Posts by JamesThomas

22

The sacrifice of Christ to redeem humankind, Why?

by VM44 in

the perfect man and woman, soon after being created, failed short of god's requirements and so sin was introduced into the world.

according to the watchtower, god's law required a "life for a life" and so a perfect human needed to be sacrificed, i.e., killed, in order for humanity to be redeemed.. my simple question concerning this doctrine is....why?.

how does the death of a human, perfect or otherwise, help matters?

JamesThomas

Rather than getting lost in the minutia of Biblical whys and wherefores, it may be more beneficial to simply see the insanity of it all; and then choose to dwell elsewhere; perhaps living in reality would be a good place.

imo

j

25

The ULTIMATE APOLOGIA

by Terry in

the most complicated, transcendant (outside of time and space) mind in the universe is the universe.. that is an antimony, by the way.. this mind we can call "god".

it simply "is".. what the consciousness of this mind considers is more real than the dreams we have or the plans we make.. that is the premise of what follows.

read on..... this mind (all) is considering creating heavens and earth.

JamesThomas

Thinking is a process our consciousness employs involving ideas. Ideas present objects of thought before the mind. So then, merely thinking about "self" or "existence" isn't possible because a process can't process a process.

Exactly. Can't get there via the mind.

Problem is we define "self" as the products of the mind, and so there is often inhibition to investigate into that which is not thought: the silent and mysterious consciousness that sees all thought.

j

110

For Lurkers Only

by nvrgnbk in

are you an active jehovah's witness?.

i was when i found this place.. this place, jwd, didn't change that.. i knew that so many things were wrong with the organization.

i was an elder.

JamesThomas

Nvr, that was a truly wonderful post.

Glad you are here with us.

j

25

The ULTIMATE APOLOGIA

by Terry in

the most complicated, transcendant (outside of time and space) mind in the universe is the universe.. that is an antimony, by the way.. this mind we can call "god".

it simply "is".. what the consciousness of this mind considers is more real than the dreams we have or the plans we make.. that is the premise of what follows.

read on..... this mind (all) is considering creating heavens and earth.

JamesThomas

An entertaining glimpse into Terry's encephalon. (in an attempt to look smart too, that was the first time in my life I've used that word; perhaps I'll use "glimpse", more often now).

I don't believe any of it. But, it is certainly easy to concoct explanations out of mere nothing.
It is fascinating where characters and situations come "from" when an author sits down to write or a storyteller begins to wing it.

Yes, it's not about believing or adding more conceptual baggage. Speaking of fascinating: where does the character of "me" come from? When we actually sit an watch the mind weave its egoic-self, are we not watching the same imaginative "storyteller" at work molding yet another fictitious personality? Is that which is closer, that which is silently watching, really and truly any part of the story of "self"?

As far as what consciousness "is"......well....the recursive nature of a thing looking at itself is too paradoxical to grasp hold of! At least for me. I'm afraid I'd plunge into a void of self-referential reflections that would carry me into a black hole of sorts and I'd pop out the other side of John Malkovich's head!

Yes, it's not only difficult to grasp, it's impossible to hold in the limited mind what is limitless.

Why is it so often problematic to simply sit and investigate into our most immediate and intimate sense of being? Seems it would be the easiest endeavor in the world. What is the obstruction? Perhaps it is revealed in what was casually mentioned:

I'm afraid

There is a huge amount of energy invested in our intellectually constructed sense of "self". It is often the center of the universe on which everything ever believed or thought firmly rests. Letting go of it can be frightening. For example:

One day, while sitting on my bed, silently watching the mind and feeling the sensations within the body, a tiny irritation arose. Just an innocent little boredom it seemed. I continued to just sit and observe. The boredom started to get hotter and more persistent. Interesting. Within a few minutes it became clear that there was a stronger and stronger pull to get up from the bed and do something else. It was becoming painful to remain sitting. The boredom didn't seem so innocent anymore as it started to demand that this be stopped and something else be done....anything! do anything! just not this! Sitting there, alone, I became engulfed in intense agony. It was fear. Terror. The first time this happened I could not stay with it....I ran from my bedroom as fast as my legs could carry me and did something else. I have had a stranger walk up and place a gun to my head, and there was far less fear then, than at times sitting alone, looking within.

What is this about? Simple, the character of "me" and all it tightly holds as true and real is threatened. Self-preservation mechanisms kick in. For me, such events made it clear that there was far more to be seen. What would remain when everything that was believed and molded into a character of "me", was seen through?

Perhaps one has to be a little nuts to move forward. Certainly helpful is an intense desire to know what is real and true, at any price.

j

39

Discover ME(hippie art)

by purplesofa in

jw
friends

i have been drawing again.

i dont have a scanner but this is what i am doing.

i have gotten lots of compliments on them.

JamesThomas

Hey paisley girl. Nice work.

Have you ever transferred your wonderful art work into pottery or wall paintings? Something you could perhaps make a buck or two on?

j

110

A PUZZLING QUESTION...????...????...????

by Terry in

the "sacred secret" of god that creation was yearing to glimpse for so long was jehovah's plan of salvation and righteous government rescue operation.. yet, pagans, heathens and various crackpot primitives all came up with the same plan long before jehovah's was "revealed".

something smells bad about this!!.

i find it puzzling.. child sacrifice to appease wrathful deities is a disgusting solution to crop failure.

JamesThomas

Awake&Watching:

I really look forward to seeing the other posts. Very thought provoking,

Such sentiments are what Terry's stimulating and compelling posts often motivate within people.

He often has a subtle, yet effective way of smacking us upside the head and awakening us from a harmful path.

I am one of many who appreciate his presence here.

j

43

Fading In? Am I nuts?

by jaydoe in

jw
friends

i am a baptized jw that faded some years back.

in those days i deeply believed in the org and became disillusioned by some things happening in the local congregation.

following some research on the net i decided to fade out of watchtower existence because i did not want to keep mixing with false religion (or so i thought at the time).

JamesThomas

Welcome, jaydoe.

Follow your heart.

If you feel you can live a life of integrity within an atmosphere of lies and deception, who are we to judge. Give it a go. You can always fade out again if it does not work for you.....and you may actually help others to come out with you.

Glad you joined us.

j

56

Adventures in Meditating......

by freedomloverr in

i know a lot of you do meditation and i thought i would share a recent experience with you all.

it's been almost 2 years since i left the mental bondage of the org.

and it's been a journey with lots of twists and turns.

JamesThomas

Popper's counsel here is among the most helpful and elegant one could hope to find.

He is a rare gem. We are fortunate that he has joined us.

j

28

Has being a Witness made it hard for you to love Jesus?

by jwfacts in

whenever i hear the word jehovah i still feel warm and fuzzy.

he was the god that i spent hours talking to in prayer, petitioning, thanking, pleading with.

he was my father, the creator, the one who we would worship for eternity.. jesus on the other hand i never spoke or prayed to.

JamesThomas

My feelings are very much those of Narkissos.

Being raised as a JW, the most difficult part was feeling a sense of love and admiration for the Bible expression of Jehovah. This guy was way too repugnant for me to love and cherish; but I was stupid, and blamed myself.

After the Witnesses, I came to love and appreciate Jesus as my Master. Then, a time came when there was no need for any deity or god story, as they were seen as a distant mirage compared with the immediate presence of reality.

j

34

Spiritual Self-Assessment

by purplesofa in

worth taking a look at:.

http://www.martycrouch.com/spiritualassessment.html.

spiritual self-assessment.

JamesThomas

Knowledge is only possible when we can say something.

Intellectual "knowledge" perhaps. But this is only superficial. The sounds of a few vowels and consonants, and the thoughts which they echo, can in no way capture life; only present a facsimile. One can sit quietly without thought and by placing acute and clear awareness on the body and sensations, come away with a far richer knowledge -- even if it is a wordless and indescribable knowing -- of what it is to live, than compared to every word ever written and spoken about life.

Words and thoughts are only empty verbal or pictorial interpretation, one or more steps removed from the reality these mono-dimensional representations feebly attempt to convey. On the other hand, silent, non-labeling, non-defining, non-interpreting, and open conscious-awareness has a wondrous way of meeting directly with life and reality. It's as if words and thoughts are structures of separating boxes and walls; whereas silent attention is free and boundless. Certainly the conscious-awareness which scans a thorough and lengthy autobiography, is not any of the words and thoughts. The awareness is real, the words are not.

Raw, immediate actuality is not within words and thoughts; it is closer; it is in the still awareness which all existence moves and is experienced within. It can be realised that the reality and the silent conscious meeting with that reality, are same meeting same. They are one. This has to be seen first-hand. The meeting has to be made. Believing it, is only words and thoughts, and so not at all the reality to which we are referring.

In other words: we are not what we think. We are deeper, far richer and more real than words, thoughts and beliefs about "self" can ever convey.

Are you repudiating knowledge?

No, not at all. If I seem to be implying that, then it is likely my weakness of language. Intellectual knowledge is a wonderful, useful and excitingly evolving tool. I am only saying that there is a Reality that is closer than all mentalizing: The conscious-awareness which all intellectualizing happens within and which gives all knowledge it's existence and validity. Most people champion intellectual knowledge. It doesn't need me, and I choose to point elsewhere. But this does not mean I disrespect or discount intelligence and learnable knowledge. In fact, I often wish I had some. The knowledge I am pointing to can not be learned. It's what we truly are.

If there is data and there are practical uses of knowledge of data why would we doubt we can know other things?

I don't doubt. In fact it was while looking at thoughts and knowledge that the curiosity arouse to want to know what was seeing the thoughts. Can it be realized what we really are? The way to know is through acute observation, very much like how a scientist examines new species and things, that they may show and teach him or her.

Or, is "knowing" even important to you? Don't know; just asking!

Actually, it's all about knowing. What is true? What/who, am I, really? These are the questions that have lighted the way. Not the words so much, as the deep yearning ache to want to genuinely know. However, the realization of the true depths of self can not be known as things and objects are known. It's just too immediate, vast, raw and real. It is not known so much as lived. It's not something we can hold or fit in the mind, it's what we really are. It's what existence is.

j