Posts by JamesThomas

36

More Disclosure Stuff

by metatron in

jw
friends

hardly a week passes without some credible figure testifying to ufo reality.. http://beforeitsnews.com/unexplained-phenomena/2012/08/ufo-disclosure-may-be-imminent-2430224.html.

i've followed ufo stories for some years now and this barrage of authoritative people looks unprecedented.

couple that with the claim that ufo sightings have increased enormously in the past couple years and...... who knows?.

JamesThomas

00DAD: "

All those interested in this subject would enjoy Carl Sagan's excellent book, The Demon Haunted World.
Sagan was involved in getting the SETI project up and running. He thoroughly analyzes the evidence for extra-terrestrial visitations to earth.
It's an excellent read. I highly recommend it. You'll learn some valuable critical thinking skills in the process."
You may want to look into Carl Sagan's past. He was once extremely interested in UFO's. It was only after he started being funded by the US government on many of his projects, and when he became a mainstream spokes person that he chose to parrot the popular mainstream beliefs that scorned acounts of UFOs. Carl, was no idiot. He knew that if he spoke his real concerns he would likely loose his funding and popular appeal.

21

Do We Exist As a Material Person In a Material World?

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

this may at first seem a strange question.

but it may be an extremely important question to ask.. .

let's start with the weird fact that only one in ten, or rather 10% of the cells in/on our physical body -- is what we would call "us".

JamesThomas

KS,

I did not say that the 90% bacteria where not critical to our survival.

We do not know that that it is a collection of synapses in the brain that accounts for consciousness. Rather, the foundations of consciousness is a major mystery to science, and only some theorize that it is a product of the brain.

I notice you didn't argue the fact that the foundational building blocks of all matter is non-material vibrating energy. Which is really the point of the whole thing.

j

21

Do We Exist As a Material Person In a Material World?

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

this may at first seem a strange question.

but it may be an extremely important question to ask.. .

let's start with the weird fact that only one in ten, or rather 10% of the cells in/on our physical body -- is what we would call "us".

JamesThomas

Exactly.

21

Do We Exist As a Material Person In a Material World?

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

this may at first seem a strange question.

but it may be an extremely important question to ask.. .

let's start with the weird fact that only one in ten, or rather 10% of the cells in/on our physical body -- is what we would call "us".

JamesThomas

String and or "M" Theory is contingent on fundamental, non-material, vibrating energy. Because if the vibrating energy was made of solid particles, then we are back at square one. What are these particles made of? And then what are those particles made of...

According to modern day physics, it points to the fact that the fundamental building block of all reality is non-material. When you make something out of nothing, what do you have? You may have the appearance of some real solid thing, but again reduce it to its core and there is nothing.

Remember, we never experience an actual world. We only experience energetic stimulations of senses that then send electrical signals to the brain that creates an artificial "reality".

j

21

Do We Exist As a Material Person In a Material World?

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

this may at first seem a strange question.

but it may be an extremely important question to ask.. .

let's start with the weird fact that only one in ten, or rather 10% of the cells in/on our physical body -- is what we would call "us".

JamesThomas

This may at first seem a strange question. But it may be an extremely important question to ask.

Let's start with the weird fact that only one in ten, or rather 10% of the cells in/on our physical body -- is what we would call "us". The other 90% are bacteria.

We just drastically shrunk by 90%. However, "we" get way, way smaller still.

All material existence (including ourselves) is made of atoms. It is said that 99.99999...% of an atom is empty space: so much so that if the empty space within all the atoms of all humans on the earth today could be removed, the remaining "solid" particles would be reduced to the size of a sugar-cube. A fucking sugar-cube! Where in the hell is each one of us in that tiny teaspoon of sugar? Certainly we are unimaginably less than a grain.
(actually, a sugar-cube containing all human existence, seems extremely HUGE when we consider that a millisecond after the Big-Bang ALL the material of the entire universe was compressed to the size of a grain of rice or smaller). Go figure.

Anyhow, as strange as this is, as we shrink down more still. All the "material particles" within the "seemingly" solid sugar-cube are NOT made of solid matter at all, but rather they are made of (as far as we know) vibrating-strings of non-material energy. So, our cherished personal ownership of 1/7,000,000,000th of the sugar cube, just shrank to nothing at all. Nada. Zip.

It seems that the non-material consciousness within all of us, that which perceives a "world" of persons, places, and things -- may be all that really exists.

j

36

More Disclosure Stuff

by metatron in

jw
friends

hardly a week passes without some credible figure testifying to ufo reality.. http://beforeitsnews.com/unexplained-phenomena/2012/08/ufo-disclosure-may-be-imminent-2430224.html.

i've followed ufo stories for some years now and this barrage of authoritative people looks unprecedented.

couple that with the claim that ufo sightings have increased enormously in the past couple years and...... who knows?.

JamesThomas

When it comes to hard-core fundamentalists Christians -- those who believe that the universe is only a few thousand years old -- nothing is going to open their eyes. Everything outside their microscopic little paradigm is from the devil.

To even begin to fathom any extraterrestrial visitations to earth, one must at the very least understand that the universe is billions of years old, and that intelligent life is likely far reaching across the cosmos. Without this basis, the universe revolves around you...the only one created in the image of your tiny little fuck-wade, god.

That said. Check out Richard Dolan's Youtube stuff about disclosure. He has very eloquently thought it through.

For anyone who still thinks that there is nothing to UFOs, but are yet somewhat open minded enough to take the effort to do a little research...I recommend a good place to start is Leslie Kean's book: UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record. Or for free -- search her interviews on Youtube.

j

5

A Way That May Reach Our JW Friends And Family

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

understandably, there are times when a caring jw family member may question us as to why we have turned away from jehovah.

why do we no longer love and follow him as they still do.

here is an honest and sincere way that i answer.

JamesThomas

Understandably, there are times when a caring JW family member may question us as to why we have turned away from Jehovah. Why do we no longer love and follow him as they still do. Here is an honest and sincere way that I answer. A way that hopefully will motivate them to delve into their heart and question their own deepest sense of kindness and love towards others, and the bearing that may have on their own desires.

I am going to copy here a bit of a letter -- that I am still working on -- that is going to be sent to a JW family member. Let me preface it by saying that I no longer believe in Jehovah's existence in anyway. Yet, I speak in the letter as if Jehovah is the paramount concern. It has to be this way in order to reach them and make sense...as you will see.

Here goes. Following is a bit of the letter:

Please let me begin by saying -- as I'm certain you agree -- that an honest heartfelt worship of Jehovah should be the most serious of all things! We can not just follow others blindly. Rather, we should look very closely at all the Biblical information that Jehovah reveals to us about His commandments and actions towards us, and only THEN should we examine our deepest heart to see if we can sincerely love, follow and worship accordingly.

With this in mind, here is my heartfelt conclusion:

In the early books of the Bible, Jehovah, commands his people to stone or kill specific people, or at times He commands his people to exterminate entire cities of all men, women, children (and even animals). Certainly, that was then, and this is now. However, as a sincere follower of Jehovah, I must ask myself: is my belief and love for Jehovah limited just to today, or is it for all time? Had I lived in those past times, would I have obeyed Jehovah? Would I have stoned my neighbor or child? Would I take up the sword and thrust it through the living bodies of women, men, children, babies and animals, at Jehovah's command? Would I?

In the deepest examination of my mind and heart, there is no question that I could not, would not!
I am too caring, too empathetic and compassionate of others to obey Jehovah's orders to kill a kitten, let alone slaughter a man, a woman, or a child.

So, it comes down to this: Jehovah is perfect and eternal! He does not change! He is the same God, yesterday and today. The same God always! Certainly, Jehovah asks and commands differently from us today than He did yesterday. However, if I could not follow Jehovah in the past, how can I honestly and wholeheartedly follow him now? So, in my sincere and honest heart of hearts I must admit that I am not a follower of Jehovah. Not then, and so -- not now.

In the Watchtowers we can find pictures of smiling Jehovah's Witnesses marching away from the destruction and slaughter of billions of men, women and children at Armageddon. Happy are they that they can now live their dreams. Honestly, this makes me sick. How I ever did count myself as one of them, is beyond me. Presently, I could never, ever, live happily with such a cost. Perhaps I am now too weak in Jehovah's eyes, and so then I am evil and worthy only of death. A death that He has proven time and again to easily oblige.

So be it. I'm not ashamed. My heart has spoken.

You already know my answer, but here is a question for you: At Armageddon when the death of men, women and children reach an unimaginable amount, we expect Jehovah and his angels to do all the killing for us. In this way we can hide our head in the sand, ignore it, remain pure in our own eyes, and hide away. But what if the death toll is going to be so great that Jehovah commands you to take a stand along side the angles? What if Jehovah commands you to take up a sword and kill your neighbor, his wife, his children, including even a baby in the crib? What would you do? Would you obey? Would you cut the throats of your neighbors? Is killing others worth your personal desires? Could you honestly live happily ever after?

Very often there are people that give their lives to save complete strangers from harm or death. My death by the hands of Jehovah, is my way of saying that His way, is the wrong way. His way is the antithesis of the real and pure love that would do no harm to others; a love so great, or rather so simple, it would rather die than let others come to harm and death.

I can no longer follow a path that demands the death of others so that I may gain. I can not sincerely and honestly worship a god with morals less than my own.

418

Why do people pretend good things about Jesus ?

by mP in

ive had a few discussions both here and in real life and often find people excuse the ot with all its vile, violence and only concentrate on jesus because he was good.

i try and assk them to show me an example and they of course they quickly tell us about the miracles, and thats fine.

however when you ask them about slavery, violence, women and so on they make excuses.

JamesThomas

Why do people pretend good things about Jesus ?

First, please forgive me, for I have not read this thread, and so I am just patching this in here.

Certainly, any caring and loving person that believes in a guiding-deity, would choose and/or create a god that reflects the highest form of kindness and love. To believe in less would destroy the very foundation of their needs, desires and worship.

For Christians, Jesus, must embody the utmost expression of purity and love, or there is no reason to believe, and perhaps no reason to live. There is a lot at stake!

I know this because I was there once....as were many of us.

Somehow, the less I relied on a god to guide me, the more I discovered the natural flow of empathy and compassion. I was free from belief in the chosen and the damned. Humanity was now a whole. I was now free to love.

j

45

Can Atheists Be "Religious"?

by AGuest in

jw
friends

it appears so (may you all have peace!):.

http://firstchurchofatheism.com/.

http://www.factschurch.com/.

JamesThomas

Generally an atheist is not enslaved or shackled to a god-character's limited idea of reality, and so is not anesthetized by some brain numbing belief. This freedom can open our senses to an unlimited awe inspiring realization that some may call "spiritual": a sense that is the antithesis of religious stupidity .

6

What's Wrong with Being A JW?

by Vanderhoven7 in

JamesThomas

Embracing belief in a creator that will punish or kill you if you do not love and worship it, drastically corrupts our understanding of love and divinity.

Likewise, to believe that our reality came about in only so many thousands of years -- rather than the wondrous complicated dance of billions and billions of years that nature gives witness to -- denies us the most profound aspects and beauty of our existence.

These and many, many other foolish beliefs of JW's (and others) numbs our appreciation and sense of reality.