Posts by mindmelda

152

Are you a TRUE Christian?!?

by brotherdan in

i've been thinking alot over the past few days on what makes a christian a christian, and i'm coming to some different conclusions than i ever have.... the watchtower likes to use the term "true believers" or "true christians".

i'm at a loss here lately.

you are either an atheist or you are not.

mindmelda

If Christ is the only Shepard, then how do Christians explain that Buddha has many of the same teachings, and preceded Christ?

Is it because Christ is God, albeit in the image of man?

Some of Buddha's followers made him a god too, because of what he taught reflecting what they thought was divine wisdom.

Many of Buddha's words are so similar to Christs or to the Bible in general it makes one wonder if Christ simply had a convergence of thought or they were on the same wavelength, whatever?

Buddha's teachings:

"Death is not to be feared by those who lived wisely."

"Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy other. He who envies others does not attain peace of mind."

"Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest weath, and faithfulness the best relationship."

"How many holy words you read, however many you speak, they do you no good if you do not act on them."

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent to throw it at someone; you are the one who ends up being burned."

"In a controversy, the instant we give into anger, we have already ceased striving for truth and have begun to strive for ourselves."

"It is better to conquer yourselves than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you by angels or demons, heaven or hell."

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

"All that we are is a result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him."

"The tongue is like a sharp knife, it kills without drawing blood."

Well, that's a small sample...It's so biblical sounding that I imagine a lot of people would think those quotes were from the Bible if they hadn't read it a lot.

55

Really annoying christian habbit

by bohm in

i know this is minor, but it bug me and i wonder if any fellow atheists have noticed it to.

im talking about the random capatalization.

like i can understand why you would write god with a big 'g', but whats up with writing he or him or the holy one or lord or whatever?.

mindmelda

By the way, if you're being so picky about writing conventions, "habit" is spelled "habit". LOL I don't now what a "habbit" is, maybe a cross between a rabbit and a hobbit?

55

Really annoying christian habbit

by bohm in

i know this is minor, but it bug me and i wonder if any fellow atheists have noticed it to.

im talking about the random capatalization.

like i can understand why you would write god with a big 'g', but whats up with writing he or him or the holy one or lord or whatever?.

mindmelda

It's not really correct by the rules or convention of grammar to capitalize "he" or "she" even when speaking of the Queen of England, and not required when speaking of God. It's not more respectful by the rules of grammar in English.

Capitals are used to denote titles, the beginning of a sentence, and proper names. He or she do not qualify as titles, I believe they are being capitalized for emphasis, in which case the WHOLE word should be capitalized or underlined or put in italics or bold letters. "Holy One" and "Lord" may qualify for capitalization, if used as a title.

73

Why so many Atheist VS. Christian discussions here?

by mindmelda in

i notice a lot of the discussions seem to be atheist vs christian here.

or is that just my perception?.

but, do the other people who are neither just not care to debate as much or are there just fewer or them, or both?.

mindmelda

Good points, wobble.

Coming into any discussion with a pre-set point of view makes for an argument rather than a discussion where information is interchanged, examined and maybe assimilated.

Having no intention of learning from or listening to the other person means you're not here for that, you're merely here to either prove you're right, to yourself or to someone else or both.

You won't accomplish that with someone who isn't willing to be converted nor will you convince them that you're right and they are wrong. A person who doesn't listen and has already made up their minds what they believe is not a person you can change, in fact, you usually end up making them more defensive of their position and they dig in their heels all the more.

Having a definite position is not wrong (I don't look at much as "right or wrong" which are moral judgments I only make for myself now, but more in terms of beneficial or unhelpful, positive or negative) , but realize it limits you as to learning more, if that's what you want.

If you're happy where you are, and have no desire to learn more, that's fine, but realize you're not going to have much success converting someone with the same mindset but with opposite ideas or beliefs.

You won't convert me for a different reason, I dislike and and am unable to buy into proscribed "Here's your book of beliefs and club jacket that you need to be spiritual and please God" thinking or beliefs anymore after my 36 years of association with JWs. That's what most organized religion seems like to me now, although I realize some people like and need a church that sets things out for them with the social attachments and the moral boundaries.

I'm not scared of it, I freely walk into churches of different kinds and talk and even participate these days when I feel like it, find it interesting, even moving to share with people who express their spirituality (If they'll let me!) but I feel no real need to join anything.

I didn't "leave God" either. I feel far more spiritual now than when I was a Witness. The people who are spiritual among Witnesses find their spirituality from within themselves, just like anyone else. They're not getting it from the WTS, not that I can see.

73

Why so many Atheist VS. Christian discussions here?

by mindmelda in

i notice a lot of the discussions seem to be atheist vs christian here.

or is that just my perception?.

but, do the other people who are neither just not care to debate as much or are there just fewer or them, or both?.

mindmelda

I love live and let live.

I think there's some need to prove and convert on both sides.

The problem with that is that the very kind of person who is that decisive about what they believe or doesn't believe is the least likely to convert, and when they do, they're just as inflexible in their thinking the other way!

73

Why so many Atheist VS. Christian discussions here?

by mindmelda in

i notice a lot of the discussions seem to be atheist vs christian here.

or is that just my perception?.

but, do the other people who are neither just not care to debate as much or are there just fewer or them, or both?.

mindmelda

Yeah, I'm kind of uncomfortable with the over simplicity and "either/or" discussions of Atheism vs. Christianity/Religion that sometimes go on at length here too, villabolo.

It's as if there are no other choices, you have to choose one side or the other, and since that's just another kind of black and white thinking to me, I get flashbacks to JW thinking of "It's either us or the world, Jehovah or Satan, no fence sitting."

Personally, I love the fence. The fence is really comfy. I can see both sides of things from that fence, which is just where I want to be, thanks.

I'll ask, my friend might have gotten that TShirt from a site on the net, but he's a graphic designer. I think he made it himself. He's a gay atheist, and hey, if I were gay, I'd be one too. Conventional religion, for the most part treats gay people like shit. LOL

39

HELP Why dont we hear God/Angels

by frigginconfused in

ive heard time and time again that the gb does its best because "as we all know" god doesnt talk to us anymore.. so my question is this...is there and scriptual evidence that god has said he will be cutting off all communication to us.

all prophecy is done and the bible is the end all be all?.

unless the bible specificly states that god and the angels are silent then thats a huge game changer.. how is the food gonna be fed to us at the propper time unless we get new communication..

mindmelda

Wow, how do you get so definite on how God doesn't exist? I don't see enough evidence pro or con that is that definitive. I don't know how to disprove that negative, the fact that something or someone doesn't exist on any level of existence.

I'm incapable of that kind of emotional and mental certainty, I don't know how people acheive it, although I have several very good atheist friends and admire their certainty.

I don't really care if God exists or if he talks to cats dogs or people anymore, but if God (Bible version) exists, I do wonder why he's so confusing, conflicting and elusive. Maybe he doesn't talk to us anymore because we have all kinds of smart ass questions now people wouldn't have dared ask back in the good old days. LOL

I think I like Pagan gods more, at least I know why they're such assholes, it's because they don't have to be good, they're just like humans. LOL

73

Why so many Atheist VS. Christian discussions here?

by mindmelda in

i notice a lot of the discussions seem to be atheist vs christian here.

or is that just my perception?.

but, do the other people who are neither just not care to debate as much or are there just fewer or them, or both?.

mindmelda

Hm, you mean I'm somewhat different in that I need nothing pre-conceived or packaged for me to fill that void?

I did feel it was a void for a while, which is why I examined all these things, but now I'm content to to be me, accept knowledge and everything as it comes and look at life as a journey of discovery. Well, I'm trying to very hard, anyway.

Even being a Witness for 36 years was part of that. I don't regret it anymore, it's simply part of the script of my life, and even interesting if I detach from it somewhat.

It's not a common experience, it makes me unique, in good ways, since I know what I don't want and who I don't want to be like.

People ask me all the time what it was like to be a JW for all those years and I gladly tell them my experiences, although I don't tell them what to do. I don't think any of them will be accepting a Bible Study from a Witness, although they are free to do so if they like, of course. LOL

An friend of mine has a funny t-shirt, which is rather naughty but apt, "Religion is like my cock...don't go around forcing it down people's throats."

I love that.

39

HELP Why dont we hear God/Angels

by frigginconfused in

ive heard time and time again that the gb does its best because "as we all know" god doesnt talk to us anymore.. so my question is this...is there and scriptual evidence that god has said he will be cutting off all communication to us.

all prophecy is done and the bible is the end all be all?.

unless the bible specificly states that god and the angels are silent then thats a huge game changer.. how is the food gonna be fed to us at the propper time unless we get new communication..

mindmelda

Even in the Bible accounts, God and the angels didn't communicate directly with an awful lot of humans.

73

Why so many Atheist VS. Christian discussions here?

by mindmelda in

i notice a lot of the discussions seem to be atheist vs christian here.

or is that just my perception?.

but, do the other people who are neither just not care to debate as much or are there just fewer or them, or both?.

mindmelda

I notice a lot of the discussions seem to be Atheist Vs Christian here. Or is that just my perception?

But, do the other people who are neither just not care to debate as much or are there just fewer or them, or both?

I dunno, I'm just asking here.

Does leaving Jehovah's Witnesses tend to throw you into the Christian or Atheist debate more or feeling you have to choose one or the other side of it?

I chose neither and have my own weird and unique collective of beliefs. I've been influenced by Atheists , but I'm not even really a decent Agnostic, I can't live without belief in the metaphysical and the spiritual, regardless of how irrational it seems to some. I also believe I've experienced it, regardless of it being explained away by brain glitches and altered mental states (which I acknowledge exist, of course) and such to me by others.

I go to churches of all sorts, now. I talk to rabbis, priests, ministers, pastors, shamans, Wiccans, Druids, Buddhists, astrologers; everyone who is a spiritual guide or teacher of some sort and I like parts of all of what I hear but nothing appeals as a whole.

I really have my "own religion". It's what I'm left with after leaving JWs, an ecumenical hodgepodge of a little bit of everything.

But I'm so curious as to how some of you get so definite on one side or the other? Is it some sort of big spiritual epiphany or revelation that I haven't experienced that makes a person choose to belong to a certain church?

Is it a big burst of rationality and and a desire to be completely logical that causes atheists to be so certain and I just lack the desire or ability to be that rational?

I wonder about these things.

Any comments appreciated.