Posts by Bugbear

23

Can a religion claim: Only we have the truth?

by Kalos in

truth is self-evident (things like: the whole is greater than its part ....).. truth is always right (things like: caring for the accident victim helplessly bleeding on the road ....).. claiming: only we have the truth is like claiming: only my university is useful.

history shows that many school/college drop-outs have made significant contributions to the society like many those who completed their education!

and on the contrary, many school/college drop-outs have made significant damage to the society like some of those who completed their education!

Bugbear

Kalos

You say basically that all religions and mind set with a higher spirit (ghost, daemon) above humanity must be to our advantage, since we feel responsibility to these ghosts? But what about if this “mind set just is a mind crack?

Quote: means one who values God more than His things!)

But if this god doesn´t exist.

From an atheist point of view there are no rational fact that proves the existence of a God or creator. Meaning that an atheist think that all these ideas of daemons, ghosts, spirits are all fabrications in our mind (like nightmares, or dreams).

Would you use your dreams to improve the world? Wouldn´t it be far more logic and less risky to use your intellectual mind, study proof able facts to investigate the world and then use these proof able facts to enlighten your fellow humans. This rather than using some old scriptures, interpreted by a large numbers of Prophets, with various ideas about moral ethics.

If you chose to believe, ideas picked up in old scriptures, ancient prophets, modern interpreters (priests) or even Philosophers, it could end up with the IS, Taliban’s, or Jonestown.

Bugbear

280

the flood, mammoths, elphants, and food.

by Crazyguy in

my question is since it looks as though mammoths were alive after the flood and we know elephants are then how much food was needed to feed just these four animals for the time they were on the ark.

also was the ark, 500 feet long, big enough to hold the amount of food needed for just these 4 animals.. .

.

Bugbear

From an historical point of view the flood believers have great trouble in making it possible that the Bible time schedule could be correct. The WBTS, are saying that the flood took place in or about 4300 years ago.

Historians have known that since Champollion 200 years ago cracked the Hieroglyphics from the ancient Egypt, They are written on stone full proof that Pharaoh Menes build his grave tombs in the pyramids in the year of 2470 BC. These letters are written in stones no paper or parchment or papyrus that have been destroyed several thousand years ago and re-written, translated vanished and rewritten, translated over and over again. These hieroglyphics are still existing in originals plates and they tells us chronicals (as in the Bible) in order of all the Pharaohs that have existed from the “old kingdom” to the third dynasty.

Now, how could Pharaoh build the pyramids, which must have several thousands of stone workers only a few years after the flood when only 8 people survived? Did good provide pharaoh with another “miracle”? In fact Menes also mentions the name of his forefather, which was not Noah or any of his sons.

Bugbear

48

Modern Morality .

by jhine in

jw
friends

having recently been posting on a thread about ot moral values , which are not widely "appreciated " to say the least , i have been thinking about our modern morals about sex and reletionships , or more acurately the lack of any sexual morals todays .

i don't think that we are better off as a society which has gone so far to the do want you want , with whom you want and when you want approach to sexual ethics as we have .

i don't think that women are actually liberated by this attitude .

Bugbear

40 years ago, when I was 26, I attended a number of weddings between teenagers 16-19 years of age. Several of the couples had to apply for special license, to marry, since the law in northern Europe didn´t permit that young couple to marry. You must be at least 18 years in this area of the world. The obvious reason for these couples to marry fast, was sexual frustration! They were JW,s and was not allowed to masturbate nor to have “boy or girl friends”. 9 months after their “marriage” there was a child borne. 2-3 years later, these couples were all separated. None of these families are still in “the truth”. I know still some of these children that that never had the “love feelings” from their parents that every child has the right to expect.

In some cultures or “civilization” it is still “morally accepted” that girls are “given away” to older men at the age of 10-12 .

The sexuality of men and woman, forces us to do things that we know are “morally” bad. This according to what we have learned from our childhood. But the moral standard varies from place to place. I think that the WTBS standard causes more problem both for men and woman and children. To be open minded and openly discuss our sexuality and behavior will improve that men, women, and children will understand this strange mechanism that arouses from our hormones and obviously are a very essential part of both animals and humans.

Bugbear

50

Question for the nonbelievers and atheists

by nykid in

what specifically made you stop believing in god and the bible?

was it a steady road of doubts or it was reading one book or one major event that made you realize the bible was not what it's claimed to be?.

.

Bugbear

I was baptized 1973. I had a lot of questions unanswered. Questions about the cruelty of God. The possibility of the flood, how can the sun be “stopped” (several hours). Why could God send Jesus to earth as a ransom for our sins. And how could we benefit from his death when we had him killed.

All these questions hummed around in my head, but I had a feeling that it was not appropriate to start discussions about it. So I kept quiet. Whit in a few years I become an elder, and had a large family with lots of friends. This makes your responsibility even greater. You must keep the flock together. And if you are an elder with a large family and a full time job, the society keeps you so busy that you cannot even think one thought for yourselves.

Everything ended up with 4-5 hearth strokes, high blood pressure, and a long time putted on the sick list. Now I was liberated from field service, from book studies, from having speeches in KH and assembly halls. My own thinking started to come back to me again. I entered a University for 3 years. I took my PhD in field of History of Science and Ideas, with other subject like archeology, and Egyptology.

With this as a background, and the greater part of my family out of the borg. I know that my first doubts was very right, and that the bible cannot be regarded as a “light from God”. First I started to fade, but the more the brothers paid their “visits” to me to get me on track again, they understood that I had got all the education that the soc. is to anxious not to let the other friends have. So they “banned” everyone in my congregation to pay me a visit. Even other friends from other parts our country, don’t dare visit me. Not even CO,s… of witch I know many.

Its only my wife who is still in. I understand it must be a terrible situation for her…. But one must stand up and tell TTATT, even if it hurts sometime

Bugbear

26

Jesus as a Ransom for Humans or not

by fulltimestudent in

i have not got an answer (theoretical or not) to the above question.. but the main text book (introducing the new testament- its literature and theology - achtemeier, green and thompson) for my study unit (early christian literature and thought) in the assigned reading for today's lecture on the gospel of john, has a section on the ransom.

it says (p. 237): one of the few passages that explicitly speaks of jesus dying for others is mark 10:45:.

"for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.. .

Bugbear

Fulltimestudent

I am sorry to say that your head is full of hay. Very old reasoning from very early age, demanded sacrifices to mollify the Gods. People took for granted that the Gods were angry with us and that they wanted humans, bullocks, birds, goats to be killed. But think of the moral and etic philosophy behind these thoughts. Think in this way:

The very GOD has a one borne son who lives nearby him in “the heavens”.

His Creation down on earth has failed, all people are evil. So he kills everyone (except 8) in order to put everything right again!?

Creation fails again. He sends prophets to earth to tell them that all humans must repent.

When humans does not do what he tells them, he order his one borne son to go down to earth and offer his live as a ransom for those who believe his preaching.

Humans kills his son in a bestial way. They spit on him humiliate him. And when I finally dies he shouts “father forgive them, they don´t know what they are doing.

And now all humans are in a much better position in front of their God.

The logic fallacies are quite obvious in the above reasoning. A “father” will not kill no one of his sons. It must be even harder for him to forgive the human race since they obviously did not listen to his one borne son. If he murders his creation in thousands, he is not a good god. He is more like a little boy that destroys his pet, and toys just for fun! It is quite a miracle that not all humans can realize that these thoughts, are coming from very old tribe dogma. Hope that you don’t mind me saying that “all our heads” are stuffed with hay.

Bugbear

104

If you don't believe in God, Jesus, and everything in the Bible, you are willfully ignorant.

by defender of truth in

ablebodiedman posted~ 10 mins ago (8/16/2014).

post 741 of 741. .

"i absolutely 100% believe in god, jesus christ and everything recorded in the bible.. the reason why is because of the overwhelming amount of evidence.. there is so much evidence that it has taken me years to examine what has cemented my own convictions.".

Bugbear

I believe in St.Claus. I have even seen him and beein sitting in his knees. I got presents from him several year. But since my dad diead he has not been coming any longer. I guess he must have been one of dads friends.

Bugbear

61

I know there is NO GOD

by jam in

isis, plain and simple.

if there is a god there is no way he.

would allow this to occur (beheading of james foley).

Bugbear

How came evil into the world and what has religion to do with it? This is the greatest philosophical question that you all must at least try to get a theory about before we all departure. This is one I have found rather ok.

Evolution creates lots of different species, among the finally humans. To survive, humans learn quickly how to strike first. Only those who´s got that talent, will eat and breed. But humans also are depending on a pack, a tribe, and a lot of other humans to help them just survive. When you have a pack of wolves r horses, or hens or whatever, always the strongest takes the lead. The strongest have a feeling that they must control the others in the gang, this in fact due to the risk of themselves being killed by some other from their own pack or to be overpowered from another nearby pack.

Now the constant war is on. Some of the leaders are( in many cases) mentally disturbed. They have Psychopathy, Asperger’s (high function) or just know that they must continue to lead their people. They need the help from a supranational power , which can kill, destroy any enemy and have the right to do it. They use “their god” to convince their people – that god is with us – you don’t have to fear anything if you just do as I tell you…..

World wars and enormous killing can start…..

I feel pity for all humans that are forced into this tragedy

Bugbear

42

Not on jw.org - comments regarding bad Jehovah's Witness employees

by jwfacts in

i used to be very impressed with convention experiences regarding how worldly employers would hire jws because they were known as the most honest workers.

i was too indoctrinated to realise these were selective experiences, and there are plenty of experiences of jws being dishonest in the workforce.

i have received a couple recently by email.. i have cut quite a bit out of the following email i received so that the person and company cannot be indentified, but you will get the message.. .

Bugbear

My experiences being an employee of “a brother” owned company is that some brothers engage JW, so that they don’t have to follow the labor marked laws.

In my case a brother with lot of money wanted to expand his business to another city. And he couldn´t think of using any worldly person as an executive and leader of this expansion. So I was asked to take my family to this new city in another part of the land and set up this business. Since it was a risky operation, I was told to keep my salary expectations as low as possible, with a promise that as soon as the business was established I would be his companion and part-owner on 50/50% basis. Stupid enough no papers were written – we were after all “brothers”..

The whole of my family went and within 6 months this business was not only established but quite a success. Asking for normal salary with traditional insurance, and pension funds, when this company was running ok, the brothers said wait another 6 months, and you can take over the whole business.

I accepted and after 4 additional month I was told on the telephone, That this brother had sold “my” business to his worst competitor and I was told to pack my thing and hand over the keys to this new company. I was offered one month salary x-tra (the minimum.) Since everyone in my cong was aware of all this I spoke to the CO,s , but he informed me that the branch office couldn´t do anything. This “rich” brother wasn´t even questioned in a committee.

I admit that I was so stupid not to sign some sort of a legal paper. But I was so you young then ….

Couldn´t even imagine that a witness could threat other brothers this way…

Bugbear

130

Atheists and JWs are on the same footing!

by exWTslave in

atheists believe that god should stop the large-scale injustice on earth; if he does'nt, then he does not exist.

jws believe that god will intervene sometime in the last days!.

interestingly, both throw themselves on their own expectation of soemthing god should or will do, yet in fact something god does not have to do.

Bugbear

As an convinced atheist since many years I have often wondered why intelligent people with a religious mind still say they believe in a God. Is it because of lack of information? Is it something that is programmed in our genes? Or is it just because a low score in IQ tests? None of these questions seems to have un obvious answer? But recently an Idea has stroked my mind.

They believe in a god or gods because they want to.

With a faith in god Your future seems to be much better (either in heaven or with a never ending life on earth) . A faith in a God gives you some sort of a reason to continue life, there is hope!

Without a faith in God you have nothing to expect more than a total abolition. You will become nothing more than dust.

It is possible that when we went from only hunting to an agricultural human, and our frontal lobe started to grow, this part of a brain must protect itself from total chaos and disaster, by inventing I line of theory explanations, not to make us lunatic, in the hard world that surrounded us at that time.

What are your theories?

Bujgbear

130

Atheists and JWs are on the same footing!

by exWTslave in

atheists believe that god should stop the large-scale injustice on earth; if he does'nt, then he does not exist.

jws believe that god will intervene sometime in the last days!.

interestingly, both throw themselves on their own expectation of soemthing god should or will do, yet in fact something god does not have to do.

Bugbear

ex.WT.slave..

I am sorry to say you got it all wrong. The very basic for un atheist is: There is no reason to believe in an supernatural god!!!

your say qoute:" If human changes their attitude, within days all the problems of earth could be solved."

well you got a lot of problems left. Things like tsunamies, pestilence, earthqueke, voulcano eruptions, viruses (ebola), firestorms a.s.f. Did your god create them as well?

Bugbear