Posts by JamesThomas

55

Where would we be now if there was never a concept of God?

by dh in

jw
friends

if (for the sake of argument for those who believe in god) there was no god, and no human being who ever lived had ever come up with or even had a concept of god or a higher being.

where do you think we as human beings would be today.

what do you think our history would be like, and our future?

JamesThomas

We are, actually, walking from one error to another. The uncomfort of the present error keeps us moving on to the next error. Truth, if actually attained, would be the end of man.

Certainly we walk from one mistaken concept into another, as all concepts are innately untrue. But reality, truth, we never leave. We just don't see it because of our tenacious addition to concepts.

So, yes, in a way Truth is the end of man, or perhaps better said: the end of all man believes or conceptualizes itself to be. It's not a problem. Take away what is untrue, and truth remains.

j

55

Where would we be now if there was never a concept of God?

by dh in

jw
friends

if (for the sake of argument for those who believe in god) there was no god, and no human being who ever lived had ever come up with or even had a concept of god or a higher being.

where do you think we as human beings would be today.

what do you think our history would be like, and our future?

JamesThomas

how far do you think we would have got with that attitude in the stone ages?

I don't imagine the validity of truth over lies was any less significant and beneficial then than now.

j

55

Where would we be now if there was never a concept of God?

by dh in

jw
friends

if (for the sake of argument for those who believe in god) there was no god, and no human being who ever lived had ever come up with or even had a concept of god or a higher being.

where do you think we as human beings would be today.

what do you think our history would be like, and our future?

JamesThomas

Where would we be now if there was never a concept of God?

Interesting question.

First, a concept of God is merely a mentally created fake and forgery; an untruth. Certainly our actual Source and Sustenance (what the word G-O-D points to) must be the ultimate Reality.

Obviously I can not say for certain, but it seems intuitively obvious that if we spent less time and effort with lies, we would meet more frequently with truth.

In my opinion it's our limited and grossly diminished concepts of a god -- which results in us acting like shivering little dogs.

In other words: void of illusory concepts of God, we may have more opportunity to realize the immediate truth of God.

j

42

Why Did Jesus Not Write Anything ?

by choosing life in

jw
friends

have you ever wondered why jesus did not put anything in writing?

he was here to explain his father to us and teach us how to gain salvation.

wouldn't it have been a good thing to write his instructions down, rather than leave it up to others many years later?

Sounding like an arrogant ass, I'll say that it is sadly amusing to watch people as they feebly but sincerely attempt to support their cherished little son of a murderous tribal god, as being somehow real and in some way responsible for the existence of a wondrous and infinite universe.

As they say: if tricycles worshipped a god, it would have three wheels.

I pray for the day people get their heads out of the dense muck of "holy" scriptures, and enter into the reality of the present moment, that they realize a truly unending and unimaginable sense of the Divine.

j

53

Is Jesus becoming less relevant - even to Christians?

by nicolaou in

one thing many jw's could do was quote jesus, although whether or not they lived up to the so-called 'christian ideal' is questioned by most of us.

conversely, many others who call themselves christians are much nicer people!

they love, they are generous, charitable and willing to give - but they are unlikely to be as familiar as we are with the details of jesus life and ministry as recorded in the bible.. i don't have a problem with that, it's what people do that matters!.

JamesThomas

In order to raise one man to a pinnacle of holiness requires lowering the entire rest of the universe. This is a very high price to pay for a personal little deity, and perhaps, just perhaps, more and more are beginning to realize it.....if even subconsciously.

j

18

Native American Wisdom

by lovelylil in

jw
friends

i wanted to share some pearls of wisdom from a book of native american proverbs.

btw: anyone here from a native american background?.

when we show our respect for other livings things, they respond with respect for us - arapaho proverb.

JamesThomas

Purps:

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply smiled and replied, "The one you feed."

This so true, and one of the reasons it is so extremely important to learn to be present and watch the mind. It's not about judging or condemning thoughts; it's about consciously choosing to empower certain thoughts over others. That said, thoughts are not what we are. Our true Being is the vast indescribable depths which silently views it all. This, we all have in common. This, is what unites us all. j

18

Native American Wisdom

by lovelylil in

jw
friends

i wanted to share some pearls of wisdom from a book of native american proverbs.

btw: anyone here from a native american background?.

when we show our respect for other livings things, they respond with respect for us - arapaho proverb.

JamesThomas

The reason I chose to abandon all religious beliefs is that thoughts about a tree, are not a tree; beliefs about a god, are not God; and there can be realized an endless presence of the Divine in simple and silent being.

j

18

Native American Wisdom

by lovelylil in

jw
friends

i wanted to share some pearls of wisdom from a book of native american proverbs.

btw: anyone here from a native american background?.

when we show our respect for other livings things, they respond with respect for us - arapaho proverb.

JamesThomas

Lovelylil:

One way of finding God is in reading what is written by believers in him but another just as valid way is to look around us and appreciate all the things he created! I often find God in this very way.

The difference is much like the contrast between reading about skydiving, and actually doing it. One is a mental exercise in juggling thoughts and words, and the other is meeting with reality.

j

18

Native American Wisdom

by lovelylil in

jw
friends

i wanted to share some pearls of wisdom from a book of native american proverbs.

btw: anyone here from a native american background?.

when we show our respect for other livings things, they respond with respect for us - arapaho proverb.

JamesThomas

My grandmother was Blackfoot.

Generally the American Indians have a far vaster sense of the Divine compared to the narrow and diminutive beliefs of Christians.

I heard once that when confronted with a Christian missionary trying to convert her, an Indian matriarch said: "You find your god within ink and paper which come to nothing in the wind and rain. We find God within the wind and rain".

j

15

What is Truth?

by onacruse in

this has been posted elsewhere, but perhaps it is worthy of a revisit:.

this question is one which every sincere christian should ask and seek to answer.

we should learn to love and value truth for its own sake; to respect and honor it by owning and acknowledging it wherever we find it and by whomsoever presented.

JamesThomas

Poppers, that was a beautifully worded post.

Are you using an Apple computer or a browser other than Explorer? If so there are things you can do to display spacing for paragraphs and such. There are posts here on the forum about how that is accomplished. I would tell you how but I don't remember.

j