Posts by JamesThomas

22

What does it mean to be saved?

by tan in

is it biblical?

i was told that salvation was believing in christ, but shouldn't there be something else to do?

thank you.

JamesThomas

Shaz:

James... but faith is trsut, not work. Read Heb 11 (first verse, and all the chapter) to understand about what faith it is spoken in bible. It is like you are saying that prerequisity for life is - you need to be alive. To believe is not work, to put trust in one doing the work, is not work, it is trust.

Not work for you perhaps, dear Shazard. For me it would be an impossible effort to give honest faith and trust in a desert deity and his offspring as my Source and salvation. I could not subtract Divine significance from the entire universe and distill it down to creatural characters. I can not give credit to a shard of existence for what all existence resides within. My sense of the Divine is light-years beyond any "God" found within the pages of the Bible. I know what can not be diminished or limited, so to honestly and sincerely embrace lesser finite characters would, for me, be impossible. I can not go back; nor do I want to. No offence meant to you Shazard. This is just how I see things. j

22

What does it mean to be saved?

by tan in

is it biblical?

i was told that salvation was believing in christ, but shouldn't there be something else to do?

thank you.

JamesThomas

lv4fer:

No prerequisites. Just faith in his son.

?

There is an act required before one is saved: faith in Jesus. So, the prerequisite is: faith in Jesus. Sounds sweet and easy on the surface. Just don't look too deep.

Christian "salvation", is not free, a price of genuine trust and faith must be paid. Faith in Jesus is extorted by intimidation and threats of physical and psychological harm (whatever the opposite of being "saved" is). Such behaviour is called blackmail, and it's illegal because society deems it immoral and gruel.

This creates a problem. How do we honestly accept and have genuine faith in someone who stoops to immoral and criminal levels? Do we just close our eyes and pretend it's all good? Do we question that perhaps the Biblical concepts of the Divine are corrupt?

No offence meant to you, dear lv4fer; nor am I nailing you to the wall and expecting answers. It's popular beliefs that I question. We are not our beliefs.

j

81

If you had to, what religion would you choose to be?

by Crumpet in

you can answer this as seriously (lt) or as inanely (buttlight) as you like!

i was reflecting having read someone's thread about blowing off non jw family that actually it would have been so much better if i had a larger family, preferably not completely jw saturated and this random train of thought led me to thinking that if i could choose i would be catholic, because then i would have a huge family, go to really nice gothic churches with lots of candles and tortured saints and be able to go to confession (instead of lt's mobile).

also the colours of the whore of babylon always were a lot more enticing to me than the mild blues and undistracting beiges of the khs.. i think we all have religions which would suit our personalities so much better.

JamesThomas

Religion, like Christianity, has simply become another word for: diminishing and shrinking what is endless, into something small.

If I had to choose, I would not choose. I'd happily pay the price of not choosing.

j

12

....So do you believe ANY of the Bible is true?

by themonster123 in

jw
friends

i saw the movie "300" last night-i just got to thinking- because in that movie, xerxes, the king of persia is part of the story.

and from my bible reading in the past, i know xerxes was mentioned.....and other historical people who were actual people....stuff like noah's ark is easily discredited, but do you think everything in the bible never happened or some did?

is it possible some stuff happened and some stuff didn't?.

JamesThomas

There may be some facts found in the Bible; however, presenting our true Source as a tribal deity, is not one of them.

j

68

Broken Heart

by jillbedford in

my almost 17 year old daughter left to stay with her dad last thursday.

this is the second time she has left due to my strict rules, like 10p school day curfue, get to school on time, keep your grades above a c. she has not kept to my rules, so as a consequence i told her this last wednesday night she has lost driving priviledges of the car i gave her on her 16th birthday.

she said she was leaving to live with her dad.

JamesThomas

Dear Jill,

Much of your suffering is due to thoughts of remorse, thoughts of where you might have went wrong, thoughts about what things should be like, etc. This moment, absent of the drama created by the mind, how are things?

Be still of mind generated memories, thoughts and drama. Be silently present with the raw sadness, void of story and judgments. Feel what it is to silently be alive in this moment: the feeling of breathing, the weight, ache and tingle is different parts of the body. In other words, be kind to yourself, get out of the story in your mind, and into the present moment of existence.

Cry your eyes out. Go swimming or running. Do these things with a silent mind, with attention placed on the actual senses of doing these things. Learn to differentiate between the minds tight agonizing drama, and the openness of reality. Rest in the warmth of silent existence and life. Use the mind only when you absolutely need to, otherwise be more and more present with the sense of life in and around you.

You'll get through this. This too, will pass. Use this troubling time to help motivate you to be grounded in reality.

j

17

Could do with a little help

by fifi40 in

jw
friends

cant really explain to much at the mo am emotionally numb but think i may be about to bring an end to my marriage,,,,,,,,,,and inside i am falling apart

JamesThomas

I suggest some serious crying.

Good for the body and soul.

Try not to get lost in the drama your mind will create over whatever happened. Feel what it's like in the moment to breath and wordlessly feel sad...without a story.

j

28

Introduction

by White Dove in

jw
friends

i might have posted an intro in the wrong place so i will try again.

i have two kids, a girl and a boy, and am in college full time studying sociology (at least that is what i'm supposed to be doing instead of talking to you.

i prefer talking to you).

JamesThomas

Welcome to the forum, White Dove

alt

j

50

Taking One for the Team

by Perry in

jw
friends

the wts has figured out that if you bring jesus out once a year, and create a "showy display", then the rank and file will be sufficiently convinced that the jw's hold jesus as a central figure in their beliefs.

to anyone else, it can immediately be seen for what it is.

a publicity stunt.

JamesThomas

Perry:

I just have a hard time following you on the Infinite God concept of yours. Are suggesting God is an indifferent albeit Infinite force? Ok, I'll go with you. So, how does that address your sin and the difference between what you aspire to and what you do? How do you escape being rightfully judged (regardless if it ever happens in your view) by how you judge others? I mean morally it should happen irregardless if it ever does or not so that a concept of justice can exist.
How do you resolve this problem?

See that there is no problem.

Rest from the drama in the mind. Realize the pristine Wholeness which all fragmentation and problems exist within. Use acute, silent, conscious-awareness to investigate into the core of being and existing. Sincerely and earnestly question every idea, belief and concept of what the mind defines "self", "God", and "universe" to be. Accept only what is undeniably, unquestionably and unequivocally true and real.

j

50

Taking One for the Team

by Perry in

jw
friends

the wts has figured out that if you bring jesus out once a year, and create a "showy display", then the rank and file will be sufficiently convinced that the jw's hold jesus as a central figure in their beliefs.

to anyone else, it can immediately be seen for what it is.

a publicity stunt.

JamesThomas

Perry:

So far by their silence, Inquisitor and (on another occasion) James Thomas have admitted to being liars, theives and adulterers. I'm sure that I could ask Kid-A the same questions and get the same silence and therefore the same admission of guilt.
Apparently, this is their version of freedom, simply closing the mind to such realities and marginalising people who examine the contradictions of our existence. If that is your choice, fine. I suppose that I am guilty of unapproved thinking....sorry, get over it. So far none of my opponents have said one word how they live with their crimes. I guess you all just close the mind and it all magically goes away. It appears that you have simply traded the cognitive dissonance as a WT slave for the cognitive dissonance as a slave of sin. If you all don't want to address the contradictions of your own existence, your own crimes, and your own chronic failed aspirations, then let's just all go have a beer and fugetaboutit.

Notice, Perry, how you tenaciously place emphasis on what divides us. I have been attempting to point to what unites us: That, which has no beginning and no end.

The price of shrinking what is actually INFINITE (and so can be realized as the foundational reality of everything) down into a personal-little-deity engraved in the imagination of the mind, is intensified hostile division: basically equating to those within the little circle of the deity, and those outside. Blindly ignoring what unites us, and instead supporting and reinforcing what seemingly divides us, is insanity; the prime cause of all suffering.

j

50

Taking One for the Team

by Perry in

jw
friends

the wts has figured out that if you bring jesus out once a year, and create a "showy display", then the rank and file will be sufficiently convinced that the jw's hold jesus as a central figure in their beliefs.

to anyone else, it can immediately be seen for what it is.

a publicity stunt.

JamesThomas

Perry, your thread projects the extreme divisive-nature generally expressed by religionists who have a personal little deity to champion and guard.

It is this question that led me to investigate not just who I am (where I get my identity), but just as importantly what I am (and everyone else for that matter).

I suggest that you delve still deeper within until you realize what completely and unconditionally unites all phenominal existence, no matter what mind generated beliefs are held or not held. What are you really when all thoughts and beliefs -- which segregate and partition "self" and "other" -- are absent? So far it seems you have looked only as far as the fragmented stories and drama the mind presents.

j