Posts by xchange

473

How do I hear/feel God?

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

this is a serious question.. i know people that hear/feel god (and see postings about people's experiences), but i have not experienced this.

i have never heard anything audibly (or otherwise) nor "felt" anything inwardly.. i've prayed, read, quieted my thoughts, etc...but still nothing..

Indian Larry> I too can recall the countless meetings with the elders as a teenager. I wasn't baptized so it was always one of those 'we're concerned about you' type meetings. Wasn't really a big part of my life and by no means was I endorsing (nor condemning) the use of huge joint in order to experience any divine entity. But a picture is worth a thousand words...brevity - I'm a big fan of it.

I get your point about lurkers as well. I think most adults can filter out what they want to see. But your point is taken.

That being said, the whole notion of 'feeling or hearing' an impersonal, indifferent entity that has no instantiation in reality is, to me, like trying to instantiate into reality the floating teapot now circling the earth. The 'keep knocking' and having people tell you that you are not 'hearing' correctly or you're not 'listening' correctly is not insightful nor helpful as all the teapot wants is a cup to pour tea into. - Cheers

473

How do I hear/feel God?

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

this is a serious question.. i know people that hear/feel god (and see postings about people's experiences), but i have not experienced this.

i have never heard anything audibly (or otherwise) nor "felt" anything inwardly.. i've prayed, read, quieted my thoughts, etc...but still nothing..

xchange

Indian Larry > Actually, Finklestein's was better.

473

How do I hear/feel God?

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

this is a serious question.. i know people that hear/feel god (and see postings about people's experiences), but i have not experienced this.

i have never heard anything audibly (or otherwise) nor "felt" anything inwardly.. i've prayed, read, quieted my thoughts, etc...but still nothing..

xchange

Honest and serious answer. Those many years where I thought I knew God, I felt absolutely nothing! No emotional response. No funny-feeling-I can't-explain-it type feelings. No metaphysical stimulation on any brain cell or corresponding nerve centres. No silent whispers. No outward signs.

Even in exotic places I've travelled to, where hearing God or having some kind of experience are reported, like Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Vatican, Tikal, etc., I got nothing.

Even with mind-altering substances - nada.

I've tried every trick in the book - as proscribed by 'religionists, spiritualists and their ilk' - and nothing.

So, I'll just have to wait another day. At least those who claim they were abducted by aliens got a clear message from the aliens - an anal probe.

81

What does faith mean to you?

by exwhyzee in

jw
friends

we all memorized the definition of faith... faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for...yadda yadda.. it seems like more and more as time goes by and our scientific knowledge base grows, we need less and less faith and fewer things can be attributed to god.. do you think we need faith or is faith just a word we use to feel ok about being too lazy to keep looking for the answers ?.

what does faith mean to you now?.

.

xchange

Just wanted to touch on this statement. It's the kind of statements that people use that for some reason irk me.

‘You put faith in your doctor... that he is prescribing the correct treatment.’

I also note that a doctor also has to take an exam in order to get his/her license.

So do I have ‘faith’ that a doctor is reliable even after all of that? No. I can also check his/her records with their professional medical association to see if there has been any disciplinary action recorded. Plus I can check other online resources and see if his/her current or former patients have made comments so I can get an overall impression of the doctor.

Is that it? No. I can also make a ‘get acquainted’ appointment with the doctor and ask some detailed questions and get a better sense of their competency.

But it gets better. I can even get a second opinion at any time I feel it’s necessary.

I won’t get into checking online forums for medical advice because that’s just like asking for religious advice on this forum because you can get a million different answers.

So in the end, I don’t put faith in a doctor’s decision in regard to some course of treatment. I make an informed decision based on other factors having nothing to do with some nebulous definition of faith.

Besides, those that want ‘faith’ conflated with medical or health decisions are the ones who usually seek out homeopathic remedies.

16

A JW book stand just started near my work

by biometrics in

a jw brother has setup a bookstand in a shopping mall area (outdoor) near my work.

i must say he's put some effort into creating the counter, and display stand.

at first i thought it was a coroprate stand selling insurance or something, then i saw "awake".. he had a really comfortable chair, and looked bored watching people walk past.. the local gov allow market stalls there three days per week.

xchange

I'm out at UBC (University of British Columbia) quite a bit and in the Student Union Building, I see a table from time to time. No real set pattern of when they come and set up. Usually two young females. I

40

A Question For the Guys...

by Quendi in

this thread was inspired by the "a question for the ladies..." thread and anybody is welcome to post.. if you are now free and clear of the wts, how have your dress and grooming changed?

i'll start the ball rolling by saying that i made some changes that i really like.

i'm down to two suits and they are only for job interviews and perhaps some solemn occasion.

xchange

Speaking of shaving. I love the fact that I can shave whenever I want. Sometimes I go days without shaving and sometimes I shave everyday. No meetings, assemblies, elders meetings, meetings with CO, etc etc etc to dictate my follicles want of growth!!

40

A Question For the Guys...

by Quendi in

this thread was inspired by the "a question for the ladies..." thread and anybody is welcome to post.. if you are now free and clear of the wts, how have your dress and grooming changed?

i'll start the ball rolling by saying that i made some changes that i really like.

i'm down to two suits and they are only for job interviews and perhaps some solemn occasion.

xchange

I like to dress up so I have lots of suits, blazers, sport jackets, ties, pants, belts, shoes (especially from John Fluevog) etc etc.

The big difference is the upgrade of quality of my clothing. No Tip-Top or Moores.

Grew a beard and shaved it off. No interest in tatoos

Bought plenty of fun stuff for outdoor activities. Gee, I wonder why? Is it because I have more free time now? Time that is mine and not some silly organizations?

Anyways, want funky, top quality shoes? John Fluevog.

187

What is with abusive atheists?

by Fernando in

jw
friends

sorry folks, i know the "candace conti case" is where all our time attention should be for now.

i just had this much less important issue on my heart and wanted to make a quick note of it, as i am struggling with remembering all the details as clearly afterward.. although i am a non-religious believer and simple follower of jesus, i have had some constructive interaction with atheists and agnostics on jwn.

i do enjoy learning more about their perspective.

xchange

My two cents on this as a die hard cyclist is this: There are idiots that both operate a bike and a vehicle. It isn't that the apparatus they are operating makes them an idiot. Bad behaviour on the road is a result of their personality, disposition etc, etc.

Similarly, you have people who have a point of view that bring to the board a diversity of personalty, attitudes, and agendas.

Fernando: As far as atheists are concerned I would like to learn more about the range of views that fit or do not fit the orthodox definition of what an atheist is (if there is such a definition).

I’m not sure you would ever get a clear-cut definition of what is an atheist. An atheist can be a carbon-copy of you with the exception of believing in a deity. I once heard a nice explanation of what atheism is and it resonates perfectly with me: Atheism is merely a response to theism. It’s not necessarily an ‘ism’. It’s not a worldview. It doesn’t drive me in my decision making.

It would be nice if people were more careful in how they address one another. I mean that linguistically of course. There are no abusive atheists. There IS a small percentage of the worlds population that are abusive and a small percent of that group happen to not believe in a deity/god.

55

Elders Can Hide their Own Sins from the Past-Yet Continue as Elders? Read

by flipper in

jw
friends

i was shocked ( though i probably shouldn't have been ) when reading the new elders manual concerning whether elders have to confess up about former sins from a few years earlier.

notice this on pg.

38 , paragraph 19 : it states, " if it comes to light or an appointed brother confesses that he has committed a disfellowshipping offense years in the past : the body of elders may determine he can continue to serve if the following is true : the immorality or other serious wrongdoing occured more than a few years ago, and he is genuinely repentant, recognizing that he should have come forward immediately when he sinned.

xchange

In my situation as an elder, a fellow elder - good guy actually, admitted to his vagaries concerning pornography. So he stepped down, without any kind of grilling or heat from the body or the circuit overseer. He was later reinstated as an elder about a year later after 'allegedly' controlling his urges. Yeah, right.

Meanwhile, a MS had confessed (sigh, why do they do this), his addiction to porn as well. Well, all I can say is that the treatment dispensed was significantly different between the elder and MS. Some background: This MS had no chance of ever becoming an elder and was made an example of to the congregation. This MS later left the organization.

My lesson learned? Porn is good. It's a gateway activity.

90

What it takes to become an atheist.

by dontplaceliterature in

jw
friends

i was pondering this today during lunch, and to me it seems that it comes down to whether or not you can accept that you will one day be permanantly gone and anyone you have lost in death will never be alive again.

once a person becomes comfortable with these two ideas, there isn't really any incentive to believe.

maybe it's an over simplification, but it seems to me that this is the heart of the matter.

xchange

It takes insufficient evidence to lead you down the road to atheism. Pure and simple. Nothing else. Everything else is just corollary to it.