Posts by JamesThomas

37

I think my wife is going to open the can of worms...

by sosoconfused in

jw
friends

so over the last 5 - 7 months as some may know i have resigned as an elder and just came to a cold stop going to the meetings.

brothers call i wont answer the phone.

if they come by i just wont answer the door.

JamesThomas

The only sad part is your dear wife did not say:"OK I am finally sick of this *#&*. Get your phone out and video record this"!

26

Did Jesus Use Gods Personal Name?

by Comatose in

the wt says yes.

i looked it up a few weeks ago and they said "we can be sure he used his fathers name".

for me the argument is more just interesting from a biblical and academic stand point.

JamesThomas

God's personal name?????

Here is an opportunity for us to expand our minds; to go outside the box of limited thinking.

A “”name”” implies a limited, circumscribed, THING. A tiny piece within the universe.

Certainly the True Source of the infinite universe is greater still. No beginning, no end. Not separate from existence and life.

To name the Tao, is not the Tao.

30

What differences have you noticed between RELIGION and the GOSPEL?

by Fernando in

on our journey we are learning that:.

religion is a preoccupation with man's views on god.. the gospel is a preoccupation with god's views on man.. "man's search for god" versus "god's search for man" if you will.. it seems to us that there is no intention or prospect of ever reconciling the two.

therefore it seems we have to choose one or the other, no matter how hard.. what are your observations?.

JamesThomas

No matter what their source, words on a page can not grasp the living truth of anything.

E.g.: If you have read everything ever written about trees, you still remain blind and ignorant to what it is to be a TREE. You have no genuine living knowledge of your subject.

The gospel, is no different. It's two dimensional symbols on a page. Meaningless in themselves.

That said, words can inspire us (e.g. Terry's words have a way of doing that...for some).

If the Christian gospel inspires you to dissolve the walls that seemingly separate you from all mankind and nature, and opens you to unconditional love and appreciation....then fucking-hallelujah.

You have successfully realized what "pagans" have been trying to tell you for centuries!!!

16

God Of Love Kills Millions Of Innocent Babies And Pregnant Women For Not Knowing Him At Armageddon Yet Still Condemns Abortion?

by frankiespeakin in

do you see the contridictions of the governing body's made up scenerio?.

JamesThomas

Dear Franky,

It's not the “Governing Body's made up scenario”, it's the Abrahamic god scenario: a made-up deity that is the polar opposite of pure, unending, unconditional love.

It kills wholesale for the minimal offense. Just like the psychopathic rulers throughout history.

The Abrahamic god was designed for one purpose: FEAR.

Instill fear in the masses and you can control them.

Thus the present day boogeyman of TERRORISM. Keep people afraid and they will surrender everything to keep a sense of safety.

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

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.