Posts by Introspection

60

Does God exist outside of Time?

by D wiltshire in

does god exist out side of our dimension of time?.

our view of time has changed over the centuries.

for the longest time,.

Introspection

... is there any reason why this thread is under Adults and disagreements?

Anyways, those are interesting questions. I can't help but notice how much separation is implied when we speak in these terms, though.

From the perspective of oneness, how is time even a meaningful concept? As you pointed out, if past, present and future are viewed as one, then there is no distinction between one moment and the next as we typically do. This would in turn render the second question meaningless, because there is basically no such thing as time from that perspective. As for the first question, obviously one would have to say "no" by virtue of the accepted definition of God. However, I think it would be a mistake to separate God and things that exist in relativity. I mean, how does something completely separate has an influence upon another? As you can probably guess, I am not going by the typical idea of God that most people have in mind. In any case, just as God would not need time, I don't think a Christian needs to entertain these thoughts, even if they may be worthy ones. (nothing wrong with it, just saying it's not necessary) Just as time is something that can be changed, so are our minds, and as such they cannot contain ultimate reality, which would be unchanging.

151

Intro's quote-o-rama

by Introspection in

i 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?.

Introspection

Here's a nice practical explanation:

There is no great mystery about it. Conflict arises only when desire and fear refer to the same object.
-Nisargadatta

22

I've Lost My Faith

by jst2laws in

we occasionally get wind of new lies being spread about us in our old jw community.

having 'served' in fourteen different congregations in six states often serving where the 'need is great', one decade in the fulltime work and nearly two decades as a po, it appears are current status with the organization is causing a bit of a scandal.

yesterday we received a phone call from an old friend at bethel.

Introspection

I would say it's not even just a loss of faith in the organization, it's also faith in beliefs. It seems to me that first you put faith in the belief that this group of men is the faithful and discreet slave, then you actually put your faith in those men. What people seem to revert back to is a faith in some kind of belief, asking the question "Well what do I believe now??" It's always about something 'out there', but I think most people will agree that spirituality is about what's 'in here'. It's a good time to stop and look inside yourself.

17

The Real Me

by Satanus in

jw
friends

i haven't shared much about myself.

sorry, no pics, but i will write a little bit about where i'm at and where i have been, so to speak.. i'm still working on finding myself, believe it or not.

my parents used heavy shame based discipline, as well as the physical stuff.

Introspection

My parents used heavy shame based discipline, as well as the physical stuff.

SS, let me tell you about a mantra that works quite well for me for such things, you may have heard of it: "ZAPP! you", or the variation: "ZAPP!* off" - it's basically the same idea. Also, it works quite well when used with the well recognized mudra where you extend the middle finger while flexing the other four.

Now, let me be clear that when I say this, I do not mean you'd say it out of anger, (though if you happen to feel angry, feel free) but it is rather like the second mantra where one basically take the dismissive attitude toward the fu.. I mean umm, the shamer if you will. Of course, the spiritually correct thing to do is to take it all in, process the crap out of it until you become totally enlightened and such, which is all fine and good of course, but the fact is there is only so much time in a day, and there is also the very important factor of doing what is natural for you. The fact is, though, I imagine you really have processed it enough to practice this technique with sincerity, from the bottom of your heart. I'm certainly not saying to ignore all that stuff, but I prefer the direct method myself. Anyways, suffice it to say that it is not necessary to do a microbiological stool test to know that crap is crap, human or otherwise.

Edited by - Englishman on 3 February 2003 6:35:19

17

Your Story

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

.

hi everyone,blueblades here!

please tell me your story.at this stage of your life do you find yourself moving toward god,away from god or staying the same?

Introspection

Mak, I have also heard about this saying of vacation. Of course, with the witnesses they will have a nice piece of rationalization, that you don't take a vacation from "the truth". Well, the thing is if it is a lot of work, YES, you need breaks. However, if spirituality is concerned with one's true nature (and we are talking about spirituality) rather than some kind of works, then it is neither necessary nor possible to take a break from it. Whether you're working or sleeping, stressing or relaxing, that's all part of it.

17

Your Story

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

.

hi everyone,blueblades here!

please tell me your story.at this stage of your life do you find yourself moving toward god,away from god or staying the same?

Introspection

I can understand how you would feel that way Blue. First of all, is square one really such a bad place to be? Jesus said we have to be like young children, they're certainly a lot closer to square one aren't they?

As far as how you feel not having a belief system to hang on to, that's only because you have identified with your belief system rather than yourself. Who is the one that believed all that, who subscribed to the belief system? Clearly the belief system is not you, but when you think that way it can be a big crash when you lose it, because you feel like you're losing your self, or even your soul. But the beliefs are exactly that, beliefs. We only feel bad because we associate certain emotions with those beliefs, and that only comes from mistaking beliefs for something other than beliefs.

I would also point out your feelings are not you, although they do feel a lot closer to home. Again, you are the one having the feelings, not the feelings themselves. When you really see this a lot of pain can all the sudden become a drop in the bucket, because like thoughts, feelings just come and go. Of course through all of these experiences, you're there to observe it all. Let go of the memories, just take a fresh look at what's going on now.

15

Your Story

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

hi everyone, blueblades here!

please tell me your story.on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your current desire to know god personally?

why?thank you.

Introspection

Blue, as you said it is according to the scriptures, and that of course IS relative. It's not a question of whether the scriptures are inspired, but that's just the nature of words, they're limited - and even inspired expressions are bound by the limitations of the form they take. It can serve as a pointer, but we in effect spend a long time studying the road signs instead of just going down the direction to which it points.

Maybe this will be a bit clearer: When I say this maybe people will tend to try to pinpoint what I'm talking about, but the whole point is NOT to pinpoint. I am talking about an open perspective, whereas the approach of wanting to pin it down is very much a closed one. But it is not exactly "all up for grabs" as you say, the word "grab" actually also indicates the same idea of pinning it down. Since I am only pointing to a certain direction, this is nothing more than an invitation for you to see for yourself. The last thing I would want you to do is hang by my words. In this case, my "pointing" is only a matter of drawing a contrast between being pinned down, pigeonholing as opposed to being open. All I'm saying is just give being open a chance, which is to say just look and see, don't try to interpret, look to see what's here before you try to explain or conclude something.

15

Your Story

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

hi everyone, blueblades here!

please tell me your story.on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your current desire to know god personally?

why?thank you.

Introspection

Blue, again I would have to say this does not apply, because relationships apply to things that are relative. God is supposed to be something that is absolute, so it just does not follow that you would have a "relationship" atleast in the usual sense. Of course, from the human perspective it is understandable, but then how can you hope to understand that which is absolute from a relative perspective? This is why I say we have to let our preconceived notions go, because if nothing else that's just going to further hinder you.

17

Your Story

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

.

hi everyone,blueblades here!

please tell me your story.at this stage of your life do you find yourself moving toward god,away from god or staying the same?

Introspection

Blue, of course I don't have much use for beliefs or systems of belief so I couldn't tell ya from that perspective. I can tell you, though, that from my perspective a "personal relationship" IS an impediment. It may serve to help a person feel better and closer, (again just how one feels) but ultimately things of this nature isn't just about us is it? Now if you want to say worship God with your whole being, heart and mind, then I'd say now you're talking. But this is very different from from what someone might consider a "personal relationship" - because that is based on certain assumptions.

It doesn't concern me at all that some people say they no longer believe in God. Someone who have lost a belief is MORE spiritual as far as I'm concerned, because most often that is just a matter of deceiving yourself, although if you know those are just beliefs then you're ok. Ultimately, this spirituality business is about what you ARE isn't it, because you can do certain things and think a certain way (which is just a form of doing) and basically ignore what you are, because you've decided some idea, some thought is the neatest thing since sliced bread and so you'll take that on as yourself instead of just being yourself. I've called this selling your soul to a belief, and I think that does describe it. Semantics aside, I think most people are more spiritual than they give themselves credit for, because they're too busy giving credit to some belief.

.

Edited by - Introspection on 31 January 2003 21:33:7

13

Do you wish you could like them, but you can't?

by JH in

jw
friends

does there come a time, when you would like to be at peace with the jehovah witnesses, and try to forget what they done to you, but then all of a sudden you remember the way they treated you, and then you start to get angry again at them?

does this happen to you?

Introspection

You know, I wanna say that whether I like them or not, they have to like themselves.

I don't hate them either, but at the same time it's unfortunate because they are confused. Even in terms of how I was treated, I am not the same person that I was back then. But aside from that and I think more significantly is the fact that they are all isolated in their own world, and they have no peace. Not really. They are hurting themselves actually.