JamesThomas

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Posts by JamesThomas

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  165

  Do Animals Have Souls?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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?

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  JamesThomas

  Tell that to the elephants.
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  165

  Do Animals Have Souls?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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?

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  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?
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  31

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

  by VivaVegas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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.

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  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.
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  31

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

  by VivaVegas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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.

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  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

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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.

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• 

  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

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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.

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  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

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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.
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  18

  Some odd developments

  by dissonance_resolved in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so things are not making sense at all here in my fade.

  as i had posted earlier, i had a long intense talk the other night with my husband where i thought it was crystal clear just where i'm at right now with the wtbts.

  then, the same week, he's not feeling well and asks me to take the kids to the mid-week meeting.

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  JamesThomas

  The JW beliefs, are a closed universe (as is every belief system).

  As far as those engulfed and absorbed within it, nothing else exists. No message gets in from outside. We all know this.

  Via a miracle, you leave that universe and step into another. All significant and meaningful communication ends. Why question this? It should be expected.

  We all live in a mind generated universe made up of insubstantial thought, ideas, beliefs, and concepts, that are far removed from Reality. Our JW past, should have taught us this.

  The question is: What illusion are we trapped in now?
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  18

  Some odd developments

  by dissonance_resolved in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so things are not making sense at all here in my fade.

  as i had posted earlier, i had a long intense talk the other night with my husband where i thought it was crystal clear just where i'm at right now with the wtbts.

  then, the same week, he's not feeling well and asks me to take the kids to the mid-week meeting.

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  JamesThomas

  "I feel like I'm living in an alternative universe where my own actions and thoughts are meaningless."

  Read about Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

  It may help you understand the dynamics of what is going on.
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  13

  Sense of reality

  by d in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since leaving the jw's in 2008 i still struggle with a crisis of meaning at times.

  i feel like at times life has no set purpose and we are just empty humans floating in space.i struggled a lot with this when i left in 2008 but so no much any more.. i feel like my set version of reality was falling apart and i felt at times i was falling into a deep abyss.. .

  did any of you feel like that when you left the jw's?.

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  JamesThomas

  “ Our ideas of reality are really data. What you do with data is the proof of the "reality" pudding.”

  So, that's it?

  This is as deep as it gets?

  We questioned everything before, but now we don't?

  Such a method of “proof of reality”, is understandably an easy conclusion in which to accommodate ourselves; because nothing has really been threatened or fundamentally changed. Our paradigm of 'reality” remains pretty much untouched and uninterrupted.

  We have rearranged our impression of “reality” and how to discern it with the same process of thought that created the past delusions.

  “ Our ideas of reality are really data. What you do with data is the proof of the "reality" pudding.”

  So who is it exactly that manipulates the data into a “reality” pudding? Who are we, really?

  Instead of comfortably resting in past mental constructions of reality, lets have some drastic fun and pull the rug completely out from under ourselves.

  Perhaps a new way of seeing will arise.

  What IS our “physical reality”? Who ARE we?

  The human body and brain, are constructed of atoms. The atom consists of a central nucleus which is surrounded by electrons. The nucleus and electrons are extremely small, and so most of the atom is simply empty space. How much is empty, and how much not?

  Lets put together all the atoms of all seven billion people on this planet together, and remove the space within those atoms.

  What does the remaining nuclei and electrons consist of?

  Approximately, one teaspoon of “matter”.

  Did you get that?

  The fact is, is that what we think of as “ourself” is 99,999....% nothing.

  Is what remains solid-concrete-matter?

  As far as we can tell it is fundamentally made up of non-material energy. Something, we don't yet understand and can only theorize and guess as being invisible vibrating multidimensional strings and shit. Nothing we can comprehend.

  There is no there.

  So what are we, really? Who is it that thinks it can deduce what “reality” is???

  Do we just continue the same old paradigm? and “think” our way through? Or do we go beyond everything we believe?

  The door is open.