What if...

by DeWandelaar 22 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Island Man

  What if . . .

  a highly advanced alien civilization wanted to conquer earth by enslaving as many as possible? What if this highly advanced alien civilization got their hands on the bible and/or other religious texts and saw that there are prophecies of an end to come?

  Could it seem very practical for the alien invaders to devise a plan to masquerade as the coming christ to trick all deluded christians to side with them and serve them, and at the same time demoralize earth's military into thinking there is no way to fight back since no one can fight against God?

  If a large percentage of your enemy believes in an almighty God and if the remainder is only familiar with the concept; then given the knowledge of your enemy's God and given that you have the technological means at your disposal you can easily convince the majority that you are God and utterly demoralize them from putting up any fight at all. That enemy would be like "primitive" superstitious people living in the jungle who are so awe-struck by "advanced" modern explorers that they mistake them for Gods and quickly surrender without putting up a fight.

  On the other hand, if your enemy is not religous then it would be difficult to convince them that you are God. They will see you as mortal, as theoretically defeatable - even if you are technologically advanced and the odds are against them. They will still give their all in the hopes of somehow succeeding because they do not see you as absolutely invincible - as God.

  Could religion - specifically the apocalyptic religions - make us vulnerable to criplingly demoralizing psychological warfare by an advanced alien race? Could religion thus turn out to be the undoing of earth's "intelligent" inhabitants? I think this illustrates a great danger that religion poses to humankind.
• 

  humbled

  DeWandelaar,

  In the end, the writings are 2,000 years old. If finally there are global events, what of it?

  If a dinosaur bible had warned of a coming cataclysm, well--eventually it came about. and an ice age later

  If a fortune teller told me I would die, should I pay them for telling me something I didn't know would happen sooner or later?

  The bottom line for me is only this:am I living in a way that won't shame me no matter if I had to answer to Jesus or to myself only.

  On the other hand, I think we humans are not treating the earth with the respect due it.
• 

  Crazyguy

  The book of revelations in the last chapter says that these thing will happen soon or quickly, the time is at hand 5 times in the last chapter alone, John was also told not to seal these things up for the end was so close, Any way maybe armegedon already happened.
• 

  Pistoff

  End times beliefs have existed throughout history, including the time of Daniel, and the time of Jesus and the time of the writers of the later books of the NT.

  It is nothing new.

  The difference today is we get global news instantly, and of course we have religious types seizing on every disaster, manmade and natural, as proof of the end times.

  It's just weather, wars, small epidemics; nothing like the black death, or even the Spanish flu.

  Less people die today from wars than ever before, less die from disease, life expectancy keeps rising.

  We are not living in the end of times, unless some idiot starts a nuclear war.

  Global climate change? Yes, happening as we speak, even if we are in a cold snap (attributable to decrease sun spot activity, some think).

  But even climate change won't be the end of the world, it will just change how we live and work, the food supply and how many live on the coasts.
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  steve2

  The book of revelations in the last chapter says that these thing will happen soon or quickly, the time is at hand 5 times in the last chapter alone, John was also told not to seal these things up for the end was so close, Any way maybe armegedon already happened.

  The book of revelation has had more interpretations and "fulfillments" down through long centuries than I've had hot dinners.

  What is it about this nuttiest of "holy" books that attracts zealots the way flames attract moths?
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  LostGeneration

  Narcissism requires that each generation believes they are on the cusp of momentous events that will occur just around the corner because the world could not possibly last any longer than their life span.

  ^^^^This. It is such a waste of time to indulge in the fantasy that the whole world is going to be destroyed any day now. You are here 70 or 80 years, (the one damn thing the bible gets right) and then you are gone! Quit looking out for signs and illusions pointing toward the end of the world. Enjoy the little precious time that you have!
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  LisaRose

  Fluctuations in weather from year to year don't mean much. Climate scientists look at worldwide temperatures over hundreds of years, so the fact that you are colder or hotter than usual doesn't really mean much. There is climate change, but it isn't anything to do with end time predictions.

  The fact is you could have applied the bible predictions of wars and earthquakes to many periods in man's history.

  Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
• 

  smiddy

  When you look at how hot it was today , you can always find how hot it was ,same temperature 30-50 years ago ..... Red flag ?

  When you look at how cold it was today , you can always find how cold it was , same teperature 30-50 years ago....... Red flag ?

  It should raise a red flag in your thinking , humans have only been on the earth a short time , and especially have they only been moniteering earths climate for a far shorter time .

  Do season changes fluctuate ? Of course they do .

  Do climates fluctuate ? of course they do .

  Seasons , climate , fluctuate just like the sunspots fluctuate on the sun , its normally regular but every now and then it deviates from the norm .

  smiddy
• 

  DeWandelaar

  Before everyone is crucifying me: the intention of this article is to state actually two things:

  - it seems the muslim community thinks it is the time of the end (as well as many christians)

  - the "what if" originates from 35 years of brainwashed cultthingy coming into play. It tugged my mind although I know a lot better then that ;)
• 

  Phizzy

  "You can take the boy out of the religion, but you can't take the religion out of the boy", that is not actually true, but to get rid of the "cultythingy" is far from easy.

  I was born-in, and in for 58 effin years, and I think I have done pretty well at getting rid of all cult ideas and reasonings totally, but I just occasionally get a small feeling, that I immediately say to myself "That is nonsense" ,and I hope even those little twinges go in the end.

  I think it is abit like growing up with superstition, not walking under a ladder or something, if that has become part of your feelings more than part of your rational thinking ,then it is hard to get rid of.

  We really should try hard though, we owe it to ourselves to get rid of any baleful cult influence on ourselves, even vague feelings.