JamesThomas

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Posts by JamesThomas

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  10

  my sisters are petty and sad

  by itsallgoodnow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sure, they are jws, but it's not about that.

  they have never really cared about me.

  they have always kept me out of their stupid little "club".

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  JamesThomas

  I know they need to paint a scenario in their warped little minds where I'm always gonna be the bad guy.

  Congratulations, goodnow, for seeing that your sisters are lost in a story that is untrue. Chances are that their entire "life" is pretty much a story they tell themselves about their own believed "identity" and the "reality" of people and things around them. They are not their story, and as long as they can not see out of it, they are as the walking dead living in illusion.

  Be careful you do not do the same. Gently, kindly and nonjudgmentally investigate into your own story-life. When we clearly identify what is false, there can be a wonderful revelation as to what is genuinely true and real.

  Peace to you, dear.

  j
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  15

  EVIL AND SIN

  by Bible_Student777 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am a student of the bible, though not a follower of charles taze russell.

  it does not deny that some sins are much more than a mere mistake.

  compare the words in ezekiel with those of john.

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  JamesThomas

  all is of God

  Pretty much every word you said beyond this, is the mind attempting to dramatically break and reduce wholeness into a myriad of tiny pieces.

  Why so easily accept a book which foolishly diminishes, limits and conditionalizes what is already perfectly complete?

  Rest in the one true bit of wisdom you seem to have, and throw your Bible and its fragmented little god away. In my opinion you will be far better off.

  Welcome.

  j
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  13

  Purpose...What is it

  by Crooked Lumpy Vessel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after losing my father-in-law last week, who is not a jw, but was a loving, kind and generous man, i find myself pondering that age old question about the purpose of life.

  leaving the jw organization after 15 years, i am completely turned off to religion itself.

  i am not even sure about the bible anymore.

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  JamesThomas

  My brain tells me

  Perhaps this is the problem.

  The minds interpretation of life, is not life; its concepts of reality, not real. What vibrant-actuality is genuinely present when attention is shifted away from illusory abstracts like "purpose" and "meaning"?

  Doesnt it make sense that we are meant to coincide with multidimentional reality rather than exist in the flatlands of abstract interpritations and false representations?

  Discover what it is to be and exist without the minds continual numbing and distracting input. Think, only when necessary; silently delve into the rich and bottomless depths of this present moment of conscious existence.

  j
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  11

  Is belief in God just "wishful thinking"?

  by TheCoolerKing in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was a jw i didn't question the existence of god.

  there was no doubt that jehovah or god was real.

  occasionally though, i did have doubts.

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  JamesThomas

  Dear King,

  Belief in a loving "God" -- amongst a tragic world, does seem counter intuitive and gives witness to a "God" with less morals than our own (we who would fix and heal this mess if we had the power to).

  What are beliefs other than abstract constructs of thought and emotion? Shall we now put together a new group of beliefs called: "not believing". Perhaps there is another way. Perhaps there is an outside to the box we have lived in.

  When all beliefs of "self" and "other" are absent, what remains? When all mental interpretation of existence and judgments of good and bad are silent, what actually exists?

  I suggest forgetting about believing one way or the other about "God" or the ultimate significance and Source of life, and instead be deeply present with Life....and see what wisdom and treasures can be found right here, right now. Who/what is this person who wants to know "God"? What if we stop looking outside ourselves for meaning, and instead thoroughly investigate into the most intimate sense of being and existing? What are you, really?

  j
• 
  75

  I'm going to be disfellowshipped on Wednesday

  by Thinking of Leaving in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  the elders cames to my home on saturday and i didn't answer the door, so they told my sister to relay the message.

  the message was "you know what it's about, we're going to make the announcement next meeting".

  i knew it was coming...but it feels so weird.

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  JamesThomas

  Dear Thinking,

  Though it may not seem so, it's a time for celebration. One way of celebrating is to be kind, gentle and aware of the internal dynamics such a situation can bring on.

  Silently and gently meet with the inner sorrow of losing what the Witness gave you. It is a kind of death. Know that they are not "demons", but simply people lost in a story; a story which says that disfellowshipping you is the right thing to do. No need to make enemies here, for this will only cause you pain and suffering.

  I suggest clearly seeing that the mind will want to weave a grand drama around this situation; one easily lost in. You'll know you are lost in the story when the body is tight and the emotions full of angst. Respect these signs, heed them, and step out of the minds drama and into the cool-warm reality of the moment of life in and around you void of a story.

  There is a freedom which comes with disfellowshipment. Freedom can be a little scary. Be aware, and do not allow yourself to step out of one jail cell and into another religious belief system.

  Don't allow others, or some book to define life's ultimate significance. Take this time to learn what it is to be silently alive and one with the entire flow of existence in and around you. You carry within you all that wisdom you will ever need.

  Congratulations!

  j
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  24

  BUT I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED IT......................

  by Dansk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you can go on and on but the fact is you can't prove it!

  i only have your word for it that you had your experience.. and the books you cite don't help, either, because i've only got the author's word that he's telling the truth.

  how can i believe him if i haven't experienced it myself?.

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  JamesThomas

  Every word ever spoken, every thought perceived,, every experience ever known, may be an illusion and only as real as the "reality" we give it. But who/what is this "we", this "me" that all "reality" seems to revolve around? What is the one undeniable actuality and truth upon which all other things hinge?

  Take away all objectifiable experience of "self" and "other", and what remains? What is it that we all share? What unites us one and all? What has no beginning and no end?

  j
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  52

  IT IS TIME FOR A___CONFESSION!

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  there is an old-fashioned definition of the word "confession" which is the public expression of one's deepest faith and belief.. take a deep breath and give a one or two paragraph summary of your deepest belief.. i'll go first.. from the time i was a small child i had a deep and abiding reverence for god as a father.

  (my own father i never even met until i searched and found him when i was 25 years old.

  ) my grandmother had been raised in a catholic convent.

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  JamesThomas

  Terry:

  I'm still in love with the "idea" of God but can find not even the smallest morsel to sustain that vestige of childhood's longing.

  Who or what, is looking to find? I suggest shifting the revealing light of acute investigation -- one hundred and eighty.

  j
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  34

  Difficult to build faith up at church after leaving WTS

  by White Dove in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many of you who decided to remain christian and started to go to church had a hard time building your faith back up again after leaving the wts?

  i'm having a hard time.

  it's been 4 months since i began attending the penticostal assembly of god church in my town, and i love it.

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  JamesThomas

  Dove:

  I just don't have any faith, yet.

  Perhaps it is time to stop having faith in some-thing or some-one absent or yet to be, and meet with reality.

  As everything ever written about trees is not a tree, so is the ultimate truth we seek -- not found upon pages.

  j
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  69

  Final Thought About Atheism

  by The wanderer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  <!-- .style1 { font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .style2 { font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: #336699; } .style4 {font-size: 15px; color: #336699; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;} --> final thought about atheismafter having reviewed the last thread about atheism, i have decided there.

  exists a common theme among the postings.

  the themes surrounding the .

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  JamesThomas

  Individuals...claim that such exists.

  Perhaps the answer lies in what all existence subsists within, rather than in questioning what may or may not be.

  j
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  22

  Lexapro

  by cruzanheart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  does anybody take this stuff?

  i took my first pill today and have decided i'd rather be depressed.

  what a horrible day!

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  JamesThomas

  For all who deal with depression, I suggest keeping an eye on TMS Therapy.

  It's not available just yet, but should be very soon.

  j