THE GLADIATOR

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Posts by THE GLADIATOR

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  97

  Another question, if I may...

  by AGuest in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  and may you all have peace!

  this is another general question for the board and i ask your indulgence because i am trying to understand how others think.

  if there truly is no god/god... what is wrong with the existence of religion?

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  THE GLADIATOR

  shechaiyah - It’s gracious of you to still talk to me after I likened you to a spider losing legs.

  Glad you are still around.
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  41

  "the wife should have deep respect for her husband" (Eph 5:33)

  by Wonderment in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  does anyone here think this command still applies in force today as it did 2000 years ago?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  There's not much in the bible that makes any sense to me but this edict from Paul, that most modest of men, is as apt and timely as his advice that wives should be submissive and in subjection, being as they are the weaker vessel.
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  97

  Another question, if I may...

  by AGuest in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  and may you all have peace!

  this is another general question for the board and i ask your indulgence because i am trying to understand how others think.

  if there truly is no god/god... what is wrong with the existence of religion?

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Frank Sinatra, when asked what he thought of religion famously said, “ I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer , tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels. ”

  Alcohol and religion induce illusion and many people, including me, need a little illusion in their life. Religion has done much harm but also provided millions of people with hope and comfort. They died believing they would live forever in heaven and once dead were incapable of realizing they had been tricked.

  The Roman Catholic confessional was a cunning plan to make the church money. On the other hand it enable people, for a small fee, to go on their way feeling validated, redeemed and free from the burden of guilt. Psychotherapy provides a similar service. Religion, like many of the crutches used to help us through life, can be a force for good or bad. Used in moderation it is likely a positive force and provides a social and spiritual service for the community and individuals.

  Many times on this forum I have said that I have no problem with people believing that a loving god is watching and caring for them. If it helps them to be more loving, so be it. I also envy people who are able to have faith that they will survive physical death. Alas without a belief in a god I shall have to stick with Sinatra’s plan ‘c.’

  A slave of life who won his freedom then lost the plot.
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  127

  Why I Shouldn't Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth

  by XJW4EVR in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  when i was a jw, the key issue that caused me to doubt the wt was the trinity.

  the wtb&ts's blatent misquotations and misrepresentations of religious scholarship to fit their anti-trinitarian presuppositions are horrid and inexcusable.

  that issue, however, was not the issue that caused me to become a christian.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  As XJW4EVR has repeated his little rant I will repeat my retort.

  Ah! We have seen this tactic used many times. Start a discussion about faith. Then however polite and reasonable the responses, accuse the non-believers of being unpleasant.

  Absolute proof that only those that believe in the resurrection are decent people. The Jehovah's Witnesses use this ploy all the time. Such a Christian approach!
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  17

  What Changed? I Did. You Did. (or, there is a reason Apostates are angry)

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  (for the purposes of this post, i want to say that being angry, though a real emotion, is not healthy if it continues to fester inside you.

  i think anger is reasonable if it helps you to move on from point a to point b. in addition, because of the real issues anger can bring, if you feel that after many years you are still angry over your jw experience, i strongly encourage therapy.

  long term anger is destructive to the individual).

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  THE GLADIATOR

  AK - Jeff I read though your post earlier and missed how well written and insightful it was. I just read it again three times.

  I guess we all hide behind our armour and pretend we are tougher than we really are. We come here because we can never forget. For me, what I miss most is how much I loved so many of the people I shared a hope for the future with.

  I will never love that way again.
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  17

  What Changed? I Did. You Did. (or, there is a reason Apostates are angry)

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  (for the purposes of this post, i want to say that being angry, though a real emotion, is not healthy if it continues to fester inside you.

  i think anger is reasonable if it helps you to move on from point a to point b. in addition, because of the real issues anger can bring, if you feel that after many years you are still angry over your jw experience, i strongly encourage therapy.

  long term anger is destructive to the individual).

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Anger is a good and positive emotion. It moves us to action. It is life saving and life changing.

  Once it has served its purpose, like any emotion, it needs to rest. It will always be there to call upon should the view of the world that we have come to depend upon be challenged. Until then life is for living.
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  127

  Why I Shouldn't Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth

  by XJW4EVR in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  when i was a jw, the key issue that caused me to doubt the wt was the trinity.

  the wtb&ts's blatent misquotations and misrepresentations of religious scholarship to fit their anti-trinitarian presuppositions are horrid and inexcusable.

  that issue, however, was not the issue that caused me to become a christian.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  XJW4EVR WHat I have gotten in return is name-calling, insults and condescension.

  Ah! We have seen this tactic used many times.

  Start a discussion about faith. Then however polite and reasonable the responses, accuse the non-believers of being unpleasant. Absolute proof that only those that believe in the resurrection are decent people. The Jehovah's Witnesses use this ploy all the time. Such a Christian approach!
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  19

  How do you solve a problem like....um...JESUS' IDENTITY?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the musical the sound of music, a convent of nuns sings a song about how indefinable a character maria is and the problems she causes their order.. first they describe the things she does which leads to the problems she causes:.

  i met a man who wasnt there.

  a little man who wasnt there.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Identifying Jesus is only a problem to those that believe a dead man still lives. To those that accept that he lived and died like all humans there is no problem.

  Attempting to convince non-believers is the greatest test of faith and also a great way to strengthen faith. The greatest task is elevating Jesus to god status and selling this package to the world.

  Without a living Jesus, there is no kingdom and no resurrection to heavenly bliss. I often wonder whether those that spend so much time trying to convince others that Jesus lives are really trying to convince themselves.
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  127

  Why I Shouldn't Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth

  by XJW4EVR in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  when i was a jw, the key issue that caused me to doubt the wt was the trinity.

  the wtb&ts's blatent misquotations and misrepresentations of religious scholarship to fit their anti-trinitarian presuppositions are horrid and inexcusable.

  that issue, however, was not the issue that caused me to become a christian.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  I wrote this yesterday but decided not to post it. In view of AllTimeJeff’s post it seems appropriate to post it to show that great minds think alike.

  XJW4EVR asks ‘ My question to atheists, agnostics & sceptics is simple. ‘Why shouldn't I believe in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?’

  There is no logical answer to such a question. You can believe in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth or anything you want to. Roman and Greek mythology is full of tales of resurrections, gods and things that go bump in the night. Read through it and believe it all if you want. The only question that can be asked is - Why should I believe in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?
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  78

  God exists? God doesn't? God is a different concept? Convince me!

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am in a spiritual void at the moment after a year out of the borg and 50 years in.. i'd like to hear 'brief' evidence for the existance or non existance of god/s without an argument between members here.. i'd like to get fresh view points as mine is now so critical it's telling me to be an agnostic or atheist.

  why?

  i am in want of evidence, not just words from a copy/paste troll & no links.. i just want to open up to new possibilities but with evidence to support it not just 'faith'..

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  THE GLADIATOR

  JamesThomas

  It is good to see you posting again. I once said that your posts were worth all the others put together.

  My mind has not changed.