Posts by JamesThomas

165

Do Animals Have Souls?

by Cold Steel in

i know most jehovah's witnesses believe in the soul sleeping doctrine.

by this, given that neither man nor beast has a spirit, but that they do possess souls (or "intelligences" unique to themselves).

where this intelligence resides between death and resurrection is more than a passing interest, but again, assuming that yehweh can recreate one's distict soul, does the society believe that animals have souls?

JamesThomas

New22day:

Some thoughts (take 'em or leave 'em) from a (non-religious) book "Guardians of Spirit"
"We have forgotten what rocks, plants and animals still know. We have forgotten how to be -- to be still, to be ourselves, to be where life is: Here and Now."
"When you don't cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed by thought. A Depth returns to your life. Things regain their newness and their freshness."

"What is it that so many people find enchanting in animals? Their essence -- their Being - is not covered by the mind, as it is in most humans. And whenever you Feel that essence in another, you also feel it in yourself."

"When you are present you can sense the spirit, in every creature and love it as yourself. "
This is beautiful; and the same direction I was going.
If we deeply see our "soulessness", an illusion of disconnection from all life, then we are open and free to move and awaken into genuine truths.

165

Do Animals Have Souls?

by Cold Steel in

i know most jehovah's witnesses believe in the soul sleeping doctrine.

by this, given that neither man nor beast has a spirit, but that they do possess souls (or "intelligences" unique to themselves).

where this intelligence resides between death and resurrection is more than a passing interest, but again, assuming that yehweh can recreate one's distict soul, does the society believe that animals have souls?

JamesThomas

Dear Cofty,

I'm not trying to actually argue with you, or try and make anything you say seem unimportant.

Perhaps what I am getting at is that here in this thread, as we discuss whether or not an animal has a soul, there is an important opportunity to look deeper within ourselves. What is the essence of us?

How can we honestly and meaningfully discuss anything without knowing ourselves first?

Certainly we can just look at everything “metaphorically” as you say. Which makes everything we think and say twice removed from anything meaningful or real. So then what?

It's just another – in an endless amount of threads that equate to nothing more than mental masturbation. Nothing learned. Nothing gained. Just killing time. Same old, same old. Just throwing out meaningless opinions as if they mean something. On and on it goes, year after year. And then we die.

I basically said that humanity judged by thousands of years of mans inhumanity to man, nature and the planet, proves clearly that MAN HAS NO SOUL.

If it were otherwise would we be finding ourselves in the self-destructive polluted mess in which we presently are? The earth gives witness to the fact that humanity move through life as if we are soullessly insane...with only rare brief moments of sanity. But, there is hope.

Now, when we actually see this, and acknowledge it, we are now awake and aware. We can move on. We can perhaps discover the reality of a deeper self recognition. One that moves in harmony with nature.

This thread, no thread, is about animals or anything else, it's always about us. It always comes back to us. Everything we have ever thought, is about ourselves, no matter how removed it may appear.

If we see this, then we learn, we evolve, we grow. Unfortunately, 99% of the time we never shift the gaze inward. We just keep mindlessly blabbering. We go nowhere.

I am only feebly attempting to shift the focus. Chances are, it will just seem like the ramblings of a stupid fool. Which kind of proves my point.

165

Do Animals Have Souls?

by Cold Steel in

i know most jehovah's witnesses believe in the soul sleeping doctrine.

by this, given that neither man nor beast has a spirit, but that they do possess souls (or "intelligences" unique to themselves).

where this intelligence resides between death and resurrection is more than a passing interest, but again, assuming that yehweh can recreate one's distict soul, does the society believe that animals have souls?

JamesThomas

Dear Cofty,

Nothing is totally black or white.

I understand that there is a tiny bit of progress being made in trying to amend some of the phenomenal amount of SOULESS harm and destruction that we have caused ourselves and the planet.

We need to first estabilish that humans have a soul. before we can honestly question beyond.

165

Do Animals Have Souls?

by Cold Steel in

i know most jehovah's witnesses believe in the soul sleeping doctrine.

by this, given that neither man nor beast has a spirit, but that they do possess souls (or "intelligences" unique to themselves).

where this intelligence resides between death and resurrection is more than a passing interest, but again, assuming that yehweh can recreate one's distict soul, does the society believe that animals have souls?

JamesThomas

Tell that to the elephants.

165

Do Animals Have Souls?

by Cold Steel in

i know most jehovah's witnesses believe in the soul sleeping doctrine.

by this, given that neither man nor beast has a spirit, but that they do possess souls (or "intelligences" unique to themselves).

where this intelligence resides between death and resurrection is more than a passing interest, but again, assuming that yehweh can recreate one's distict soul, does the society believe that animals have souls?

JamesThomas

Perhaps a more pertinent question is : do humans have a soul?

If a “soul” is a word pointing to a foundational connection and caring for all life (and if it is not this, then what good is it), then when I look around me and see what humanity has done to humanity and planet, I would say: it is clear that humans have no soul.

Who are we to question other animals?

31

Jesus: The latest Myth in the history of Sun-God Myths

by VivaVegas in

i wanted to share with you all information that you may find helpful in your quest for real truth as it pertains to god and religion.

"jesus" is just the latest sun-god in mankind's long history of sun-gods.

a belief-system which in itself stems from mankinds first true religion, worship of the sun and stars.

JamesThomas

Parakeet: “Do you know how to tell when a jest falls flat?

When nobody laughs.

Better work on those jesting skills.”

I laughed. But then, I'm nobody.

Tiktaalik: “Agree with Parakeet on this JT. Worst jest ever. “

At least I'm the best at being the worst.

31

Jesus: The latest Myth in the history of Sun-God Myths

by VivaVegas in

i wanted to share with you all information that you may find helpful in your quest for real truth as it pertains to god and religion.

"jesus" is just the latest sun-god in mankind's long history of sun-gods.

a belief-system which in itself stems from mankinds first true religion, worship of the sun and stars.

JamesThomas

This subject regarding the kinship of Jesus and many other gods has been discussed here endlessly.

Certainly hundreds and hundreds of times.

Well, maybe not hundreds but certainly many dozens of times.

Many, may be too many, but it has to be at least ten times that this subject has come up.

Ummm, it could be a few less than ten, but at least five or six times that we all talked about this.

Twice, yes, two times I'm almost sure of.

Actually, this could be a first.

Have at it.

31

Jesus: The latest Myth in the history of Sun-God Myths

by VivaVegas in

i wanted to share with you all information that you may find helpful in your quest for real truth as it pertains to god and religion.

"jesus" is just the latest sun-god in mankind's long history of sun-gods.

a belief-system which in itself stems from mankinds first true religion, worship of the sun and stars.

JamesThomas

Parakeet,

Notice, my icon is that of a fool.

My opening comment was a jest.

I felt like jesting.

And so I jested.

I jest a lot.

It's just the way of a jester who jestes justly.

Can't help it.

31

Jesus: The latest Myth in the history of Sun-God Myths

by VivaVegas in

i wanted to share with you all information that you may find helpful in your quest for real truth as it pertains to god and religion.

"jesus" is just the latest sun-god in mankind's long history of sun-gods.

a belief-system which in itself stems from mankinds first true religion, worship of the sun and stars.

JamesThomas

Look Viv, this is an extremely religious place. A holy place.

We have already done our research and have concluded that Jesus is god; and you're not.

So go away.

4

A Pool Into Forever

by JamesThomas in

jw
friends

many years ago, a moment magically unfolded.. .

in my arms, silent and warm, lay my baby son who only a few weeks earlier curled in his mommies tummy.. cradled lovingly, and comfortably in my arms, an innate wisdom within him, ignored all the menagerie of colors and stimulus around, and focused instead, directly into my eyes.. the gaze entered into my soul.

we melded.

JamesThomas

Many years ago, a moment magically unfolded.

In my arms, silent and warm, lay my baby son who only a few weeks earlier curled in his mommies tummy.

Cradled lovingly, and comfortably in my arms, an innate wisdom within him, ignored all the menagerie of colors and stimulus around, and focused instead, directly into my eyes.

The gaze entered into my soul. We melded. The world disappeared. I fell into forever.

Down, down into those endlessly beautiful eyes which knew no separation; no two.

Duality disintegrated. There was only Oneness. Wholeness. Perfection. Heaven.

No story. No drama. No words. No mental imagery. No judgment. Only pure, alive, emptiness. Infinite silence and unimaginable purity, pregnant with an all encompassing love.

After, I became mostly blind to what was unmistakably our true, core, being. But there was no forgetting. No forgetting.

I knew.

Here now today, is a fool; who knows, but can not say, or convey.

At best, perhaps point back at you, in a direction deeper, and deeper still, closer and more intimate than anything we ever thought or imagined.

You are – Forever.