by Celia 34 Replies latest jw friends
JT
I went through the born again thing, and i think that the sufis might be the best group to check out for spiritual advancement. They are a bit elusive, though. I wasn't able to meet w them in my city. Of course, i'm not promoting the islamic part of them.
SS
I agree with you JT and Dakota.
My father divorced my mother and got remarried to a hard partying type. Cut 10 years later.
She became a Born Again. Her sect predicts armageddon also. It is too funny! She went from being semi-rational while on drugs to totally irrational while on Jesus!
Puffsrule: I agree. I've seen the same thing many times.
It just reminds me of when I was a witness child going to school. These people are the same idiots who used to give me grief about not celebrating any Holidays. I wasn't a "real" christian because I didn't celebrate Christmas, or Halloween.
Now, a lot of these Born Again religions, particularly the Charismatics preach the evils of celebrating Halloween and about Christmas Tree's are of Pagan origin.
But...What really pisses me off is that they actually tell me that I'm going to Hell because I was a JW. Where's the bloody sense in that???
Wow ! another intolerant cult in my opinion ! Women stay in your place ! Isn't that blackmailing ? Either you go to Church and stop working so much and making so much money, or we throw your kid out of our school ?
No more needs to be said!
Actually, gsx, the only people who've ever commented on that sticker were coworkers, and even the hardcord Christians just seem to think it's funny I go pretty well out of my way to not discuss religion at work; only trouble comes of it, I've found...
Something else that I just could not swallow..... they were saying that the worse criminal, child abuser and molester, what have you, if, in prison discovered Jesus and took Him in his heart, or however they call it, accepted Him as their Savior, they would be saved, he was our brother and we should love him, etc....... I asked about an old Catholic lady who has never hurt anyone, always been nice to kids, helpful to neigbors, etc... they said, if she has not accepted Christ as her Savior, she is doomed.... Just doesn't make much sense to me !
Celia,
This is the one of the reasons I can never be a religious "christian". I just cannot reconcile this concept.
As if no matter what one does in this life, it just doesn't matter. Rape, steal, murder, whatever! Just as long, in the end, you declare Jesus your "personal savior". By their standards, heaven is going to be loaded with prisoners.
It's like having diplomatic immunity. You can cause whatever trouble you want, you always have the Jeezus card tucked safely in your wallet to get into heaven.
However, Mother Teresa? Regardless she dedicated her WHOLE life to helping the poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick, she prayed to Mary. Very bad. She gonna be burnt toast for that!
It is always to interesting to see fanatical fundies squirm when I mention that. Or to those that are fully indoctrinated. They just shrug it off.
Andee
Edited by - BeautifulGarbage on 19 August 2002 21:30:47
SS says:
i think that the sufis might be the best group to check out for spiritual advancement
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while i thank you for your offer, perhaps i was not clear in that to me there is little to no difference in belief system, no fault of the believer per say, just the nature of most belief system that invoke some speical divine connection sorry
Puffrule says:
My father divorced my mother and got remarried to a hard partying type. Cut 10 years later.
She became a Born Again. Her sect predicts armageddon also. It is too funny! She went from being semi-rational while on drugs to totally irrational while on Jesus!
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well stated and they really for the most part can't help it- it happens by default --sorta like going swimming and not getting wet- it's kinda hard to do
smile
One thing I've found since leaving the borg is that the perception that JW's, some Born-Agains, and conservatives/fundies have of the more liberal mainstream Protestant denoms (like the Evangelical Lutherans whose services I often attend) is not accurate. That perception being, that mainstream Protestants aren't "serious" about their faith, that they just go to church to have their ears tickled. I can tell you from experience that many mainstream Protestants struggle with their faith on much more deep and profound levels than the conservative/fundie crowd, and hence, imho, have a stronger, more resilient, more real faith. However, it is more of an experiential faith, not legalistic and dogmatic. And the faith of these persons is free of the groupthink collective fanaticism that imho is the hallmark of the woohoo Jesus churches.
SS, I have found and ordered a copy of Rape of the Ape. Should be here in a few days. There seem to be quite a few available still at reasonable prices.
Lew W
