A better way of doing it, with regards to the 'God' question. If you're a theist or deist, please answer this question.

by Psychotic Parrot 86 Replies latest jw friends

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  Psychotic Parrot

  I'll just reply to all of those in one go (with the one exception below) to be quicker. The trouble with these threads when i make them is that they're primarily aimed that those who believe that science proves God, you know the type of people i mean, the people who really do want to force their beliefs on others, & there are plenty of them on this message board. But then ironically, when i make threads like these, very few of those people ever post in them, & in this particular thread i don't think there have been any such people. I don't mind the more reasonable believers coming in here & posting, they & i do have plenty to talk about, but the reality is that i have no quarrel with them. I'm not sure where to go from here really.

  BurnTheShips,

  I understand now. You have a lot of life to live, PP. I hope it is good for you.

  As patronising a statement as that is, i don't disagree with it. But age can only tell you so much about someone. It may explain my temperament & poor communication skills but it tells you very little about what i know & how i've lived. Like many here, i was brought up in the WTS, a learning experience if ever there was one in & of itself, but i've also spent much of my life so far in a very multi-cultural & rather troubled part of the country (the UK), i'm far from unlived in the religious sense. I went to school & hung out with Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics, J-dubs, Pagans & atheists (notice that atheists are the only ones that don't require capitalisation), etc. I've been exposed first hand to more than just WTS thinking, my parents were not particularly strict & did little, if anything, to censor my information & associates. I'm relatively uninitiated when it comes to the New Age type stuff though, but i learn fast. (By the way, am i okay in lumping all of the non-organised-religious spiritual stuff under that banner, as generally all such thinking nowadays will be a modern version of ancient spiritual ideas, which is kind of what New Age is isn't it?).

  EDIT: Ooh, this is post number 607 for me!
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  transhuman68

  You are just spoiling for a fight, PP. You know that all the logic and intelligence in the world won't make any difference to the people you're trying to reach, even if you go to thirty pages. But keep going; as long as you are enjoying yourself.
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  littlebird

  Ok, Parrot this is how I know, what I know, with regard to my belief in Jesus. Just to get my "disclaimer" in there, I'm not trying to impose, push or shove my beliefs on anyone, I'm just explaining where my views are coming from.

  This is what I have learned from secular, non biblical sources regarding Jesus.

  1. Jesus was known as Christ & Ananias had Jesus brother, James, stoned. (Flavius Josephus)
  2. Christ was crucified by Pontius Pilatus during th reign of Tiberus. (Tacitus)
  3. He claimed to be God & was said that he would return. (Eliezar)
  4. Christ was honored as a God and his followers were executed for their allegiance to him. (Pliny the Younger, also Lucian of Samosata)
  5. He was rejected by the Jewish leaders as a false messiah & a majic practicer. He was crucified on the eve of passover. (Babylonian Talmund)

  From the bible, tradition, & secular sources we learn that 11 of the apostles were martyred, 6 were crucified, 3 by sword or spear, 1 by arrows, 1 by stoning. Their willingness to die horrible deaths for what they believed makes me trust what they said about Jesus. I could believe that possibly, 1 person would die for a known lie, but I don't accept that the whole group would die for a lie or allow others to die for a known lie. They had to truely believe that Jesus was the Son of God , that he died and was resurrected.

  Cheers!
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  PSacramento

  Oh, don't you worry, if God & i meet on judgement day, i will be having many many words with Him!

  You remind me so much of me :)
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  Luo bou to

  PP No one needs to convince you that there is a God. You already know there is Paul speaks about this in the first book of Romans In verse 19 "for what may be known of God is manifest in them" You simply deny what you inherently know and like so many atheists will go to great lengths to support your non belief.

  If I had no misgivings about being an atheist I would simply write the theists off not give them a second thought and enjoy the only life I believed I had certainly wouldn't waste my time discussing what for me would be a non issue

  I don't know why some find it so difficult to put faith in God same as I don't understand why some of those who witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus instead of putting faith in Jesus thought they had the power to kill a man that could raise the dead Where is the logic in that
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  loosie

  I don't believe that there is a surpreme being looking out for all of us... simply because of the fact that he is doing a pretty damn lousy job of it.

  I don't remember who said it but someone on this board said... if I had almighty powers and saw something terrible about to happen and I had the power to stop and didn't that would make me just as guilty as the one doing the terrible act.

  Now that I am a parent I can't imagine watching horrible things happen to my child and me just standing by and letting it happen. So how can god just sit up there and watch it?

  That is why I don't think he exists.
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  jaguarbass

  If I choose to beleive in God, it is because believeing in god makes me feel good, or better than not believing in God.

  I've noticed something reading on this board.

  My believing in my concept of God is very innocent and child like.

  And thinking that way gives me peace and happiness.

  It's like the people at AA told me in another life time.

  Keep it simple stupid.

  If I start reading about the inquisition and is the bible full of contradictions I become confused and unhappy.

  But I think I can always try to find the positive or spin it to the positive.

  I have always battled depression I find happiness in simple thinkng about God and the bible.

  I find depression and confusion in analyzing and thinking deeply about God and the bible.

  There is a scripture that says each man has to work out his own salvation so I'm working on mine by trying to believe.

  I'm 58 years old and I dont know of any secret to believing you either believe or you dont.

  And heres another kicker when I say I belive it may not be anything lke you think.

  Your topic is kind of like a meme it attracts me.

  I am currious about our existance and I read pro God and atheistic views.

  I find more peace in pro god views.

  If I try to understand it scripturally which can come across arrogantly or to an atheist ignorantly. God made all kinds of people.

  and he made some for honor and some for dishonor.

  If you dont believe in God, you probably cant believe in God. Your not wired that way.

  Just like I cant believe there is no God.

  Maybe we were made that way or life, time and experience has made us that way.

  So just do like everyone else and enjoy the ride.

  When we get to the end of the ride we will all find out whats going on.

  Another thing I note, I have been out of the tower since 83. So the God I believe in might not be anything like

  the God of the Watchtower and much like the mystery of the universe that many atheist acknowledge.