thanks, americans, that really nice of you.
englishman.. this statement lead me to thinking something.
i am not posting this to argue, cause a flame war, or the like.
I have to say, world events lately make me ashamed... not of being an American, but of the things that are being done in my name, and also of our greed, intolerance and stupidity. I think the reason so many of the world's people hate us is that we do hateful things.
We sponsor slave labor so that we can have cheap tennis shoes. We go to war with Iraq so that we can drive SUVs. We assassinate enlightened S. American rulers so that we can have cheap fruit. And the list goes on...
thanks, americans, that really nice of you.
englishman.. this statement lead me to thinking something.
i am not posting this to argue, cause a flame war, or the like.
Americans are pretty awful, and as a country we do awful things.
And, of course, we continually and flagrantly use a certain single syllable word for copulation that really gets the Brits' knickers in a twist.
Clearly, there is no place for us in a polite society of nations.
i haven't written in a long time...and i guess there's no excuse...being too busy should never be an excuse for not keeping up with your family; and that's what you guys are...one big family.
you're the only ones who really, truely understand.
at first i didn't want to write what i'm going through in here...i was embarrassed.
"How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously" by Gerrold Mundis is a pretty good book about debt and getting out of it.
were in that time of year again, where elections are in full swing.
i have heard so many commercials telling me what to think and vote on, that i am just counting the days to when it all goes away.
every once in a while there will be programs on the television, where the two candidates debate.
Great post Dragon. One of my favorite uncomfortable questions, which I got to ask a few times as I was leaving the org, was, "How does God direct the Watchtower Society? How does it really work? If they're not prophets, and they're not inspired, how are they different from other folks with religious ideas?" This was always good for some squirms.
Questions like this are good for those on the way out but still being visited by elders. Just ask sincerely, and see what they say.
...when i read some of the posts in this forum these days.
the founding fathers had it right when.
they setup an electoral college and opted for a republic.
...when i read some of the posts in this forum these days.
the founding fathers had it right when.
they setup an electoral college and opted for a republic.
Fundamentalist Christians seem to want two contradictory things: on the one hand they want to believe and preach that everyone who doesn't worship in the manner they approve will be tortured and/or killed by their God. On the other hand, they want to be considered nice, kind, loving people.
To the extent they are sincere, they are not "nice"; rather they are fanatical bigots.
It is certainly not true that:
Anyone who actually believes something is true automatically believes that contradicting beliefs are false.
Many people, and I include myself, are able to accept that definite answers about spiritual matters are hard to come by. I am willing to allow others to believe what they want without assuming that they will be killed for disagreeing with me. And, of course, I reserve the right to defend myself against, and to attack, bigots.
You also say:
But today we live in a New Age fantasy world where there is no absolute truth, where everything is relative, and where all beliefs are equally valid. And what sort of people are produced by that belief system? The worst sort of bigots
No part of this is true, and I in particular don't believe that "all beliefs are equally valid": yours and DJ's, for example, suck. What I do believe is that evidence and reason can be used to arrive valid conclusions. You'll notice that DJ, and now yourself, carefully avoid discussions of evidence. And neither of you have made a rational defense of your assertion that your God is going to torture and/or kill me. You could at least apologize!
Next, you say something I can agree with:
I think any reasonable person can clearly see who the intolerant, dogmatic bigot in this discussion has been.
I agree with this, and invite reasonable people to express themselves.
Finally, you and DJ both take issue with my coarse language. Well, some people say "can't we all just get along" and other people say "you're a dipfuck". I happen to be one of the latter, and am glad Simon's forum can contain most of us. In my defense, I can only point out that DJ speaks sweetly, and has vile beliefs whilst I speak coarsely and have far more tolerant beliefs.
this isn't jw related or even of a serious topic, but i know some of you can help me.
(sixy are you out there???
a few months ago i resigned from my well-paying corporate sales job to pursue something that would satisfy my soul instead of eating it up.
Andi, you should go to www.photo.net before you make any decision. It's one of the best sites of any kind on the web, and you will find in depth discussion of digital and other cameras.
Good luck on your new venture.
...when i read some of the posts in this forum these days.
the founding fathers had it right when.
they setup an electoral college and opted for a republic.
DJ, I'm not disgusted with you because of issues in my life. I'm disgusted with you because you and other fundies smugly assert that your God is going to torture and/or kill anyone who does not believe what you believe, and offer no reasonable evidence for that assertion. To repeat an earlier comment of mine: it's not enough that you be right, all others must be wrong. That disgusts me.
I don't care if you disagree with my beliefs because I am at peace where I am now.
This is patently untrue. You are trapped in a belief system that insists that you will be tortured and/or killed (I should trademark that phrase) unless you maintain a peculiar set of beliefs.
But tell you what, DJ, you can have the last word on this. Either you're too stupid to argue with, or I'm being gulled by a troll. As I review your posts on this thread and elsewhere, I am a little suspicious of your ex-JW status. You seem more like someone sniffing around for someone to preach to, taking advantage of the damaged people wandering these halls. Of course, I have no evidence for this - it's rather like your belief in God! Except that I admit that my suspicion is unsupported by facts.
You are in my thoughts and well wishes are sent your way.
I cannot say the same about you. It still irritates me that you blithely assume your God hates me enough to torture and/or kill me. I do not admire your imitation of kindness and sincerity, since your beliefs and speech flatly refute it.
ive been reading these posts and some on other websites for awhile now, trying to figure things out for myself.
im still a jw, a non-believing one if you will.
i more or less grew up as a jw, my father was an alcoholic and my mother became a jw when i was a kid.
I also lurked for a loooooong time.
ive been reading these posts and some on other websites for awhile now, trying to figure things out for myself.
im still a jw, a non-believing one if you will.
i more or less grew up as a jw, my father was an alcoholic and my mother became a jw when i was a kid.
Hey, this is a great post. Congratulations on your continued recovery and facing up to life's difficulties.
