Posts by James Brown

posted

18
What makes people so greedy/jealous/unthankful
by hoser in
1. jw
2. friends
the owner of the company that i work for was talking to me today about his brother who chose a different line of business and makes more money than him.

he seems to be upset about his choice of work.

but when when i look around this guys yard he has done very well for himself but apparantly not as well as his brother.
James Brown

My guess it has to do with ambition.

I'm not sure where ambition comes from.

Maybe circumstance.

Someone who grew up with nothing might be ambitious to accumulate a lot of things.

While someone who grew up with a lot might just be happy to maintain.

I think it might be easier to describe how to become successful than to determine why some people try and some don't.

Probably the people that succeed and accumulate a lot have a written plan.

And those that dont, dont have a written plan.

But the question is why do some have a written plan

and some do not?

I guess some just don't care.

Some are content with less.

Some are secure with less.

And some are insecure so they need a lot.

Also before they had all the designer diagnosises back in the 60's and 70's

if a person was greedy, jealous and unthankful, people would just say, "He is an axxhole".
64
What christians don't want to admit
by opusdei1972 in
1. watchtower
2. bible
when i left the wt organization, i continued to believe in the bible, so i wanted to confirm and refine, as much as possible, my faith that the true god is in the bible.

so i began to discuss with skilled christians, who were also ex-witnesses.

but i was surprised when some of them tried to relax my fundamentalist position on the literalness of the genesis account.
James Brown

Gravity is a law and a theory.

The fact that it is a law is why no one doubts it.

The law of gravity tells us how gravity affects things. The theories of gravity are explanations of why gravity affects things.

Something has to be provable and falsafiable to be a scientific fact.

I believe there are aspects of evolution that are true and scientific.

Each statement has to be taken on a case by case basis.

I agree that evolution is fact.

To say that we all came from a common ancestor is much harder to prove and less scientific.

It cant be proven or disproven so it does not adhere to the scientific method.

For all I know we may have all come from one common anscestor.

But that is a statement that is speculation we can not prove it scientifically

according to the scientific method.

At least not as I read the scientific method in my biology, chemistry and science books that I have from college.
64
What christians don't want to admit
by opusdei1972 in
1. watchtower
2. bible
when i left the wt organization, i continued to believe in the bible, so i wanted to confirm and refine, as much as possible, my faith that the true god is in the bible.

so i began to discuss with skilled christians, who were also ex-witnesses.

but i was surprised when some of them tried to relax my fundamentalist position on the literalness of the genesis account.
James Brown

Gods evidence is circumstantial.

He has been silent for too long to not be culpable in the mystery of his existence.

I can only hope there is a happier ending than what much of the evidence points to.

While eternal sleep is not bad.

I prefer eternal life.

I have been retired 2 years.

And I do not get bored.

And at the same time I do not do that much.
64
What christians don't want to admit
by opusdei1972 in
1. watchtower
2. bible
when i left the wt organization, i continued to believe in the bible, so i wanted to confirm and refine, as much as possible, my faith that the true god is in the bible.

so i began to discuss with skilled christians, who were also ex-witnesses.

but i was surprised when some of them tried to relax my fundamentalist position on the literalness of the genesis account.
James Brown

Apognophos.

Yes I am a ware of all of that.

It doesn't look good for any of us.

The evidence for God has been muddied and put into doubt.

The alternative is not pleasant to me.

I am aware that I probalby just can't handle the truth.
82
Come with me, back to the 1980s--you know want to.
by FlyingHighNow in
1. social
2. entertainment
i don't know about ya'll, but i did not appreciate the 1980s enough.

i was too busy lamenting how different they were from the 1960s and 1970s to bask in and appreciate how wonderful they were.. this is 80s music, especially new wave music, and 80s fashion and culture appreciation thread.

what did you love about the 80s?
James Brown

I was in 28-38 in the 80's.

They were good times.

I was young and fit.

Now I am old and fit.

Having good times.

Every day above ground is a good one.

And these are the good old days.
64
What christians don't want to admit
by opusdei1972 in
1. watchtower
2. bible
when i left the wt organization, i continued to believe in the bible, so i wanted to confirm and refine, as much as possible, my faith that the true god is in the bible.

so i began to discuss with skilled christians, who were also ex-witnesses.

but i was surprised when some of them tried to relax my fundamentalist position on the literalness of the genesis account.
James Brown

James Brown: i was joking " Athiesam is a NON PROPHET" organisation not non proffit.

I thought you couldn't spell

or had one of those dumb/smart phones,

where you cant type because your finger is too big.

I see your point.

But if atheism is true they are phrophets.

They prophecy no happy ending.

Unless eternal nothingness and sleep makes you happy.

I prefer life.

which Is irrelevant to reality.
64
What christians don't want to admit
by opusdei1972 in
1. watchtower
2. bible
when i left the wt organization, i continued to believe in the bible, so i wanted to confirm and refine, as much as possible, my faith that the true god is in the bible.

so i began to discuss with skilled christians, who were also ex-witnesses.

but i was surprised when some of them tried to relax my fundamentalist position on the literalness of the genesis account.
James Brown

opuside.

I take the dating of the earth with a grain of salt.

Just like religion.

It is not really science.

It can't be proven or falsified.

It is psuedo science.

It could be true.

It is like God there is no way to prove it.

If there is no God and the bible is not true.

There is not much reason not to believe it.

But still its only a theory.

Not a law.

It is like the theory of evolution.

Not the law of evlution.

gravity is a law not a theory.

It is demonstratable and falsifiable.

If the earth is old.

Then we are screwed.

So I cant and don't want to embrace that theory.
64
What christians don't want to admit
by opusdei1972 in
1. watchtower
2. bible
when i left the wt organization, i continued to believe in the bible, so i wanted to confirm and refine, as much as possible, my faith that the true god is in the bible.

so i began to discuss with skilled christians, who were also ex-witnesses.

but i was surprised when some of them tried to relax my fundamentalist position on the literalness of the genesis account.
James Brown

Atheisam is a non prophet organisation

Like everything else you have to take it on a case by case basis.

Follow the money.

If they are publishing books and running web pages I would suspec they are making a prohet.

If they are commenting on a board like this trying to work out their own thinking/salvatiion.

I can believe it is non prophet.

People like Dawkins, Hawking, Hitchens, Harris, the people educating the future atheist of the world

are all in it for the money, with an obvious money trail.

People on this board ex Jw's tend to be followers.

not leaders.

The leaders make the money.
754
Theists, why does God allow suffering..
by The Quiet One in
1. watchtower
2. bible
..specifically, the suffering of animals.

you can talk about free will/sin/people choosing to not listen to god etc to explain human suffering being allowed.. but how can you love a god that allows animals, that haven't sinned or chosen to not have anything to do with god, to have their short lives ended in often long, drawn out, painful ways.

i could list stories i've read that would probably make you feel ill, but i'm not looking to shock anyone or start an emotional debate.
James Brown

The problem of suffering and evil is a tough one.

It causes some to loose their faith, like Bert Ehrman.

It very much bothers me.

I try to live in my little world and isolate myself from it.

I buy lottery tickets and if I ever win,

I will donate a substantial amount to providing humanely for animals.

In fact I think that would become my lifes mission.

But with out the funds all i can do is rescue one dog at a time.

Another thing I can do.

I eat less meat.

I grew up and lived 62 years as a meat eater.

But for the past few months I eat less and less meat.

As a rule I do not eat any meat before dinner.

I eat grains and vegetalbles until then.

Then for dinner I have some meat.

Having done that for several months there are days I can go without eating meat.

Which to me is a big deal. It is a sacrafice.

But you cant help others without helping yourself.

And eating less meat as you get older is a good thing

for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.

All chornic killlers in old age.

Also, I took up playing soccer when I retired at 60.

And I found the fittest soccer player I have ever met was a vegetarrain.

That was an inspriation to see a 50 year old man with a 6 pack running circles around

20 year olds.
71
Watchtower encouraging members to go and preach in Israel
by wannaexit in
1. jw
2. friends
an odd letter was read at last nights' meeting.

it was in regards to a special campaign for next year arranged by the governing body to go and preach in israel.

the call is going out to anybody that speaks hebrew and english.
James Brown

I make an observation between Christians and the watchtower.

If a Chiristian had the desire or was encouraged to have the desire to do some sort of evangelical work.

The Church, the flock support the worker.

I was looking at books yesterday in a thrift store and encountered a lady working in the book section.

I asked her does she work here. She said she volunteers.

It was a charity book store that gave to pregnant women.

I asked how do you support yourself so you can volunteer to work for free.

She said she had her own ministry.

She said her ministry was running a halfway house and that provided for her needs.

That seems more biblcal Christain and ethical to me than the way the watchtower runs its printing/real estate business.