Posts by paul from cleveland

)scientific "hopes" of individual "everlasting life" (which have been connected on a couple of recent threads) have at least something in common: they all seem to take for granted that death is a bad thing.. as amazing as it may be to you, this amazes me so much that i don't know even where to start.

of course death hurts in reality when you lose people you love, or in imagination when you anticipate your own extinction.

paul from cleveland

"Imo it takes more than vanity or self-centeredness -- an incredible amount of ignorance, or lack of reflection about what they are, for individuals to (seriously!) assume they want to live forever."

Do we choose our desires... or just have them? Also, if my desires are not the same as yours, does that mean I'm vain, self-centered and ignorant?

52

Another Trinity Thread

by AwSnap in

can you clarify something for me please?

the jw's teach that most (to them, that means all) religions teach the trinity as being that god almighty, jesus, and the holy spirit are literally one, meaning the exact same 'person', none higher than the other, inseparable, the exact same thing.

they mainly use catholics and baptists, in my experience.

paul from cleveland

Is understanding the Trinity doctrine essential for salvation? Did the thief who died alongside Jesus understand the Trinity doctrine?

23

Musings of a manic mind

by paul from cleveland in

jw
friends

if time is infinite, how can we be alive now?

wouldnt everything that can happen have happened already?

given an infinite amount of time, wouldnt the sun have burned out and the universe reached the ultimate state of entropy?

paul from cleveland

Giving up a biblically based world view, new and sometimes more terrifying thoughts, can take its place. Such as this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_return (I think this is a little better description than mine)

17

Fact vs Faith vs Delusion

by jwfacts in

religious groups regularly refer to their belief system as truth.

religious truth is generally a mix of fact and faith.

for some groups, truth extends beyond faith and into the realm of delusion.

paul from cleveland

When I was studying (and this was in the 1980's) my bible study conductor definitely told me that elders were appointed by qualifications set forth in the bible (which were inspired by holy spirit). Not directly by holy spirit. So mistakes could be made.

23

Musings of a manic mind

by paul from cleveland in

jw
friends

if time is infinite, how can we be alive now?

wouldnt everything that can happen have happened already?

given an infinite amount of time, wouldnt the sun have burned out and the universe reached the ultimate state of entropy?

paul from cleveland

I'm sorry I've posted this stupid topic. If I could delete it I would. It's just that my thoughts have been going around about creation, living forever, Jehovah, etc. Then I scare myself about what the future may actually hold. If I share my thoughts, and get them out of my head, I can be told how crazy and wrong they are. (or funny) That usually stops my cycle of negative thinking. Perhaps I've posted to many seemingly unrelated topics lately but they're all related to the current anxiety I'm going through.

23

Musings of a manic mind

by paul from cleveland in

jw
friends

if time is infinite, how can we be alive now?

wouldnt everything that can happen have happened already?

given an infinite amount of time, wouldnt the sun have burned out and the universe reached the ultimate state of entropy?

paul from cleveland

If time is infinite, how can we be alive now? Wouldn’t everything that can happen have happened already? Given an infinite amount of time, wouldn’t the sun have burned out and the universe reached the ultimate state of entropy? However long that takes wouldn’t that amount of time have passed already? Given that, if we’re still alive now, does that mean that this is the second time around? (Perhaps the millionth?) All the chance events that brought us to our existence today obviously happened. Couldn’t they, given an eternal amount of time, happen again? (And again and again and again?) Are we doomed to live this same life over and over?

5

idolatry

by paul from cleveland in

is the attention directed toward the accomplishments of the organization really a form of idolatry, as some contend, or is it simply following jesus' admonition to "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven"?.

paul from cleveland

"The ultimate trick of hypocrisy (and idolatry perhaps) is making God's "name" your brand name"

I've never thought of it that way before.