OM: WOW, that sounds just like my brother Thanks I enjoyed that!
Free Will?
by ex-nj-jw 23 Replies latest jw friends
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ex-nj-jw
Take two advils and stay away from the kingdom hall! Peace, Rachel
Hey Rachel, I did just that. Haven't been near a KH in 25 years. Every now and then my JW family likes to try to feed me again.
nj
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Open mind
Hey ex-nj,
If you enjoyed the script, here's "Kissing Hank's Ass - The Movie" on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdCA5xAsw8I
It's about 8 minutes long.
Most excellent, IMO.
OM
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GoddessRachel
Open Mind, that script and video are brilliant! Thanks for sharing.
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jaguarbass
I always reasoned the same way you do about it. And thats all bible based religions not just the Jehobers Witnesses.
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JoyNichols
ex-nj-jw - I think you'll like what this guy's got to say about how loving god is:
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WTWizard
That has been an issue since Eden. Adam was given the freedom to let God do the thinking for him. Satan was given the freedom to stay within the strict bounds of his job. But, when Satan went beyond the call of duty and tried to spare Adam from everlasting stagnation, God couldn't bear the loss of His subjects. So he punished them harshly, so anyone could see that choosing to do your own thinking would mean harsh punishment.
Yet, when Jesus did the exact same thing, the Bible exalted him. Perhaps God knew that He could count on Paul to screw up and interpret it so a bunch of new rules could be invented that would be based on Paul's misinterpretation of Jesus' teaching. For that reason alone, Jesus could be listed in the Bible as being "good" while Satan gets thrashed for the exact same thing.
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real one
I am an imperfect being so i dont want to use my will to do anything. I'd rather be used by God because what do I know? Not a lot. He created me so his ways are better than mine. I live what I have just mentioned. I tried to live my way and do my own thing but keep missing the mark. I've found that when I do it his way I come out much better. My life has purpose and meaning. Without God we just live and die.
we choose right or wrong freely. either way you are making a choice that will bring consequences
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White Dove
We all live within the decency boundary (we all should, anyway) so why is it necessary to worship a god? Worship or die no matter how decent a person you are. Worship or die. It never said just be good. No, it included worship, which has nothing to do with being decent. Remember the Aztecs? They worshipped god. I mean they REALLY worshipped him with human sacrifice and everything. God would be pleased with such devotion, wouldn't he? God just wants attention. Why should anyone be forced (no free will) on pains of death to worship him? Why? What does it accomplish? Free will of that brand means free will to worship him, only. It's one sided "free will." To me, free will is multi-faceted. It includes REASONABLE choices. Death is not a reasonable choice, therefore there is no such thing as the free will as offered by the Bible. Free to choose between life and death is no choice at all. It's a trap. No freedom involved.
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jgnat
I agree that any requirement to "do this or die" is not free will. I don't go along with the Witness idea of "free will" that everyone will eventually do everything God wants, including picking out our socks in the morning, because He has proven us so incompetent that we can't govern ourselves.
On a side note, I've been doing some deep reading about the brain, the mind, and free will. It might very well be that our mind is a quantum computer, that can affect the material universe (the brain) by focused attention and will.
That is, we can restructure ourselves and our environment by our act of will. I find this thought gratifying. It at least rises us above our genetic imprint. We can choose how our life plays out.