logansrun

Joined

• started 268 topics
• posted 2,970 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by logansrun

• 
  180

  Favourite 80's song.....EVER!!

  by ScoobySnax in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i make no apologies for going on about the 80's again, its just that i've been having another nostalgia music session again.....you know dig out all your favourite tracks type thing..... i nominate........ duran duran union of the snake.

  i reserve the right to change this though, with out warning......

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  This thread is so gay.

  Bradley
• 
  7

  Christianity

  by Patrick in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  those who feel the influx of divine energy after they are initiated into christianity suffer not only from unfortunate accidents but often from manic outbursts ending in madness.

  it is the business of the preachers to avoid this outcome and to see that his initiates can become possessed by this energy of jesus and still remain sane.. we might thus call a christian one who has been possessed by a spirit after a private initiation which has no aim other than the desire continually to be possessed, unlike a voodoo ceremony with its definite beginning and end.

  the christian cannot but wish his experience will continue for ever, even if he realizes that his body will disinegrate under the impact of the religion and that he then can no longer call his soul his own.. the teachings, which slow down physical activity, and the group meetings which speed it up, are particularly apt to bring about the state of living on borrowed time; this is not only because they bring out long term metabolic changes but also because the will cannot detach itself from the pleasures it seeks.. the question of whether it is ethical to take a mans soul is a difficult one to answer.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  Huh?
• 
  41

  What Is Your Top Vacation Destination?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been to jamaica, mexico (various resorts), venezuela, florida, california, bahamas----etc......where do you think the best vacation can be had??

  ?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  I personally like spiritually upbuilding vacations like visiting Bethel or Watchtower Farms. Remember, just because we are on vacation does not mean we have a vacation from Jehovah.

  Sound familiar?

  Bradley
• 
  67

  Question for the gentlemen.....

  by Surreptitious in

  1. social
  2. physical

  what brand of laundry detergent do you like to use?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  "load"

  hehehe
• 
  67

  Question for the gentlemen.....

  by Surreptitious in

  1. social
  2. physical

  what brand of laundry detergent do you like to use?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  I prefer "Dirty Girl."

  Bradley
• 
  21

  Why I believe life has a purpose -- Part I

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  guiding my way out of an archaic, myopic and, at times, destructive belief system like the jehovah's witnesses was not an easy thing to do.

  in fact, it was hell.

  my journey left in it's wake an existential angst and an intellectual and emotional vacuum.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  ascot,

  I am neither equipped or qualified to explain exactly how "mind affects matter." I mean this only, so far as we can tell, at the quantum level. If you get a chance, do an internet seach under "quantum theory", "Schrodinger's Cat" (check spelling) and "mind and quantum"....etc.....Also: Paul Davies books will be quite revealing.

  Panda,

  Yes, I agree it is ridiculous to expect divine intervention to solve our microscopic problems. I do believe that theism in some form is a viable option for a rational person, though.

  Watson,

  Of course my feelings might be in the way! How do you know that is part of the plan? ;) You don't, nor do I. Still, there is some hope beyond, I believe. Not a certainty, but a hope. Now that I've said that I have to go chop wood and carry water.

  Bradley
• 
  21

  Why I believe life has a purpose -- Part I

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  guiding my way out of an archaic, myopic and, at times, destructive belief system like the jehovah's witnesses was not an easy thing to do.

  in fact, it was hell.

  my journey left in it's wake an existential angst and an intellectual and emotional vacuum.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  Gumpy,

  So far....I have not seen the good side in it, that is, as regards to life and it's purpose. How can not knowing why and how we here......be a good thing.......if it brings discontentment throughout your life? Unless you reach a point where you are comfortable at NOT knowing these things.....then I do not see a good side.

  I can, off the top of my head, think of two reasons as to why "not knowing" can be a good thing; one is teleological in nature and the other is completely subjective.

  Let's take subjective first: "Not knowing" will always leave open the possibility of your true hopes and aspirations. Personally, I would like for there to be something "more" beyond my finite, human existence. Is there any proof whatsoever for that hope? No. All the same, since you cannot prove non-existence it remains a possible option. (This is a very tenuous argument, I admit. It also leaves "open" the possibility of your worst nightmare!)

  Now, the more important reason: Have you ever heard the old expression, "the journey was more important than the destination"? I'm sure you have. We all have experience the joy of the process of finding out. Even when we didn't know, the very prospect of "figuring it out" and knowing was enjoyable. If this is part of The Grand Scheme Of Things then it would make sense that we don't have "proof" for meaning, purpose and telos -- because it is, in the long run, more enjoyable not knowing (for now)

  Make sense?

  Bradley
• 
  21

  Why I believe life has a purpose -- Part I

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  guiding my way out of an archaic, myopic and, at times, destructive belief system like the jehovah's witnesses was not an easy thing to do.

  in fact, it was hell.

  my journey left in it's wake an existential angst and an intellectual and emotional vacuum.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  Gumpy:

  I disagree in having faith in something, as far as an answer to these items mentioned above. You can have faith that there is something beyond our life for us.......but to be able to define that in any manner without any proof, gets into a "faith" I cannot personally subscribe to.

  Now you are using the word "faith" in a manner I did not. We can never be absolutely, positively, unequivically certain about anything, yes, anything. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. It can be uncomfortable or it can give hope, depending on how you look at it.

  All the same, I'm not talking about a "pie in the sky" type of faith anyway. There will be more to come.

  Bradley
• 
  21

  Why I believe life has a purpose -- Part I

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  guiding my way out of an archaic, myopic and, at times, destructive belief system like the jehovah's witnesses was not an easy thing to do.

  in fact, it was hell.

  my journey left in it's wake an existential angst and an intellectual and emotional vacuum.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  Dan,

  Even though existentialism tends to be morbid and dark, the bottom line of it is that the only meaning in life is in our individual experiences.

  Existentialism does not have to be morbid and dark. It can be liberating and empowering. All the same, I'm not talking existentialism here per se.

  The universe is incomprehensible and would get along just fine without us around to observe it.

  Ah, but how do you know that? Are you so sure that we are not the end product of the Universe/God? Proof? None yet. Inclinations? I think so.

  Also: quantum "weirdness" says pretty loud and clear that the thoughts of the observer of a phenomenon are pretty damn important after all, ala Shroedinger's Cat. I'm getting ahead of myself but think of what we do know: mind affects matter (quantum physics). Could Mind also have something to do with the origin of the universe (and functioning thereof) itself? Perhaps...

  Even when you get down to what we're made of, it boggles the mind. Cells made of molecules, molecules made of atoms, atoms made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, but what are those components of atoms made of?

  Ad infinitum up and ad infinitum down it would seem. Don't forget humans in the mix, though.

  Bradley
• 
  21

  Why I believe life has a purpose -- Part I

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  guiding my way out of an archaic, myopic and, at times, destructive belief system like the jehovah's witnesses was not an easy thing to do.

  in fact, it was hell.

  my journey left in it's wake an existential angst and an intellectual and emotional vacuum.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  logansrun

  Guiding my way out of an archaic, myopic and, at times, destructive belief system like the Jehovah's Witnesses was not an easy thing to do. In fact, it was hell. My journey left in it's wake an existential angst and an intellectual and emotional vacuum. Does God exist? What is the meaning of life -- and what is the meaning of my life?
  
  Tough questions. Let me announce at the outset: I have not found the answer to those questions. Nonetheless, all is not lost. There is no need, in my humble opinion, to give up the search and muddle along through life simply enjoying our experiences and cataloging the universe. There can be more.
  
  I will start by saying that each and every one of us -- theists, atheists, people who don't care one bit -- all of us take a Leap of Faith. That's right. I mean exactly what I say -- a Leap of Faith. In what way?
  
  Well, for starters, we take a Leap of Faith in proceeding with the assumption that we actually exist, that, as Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am." Now, did Descartes actually prove anything? No. But, intuitively (and that word is very important) we simply know that we are living a real reality.
  
  Immanuel Kant once said of David Hume: 'he awoke me from my dogmatic slumbers.' Kant said this because Hume shattered the certainty that Kant had built up in his life: that God exists, that a triangle's interior angles all measure up to 180 degrees, that cold is cold, etc. Kant, through Hume, recognized an important truth: we really don't know anything for certain. Nothing! In fact, Kant was so absorbed in that thought that he wrote a book about it entitled, "Critique of Pure Reason"
  
  But, one simply cannot get along in life if we sit on our bed's and meditate on how we don't know a damn. Nothing gets accomplished. So, we get up. We go with the assumption that we really live a real life. Is it illogical to conclude that? In a sense, yes it is. That was the whole point of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.
  
  Yet, all is not lost. Following on the heels of Kant's first Critique came his "Critique of Practical Reason". In this epic book Kant shows how we are justified in making these little, daily "leaps of faith" because, if we don't, we cannot be practical. Without faith -- or, if you don't like that word, without belief -- we would be nothing.
  
  A lot of words, all this. A lot of words to get to an intuitive thought we all simply take for granted. But, the point is made and it is this:
  
  1) Faith (belief) is essential to conscius, reflexive beings (humanity)
  
  
  J. Bradley Potts