if we can discuss it civilly, I'm game
There are plenty of opportunities in here for civil discussion, Frank. You need only to avail yourself of them.
Nickolas
JoinedPosts by Nickolas
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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Nickolas
The question, Paul, was actually directed at people like you, not atheists or agnostics. But, I already know your answer. You're studying to become a theologian, after all. I also know that you are well read on the contrarian side but whether or not you are able to process what you have read objectively is at the heart of the question. I've already discerned from our previous conversations that there is little danger in me messing up your life with my own notions. But, please tell me, would your life implode if you lost your faith, or is that too much of a hypothetical question?
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Growing up a Jehovah's Witness - New Video
by jwfacts ini have put together a video - growing up a jehovah's witness 1960 -2010. it aims to show the things a witnesses would be taught as they age over those decades.
it is 15 minutes long.
this is my first attempt at a video and it took a while to work out how to use final cut, so please feel free to make suggestions if anything should be changed.
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Nickolas
Well done, indeed. The only suggestion I might have is to reconsider the use of CAPS, which have potential to come across as a bit strident in an otherwise calm and reasonable production.
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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Nickolas
Hello Frank. My interest lies in understanding the dynamic so that I may either figure out a way to extricate my wife from the Watchtower or decide that the risk of destroying her happiness is too great and just accept things the way they are. Yes, I am comfortable in my atheism and I would very much like the two of us to be on the same page, but it might just be too much for her to bear.
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A Lawyer Examines Jehovah's Witnesses
by Nickolas inget a load of this bit of propaganda issued by a watchtower apologist.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m-j-mprtsi.
at least they're not blocking comments just yet..
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Nickolas
Get a load of this bit of propaganda issued by a Watchtower apologist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m-j-mprTsI
At least they're not blocking comments just yet.
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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Nickolas
To answer the OP...the bible characters of God and Jesus are not important to me.
is that no longer important, or never were important?
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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Nickolas
Beat me to it, Donny.
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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Nickolas
I was actually hoping some active Jehovah's Witnesses would chime in. I'd appreciate understanding the dynamic better than I do. People on this board have the capability to make you not believe in the Watchtower if you are disposed to it, even not believing in God if you are disposed to that. If that frightens you then you'd probably best not engage in conversation with them. The question is particularly relevant to those who are very confident in their beliefs and their ability to defend them but who might underestimate the damage that would be done to them personally if their arguments do not prevail. My concern might be unwarranted. When I have seen overweeningly confident apologists come onto the board and get torn to ribbons, every single one of them has skulked away only to return another day with their confidence renewed.
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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Nickolas
If an outsider examined my life, he would have to conclude that "God & Jesus" are not important at all to me. However, he would also conclude that my values and culture are permeated with Christianity.
And not all of that is bad, Donny. There are some good things that have come out of Christianity, I think you might agree, but that doesn't mean that Christianity is truth.
and not in a bad way.
that's a large part of the stumbling block. The fear is real, but irrational.
It seems it was easier when I thought I had certainty. When I first took the step from agnostic to atheist, I would try to convince myself that there was a god out there. But my brain was past the point of no return.
Yes, NomadSoul, it was this way for me, too. I was what you might call a "praying agnostic" for probably three decades after breaking away from my book study, messed up but not entirely scarred by the Watchtower. I'd sometimes pray in thanks, sometimes in supplication, most times just to understand. The third type of prayer apparently worked.
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59
How important are God and Jesus to you?
by Nickolas ini ask this question because it goes to:.
- how disposed to objectively considering contrarian evidence you are, and.
- how much i might be messing with your life and happiness by helping you see things the way i do.. i read the posts of many people on this board who are apparently happy, even deliriously happy, with their theism.
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Nickolas
truly fabulous answer, NRFG