Posts by Nickolas

9

Why did Lazarus die a second time ?

by google_mE in

anyone know the jw explanation to why did anyone who was resurrected by jesus (or any of the other prophets in the bible), die a second time ?.

were they resurrected imperfect, w/ adamic sin or something ?

was jesus unable to (or chose not to) resurrect them perfectly ?.

Nickolas

There is no mention in the Bible of what happened to the the resurrected ones, including Lazarus. This is rather odd. Given their extraordinarily remarkable experience, one would think people would be thronging around them asking questions and that their lives would be followed and chronicled. But not even a word about them after their miraculous experiences. That it never happened is testimony to a logical conclusion that it never happened. The Lazarus story is remarkable in other contexts as well. Early Christians referred to Lazareth as the Wandering Jew, who was condemned to walk the earth forever in order to fulfill the folkloric prophecy that Jesus would come again in the lifetime of at least one person who had seen him when he made his first appearance.

All nonsense, of course. If Lazarus was not a ficticious character, there is no evidence to support he ever existed, just as there is no evidence whatsoever that the biblical accounting of his resurrection wasn't ficticious.

81

A roaring current of change.... Is The Watchtower in the process of a major overhaul of their religion?

by koolaid-man in

jw
friends

a roaring current of change..... what is going on at the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses?

in the last couple of years unprecedented changes in policy, procedure, and doctrine have been coming forth in rapid fire sequence.

this uninterrupted episode of new information is beginning to backfire for the rank and file witnesses.

Nickolas

Hey, wasblind. Good to be back, I think. And thank you for your post last month. It was appreciated.

363

So me, of all people, had a religious experience

by sabastious in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my garage, as i often do, to chill out and i actually ended up becoming angry.. so here i am, in my garage, kicking it on the stool for the drum set that is in there (i am a pianist/composer, not a drummer).

i start to think about all the crazy stuff that transpires on this planet.

we have all seen shows and heard stories or maybe even witnessed events that don't add up.

Nickolas

I read over your play by play carefully, sab, and understand your perception of remarkable coincidence, but I still don't understand your leaning toward a supernatural influence. I remember many years ago a lottery winning number that got everyone all excited. I think it was Lottario. The way it worked, there were 70 balls in a cage, seven zeros, seven ones, seven twos etc, which was tumbled while 7 balls were allowed to fall out of an opening in the cage and arrange themselves in a row. The winning number was 1111111. People got excited, saying "Hey, what are the odds of THAT happening?" but the Lottario Corporation answered by saying "The odds of 1111111 coming up are exactly the same as any other seven digit number coming up."

I'm reminded of the statement made by Albert Einstein - the one people mistakenly interpret as an indication of his theism. He said "God does not play dice." I don't think he plays cards, either.

363

So me, of all people, had a religious experience

by sabastious in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my garage, as i often do, to chill out and i actually ended up becoming angry.. so here i am, in my garage, kicking it on the stool for the drum set that is in there (i am a pianist/composer, not a drummer).

i start to think about all the crazy stuff that transpires on this planet.

we have all seen shows and heard stories or maybe even witnessed events that don't add up.

Nickolas

have faith and KNOW.

Can't agree with you, journeyon. Faith and knowledge are mutually exclusive. It's getting threadbare, but the example of the 19 9/11 hijackers is perhaps the most apropos and current example of faith not being truth. These men were so supremely faithful, believed so completely and unambiguously, that they ended their own lives along with the lives of 2,977 strangers. That's faith. Assertions without evidence that you are right and everyone who disagrees with you is wrong.

81

A roaring current of change.... Is The Watchtower in the process of a major overhaul of their religion?

by koolaid-man in

jw
friends

a roaring current of change..... what is going on at the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses?

in the last couple of years unprecedented changes in policy, procedure, and doctrine have been coming forth in rapid fire sequence.

this uninterrupted episode of new information is beginning to backfire for the rank and file witnesses.

Nickolas

I didn't know you were away, OUTLAW. Just getting back myself.

81

A roaring current of change.... Is The Watchtower in the process of a major overhaul of their religion?

by koolaid-man in

jw
friends

a roaring current of change..... what is going on at the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses?

in the last couple of years unprecedented changes in policy, procedure, and doctrine have been coming forth in rapid fire sequence.

this uninterrupted episode of new information is beginning to backfire for the rank and file witnesses.

Nickolas

The Watchtower is but a large group of people in a large country that is home to hundreds of millions of people who believe wholeheartedly in assertions without evidence. That the WTBTS has branches in various parts of the world is incidental. Regardless, the Watchtower is an Amercian phenomenon born of earlier American fundamentalist Christian movements. It would be nice to believe that the collapse of the Watchtower would be the harbringer of secular sanity in America, but the fact of the matter is the American environment nurtures the Watchtower, and equally whacky religions like the LDS and Scientology, more than people might realise. You'll never see the Brasilian billboards erected in America, because Americans do not tolerate religious intolerance, even when it might be justified. Roaring current of change? Maybe. From this vantage point it seems more like a babbling brook, but it does no harm to hope.

Hey, OUTLAW, how've you been?

3

"When Does a Religion Become a Cult?"

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

mitch horowitz, writing in the wall street journal.

when does a religion become a cult?

many academics and observers of cult phenomena, such as psychologist philip g. zimbardo of stanford, agree on four criteria to define a cult.

Nickolas

Insightful post, leavingwt. It all seems so very self evident. One wonders why people are unable to see it. Forest for the trees, maybe.

34

its my bday n still cant celebrate it.... n i cant post from my phone sorry

by cyberjesus in

Nickolas

Have a good one, cj. Indulge yourself. Celebrate. If I was there I'd buy you a drink.

363

So me, of all people, had a religious experience

by sabastious in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my garage, as i often do, to chill out and i actually ended up becoming angry.. so here i am, in my garage, kicking it on the stool for the drum set that is in there (i am a pianist/composer, not a drummer).

i start to think about all the crazy stuff that transpires on this planet.

we have all seen shows and heard stories or maybe even witnessed events that don't add up.

Nickolas

but if its a 1:10E20 event, well, it would be impossible to dismiss:-).

Something that is mathematically possible, however remote the odds, is by definition still possible. If, for example, there are a billion galaxies in which there are a billion stars (both conservative estimates) and only one in a billion stars has planets and only one in billion of those planets was a candidate to experience the generation of life, the odds of the earth being the only planet on which there is life are one in a billion billion which is 1:10E18, so at least approaching those astronomical odds above. But we do have life on earth, and because we observe it to be so we know that it is possible. I suggest reading up on the anthropic principle. Experience something that is not mathematically possible and then we'll shift the discussion onto another level. Regardless, bohm, your point is well taken. The odds of what sab experienced, even discounting OTWO's excellent points, are far, far better than 1:10E20.

363

So me, of all people, had a religious experience

by sabastious in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my garage, as i often do, to chill out and i actually ended up becoming angry.. so here i am, in my garage, kicking it on the stool for the drum set that is in there (i am a pianist/composer, not a drummer).

i start to think about all the crazy stuff that transpires on this planet.

we have all seen shows and heard stories or maybe even witnessed events that don't add up.

Nickolas

I see the same thing with Sab's poker story. He is predisposed to conclude it was a sign from something supernatural. But likely wouldn't have come to that conclusion if he wasn't, at least subconsciously, "looking" for it.

I'm afraid I must agree with you, unshackled. Coincidences are remarkable enough even to those who are predisposed to form other conclusions. All of which to say, we all seek to conclude something about our experiences on the basis of what we are predisposed to believe.

This is not an equitable analogy (though I'm sure you have others, but I see this one a lot). Someone has to win the lottery, and each person (according to the amount of tickets they play vs. are bought) has an equal chance. There is more to Sab's experience than that, regardless of coincidence or meaning.

Hey Tammy. LTNS. Yes, it is an inequitable analogy but only because the odds of winning the lottery are greater than what sab experienced. The odds of what he describes are quite small. I'm not going to try to crunch the numbers but probably in the area of 10 times less likely than choosing 6 lottery numbers out of 49. Still doesn't make it a miracle, though.