Posts by JamesThomas

60

Sincere?..Bible-Believers-Can Your Beliefs Be Supported Without The Bible?

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

does your real-life experience and what you observe in nature lead you to the same conclusions that are presented as fact in the bible?

.

or do you believe because of the power of suggestion?.

JamesThomas

Open mind:

Thank you James.

You're welcome, and I did not mean to ignore you or anyone else who may direct a little gratitude this way. However, more importantly, what is it within you that senses that there is a deeper authenticity to life and existence that may have been missed. Your own intimate wisdom is the portal to the truth sought. I'm not giving you anything.

AlphaOmega,

I can only pass on what I honestly see. In my journey it has been extremely critical to let go of everything: all gods and beliefs (religious or otherwise), all words and thoughts ever heard or memorized. It's like a death where everything believed to be self and universe is surrendered. alt

There is that, our foundational Reality which needs to hold on to nothing, and which can be realized when there is an actual and thorough holding on to nothing. As long as there is holding on, there is no freedom which only the fall provides.

Hold on to your Bible if you want to. I can only suggest throwing it away. Hold on to your Christianity and your beloved Jesus, or whatever, if you so desire. However, know that the genuine and unconditional peace and wholeness you seek will likely not be clearly and thoroughly realized and lived until there is a stepping off the cliff leaving everything behind.

This is obviously not a physical leap. It's more of a very deep mental and psychological one; which can bring up some very, very intense fear and terror. Be gentle, be kind, take your time. It can take years, but it doesn't have to; because it is simply a quantum leap to where and what you already truly are.

j

60

Sincere?..Bible-Believers-Can Your Beliefs Be Supported Without The Bible?

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

does your real-life experience and what you observe in nature lead you to the same conclusions that are presented as fact in the bible?

.

or do you believe because of the power of suggestion?.

JamesThomas

AlphaOmega:

... the Bible is a way of "translating" the spiritual impossibiblities and unlikeliness into something that our physical "here and now" brains can comprehend.
To me, it is both TRUE and a METHAPHOR - Almost as if God had the characters in it act-out the stories in order to make them memorable and able to be passed down to the next generation.

I understand what you are saying here, as I too once felt -- like Joesph Campbell -- that the Bible was mainly helpful metaphor and symbolism. However, most Bible readers don't have a clue and accept the Bible as the "truth". It's not. This is like having a picnic under a sign that reads "Picnic area 5 miles", foolishly thinking you are at your destination. At best, at best, the Bible is a pointer, and not a very good one. Today there are far better pointers. Generally the Bible is trap. It shrinks and places significance 180 degrees outside in some other person, place and time. Not a problem if you are wise enough to know the Bible is really pointing at you in this moment as the Christ; but how many know that?

The brain can not comprehend our ultimate truth (the Alpha and Omega) which is too infinitely vast, too close, too vibrantly alive and immediate to capture in second-hand mental imagery and commentary. So valid guidance general states right up front that there is no truth in the words of guidance...only you supply that. Ultimate truth is not knowable as things are known. Truth, is lived. It is what we foundationally and authentically are.

The Kingdom of God is within you and all about you, not in buildings of wood and stone.
When I am gone, split a piece of wood and I am there; lift a stone and you will find me.

Yes, here is a rare piece of clear guidance. Did it make it into the pages of Bible?

Luke 17:21, another rare piece which says "The kingdom of God is within you". However most Bible scholars will probably tell you "within you" is a grammatical error, and should read "among you".

"Among you" means the truth is outside of you in some other location...which diminishes and limits truth to time and space. "Among you" takes focus away from inner investigation and places it out in some god-knows-where abstract corner of the universe.

99.9% of the time, the Bible and all the religious interpritation of it, is a divisive bag over our head that blinds us to our genuine identity and that which unites us one and all. Once in a while someone like you, AlphaOmega, sees through the dense fog of words and dogma. But the wisdom to see is found were? Within you, and not in the pages of the Bible. So, I suggest now throwing your Bible away, and be still of all you believe "self" and universe to be, and clearly see what remains.

j

60

Sincere?..Bible-Believers-Can Your Beliefs Be Supported Without The Bible?

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

does your real-life experience and what you observe in nature lead you to the same conclusions that are presented as fact in the bible?

.

or do you believe because of the power of suggestion?.

JamesThomas

Here's a question: Say someone believes in God, but not in the Bible. How do you know there is only one God? Why not the sun-god, moon-god, etc.? The bible claims to teach us about God, but if we can't believe it, then we're left to guess all the details as well as the main concept.

Why believe in a god at all? Why drown in crazy confusion? alt

G-O-D, is a word that supposedly points to thehighest-significance. Is the belief or thought of a tree, as real and significant as an actual breathing tree? Hardly. So it follows that a construct of thoughts or beliefs in a highest-significance (God), is not significant, and so a bastardization of the foundational essence of highest-significance. Does that make sense?

The minds motor of beliefs works OK for some things, but concerning ultimate significance and foundational reality, it's not only useless, it's detrimental. In other words it's perhaps better (less harmful), to have no god, than to construct a mentally engraved false god and bastardize the whole meaning. Like I have said before: many atheist are more spiritual (for lack of a better phrase) than religious people because an atheist clearly sees the ridiculousness of definable gods and deities.

So I suggest not believing in a god, and instead investigate into what is actual and real here and now. Go deep into the pool of reality, into the most intimate sense of conscious existence and being, and see what can be found here. Perhaps ultimate-significance, is close. Closer than one would believe.

j

9

thee end

by Sasha in

my neighbor, who is a almost baptized witness, say the other night...."the end is any second, that's what they are tell us.

" i told her, don't you think you're personal life has to be affected first.

?..don't you think things have got to get a lot worse?

JamesThomas

Ask her if she can honestly, sincerely, authentically and thoroughly love someone (god) who threatens to kill her and her young children if she does not? and why would she want to? Out of fear of punishment and death? Out of greed for some promised reward? Genuine love is not concerned with these things and so they do not count in her decision to be baptised.

Perhaps there is yet time to ask some pertinent questions that may motivate her to locate an inkling of wisdom and sense.

j

60

Sincere?..Bible-Believers-Can Your Beliefs Be Supported Without The Bible?

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

does your real-life experience and what you observe in nature lead you to the same conclusions that are presented as fact in the bible?

.

or do you believe because of the power of suggestion?.

JamesThomas

"Does your real-life experience and what you observe in nature lead you to the same conclusions that are presented as fact in the Bible? Or do you believe because of the power of suggestion?"

The expression of life and universe is infinitely beautiful and wondrous (there may be countless universes). The Bible god is meager and petty. Why dishonor existence by endorsing a small and repugnant little man-god as its source and inspiration?

I can only guess that the reason so many of us unquestionably give credit to foolish deities for life, is via the power of suggestion and long held tradition. It's 2007, it may be time to wake up from the darkness of tribal beliefs. Or, at the very least, come up with some higher quality gods.

j

14

Doctrine of Suppression - I sincerely want to know this...

by Gretchen956 in

watching the video of the street preacher at the district convention got me thinking (always a dangerous proposition).

there seems to be this history revolving around christianity.

starting with the romans, the idea began to be, convert through suppression, oppression, war and acts of violence.

JamesThomas

Good for you Gretchen, for waking up.

What makes the tribal gods of the hebrews and muslims any different than the tribal gods of the africans? Or the Mayans, etc.? Why, when you see the methods and the horrifying conditions used to convert, do you not only embrace it, but become advocates more so than those who enslaved you? ... I just really don't get this.

I don't have an answer to these questions specifically, and it's way easy to get lost in the minutiae. However as to why it is we generally embrace deities, my sense is it comes down to a couple simple things: First, the mind sincerely desires to honor its Source, and unable to find an object for its desire, it creates one (big mistake). Second we come to strongly identify with the mirage; and so we fight not to awaken from our slumber. For who would I be without my god?

j

91

FORGED (!?!?) ORIGINS of the NEW TESTAMENT (!?!?)

by Terry in

iii, p. 712).

vi, p. 137, pp.

cit., pp.

JamesThomas

No, I don't recall having said "nothing is real". I have often attempted to point to a foundational reality that is infinitely vaster and closer than all the minds interpritations and replications. So, one could confuse that with the other; I guess.

j

24

Affirmative arguments for the non-existence of Jesus

by WhatSexRU in

i was just reading a thread on this forum called saviors of the world?.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/136105/1.ashx.

that thread discussed similarities between the various saviors, or messiahs that are said to have walked the earth, most of them appearing long before jesus supposedly emerged.

JamesThomas

What actually is the point regarding whether Jesus did, or did not exist? Is it the "creator" or "holy deity" aspect?

Does the actual and infinite, mind boggling expression of life and universe in any way give witness to some tiny circumscribable and definable entity or deity as being in any way connected or responsible for it? The answer and wisdom is right here within the boundless wonder of nature for all to see.....and once seen, what does it matter if Jesus did, or did not exist? Or for that matter any other nameable little god?

j

91

FORGED (!?!?) ORIGINS of the NEW TESTAMENT (!?!?)

by Terry in

iii, p. 712).

vi, p. 137, pp.

cit., pp.

JamesThomas

Touche.

91

FORGED (!?!?) ORIGINS of the NEW TESTAMENT (!?!?)

by Terry in

iii, p. 712).

vi, p. 137, pp.

cit., pp.

JamesThomas

Six:

If you're correct about the fallacy of the bible (and I for one certainly believe that you are), then a person with even a whit of personal integrity will only use correct information (to the best of their knowledge) to point out that fallacy.
You do realize, don't you, that dishonesty IS the problem?

I hear you. However, I would not agree that dishonesty is the problem so much as unquestionably accepting the dishonesty. If a little dishonesty can motivate honest investigation, then the trickery is made moot, as the earnest investigations will reveal the facts. That an investigation was motivated to fruition, I feel is most important. In this case the end justifies the means.

j