Little Toe:
There is a big difference between imagining you are talking to a human (there are now over 6 Billion of them) and talking to a deity.
i hope this will be as respectful a debate as possible.
here is the premise: many of us (most) seem to be ex jw's on this board.
that means, whatever your motivation, for a time you bought into the theology of jw to one degree or another.
Little Toe:
There is a big difference between imagining you are talking to a human (there are now over 6 Billion of them) and talking to a deity.
i hope this will be as respectful a debate as possible.
here is the premise: many of us (most) seem to be ex jw's on this board.
that means, whatever your motivation, for a time you bought into the theology of jw to one degree or another.
USSR tried to destroy religion. It failed. People are dangerous. Faith and Religion are NOT dangerous. Kind of like National RIfle Assosciation slogan "Guns don't kill - people kill".
Society has to slowly mature to the point where they don't need God. Just like kids have to grow up to the point where they don't need their parents.
i hope this will be as respectful a debate as possible.
here is the premise: many of us (most) seem to be ex jw's on this board.
that means, whatever your motivation, for a time you bought into the theology of jw to one degree or another.
Little Toe:
You have not in reality actually met God. You imagine you have met God. And that's why such belief is useless to me or anyone else unless they too are trying to justify their delusions and fantasies.
You've simply got a "bug" in your brain.
i hope this will be as respectful a debate as possible.
here is the premise: many of us (most) seem to be ex jw's on this board.
that means, whatever your motivation, for a time you bought into the theology of jw to one degree or another.
Who dares to apply the label "dangerous" to anyone's faith.?
No body is really in charge. Evolution has to take its course.
There is only one possibility that looks optimistic.
Humans don't seem to make the right choices quickly enough. So they need some kind of help. "It is not up to man to direct his steps".
There doesn't seem to be any unambiguous proof that there is an omnicient/omnipotent God.
But there IS a possibility that there are other sentient life forms in the multi-verse that may like us and somehow luckily overcame their intrinsic selfishness. And there is a possibility that they could impose order on us as benevolent older brothers.
Other than that. Forget about labeling peoples faith as "dangerous". It will just get you killed.
i'm down to 1 meeting per week and that is even becoming difficult to attend.i read blondie's excellent reviews of the weekly watchtower study and that keeps my sanity when reading the weekly study.
yesterday,i walked out in the middle of the study and went home because of some comments that were made after the reading of paragraph 5.here is blondie's study article and one comment that was made at the meeting.. .
clearly, jesus was concerned that his followers too could become distracted by satan's world, even to the point that they might "return to the things behind.
The Watchtower is lying. They have their finger on the pulse of every single congregation.
The focus on 1975 was the topic of conversation in every congregation througout the world. It wasn't an isolated speculation.
So why the hell didn't they dispell that mistaken notion. It persisted from 1966 all the way to 1975.
Either they promoted the 1975 idea or they failed as the faithful and discreet slave by not rooting it out during the years that this was going on. Which is the greater blunder? The greater sin is shifting blame and lying about it.
If anyone dares to refer to the 1975 date they will be counseled. I know of elder's who have gotten phone calls from CO's because it was rumored that they said some things about 1975. Well, if they can do this a quarter of a century after the date - then why couldn't they shut up anyone who was promoting the date prior to 1975.
I had supper at a relatives house after 1975 and Karl Klein was at the table. The subject of 1975 came up. He said the brothers on the GB were razzing Fred Franz in the summer of 1975 about whether he still felt the end was coming. He quoted Franz's response "it isn't October yet!"
since i have a rather morbid sense of humor, and none of us is going to see armageddon................................ what would you like to be written on your tombstone?
i'll start.. "buried face down...........and you know the rest".
"his last word were..............boy, i'm getting hot!".
This space is available
i just finished reading these two books this week.
god by alexander waugh.
this one was an eye - opener, i found it to be different from other books about god.
It is scary to become unplugged from the matrix. Its a choice. But those who have discovered their life is just a story they agree to believe and still choose to be plugged in - become the worst fanatics.
It is evident that many here leave JW's but they are still plugged in, they are looking for another God, Religion - imaginary "forever".
are we better people when were looking for the truth, rather than when weve found it?
when i thought i knew the truth it didnt make me a better person, it didnt give me peace of mind or facilitate self discovery.
if anything it released negative qualities such as arrogance and misanthropy.
Humans need "food".
Humans need "activity"
Humans need "security"
Humans need "information"
Actually this is true of all animals to some degree.
These needs vary from one individual to the next.
"Truth" is really information that we feel is accurate and useful for orientation and making decisions.
palmer: i don't know.
i mean, for me... i need proof.. palmer: proof.
ellie: yes, very much.. palmer: prove it.. [source: http://www.turning-pages.com/contact/machine.htm].
Jim:
You keep bringing up the Jodie Foster movie. I can understand that. My family and about 8 others in my neighborhood had a UFO experience. I have always been skeptical of UFO's. But even though around 12 people witnessed the particular UFO event it is useless information to those who didn't experience it. It means nothing.
I would think God should be able to do better than a UFO experience.
in the march 1st and march 15th issues of the watchtower, there is a paragraph in the study article about.
the help that angels give in the preaching work.. however, i have noticed something not mentioned before - watchtower uses the phrase "too numerous to be dismissed as coincidence" twice.. quotes are below:.
march 1, 2007 - watchtower.
This is a very bad sign. It shows that they really can't think straight.
I say we need a special meter that will indicate the degree of interest at each house. That way the preaching work would be really effective. And since God desires all to be saved from destruction shouldn't there be some kind of special guidance to those that are sighing and crying?