Posts by galaxie

Jgnat,.. you seem definite in your conclusion, but polls are merely opinions in the the main and of course some do not have the outcome of their conclusions.

I would argue that the influence to believe spirit was a supernatural force /influence on our lives comes from a more powerful/influential minority the minions following suit out of fear.

Best wishes

609

What is spirit, exactly?

by Viviane in

i've always wondered that.

recently i asked that question on another thread and didn't really get ananswer.

cofty made an excellent point that we often hear what it isn't, but that really isn't useful.. so, what is it?

Viv ...by mentioning those names you are still assuming that what they say is credible, it may well be but the ancient world and understanding of forces which have a bearing on our existence are far more than the sum of those you mention , I presume that you will agree?

The fact that spirit was identified as no more than the air we breathe is very plausible given human reasoning and understanding and the complexities of same, as is the fact that some saw it as a supernatural force, hence the very foundation of why we discuss it today and certainly a causal factor for your question.

In the context of spirit as merely the air we breathe who could argue with certainty that ancient peole saw it as just that.

The main reasoning and acceptance of spirit as something other than a physical force comes to us courtesy of the bible and such like.

The proportionality of those writers as opposed to wordwide population is miniscule.

What comes down to us in the evolution of language and ultimately the vocabulary we use is not down to those writers of mystical stories, but rather normal generational handing down.

I therefore see no confusion the ancient understanding of spirit being no more than the air we breathe as a physical force based on the evidence of effects of such is entirely possible,

The fact that it came to be seen as something other than that ie magic or supernatural was most probably down to a tiny minority in relation to world population, the effects of which have persisted to this day ie the minority speaking for and influencing the many.

609

What is spirit, exactly?

by Viviane in

i've always wondered that.

recently i asked that question on another thread and didn't really get ananswer.

cofty made an excellent point that we often hear what it isn't, but that really isn't useful.. so, what is it?

galaxie

Viv... You are making an assumption that they thought it was magical.

They had the intelligence to know it was a physical force be it gentle or highly agitated, they knew it entered the body physically through the nostrils or mouth they knew it madethe chest rise and fall, they knew without it there was no more life they . They also knew its force could bring down trees.

Don't you think they would see it as a physical force. We insult their intelligence not to think so.

If some saw it as supernatural then they were just as deluded as some people today.

609

What is spirit, exactly?

by Viviane in

i've always wondered that.

recently i asked that question on another thread and didn't really get ananswer.

cofty made an excellent point that we often hear what it isn't, but that really isn't useful.. so, what is it?

galaxie

Viv.., as you say the ancients had many things they would refer to as spirit, I am talking specifically about one aspect of what they identified as spirit they obviously were ignorant of the scientific make up of the air we breathe , any other ancient idea of what they thought spirit was is just speculation or interpreted by some eg bible writers as supernatural.

Likewise ancient people , although having in their appropriate language a word for water they did not know it as hydrogen and oxygen, therefore you cannot conclude that H2o is a metaphor for water. They are the same thing.

Best wishes

609

What is spirit, exactly?

by Viviane in

i've always wondered that.

recently i asked that question on another thread and didn't really get ananswer.

cofty made an excellent point that we often hear what it isn't, but that really isn't useful.. so, what is it?

galaxie

Viv;...All made possible by the air we breathe, is a statement, it is NOT trying to identify the type of spirit as in gods, demons etc, but rather identfies the ancient concept of the physical air which without we would not be able to communicate as we are now doing, with great spirit I might add.

Nothing mystical about it and certainly not a metaphor.spirit and air we breathe in the context as I have described are the SAME thing, we just don't use it in modern times in our conversation, as in times past when the air we breathe was also known as spirit being the physical force which was seen(rightly) to sustain our life.

Am I right in believing the spirit you are trying to identify is of the supernatural kind? As I have said previously I don't believe there is such a thing.

Best wishes.

144

Escaping Indoctrination - Faith Isn't a Virtue.

by cofty in

the unknown writer of the gospel of john put the following words in jesus' mouth, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.".

persuading countless generations that it is a virtue to believe incredible things on insufficient evidence, is one of religion's cleverest tricks.. the more incredible the claim; the more flimsy the evidence; the stronger the belief; the greater the virtue.. this is the exact opposite of how we operate in every other aspect of our lives.. rational people must demand objective evidence for everything they are asked to believe.

"extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence".. leaving the dogmatic claims of the watchtower is only a first step.

galaxie

Two types of faith in my book;.. founded faith and unfounded faith eg, I have faith my son will return safe from the oil rig he works on.thus;.. because there are many many safety checks and procedures from the outset on every part of his job my faith in these is founded because they can be tested and improved and ultimately exist for his safety.

If something occured which caused him harm then the expression, 'my faith was shattered ' comes into play.

Unfounded faith on the other hand is faith with no backup evidence ie, god, angels devils, demons, heaven, hell, paradise, living forever supernatural influence etc etc.

Which type as a rational thinking educated human being do you think fits the bill?

Best wishes to all

176

JW refuses to provide wedding stationery to Gay couple

by KateWild in

i was outraged at this and had to post it.. http://jehovahswitnessreport.com/blog/jw-refuses-to-provide-wedding-stationery-to-gay-couple.

i think she is a hypocrite and i bet she sells her invites to fornicators, or does she ask them if they are having sex before marrige, before she takes their money?.

i was never like this when i was a jw, it's even more disturbing that she is going to ask her elders what to do.

galaxie

Kate;.... I absolutely agree, JWs provide many services to people they have no knowledge of , but they will know a lot of folks will be part of babylon the great (as they see it) governmental organisations, fornicators, adulterers, criminals etc. They will take their money without a second thought. I know this from personal experience and one in particular by coincidence is a printer whose family of JWs are notorious for scandal in my area.

Absolute hypocrites.

Best wishes

609

What is spirit, exactly?

by Viviane in

i've always wondered that.

recently i asked that question on another thread and didn't really get ananswer.

cofty made an excellent point that we often hear what it isn't, but that really isn't useful.. so, what is it?

galaxie

As spirit can be descriptive so also emotion,

These words are part of our vocabulary defined and described from ancient times to allow us to understand in a spoken or written form physical reactions influencing and eminating from us.eg certain body language would denote fear or joy .the ancients through evolutionary language have brought us to the words like spirit or emotion and I'm sure many other words which share the same origins.

All made possible by the air we breath.

Photosynthesis is the culprit for better or worse. I'm sure most of us are grateful to that evolutionary process (tongue in cheek)!!!!

28

My First "Publication Free" Study...

by HeyThere in

was not so publication free.

do witnesses not know how to talk about the bible without a wt pub to guide them?.

fist, she tried to get me to start once again in the bible teach book as if i had never said i didnt want to study from the pubs, so i reminded her.

galaxie

Hey there;....you are VERY courageous , hang in there I hope you have a positive outcome especially with regards to your husband.

Best wishes.