I don't mind bragging really unless it's in done in a way where someone acts better than people who don't do as much service as them.
Posts by Laika
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25Bragging among JWs...
by ohnightdivine inposting about the wonderful preaching day on fb... posting about what they ate for lunch, snacks, dinner after preaching... posting about rubbing elbows with the co, do, etc... posting about getting into pioneer school... swooning over the latest gadgets, right after the meeting... being obsessed about what clothes to wear during the assemblies.... etc.. etc... being proud of having an sp, bethelite, etc relative... being unable to take pride in academic, secular, or other normal achievements leads to the above, i guess.. and it's not at all different from how "worldly" people behave these days... .
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69
"The excitement is PALPABLE"
by Separation of Powers ingot caught at the supermarket (in between the martini olives and snack crackers ) with several bottles of hard liquor in my basket along with some red licorice by a sister that has known me for years.
still respects me, not knowing that i am in full fade mode, or at least not recognizably knowing.
anyway, when she sees me, her eyes get all big and she heads in my direction, nearly ramming my liquor laden cart with her vegan oriented basket.. "hey sop, how are you doing?
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Laika
I imagine there is excitement, JW life is a very dull routine, and this is NEW, that's exciting!
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Laika
We all long to be accepted entirely for who we are, but we also have flaws and aspects of ourselves we don't like, or regular thoughts we know we can't share if we want to earn social acceptance, so we create a mask we try to hide behind to earn love. When we come across someone who knows everything about us the natural reaction is to start apologising, just as if your wife could read your thoughts you'd probably find yourself apologising on a much more regular basis! But don't confuse a natural reaction as something we must do to please god.
There is nothing more humanising than someone we can stop pretending with, be completely honest with, and know that we won't be rejected no matter what. (imo)
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Laika
I am very late to this thread, but...
I believe in God, I am a Christian. There are definite absurdities with the Christian faith (why is god often silent? Why suffering? Etc) I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I also think that no matter which path we take we run into sometimes different but still massive absurdities, whether it be atheism or another religion (why are we never fulfilled? Why do we seek meaning in a universe that offers none? Etc)
So why christianity? The core of Christian teaching is that we are loved and accepted, I believe this, I don't feel like going into details on a discussion board but I believe I've had prayers answered, direct experiences and that I have a real personal relationship with Jesus. I have doubts sometimes but I find I can't completely reject this no matter how much anyone wants to shout me down as a deluded fool. :-P
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92
When did Theology Last add something to Human Knowledge?
by cofty into illustrate my question.... i am watching an episode of the australian tv program "q & a" on youtube.
the panel includes the brilliant laurence krauss, gay bishop gene robinson, the woefully ignorant and bigoted rev fred nile and a few others.. the early questions put gene robinson under the spotlight and to be fair he comes across as a loving, compassionate, intelligent and - in his own words - "fabulous" person.
by contrast the reverend nile is a caricature of everything that is dispicable and hateful about theism.. a self-righteous young man in the audience asks gene how he deals with the bible's condemnation of homosexuality.
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Laika
Do you really think "secularism" has any catching up to do? I don't think I agree.
Yes I do, there are many good secular movements but I'd argue that it still tends to be mostly (though certainly not exclusively) the religious who are the ones who 'get their hands dirty' as it were, actually helping people on an individual basis.
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92
When did Theology Last add something to Human Knowledge?
by cofty into illustrate my question.... i am watching an episode of the australian tv program "q & a" on youtube.
the panel includes the brilliant laurence krauss, gay bishop gene robinson, the woefully ignorant and bigoted rev fred nile and a few others.. the early questions put gene robinson under the spotlight and to be fair he comes across as a loving, compassionate, intelligent and - in his own words - "fabulous" person.
by contrast the reverend nile is a caricature of everything that is dispicable and hateful about theism.. a self-righteous young man in the audience asks gene how he deals with the bible's condemnation of homosexuality.
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Laika
Slim,
I am not really an expert on Nietzsche and probably not the best person for this conversation... Have you read much by Martin Heidegger? I think he had some good stuff to say on nihilism, I think you would like him.
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92
When did Theology Last add something to Human Knowledge?
by cofty into illustrate my question.... i am watching an episode of the australian tv program "q & a" on youtube.
the panel includes the brilliant laurence krauss, gay bishop gene robinson, the woefully ignorant and bigoted rev fred nile and a few others.. the early questions put gene robinson under the spotlight and to be fair he comes across as a loving, compassionate, intelligent and - in his own words - "fabulous" person.
by contrast the reverend nile is a caricature of everything that is dispicable and hateful about theism.. a self-righteous young man in the audience asks gene how he deals with the bible's condemnation of homosexuality.
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Laika
Well cofty, you asked a few different questions in your OP, including is theism obsolete...
Personally I can't seperate theology from practice, and I think it has something useful to say for as long as it encourages good works and good feeling. You regularly assert that there are better reasons to do good than are offered by the religious, a subjective viewpoint anyway, but regardless, who cares if the reasons are more intellectually sound if they don't produce more action?
Theism is at its best in the modern affluent west, imo, when it provides a social support, community and feeling of acceptance to those who might otherwise be fobbed off in society. JWism may not have been a good experience for me, but for two people from my old congregation, a 90 year old lady with no family and an autistic man a few years older than me, it would be a vital social support system. I can argue they could have gotten that same deal from another Church with less baggage, but I don't see how they could have gotten it from membership in a secular group.
Secularists should rightly be proud of their support for gay rights, but they clearly still lag behind theists in many areas, and theism will not be obsolete until they find a way to catch up.
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92
When did Theology Last add something to Human Knowledge?
by cofty into illustrate my question.... i am watching an episode of the australian tv program "q & a" on youtube.
the panel includes the brilliant laurence krauss, gay bishop gene robinson, the woefully ignorant and bigoted rev fred nile and a few others.. the early questions put gene robinson under the spotlight and to be fair he comes across as a loving, compassionate, intelligent and - in his own words - "fabulous" person.
by contrast the reverend nile is a caricature of everything that is dispicable and hateful about theism.. a self-righteous young man in the audience asks gene how he deals with the bible's condemnation of homosexuality.
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Laika
Problem is, that's not a Biblical concept.
Why is that a problem Adamah? We're discussing theology, not biblicism.
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17
tower attacking families to save ones from apostates
by Crazyguy ini spoke with some one that recommends i step lightly for he said the tower may use there attorneys to attack me recommend to my wife to leave me (spiritual endangerment) and use their attorney's to then help her get complete custody of the kids.
has anyone heard of these guys doing this?
i don't doubt this guy former elder and bethelite and all, just wondering if any one here has experienced this or knows of this happening?
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Laika
If you and your wife split up then the Society do have tools to help her fight for custody of your children, but for JWs to recommend your wife leave you then you would likely have to be very aggressive in your anti-Watchtower stance.
But regardless of what the elders might tell her to do I don't know why you would take an agressive approach anyway, mutual respect and 'stepping lighting' when you disagree on something, even strongly, is surely important in a good marriage.
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92
When did Theology Last add something to Human Knowledge?
by cofty into illustrate my question.... i am watching an episode of the australian tv program "q & a" on youtube.
the panel includes the brilliant laurence krauss, gay bishop gene robinson, the woefully ignorant and bigoted rev fred nile and a few others.. the early questions put gene robinson under the spotlight and to be fair he comes across as a loving, compassionate, intelligent and - in his own words - "fabulous" person.
by contrast the reverend nile is a caricature of everything that is dispicable and hateful about theism.. a self-righteous young man in the audience asks gene how he deals with the bible's condemnation of homosexuality.
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Laika
The belief that all humans have dignity because they are all loved by God is, I think, theology's greatest contribution to human society and remains so.
I find it comical when wealthy white men complain about how religion/theism has nothing good to contribute to society. It might sound compelling in university lectures but take that kind of argument to the 90 year old woman with no family who's only visitors are from her local congregation, the addicts anonymous group meeting in the basement of a church or the salvation army soup kitchen and home and see if it makes sense there.
Like millionaires sitting in a country club discussing the benefits of gutting the welfare state...