Posts by Mazza

6

Normal

by forgetmenot in

jw
friends

today we had a kind of family and friends get together.

we went to the hog trough (i.e.

im normal (as normal as a kid who grew up as a jw can ever be).

I think it's interesting that your relative wants normalcy for her child. I think it's very significant. I don't know how spiritual this woman is, but to even say such a thing suggests to me, that she is thinking "outside the circle" in this instance. It would be a mine field to press her on this - but as you know - a regular person would be open to discuss what they ment by their comment, what their REAL hopes and desires are for their children and whether they are 100% comfortable with what is being provided so far.

It's difficult though because dubs retreat into the rhetoric and what they should say and all the rest of it. I still think that her comment was a loaded statement. We left the Org when our kids were little - the prime motivator was to give them a normal life. At the time, we argued that it's all very well to play games with our lives, but now we had responsibilities to two new lives - we felt it was time to abandon the nonesense. So strong was our instinct to look after our young in a mature way, we gave up our ten yr JW habit.

Marilyn

9

Part IV, Why Believe in God?

by jst2laws in

jw
friends

in preparing this section it got too long so i have decided to break it into two sections.

why believe in god, part iv.

if you have read each of this series you have seen i am taking more of a scientific/philosophical look at belief in god or the lack of.

Mazza

J2, I saw your first post and wanted to read it but didn't have time - I was heading off overseas, which is where I am now. I would like to read all of your posts on this subject but the thought of going looking for them is a little daunting. Do you have your comments on email per chance? I would like to take my time to read your thoughtsand could do this if you emailed them to me. I'm a non believer, but try to listen to people I respect. I've noticed some of your other emails and always found you interesting. I'm on
[email protected]

if you can't - don't worry, Marilyn

24

Apostate Vote!

by Beans in

jw
friends

apostafest.

apostofest.

apostfest.

Mazza

I'm with Celia. But then Celia and I like causing derisions (is that a WT word? - can't remember) and hope to lead as many astray as possible.

Marilyn

7

Hanratty

by Duncan in

jw
friends

uks channel 4 ran a very interesting documentary last night: hanratty - the whole truth for those of you who have never heard of james hanratty, heres a brief recap:.

in august 1961 there was an extremely notorious murder committed near the town of bedford in the uk.

in what came to be called the a6 murder, after the highway it took place on, an assailant attacked a man and his girlfriend in their car.

Mazza

It sounds like he convinced himself he didn't do it. People seem good at convincing themselves of things that aren't true.

Marilyn

4

Overwhelmed by Response

by dobby in

jw
friends

just a quick note...well it didn't end up very quick:).

i posted about my internal struggle with belief in god a few days ago.. unfortunately, with my job and family i am often so busy i can't get to this board for days at a time.. i just saw that there were many responses to my posting.. i want to say thanks to those who offered encouragement and some very good points to think about.. at this time i remain an agnostic with atheistic days.

but if i do settle on a belief in god i can only believe in a simple form of worship, i know i will not be able to accept any "holy" book or traditional form of religion.

Mazza

;;;;;;;;;;;;I think of my son. What if on the day he was born, I didn't meet him personally or talk to him personally? What if I left a
confusing book in his room. When he got old enough he asked someone to explain it, because the book seemed to indicate
that if he didn't get it right and find me in that book and do what I expected of him, he would die. But everyone he went to
gave him a different spin on the book.

Dobby, How simply put. I think of how endlessly patient I am with my off-spring. I can't imagine a time when I'd say; that's it, you've done your dash, you're dead!!! (and actually mean it!!). I think that Christians believe that God provides wisdom and guidence - sort of special messages of inspiration which are meant to reassure them that they are on the right track. It's just confusing coz people in all religions claim to get this inspiration. And so it goes.

I loved your reference to us all getting along. We're not that good at it are we? Yet I presume most of us want to be reasonable and good. It's all too confusing..... just the same I enjoy the discussions about it.

kind regards
Marilyn

52

WANTING to Believe in God

by dobby in

jw
friends

has anyone had this experience?.

after letting go of my beliefs as a jw, i felt the only alternative was to be atheist.

or maybe it is just logical to there is no god when i am only listening to my mind and not my heart.

Mazza

Liberty, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings - but your comments shine out above the rest - to me anyway. Your view is the only one that makes real sense to me. Otherwise we are stuck trying to understand how God could be so remote to some and then so partial to others in the most detailed way at times. I had a believer tell me that God dried up the rain one day so her new formal frock wouldn't get spoilt. I didn't like to point out the obvious to her.

Marilyn

52

WANTING to Believe in God

by dobby in

jw
friends

has anyone had this experience?.

after letting go of my beliefs as a jw, i felt the only alternative was to be atheist.

or maybe it is just logical to there is no god when i am only listening to my mind and not my heart.

Mazza

There's hardly peace and security .........

52

WANTING to Believe in God

by dobby in

jw
friends

has anyone had this experience?.

after letting go of my beliefs as a jw, i felt the only alternative was to be atheist.

or maybe it is just logical to there is no god when i am only listening to my mind and not my heart.

Mazza

Oh shut up U.2.K.!!!!!!!

52

WANTING to Believe in God

by dobby in

jw
friends

has anyone had this experience?.

after letting go of my beliefs as a jw, i felt the only alternative was to be atheist.

or maybe it is just logical to there is no god when i am only listening to my mind and not my heart.

Mazza

;;;;;;;;After letting go of my beliefs as a JW, I felt the only alternative was to be atheist. Or maybe it is just logical to there is no God
when I am only listening to my mind and not my heart. At any rate, I really felt for a long time there is no God. Even came to
grips with the idea that this could be "as good as it gets" and accepted my mortality.

Hi dobby, I left the WTS in 1979 and have basically been an athiest all this time. Lately I've been wishing there was something more. I'm not making much progress though as I'm very skeptical and I tend to think I will just talk myself into it if I think about it too much. I listen to the non judgemental christians who aren't too pushy, but I'm very cautious and cynical. I see a rational explanation for everything - can't seem to put a spiritual spin on stuff.

I don't particularly want a Heaven or life after death - I dunno, maybe I just want a security blanket that I can wrap myself in because reality is too harsh.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;. But sometimes I just want to believe the simple idea that God is up there, and will reward us with heavenly life if we simply follow the Golden Rule.

Could it be just that simple?

No. I don't think it could be. I think it might be more useful to find an old lamp and rub it and when a jeanie pops out, make a wish. I wish for a God who cares about ordinary people. Not one like the WT portrays - I mean a really first rate, decent fellow with a heart of gold. Oh well.......... who knows maybe I've got it all wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

Marilyn

74

I'm thinking of applying for reinstatement

by Cygnus in

jw
friends

ok, here's how it is.. i just finished reading the "dead" thread.

now, listen.

i do not believe in life after death.

Mazza

LoneWolf, I was really interested in some of your comments e.g.

I find
continuity throughout, although I hope that you will not read into those words the thought that I know everything. I don’t.
However, a dim outline of something vastly bigger than we are is beginning to come into view, and the little bits that I glimpse
are utterly fascinating.

Please, too, do not read into this, that I feel I am some privileged character that has been given some special “dispensation of

holy spirit” and am trying to make some name for myself. That’s hogwash. Instead I feel like I am some wanderer that by sheer
luck has found a beautiful canyon and am exploring some of its nooks and crannies. It seems that every time I wander around a
corner there is something that makes me want to jump up and down and yell “Holy cow! Do you see what I see?”

I keep hearing stuff like this and am fascinated by it. I'm trying to understand what it is that believers feel they see? I might be a bit like Cygnus in that I have done 20 yrs of exdubdom and now I'm just wondering if I did throw the 'baby out with the bath water'. I doubt if you will read this so I won't go on about it. I have so enjoyed this thread - thanx to Cygnus for his drunken stuper or the insecurities that caused him to post it. My advice to him is get some regular aerobic exercise - it works wonders for the body and soul.

Marilyn [email protected]