Posts by darthfader

75

Why Do people think they need A GOD to be good people?

by LucyA in

i decided after much study and soul searching that i dont believe in god.

ive noticed recently (not on the forum but others) some people seem to think that if i dont believe in a god that im obviously morally bankrupt.

i dont feel this way as i give a portion of my income to charity and i have never set out to harm anyone else.

this thing (along with jehovah's capability to know everything before, wich leads to predetermination) bothered me the most while i was a practicant jw, and the topic of jws mourning brought it back to me.

maybe someone could shed a light on how jws cope with this problem.

i've seen this mentioned at other places too, so it's not just me who thought of this problem.. as we all know, jw doctrine tells that absolutely nothing survives the death.

darthfader

I have pondered this same line of thought for many years. I recently began reading some books by Ervin Laszlo . He is one of many authors/scientists that study quantum mechanics' role within the brain. Im still skeptical about the concept of a "Quantum Soul", but it seems that the research is at least continuing on -- maybe they will uncover something significant in the near future?

Darth Fader

48

Did being JW help you cope with death?

by KDubbz in

jw
friends

i was thinking about this today.

i remember when i attended meetings and conventions with my parents when i was growing up, i would run into some jws who said they were able to cope with death of their loved ones better due to the fact that they will be resurrected in the "new world" which gave them hope.

i find this partially true because they were given a false hope of being in the "new world" and seeing their loved ones again.

darthfader

JWFacts,

You are correct, but I was less afraid of death because I thought the end would come before I died. So, it kind of having your cake and eating it too...

Darth Fader

48

Did being JW help you cope with death?

by KDubbz in

jw
friends

i was thinking about this today.

i remember when i attended meetings and conventions with my parents when i was growing up, i would run into some jws who said they were able to cope with death of their loved ones better due to the fact that they will be resurrected in the "new world" which gave them hope.

i find this partially true because they were given a false hope of being in the "new world" and seeing their loved ones again.

darthfader

For me, I would have to say: Yes, being a Witness helped me cope with death.

I was able to devalue this life in favor of the "Coming Paradise". I was ignorant. I never looked into the deeper things of the scriptures. And when I mean scriptures, I mean all spiritual writings...

Darth Fader

75

Why Do people think they need A GOD to be good people?

by LucyA in

i decided after much study and soul searching that i dont believe in god.

ive noticed recently (not on the forum but others) some people seem to think that if i dont believe in a god that im obviously morally bankrupt.

i dont feel this way as i give a portion of my income to charity and i have never set out to harm anyone else.

darthfader

Perry,
I think that all reasonable humans understand that we have basic human rights. So, anything regarding genocide is illegal and widely understood to be "bad". I’m not qualified to debate Abortion - I have my personal opinion, but it's just that, an opinion (and probably not all that informed)...

I still don’t understand how the bible can be the only source of "rightness". There are many historical/spiritual documents with "opinions" that can be used as references, but they are also incomplete in most cases.

I think, simply put, that to be good (in my definition) is to leave the world a better place when we came in.

I don’t need a God or Goddess to define how to be a good person - even if my attempts to help/lift humanity fail.

Darth Fader

75

Why Do people think they need A GOD to be good people?

by LucyA in

i decided after much study and soul searching that i dont believe in god.

ive noticed recently (not on the forum but others) some people seem to think that if i dont believe in a god that im obviously morally bankrupt.

i dont feel this way as i give a portion of my income to charity and i have never set out to harm anyone else.

darthfader

Perry

Thanks for the response. You are still looking for an absolute "Right vs. Wrong". There are so many situations in life today cannot be corrected -- so we must enture them and attempt to work out reasonable resolutiuons.

With regard to "Rightness", what definition is correct? How do you choose your guide? Each persons culture is rooted in thousands of years of religious thought - who decides which group has the Truth?

Darth Fader

2

Religious life won't be the same after downturn

by darthfader in

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/religious-life-wont-be-the-apf-1997683154.html?x=0&sec=topstories&pos=1&asset=&ccode=.

how many will wonder why god is not providing?

how many will loose faith?

darthfader

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Religious-life-wont-be-the-apf-1997683154.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=1&asset=&ccode=

How many will wonder why God is not providing? How many will loose faith? Why are so many religions interconnected with money?

Inquiring minds want to know..

Darth Fader

75

Why Do people think they need A GOD to be good people?

by LucyA in

i decided after much study and soul searching that i dont believe in god.

ive noticed recently (not on the forum but others) some people seem to think that if i dont believe in a god that im obviously morally bankrupt.

i dont feel this way as i give a portion of my income to charity and i have never set out to harm anyone else.

darthfader

I started to put together some thoughts and quickly discovered that Wikipedial (as usual) nailed it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_morality

I think it comes down society and our social networks to determine for us what is "good" and what is "bad".

Darth Fader

10

It's a Birthday Party..and the invitation says "No Presents Please"

by lisavegas420 in

jw
friends

the woman is a co-worker and she is turning 70. the invitation just says, to stop by sometime between 2 and 5 for refreshments and help us celebrate.

the last line says no presents please.. .

does that really mean no presents, or am i going to show up with nothing and find a big table covered in wrapped gifts?

darthfader

How about a nice card? If you are feeling the need to give.. then you could always donate to some charity on her behaf.

Darth Fader

23

Could God create a rock so heavy He could not lift it?

by nicolaou in

one question that stretched theologians during the middle ages was; could god envision or make a four sided triangle or a three sided square or some other atrocity.

at first the problem seems foolish, but it really is an instance of a more fundamental problem: is god bound and limited by the laws of reason and logic or not?.

i've had this conversation on jwd before but i was never satisfied with it.

darthfader

Hmm for some reason I could only see the first two sentences of OTWO's post..

I guess it's duplicate posts all the way down..

Darth Fader