Gladring

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Posts by Gladring

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  83

  Do not Disassociate, Anull your baptism

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am now a jedi, so trust me on this.. .

  why dis-associate, you are just playing by the wts rules?

  how can you dis-associate anyway, you never thought you were baptised as a watchtower society member, you thought your dedication was to god, so why formally disassociate from something you did not formally join?

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  Gladring

  just musing...
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  41

  New QFR on May 1 WT reaffirms 1914 and talks about Satan's ouster from Heaven

  by stillajwexelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  no matter how stupid, they can not drop 1914 - far too embarassing.

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  Gladring

  As I recall things, the whole reason that WW1 kicked off was that Satan was cast down and started to create a fuss. If he wasn't cast out until 1918, then who started WW1???

  I'm being brief, but that's how I remember the teachings.
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  46

  Straight intellectualizing cannot lead to belief or faith in God !

  by caliber in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have never just done complete word for word post without additional comments.

  but this article is beautiful ..it would be a shame to add or subtract anything it is imo.

  that well written (full due credit to the author listed below !!).

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  Gladring

  I have no problem with people believing, or having faith in any kind of weird stuff.

  Write down your beliefs, ask other people to accept them with no evidence, get offended when someone questions those beliefs - This I have a problem with.
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  45

  Atheists/Theists: What is the best argument FOR theism (a God's existence) you have heard?

  by Spook in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have lived for the last 3 years with two phd philosophers as roomates, both in the last year of their dissertation at reputable institutions (notre dame, penn/uic respectively).

  they are both moderate semi-christian theists after having been fundamentalists as youths.

  i have a sceince and engineering background and am a naturalist atheist former jw.

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  Gladring

  Several times this week I find myself reminded of a self-confessed, self brainwashed JW who I used to have deep conversations with. This elder was a deep thinker/feeler and had tied himself up in so many knowts to maintain his JW identity.

  Several times, when the rubbish was brushed aside, at the bottom of his faith was a story like ....

  ..... If I was God, I would write the Bible in such a clever way that only those of the right heart condition could read and understand it.

  He would quote "God's word is alive and exerts power ... dividing soul and spirit ..." etc.

  He was a friend, and it's sad that he has himself so tied up. I do miss those kind of discussions, this board helps fill some of that need. "By iron, iron itself is sharpened". That's part of why I enjoy following these threads.
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  45

  Atheists/Theists: What is the best argument FOR theism (a God's existence) you have heard?

  by Spook in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have lived for the last 3 years with two phd philosophers as roomates, both in the last year of their dissertation at reputable institutions (notre dame, penn/uic respectively).

  they are both moderate semi-christian theists after having been fundamentalists as youths.

  i have a sceince and engineering background and am a naturalist atheist former jw.

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  Gladring

  Hi Chalam,

  You touch on a subject of interest to me - faith. Sometimes it seems to me that believers' definitions of faith are subject to change depending on the argument at hand. It is always useful to have terms defined at the outset of a discussion.

  From your quotes from the book of Hebrews, may I take it that your definition of faith is "to believe something with no evidence"? This would appear to make faith somewhat immune from criticism or analysis. In practice though, believers often cite forms of evidence to support their belief. You mention some of these in your post. You say "He speaks and shows His presence through various ways, His Holy Spirit, creation, the bible, His people, circumstances and God-incidences..." These certainly are forms of evidence, and are open to review and criticism. Without a holy book, or personal intuition/feeling, what do you base your beliefs on?

  There must be a starting point for faith, something to hang your hat on. No matter how thin, there must be something which appears reasonable to start from. To quote from Romans 10-

  However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith? How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach?

  and...

  So faith follows the thing heard. In turn the thing heard is through the word about Christ.

  Certainly this word, or testimony, about Christ is a form of evidence - evidence which we may examine and judge as to trustworthiness and authority.

  You also mention the "big questions". Some of those you mention science has answered, or is in the process of answering. Some may never be answered. What makes you think that belief, unsupported by evidence, will answer these questions? Without evidence, all you have is your opinion (which is sometimes dressed in holy garb, and called "faith").

  I look forward to hearing your reply.

  RAmen!
• 
  83

  Do not Disassociate, Anull your baptism

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am now a jedi, so trust me on this.. .

  why dis-associate, you are just playing by the wts rules?

  how can you dis-associate anyway, you never thought you were baptised as a watchtower society member, you thought your dedication was to god, so why formally disassociate from something you did not formally join?

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  Gladring

  Just musing over this - I do wish that this was an option, but I agree with the posters that have expressed the opinion that it won't work.

  I wonder though, what if one were to write a letter saying that you no longer recognise yourself as a member of the XXXXtown Congregation of Jehovah's witnesses? Would that stop the local body having authority over you? The congregations don't have the same legal resources as the WTBTS.

  Thoughts anyone?
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  45

  Atheists/Theists: What is the best argument FOR theism (a God's existence) you have heard?

  by Spook in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have lived for the last 3 years with two phd philosophers as roomates, both in the last year of their dissertation at reputable institutions (notre dame, penn/uic respectively).

  they are both moderate semi-christian theists after having been fundamentalists as youths.

  i have a sceince and engineering background and am a naturalist atheist former jw.

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  Gladring

  arrrrghhhhhh!!!!!!

  'tis why I sleeps with an eyepatch and bandana..........

  nice to see the somalians doing their bit for global warming

  grrr, and burrrrrrrrrr
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  45

  Atheists/Theists: What is the best argument FOR theism (a God's existence) you have heard?

  by Spook in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have lived for the last 3 years with two phd philosophers as roomates, both in the last year of their dissertation at reputable institutions (notre dame, penn/uic respectively).

  they are both moderate semi-christian theists after having been fundamentalists as youths.

  i have a sceince and engineering background and am a naturalist atheist former jw.

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  Gladring

  I think I've expressed this before but anyway - as I made my way out of JW land, I absorbed loads of information on the god subject. I still love listening to debates/discussions between prominent atheists/theists. During that time, as I began to realise that belief in god was no longer defensible, I actually found a great sadness that even the best theologians and church leaders and laiety could not come up with a credible defense for belief in god.

  I think that one of the hardest beliefs to shake is when a person believes that they have personally felt God's presence or been touched by his noodly appendage.

  Also, I have heard Dawkins answer this question by saying that the argument from design is probably the most convincing, at least superficially.
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  150

  Article: The Atheist's Dilemma

  by BurnTheShips in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  campos: the atheist's dilemmaby paul camposwhy is stanley fish so much smarter than richard dawkins?

  that question occurred to me last week, while attending a lecture at which fish, the well-known literary and legal theorist, did the thing he always does, which is to make the following point over and over again:.

  "no believer will find his faith shaken by evidence that is evidence only in the light of assumptions he does not share and considers flatly wrong.".

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  Gladring

  RAmen Brother Damocles, well said.
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  40

  What is the most damning scripture in the Bible?

  by viva in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  for many years, i had serious issues with alot of scriptures.

  the creation account, the flood, jonah in the whale, etc.

  scriptures that are scientifically falsifiable.

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  Gladring

  For me -

  (2 Samuel 12:15-18) . . .And Jehovah proceeded to deal a blow to the child that the wife of U?ri′ah had borne to David so that it took sick. 16 And David began to seek the [true] God in behalf of the boy, and David went on a strict fast and came in and spent the night and lay down on the earth. 17 So the older men of his house stood up over him to raise him up from the earth, but he did not consent and did not take bread in company with them. 18 And it came about on the seventh day that the child gradually died.. . .

  Oh, and I hate the Song of Solomon.