includes the most famous radical atheists alive today, such as Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens. They simply believe there is no positive proof that there is one, and don't believe in things for which there is not evidence, as I've stated. Clearly you believe there is evidence, and that's fine. The idea that atheists believe they have positive proof that there is no god is a straw man argument invented by believers in order to make the atheists' position appear ridiculous. Try not to mischaracterize my point of view and I'll try not to mischaracterize yours.

11

We've had an influx lately (newbies)

by dinah in

jw
friends

first off, i don't mean "newbie" in a mean way.. do you guys think it might be helpful if we have a "getting to know" you thread started?

let new ones, and long-tme lurkers feel welcome and share stories.. i've been fascinated by what i've read in the last couple of weeks, and frankly, usually too emotional to reply.

it seems the same old story replays.. .

Galileo

I think a getting to know you thread is a fantastic idea. I'm one of those newbies. Reading the stories/experiences of others was very encouraging to me when I was first building the courage to leave, and one of the things that compelled me to write down my own experience. Great idea.

41

New " Witness Only " Watchtower - Even More Controlling - Check this Out

by flipper in

jw
friends

it had been 5 years or more since i even read a watchtower article after exiting the witness cult in late 2003. but i was curious to see if the new " witness only " watchtowers were more controlling than i remember them being 5 years ago.

and it certainly opened my eyes to the extreme control.

when you have been away from it - you can really see the difference !

Galileo

Wouldn't the first question that comes to mind be, "Well, is it true?" They print every other question under the sun, but that one? Hmm, suspicious...

Amen! My exact thought as I was reading this. The source doesn't matter, what matters is whether or not it's true!

36

How did you find this site?

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

it seems as though an age has passed from discovering this site seven years ago to where i am now.

just before we started studying the daniel's prophecy book, i went online to see if anyone had made a study bookmark with the dates and paragraphs on.

i "stumbled" across this site, way back in 2000. of course, like a good christian i pretty much determined that this site had gone apostate from the other jw sites, such.

Galileo

read an offhand comment on jwfacts that he "spent way to much time on JWD". Googled JWD and here I am!

49

Who has lost faith?

by logic&reason in

i am curious about who (after leaving) went on to other religions vs. lost faith completely.

once i started questioning the wt society, i began to question everything.

as jw's we are taught from childhood up that other religions are false - so it seems easy, after elliminating the last one, to be rid of religion altogether.. .

Galileo

The thing is I can't really call myself an Atheist. Though I do agree with many Atheists, I cannot prove they are right either.

Once more in defense of us atheists, an atheist is someone that dosn't actively believe in any god, not someone that believes they can absolutely prove there is no god. If that were the criteria, all atheists would have to call ourselves agnostic. As an atheist, I don't believe I have absolute proof there is no god, just as I don't believe I have absolute proof there are no fairies or unicorns. However, neither do I call myself fairy or unicorn agnostic.

edit: That may have come across more harshly than I meant it. I am simply trying to explain why atheists call themselves such, not trying to put down those that call themselves agnostic. I have the utmost respect for agnostics as well. In truth their position is virtually identical to the position of atheists in many cases.

33

So, my mother is coming over today because evidently my "thinking is not...

by cognac in

jw
friends

the norm"... .

anyways, i write this on a laptop during the wt, lol.. ps.

while also sipping coffee (i'm sitting out back) lol.

Galileo

Agreed... This is my 1st with the laptop in the kh... I wonder if anyone will say anything... I don't see why they would, for all they know, I'm sitting out back here typing notes and I'm not disturbing anyone...

Just make sure you have the WT Library open in another window, just in case someone comes back there, you can hit Alt-Tab and be Miss Ultra-spiritual. Good luck with your mom.