Posts by unshackled

207

On becoming atheist - the tug of war

by Nickolas in

perhaps, if you are a theist, you might not want to read this.

if you are nevertheless curious about how an atheist thinks, then please read on.. i don't think there are any active members of this board who have been atheists all their lives (are there?).

i think virtually all of us transitioned into non-belief from a religious beginning.

unshackled

Some people just don't know what to say when confronted with really bad news, unshackled. But I get your meaning.

True enough, Nickolas. Though my father is a fairly emotional guy, the response was odd to me because it was just out of character.

It's a shame, too, if someone is so eager to move on to next life that they give up on this one too quickly, whereas if they valued this life more, they might put up a greater fight to live. I believe this about my mother.

Cheez, that's an interesting thought. I suppose if one was comforted with the thought of "if I just close my eyes I'll wake up in a better place", that would take some fight out of them. When it comes to appreciating our gift of life I've always liked this quote...

"Be thankful that you have a life, and forsake your vain and presumptuous desire for a second one." – R. Dawkins

207

On becoming atheist - the tug of war

by Nickolas in

perhaps, if you are a theist, you might not want to read this.

if you are nevertheless curious about how an atheist thinks, then please read on.. i don't think there are any active members of this board who have been atheists all their lives (are there?).

i think virtually all of us transitioned into non-belief from a religious beginning.

unshackled

The post by Cheez about the unfortunate passing of his mother, brought up a memory of a brief conversation with my JW father. This was about 5 years ago and it just occurred to me this was the last time we talked. Hopefully there's a point that can add to the discussion...

I had already faded a years earlier, and had been separated from my JW ex-wife for a few months (eventually divorced). She called me one day crying and in complete devastation – her mother had suddenly passed away that morning to the shock of all. She was only in her late 50s. My parents of course we're fairly close to her parents, so I made the call to my father to inform him of the sad news.

I will never forget his response. He rather casually said, with no sign of sadness or emotion, "well, these things happen". It was if I had just told him I got a speeding ticket. Or spilled some coffee on my pants. The rest of the convo was short...a casual catchup. It was very surreal. Looking back I'm sure he was trying to make a "witness". Show me how strong his faith in the resurrection/paradise earth was. But it was cold and robotic. It wasn't human.

Perhaps the point from that story is that death and grieving, no matter how painful, are natural processes. It is human to cry and feel pain. It is human to eventually die. My father's desire to believe in an "afterlife" was so strong it stripped him of all natural human response. Getting off the phone I remember thinking about how chilling it was to be so emotionless - the tyranny of intransigent belief.

207

On becoming atheist - the tug of war

by Nickolas in

perhaps, if you are a theist, you might not want to read this.

if you are nevertheless curious about how an atheist thinks, then please read on.. i don't think there are any active members of this board who have been atheists all their lives (are there?).

i think virtually all of us transitioned into non-belief from a religious beginning.

unshackled

And then you find peace and you find wonderment in learning about and understanding how the world really works. The truth is far, far more fascinating and enthralling than any of those ancient fables.

Great post, Nickolas. Your quote above reminded me of one by Jon Krakauer from his book Under the Banner of Heaven. It was that book about the Mormons that pushed me to truly scrutinize the Watchtower...

"In the absence of conviction, I've come to terms with the fact that uncertainty is an inescapable corollary of life. An abundance of mystery is simply part of the bargain – which doesn't strike me as something to lament. Accepting the essential inscrutability of existence, in any case, is surely preferable to its opposite: capitulating to the tyranny of intransigent belief."

24

A quote to brighten up your Monday!

by SweetBabyCheezits in

jw
friends

"once upon a time, in some out of the way corner of that universe which is dispersed into numberless twinkling solar systems, there was a star upon which clever beasts invented knowing.

that was the most arrogant and mendacious minute of "world history," but nevertheless, it was only a minute.

after nature had drawn a few breaths, the star cooled and congealed, and the clever beasts had to die.. one might invent such a fable, and yet he still would not have adequately illustrated how miserable, how shadowy and transient, how aimless and arbitrary the human intellect looks within nature.

unshackled

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guv5LUT1AFw

27

A pack of ravenous Dubs ruined my Anniversary brunch with my wife

by unshackled in

jw
friends

its my wife's and i first anniversary today.

believe it or not, we are doing just fine despite being "worldly".

heck, my wife has never even been a jw and i've been a heathen for many years now.

unshackled

You fine people of earth, JWN variety...thank you muchly for your kind words and well wishes. We had a perfect day and those Dubs didn't really ruin our brunch, just offered some offbeat entertainment...like ice-skating bears in the circus. The buffet that day was subpar to begin with....after the herd went thru it resembled a trough.

Dinner was a success, the adjacent table were a swanky quartet of 50-something tourists. We ate fresh local prawns, salmon and halibut...while sipping an Okanagan Pinot Grigio.

Cheez...you'll be pleased to know your fine craftwork is hanging on my office wall today.

27

A pack of ravenous Dubs ruined my Anniversary brunch with my wife

by unshackled in

jw
friends

its my wife's and i first anniversary today.

believe it or not, we are doing just fine despite being "worldly".

heck, my wife has never even been a jw and i've been a heathen for many years now.

unshackled

Its my wife's and I first anniversary today. Believe it or not, we are doing just fine despite being "worldly". Heck, my wife has never even been a JW and I've been a heathen for many years now. Yet we somehow manage to be a loving, healthy couple without the assistance of elders or JaHoover. Maybe the demunz don't know where I live yet.

So we slept in and went for a late morning brunch. Found a quiet corner to ourselves in the restaurant. Seconds later, in marches 9 or 10 people…took me about half a second to know they were Dubs, just released from their morning WT brainwashing. The rank and file then section together a few tables and plunk down directly in front of us, not 10 ft away. They didn't sit long. Next they fervently attacked the buffet with the efficiency of Japanese commercial whalers, pillaging it of all that is fresh and worthy. So much for the buffet, we ordered from the menu.

For the next 45 mins I get to hear a steady flow of loaded language. In between savoring bites of my eggs benedict were gag-reflex inducing phrases and comments we all know too well…."the circuit overseer's visit was so encouraging"…"the brave brothers and sisters in Russia" … "Satan is working overtime" … "the Organization is so smart" … "this system won't last much longer" … "this world is so desperate". Ad nauseum.

Well, can't really say it ruined the brunch. It was rather amusing. But the eggs benny would've tasted a little better without hearing the vacuous chatter.

Otherwise, a great day so far. We're heading to the beach and will dine out this evening. With some luck, it will be more peaceful this time. Happy anniversary to us.

81

What Actually Made You Leave The Organization?

by minimus in

jw
friends

many of us needed time to get away from this religion.

i took the course of fading and it's worked pretty well for me.

after i saw sooooo many silly rules being enforced, i needed to get out!.

unshackled

Nickolas: I've never read before in here a former Jehovah's Witness say he or she was disassociated without notice.

Never read that before either. Shechaiya would have to clarify...but I'm guessing a mixup in terms.

81

What Actually Made You Leave The Organization?

by minimus in

jw
friends

many of us needed time to get away from this religion.

i took the course of fading and it's worked pretty well for me.

after i saw sooooo many silly rules being enforced, i needed to get out!.

unshackled

Nickolas, as far as I know, the Org does not disassociate. That is the action a member takes to end their ties to the Org. Disfellowshipping is the action the Org takes to exclude a member.

60

Since You've Left The Organization Have You Turned Into A "Bad" Boy or Girl?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the witnesses say that if you leave the religion you will become a very vile person.

you will probably get vd.

you will get into drugs and booze, your life will go to hell.. personally, i've been pretty much the same guy although i would now be viewed as a "fornicator".

unshackled

Cheez: while my personal grass of choice isEremochloa ophiuroides (aka Centipede), I believe Uncle Sam should quit playing the double standard of cigarettes OK, weed BAD and mind his own damn business. Fine, regulate and tax the sale of it and keep it out of the hands of minors.... but FFS it's a PLANT!

Agreed. And I too enjoy the Eremochloa ophiuroides as much as any grass. Though weed is just a plant, moderation is neccessary to avoid writing children's books featuring purple leisure pants and rainbows painted on the living room wall.

12

The end is NIGH! Drought turns lake blood red

by SweetBabyCheezits in

gah!

drought of intelligence discovered @ 1:17..... http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/drought-turns-lake-blood-red-21501.

unshackled

Hey MF...welcome back. Yeah we're worried about Cheez...his prophecying is due to the gravitional pull of Planet X tugging on his neural synapses. That, or he's been smoking too much Eremochloa ophiuroides again.