Suppose technology effectively ended demand in an economy? That you had all the food, energy and lifespan you could possibly desire. What would happen? Would people die out, lacking natural drives? Have kids? Go crazy because they have nothing to rebel against?
Hoping4Change
JoinedPosts by Hoping4Change
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41
has anyone looked into Buddhism?
by poor places ini've started reading a book called the modern buddhist's bible and i'm liking a lot of things about the religion so far.
of course i don't know much yet, but there seem to be some very good points to buddhism.
one thing i love is the emphasis on "killing" the ego (or whatever you might want to call what buddhists try to do with their egos!).
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Hoping4Change
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13
What the Pope Knew--CNN 9/25 & 9/26; 7 and 10 pm CST
by blondie incnn will air worldwide an hour long special investigation this weekend about the pope's involvement in priest pedophile cases.. .
one hour special report, "what the pope knew," airs on saturday sep. 25 and sunday sep. 26 at 7 and 10 p.m. cst.
compiled by the cnn special investigations unit, the program, "what the pope knew," will run this saturday, september 25 and sunday, september 26 at 7 and 10 p.m. cst.
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Hoping4Change
Recorded it - still have to get the chance to watch.
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284
To new Christians on JWN
by brotherdan ini wanted to make a few comments to those of you that have recently begun to question or have already left the wt and made their way onto this site.
this site is a great resource to learn how others are coping with leaving the organization and moving on into a fulfilling life.. i wanted to write this post because i think reading something like this would've been helpful to me to understand where a lot of people that comment on this site are coming from.
you are going to hear from a wide range of people that have moved on to a diverse range of beliefs.
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Hoping4Change
God tells us that true contentment comes from knowing Him. If I believe this then what am I to conclude about the true contentment of those that do not believe in God? I leave that to you to answer.
I definitely agree that the 'eliteist' thread is definitely in the Bible, however, I also think other portions of it make it clear that believers shouldn't be taking on airs because of their "knowledge of God". I would think that one would refrain from concluding anything about another's "true contentment", or at the least refrain from voicing or commenting on that conclusion", for while such a conclusion may stem from a type of logical deduction (i.e, one can offer proof text to support the claim), offering/voicing an opinion agreeing with the conclusion comes across as judgmental (regardless if it true) and I think the Bible has a thing or two to say about judging others (even if the judgment happens to be correct). I think that in the original post, had it not included this:
I really think this is why people buy into the atheistic philosophy. They want to eliminate the ulti mate judgment on such sinfulness, consequently, they elimi nate God. It's expedient for them to philosophically get rid of God so that they don't have to live under the guilt and the fear of a coming judgment.
some (including myself) may not have had the same reaction.
As for:
That's a cheap remark from Carl Sagan. It avoids the issue and just throws it back into the creationists court to be dealt with.
I wasn't trying to offer an evolutionist standpoint; from what little I know of it, evolution is not about determining 'first cause'. That said, Sagan's remarks are neither cheap nor avoid the issue. It hits the issue directly on it's head. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". The onus definitely is on "Creationists" to provide the evidence for their extrordinary claims, it originates and is definitely in the "Creationists" court to deal with this question. There is no more reason to believe that "God always existed" then "The Universe always existed". (Perhaps this is why some equate the two). To "choose" one over the other is simply a 'leap of faith' and nothing more (and that is ok, admitting to such is what is important). The "proof" simply does not exist. What does exist are observations and evidences of varying value supporting (or not) each claim.
Information CANNOT come from nothing. It cannot be demonstrated in ANY sense. If you are honest with yourself, you cannot say that it can. There MUST be some sort of intelligence to cause what we see existing in the universe. From the power of the macrocosm to the fragile detail of the micrcosm, it is inexcusable to not believe in some sort of intelligent design.
These very same remarks can be said about 'God', "he cannot come from nothing...." ad infinitum. To not understand (today) how it might be possible for "intelligence to come from non-intelligence" does not, by any logical deduction necessarily mean it cant be so. It simply means we do not know, 'yet'. You may be right, the Bible 'might' be right (to greater or lesser degrees) or you might be wrong and Bible may be wrong. There's a whole world out there to live, love, know and experience - the "truth" is out there. Until Jesus reappears (should that happen) we simply will not know, all we can do is believe (or not. And even if he were to appear, I wonder if the world's reaction might not be one such as that in 'The Grand Inquisitor' from "The Brothers Karamasov"). And if Shiva, Buddha, or somthing else shows up first - we'll know then too.
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284
To new Christians on JWN
by brotherdan ini wanted to make a few comments to those of you that have recently begun to question or have already left the wt and made their way onto this site.
this site is a great resource to learn how others are coping with leaving the organization and moving on into a fulfilling life.. i wanted to write this post because i think reading something like this would've been helpful to me to understand where a lot of people that comment on this site are coming from.
you are going to hear from a wide range of people that have moved on to a diverse range of beliefs.
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Hoping4Change
I hate to ask the obvious (and tired) question to the remark that "Intelligence begets intelligence", but if this is true, then what created God? And if there need be a 'first cause' why is it more likely to be God, rather than just 'nature', or 'natural process' itself? Carl Sagan asked much the same:
"If we wish courageously to pursue the question, we must, of course ask next where God comes from? And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?" - (from Cosmos)
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284
To new Christians on JWN
by brotherdan ini wanted to make a few comments to those of you that have recently begun to question or have already left the wt and made their way onto this site.
this site is a great resource to learn how others are coping with leaving the organization and moving on into a fulfilling life.. i wanted to write this post because i think reading something like this would've been helpful to me to understand where a lot of people that comment on this site are coming from.
you are going to hear from a wide range of people that have moved on to a diverse range of beliefs.
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Hoping4Change
The unfortunate thing with this is that it rings of Judeo-Christian elitism. To suggest that "REAL contentment only comes from knowing God." is to suggest that the billions of people who are not of Judeo-Christian persuasion can not have "REAL contentment" - a simply absurd idea and an insult to billions. It's definitely a good thing to suggest that it's possible to find "contentment" and a "meaningful relationship with Jehovah/God/Jesus" in a Christian tradition beyond that offered by the WTBTS, but to suggest that atheism and other of the world's religions can't offer a "REAL contentment" with life smarts of pure arrogance. Additionally, "GOD" is absolutely not neccessary for an individual to lead an ethical and moral life; atheists and other non-Christian individuals can very much be motivated by moral and ethical standards that do not originate with a Judeo-Christian god.
This has always been my hugest issue with typical Judeo-Christian thought - "it's our way or no way". I would suggest that Christians who have broken free of the stranglehold of the JW movement be of open mind in an approach to sprituality. Re-read the bible and ascertain whether, despite the few proof texts provided above, such an elitist approach to the world and spirituality is the only absolute way to interpret what is written therein. Additionally - explore learn and compare, with open heart and open mind, what thousands of years of tradition outside typical Judeo-Christian thought has to offer and discover if perhaps there may actually be some "other way" to a "creator of all things" and explore what Atheism "really means" before condemning them as individuals simply seeking to not "have to live under the guilt and the fear of a coming judgment".
IMHO, to don an elitist and judgmental attitude against/towards those who do not follow or fall in line with Judeo-Christian thought after having broken free of the bonds of JW thought would seem to demonstrate that not much has really changed.
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"Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe That Their Religion is the Only True One?"
by ziddina inguys... can you believe this???
this is a current article available on the "official watchtower web site"!!!.
"do the jehovah's witnesses believe that their religion is the only true one??
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Hoping4Change
Henschel's remarks:
Hopefully this link will work. The JW section starts on pg 132. You will need to use the page arrow buttons to go back to the page, the drop down 'COntents' menu will not get you there (at least I couldnt use it)
http://books.google.com/books?id=S0yN0eBwaCcC&pg=PA675&dq="Religions+in+America"+Leo+Rosten&hl=en&ei=Z0lYTKvlNYH48AbqsejGCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
"Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe Theirs is the Only True Faith?
Certainly. If they thought someone else had the true faith they would preach that. There is only "one faith", said Paul.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that there is more than one way to gain salvation or that the majority of the people
will meet the strict requirements of true faith. Jesus showed that only a minority would be right: Narrow is the way which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it"
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Who Would Be Good Judges On American Idol?
by minimus init looks like the ladies are officially gone along with simon cowell.. who do you think would make good judges?.
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Hoping4Change
New judges - J. Lo and Steven Tyler ?
http://www.kidglue.com/2010/07/30/american-idol-jennifer-lopez-and-steven-tyler-join-judging-panel/
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WOW! Complete magazines in PDF!
by Titus in.
from july!.
http://www.jw.org/index.xjp?option=qryqcsvrgznt.
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Hoping4Change
Maybe it's an attempt (however small) to keep people from ending up on sites like this; by making them available themselves, people are less likely to go searching for them and finding them on wicked sites like this.
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What "invisible" persons do you actually firmly believe in?? (and Why?)
by Terry inimagine that!.
invisible persons!.
from ancient times some of us have imagined there to be living persons that can't be seen but that are more than real!.
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Hoping4Change
Feel free to NOT think of a thinking entity with intelligence as a "person."
The descriptions we get of God from scripture indicate PERSONALITY, howeverGood points. Actually, early this morning I got to thinking about this very thing, the idea of 'personality' indicating person-hood; and after all, the word appears to have it's origins as:
(from http://wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/4025/?letter=a&page=1&spage=1&s=person)
dramatis person ae 1. The characters in a play or story.
2. A list of the characters in a play or story.so I guess one could refer to God as a 'person' - though I still dont like it as 'person' tends (in my mind at least) to indicate one like the other 7 billion of us, I do like 'entity' better myself. Also - all kinds of creatures have 'personalities' and 'temperments' but we wouldnt ever refer to them as persons.
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96
What "invisible" persons do you actually firmly believe in?? (and Why?)
by Terry inimagine that!.
invisible persons!.
from ancient times some of us have imagined there to be living persons that can't be seen but that are more than real!.
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Hoping4Change
Just a few thoughts...
I've always had a problem with any 'God' being called a 'person'. What is a 'person'? Seems to me that IF any such cognizant entity (or entities) exist that are directly responsible for the universe and everything in it, it (they) is certainly is NOT a person. There are ~7 billion 'persons' on this planet. Seems as though what makes all 7 billion entities on this planet that we call 'persons', 'persons', is a set of common traits and characteristics; for example I would imagine flesh and blood are amongst the common traits (though there are plenty of others) - 'God' (or gods), by most definitions do NOT have these (though apparently they become or come into 'person' form from time to time if one believes any of the stories about them). What we know (create/define) as person is wrapped up in the commonality of all 7 billion of us.
One other thing - it doesnt seem to me as though there is any fundamental difference between believing in 1 god or many gods from the standpoint of having faith. It is no more likely for there to be 1 god as there is to be many. It really tweaks me to hear the pompousness of monotheists thinking they are so much better because they believe in only 1 god and that believing in many gods is some how more ridiculous or silly; as though there were actually a difference in faith; faith is faith, regardless of what it is in.