Hi Seven, that's nice. Who is J. Pickard? I only know of one and that's Jean-Luc from Star Trek TNG
Introspection
JoinedPosts by Introspection
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151
Intro's quote-o-rama
by Introspection ini guess i've been inspired by stephen's quote threads, so i'm going to start one myself.. not one particular author here, just whatever i can find:.
q: why do you think that people are so protective of their egos?
why is it so hard to let go of one's ego?.
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Reasons why its so hard to break from the WTS
by Leander ini'm still sitting on the fence trying to figure out which direction to go in.
i think one of the reasons i have'nt left yet is because of the fact that i'm not entirely sure that the wts is really not god's organization.. some of the reasons why i feel that way is because of their insight on the scripture.
i've never heard of any other religion attempt to decipher the prophecies in the book of daniel and revelations.
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Introspection
Leander, I wanted to say just a little more.. Do you remember the scripture in Philippians 4:7 about the "peace of God that excels all thoughts"? (NWT) What do you think that is? It's funny that particularly the NWT, but also others which state surpasses all understanding etc. seem to me to point to a meditative state of mind. You have people who argue this and that, and basically will say this or that thought will fix it for you. The common approach seems to be "just believe it." Well, it seems to me spirituality is a little bit more than that.
Let me put it simply. You have your mind (and figurative heart, but of course it's connected) and your thoughts, your thoughts do not make up your mind. People who are otherwise well educated and intelligent can sometimes get lost in thought. For that matter, consider the figurative heart. Does everyone who reads the bible or anything else which may inspire one to be a spiritual person with a good heart actually become one? No. Obviously it's not just about knowledge and information. So what I want to say to you is: Look within. I think at this point you probably have enough information, and as dear as the organization which you take to be a worldwide brotherhood may be, if you are really interested in the truth you have to look at it for what it is. Don't look at it from the perspective of "prove that it isn't God's organization", but prove that it IS. Look at everything about it, and look at other organizations, and ask yourself honestly if that is really what it is.
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Good people in the WTS
by Introspection ini sometimes think there may be people who will be largely unaffected by the organization crashing down, by virtue of them actually being good hearted people.
naturally the psychological shock will be there if they didn't see it coming at all, but i really think for some people the religion doesn't touch the core of who they are.
(actually, i think that's the case for everyone, but since this is a free country you're free to believe otherwise ;) ) so, do you know anyone like that?
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Introspection
Hi Eyebrow,
You know that old public talk which said for someone to find the truth they have to be honest, humble and hungry.. (which I have heard from other churches) Well, reading your message I thought perhaps some aren't very hungry when you get right down to it..
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Good people in the WTS
by Introspection ini sometimes think there may be people who will be largely unaffected by the organization crashing down, by virtue of them actually being good hearted people.
naturally the psychological shock will be there if they didn't see it coming at all, but i really think for some people the religion doesn't touch the core of who they are.
(actually, i think that's the case for everyone, but since this is a free country you're free to believe otherwise ;) ) so, do you know anyone like that?
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Introspection
Dang, I forget this is international so I guess the free country thing doesn't quite work, so fine I suck.. But I actually wanted to point out one other thing, and that is by the witness mindset it may be hard to recognize someone like that (they may be considered not that spiritual by most witnesses) so it would probably require viewing the same memories through a different perspective..
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Good people in the WTS
by Introspection ini sometimes think there may be people who will be largely unaffected by the organization crashing down, by virtue of them actually being good hearted people.
naturally the psychological shock will be there if they didn't see it coming at all, but i really think for some people the religion doesn't touch the core of who they are.
(actually, i think that's the case for everyone, but since this is a free country you're free to believe otherwise ;) ) so, do you know anyone like that?
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Introspection
Know any? I sometimes think there may be people who will be largely unaffected by the organization crashing down, by virtue of them actually being good hearted people. Naturally the psychological shock will be there if they didn't see it coming at all, but I really think for some people the religion doesn't touch the core of who they are. (actually, I think that's the case for everyone, but since this is a free country you're free to believe otherwise ;) ) So, do you know anyone like that?
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Shunning is worse than the worst crime possible
by Richie ini have come to the conclusion that the shunning practices of the jw's are in fact worse than the worst crime committed.
just imagine, your own daughter shunning you, not wanting to see me or her first son (my grandson).
whenever i walk around in the village i live and i happen to encounter jw's, they don't even acknowledge that i exist at all!!.
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Introspection
It's kind of funny, I seem to have mastered the fine art of stealth when it comes to running into witnesses. (I am NOT DF'd or DA'd) Of course, they have probably just forgotten about me for the most part, and in contrast to how I felt when I left I am glad now, because most of the time I am not up to putting up with nonsense and trying to make intelligent conversation with people who actively block such.
I suppose there's a difference between shunning and ignoring someone too.. I guess what I do is ignore them. Oh well, what is there to say really? There are witnesses who are open, honest and even humble, (and I do treat them differently) but when that isn't the case any interaction is bound to be an earful of what they are full of...
"Opinions are like [anuses], everybody has one."
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151
Intro's quote-o-rama
by Introspection ini guess i've been inspired by stephen's quote threads, so i'm going to start one myself.. not one particular author here, just whatever i can find:.
q: why do you think that people are so protective of their egos?
why is it so hard to let go of one's ego?.
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Introspection
Ok I was waiting to use this profile sig in new messages, but didn't find anything to reply to so here it is.. One of my favorites from a bumper sticker, edited for a [PG] rating:
"Opinions are like [anuses], everybody has one."
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Reasons why its so hard to break from the WTS
by Leander ini'm still sitting on the fence trying to figure out which direction to go in.
i think one of the reasons i have'nt left yet is because of the fact that i'm not entirely sure that the wts is really not god's organization.. some of the reasons why i feel that way is because of their insight on the scripture.
i've never heard of any other religion attempt to decipher the prophecies in the book of daniel and revelations.
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Introspection
Hi Leander, you said:
I'm not entirely sure that the WTS is really not God's organization.
So, you are not entirely sure that it IS God's organization for that matter, right?
Now in terms of what the bible says though, I tend to think of 1 Cor. 13. As you know, it says that if you can speak in tongues, have the gift of prophesying and give your belongings to help others but do not have love, it is nothing. Now you tell me, is something like identifying the wild beast more important than that?
Why is it difficult for people to leave this organization
Well, in my own experience and I think for others as well it's the social ties, though in my case it's kind of ironic because there wasn't much in the way of social ties when I was in, and some of those people I never had ties with may very well be ex-witnesses now, and we still wouldn't have any real ties so it's kind of irrelevant.. Essentially, it is because of people and not God or truth.
I would make one distinction, and that is although it may be hard it is not complicated, and though not easy it can be simple. That's what I did, I just walked away one day. Oh sure I got depressed for a while, but it wasn't something hard to figure out really. But of course, it can be very emotional.
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151
Intro's quote-o-rama
by Introspection ini guess i've been inspired by stephen's quote threads, so i'm going to start one myself.. not one particular author here, just whatever i can find:.
q: why do you think that people are so protective of their egos?
why is it so hard to let go of one's ego?.
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Introspection
George Bernard Shaw
Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.
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What does it mean to be Spiritual?
by VM44 inwhat does it mean to be spiritual?
does it mean a person's thinking is mostly about spiritual things?.
what if the spiritual concepts that a person has are incorrect,.
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Introspection
To me spirituality is not about a "feeling" of oneness, but a realization that you're not the only one in your own little world. Even the most self-sufficient of us needs the outside world, just try not eating, not drinking and not breathing to see how long you last. To focus exclusively on our personal experience and intellectual understanding is what is illusory to me. It is nothing mystical, whatever your perspective I don't see how you can deny this as true. Naturally, when someone has their own definition (or accepts the definition of someone else as a standard) of spirituality there is then a danger, because instead of being open to the world you live in you're starting to create your little imaginary world.