Posts by Xanthippe

42

No more pain sorrow or crying in new system!!!!!!!

by atomant in

"and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.

for the old world and its evils are gone forever.

" rev.

Xanthippe

What if from God’s standpoint, the universe is actually just one large ‘something,’ and we are all so intertwined that in order for one person in existence to be reconciled to God, we all must be? What if to him we are really just all one creation with no real borders of separation between us? I mean, we are ‘real’ and sort of solid, but some atoms pass right through us. So that ‘border’ between our skin and the air ceases to exist on some level. What if that is true on the larger scale, that only from our perspective are we separate, but to God we are all the same, not just in equality, but in reality? Sort of each a thread in the tapestry, to make an analogy.

Interesting, almost Eastern philosophy. It Hot does seem strange though that we have to reach for unusual explanations for why we have to follow God's rules. I would think the obvious answer would be because they make everyone happy and their lives successful. Sadly they don't, so many choose not to follow them because they don't bring happiness to everyone and even make some people very unhappy.

So your explanation that there may be some physical law in the universe that we don't yet know about that means we all have to obey God or the universe won't work and our earth will never be 'right' seems just an excuse when you could more easily say we don't know why we must obey God. Then you would have to ask is the Bible requiring that we do things that God wants or what humans have invented?

Also as people try to be happy you may think that their different needs are causing the problems in the world. Some people want to work for a living for example and others think it's ok to steal. That's what we have laws for. To protect communities from law- breakers we have the criminal justice system.

Some people want peace but others want war. We are trying to frame international laws to deal with this and prevent human rights abuses. Also for the first time an arms treaty has been signed at the UN to try to prevent illegal arms sales.

I also believe we will find a cure for cancer one day and that gene therapy will prevent congenital problems that cause infant deaths. Plus UNICEF continues its efforts in developing countries to vaccinate infants and young children and WATERAID aims to provide clean water globally by 2030 to reduce water born infections that kill babies.

55

Some thoughts on the new midweek meeting

by Saltheart Foamfollower in

the new midweek meeting has been running for a month now.

here are my thoughts on how it is going so far:.

1) elders are looking frazzled from being on virtually every meeting and having to prepare unfamiliar formats for items.

Xanthippe

What does this weeks BR teach me about Jehovah?

They're still trying to psychoanalyse their invisible friend. Time would be better spent sorting their own heads out.

42

No more pain sorrow or crying in new system!!!!!!!

by atomant in

"and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.

for the old world and its evils are gone forever.

" rev.

Xanthippe

I can unequivocally learn to cope with the potential deaths of family, colleagues, etc. (again, they are already dying) if it means no more sick babies, cancer, war, all the madness to end.

By the way lanalonger I want to ask why will destroying unbelievers stop babies dying or cure cancer?

42

No more pain sorrow or crying in new system!!!!!!!

by atomant in

"and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.

for the old world and its evils are gone forever.

" rev.

Xanthippe

Will you go on record as stating that all the suffering and dying should continue, and that that is preferable to the death of the already-dying who reject God's rulership?

Death will continue because that is the reality of human life, we all die. As for suffering will you go on record that you are contributing in any way at all to global efforts to prevent suffering? I am.

I can unequivocally learn to cope with the potential deaths of family, colleagues, etc. (again, they are already dying) if it means no more sick babies, cancer, war, all the madness to end.

So they made you give up friends and family in exchange for empty promises, and you fell for it?

God doesn't need our worship or thanks, he asks us for it for our own benefit, not his.

If God doesn't need anything from me then why does your religion insist I follow their rules or be destroyed? If everything is for my benefit why are people rejected for not following the rules to the letter? If God loves us why does he need us all together in a group? Is that the only way he can keep track of everyone?

Xanthippe (dead woman walking)

14

Is that a brother praying what do you think?

by slimboyfat in

at the risk of revealing how i waste my time on youtube, is that a brother praying after about 45 seconds into this video?

what on earth is he doing?

http://youtu.be/8xeh863xzmg.

Xanthippe

Very revealing - how you spend your time SBF 😀

Having said that I'm on this forum again when I'm supposed to be reading a modern classic my student daughter recommended to me, so I can hardly talk.

42

No more pain sorrow or crying in new system!!!!!!!

by atomant in

"and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.

for the old world and its evils are gone forever.

" rev.

Xanthippe

Hello lanalonger. When you say you will learn to cope with losing impermanent things when you're in paradise I just wondered if you include the people here on this forum and your nonJW relatives, neighbours, and colleagues in that?

You can only suffer by continuing to tell yourself a ‘story’ about how a certain thing should not have happened, how terrible it is, how you’ll never get over it, etc.
No negative mind chatter, no suffering.
I think the saying that encompasses it goes like this, ‘pain is inevitable, misery is optional.'

So we’ll experience the gamut of human feelings, but we’ll have learned to reframe them in emotionally healthy ways, to not ‘attach’ unhealthily and to be able to ‘let go’ when the situation calls for it.

Also it surprises me that someone who's done so much reading on human psychology, albeit pop psychology and has been in the JWs since before '75 still wanted to get reinstated after a 'break' out of the religion. Why did you go back I wonder? And welcome to the forum.

133

What are the biggest holes in evolution?

by shadow in

how honest are the proponents of evolution?

idk but curious to see what type of response there is on a topic like this or does their study only seek to confirm their preconceptions and ignore uncomfortable facts?

Xanthippe

As I see it, how can evolution be true and Adam also to have lived? And if there's no Adam there's no fall. And if no fall, there is no need for an atonement, so there is no need of Christ nor any reason for the resurrection. - Cold Steel

Exactly. If you stop there what you say makes perfect sense. But if you see this as a hole in evolution, that it removes the need for Jesus then you are going round in circles. Just stop and try and absorb this logical thought of yours and what it means.

32

What are the biggest holes in the ransom sacrifice?

by Half banana in

how honest are the proponents of jesus as the ransom sacrifice?.

curious to see what type of response there is on a topic like this or does their study only seek to confirm their preconceptions and ignore uncomfortable facts?.

Xanthippe

The story should be read back to front. Basically one of the so-called messiahs who came out of the heap of preachers in the first century became more popular than the others. He attracted the attention of the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans. They crucified him. It's what they did with difficult people, to put the fear of terrible death into the populace and keep them in line.

So now you have a whole group who were told their leader was bringing the Kingdom of God and now he was dead. What did they do? They put the Kingdom in heaven and said he was resurrected and would return to take them up to be with him. Then you create the ransom/redemption teaching so that it looks like the whole thing was planned. He had to die because of Adam and Eve's sin. This was all planned. The Romans just fulfilled prophecy when they killed him. It hasn't all gone wrong, everything is on track.

What are the holes in the story if taken at face value? If it was God who told Adam and Eve they would die for disobedience, why make imperfection hereditary so that everyone inherited old age and death? Why not make them die after they had children so that their kids were perfect? Or why not scrap that couple and start with another that could make a perfect race? Why make a law that forced him to kill his own son horribly when he could have said life for life doesn't apply here. This is a case of disobedience not murder. So many holes in this story it's like a Swiss cheese.

17

Do you ever contact those who shun you?

by Xanthippe in

do you ever test the water and see if your relatives or friends still feel the same way?

i don't have mobile phone numbers or email addresses for my family because we left a long time ago.

long before facebook.

Xanthippe

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and experiences.

17

Do you ever contact those who shun you?

by Xanthippe in

do you ever test the water and see if your relatives or friends still feel the same way?

i don't have mobile phone numbers or email addresses for my family because we left a long time ago.

long before facebook.

Xanthippe

Thank you Cofty. I remember your thread and how awful it was that your parents were still shunning you even though you were very ill. Did they keep in touch? I notice that your final post on the subject was they hadn't been in touch for six months.

Did it get to a point where it was just you phoning them and they just tolerated it as if you are not worthy of a phone call? I have been at that stage for some years and refuse to contact them anymore because it's disgusting being treated like that. I like your point that it made you feel better to tell them how you felt about their treatment of you. That might be what I need at this stage.