THE GLADIATOR

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Posts by THE GLADIATOR

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  8

  Is It Love? Or is it Selfishness?

  by JamesThomas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as jehovah's witnesses, we are programmed to believe that what we do is out of love.

  love for god, our family and neighbors.

  this sounds good and it feels good.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Good to hear from you James. Anything that is done with a reward in mind is selfish. In a material world, which includes animals the name of the game for each species is survival or extinction, so selfishness can be an essential survival tool.

  It’s interesting that even ants will sacrifice their own lives for the benefit if the nest, showing their awareness of a cause greater than their individual survival. As humans we call this altruism. For a human too act out of pure love requires surrender of the ego. I have sympathies with the Buddhist approach to this subject.
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  38

  Everyone has an opinion

  by sizemik in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the modern world everybody wants to be "politcally correct".

  but what they feel others want to hear.. in a way .

  it's a kind of deception.. well .

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Can't agree with Don Cherry entirely. Personally I think a Lorry battery would be better.
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  42

  Did YOU Change In Your Personality After You Left The Organization?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we knock a lot of things about the witnesses.

  i wonder if we're really all that much different in our personalities as exjws.. .

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  THE GLADIATOR

  It was easy for me.

  I never had a personality to begin with!
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  109

  The Value of a Godless World

  by cantleave in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  thought provoking.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a42rhvmnuaa&feature=uploademail.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  There is nothing wrong with the natural world and never has been, how could there be? There is no bench mark to measure it against. Life simply does what it has to in order to survive. It is a cruel organic world where all matter is recycled including living animals. This involves larger creatures devouring smaller creatures often while still alive. It has always been thus.

  Humans have created an artificial world that despite its benefits is not without its problems. It's convenient for humans to pretend that an invisible god is responsible for all the good and the bad in the world. Instead of humans seeking a solution to the world’s problems from their various gods they need to realize that they are the world’s problem.

  Forgive me but it's Friday and throwing my coin in the ring makes me feel alive!
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  161

  Theological Arguments, Human Realities

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as i have sunken to a new low in condescending posts (according to botchtowersociety, who truthfully is an expert on all things bullshit), it did occur to me that discussions, debates, and mud slinging insult matches on this board often have a common root.. let me put out there that i am not an atheist, nor an agnostic.

  frankly, i respect your right to believe that god is a trinity.

  that he is jesus.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Sulla I have read this thread with interest but without comment so far. Your remark to AllTimeJeff a respected and polite poster, was totally uncalled for.

  I no longer have any interest in what you have to say. You have proved to me that whatever your beliefs they are not desirable.
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  50

  "All religious belief distills down to faith in utterly unprovable stories."

  by Franklin Massey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i read this today on the board and want to ask, is the statement true?.

  all religious belief distills down to faith in utterly unprovable stories.

  i feel this way sometimes.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Some interesting viewpoints have been expressed in this thread. A growing number of people such as Tammy/Tec have gone freelance. I find it an understandable position to adopt but as soon as the name Christ Jesus is used, an association with the establish Christian Church is too strong to be dismissed. Perhaps it would be better to come up with another name that is not tarnished.

  Like many others I do not believe in a personal god who can be named and spoken to with words. I am bemused by the idea that an almighty being needs a name such as Allah, Zeus, Jehovah, Christ, Yahweh or any hybrid version of bible based names. ‘God Almighty’ will do just fine to identify the concept of such a being.

  Although many cannot bring themselves to invest in God at present or any religion, that does not mean they are all materialists who are presumptuous enough to declare that there is no unifying invisible intelligence at work throughout the universe. If there is, it would be an impartial, unemotional awareness that bears no resemblance to earthbound creatures - certainly not man.

  Many of us have spent much of our lives seeking, praying and searching. What we have discovered is a beautiful planet inhabited by both wonderful and terrible people but no sign of God. Some of us keep an open mind but alas I am not optimistic and no longer search for God. That does not mean I have abandoned my spiritual journey. It means I am travelling a different path.
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  269

  The Hubble, Yahweh, the Bible, and faith.

  by Nickolas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been several threads in which the views of the universe provided by the hubble space telescope have been discussed.

  i guess this will be another one.

  there's a new series being broadcast here in canada on the oasis hd nature channel entitled hubble's canvas.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  AGuest From the last page..."To the contrary, dear Glad (peace to you, as well, dear one): it's the little people who DON'T contend for such but merely walk by faith, and so receive the "reward." The "big" people are those who, perhaps like you... think God's owes THEM something (rather that realizing that it's them who owe HIM... for the sacrifice of His Son... by means of which YOU can live, just like the "little people.")"

  Thank you for trying to straighten me out but I am afraid you have mistaken me for someone else. I do not believe that there is a god who talks to humans or offers them anything more than they already have, that is a short, uncertain life on earth. If the universe is pervaded by a powerful invisible intelligence it would be too important to discuss its plans with me.

  The idea that my ego is large enough to allow me to think that such a being owes me something is preposterous beyond words. The idea that such a being would owe me something if I walked by faith is even more alarming. If we have enough faith or belief in anything, the mind is capable of making our hope an internal, subjective, reality.

  Whether a king, queen, pauper or gladiator all humans are little people. Unable to accept this, some entertain the idea of a personal god that will talk to them if they have enough faith and that faith leads to everlasting life. It’s a big and ambitious plan for people who cannot accept the insignificance of their existence. I envy you your illusion. You should treasure it for reality is not so gentle or rewarding.
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  38

  New light emerging?

  by breakfast of champions in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so, just recently ( i believe it was the september 1 wt) there was the thought that only the "incorrigibly wicked" will be destroyed at armageddon.

  at the recent visit of the co, several times he brought up the idea that the "great crowd" will be far more people than just the 7m jws on earth today.

  all my life i was raised thinking only jws would be the gc, and the other 99.9% of humanity would be fertilizer.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  I do hope this is not true. Imagine stroking wild beasts for eternity and living on fruit in a world full of watchtower slaves.

  I am quite looking forward to fighting to the death at the battle of Armageddon. Better a good death than a life of slavery.
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  269

  The Hubble, Yahweh, the Bible, and faith.

  by Nickolas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been several threads in which the views of the universe provided by the hubble space telescope have been discussed.

  i guess this will be another one.

  there's a new series being broadcast here in canada on the oasis hd nature channel entitled hubble's canvas.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Why is someone like me less worthy of such favourable treatment?

  No need to feel left out Sizemik, like me you are one of the little people.

  The bible would not have made such a romping good yarn if the Hebrew desert god had send Moses to do his conjuring tricks for a sizemik. Now a Pharaoh makes the story so much more important and the desert god out to be better than royalty. Every plot needs to have the hero succeeding against a powerful enemy and impossible odds.

  If it's a bible story then the hero is aided by his god. In Greek/Roman mythology they each had many gods, which I find a lot more exciting in a good thriller.
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  16

  Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

  by THE GLADIATOR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

  a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

  im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Tammy: "Sometimes I just don't know which is the right thing to do, speak or not speak."

  Sometimes it is a difficult call. Careless words can cause a lot of people to get hurt, even those who have done nothing wrong.

  We have to balance the good it will do against the upset it will cause. Then ask what our motive is for speaking out.

  By the way - I'm off on a walking holiday in a few hours and will be incommunicado for 10 days.