DJS

Joined

• started 9 topics
• posted 2,933 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by DJS

• 
  73

  God's Spirit

  by Hold Me-Thrill Me in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is god's spirit?

  .

  i ask this of those who believe in god.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Stan,

  "i used to pray for the holy sprit to help me stop masturbating. it worked !!! i stopped hundreds of times. so there's proof the holy spirit exists."

  Just hundreds?
• 
  4

  The two key components of religion... If removed?

  by purrpurr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm reading a very interesting book right now " why our children will be atheist ".

  i've just started the beginning of the book but it starts off with a history of how religion developed through the ages of mankind.. one of the points it make is that religion was invented for two reasons 1) to alay fears about death and the future 2) to create a bond between other people.. i found this thought to be very interesting and i wonder if the need for those two components were removed from mankind would religion disappear too?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Social services provided by governments and secular agencies have created a system whereby religion has lost much of its influence. Economic development, jobs, financial security have also resulted in the lessening of religion's influence.

  The growth of other charitable causes, clubs, organizations, etc. has removed the need to bind together in a pointy (or round) topped building in order to fellowship and commiserate.

  The widespread availability of education, especially higher eduction, which (well supposedly) teaches people how to think critically and evaluate and analyze data empirically greatly lessens religion's influence.

  Birth control, antibiotics, advancements in medical treatments/pharmaceuticals have also lessened religion's influence. In many areas women can act like men have for thousands of years ant not fear pregnancy, for example (and thank god for that!).

  The social evolution of industrialized societies includes an acceptance of gays, transgenders, living together and having sex without marriage, birth control, etc. without the condemnation imposed by religion. Religion is quickly losing its grip as a result.

  That leaves one thing - a belief in a here-after. The more rational we become that will also fade. That belief isn't based on anything that is rational; there are so many differing beliefs regarding the afterlife that to think any of them are relevant is sticking one's head up one's ass and continuing to believe simply because one wants to believe.

  Whether there is an afterlife, religion has nothing, I repeat NOTHING, to do with it. Once humans understand this, religion will lose its final influence. The only places religion will continue to flourish are those areas or religions that do not include one or more of the above mentioned factors.

  Educated priests and religious leaders and ministers know this. Google the following article.

  The End of Religion as We Know It: Why Churches Can No Longer Hide the Truth

  Daniel Dennett on closeted atheist clergy and our new age of radical transparency.

  By Andrew Aghapour / Religion Dispatches

  May 16, 2015
• 
  47

  "Make a list of people you want to meet in the New System!" (New September Watchtower)

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  watchtower september 2015 study edition, "stand firm in the faith," paragraphs 16 and 17:.

  following jesus example, we must read the bible daily, study it, and meditate on what we learn.

  along with general bible study, dig into topics about which you may have questions.. you can imitate jesus by meditating on the wonderful promises jehovah has made to you.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  LisaRose: "Hope is a very powerful thing. Getting people to vividly imagine something very positive, like meeting a much admired person, will cause people to put up with a lot of bad things. It's cult manipulation 101."

  Ditto. Which is exactly what FusionTheist is trying to do with us. He has made 39 OPs in two weeks. He tried chastising us early on (how did that work out for you FT) but has quickly switched to posts like this to engage us. I will have to say that FT learns quickly and excels at making Dark Tower OPs that don't really preach to us but draw us in to the Dark Tower's lair. At least that is what he appears to be hoping.

  I'm glad FT is here; he seems to be 51% Dark Tower apologist and 49% one of us. The longer he stays that percentage is almost certain to change. The Dark Side, Luke, beware of the Dark Side. Come on in FT, the water's fine.

  The Dark Lords, moving forward, have only one arrow in their quiver, one tool in the toolbox. And that is playing to emotions. Serious scholarship will seriously kick their sorry asses, resulting in humiliatingly having to spin, cover up and change teachings and resulting in the few remaining sentient dubs beginning to question things.

  Emotions are all they got. Sadly, Emotions are all that are necessary to Believe.
• 
  164

  California Supreme Court Case - S226656

  by Gayle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/maincasescreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=2109889&doc_no=s226656&search=party&start=1&query_partylastnameororg=watchtower bible and tract.

  started 5/27/2015.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Why would they pay? They are Jesus' brothers, the hand-picked rulers of the world who are immortal. If I were them I wouldn't pay either. Jah or his son will sooner or later rescue them.

  Or not.
• 
  53

  Spirituality

  by Jonathan Drake in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if you are a current practitioner of some religious faith i would appreciate it if you abstained from this thread entirely.

  im curious if anyone has had what could be discribed as a spiritual experience.

  i'm currently reading sam harris book waking up and it's very good so far.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Thanks Xanthippe. I avoid use of the word due to its religious, supernatural connotation, but Harris and others appear to be making its more secular definition relevant. That's probably a good thing. Words have a way of evolving to mean whatever society wants them to mean. I try not to get too hung up on word meanings because they change. Thanks for citing what I was referencing!! You made it much clearer.

  To illustrate the blissful experience. This past weekend my GF and I hiked one of the most beautiful trails in the US. The lower elevations were lush forests with streams, bridges, ferns, etc., while the higher elevations were cooler, drier, rockier, with less vegetation but amazing views. Spiritual. Plus I got to follow her up the trail and view her amazing rear end for several hours. Blissful.

  However, on the way back down the mountain my GF had to use the bathroom. Very badly. If it were me I would have found the closest rhododendron thicket (that and no cellulite are probably our gender's only advantages), but being a girl she held out as long as she could until, about 1/2 mile from the trailhead, she darted to the bathrooms. I'm quite certain that she would tell you the spiritual moment ended as soon as the immediate bodily need arrived. That's my point made on p. 2 of this OP.

  Again, thanks Xanthippe.
  
  
• 
  17

  The real issue is long term solvency.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ok every one raves on at how miserable and tight wt is, while they are literally swimming in money and assets.

  although this may be true this isn't the real issue or the problem to begin with.

  the problem is having a long term survivable business plan.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  d4g,

  Well stated. Thank you.
• 
  9

  JW Who Joined the Church of Satan, Allister Crowley, Anton Lefve's movement after leaving JW? Why, why mess with Darkness?

  by PhilsWager2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is going to trip you out, after talking with a jw friend who left the org and has great rage against god he's turning to satan.

  he lives with his jw brother and decided host gathering for people interesting in worshiping the devil.

  how will this outcome work with holy people claiming to be jws seeing some guys and girls dressed in dark robes?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Phil,

  I see your concern; one of these groups worship a god who is responsible for slaughtering billions of innocents and plans to do so again and again to satisfy his insatiable desire for blood.

  And the others worship Satan.
• 
  36

  Looking for ideas.

  by Driving Force in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i received an email from one of the elder in the local congregation.

  i am not dfed so there is not a problem there, i am just an aggressive fader.. one of the last things i said to this elder before i stopped all activities was that i do not agree with the borg taking all the assets from the congregations.. here is what the elder said in the email:.

  "i recently saw something while looking through the jw broadcasting for the month of may and i though about you.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Ask him about Lett's comments that the sale of "significant property" in Brooklyn only supplied the organization with "2 weeks of operating expenses".

  As we have pointed out before, organizations rarely use capital gains for operating expenses. I doubt seriously that the Dark Lords used any $ from these sales for any operating expenses. He likely didn't complete the sentence, which likely would have been . "2 weeks of operating expenses if we had actually used these funds for operating expenses and considering that what I mean is the $ left over after we used the capital for new capital programs."

  That, IMHO, is more likely the situation. If they made a more or less direct transfer of capital gains to capital projects, the total left MIGHT be equal to 2 weeks of operating expenses. He appears to have completely misled the rank and file by withholding important considerations. These appear to be weasel words that hide the truth without actually lying. But what else would you expect from weasels.

  If they are using capital gains for operating expenses they would be in a death spiral if they were a business. I'm not buying it. Wishing, hoping maybe, but I'm not buying it. He's lying.
• 
  53

  Spirituality

  by Jonathan Drake in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if you are a current practitioner of some religious faith i would appreciate it if you abstained from this thread entirely.

  im curious if anyone has had what could be discribed as a spiritual experience.

  i'm currently reading sam harris book waking up and it's very good so far.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Brokeback W,

  Your comments: "I think it is important to acknowledge man's spiritual side and not take a extreme materialistic approach to man's psychological condition."

  Assuming I would agree that the spiritual side means having empathy, fellow feeling, deep emotions about family, relationships, nature, justice, etc., the problem I have with the above statement is that it isn't either/or. I don't consider myself spiritual in the least, but I consider myself a deeply caring, sensitive individual. I also don't take an extreme (or even a non-extreme) materialistic approach to anything. I am very much a minimalist and a planet sustainable person. Your comment suggests that without what you consider a belief in a deity one becomes a selfish, hedonistic monster. It isn't supported by empirical data, which suggests the opposite.

  Mankind evolved to deal with the difficulties of being human; it wasn't pleasant for anyone (well maybe the kings and caesars) for 100,000 years and it isn't pleasant for billions now. Most didn't make it past childhood, and the average age of humans, for 100,000 years, is estimated to have been 34 years. Couple that with an evolved awareness of life, the world around them and a desire simply not to die, and it is easy to see why our ancestors were looking for reasons and answers and subsequently created creators, gods, near-gods, used-to-be-gods and wanna-be-gods. Something had to be better than the difficult lives they were living.

  And Oubilette, all apologies regarding the spelling. Darned auto-correct.
• 
  53

  Spirituality

  by Jonathan Drake in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if you are a current practitioner of some religious faith i would appreciate it if you abstained from this thread entirely.

  im curious if anyone has had what could be discribed as a spiritual experience.

  i'm currently reading sam harris book waking up and it's very good so far.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DJS

  Thanks Oublittle,

  I've re-read your post and tried to understand what Mr. Harris is trying to say. His definition of spiritual is his definition of spiritual. You can also find it in various dictionaries, almost all of which use words such as non-material, supernatural, soul, having the nature of a spirit. My point, which I believe is relevant to the overall topic and OP, is that spirit/spiritual/spirituality are primarily associated with the unseen god-like forces common in religion.

  If Harris or anyone else wishes to use the term(s) to relate to a lifestyle or a manner of thinking/feeling, for example, I'm ok with that. I sometimes use the word karma to describe those getting exactly what they deserve, but I don't mean that karma has any god qualities to it.