All of those examples are cherry picking.
I'm laughing. Why don't just admit you misused the term?
Being Agnostic is depressing me....
by SkyGreen 68 Replies latest jw friends
-
FlyingHighNow
-
james_woods
If it is depressing you, then you are not truly agnostic.
-
jgnat
A thought about cherry-picking. If the bible were looked at as a compilation of books with multiple themes, authors, and beliefs (and that dratted last verse in the book of Revelation PERHAPS should be applied only to the book of Revelation), would it be something other than cherry-picking if someone took some books to follow and rejected others? How about red-letter Christians? They're applying all the red letters.
-
d
the recovery of all this just takes time.
-
fakesmile
yeah, isn't reality a kick in the nutz?
-
FlyingHighNow
A thought about cherry-picking. If the bible were looked at as a compilation of books with multiple themes, authors, and beliefs (and that dratted last verse in the book of Revelation PERHAPS should be applied only to the book of Revelation), would it be something other than cherry-picking if someone took some books to follow and rejected others? How about red-letter Christians? They're applying all the red letters.
"Good science looks at all the evidence (rather than cherry picking only favorable evidence), controls for variables so we can identify what is actually working, uses blinded observations so as to minimize the effects of bias, and uses internally consistent logic."
I see people who argue against religion, atheists and agnostics even, cherry pick the Bible all of the time. I see in some of them the argument that because there are some objectionable, evil things contained in some of the books, then the whole collection is tainted and none of its wisdom can be taken seriously.
The Bible is a collection of human authored books. No one has to accept it all together, as one book, because it is not one book.
-
Christ Alone
Just an interesting side note. Here is a link to the red letter ONLY words of Jesus. It removes all narrative and shows only what Jesus said. I'd prefer it to be taken from a non KJ translation for readability sake, but it's still pretty fascinating:
-
mamochan13
Sky - I've been through it, too. I would suggest taking lots of time to work it through. Losing your faith and belief system, particularly if it is closely tied with your family and personal identity as JWism is, is traumatic. Depression comes from having your secure faith torn out from underneath your feet.
For a long while I put faith and personal belief on a shelf because it was too painful to try and sort it out. When I was ready (halfway through university), I began to build a new belief system. I was beginning my masters in psychology and one of our first courses required us to identify our personal belief system as a starting point, on the understanding that we would continue to grow and develop and change. As I studied different philosopies I found myself drawn to existentialism. It wasn't until a few years ago, when my grandchildren started asking profound questions about life and god, that I realized I was actually an atheist agnostic. I'm still in the process of identifying what that actually means to me, personally.
I don't think our faith/belief system is set in stone either. I would guess that for most of us it's a journey, with many changes and adjustments along the way. The important thing is to learn and grow and never be afraid to challenge what we believe.
-
SkyGreen
Thankyou to everyone who replied, you have all helped me more than I can say. I really needed to get that off my chest.
Im sure youll all be pleased to know, thanks to you all, i didnt stay depressed for long
FlyingHighNow & EP.... do i need to seperate you two!!??