Obviously there is no purpose because we evolved, except perhaps to be happier than our parents, the previous generation etc. Social evolution in other words. That may mean however a great deal of effort to work out what exactly makes homo sapiens happy. And you thought the origin of life was a deep question!
Xanthippe
JoinedPosts by Xanthippe
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583
What is the purpose of life?
by slimboyfat inwhile reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.
because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".
i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.
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66
When you were fully in, did you believe that you would not die?
by TTWSYF ini know that it must seem silly to ask, but my brother and his family think that the big a will arrive before they die.
i tried to explain to my brother that everyone else who has ever lived in the past has died and only jesus has [physically] rose from the dead.. it is amazing that anyone could buy that line.
what crazy cult culture that could make people believe such nonsense?!.
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Xanthippe
Yes I did believe I wouldn't die. I believed in the new system. Why would anyone stay in that miserable religion if they really didn't believe it?
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I'm Going to Break Up with My Boyfriend Today
by LaurenM inso like the title suggests, i'm going to break up with my boyfriend today.
it's for several reasons, but mostly because i'm not prepared for a relationship.
i need to grow and learn what it's like to be me now that i'm not a jw and learn how to love myself so i don't make the person i am with miserable.
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Xanthippe
Lauren think of yourself as the most important person in the world. Cook yourself beautiful tasting, healthy food. Buy yourself flowers. Go to places to see beautiful scenery whenever you can, or interesting cities if that's your thing.
Stop whenever you can and have a coffee at a cafe and read a magazine or newspaper of your choice. Listen to your favourite music always even if you have to do cleaning or laundry. Go to the cinema and watch movies you know you'll love.
This works believe me. I know life is busy but we can all fit in enjoyable things. If you treat yourself as if you are loved you will find you don't miss others showing you love quite so much.
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What novels have you been reading recently? Recommend any?
by LoveUniHateExams ini've always been a bit of a reader - but only reading about topics i find interesting, e.g.
natural history, dinosaurs, etc.. recently i've started to select, buy and read novels.. this year i've bought and read frankenstein (mary shelly), dracula (bram stoker), the hound of the baskervilles (a. conan doyle), 'salem's lot (stephen king), jurassic park (michael crichton) and the firm (john grisham).. i have an inclination towards horrors and thrillers.. what fiction have you been reading?.
could you recommend anything?.
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Xanthippe
I love Asimov's Foundation. Also Bicenntenial Man. I reread Second Foundation last year. What a treat.
I've been reading the Shetland detective books by Ann Cleeves recently.
I would recommend Solar, Saturday and Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.
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What do you think would have happened to you if...
by LevelThePlayingField inyou found out about ttatt way back in the 70's or maybe the 80's (basically before the internet) and you thought that you were all alone in this knowledge?
what do you think would have happened to you?
no jehovahs-witness.com, no john cedars, no arc, no jwfacts.com and no crisis of conscience to fall back on.
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Xanthippe
I left in 1989. My husband and I found CoC in the local library. We disassociated and all of our friends and my family shunned us. My husband's parents didn't shun us because his father was starting to realise it was all false and had got hold of a copy of CoC too.
It was very hard and very lonely. We got degrees and jobs eventually. After eight years we had saved enough to put a deposit on a small house where I still live with my daughter who has just graduated and is about to do her masters. She has many friends, I have two good friends and I get on well with my work colleagues.
My family still shun me but I'm used to it. Until four years ago when I came on this forum I hadn't spoken to exJWs or discussed the beliefs of the cult since leaving. We needed to move on.
Life is good, we travel around Europe, go to the theatre and enjoy life. There are birthday parties at home and at work, we can join in whatever we like. Christmastime, we have a big tree and meet up with friends in restaurants for meals. We never give the JWs a thought or their opinion of us.
Those that have exJW friends and have this forum when they leave are very lucky.
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Origin of Life
by cofty inin recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?
as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.
there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.
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Xanthippe
Xanthippe : " Ah yes JWs separate spirit and soul"
The Rebel: The O.P is " Origin of Life" but the question is raised on a ex JWs site, and I think comparatively few exiting JWs, have thought any deeper on the " Origin of Life" than watchtower literature. My point is for many, you leave the organisation on reasons of concience,then you scrabble to maintain your family connections, and then you get bewildered by the " Origin of Life."The Rebel, I'm trying to get a grip on what theists think now about the origin of life to be able to speculate how they would react to scientist finding how it originated in this planet. I think cofty is saying the big problem for creationists is they can't accept evolution without having the Origin of Life explained.
So is this life force that comes from God passed on from Adam and Eve or what? If that can be replicated by scientists (Or shown to have developed without need for God) then he's redundant.
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405
Origin of Life
by cofty inin recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?
as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.
there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.
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Xanthippe
Spirit pneuma is impersonal life-force. Soul nephesh is the living being.
Ah yes JWs separate soul and spirit. I remember now. They need to prove the Bible isn't talking about immortality but eternal life on Earth so they separate the two words, soul is the whole person and spirit is the life-force. I may be wrong but I don't think any other Christian religion does that.
I suppose this affects how theists would answer the op because if they're not JWs they probably see the spirit/ soul being the part that survives death and goes to heaven rather than being the life force that God put into cells and cannot be replicated by scientists.But then do they believe the life force, the élan vital, the 'ghost in the machine' is passed on from parent to child and originated with God putting it into Adam and Eve? I don't know not having attended a church after leaving the JWs.
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405
Origin of Life
by cofty inin recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?
as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.
there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.
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Xanthippe
What is the "spirit" the returns to god at death according to the Watchtower?
I thought JWs said this refers to the belief that the only hope for a resurrection of an individual lies with Jehovah. That he keeps in his memory the personality and memories of the individual so that he can bring him back to life. I remember they were very keen to ensure that nobody interpret this as a belief in a spirit or soul being immortal and going to heaven but the person is 'asleep' awaiting the resurrection.
I do remember they said God created Adam and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life which refers to some kind of animating force that only comes from God. Perhaps this is what cofty is remembering. They used Ancient Greek pneuma, breath of life, I remember. Which is confusing because Judaism and Christianity use this word to describe the soul or spirit but JWs are adamant it doesn't mean that.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneuma
How to untangle what they believe when their ideas are so confused!
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If anyone claimed that god speaks to them personally.....
by jambon1 inthey'd be viewed as completely mentally ill and laughed at.. so, how do the governing body get away with it?.
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Xanthippe
They get away with it by never admitting it happens yet dancing around the question of how big J guides their teachings. They are not inspired, the Watchtower is not inspired and yet if you deviate from their teachings one iota you can be disfellowshipped.
They really need someone to pin them down and say are you speaking for God or not? So how does god tell you what to say? But they'd be thrown out like Franz if they did that.
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Undecided
by Disassociated Lady 2 ini have recently been disfellowshipped (after being reinstated in march).
i saw a group of jws gathered in the town car park yesterday.
they seemed startled when they recognised my car and talked amongst themselves giving one another a satisfied grin!
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Xanthippe
It's up to you but I wouldn't give them the time of day. This tiny little cult is really beneath your notice so I would advise get out in the world, make friends, join a college course, volunteer, go on Meetup.com. Try and forget these ridiculous people. Show them they have no power over you by having a great life and leaving them behind. Believe me you will still be talked about .......... I saw her at the college, hotel, travel agent, wow she looked great and so happy ............. All the best to you.