paul from cleveland

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Posts by paul from cleveland

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  52

  If we are a product of evolution why the need of specific elements in nature?

  by cyberjesus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for years i believed that god had created all the plants and their elements and nutrients specifically for us.

  yesterday as i was walking at the getty museum was smelling the garlic plants in the garden and made me wonder.

  if we are a product of evolution and the survival of the fittest, why do we depend on a wide variety of plants to survive?

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  paul from cleveland

  For me, the question is not whether life evolves but rather is it really possible for life to arise from non-living matter at all.
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  24

  Do the Differences Between Spiritual Beliefs Really Matter?

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one of the themes i think about every now and again is that of the nature of belief, the purpose of religion, and the presense of truth.. specifically, do the differences between spiritual beliefs really matter?

  meaning that, if every religion is just an amalgamation of different combinations of mysticisms, does it really matter if we are protestants, catholics, quakers, mormons, muslims, pagans, jews, or even jehovah's witnesses?

  further, does it really matter whether we believe in god or not?

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  paul from cleveland

  I think it matters what you believe because what if you thought your God wanted human sacrifices? What if you thought your God wanted you to be a suicide bomber and kill the infidels? What if you thought your God wanted you to stone your daughter if she was raped? Etc. Etc.

  Plus, for me at least, belief isn't a choice. I believe what I believe and can't "decide" to believe something different. (Unless I have new information that proves otherwise... then I'll believe that and won't be able to "choose" the old belief again.)
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  37

  From Jon, My Brother

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had a brother.

  his name was jon.. jon was a sweet, super sensitive guy.

  also, a very tortured soul.

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  paul from cleveland

  Jeff, I don't have the gift of verbalizing my thoughts like you do but I just want to say that your words today have thrown a blanket on my shivering heart.
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  37

  From Jon, My Brother

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had a brother.

  his name was jon.. jon was a sweet, super sensitive guy.

  also, a very tortured soul.

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  paul from cleveland

  Thanks Jeff
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  27

  Some Conclusions I Have Reached

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i wonder if everyone here who has kept up with me since i left jw's realize why i have been coming on here.

  it certainly has been cool to know that some of my experiences and opinions have helped some.

  i hope they know that i have been equally helped by others.. i come here primarily for me.

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  paul from cleveland

  Jeff, I really get a lot out of your thoughts posted here too. Some of them, like the 607 issue, I can't really grasp yet. Not because it's over my head but because my mind is still in too much anxiety to focus right now. I'm in a situation similar to your brother's. I hope you continue to post for a long time.
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  55

  Is The Internet The Worst Thing That Could Happen To The Organization?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the witnesses try to demonize the internet.

  in your opinion is the internet the biggest problem for the watchtower organization?.

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  paul from cleveland

  The internet has been around for awhile and the organization continues to grow.
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  10

  NCC Report: church members outnumber JW's 140 to one

  by moshe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  based on a recent 2009 report of church membership in north america by the national council of churches, ncc, jw's are near the bottom of the list with about 1 million members and mainline churches have over 140 million.

  jw's have not had any success in growing any faster than mainline christianity and they are definitely behind the mormons in growth.

  well, this is one statistic you won't see in the wt yearbook.. top 25 churches ranked by membership:.

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  paul from cleveland

  Only eight people got on the ark.
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  46

  In your own words ... what is the truth?

  by sacolton in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in one sentence, can you define what the real "truth" is?

  not the watchtower version (we all know what that is)..

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  paul from cleveland

  I believe in absolute truth but that I don't have enough information to know it.
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  116

  To Ex-JWs: Do You Regret Learning it Was a Lie?

  by leavingwt in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this question was inspired by a question on another thread.

  to the ex-jw community here,.

  do any of you regret learning that wt is not god's organization?

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  paul from cleveland

  The reason I come here is not so much that I think I'm going to find the answer here. It's more that it's the only place I have to go where people have some idea of what I'm thinking about. I find it helpful to post a thought and get responses. I will stop coming here some day, but not yet.
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  49

  Is this our fate?

  by paul from cleveland in

  1. social
  2. current

  is there fate?

  if so, are we fated to be the bad evil slave?.

  if the bible prophecies that there will be an 'evil slave that falls away and beats his fellow slaves because the master is delaying' doesn't that mean that someone has to fulfill that prophecy otherwise the prophecy would be false?

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  paul from cleveland

  I went to see the doctor yesterday. The only thing I was afraid of, before I went in, was that he might be a Jehovah's Witness and tell me something like: 'Of course your depressed! You left Jehovah!' Thankfully that didn't happen. The conversation went something like this:

  I told him what I was thinking about. That I couldn't stop thinking about religious thoughts. That I think I've lost God's favor and... "Wait" he said, "you think you're going to hell, right?" "Something like that" I said. "That's very common thinking among people of all religions." he said "You can't take the words of Jesus literally. It's all allegory". I said "what about when Jesus talked about the broad road to destruction and the narrow road to life?. Doesn't that mean most people don't have God's favor and are going to die?" "That's not literal" he said "That's the destruction of your mind. Hell is a state of mind... the place you are right now." I said "I keep thinking I'm going to die at armageddon" he said "we're all going to face our own personal armageddons".

  The conversation went on like this for quite awhile. I was kind of surprised because he's a psychiatrist, and I thought they were mainly about chemical imbalances and medications.

  He didn't say whether he thought I was depressed or not. He didn't put me on an anti-depressant because he said sometimes it can make your thoughts of panic get worse. He's having me try a mood stabilizer instead. He also gave me a traquilizer.

  I'm not convinced my thinking is flawed but I'll try this to see if it helps me from always being so down.