jesus taught that we must die unto ourselves, and allow the holy spirit to take up residence within us.
some people get saved by simply inviting jesus into their hearts, to be the lord of their life.
this serves as a countering force within the born-again christian to counterbalance the will of the flesh, which is still unsaved in this life and destined for destruction in imitation of our lord himself.. attempting to live the christian life without having this spirit within you is a waste of time at the minimum, and dangerous on the downside.
Well, I don't want Jesus inside meSounds a bit gay and he did hang around with a bunch of guys all the time.
Yeah it does sound gay - especially when Christians talk about Jesus' second coming and him being inside them, all in the same sentence. Jesus is inside you and he's about to come?! [Cue young, tight-pants-wearing Bapticostal minister shouting euphorically in the background]: "Yes, come Lord Jesus!"
jws very much believe that there is an absolute truth and of course, they are the only ones who have it lol.
how about now though do you still believe that absolute truths exist?
or is everything subjective?
Yes, I believe that truth exists. 2 + 2 = 4. That is an absolute truth.
JWs and religions in general, abuse the word truth. They throw it around cheaply, applying it to their fanciful and unproven myths and ideologies.
I have come to appreciate that truth is a word that should be used more responsibly. I have also come to appreciate that we don't need to know everything to live a satisfying life. We don't need to have answers to the big questions like: How did the universe begin? Is there a purpose to life? Why are we here? ... in order to live a purposeful and satisfying life.
Religion manufactures false needs and then proceeds to recommend itself as the avenue for meeting those needs. One of those false needs is knowledge of the Truth about big unanswerable questions like those mentioned above.
i think people need religion because of fear.
fear of death and what will happen at death if they have been good or bad.
people say it gives them hope but is this not born too out of fear of not seeing dead loved ones again, or having a better life in the afterlife?
I think people need religion because of fear.
I think people want religion because of fear.
Fear of death and what will happen at death if they have been good or bad.
This fear of what will happen at death if they have been good or bad, is not a natural fear but one that has been manufactured by religion itself, to manipulate people into joining religion.
People say it gives them hope but is this not born too out of fear of not seeing dead loved ones again, or having a better life in the afterlife? If they don't accept religion they fear they might miss out?
Religion has created these false hopes and fears to manipulate people into joining religion. Religion conditions people from young, to think that there is an afterlife and they can get to see dead loved ones again. This conditioning prevents people from developing a healthy acceptance of their own mortality and the finality of death, and this in turn causes them to turn to religion. Religion uses emotional manipulation to concoct its own relevance.
i want a t-shirt.
something that says "religion is crap, i don't care which one".. i was thinking of adapting the "coexist" one to say "toxic" instead which is great because it removes 'science' but includes all the major world religions.. anyone else have any ideas?.
also a tag-line ... "whatever god you worship, he's a weirdigan".
"Let no one fool you - we're ALL agnostics.
Some of us pretend to know.
I know enough to not pretend."
i want a t-shirt.
something that says "religion is crap, i don't care which one".. i was thinking of adapting the "coexist" one to say "toxic" instead which is great because it removes 'science' but includes all the major world religions.. anyone else have any ideas?.
also a tag-line ... "whatever god you worship, he's a weirdigan".
Punkofnice has a great quote that I think will make a good T-shirt:
"I'm an eight-theist, because I don't believe more than an eighth of the bible."
well, thats it folks.. my identity on here has been rumbled and reported to the elders.
someone, somehow, has figured out that im a member of this site and - rather than speak to me - has promptly reported me to the elders.
i just feel sad for my daughter.
Awake JWs and faders who are still "in the closet" need to be very careful about what kind and how much information they share online.
Avoid giving details about your situation that can be used to identify you. Everyone's situation is unique, so when you share lots of details about your situation you are actually identifying who you are even though you are anonymous!
Think of it this way: Think of the unique collection of details that describe your situation as being like a serial number that uniquely identifies you. Each time you give some personal detail about your situation, it's like you've shared an additional digit of your serial number. Share enough details and you've revealed the entire serial number. Someone then only has to look at the serial number you've shared (perhaps gradually, one digit at a time, through multiple posts) and compare it with known serial numbers that link back to an identity.
lately i've been feeling just so fed up with this stupid religion i really can't take it anymore!
i'm starting to think that maybe i should just tell my parents how i really feel.
if they treat me too badly or kick me out i could probably stay with my non jw aunt.. ive just reached my breaking point, i don't really care what people think of me anymore.
I have an idea that just might work. It's a little manipulative but I think it will work.
Do some research on the symptoms of severe anxiety and start acting as if you have severe anxiety when at school. This will likely result in you being sent to the principal or school counselor. When that happens tell your school counselor or principal of your fears of what will happen if you come out to your parents.
The end result is that your parents will tend to go out of their way to allay your fears by reassuring you that you have nothing to worry about and they will not force their beliefs on you. They will be walking on eggshells to prove your fears wrong.
i know that some people on the board have experience of being mormons, so i would be interested in your feedback.
at church this afternoon it was an uncanny experience.
in the past i've read a lot about mormons, so i thought i was prepared in general for what it would be like.
I wouldn't take too seriously what any Mormon says to you, an outsider. Cult members always try to paint a rosier, more moderate picture of their beliefs and practices to outsiders. Keep that in mind.
so is anyone else having an existential crisis after becoming fully awake?
let me explain.
about 2 years ago i read coc, still believed and tried to get back in da troof.
Why are you having an existential crisis? You should be enjoying life to the fullest. Not many people have succeeded in escaping the drudgery of religion. Keep this text in mind whenever you feel envious of christians who seem to have a life of purpose:
"If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are to be pitied more than anyone." - 1 Corinthians 15:19
Paul was saying that without the future eternal life that christians hope to have by a resurrection, christianity becomes a pitiable waste of ones life. From your atheist perspective, that truly is the case! Think about it: millions of people around the world are living pitiable lives - wasting the only lives they have on a myth that isn't true; foregoing higher education; subjecting themselves to ridicule and persecution; foregoing a loving relationship with that soul mate they met just because they're not of the same religion; wasting sundays listening to boring sermons; foregoing perfectly harmless entertainment; feeling guilty about enjoying too much of the pleasures of life. A pitiable life indeed!
Why does there have to be an overarching purpose to life imposed on you from the outside? Religion implanted that notion in you to make the drudgery or worshiping a higher power seem appealing - like your part of some grand scheme bigger than yourself. Well, actually you are part of something much bigger - but its not some supernatural intelligence. You are a part of the universe; you are part of the fascinating concept of the universe attempting to understand itself. You will never become worm food. Only your body will.
You can make a difference in the world. You can give meaning to your life. Today we are standing on the shoulders of those who lived before us. Their lives certainly had purpose. Everyone contributes something to humanity that has a ripple effect that lives on long after they're gone. Just try you best to make positive ripples and have an enjoyable life.
tell him that jesus probably didn't get married or it would have mentioned it in the bible, but at the same time we can't be 100% sure he didn't get married because it doesn't specifically say he didn't get married.
stand back watch fireworks.. i thought it was a pretty reasonable thing to say.
pop.
The best way to wind up a JW is to use their own fallacious tactics when debating them. Then when they point out the errors of the tactics you're using take their corrections and apply back at them to their use of the very same fallacious arguments in defending the JW belief system.
