Hi! Minimus,What I never could understand is preaching to the converted at the meetings.For ex: At every meeting they would always tell( us who were there )to continue to be at the meetings and in the field service.We didn't need to hear this .We are here !We are out there!And then in the prayers they weren't talking to JEHOVAH or JESUS they were talking to US! "So help us to always put the meetings first ,to be in the field night and day."The prayers were always continued rehash of making the ones who were always there feel guilty so we would do more.The prayers were like giving a talk to US! They were not prayers to God at all. When I missed meetings it was because I was wiped out.Many times I went anyway depriving myself of much needed sleep.Blueblades
Blueblades
JoinedPosts by Blueblades
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Complete List of all Good Points of the Watchtower
by Focus incomplete list of all good points of the watchtower .
expected a blank post?
sorry to disappoint.... i am the first to admit my errors.. having now carefully considered everything, i believe that what you will see if you click the link provided below:.
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Blueblades
HI!FOCUS,Looks like the site is out of focus just like you figured.Blueblades
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"Meaning" (for donkey's never-ending ...
by Blueblades indonkey,"meaning" is the most stirring of all spiritual impulses.
(helmut thielicke.
)what is "meaning"?why do we want it?.how do we get it?is it an actual quality in reality to be discerned or something we project upon that realty from within,or only a never-to-be-fulfilled longing of the human heart?whatever it is, it offers one of the most powerful reasons for continuing the human experiment.its possibility is, simply,a reason to live---its absence,a reason to give up living.our appetite for meaning is insatiable, our anxiety over its elusiveness never ending.
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Blueblades
HI!DONKEY,It's 9:00pm I just got your "Atheism Awareness"and will read it then respond to it.Thanks.Blueblades
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"Meaning" (for donkey's never-ending ...
by Blueblades indonkey,"meaning" is the most stirring of all spiritual impulses.
(helmut thielicke.
)what is "meaning"?why do we want it?.how do we get it?is it an actual quality in reality to be discerned or something we project upon that realty from within,or only a never-to-be-fulfilled longing of the human heart?whatever it is, it offers one of the most powerful reasons for continuing the human experiment.its possibility is, simply,a reason to live---its absence,a reason to give up living.our appetite for meaning is insatiable, our anxiety over its elusiveness never ending.
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Blueblades
DONKEY ,Thanks for your responses.I am open-minded to your posts and have cause to think through what you write .What I was meaning to ask was does what you learn and what I learn give our lives meaning in other words what is the reason for our existence.Is just to exist for a life that is so transience making no difference what we do with it then die .Having no meaning,no purpose to it ,,just existence through the evolution process then your gone.Is that what you have concluded or am I misunderstanding you?Blueblades
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"Meaning" (for donkey's never-ending ...
by Blueblades indonkey,"meaning" is the most stirring of all spiritual impulses.
(helmut thielicke.
)what is "meaning"?why do we want it?.how do we get it?is it an actual quality in reality to be discerned or something we project upon that realty from within,or only a never-to-be-fulfilled longing of the human heart?whatever it is, it offers one of the most powerful reasons for continuing the human experiment.its possibility is, simply,a reason to live---its absence,a reason to give up living.our appetite for meaning is insatiable, our anxiety over its elusiveness never ending.
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Blueblades
Where does one find such an idea?Many have found it in God.(I must admit after spending over 30 yrs. inside the WT.Society I have to rethink this through)And its sites like this one that are helping me to do so.What would be the use of discovering so-called objective truth, of working through all the systems of philosophy,what good would it do me to be able to explain the meaning of God or Christianity if it has no deeper significance for me and for my life.We are each working out our own lives by our best lights, and that which does not exist in my own life does not ,for me at least , does not exist at all.It is not simply the clinical reasoning or the fluctuating tide of my emotions that I must rely on.I must join with others in making my life meaningful.To do so means that I must get invovled,take risks be commited.No one can predict where this might take me or you.There is no prescription for what this kind of life must look like.It will of necessity find different people doing greatly different things.And in doing so will entangle us with others whose commitments are different and from those who recent any commitment at all.And then there is ones own inner resistence which requires that we hold tightly to the values of the struggle while holding loosely to the conclusions we draw while in the midst of the struggle to find "meaning ". Blueblades
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"Meaning" (for donkey's never-ending ...
by Blueblades indonkey,"meaning" is the most stirring of all spiritual impulses.
(helmut thielicke.
)what is "meaning"?why do we want it?.how do we get it?is it an actual quality in reality to be discerned or something we project upon that realty from within,or only a never-to-be-fulfilled longing of the human heart?whatever it is, it offers one of the most powerful reasons for continuing the human experiment.its possibility is, simply,a reason to live---its absence,a reason to give up living.our appetite for meaning is insatiable, our anxiety over its elusiveness never ending.
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Blueblades
DONKEY,"Meaning" is the most stirring of all spiritual impulses.(HELMUT THIELICKE.)What is "meaning"?Why do we want it?.How do we get it?Is it an actual quality in reality to be discerned or something we project upon that realty from within,or only a never-to-be-fulfilled longing of the human heart?Whatever it is, it offers one of the most powerful reasons for continuing the human experiment.Its possibility is, simply,a reason to live---its absence,a reason to give up living.Our appetite for meaning is insatiable, our anxiety over its elusiveness never ending. The response to this fundamental human desire is as varied as are human beings themselves.People reach out for meaning in an endless number of ways,often mistaking the diversions of life for meaning itself.The problem of meaning is tied directly to that of transience.We haven't much time to figure things out. We are keenly aware of the brevity of life.KIERKEGAARD wrote,"The thing is to understand myself,to see what God wishes me to do;the thing is to find a truth which is true to me,to find the idea for which I can live and die."To find an idea , a cause, a purpose around which I can construct a life, to realize that such a purpose also allows one to come to terms with the end of life.Where does one find such an idea?(to be continued) Blueblades
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Donkey's never-ending atheism thread
by donkey inwih the permission of simon, i would like to start a thread to act as a collection of thought, quotes and miscellany on atheism and agnosticism.
there are so many other threads on this subject but no one place which one can go to on here.
i have much to share - enjoy and contribute with me please.give me the storm and stress of thought and action rather than the dead calm of ignorance and faith.
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Blueblades
God can end all life. The living cannot end God's life. Blueblades( btw)read my response to your epicurean response then get back to me. Thanks
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What does the artificial creation of life mean?
by donkey inthe news story below was posted yesterday.
what does it mean for you as christians?
if the project succeeds will you as a christian start to look more seriously into evolution?
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Blueblades
God can end all life .The living cannot end God.Blueblades
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Would You Die For A Person?
by minimus in.
"in the truth", you are taught that since we all love one another and are true christians that we would readily die for one another.
would you now?edited by - minimus on 30 november 2002 7:57:12.
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Blueblades
Even tougher then," Would You Die for a Person?" Is," Which One Would You Save If Two Lives Were Involved?'Mother and Wife drowning,Save the Child or Mother during birth.Remember the movie,Sophie's Choice. Tough ,Painful .Vertical Limit,the father,son and daughter are hanging from this cliff. The father is first on the line closest to falling to his death, son second ,daughter closest to the safety catch which is coming loose because of the weight of the three bodies. The father tells the son to cut the line below him ,which means the father falls to his death to save his son and daughter.The daughter cries to her brother not to cut the line,which means all three fall to their death.The son is in turmoil who does he listen to.He has to make this life and death decision NOW! before they all die.He listens to his father and cuts the rope,his sister does not forgive him.Years later he has to risk his life to save his sister,he does,and then she forgives him.May we never find ourselves in these life and death situations, for what we do then,only then will we know.BTW, Sophie's Choice and Vertical Limit were movies that were dedicated to people that died.Blueblades
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Reach for God
by donkey inwhy do humans search and/or reach for god?.
if they are honest with themselves it is because have a fear or death or of non-existence.
or they draw "power" from god.
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Blueblades
Donkey, let's analyse the epicurian response.Why should "I" fear death ?"I" is he speaking of himself?If I am, death is not.( That's obvious for the time that I am) If death is I am not.(Again that's obvious when the time comes to die) but still that presupposes that there is no life after you die.Why should I fear that which cannot exist when I do(Again this is obvious when we are alive death does not exist for us)This is flawed because the epicurean thinks he is wise enough to have the answer or correct thinking about life and death.How does he know while alive what death is when it comes? How does he know that there is no life after death when he has not experienced death yet .To me this is double talk with wisdom .He is stating the facts on the one hand then presupposing on the other.Blueblades