THE GLADIATOR

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Posts by THE GLADIATOR

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  40

  What is Free Will really??

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  isn't that a movie about a boy and a whale?

  or a "big fish" maybe?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  We are only truly free when we accept that we will die and that will be the absolute end for each of us.

  Accepting that we will die no matter what we do, means that we can live as we truly wish to. Knowing that we are mortal allows us to make choices without being influenced by trying to investing in an afterlife.

  If we live in the hope of gaining the approval of a god, or any other being who can reward us, our choices will always be influenced by our desire to please that being. Jesus is reported to have said many times that he lived to carry out his fathers will not his own; that to follow him one had to become a slave. Muslims tell the same story with regard to Allah.

  Free will is the possesion of free men and women who know that the only reality is now and how we spend it our choice.
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  22

  Faith in God and the fear of death

  by Nickolas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in his book die zukunft einer illusion (the future of an illusion), sigmund freud described belief in god as a collective neurosis.

  he wrote that the religious impulse is essentially ineradicable until or unless the human species can conquer its fear of death and its tendency toward wish-thinking.. freud was a smart guy but he postulated a great deal on some things, fear of death in particular.

  he was a committed atheist but did see the benefit of belief in god for the jewish people, of which he was a member.. but did he get it right?

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  THE GLADIATOR

  I don't fear death - it's the end of both joy and pain.

  I regret death - it seems such a waste.
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  35

  Do you agree to disagree?

  by cyberjesus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sometimes in many conversations or debates, some people try to end it by saying "i agree to disagree".

  if you have an inquisitive mind and critical thinking, are you comfortable disagreeing about factual information?

  i am not referring to opinion.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Although I am sometimes overly sarcastic or critical on the forum in my persona as a gladiator, in real life I am rather more diplomatic. I would not agree to disagree because it is a way of agreeing that we disagree.

  My usual response is to say, that's an interesting take on things. Or, I'll have to give your comments some thought. Even, it will take me a while to get my head around that.

  My wife simply says, 'whatever' to any challenge or unwelcome comment. Most irritating! Thank you for letting me share.
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  89

  Thanks and Goodbye

  by brotherdan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i really do appreciate all the help you guys have given me in this process.

  but it's time for me to leave.

  it was time for me to leave the wt (at least in my mind) when it became damaging to me.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  brotherdan

  You are running from reality. Reality is the fact that people hold different opinions. Challenging them leads to enlightenment. The alternative is to only associate with those that support the views you have adopted.

  I hope you are able to sustain your illusions. Life without illusion is the path less travelled. More honest but less comfy.
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  48

  God created all things. Does that mean he is worthy of respect?

  by sabastious in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  revelation 4:11 - 11 you are worthy, our lord and god, .

  to receive glory and honor and power, .

  for you created all things, .

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  THE GLADIATOR

  brotherdan WE are the ones that rejected Him...It's pitiful, really.

  I never met him/her/it.

  Your pity is appreciated.
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  48

  God created all things. Does that mean he is worthy of respect?

  by sabastious in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  revelation 4:11 - 11 you are worthy, our lord and god, .

  to receive glory and honor and power, .

  for you created all things, .

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  THE GLADIATOR

  If God created all things then he would be worthy of acknowledgement. Respect is another matter. In between a risky birth and certain death, humans have not had an easy ride on this hostile planet.

  More day to day, hands on help from God and his hosts of angels would earn my respect.
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  16

  Why is it?

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought of this while working on my book project, and i realized i don't have a good answer.

  why is the jw leadership so intent on conformity in all areas of everyone's lives?

  lots of things they regulate have no religious significance.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  JeffT

  I know the obvious answer is control, but to what purpose?

  It's a divine mystery. Members are supposed to obey not question Jehovah's faithful & discreet slave, his very mouthpiece.

  You should go and stand in the corner just for asking!
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  20

  The Wheat and The Weeds

  by dssynergy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  does this parable apply to organizations (i.e, churches or religious groups) or individuals (you or i)?

  i know the jws say that they are the wheat...but the application of this doesn't ring true... any thoughts?

  ?.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  The parable applies to what ever you want it to.

  It can be literal, symbolic, spiritual or just remain a mystery. It may be an inspired parable or just a plain old farmers ramblings. Have fun!
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  35

  Why do we call Jehovah by his first name and not our parents?

  by life is to short in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i owe this question entirely to hadit but i cannot get this thought out of my head.

  all i heard growing up was that we have to call god jehovah because they are many god's, this way jehovah knows we are trying to speak to him.

  that is just one of many reasons the fds and wt say to why we much call him jehovah.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Why do we call Jehovah by his first name and not our parents?

  We? I don't call this god at all.

  I tried to put in him in a box next to my other gods but he could not be found; probably still drifting around the desert setting fire to bushes and showing off to Israelites.
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  111

  When God breaks his own laws

  by Nickolas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if one assumes that god made the universe it follows that he made it according to a very complex set of physical laws that determine how things work.

  the quest to identify and understand those physical laws is at the very forefront of science and great strides have been made over the past few centuries, in particular during the last century.

  we have known for only a few centuries that the earth rotates on its axis and orbits around the sun along with a number of other planets, more recently that the solar system is located in a radial arm of a spiral galaxy swirling around some enormous black hole.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  SweetBabyCheezits I have been following this thread and made only one comment. (Yisuman frightened me off. He has a bigger helmet than me!)

  You have articulated and reasoned with a logic and precision that I can only envy. There is no point in my attempting to contribute. No clarification is needed.

  Salute.

  PSacrameto and Tammy. Y'know I love you both. It's just that I am on walking a different path to you.