Posts by JamesThomas

14

Is it difficult to believe in a loving God?

by Kosonen in

jw
friends

is it difficult to believe in a loving god?.

if yes, i understand you.

it has been difficult to me too.

JamesThomas

If the word "God" is pointing to the Source of all existence, then God must be the fount of pristine unadulterated love to which nothing can compare. What is this love? I can't say for sure, but intuitively suspect that it must be greater than what us mere humans can imagine.

I can imagine a love that can do no harm. A truly unconditional love. A love full of wisdom and vision that can see and heal the wounds suffered by and forming the most "vile" and "evil" human being. A light of love that can brighten the darkest of dark. Certainly God's love must be greater still.

Is this the love presented in the "God" of the Bible who slaughters at the drop of a hat, or will destroy you or torture you forever if you do not bow to its bruised ego? Hell no! Most every human is far more loving and forgiving than the monstrous deity depicted in the pages of the Bible. But this was done on purpose. The pages of the Bible were written to fill the meek with fear so that the religious leaders can control them. Perhaps the most corrupt conspiracy in human history.

Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.

The God of the Bible has nothing to do with the true Source of all existence; and if you find it impossible to love such a vile thing, it simply means that you are very likely sane.

8

Is this the wisest way? - there is no truth!

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

JamesThomas

The truth is so very simple that it's almost impossible to see.

First, the "ultimate truth" are words that point back to us. What are we really? Forget everything else. Who am I???

So what is it in our life -- right here, right now --that keeps pointing back to the truth of what we are. Surely, if it's genuine truth of our being is not going to be hidden, but rather very, very blatant. And so it is.

Hold a rock in your hand. It's clearly not you because it is an object of observation. You are witnessing it. Same goes with all mind-generated thoughts and beliefs - you are witnessing them and so NOT them. Same goes with emotions and physical feelings -- you witness them, they are objective, and so you are not them. So what are you???

You are no thing that can be seen, heard, or felt. You are the silent, indescribable, untouchable, pure witness that is aware of what we call our "life and universe".

What is really amazing is that it is the very same witness within all of us. We are not separate, but one in the same – which points to the word LOVE, which is not what this thread is about.

78

I believe that the greater percentage of JWs-You Will Not Be Able to Help, no Matter What Facts You Show Them.

by John Aquila in

so i ran into this brother whom ive known for a while and the conversation led into me being invited to come back to the kingdom hall.

we talked for about an hour during which time i explained to him 607 being the wrong date and a lot of other stuff including the child abuse cases in australia.

but what i wanted to relate was the last few minutes of our conversation.

JamesThomas

I agree with the main statement of this thread.

A person's religion is often the foundation of their paradigm or their "reality and identity".

They are not going to look outside their little bubble-of-self – unless there is something that they have already observed themselves that has caused a crack to allow a little light through. Without the crack, nothing we can say will make them shoot their false-sense of reality/self, in the head.

36

Going to a bad place when i die

by 060702015 in

i've thought and said too much to ever gain jehovahs forgiveness and love if i want to be a christian again.

i made a topic on my unforgivable sin and blaspemy of the holy spirit.. i feel saddness everyday having no relationship with god, no religion and fear of the afterlife.

even when i was kid i feared death and the end of the world.

JamesThomas

Dear, dear, 06...,

Relax. Go for a nice quite walk in nature with a question: " Is a primitive tribal "God" believed in by ancient desert nomads, responsible for all this unimaginable wonder and beauty? Or is there something infinitely huge and intimately close that our tiny minds can not comprehend that is the genuine Source?" Feel the answer. Don't think it.

Be still, and see your anxious thoughts only as clouds in the wind. because that's all they are.

18

Where are all these New Anointed Ones Coming from?

by John Aquila in

back in the early 70s, right before 1975 we had about 7 or 8 thousand professed anointed.

cant remember the exact number.

but at every convention we were told that the end is close ---because---the number of anointed is getting smaller and smaller.

JamesThomas

And they REALLY, BELIEVE THIS.

Generally we all really believe what the mind tells us, as we have not yet awaken enough to see that we silently watch the mind, and it is not what we are.

Do you know that?

15

How do you deal with Anxiety!

by little_Socrates in

so the other day i was walking through the huge local regional outlet shopping mall.

i see this sign "how do deal with anxiety" didn't take very long at all to confirm it was a jw booth.. that sign bothered me.

do jw actually think they have something to say about anxiety?

JamesThomas

(IMHO) Anxiety is a mind-body thing that is generally (but not always) brought on by how we are thinking. Which can include what we are thinking about emotions and senses in th body. The body may feel something similar to fear and then the mind creates some story around it that can cause more fear..

Meditation is good for anxiety as is learning to witness your thoughts and realize you are not your thoughts. Also being open to the feelings within the body and not creating a story about them. Just silently watch and feel.

The worst thing for anxiety is bull-shit religious dogma that sets you against a mean little tribal deity who can supposedly know all your thoughts and so judge you accordingly. This type of psychological terrorism is the farthest thing from genuine help and health over anxiety.

How very sad the JW's are playing this card as if they had a valid answer and cure. When they are part of the problem.

49

What kind of errors in the Bible?

by TheWonderofYou in

the new testament specialist daniel wallace notes that although there are about 300,000 individual variations of the text of the new testament, this number is very misleading.

most of the differences are completely inconsequential--spelling errors, inverted phrases and the like.

a side by side comparison between the two main text families (the majority text and the modern critical text) shows agreement a full 98% of the time.[18].

JamesThomas

I'm going to say what has already been said: So you have a fairly accurate rendition of original ancient mythological writings which foolishly postulates that a tiny, pernicious, patriarchal, tribal deity is the core cause of all life and existence -- unless you collect comic books -- so what?

How about we all bust out of the bubble of extreme ignorance and fairy-tales and embracing the infinite reality of life for a change. Truly the genuine Source of such marvelous wonder must be far, far beyond our little brains and imaginations to comprehend.

I love jumping spiders. In many ways probably far smarter than me.

52

Try Other Religions

by Sofia Lose in

sometimes i get a strong curiosity to start dabbling into other religions, other faiths, you know?

really different ones such as islam, judaism, hinduism, etc.. has anyone here looked into something else?

has your spirituality been satisfied by any other than christianity?.

JamesThomas

Perhaps what we are seeking in religions (which are nothing but mind-generated stories) is the natural connection we have with all life and universe -- absent of mind generated stories.

86

What are you gonna do when the existence of god is disproved?

by Doltologist in

in 1897, j.j. thomson discovered the electron.

this was the first constituent part of the atom which, for 2,000 years, was thought to be indivisible.

today, we know of 18 elemental particles following the recent discovery of the higgs boson, the so-called god particle.. back in 1897, most people believed in god because there weren't even any theories as to how the universe came into being.

JamesThomas

Perhaps a better question: What Are You Going To Do When Everything You Ever Thought Yourself To Be Is Disproved???

Every thought, idea and belief ever conceived about a tree, is not a tree. Same goes for everything about ourselves.

We constantly focus on the objects of thought, feelings, beliefs, emotions and occurence; and never ever look at what is looking. Who/what are we, really???

What silently observes every and all dynamics that we call our "personal existence"? What?

Hint: the answer can not be written or spoken; but can only be realized and lived.

39

Are Elders experts on the Bible? Are they spirtually qualified men?

by John Aquila in

how many times have elders read their bible in its entirety?

these are the leaders that give counsel to married couples, to teenagers, to single girls and single boys on everything from marriage, education, sex, association, dress, and recreation..

how well do they know their bible?

JamesThomas

Rather than talk about others, do we actually want to embrace what is “Spiritual”?

How about abandoning the Bible and other words and beliefs about what is "real and true", and quietly -- without thought and commentary -- spend time in nature that is inherently real and true. Look, see and feel, can we deeply connect with it?

Perhaps, the TRUTH we seek is not so tiny as to be absent.