Posts by JamesThomas

28

YOU 'THINK' YOU ARE FREE when you leave the Org. . . but it can be an ILLUSION

by Terry in

jw
friends

did you know there is nothing more insane than being partly indoctrinated and partly free?.

the level of cognitive dissonance is ridiculous!.

i have told this story before, so i'll shorten it to cut to the chase.. in 1987, i was dating a professional psychotherapist with a view to marriage.

JamesThomas

Programming? What is programming? Isn't it an unquestionably accepting of what the monkey-mind believes and says is real to be our “reality”?

As long as the mind is in the drivers-seat there is no such thing as “deprogramming”. There is only a change of illusory patterns, beliefs, concepts and ideas weaved by the mind (programs).

We were pretty much all once JW's, and now not. Everything may seem to radically change, but we still live the same dream. We only think that we are evolving and becoming smarter and wiser, while all the time unquestionably accepting a group of electro-chemical firings in the brain as the actual subject or self of who and what we are. It's all smoke and mirrors – except for the one undeniably true thing (which is not a thing) in-which we all equally share. But the ruling monkey-mind sees this as silly, unimportant, or crazy. So we won't go there. Only a true and rare revolutionary willing to pull the entire rug out from under their “life” is so willing.

7

Why are the Jesus people so obsessed with spreading their message?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

are they fearful that they are mistaken, so they must argue with everyone, and try to prove all otehr religions wrong, but their's right?.

i'm not talking about the well-known jw persistence, in which we all once shared.. i'm talking about nearly all brands of christianity, the witnesses and their other branded counterparts.

here are two incidents to demonstrate.. a week or so back, i read in a chinese newspaper of a complaint by two tibetan buddhist women in the city of xining, qinghai province, in western china.

JamesThomas

Why are we ever obsessed with anything?

Most of us here once unquestionably believed the monkey-mind telling us that we had the genuine TRUTH and were one of Jehovah's chosen who would live forever in paradise.

It all comes back to believing that everything the mind tells us is "REAL".

The mind says: “Jesus is your Saviour and the Savior of the world, and so you must spread the word to prove to him that you love him and save others”. – and there you go – simple mind-generated thought becomes our "reality" (which it never is and never can be -- any more than thoughts about a tree, represent a real living tree).

All the worlds woes and chaos pretty much result from the same simple dynamics that many children see. Yet most everyone continually places the monkey-mind as lord and dictator of their universe and life.

Go figure.

44

Looking for Truth with a capital "T"?

by Terry in

jw
friends

stop begging for crumbs like a pigeon in the park!.

nobody anywhere has truth tied up with a red ribbon to hand to you so you.

can go skipping down the road with a smile!.

JamesThomas

Dear Talesin,

Yes, speaking from outside the mind can be pretty quiet. Similar perhaps to the deep silent presence of a thousand year old tree.

Hope all is well.

44

Looking for Truth with a capital "T"?

by Terry in

jw
friends

stop begging for crumbs like a pigeon in the park!.

nobody anywhere has truth tied up with a red ribbon to hand to you so you.

can go skipping down the road with a smile!.

JamesThomas

Ever get the feeling you're only talking to yourself?

44

Looking for Truth with a capital "T"?

by Terry in

jw
friends

stop begging for crumbs like a pigeon in the park!.

nobody anywhere has truth tied up with a red ribbon to hand to you so you.

can go skipping down the road with a smile!.

JamesThomas

Part 2

“Get outside of your own head!” Now there's some wisdom. Take the red pill...

Right here, right now, without referencing, referring to, or consulting the mind – what are we really?

What is right here – silent and aware – that has always been here when everything that can be removed can be?

Gently and silently shift attention to the space outside the mind which is closer and more intimate than the mind and all its thoughts memories and beliefs. That, which observes all thoughts and phenomena that we call “life” and “self”.

How deep does this silent aware space go? How deep down the rabbit hole?

What are we, really?

What is True?

44

Looking for Truth with a capital "T"?

by Terry in

jw
friends

stop begging for crumbs like a pigeon in the park!.

nobody anywhere has truth tied up with a red ribbon to hand to you so you.

can go skipping down the road with a smile!.

JamesThomas

“Get outside of your own head!” Now there's some wisdom. Take the red pill.

However, prostrating at the throne of the monkey-mind inside the head -- seems to continue unabated – now that it knows to just talk a little nicer and say things more agreeable to who we believe we are presently – a “me” that the mind also creates and defines.

15

THE TRUTH IS AN ILLUSION and here is the process which proves it.

by Terry in

a wall is a wall, right?

question: what if each day a brick was removed and replaced with wood?.

the watchtower religion pretends to be like a brick wall built of truth.. however, each brick of truth been replaced with wood (changing opinion.).

JamesThomas

Reminds me of the story of the old rancher who used the very same ax everyday for fifty years -- over that time he replaced the ax head twice and the handle a dozen times.

18

CAN WE BE BETTER THAN THE GOD WE SERVE?

by Terry in

be careful what you say god is and what he wants; you may be saying more about yourself than you realize.. it may well be our personal taste in religion is revelatory of our basic character.. _____.

look at the devout islamist whose worship consists of blowing people up or cutting off heads.. contrast that to those hindi who sit with legs folded in their own lap contemplating bliss.. now contrast both the above to somebody who believes service to god is visiting the sick in hospitals.. _____.

instead of there being 3 different gods served--there might only be an extraordinary unveiling of each person's heart and mind!.

JamesThomas

You are right on Terry.

Let's take one example: would your everyday Jehovah's Witness take up a sword and cut open and slaughter the husband, pregnant wife and three young children next door? FUCK NO! But they worship an idea of “God” that is supposedly the “most high” in all things including love and morals, who will do such a vile act many billions of times over at Armageddon.

Countless people worship an idea of the "divine" which is void of the heart-felt caring, empathy and compassion that lives here and now intimately in their own hearts. How very, very sad that such a disconnect can exist.

Major insanity happens when we believe that our beliefs are real! Beliefs which are just thoughts of the mind that have absolutely no connection with Reality.

18

Why are people so dramatic

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

i want to retire.

i'm quite a ways off from the age to collect social security and all.

i don't hate working--i actually like it.

JamesThomas

Most of us are inflicted with a dreadful disease: an inability to realize that we can witness our thoughts and connected emotions as separate from the pure, silent, witnessing consciousness – and so it is clear we are not the thoughts and mind generated stories.

Blind to this, most people unquestionably believe that they and others truly are the thoughts and stories created by the mind; and so then fight and protect their imaginary "self" and "universe" as if it is everything -- when, in fact, it is nothing at all.

14

Why can't I just leave?

by Trapped in JW land in

some of you may know my situation.

i'm still going to meetings, but i am a closet apostate and homosexual i. only keep going to meetings to please my family and some friends.

i guess i could tell my mom i no longer want to be a jehovah's witness and stop going to meetings, but i'm too scared to do it.

JamesThomas

There is a great lesson for you here in that as we allow fear to guide and rule our life, rather than our true feelings, there is very often (if not always) a lot of confusion and suffering to be found.