Posts by Kingpawn

106

How do I know the Bible is True?

by SwedishChef in

how do i know the bible is true?

by thomas schaff.

external evidence.

Kingpawn

Swedish Chef,

Who rejoices at being told that he is headed for hell, where he will suffer under the eternal wrath of God?

So you disagree with Eccl. 9:5 which says that the dead "...are conscious of nothing at all...?"

If dead people are unaware of anything, they can't suffer can they?

Besides, to me, the idea of a God that gave us free will is contradicted by this doctrine of hellfire. We freely chose to sin in the Garden of Eden. God says in the OT that "...I am putting before you today blessing and malediction...." There's no hint in there, to me, of eternal punishment; He's saying, there are two paths open to you and you're free to pick (Deut. 11:26-28).

OTOH, if I'm told I'm going to be tormented forever after death (btw, if I live in spirit even though I die in flesh, do I die?) and I try and toe the line because of that threat, I no longer am acting totally free. I am being coerced into "doing the right thing." This is grounds, in America, for declaring a contract null and void, the same as if one party had signed while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Would God use "bullying" tactics to get His followers to act morally? If so, that says a lot (and not complimentarily either) about both God and his "prize" of Heaven.

Second, to me it attributes a vindictive attitude toward Him. ("If you won't live life my way, then the hell with you!") Not that there aren't plenty of times where God is described as angry. Or bloodthirsty (OK, so He had the Israelites kill the native populations of lands they migrated to, but even small children? How the hell could they lead the Israelites into sin afterwards? Young males or women I can see, but small kids!?).

The idea that "His ways are higher than our ways" (Is. 55:8) doesn't cut it for me here. Children look to their parents for examples of how to handle situations, so the parent's actions ought to be analyzable. Shouldn't God's actions be too? A God who hides behind a blanket statement that "you wouldn't understand" isn't being a good example. So, the need to bully people into obeying His rules invalidates His claim to goodness, imo.

On this one issue I side with the Witnesses.

16

Question

by Mantis in

hi, i've been reading this site for quite a while now.

i've read the gentile times reconsidered book and found it very interesting.

i've tried to verify everything in that book and found it to be accurate.

Kingpawn

Roddy,

Does anyone know of a website that pretty much gives a highlight and summary of what the different religions teach?

http://www.religioustolerance.org

www.selectsmart.org (has a 20 question quiz and after you answer it it'll tell you how 27 religions rate percentage-wise regarding your beliefs).

9

Want to help with some research?

by Kingpawn in

as most of you know, i'm studying tarot cards.

each week a new lesson arrives via e-mail.. a couple of weeks ago, lesson 3 showed me how to do a three-card spread.

it's where a queston is asked, the 22 cards of the major arcana are shuffled, and the top three cards drawn.

Kingpawn

Estee-nice pic!

For those who might be wondering, all e-mails received have been answered.

Robyn--lately I've had mail that sometimes showed up weeks or even months after it was sent to me. I can only guess why, but yours hasn't arrived yet. I'll be waiting!

So far, there have been some accurate results, in the "this is your current situation" department. One person has told me that they are going through much change right now, which fit with the card drawn for their reading. Time will tell how accurate the overall performance of the cards, and my interpertations of them, will be.

Incidentally for any lurkers, feel free to take part if you're so inclined.

Kingpawn

55

Which religion are you?

by Aztec in

i think this is an interesting test.. http://www.selectsmart.com/religion/.

i was not at all surprised by my results!

my most compatible match was secular humanist and my least compatible....drumroll please...jehovah's witnesses..... ~aztec

Kingpawn

Wednesday,

does anyone know what the first one is? I checked its site, but can't figure it out.

1. Sikhism (100%)

It's a sect in India. Many of the beliefs sound a bit like Buddhism or Hinduism. And India has been known for conflicts due to religious differences, sometimes more "in your face" than in the US. Perhaps a web search would turn up something more informative for you. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

24

Your funeral -- if not in a church, then what?

by Gopher in

i don't mean to sound morbid, but we're all mortal.

just as we are wise if we plan for our financial future, we are also wise if we plan for our demise (timely or otherwise), so that our relatives know our wishes and are not burdened with difficult decisions in the case a fatal event befalls us.

so for those of us who are currently unchurched -- we all know that if you wish to "tie the knot" you can quite easily get a "justice of the peace" to perform a wedding.

Kingpawn

Assuming nothing goes wrong, I'll have many of my organs, and I hope my corneas, donated to others. Maybe they won't be the ideal replacement, but it could buy someone time until a better organ is found. Otherwise it'd make me feel good to think someone else has a chance for an enhanced life from receiving something that would be wasted if it wasn't donated.

After that, I'd want to go to a medical school (if they'd take the body, which I doubt after so many organs had been removed) or a cremation and maybe a simple service. And no mournful music. Just people sharing memories.

I had thought about being stuffed, if a taxidermist would actually do it. Just think! I could be standing up, arms out the the sides and fingers outstretched, and be an umbrella stand/hat/coat rack! Even if I was cremated, I could still be a paperweight, doorstop, mantle ornament, or who knows what else? I could still be a part of my family's life even after I checked out.

118

Would some of us be better off as Witnesses?

by Jerry Bergman in

i have often wondered if many people would be better off if they stayed witnesses.

some people i have known have really gone off the deep end after they left the watchtower.

most all of my family have left now (not due to me as i was cut off from them for years) and many others i know who have left are now bitter atheists or have become pagans and worship stones or new ageers playing with crystals.

Kingpawn

Jerry,

Kingpawn: True the "we are the only way" mindset, which leads to smugness, superior feelings, jihad's, Crusades, and secular wars where the "Bible-based" churches have blessed the soldiers of both sides, among other "bad fruits." is a big problem but does this mean that all religious beliefs are equally good? Obviously not. Even though this is true, we still have to evaluate and research the truth and the validity of each religious belief (and all other beliefs as well). And we may find that some are valid, others invalid

Many of the non-Christian religions, while not holding to the "letter" of Christianity as far as beliefs, might be seen as being closer to the "spirit" of the message Jesus preached--concern for fellow humans, nonjudgmentalism,pacificism, being more concerned for the spiritual rather than the financial, than the churches claiming to follow Him today.

9

Want to help with some research?

by Kingpawn in

as most of you know, i'm studying tarot cards.

each week a new lesson arrives via e-mail.. a couple of weeks ago, lesson 3 showed me how to do a three-card spread.

it's where a queston is asked, the 22 cards of the major arcana are shuffled, and the top three cards drawn.

Kingpawn

Mystla,

I'd love to give it a try, but I've never done this before, what kinds of questions can we ask? general questions? specific? how detailed can we be?

Let me know and I'll send you a question!

As I understand it they can be general, but obviously the more specific the more a person might see the advice's relevance to their own personal situation. I should say the cards are symbolic rather than literal, and a skeptic could argue that the results are too vague to be of any use--like a horoscope.

AND all questions and respondent's names stay private. After all, just because someone showed an interest here in trying doesn't mean they actually went through with it. No one else need know either way. Topics--whatever's important to you. Detailed--as detailed as you feel comfortable in being.

I'll give an example of one I did on me and the results.

A woman at work (I write about this topic a lot, don't I? But I digress... ) is something of a "struts her stuff in the lunchroom" type, and maybe had her eye on me at one time (I was trying to call home from work on a new system (whoops, bad pun) and while telling me her problems doing the same, told me her phone number). A year or more later she invited the guys on my line to "hit [her] up for lunch sometime, you really should." To make a long story short, unless you want the details, it looked like she and I might end up in the sack eventually. But it's almost impossible for us to meet. My secure e-mail addy...unused.

What to do? I did a reading and the cards I drew said I needed to take time to think, we were in a holding pattern, trust my instincts on this, and if I did a period of harmony would result.

Well, we were on hold obviously; I wasn't harmonious (blood glucose readings were all over the place); my opinion of her was--cold, shrewd, calculating--but also a woman very distressed by being 40+ and desperately trying to reassure herself she still "has it") and did I really want to be with someone like that? I wouldn't touch her heart, I thought, so best I drop it quietly. I did, so far anyway on her part, and glucose readings (and my emotional balance) are getting back to normal.

So what happened (besides the obvious--I was played)? Did the cards show me I needed to rethink this, and force me to see what I didn't want to? Sounds like it to me. Would I have thought about this deeply anyway? I honestly doubt it. Blinders, y'see. Why did I chase after her, considering my opinion of her? When an attractive (outwardly) woman shows an interest in a guy, well...and maybe, I thought, I can change her view of both her age and herself. The hero and the horndog all rolled into one.

Goshawk--which lottery? There are just so many!

Robyn--thanks for taking me up on this.

14

FALSE PROPHETS IN GODS NAME ARE YOU ONE

by nightwarrior in

not from god then its falsefalse predictions.

/ false teachers wolves amidst the true flock .

jehovah god says no one can come to him except through( jesus christ ) .

Kingpawn

U_R,

Maybe you should check out Unitarian Universalists. Many others have mentioned it as a group good to acquaint with when you're in a spiritual funk.

8

jw school teacher ax'ed

by johnny cip in

jw
friends

ok ; here's the best news i've heard against the wt in a while.

i'm listening to news radio today and here a grade school teacher in brooklyn , ms. addio a jw teacher would not let her students put up christmas or haunakh decorations in the class room .. now the teacher is in trouble with the board of ed.

is it not the jw's who always bullshit householders that they respect other people rights.. this sounds like a civil rights case$$$$$$$ i know it was in todays new york daily news.. maybe someone can find it and post it here.. it would be nice if someone would foward it to that lawyer kim norris... this sounds like a winner againgt the wt... john

Kingpawn

As far as the JW teacher: screw her.

Johnny's right. She was imposing her beliefs on the students.

I hope the one who tore up the picture of the angel's toast too, if it's not the same...I was going to say "person," but I'm no longer sure they're human, so maybe "humanoid" will do.

9

Want to help with some research?

by Kingpawn in

as most of you know, i'm studying tarot cards.

each week a new lesson arrives via e-mail.. a couple of weeks ago, lesson 3 showed me how to do a three-card spread.

it's where a queston is asked, the 22 cards of the major arcana are shuffled, and the top three cards drawn.

Kingpawn

As most of you know, I'm studying tarot cards. Each week a new lesson arrives via e-mail.

A couple of weeks ago, lesson 3 showed me how to do a three-card spread. It's where a queston is asked, the 22 cards of the Major Arcana are shuffled, and the top three cards drawn. The first is the "current situation" card, the second, "advice," and the third, "the expected result."

In that lesson I did readings for myself. Now I've been told to do them for others. Maybe the idea is that with someone else I'll be more objective...don't know.

So what I'm looking for are people who might be as curious about this area as I am and who'd like to have a reading done for them. We could do it through e-mail naturally. I recently got lesson 5 and doing readings for others could be an ongoing thing so any number of people can respond.

If you'd like to participate then, e-mail me a question, I'll do a reading ASAP and reply with what I interpret the cards to mean. Be focused on the question as you type it. I'd be interested in knowing too if you felt the readings were accurate as far as your current situation and how things turned out (how close to what was predicted, iow) if the advice given was followed.

I'd heard about the cards for many years and am experimenting to see how well it works.

`Course, if I interpret the cards as seeing something bad, which I don't know would happen, and someone was to freak out because they thought I made it happen, maybe they should pass on this.