(... with a few slight edits of my own, from the movie "fight club").
"i see in this forum the strongest and smartest men who have ever lived.
all this greatness, all this potential-- how is it squandered?
You make a good point HQ.
Jdubs are indeed a special breed of Christianity. Their brainwashing tactics are second to none. The people here provide a safe landing for those that feel like the worlds been pulled out beneath them after leaving.
Surviving that kind of psychological abuse is a momentous thing, helping the next generation survive too is heroic.
i was never thrilled to have a meeting during inclement weather.
if it was seriously snowing and the weatherman suggested to stay in because of the conditions, i rarely went to the meeting.
why take a chance, right?
Haha, this was the best. Getting all ready and almost out the door only to realize there was no meeting that night - it seemed the possibilities for fun that night were endless!
Towards the end of my JW career I used to skip meetings and meet everyone after at the applebees down the street. They would be all dressed up and I'd show up all grungy. They never really did seem to care...
so i have my daughter (a 33 year old choreographer turned psych student) reading rah.
so far she's read double star and tunnel in the sky, she stayed up all night friday night finishing tunnel.
she's working on the moon is a harsh mistress now.
I recommend R. Scott Bakkers Prince of Nothing Trilogy. It's a very philosophical, intellectual realistic fantasy set in another world embarking on a Holy War.
Heres a blurb -
The Prince of Nothing is a series of three fantasy novels by the Canadian author R. Scott Bakker , first published in 2004, part of a wider series known as "The Second Apocalypse". This trilogy details the emergence of Anasûrimbor Kellhus, a brilliant monastic warrior, as he takes control of a holy war and the hearts and minds of its leaders. Kellhus exhibits incredible powers of prediction and persuasion, which are derived from deep knowledge of rationality , cognitive biases , and causality , as discovered by the Dûnyain, a secret monastic sect. As Kellhus goes from military leader to divine prophet, Drusas Achamian, the sorcerer who mentored Kellhus, comes to realize that his student may well be the harbinger of the Second Apocalypse.
The key feature distinguishing the Prince of Nothing series from its contemporaries is the importance of philosophy to the work. The plot, characters, setting, and metaphysics of the Prince of Nothing are intertwined with philosophical positions unique to the series.
Bakker has mentioned that this series was primarily influenced by the works of Tolkien and Frank Herbert . [1]
(... with a few slight edits of my own, from the movie "fight club").
"i see in this forum the strongest and smartest men who have ever lived.
all this greatness, all this potential-- how is it squandered?
(... with a few slight edits of my own, from the movie "Fight Club")
The Governing Body has us preach and witness, fulfilling obligations we hate so we can buy back perfection we never had.
We are the middle children of history, with no purpose or place. We have no Great War. We have no Great Depression.
Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.
We have been raised by Jehovahs Witnesses to believe that we'll be saved and made perfect in a paradise Earth -- but we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact."
My hat off to all of you here that have fought or are fighting the abuse of lies exacted upon us by those that refuse to walk without blinders or lack the courage to try.
As children of deception we may feel like defective products, but in time we have a unique potential to become producers of great change - birthed from a darkness that only we can go back to shine light upon.
Like Tyler says, our great war is a spiritual war and I'm glad to be on your side.
-Ricky
we were taught you are just unconscience in a grave "hell".
no burning fires or wonderful heaven where all our dreams come true.
i never feel like i am going to heaven.
As far as near death experiences go, this can usually be explained by the pineal glands secretion of DMT like chemicals into the brain when extreme stress is imposed on the body (in such cases like dying...) This line of thinking is being carried out my Rick Strassman M.D. most notably in the documentary "D.M.T. The spirit molecule". You can watch more about this here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MQUGjd21MA
Since we have no conclusive answer about what happens to our consciousness after death, I think believing that it is our end is the most liberating idea to act on. It places an importance on the here and now, this life, this existence.
But alas, according to physics, biology and empirical evidence, consciousness is hardwired into our physiology. When the body dies, we die and vice versa.
But hey, the afterlife makes for great fiction ;)
btw, nice to meet all of you =)
-Ricky
