Posts by NewChapter

132

"Believers" vs. Atheists- Why this formulation?

by Band on the Run in

i believe christ is god.

when i left the witnesses i believed i had to be agnostic.

through a scheduling conflict, i studied the new testament in college.

NewChapter

To be a CHristian one is sealed by the HS, if one is sealed by the HS then they can never "stop" being a Christian since they were sealed by the HS.

So, anyone that "falls away" never was a "true" Christian.

I know that is a comforting thought. It shields you and other 'true' Christians from reality. I was a 'true' Christian, but you have certainly judged my Christianity by saying that I never really was a Christian. Cofty was a 'true' Christian, but not according to you.

As I said, it is soothing to think so, but what do you base it on? Perhaps we were just different 'degrees' of Christian? It does make it easy to dismiss us, doesn't it? Safe.

97

Pat Condell on Aggressive Atheism

by cantleave in

this is pretty much how i feel.......who disagrees with this?.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yjo4duhmrzk&noredirect=1.

NewChapter

Well that's political. I find he is always dead-on when it comes to religion.

97

Pat Condell on Aggressive Atheism

by cantleave in

this is pretty much how i feel.......who disagrees with this?.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yjo4duhmrzk&noredirect=1.

NewChapter

LOL! I always wonder what Pat is like to have a real life conversation with.

Terms like aggressive, militant, prosylitizing, angry are simply brought out by the majority to silence the minority. I think many that use such terms really just wish we would STFU, and since we won't, they try to shame us into doing so. Not working.

132

"Believers" vs. Atheists- Why this formulation?

by Band on the Run in

i believe christ is god.

when i left the witnesses i believed i had to be agnostic.

through a scheduling conflict, i studied the new testament in college.

NewChapter

I mean, how does one JUDGE anothers Christianity?

Do you think you are in a position to judge a JW's Christianity?

132

"Believers" vs. Atheists- Why this formulation?

by Band on the Run in

i believe christ is god.

when i left the witnesses i believed i had to be agnostic.

through a scheduling conflict, i studied the new testament in college.

NewChapter

I think you guys know what I mean.

No. I don't think you know what you mean. Which is why I'm asking you to break it down--for yourself. Sometimes we say things, and they make sense, but we really can't explain what we mean, but the phrase innoculates us from looking more deeply. You say some Christians have doubts, and others are more steadfast.

Are you saying that these individuals are different degrees of Christian? Do you think that Jesus would have made such a statement? Is the one that does not doubt, does not question, the higher degreee of Christian?

I'm asking you to look at what you have said, because I'm not convinced that you have really thought about this. I think you are trying to force things to fit into a view, but it's not working. Not when we look at it critically.

42

Secularism/Nonreligious/Agnostics/Atheist

by jam in

jw
friends

scholars lump these groups togather because they all.

purport to not be interested in religion or spirituality.. but one observed notes; "sociolgist point out that there.

are no truly "secular" societies..."nonreligious" people....are.

NewChapter

What has been observed, again and again, is the power of a social group to accomplish phenomena which are not easily understood. Healing without medicine, mass mental and physical illness, even speaking in tongues Eulalia. It does happen. the consistency of the phenomena- qualities of sound, etc, mean it is not a one off nor is it faked. It is another state of consciousness whether internally or externally induced

I've been present quite a few times when people have spoken in tongues. The first time freaked me out a bit---well okay---everytime freaked me out a bit, but this is what I saw happening.

The first time, I went with a friend to a youth group bible study. Toward the end of it, they got up in a circle and linked arms to waists. I was in that circle, and they started to pray individually. Some out loud softly, and some silently. But the circle started to sway. It was hypnotic, and it startled me. I didn't like it, as the feeling was of merging with this group of strangers and becoming one. I didn't know what that oneness should be based on, so I watched their faces. As time went on, I head the occasional 'praise Jesus' or 'praise god' being uttered. Then it went sing-song 'praaaaaise jeeeesus' 'praaaaaaaise God'. Kids that I knew were changing right before me. Many had their eyes closed, which I'm sure intensified the effect of the swaying. After a while they started speaking in tongues.

It was very clear to me, even as a teen, that these people had put themselves into an altered state of mind.

After that, I witnessed other approaches. Some weren't as dramatic, but it was still the same. They changed into this altered state and spoke in tongues. That was holy spirit, according to them.

Yet it is not particular to Christians! Many non-Christian faiths do the same thing. Whirling Dervishes speak in tongues. I don't suppose we have to look too far to see what causes their altered brain states. Inuits have also been known to speak in tongues.

It doesn't take much to understand that tongues does not need to be the only manifestation of this state. Whatever the culture dictates can be achieved. Perhaps if a Christian saw a Whirling Dervish speaking in tongues, they would conclude it was satanic, not even realizing how similar the experience is to many Christians. Or perhaps a person begins to mimic the actions of an animal. That would look a bit scary to the average Christian, but that Christian may not flinch if they see their own dancing about or convulsing on the floor.

READ.

42

Secularism/Nonreligious/Agnostics/Atheist

by jam in

jw
friends

scholars lump these groups togather because they all.

purport to not be interested in religion or spirituality.. but one observed notes; "sociolgist point out that there.

are no truly "secular" societies..."nonreligious" people....are.

NewChapter

new chapter: my basic view of evoltion is traits changing in animals over a period of time. which does happen if rabbits or whatever are in a cold enviorment they have to get longer hair.and the ones with short hair will die ,survial of the fit. but that does not show in anyway animal becoming differnet animal a dog is a dog and a cat is a cat.

Unstop, I think you need to read more. You say a dog is a dog etc---but that means you have not looked deeply enough. You are repeating a conclusion that you have read somewhere, but I am convinced that you have not reached that conclusion on your own. Because you wouldn't, and if you had, you wouldn't phrase it that way.

First, let's look at a cat is a cat. Can a tabby mate with a lion? Well they are both cats? Correct? Genetically, they have a recent common ancestor.

I think you have arbitrary lines you are drawing when it comes to species. This is a pretty human thing to do, but it is generally accepted that an animal has speciated when it cannot reproduce outside its group. So a housecat cannot have kittens with lions. Why? Because at soem point in their history, a population became isolated from the other, and they no longer passed genes back and forth. Those traits kept changing and adapting, until finally they were so different, they were a different species. A housecat and a lion are drastically different. If a species can change that much, then why do you doubt that given more time, or even mutation, they can't eventually become something even more different?

The fossil record is starting to show just this. Fish to amphibian. Read about it. There is no imaginary line beyond which a species cannot change. They can change as long as selective pressures push them to do so. You need to read more.

132

"Believers" vs. Atheists- Why this formulation?

by Band on the Run in

i believe christ is god.

when i left the witnesses i believed i had to be agnostic.

through a scheduling conflict, i studied the new testament in college.

NewChapter

Now there are degrees? Someone can be a little bit Christian? I didn't think that was an option.

It sounds good, but you should think about what you just said. Where is there room for degrees when Jesus says:

'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

That really doesn't seem to allow for degrees although I think it sounds good. A nice way of saying some Christians are better than others, but it doesn't make sense when you break it down. Just say what you mean---some people are better Christians than others.

19

Lets be friends.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

ok lets leave the atheism, belief in god aside for a bit and remember that we all have something in common and that we are a unique group of people on this very big planet.. lets all have a giggle about our old lives,.

what was the craziest, most laughable thing that we used to do or observed as a jw ?.

was it just me that used to add echo in the sound booth, just for giggles?

NewChapter

Well I always liked the Smurf and demon stories---always shared frantically and in total seriousness. I would be cornered in the bathroom while yet another sister told me one of these stories. LOL. I never truly believed them, but some were quite creative.

So I remember one funny story that really isn't related to the religion but happened at the KH. There was this sister that was quite unpleasant. In fact, we all REALLY had to draw on that good old agape to tolerate her. Anyway, she liked to dress up, hair, makeup, accessories. Her style was a bit over the top for my tastes, but I think she probably looked quite nice.

I sat behind her one day, and she had this white leather purse with large gold rings hanging here and there. A bit too flashy, but probably a pretty nice purse. Afterall, she was a single sis with a job, and we tended to have nicer clothes etc. The purse was eye-catching, so to tune out the meeting I started to stare at it. Then there was movement! This little ant popped out the top and started running along the zipper. Now this was interesting. Then another one popped out, and the two met and did some anteanna kisses and went about their business. More popped out, and it was an ant amusment park! They kept going over to the gold rings and running the entire course---round and round.

I really didn't know what to do about it, and to tell this sister would have been to get my head bitten off, and it was infinitely more entertaining than the meeting, so I continued to watch! A brave and exploring soul left the purse and climbed into a brother's jacket sleeve cuz he had it draped over the back of his seat next to her. I nearly bust out laughing at that point. We were being overrun, and all I could do was watch.

I never looked at her the same again. I had a secret. Her ants and I shared it. Everything out of her mouth seemed quite silly to me after that. What was it? A forgotten candy bar? A left over sandwich from lunch? A broken sugar packet. Don't know. Don't care. But what I do know is that the meetings were so pathetic, I found ant antics a million times more interesting.

20

Baptizing toddlers while critical of infant baptism

by FatFreek 2005 in

there are no less than two (watchtower publications) examples where six year old toddlers have been baptized.

what do you think?.

len.

NewChapter

Yep. Get them young---that way their emotional terrorism will work all their lives.

But it's different, you see, cuz they have the TRUTH and Jehovah's spirit to help them recognize true sheep.