Posts by passwordprotected

63

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

by John Doe in

jw
friends

take the average born again.

they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.

some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.

passwordprotected

I was at a church in Port Glasgow on Sunday night that's affiliated with Teen Challenge, a Christian outreach aimed at helping people with addictions. The church was packed, but most of those there weren't Christians; they were down-and-outs, prostitutes, addicts; people in the worst straits imaginable. We sang songs, a few people told their testimony of how their life had been cleaned up and then at the end massive boxes of food; bread, cakes, tinned goods etc, were brought out and those who needed it were able to take what they wanted.

Each Friday night throughout Glasgow and the surrounding area buses arrive with hot tea, coffee, soup, sandwiches on-board, manned by Christians who want to feed the hungry sleeping rough in the city. There's no evangelising. They just want to make a difference. Some of my closest friends work on these buses and they are the most sincere, kind people you could ever meet.

I fully recognise the appalling crap done in the name of Christ, the nutters who let children die rather than go to a hospital because they want God to heal their child, people who blow up abortion clinics and similar. It makes me sick to my stomach. But I don't think the minority of nut-job so-called Christians take away from the majority of Christians who genuinely want to make a difference in the world, whether it's through feeding the homeless, building schools in Africa or knocking doors with a Christian Aid collection tin.

63

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

by John Doe in

jw
friends

take the average born again.

they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.

some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.

passwordprotected

PWP, I think on occassion that you are over the top, but (if you will allow me) I put you with Chalam and PSacramento as Christians who I enjoy talking and debating these issues with, in spite of disagreements, etc.
May your god bless you.

Cheers mate.

63

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

by John Doe in

jw
friends

take the average born again.

they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.

some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.

passwordprotected

How'd I know PP would show up spouting nonsense about his oppressed people? Now all we need is Perry.

Y'know, it's weird, but when I saw your typically blunt post about locking all religious people up, I wasn't at all surprised!

63

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

by John Doe in

jw
friends

take the average born again.

they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.

some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.

passwordprotected

Christianity is not a mental disorder. But there are Christians who are mental.

My friend Jeff nails it with typical grace and aplomb.

63

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

by John Doe in

jw
friends

take the average born again.

they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.

some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.

passwordprotected

Dixie, many people that have been "scared" by religion have a hard time seeing all the good that can coem from Faith and that is understandable and it really sin't their fault if they can't see it, after all, if something was so obvious it wouldn't need to be pointed out.
I think that all the good that is donein God's name doesn't get the press it deserves, typically because those that do good don't care or need the press, nevertheless, we shoudl remember that many of the things we have now that we take for granted, Hospitals, homeless shelters, food kitchens, were "created" by beleivers of God, many of them Christians, and even many of our Laws are "god inspired".
Its ok to point out the bad in things, so that they may be corrected, but lets not forget to point out the good too.

Excellent points.

63

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

by John Doe in

jw
friends

take the average born again.

they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.

some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.

passwordprotected

Passwordprotected, do you want pity exclusively for members of your own religion that are treated like that or are you willing to realize that the crimes of Christendom throughout its existence are equivalent to the ones you are showing us? By the way the title of this thread should be reworded as, Is religion a form of mental disorder?

I don't want any pity. The title of the thread is not "Is religion a form of mental disorder". It's focus is on Christians.

Christendom's crimes and shocking are well documented and cannot be excused or whitewashed.

The picture can be found on the article I linked to.

63

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

by John Doe in

jw
friends

take the average born again.

they begin their day imagining a powerful imaginary friend, and then go around mocking rational people and daring them to disprove the imaginary friend exists.

some even hear voices from their imaginary friend and claim he exercises magic for their benefit.

passwordprotected

Is Christianity a form of mental disorder?

Yep, and if we could have them all (not just Christians) locked up, the world would be a much safer place.

[edited to remove picture of burned Christian girl; at least she wasn't locked up]

I think that may have already happened in certain places. Did it result in safer places?

Just out of interest, with all of the Christians in prison, who'd run the Christian charities in their place?

43

reasons for the new song book, according to a dub

by highdose in

jw
friends

just asked a loyal dub i know why has the org now given out a song book, with so many songs taken out?

she looked at her convention notes and replied that the soceity said that some of the songs in the old song book were too difficult for new people to learn to sing.. and this was said with all seriousness... she totaly brought it!.

passwordprotected

Number of song titles containing the word "Jesus" = 0

Number of song titles containing the word "Jehovah" = 30

Number of songs containing the word "Jesus" in the verse/chorus = 34

Number of songs containing the word "Jehovah" in the verse/chorus = 272

John 5:2 3 in order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He that does not honor the Son does not honor the Father* who sent him.

* assuming the Father is Jehovah

32

Is Life a Blind and Pitiless Existance?

by passwordprotected in

jw
friends

if we're merely animals, controlled by greedy, selfish genes, if life is just a blind and pitiless existence which perfectly reflects the universe in which we live, what is the purpose of it all?.

passwordprotected

I personally don't believe that life is a blind and pitiless existence (apologies for typo in OP). As a JW my life was a treadmill of works and guilt. Now I'm free from that and I enjoy life to the full and I choose to believe in God and praise and worship Jesus.

If it offends sensibilities to ask such questions regarding life and its purpose, or to choose to be appalled at the notion of "human animals" or to ask if atheism is blind faith, I'm not going to apologise; as has already been pointed out elsewhere, it's the internet. I'll choose not to be offended at being called a self-righteous arse. I'll do my best to live and let live, as I try and do away from the internet.

There should be the room and space for these questions and objections to be raised and discussed, even if it takes us to the edge of our comfort zones, no matter where our religious or philosophical boundaries currently are; surely that's a good thing.

I've got a fantastic life, an amazing wife and 3 uniquely inspirational children. I'm surrounded by friends and acquaintances of every cultural stripe (I shared a car journey with an Indian civil engineer from a Christian background the other night, then later a cup of tea with a recovering heroin addict and a guy who, up until a year ago, was a die hard skeptic. I regularly chat with a family who practice various forms of pagan religious beliefs who live down the road from us (their son is good friends with our oldest son) and I enjoy their company and world-view immensely). I'm working in my dream job, the job I fantasized about having for many years and we live in a beautiful part of the world.

Under pinning all of that, though, is a belief in God and a relationship with him. That's a choice I made, to explore what it would be like to actually have God in my life. I'm challenged often in my faith, I have days of incredible belief and days of consuming doubt. I choose to put myself in positions where my faith is challenged (I'm leading the Alpha Course in my church and within the course I'm leading a small group of around 8 people, most of whom are skeptics; I want to be challenged and to learn from them). However, each time I go through a period of doubt I seem to come out the other side with a greater appreciation for who I believe God to be and a closer relationship with him. My faith ends up stronger, and I'll concede that I become a more aggressive apologist.

In that, though, I fully appreciate that for some the exact opposite is the case.

Changing tack slightly; cigars are no more. I don't know what happened, but I can't even stand the smell of them anymore, lit or unlit. Weird. I did recently get a tattoo, though, so I suppose part of me still wishes to buck religious perceptions of what or who a Christian should be.

I wish everyone on this thread, and the others I recently started and contributed on, peace.

232

Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

by passwordprotected in

jw
friends

if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

"science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

passwordprotected

So are you denying the hypocrisy in claiming that atheists have delusions of omnipotence and then in the next breath claiming to speak for god? That's not very christian is it?

Strawmen are rife.

I'm calling you out for name calling, is what I'm doing. It's always a cheap shot.