with the bulletin of atomic scientists moving its iconic doomsday clock up 2 minutes on 23.01.2015 (which means we are just three minutes closer to midnight in comparison to 17 minutes to midnight in 1991), and rapturewatch.net/timelines.htm predicting the end of the world as early as 2017, subject of last days is getting heated up again..
next time you have a witness boasts about the uniqueness of biblical propheciesespecially about last days, you can point the following photographic description of our times found in srimad bhagavatam, one of the ancient scriptures written even before the bible:.
1) religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of kali (age of unrigteousness).12.2.1.
Cofty,
1) Ask the President of the sole Super Power--in how much fear he lives, or any world ruler for that matter?
2) Bopal Industrial Gas leak tragedy killed thousands of people—families of victims got a favorable verdict from the court only after 25 years (for compensation)!
Where is the respect for victims, forget about the respect for human rights!!!
I can give you 1000s of examples like these!
with the bulletin of atomic scientists moving its iconic doomsday clock up 2 minutes on 23.01.2015 (which means we are just three minutes closer to midnight in comparison to 17 minutes to midnight in 1991), and rapturewatch.net/timelines.htm predicting the end of the world as early as 2017, subject of last days is getting heated up again..
next time you have a witness boasts about the uniqueness of biblical propheciesespecially about last days, you can point the following photographic description of our times found in srimad bhagavatam, one of the ancient scriptures written even before the bible:.
1) religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of kali (age of unrigteousness).12.2.1.
With the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moving its iconic Doomsday Clock up 2 minutes on 23.01.2015 (which means we are just three minutes closer to midnight in comparison to 17 minutes to midnight in 1991), and rapturewatch.net/timelines.htm predicting the end of the world as early as 2017, subject of “LAST DAYS” is getting heated up again.
Next time you have a Witness boasts about the uniqueness of Biblical prophecies—especially about “Last Days”, you can point the following photographic description of our times found in Srimad Bhagavatam, one of the ancient scriptures written even before the Bible:
1) Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali (age of unrigteousness).—12.2.1
2) In Kali Yuga (Last Days), wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s worth. And Law and Justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power.—12.2.2
3) Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one’s expertise in sex, and a man will be known as a brahmana just by his wearing a thread (rather than his spiritual behavior).—12.2.3 & 4
4) Marriage will be arranged simply by verbal agreement.—12.2.5
5) Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful. The principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of reputation—12.2.6
6) As the earth will become crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of their social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power—12.2.7
7) People will suffer greatly by extreme climates, famine, drought and also by excessive taxes, conflicts, severe anxiety.—12.2.9 & 10
8) Sons and daughters will no longer protect their elderly parents—12.3.42
9) In Kali Yuga men will develop hatred for each other even for a few coins. Giving up all friendly relations, they will be ready to lose their own lives and kill even their own relatives—12.3.41
10) Uncultured men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord and will earn their livelihood by making a show of austerity and wearing a mendicant’s dress. Those who know nothing about religion will mount a high seat and presume to speak on religious principles—12.3.38
11) Employees—employer relationship will be based on purely on monetary terms—one will abandon the other if there is no monetary benefit no matter how good the character of the victim is.—12.3.36
12) Cities will be dominated by thieves. Scriptures will be contaminated by speculative interpretations of atheists. Political leaders will virtually consume the citizens, and the so-called priests and intellectuals will be devotees of their bellies and genitals—12.3.32
there are many theories about the origin of belief in god, such as (1) ancient illiterate people feared forces of nature, which were then personified as gods and worshipped for protection.
(2) invention of agriculture and food surplus led to a new way of life, which included culture and religion..
yet such views are strongly being challenged today by various developments in our times.
Cofty,
I wrote about this new findings just like you wrote about gene-connection of theists. Disagreement is natural between us as I am a former atheist and you are a former theist, and it is understandable. I am in no way making a comparison between the West and the East with regard to spirituality. I was just reproducing what is being observed, in total dispassion.
Also, I am not against atheists. In fact, even those who are not sincere about their belief in God are also called “atheists.” (Hindu Scripture Shrimat Bhagavatam 12.3.32).
there are many theories about the origin of belief in god, such as (1) ancient illiterate people feared forces of nature, which were then personified as gods and worshipped for protection.
(2) invention of agriculture and food surplus led to a new way of life, which included culture and religion..
yet such views are strongly being challenged today by various developments in our times.
There are many theories about the origin of belief in God, such as (1) Ancient illiterate people feared forces of nature, which were then personified as gods and worshipped for protection. (2) Invention of agriculture and food surplus led to a new way of life, which included culture and religion.
Yet such views are strongly being challenged today by various developments in our times. Huge temples were discovered reportedly thousands of years older than agriculture. This take on civilization’s true dawn suggests that culture arose from spiritual hunger (not full bellies), declares David Robson inNew Scientist. (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22029370.700-hunter-gatherer-architect-civilisations-true-dawn.html) Why would supposedly starving hunter-artists waste their lives decorating caves with magnificent paintings which give insight into (among other things) his religious beliefs of that time? Interestingly, those hunters were more humane than many of modern humans (who thrive primarily on arms-industry) as they at least felt the guilt of slaughter, which they tried to expiate through rites and art. Modern humans brought many isms (socialism, communism, capitalism and consumerism …..) which also gave them depression, suicides, widening disparity, conflicts that kill primarily the innocents …! No wonder millions from the developed countries (most of them highly educated ones) flock to the East in search of spiritual solace, disproving the theory that belief in God arose out of fear of forces of nature!
That means humans—whether in poverty or in material abundance—would seek spirituality, our inherent nature. Just like water has TEMPORARY nature [becoming vapor when heated above 100 degree] and PERMANENT nature [liquidity], humans too have temporary nature [materialistic, atheistic or agnostic] and permanent nature [seeking God, their source, and being in tune with Him]! Until humans revert to their permanent nature, they cannot be in peace and contentment! What is temporary can give only temporary happiness! Yet man is not happy with temporary happiness that comes from Materialism, Atheism, and Agnosticism! Once experienced what those isms provide, adherents are forced to look for something better, thus actually become a means to spirituality [as shown by people who reached the zenith of material prosperity like Buddha, Bill Gates …….]
It is true that some worship God by superstition, some by instinct/tradition, and it is also true that many acknowledge some sort of relationship with the Divine on account of REASON—a fact that is often forgotten by atheists! Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi had this to say: “God is even the atheism of the atheist, for in His bountless love God permits the atheists to live. Even to those who hesitate to accept His existence, He says: ‘So be it, my sun will shine no less for you; my clouds will rain no less for you.’ The very existence of atheists is thus the proof of the greatness of God!” Also, atheists are freely taught a lesson by God: ‘Conquer the opponent with love. The more you do this, the more you feel delight in life!’
sending a messenger nearly 2000 years in advance to preach the coming of gods kingdom, and leaving the message to be carried out by his followers who would practice just the opposite of his message [eg.
catholics cannot accept a pope if he is from a black community or if sex is female, just like jws could not tolerate a black/woman wt president, which is in sharp contrast to what jesus himself practicedhe showed no partiality with regard to sex or communityhe elevated a samaritan woman sharing with her great truth, even before he did it with his own male-disciplesjohn chapter 4].
claiming something as his own, and then allowing it to decay do not befit gods superlative style!.
Simon,
That's an interesting question, yet carries the same wieght as the title!
Thank you for that humerous, yet thought-provocking question.
sending a messenger nearly 2000 years in advance to preach the coming of gods kingdom, and leaving the message to be carried out by his followers who would practice just the opposite of his message [eg.
catholics cannot accept a pope if he is from a black community or if sex is female, just like jws could not tolerate a black/woman wt president, which is in sharp contrast to what jesus himself practicedhe showed no partiality with regard to sex or communityhe elevated a samaritan woman sharing with her great truth, even before he did it with his own male-disciplesjohn chapter 4].
claiming something as his own, and then allowing it to decay do not befit gods superlative style!.
Sending a Messenger nearly 2000 years in advance to preach the coming of God’s Kingdom, and leaving the message to be carried out by his followers who would practice just the opposite of his message [eg. Catholics cannot accept a Pope if he is from a Black community or if sex is female, just like JWs could not tolerate a Black/woman WT President, which is in sharp contrast to what Jesus himself practiced—he showed no partiality with regard to sex or community—he elevated a Samaritan woman sharing with her great truth, even before he did it with his own male-disciples—John chapter 4]. Claiming something as His own, and then allowing it to decay do not befit God’s superlative style!
Logic suggests that message about system change should happen in the last generation, after which New World would start! Interestingly, this is the style adopted in the Eastern Scripture (Bhagavt Gita 4:7) Bhagavat Gita is the summarization of all the other Hindu scriptures. According to Gita, God of the universe take measures only in the last generation of Human Rule—when the irreligiousness and moral decline reach their climax, and when humans themselves destroy each other—and then He recreates Heaven on earth (which people are free to maintain it or to reshape it into Hell again)!
in our personal lives we have experienced that it is the inner elements (thoughts, feelings, emotions ...) that ultimately influence a relationships rather the outer elements (what we say or do)!
these inner elements are more powerful and faster than the outer elements!.
when i was with jws, it is their stubbornness and arrogance that i felt more than the outer elements.
identical twin studies show there is a strong inheritable component to religiosity.
thomas bouchard studied identical and fraternal twins raised apart and tested them on religious attitudes.. the correlation for the former turned out to be 62% compared to just 2% for the latter.
his colleague.
Just like water has TEMPORARY nature [becoming vapor when heated above 100 degree] and PERMANENT nature [liquidity], humans too have temporary nature [atheistic or agnostic] and permanent nature [being in tune with their source]!
Yet atheists and agosics will not be satisfied till they revert to their permanent nature—like people who reached the zenith of material prosperity like Buddha, Bill Gates ….
Tryig to link theism with gene is an act of self-consolation!
over the past few days i've been reading and watching bill and melinda gates speak about their plans for a better world by 2030. they bet that due to technology and the compassion of people the world should improve more in the next 15 years than it has in all of history.
specifically lower child mortality rate, eradication of polio and guinea worm among other diseases, improvement of standards of living, greater access to education etc.. i'm a realist, so i'm not looking for miracles, but i believe most of these things are possible given the level of success they have reaped in other endeavors, and naturally emerging tech being used to make some of these projections possible.. you can see that the world is actually improving in many areas if you seek out the good news stories and statistics and look beyond the watchtower friendly fear porn about terrorism, and potential dangers from culturally diverse nations around the globe.
for instance 2014 had the lowest fatal airline accident rate in history despite the hyping of the ill fated malaysian airlines crashes.
They will declare:
You may all go back to your old religions!
identical twin studies show there is a strong inheritable component to religiosity.
thomas bouchard studied identical and fraternal twins raised apart and tested them on religious attitudes.. the correlation for the former turned out to be 62% compared to just 2% for the latter.
his colleague.
I agree with KateWild—sounds logical and more reasonable.
My case is similar.
1) I was raised as an atheist,
2) Then I tried JWism for sometime half-heartedly because of environmental factors.
3) Then I was influenced by Einstein’s views on religion and God—and I believe in God and in the reason He has endowed me with, but not in any religions!
Yet my twin-brother remains where he was in the beginning!
