Posts by The Rebel

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

Cofty, your challenges to Slims comments fail to answer me why you say Slim is a troll?

In my opinion Slim has posted over 9000 times, and of course with over 9000 posts he can't be infallible, but those posts indicate to me a poster whose thinking has a different preference for logic than you. Anyway I don't think Slim is a troll, but like us I think he has found a place where people, who also like us have developed a certain compulsive habit to return regularly to voice our sincere opinion.

So why is Slim a troll? Because if I understand your definition of a troll, then the parallel figure with opposing viewpoints would make you and I also trolls?

34

Do you have / admire Charisma?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

"charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which the person is set apart from ordinary people and treated as exceptional".

as a kid i was afraid of such charisma, as it was usually the quality i noticed elders, head masters, and parents had to exercise with unloving authority over me.. but now i think about it "charisma" doesn't need be only for people with authority.

" charisma" is something even we can have?

The Rebel

LoveUnHateExams " if your purpose for starting this thread is something like ' ordinary people arnt boring- dig deeper and you,will find them really quite interesting, I agree with that premise. But we can't start changing definitions of words to suit ourselfs- it's intellectually dishonest"

The Rebel. Words are fragile, and definitions should change, to precariously conform to the readers definition. This is not intellectual dishonesty it's a sharp intake of breath and a twist of thought when you realize the guest reading your thoughts, has overlooked the point attempted to be made. I say this because no amount of forethought can entirely understand the genius and thinking of another poster who puts an alternative and different viewpoint.

So a thread is all angles and opinions, it's not injury in a grave, but living emotion and opinion, shared by a gallery of posters. This is why I love starting a post and seeing 5 or 6 angles presented, it demonstrates I have something to learn...I wish I had the brain and intellect to debate on some of the more controversial threads.

20

If anyone claimed that god speaks to them personally.....

by jambon1 in

jw
friends

they'd be viewed as completely mentally ill and laughed at.. so, how do the governing body get away with it?.

The Rebel

Jambon : O.P " If anyone claimed that God spoke to them personally"

"They would be viewed as completely mentally ill and laughed at"

" So, how do the G.B get away with it?

The Rebel (A) One of the baptism requirements is the making of a personal dedication to God. Were we viewed as completely mentally ill, and laughed at when we got baptized? In fact it would have been the reverse, we would have been viewed as completely mentally ill and laughed at if we claimed God hadn't personally spoken to us.

That is how the G.B get away with this noncence.

p.s I am now rolling around the floor both crying & laughing that I was so stupid.

30

After 52 years a Watchtower slave 9/11 gave me the push I needed to get out.

by new boy in

jw
friends

i turned in my letter of disassociation on september 18, 2001 but it was 9/11 that showed me what the witnesses really feel about human lives and the future wished for.. i was in limbo after my wife of 27 years left me on july 30, 2001. she knew i wasn't buying the jw program anymore.

she told me she come back to me when "i got my head straighten out about god and the church".. so for 40 days i was in limbo.

i stopped going to meetings.

The Rebel

I honestly think Jehovers Witnesses take Shakespeare's " All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players" personally to their own perverted drama. Anyway a further and deeper reading of the play will find " we all have our exists". I am glad after 52 years as a watchtower slave, you found your exit " new boy"

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

OK, I am not out of here.

In my opinion Slim is one of the few posters who can openly say his not happy with Coftys logic, and defend himself, with " reasonable" arguments. However in my opinion Slim and Cofty will never take each other's points of view on board. However I think Cofty cuts a very hard level of logic to refute, and sometimes Slims, simply audacious comments if honest and sincere, do challenge and create what could be an interesting debate.

Anyway we all want the same thing from a thread, and that's not tiresome repetitive name calling, but informative questions, rightly asked/ answered to create a great thread and challenge our thinking. So I don't think a thread should ever become fickle with questions and opposing viewpoints. People who change their viewpoint too quickly and without thought are those that convert and become Jehovers Witnesses.

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

I don't think slim is a troll.

Admittadly,I would add in my opinion there are very few people, who have thoughts in their head like slim. But I felt he raised some valid questions. So It's a shame the thread became ugly, and what should have been an interesting debate, became a painstaking process to follow, which is why I am out of here.

34

Do you have / admire Charisma?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

"charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which the person is set apart from ordinary people and treated as exceptional".

as a kid i was afraid of such charisma, as it was usually the quality i noticed elders, head masters, and parents had to exercise with unloving authority over me.. but now i think about it "charisma" doesn't need be only for people with authority.

" charisma" is something even we can have?

The Rebel

Ruby456 " charisma is a great quality to have- imo it has to do with exuding warmth, empathy and purpose even when everyone has fallen by the wayside. I think the magnetic quality is very real and does generate devotion and love rather than making people follow blindly"

It was in that comment Ruby, that I realized animals have charisma. And my sisters recently departed Collie " Max" had it in abundance. Oh how I still remember that living animal running free in a field, his beautiful movements the friendly bark. It still feels quite unfamiliar entering my sisters house now " Max" has departed.

34

Do you have / admire Charisma?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

"charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which the person is set apart from ordinary people and treated as exceptional".

as a kid i was afraid of such charisma, as it was usually the quality i noticed elders, head masters, and parents had to exercise with unloving authority over me.. but now i think about it "charisma" doesn't need be only for people with authority.

" charisma" is something even we can have?

The Rebel

LongHairGal " It almost implies a person has some sort of magnetism that people fall for and will follow like somebody under a spell. How silly."

The Rebel. But our entertainment industry is built on such magnetism, like footballers who dribble a ball past opposing defenders, and then have the ability to with additional accomplishment put the ball in the net. Or what about our heroes from the Cinema, do we not pay to watch men and women, who appear as super people, overcoming impossible odds, with super determination and will power we the common viewer do not have?

I am not saying the above is right or wrong, but I am just illustrating with the above example how our entertainment industry, creates it's ideal image of masculinity/ femininity. And yet it's we the public that are the " dopes" that admire such people.

Anyway it's my point of view, that we don't need pre-bionic qualities to be charismatic. Charisma in my world, is found in people who are relaxed enough about themselfs simply to be themselves.

34

Do you have / admire Charisma?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

"charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which the person is set apart from ordinary people and treated as exceptional".

as a kid i was afraid of such charisma, as it was usually the quality i noticed elders, head masters, and parents had to exercise with unloving authority over me.. but now i think about it "charisma" doesn't need be only for people with authority.

" charisma" is something even we can have?

The Rebel

Cofty " Rebel is inventing his own unique self serving definition of charisma"

The Rebel " what makes this person exceptional? Well this person never takes the bait, never gets in to the religious and political arguments...?

Noted Cofty.

However language is an enormous challenge, as often a sentence taken from any O.P is like simply sharing a few notes of a tune, that has a very different melody.

Cofty" This whole thread sounds very self indulgent"

I am not sure " self indulgent" are the words I would use, but self " indulgent" or not, I chose to read the thread in a different context. So what you read as self indulgence, produced in me different responses, which helped me realize we are all capable of self development. If you are correct and that's self-indulgent, then let's all be a little more self indulgent.

34

Do you have / admire Charisma?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

"charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which the person is set apart from ordinary people and treated as exceptional".

as a kid i was afraid of such charisma, as it was usually the quality i noticed elders, head masters, and parents had to exercise with unloving authority over me.. but now i think about it "charisma" doesn't need be only for people with authority.

" charisma" is something even we can have?

The Rebel

LoveUnHateExams " Lots of bad people have charisma, look at Hitler" ...." good people have charisma too, Take Muhammad Ali"

The Rebel. And my point with the O.P is we can all have charisma, even a man simply fishing alone by a canal on an Autumn morning can have charisma.....and you walk further along that canal you will find the bird watchers, and then walk further along that canal and you will find the dog walkers, and both groups are good people.However if you get to know them as individuals, you will find they have charisma...or at least what I call charisma.