paul from cleveland

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Posts by paul from cleveland

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  17

  Help! Holy Spirit is Sucking me back in!

  by BloominMarvellous in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi guys.

  its been a long time since ive been on here!

  just trying to get on with my life.

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  paul from cleveland

  I feel just like you do.
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  12

  DNA Reading And Synthesizing Speeding Up

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as we are 10 years into the 21st century technology has sped up to beyond our expectation:.

  craig venter on dna and the sea.

  http://www.ted.com/talks/craig_venter_on_dna_and_the_sea.html.

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  paul from cleveland

  Wow! I watched that video on creating DNA. What a complicated process... like computer programming. It really adds weight to the argument that, it does require intelligence to create life after all.
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  52

  If we are a product of evolution why the need of specific elements in nature?

  by cyberjesus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for years i believed that god had created all the plants and their elements and nutrients specifically for us.

  yesterday as i was walking at the getty museum was smelling the garlic plants in the garden and made me wonder.

  if we are a product of evolution and the survival of the fittest, why do we depend on a wide variety of plants to survive?

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  paul from cleveland

  For me, the question is not whether life evolves but rather is it really possible for life to arise from non-living matter at all.
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  24

  Do the Differences Between Spiritual Beliefs Really Matter?

  by daniel-p in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one of the themes i think about every now and again is that of the nature of belief, the purpose of religion, and the presense of truth.. specifically, do the differences between spiritual beliefs really matter?

  meaning that, if every religion is just an amalgamation of different combinations of mysticisms, does it really matter if we are protestants, catholics, quakers, mormons, muslims, pagans, jews, or even jehovah's witnesses?

  further, does it really matter whether we believe in god or not?

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  paul from cleveland

  I think it matters what you believe because what if you thought your God wanted human sacrifices? What if you thought your God wanted you to be a suicide bomber and kill the infidels? What if you thought your God wanted you to stone your daughter if she was raped? Etc. Etc.

  Plus, for me at least, belief isn't a choice. I believe what I believe and can't "decide" to believe something different. (Unless I have new information that proves otherwise... then I'll believe that and won't be able to "choose" the old belief again.)
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  37

  From Jon, My Brother

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had a brother.

  his name was jon.. jon was a sweet, super sensitive guy.

  also, a very tortured soul.

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  paul from cleveland

  Jeff, I don't have the gift of verbalizing my thoughts like you do but I just want to say that your words today have thrown a blanket on my shivering heart.
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  37

  From Jon, My Brother

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had a brother.

  his name was jon.. jon was a sweet, super sensitive guy.

  also, a very tortured soul.

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  paul from cleveland

  Thanks Jeff
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  27

  Some Conclusions I Have Reached

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i wonder if everyone here who has kept up with me since i left jw's realize why i have been coming on here.

  it certainly has been cool to know that some of my experiences and opinions have helped some.

  i hope they know that i have been equally helped by others.. i come here primarily for me.

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  paul from cleveland

  Jeff, I really get a lot out of your thoughts posted here too. Some of them, like the 607 issue, I can't really grasp yet. Not because it's over my head but because my mind is still in too much anxiety to focus right now. I'm in a situation similar to your brother's. I hope you continue to post for a long time.
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  55

  Is The Internet The Worst Thing That Could Happen To The Organization?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the witnesses try to demonize the internet.

  in your opinion is the internet the biggest problem for the watchtower organization?.

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  paul from cleveland

  The internet has been around for awhile and the organization continues to grow.
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  10

  NCC Report: church members outnumber JW's 140 to one

  by moshe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  based on a recent 2009 report of church membership in north america by the national council of churches, ncc, jw's are near the bottom of the list with about 1 million members and mainline churches have over 140 million.

  jw's have not had any success in growing any faster than mainline christianity and they are definitely behind the mormons in growth.

  well, this is one statistic you won't see in the wt yearbook.. top 25 churches ranked by membership:.

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  paul from cleveland

  Only eight people got on the ark.
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  46

  In your own words ... what is the truth?

  by sacolton in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in one sentence, can you define what the real "truth" is?

  not the watchtower version (we all know what that is)..

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  paul from cleveland

  I believe in absolute truth but that I don't have enough information to know it.