Jeff, have you ever attended a Unity Church? They may have the non-dogma/cult atmosphere that you are looking for.
j
JamesThomas
JoinedPosts by JamesThomas
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I did it for two hours last night....
by AK - Jeff inattended another church service.
i enjoyed the modern music at the beginning of it.
the 'sermon' or message was a discussion of leviticus chapter 3. i found it interesting, but not particularly inspiring.
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For those who still have a tinge of spirituality left:
by PinTail in"blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.".
matthew 5:5.. .
"the century dictionary defines meek as 'self controlled and gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; forbearing under injury or annoyance.
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JamesThomas
For those who still have a tinge of spirituality
You pretentious little twit. You wouldn't know spirituality if it bit you hard on the nipple.
This is the cost of believing in little gods, there is only so much "spirituality" to go around, and of course it just happens to be with those who mirror your beliefs.
Perhaps true Spirituality, or better said what that word points to, is not so insignificant as to include only a few egomaniacs, but rather is that which unconditionally unites us all.
j
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Do You Still Want To Know The Truth
by The-Borg insomething is very very wrong with our world.
or am i imagining it and things really aren't that bad?.
personally i think there are issues being played out about which we know nothing, we can only guess at ( i don't think it's the issue of universal sovereignty).
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JamesThomas
What am I trying to say? Well I do think there is a battle going on between good and evil, somehow, somewhere and the evil seems to be winning at the moment. Or is that a bleak viewpoint and you think humanity has a rosy future.
I would love to know the truth. What is your take on things now?
It can certainly seem that something is not right with things. Perhaps it's not so much about a battle between "good and evil", as unnecessary lost and confused hostilities towards ourselves and others.
Psychologically speaking, we have come to identify our "self" with things and objects observed: thoughts, emotions, beliefs, situations, etc.. We desire peace and stability, however, it is the nature of phenomena, of objective things, to continually change and flow, so there is no stability, no peace to be had -- except for brief moments. This keeps us on edge as we tenaciously attempt to protect our tiny and fragile sense of "self" which is continually pushed about by a huge and dangerous world of "other".
We have become lost in a story of a broken and isolated "self" and so we fight to protect it and gain some sense of wholeness and rightness...often at the expense of others. Man against man, tribe against tribe, country against country. We are even at war with nature. It's insanity.
It does not have to be this way, if we simply see that our genuine Self is not the things observed or experienced.
j
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what does Jesus mean by I am the way?
by blueviceroy ini'm wondering what jesus means when he says the only way to the father is through me.
does he mean believe i existed?
does he mean believe what i teach?
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JamesThomas
If we relinquish our superstitions, gods and deities, we can find in the phrase "I am the way", a pointer found deep within the beginning foundations of most all religions. And that is that the "I", the most intimate and closest sense of conscious-being within you, is the I am which is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. To come to a realization of this, generally requires an acute investigation that looks through all that is believed to be true regarding "self" and "other".
So, the statements attributed to Jesus, are not tragically limited to some tiny, tiny, tiny piece of the universe, but rather the words point to an endless universal Truth.
Ultimately, the true Source of all universes has no beginning and no end, so, what does that make you (just beneath the story character believed to be)?
j
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Some Thoughts... I'm new, this is THERAPUTIC for me... read if you'd like
by bbdodger inin a cult, the society of the cult tries everything in their power to keep one in that society, as well as keeping one ignorant of any information that would sever the guise of legitimacy.
given a version of the bible, not being able to read any other version of the bible is just one example of this kind of inflicted ignorance.
in a cult, it's impossible to get out without a fight.
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JamesThomas
Welcome, bbdodger.
When I told her about the book (the name of it escapes me now), she quickly came back with a response that SHOCKED me, even to this day. Even my own mother, a smoker, a drinker, living with a man whom she was not married to, the most worldly of the disfellowshiped replied "I don't like you reading that apostate literature... don't you know you're not suppose to do that?"
If that was not so very sad as to make one want to cry until you die, it would certainly make one laugh until losing all bladder and bowel control.
There is little more sad than the tremendous fear and guilt daily felt within disfellowshipped Witnesses who still believe it to be "the truth" that leads them to such utterly unbelievable degrees of hypocrisy. It's really quite insane.
Thankfully there is a way out of the various degrees of insanity which we have. And poppers shares that simply and eloquently.
j
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Learning to live life as a Christian
by Redwood inthank you for such loving responses!
as i said in my original post...i no longer associate - at all.
i do believe in the bible - and get this i picked up a holy bible and read it.
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JamesThomas
Welcome to the forum, Redwood.
So the urgency of my new found faith is not based on how many hours I can "get in" rather on how my life can be changed into one that is based on and in love. With my new found faith came another realization - If I do my best to live as Christ lived- as a servant-meek-humble-loving OF ALL - and forgiving (way forgiving) - would I not be a better advocate for GOD and salvation by not fearing worldly people. Christ has chosen me, therefore I need not walk in fear! Let my life be the light of your love Father God. Don't color me stupid- I'm not walking dangerous streets with a belief God will protect me, but I am allowing myself to participate in life. Go to a football game, don't get drunk, be kind and cuteous. Go to the movies and not throw trash on the floor. Return the $5.00 that the bank teller over paid me. Live kind, live honest, live true.
Congratulations, Redwood, on seeing past JW beliefs and opening to a wider sense of love. Are there vaster senses of love still, do you think? Just how far will the path take us if we allow ourselves to let go of limiting ideas and beliefs?
May I suggest that you continue opening to love and into a deeper sense of what truly unites us all -- unconditionally. Like a new blooming flower your words are showing the first colors of a new found freedom in love and acceptance. However, there are yet hues of a division in your words which cuts us all apart into the "saved" and the "worldly"; and so hides from our eyes the true beauty of love which unites us all and the universe as whole.
Keep questioning as you have been. Look past new beliefs, the same as you did the old ones. Eventually look past all beliefs of "self" and "other"; and see if there is truly any real division or fragmentation -- at all.
Glad you joined us. Keep up the good work.
j
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Post a pic of your REAL desktop
by Nosferatu insomeone did this thread on a different forum, and i though it might be kinda fun to do it here.
post a picture, not of your desktop on your pc, but of your pc on your desktop!.
i'll go first.... .
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JamesThomas
Purps:
JT
Love your space
looks as deep as you are
purps
Yes, you're right, it is a deep space...several feet down in fact as it's in the basement of my cousins home where I took over about a third of it, built some work benches and filled it with my crap. The tipi, on the other-hand, where I sleep, is very sparse and spartan. I like your space as well, Purps. It's what I expected of your space actually: very simple yet classically elegant. It could pass for an old movie set, now with the crushed beer cans and greasy old pizza boxes removed. j
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The evolution of human consciousness
by changeling inwe often compare those who act violently to animals.. we do the same with those who rant and rave irrationally.. even those who do not believe in evolution do so.
they say things like: "that jeffrey dhamer was an animal", or "terrorists are animals".
could violence and irrationallity be a throw back to an earlier form or being?.
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JamesThomas
Changeling:
Am I just ranting and raving?
You may be. However there is a time for sane ranting and raving. My sense is you feel some genuine sense within you that things can be different, and one would have to be a fool to ignore such a message.
I strongly suggest that everyone who would sincerely like to be presented with a amazingly clear and eloquent explanation of why the insanity has been as it is, and, more importantly, the way out of it that we individually can make, read the book: A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle. Better yet, listen to the eight CD audio book that Eckhart narrates, as it adds the important element of his sincerely loving and caring voice.
The audio book is also available as a torrent download.
j
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Post a pic of your REAL desktop
by Nosferatu insomeone did this thread on a different forum, and i though it might be kinda fun to do it here.
post a picture, not of your desktop on your pc, but of your pc on your desktop!.
i'll go first.... .
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JamesThomas
Changling:
what are all those potions in your basement office? Are you like a Unibomber or something?
I'm the kinda guy who digs in the garden with a hand shovel rather than use the rotter-tiller whenever possible to save the worms, spiders and bugs from slaughter. So, I guess i'm just not unibomber material...but ya never know. Actually sometimes I experiment with electrical extractions of hydrogen which is very explosive, and one of the "potions" you see there is a catalytic mixture for that purpose; as well as pimple removal.
The brown bottle next to the one with the gauge in its top is Dihydrogen Monoxide, which I have found -- through many years of dedicated experimentation -- to be the elixir of life. It has the capabilities -- in the proper dosage --- to extend life for years and years more than without it (really!). The right dosage is critical though: too much you die; not enough you die. But it's certainly worth the risk as its life extension qualities are so awesome. Dihydrogen Monoxide is very handy for other things as well; such as cleaning stuff. You can form a gas with it too, though it can burn your face off. Solid crystalline forms can be manufactured with it as well, and sometimes it even forms in nature this way, kinda like diamonds. I'll sell you some; but this here is pretty pure, so it wont be cheap.
BFD:
Nice cat
That's TigerBear. Her mother was feral and she took all her kittens from the corner of a parking lot the day they were born, except this one. So, I got her at one day old and not in very good health. Fed her with special feline formula in a little nursing bottle. Had to wipe on her little butt with a wet and warm paper towel to motivate her to poop and pee (I was ecstatic when her pipes all started working). Thought for sure the sweet little bear -- she looked like a little miniature black bear -- was going to die those first couple days, but once she regained her strength on the third day she turned into a wild tiger and would swipe her for-claws so fast you could hardly see them as she ripped your hand to shreds if the formula was not flowing fast enough for her liking. So there she was, eyes still closed, innocent looking as can be, and I'm using a leather glove to feed her with. Thus the name TigerBear. That was three years ago.
She thinks I'm her mother, and I treat her like my kid; though one should respect the fact she has feral-blood in her and not get too playful cause she easily slips into I'll-scratch-the-shit-out-of-you-and-what's-left-I'll-eat mode. She's a guys cat; and loves to hang out on the bench there with me and help out. Up on the bench, the end of her tail is convenient for drying the inside of test-tubes....when she's sleeping.
choosing life:
It looks like a microscope, amongst other things. What all is in your picture?
Yes, there are two microscopes right next to each other. The little one is an old 20x stereo Swift, and the large one with screen is a 60x stereo TS-2 Dynascope. Stereo microscopes are like two microscopes attached together so that each eye sees through its own lens system at the object. This way you see the object in a natural 3D, rather than just 2D. The large microscope, rather than have eyes-pieces you look through, actually has a 6 inch flat screen were the object is projected as 3D through a special series of mirrors (some spinning at high rpm). It's pretty amazing how they figure out how to do that. These are low power scopes as 3D is limited. I have high power scopes as well but they are generally kept in another room. There is a huge, huge world of life and forms in the micro-world that we normally never see. It's really fascinating to get to meet some of them. Plus there is a little farm here and these instruments come in very handy for inspection and identifying unwanted bugs and fungus on plants and animals.
There's other stuff of to the left, mostly electrical testing equipment, like an old oscilloscope, and there's a Geiger counter over there ya can't quit see. I want to test small radioactive exposure on some seed stock. Just a lot of stuff having to do with things that I find interesting.
I can only say that my desktop is not nearly as inviting as Sweetface2233's.
j
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Post a pic of your REAL desktop
by Nosferatu insomeone did this thread on a different forum, and i though it might be kinda fun to do it here.
post a picture, not of your desktop on your pc, but of your pc on your desktop!.
i'll go first.... .
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