Posts by peacepipe

31

Why are JWs scared of death?

by NikL in

jw
friends

i have been thinking a lot lately about death.

this is not surprising considering the turn of events on the 11th.. i have been re-awakened to the transient nature of human life and how it can go in the blink of an eye.

as the bible says life is vanity and a striving for the wind.. with all of the talk about world war 3 and how dangerous this world has become, i have been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster this past week.. the fear of dying is a normal and basic emotion.

peacepipe

I need to put my two cents in about this even though I'm reading it a couple days after the last post.
When I think of the death of those I care about I usually have no problem picturing them going to heaven forever: some people just to me seem like there is nowhere else they could be.

Those who I've been close to that have died that I'm questionable about them actually going to heaven I feel like in some way as long as there are those of us here to remember them they are still kept alive somehow.

When I REALLY think about my own death I have a panic attack. I don't think I'm anything special that deserves to live past this life. I don't think I'd have any great contributions to make in any everlasting life. However, the feeling I get in my very being when I come to the realization that theres nothing else to think about once your dead because your dead forever and ever and ever and ever and ever to all eternity is nothing short of a panic attack. It's just the thought of there being nothing else, not a thought, nothing for ETERNITY scares the living crap out of me. ETERNITY is a long time. What would I do for eternity? Well nothing, I'll be dead. Well, maybe there'll be something else down the road. . . .No, there's not I'll be dead. Well, what will I do all that time?. . Nothing, I'll be dead.

Up to a certain time in my life I felt when you died there was still something else. When your young you don't quite fathom eternal nothingness because of music, shows, books and an ongoing imagination. I used to think about suicide and being in my casket and listening to my music and keeping tabs on those I love- not so bad. But at some point, if you really think hard about it, that realization that there'll be no music hits you hard. (well for some of us I suppose- not everyone)

I know that some hospice workers who work with terminally ill patients use visualization methods to help the patient cope with their death. It puts them in a safe place of comfort, love and peace. I often thought that is the sole purpose of religion. To get your mind to skip over this horrid realization so you can live your life to the fullest without having to be troubled with that black cloud. Because I asked the question in another post what the world would be like if all people were atheists and there were no religions. What would be the moral thread to keep goodness in society? Why would some people care if all they did was get high, drunk, sleep with whoever the want, kill others etc. If you could get away with it then so what? You live, you die. Get what you can because it's all you'll ever have.

I'm tired, this is a stupid reply but maybe someone will reply back that just might give me . . .something. . .I don't know what. Sometimes when your mind tells you something you have to weed through all the thoughts that come in to find just one bud that may blossom into something useful.

PeacePipe

Lift me up, I've had enough. . .Tom Petty

19

Jesus Myth?

by ISP in

in all the years i was a christian minister, i never preached a sermon about the evidence for a historic jesus.

there was no need for such a sermon.

i stood before many congregations and associated with many ministers, evangelists and pastors, and not one of us ever spoke about the possibility that jesus was a fable, or that his story is more myth than history.

peacepipe

I just wanted to thank-you for sharing your research here. Without all the research and knowledge you have I've concluded in my own mind that Jesus was a real historical person that may of been elaborated through time to show divinity through the Christian Church. I am going to try to do some research on my own with the help of what you have discussed to see what kind of conclusion I come up with. Thanks again on what I'm sure took you alot of time and research.

PeacePipe

Lift me up, I've had enough. . .Tom Petty

14

bump in the night

by finnrot in

jw
friends

as i read this board i notice that there are a lot of people that like myself don't believe in god anymore, and when i run accross a post where someone is professing their belief in god, that i have nothing but utter distain for them, almost like they don't belong here.

for a newbie that's kind of a ridiculous position i guess.

as i was growing it was constantly shoved down my throat that every other belief system was contlolled by the devil and run by his little demons, so after 1975 came and went and i realized that the one true religion was full of crap also, that left me with only reality to grasp, and that's, you live you die and the the worms eat you.

peacepipe

What would a world full of atheists be like? If there was no religion, no hope of an afterlife, no hope of anything bigger than ourselves then what would the world be like?

Just a question. I'm paticularly interested in the atheists' point of view. And I don't mean just. . ."there would be no war, but there would be peace, love, harmony". . .I mean what do you think a world of billions of people with trillions of opinions would be like morally without religion.

PeacePipe

Lift me up, I've had enough. . .Tom Petty

16

Hi, I'm new here

by sweetone2377 in

i wanted to introduce myself real quick.

i was raised as a witness from the age of 10. i am now 23 yo.

i was disfellowshipped at the age of 19 for marrying a man who was studying.

peacepipe

Hi Sweetone!
Welcome to be board. I think you'll find alot of understanding and compassion here. Look forward to reading your posts.

PeacePipe

Lift me up, I've had enough. . .Tom Petty

22

Who's wanting to see this??

by Stiffy in

jw
friends

ok so i hear from my bro, that he hears the fbi is saying somthing might happen on the 22nd.

the other day there were several low flying planes around the nuclear station in our area.

they were unknown, and there was not to be any schedualed flights at the time in the area.

peacepipe

Thanks all for the pleasant nighttime conversation. I'll be dreamin about nuclear war tonight. Seriously though, I had no idea there were so many nuclear plants on the east coast. And I thought maybe 1 plant in PA. I thought this was a safe state. This is just all to nuts. But speaking of T2: I might just turn into the next Linda Hamilton. I believe in protecting myself and family. Though she had more than 2 days to prepare.

PeacePipe

Lift me up, I've had enough. . .Tom Petty

By Their Own Free Will. . . .

by peacepipe in

jw
friends

as freedom of thought& religious fanaticism is so often a subject on this board i thought this writing may be of interest to some of you.

i found it very moving.

.. first battle.

peacepipe

As freedom of thought& religious fanaticism is so often a subject on this board I thought this writing may be of interest to some of you. I found it very moving. . . .

First Battle
By Jim Quinn
Quinn in the Morning
www.warroom.com
As we sift through football fields of rubble with cement dust clogging our eyes and throats it may hardly seem that there is victory anywhere in this landscape of catastrophe, but there is. The first battle of the war has been fought and it was a decisive victory for America. It didn't happen on the ground, it just ended up there. It happened sometime between 10:00 am and 10:37 am in the sky over Somerset PA on United Flight 93.

This was not just a symbolic victory; it was a win for the practical utility of freedom versus the robotic behavior of programmed fanaticism. In other words, it was a test of who we are versus who they are, and we won!
While there is some evidence that our military may have been forced to make a terrible choice last Tuesday it's clear that with or without an "assist" from one of our flyers, whom we shall hold blameless. The other members of our military on board the plane had already made their decision. The contents of cell phone calls from the plane bear witness to this. "But military?? what in the world are you talking about Quinn? Allow me to explain. These people weren't in the military when they boarded the plane. They enlisted in flight. They did it without a recruiter. There was no paper work and no promise of a college education or a career skill to secure their future. They signed up knowing their future would be less than 15 minutes.
The significance of the outcome of this battle will be lost on these over funded, over educated, oil saturated former Nomads. It should make them drop to their knees and make them pray to Allah for forgiveness, but it won't. Here's why:
The Battle of Fight 93 was a short but decisive encounter where the fanatic met the free. Where a group of people who have been programmed from birth to believe in the sanctity of self destruction and mass murder in the name of a god who does not exist as they envision him, came face to face with something they never understood; free people who are used to thinking for themselves.
It took decades of preparation, training and pseudo religious indoctrination to prepare these men to sacrifice their lives for their twisted purpose. It took a bunch of free Americans about two minutes to prepare to sacrifice theirs. These men and women who began their day with a toothbrush and a plane ticket and nothing more on their plate than the expectation of a business meeting and dinner at Fisherman's Wharf; these people with husbands, wives and children to consider, unhesitatingly chose to give their lives for their fellow Americans in less time than it takes to boil an egg.
Advantage: Freedom!
As I write this, God is probably hearing from a vast number of people He hasn't heard from in a while. In times of difficulty we are moved to turn back to that which we have neglected. Freedom will be the tool of victory in all battles as it was in this one. It is of desperate importance that we understand from whence the tool of victory emanates. You'll find it in the writings of the Framers of our Constitution. Faith and Freedom will triumph over fanaticism.
In those few dreadful seconds over Somerset, the template for the coming battles emerged from the fires in which they were forged. Free Americans fought the first battle "on the fly" and "by the seats of their pants". They did it with the only tool they had the resourcefulness of people who can still think for themselves. They earned victory and the admiration of the Free World. The fanatics earned a smoking hole in the ground.

22

Who's wanting to see this??

by Stiffy in

jw
friends

ok so i hear from my bro, that he hears the fbi is saying somthing might happen on the 22nd.

the other day there were several low flying planes around the nuclear station in our area.

they were unknown, and there was not to be any schedualed flights at the time in the area.

peacepipe

I've been hearing Saturday. . . . the 22. . . something is going to happen. . . .
What is going to happen? What kind of dry run? Why are there so may blue triangles in PA!!!!!

PLEEEEEAAAAAASE EXPLAIN!!!!
(I've been Ms. Paranoia about all this and everyone else I know just wants to get back to life as usual which I don't think will ever be again)

Thanks :)

29

Goodbye

by troubled in

jw
friends

after much soul searching, i've decided to abandon this board.

i have learned a great deal, and what i've read has expanded my view.

so as i leave, i'll not be sorry for the time i spent here.

peacepipe

Troubled,
I wish you'd reconsider staying around and commenting. I lurk more than post but there are others like you around here & I'm probably one of them. It's just sometimes hard to tell who is who(JW, non-JW, never JW etc). If you'd like to talk through e-mails one on one feel free to e-mail me @ [email protected]. I'd like to hear your story. And also, I know some posters seem harsh at times but just remember if there are no diffent view points then their isn't much to discuss.
Good Luck in you quest for knowledge whatever you decide.

PeacePipe

Lift me up, I've had enough. . .Tom Petty

14

was there U.S. involvement?

by teejay in

jw
friends

hello, amazing.. your thread to angry to say much is the first post i've read today since getting home from work.

i found it on page four.

as i type this, senator daschle has just made the statement on abc tv that the world has "fundamentally changed" since the events of yesterday.

peacepipe

My theory would be maybe someone on the inside is trying to sabatoge George Bush, and seeing him fall on his face in this mess would probably do the job. This person(s) would have agenda's with other outside "neutral" countries. Money would be involved and the culprit would probably never be suspected. Someone who always seems to get off things scotch free.
Though that is just a hypothetical theory.

6

America - The Good Neighbor

by Billygoat in

jw
friends

i may get some flack for posting this, but i read it and was moved to tears.

they are not my words - it was written by toronto, canada's tv journalist/commentator gordon sinclair.

these words are the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the congressional record:.

peacepipe

Great Thread! I was watching the news this evening and it showed people in New York holding candlelight vigils outside the hospital in Manhattan. Also vigil service in DC where the Star Spangled Banner was being sung. All over people are coming together to support one another and pray for peace. There are more volunteers than are even needed right now. NY stopped the blood coming in because so much poured in they had to say they had enough right now. Americans are NOT evil. The stories that are coming out about the people who called their families on their cell phones from the doomed planes and others who lost their lives are heartbreaking. All those people are heroic. Yes, there are those that are of questionable morals amongst us but I think the majority of people are good and though differences may arise we are free to say what we want as citizens in our quest for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Our country has such an amazing history and the melting pot of people that make this country come together in times like these to show support for their fellow citizens. It's sad it has to take bad times to remember the good in us all.
I am also troubled recently that any group of people can denounce what we stand for: our patriotism, our country, our flag. I feel part of something great when I see and hear stories of US citizens. And in times like these our flag and our songs symbolize that. I am for world peace and unity. I am against all killing. But I live in America. It would be hard to take a neutral stance as part of a religious dogma when our country was built on a belief in God. And I could not turn my back in times like this because "I am no part of this world". Quite frankly I am.