I don't think it's meant to be complicated. If there were a creator deity who wanted us to recognize Its existence and worship It, It would not expect us to search half of our lives or go through intellectual gymnastics to arrive at Its existence. Instead, this deity (if it were rational) would simply create us with an innate belief in a creator deity along with a need to worship It which, coincidentally or not, is exactly the way most people are. The vast majority of human beings on this planet believe in some sort of creator God, whether they are monotheists, polytheists or animists. Atheists may have always existed too, but they have been an extremely small minority until recently.
Rainbow_Troll
JoinedPosts by Rainbow_Troll
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56
"There is evidence of a Creator if you just look for it"
by unsure in(for the record, i’m agnostic who is earnestly seeking an objective, honest and concrete hope for something greater).
“there is evidence of a creator if you just look for it”.
many of us have heard similar sentences from believers regarding proof of creator, proof that their religion is the correct one, proof that their particular sect is the right one, proof that their individual sects interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one, proof that their own personal interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one; the list goes on.. in one of my previous posts, i shared the following thought of mine:.
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Have You Found Your Place in the World?
by Rainbow_Troll inwe were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.
we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.
obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.
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Rainbow_Troll
PunkofNice, even if there is no life after death everything we do matters because the consequences of what we do today will ripple forth into eternity. If I hurt somebody and they carry that with them for the rest of their life, they will most likely take out their pain on others who will start the cycle anew ad infinitum. This is what Buddha meant when he said that there is the deed, but no doer; we die, but our deed (our karma) lives on for eternity, life after life. But, if I resist the urge to take out my pain on others then that bad karma ends with me and the future will be a little better than the past. BTW, our sun will not go nova for a few billion years yet, plenty of time for humans to get off the planet and find a new sun.
Giordana, that quote from 'The True Believer' really hit home; I see a lot of myself in it. I read that book years ago, but I guess I better read it again. There is definitely an inner fanatic, an imperious puritan in me that sees all pleasure as trivial at best and not worth indulging in. It doesn't help that most of things that normal people take pleasure in (drugs, music, sex, shopping) do little or nothing for me. Maybe I need to learn to enjoy myself in whatever way I can.
As if reality were responding to my last comment about women, I saw a cute girl today with a black bob who was neither overweight or, apparently, a tweaker.
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The Modern Mind
by towerwatchman inwe believe in marx freud and darwin.
we believe everything is ok as long as you don’t hurt anyone to the best of your definition of hurt, and to the best of your knowledge.. we believe in sex before, during, and after marriage.. we believe in the therapy of sin.. we believe that adultery is fun.. we believe that sodomy’s ok.. we believe that taboos are taboo.. we believe that everything’s getting better despite evidence to the contrary.. the evidence must be investigated, and you can prove anything with evidence.. we believe there’s something in horoscopes, ufo’s and bent spoons.. jesus was a good man just like buddha, mohammed, and ourselves.. he was a good moral teacher though we think, his good morals were bad.. we believe that all religions are basically the same-at least the one that we read was.. they all believe in love and goodness.. they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, god, and salvation.. we believe that after death comes the nothing, because when you ask the dead what happens.
they say nothing.. if death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its compulsory heaven for all excepting perhaps.
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Rainbow_Troll
This is why I hate modern 'poetry'.
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Have You Found Your Place in the World?
by Rainbow_Troll inwe were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.
we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.
obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.
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Rainbow_Troll
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies.
Well, being in my early 30s I am not exactly young, but not old either. I tend to feel more rapport with those who are older than me: mostly people in their 50s and 60s. Yes, life definitely improves as you get older. I would not want to be 21 again; let alone a teenager!
I do know a few people near to my age that aren't drug addicts, but they are just as alienated from society as me. Both are virtual shut-ins who only leave the house to get groceries. They are fun to hang out with, but they aren't going anywhere in life: no jobs, no girlfriends, no ambition at all.
I really can't blame them, though. The jobs here are scarce, low-paying and terrible. Most of women are either overweight or they are tweakers (methamphetamine addicts) with missing teeth and lesions on their faces (they look a lot like zombies after a while).The only venues for socializing are sports bars and churches; but the bars aren't upscale pubs like Cheers, they are dank, dimly lit and so noisy you can't hear yourself speak.
I guess I'm living in the wrong place but, at the moment, I can't afford to leave unless I want to be a hobo.
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Have You Found Your Place in the World?
by Rainbow_Troll inwe were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.
we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.
obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.
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Rainbow_Troll
We were all told when we were in the Watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family. We were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in. Obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today. My question is: have you found the Watchtower's warning to be an empty threat meant to keep you penned in or has it turned out to be prophetic?
Speaking for myself, I am in the latter category. While I still far prefer the cold indifference of the world to the stifling meddlesomeness of the bOrg, I've found the Watchtower's evaluation of worldly life to be largely accurate: Life IS meaningless. Most of the young people I know ARE drug addicts. I don't have a relationship with anyone, but those who do don't seem to derive any lasting happiness from them; it's just a lot of passionate sex in the beginning followed swiftly by fighting, cheating and bitterness. Most people I know, in one way or another, are simply hedonists with no goals, ethics or spirituality.
Personally, I hate BOTH lifestyles. I hate puritanical religions and their schizophrenic fantasies, but I also hate the nihilistic way of life that I see so many atheists leading. I've personally found my own alternative beyond that false dichotomy, but what I have yet to find is a community I could join that shares some of my values. Has anyone here had any luck in this regard? Do you have any suggestions?
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I need your opinions and recommendations please.
by bola inafter my exit from the watchtower shunning cult, i have received tons of invitations from different churches.
but because i am aware of religious cults, i need recommendations of churches that are not cults at all.
after exiting the watchtower cult, i don't want to fall into another religious cults.
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Rainbow_Troll
LideIsNotOver: Even seeing "god" capitalized makes me shudder with distaste.
Then perhaps you should consider Satanism.
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I need your opinions and recommendations please.
by bola inafter my exit from the watchtower shunning cult, i have received tons of invitations from different churches.
but because i am aware of religious cults, i need recommendations of churches that are not cults at all.
after exiting the watchtower cult, i don't want to fall into another religious cults.
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Rainbow_Troll
I recommend the Church of the Subgenius.
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Anthony Morris - The Higher Education Broadcast
by pale.emperor inlast night i had jw broadcasting on in the background while i was working, i like to keep up to date with their crap.
which is strange because when i actually was a jw i hated reading or watching their material.. anyway, on the streaming section, anthony morris comes on screen telling me that higher education is bad and "the better the university, the greater the danger".
i never would have believed it if i hadn't seen him say it myself.
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Rainbow_Troll
BluesBrother9 minutes agoO k , suppose one is not a muscular building site type of person? Many people just would not fit this lifestyle . I would not. I suppose they are doomed to low level office clerk jobs or retail assistants???...
Exercise. Start eating lots of barley and lifting weights. Effeminate men will not inherit Jehovah's kingdom (1 Cor 6:9). The professions are for weak, effeminate men who try to overcompensate by becoming 'intellectual' and going to college. If Jehovah wanted us to think, he wouldn't have given us all those rules to follow. Thinking for yourself is what Satan wants. You wanna be Satan's slave? No? Then stop trying to be better than everyone and bulk up!
It must truly sadden Jehovah to see all these silly doctors, lawyers and scholars who would have made perfectly good plumbers. What a waste...
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Prison chaplain.
by quellycatface ini'm rather gobsmacked to hear that an elder in my ex congregation has been appointed a prison chaplain (in the uk).
the reason for my disbelief, is that, this particular prison is for "schedule 1" offenders - covering sex crimes, child abuse/paedophilia and even downloading child pornography.
the reason for my reaction is that he has at least 9 "disciples" who have a bible study but i cannot help but think that when they are released, they will be part of a congregation, where they will have access to children and vulnerable people?
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Rainbow_Troll
Now, now, you musn't hold anything against your brothers on the grounds of a sexual orientation they have no control over. I mean, it's not as if these pedosexuals ('pedophile' is a hate word) just woke up one day and thought to themselves: "An exclusive attraction to prepubescent children sounds like a happy way to live. I'll give it a try!"
The WB&TS accepts homosexuals, so why not pedosexuals? We are all sinners anyways and, the penalty for any sin being death, Jehovah evidently regards all sins as equally serious. I think this being down on pedosexuals pose is just your way of feeling superior to them so you don't have to deal with your own sins. Be humble before Jehovah and admit that you are not a lick better than these pedosexuals you so condemn. Judge not lest ye be judged.
As for the children? Leave it in Jehovah's able hands. He creates and manages an entire universe; don't you think he can handle a few sex offenders? If children were taught the importance of chastity, they wouldn't allow themselves to be seduced in the first place.
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Anthony Morris - The Higher Education Broadcast
by pale.emperor inlast night i had jw broadcasting on in the background while i was working, i like to keep up to date with their crap.
which is strange because when i actually was a jw i hated reading or watching their material.. anyway, on the streaming section, anthony morris comes on screen telling me that higher education is bad and "the better the university, the greater the danger".
i never would have believed it if i hadn't seen him say it myself.
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Rainbow_Troll
"We wont need doctors or lawyers after armageddon, but we WILL need carpenters and plumbers!!".
LOL! That is just golden...
But seriously, he's right. Worldly knowledge just makes people haughty and cynical. It's really a pity that the society relies so much on written material for its ministry. If JWs were just completely illiterate, they would never be in danger of learning anything. But even so, there are some practical steps any parent can take to reduce the chances of their child growing up to be an educated adult:
- No home internet access. The slight convenience isn't worth the inherent danger. Who needs JW.org when we still have all the printed material? The same goes for smart phones; get your kids one of those stripped down walkie-talkie phones instead.
- No library card. My mom came up with this brilliant idea. Instead of having my own library card, I would present my finds to her and, if she approved of the reading material, she would use HER library card to check them out.
- No private schooling or tutoring. As a JW, you probably can't afford it anyways; but it needs to be said. Public school curriculums are more than sufficient for learning the skills your child will need to become a successful pioneer. However, be sure to choose the right district. Some of the more haute taute schools actually teach things like science, philosophy and (horrors! ) evolution! A good thing to look for are expressions of boredom and apathy in both the students and faculty. If your children don't seem enthusiastic about learning and don't discuss their school day without encouragement from you, you've found a winner.
- Chores. Make your kids perform hard labor as soon as they get home. The more exhausted they are physically, the less energy they will have available for thought. Also, make sure they don't get more than five hours of sleep on school nights. Combine this regimen with a low protein diet and lots of junk food and your kids will have no chance of acquiring a good education no matter what kind of school they end up attending.