If you believe in God, why wouldn't God make life on other planets and galaxies?
In some religions it is that way.
truth_b_known
JoinedPosts by truth_b_known
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18
God vs ET`s ,why is one more probable than the other ?
by smiddy3 inbillions of people around the world beleive in a god of some sort or other who exerts some power or influence to some degree or other in lifes affairs .. i don`t think there would be anywhere near that figure that would entertain the possability of extra terrestial life elsewhere in the universe.. and i find that curious .. the ancients didn`t know that their were other humans on other continents on this planet until they ventured out and found them .. we live somewhere in the milky way galaxy with millions of suns and planets that orbit them.. our galaxy is only one of trillions if not zillions of galaxys in the known universe.. look at the diversity of life on just this one planet earth ,what possabilitys could exist elsewhere ?
on alien worastronomers can use the hubble space telescope to view galaxies near the edge of the observable universe (the region of space from which light has had a chance to reach us within the last 13.77 billion years).
by examining a very tiny portion of the sky, counting up the number of visible galaxies in the universe in that specific region, and then multiplying that number to account for all the regions of the sky, astronomers estimate the number of galaxies in the universe.
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truth_b_known
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18
God vs ET`s ,why is one more probable than the other ?
by smiddy3 inbillions of people around the world beleive in a god of some sort or other who exerts some power or influence to some degree or other in lifes affairs .. i don`t think there would be anywhere near that figure that would entertain the possability of extra terrestial life elsewhere in the universe.. and i find that curious .. the ancients didn`t know that their were other humans on other continents on this planet until they ventured out and found them .. we live somewhere in the milky way galaxy with millions of suns and planets that orbit them.. our galaxy is only one of trillions if not zillions of galaxys in the known universe.. look at the diversity of life on just this one planet earth ,what possabilitys could exist elsewhere ?
on alien worastronomers can use the hubble space telescope to view galaxies near the edge of the observable universe (the region of space from which light has had a chance to reach us within the last 13.77 billion years).
by examining a very tiny portion of the sky, counting up the number of visible galaxies in the universe in that specific region, and then multiplying that number to account for all the regions of the sky, astronomers estimate the number of galaxies in the universe.
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truth_b_known
It appears to me that only Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) take issue with life on other planets. This is especially so with Protestant/Reformationist denominations of Christianity. They whole-heartedly prescribe to Luther's teaching of Sola Scriptura - by Scripture Alone, that is to say everything in the Bible happened just as it is written and there are no other writings to put faith in.
Life on other planets goes against Sola Scriptura as the Bible makes no mention of it. This is where some serious cognitive dissonance come into play with many Christians. Even look into Jehovah's Witnesses. I heard whispers of thoughts of Witnesses who believed that dinosaur fossils were created by demons to try to get us to believe in evolution.
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Has anyone still in or otherwise heard anything about JWs think we only have 12 months before Armageddon?
by blablabluh ini’ve noticed a change in family attitude recently, like there is just something extra on their mind.
i even had to call my brother to check if he was dying and too scared to tell me.
anyway, i saw a video last night my saying jws think we only have 12 months left before armageddon so thought maybe this is the reason for changes attitude.
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truth_b_known
My sister was convinced after that video that the great tribulation had started , but got annoyed when I asked about the cry of peace and security and the fall of badylon the great. That will happen soon, but more than a year and nothing.
I wish every time my dad called me with his newest theory on what was going to start the Great Tribulation or how it was months away that I had written his words down. That way, on the anniversary of every prediction, I could ask why it didn't happen.
In addition, I could ask with every new prediction this question - What reason will you have for this ne prediction for not coming true?
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Has anyone still in or otherwise heard anything about JWs think we only have 12 months before Armageddon?
by blablabluh ini’ve noticed a change in family attitude recently, like there is just something extra on their mind.
i even had to call my brother to check if he was dying and too scared to tell me.
anyway, i saw a video last night my saying jws think we only have 12 months left before armageddon so thought maybe this is the reason for changes attitude.
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truth_b_known
Zion's Watchtower - Crying wolf since 1881.
It seems like every year some event happens to get certain JWs worked up. They take it upon themselves to theorize that "this is it! This is what we've been waiting for!" and then nothing happens. The crisis ends and everything goes back to normal. Just like the Watchtower, these same JWs fail to take ownership of their doom saying and conveniently forget they ever shared their theory. They just eagerly await for the next crisis.
I absolutely love the question asked: "If we are so close to the end will we be told to stop donating to the Watchtower as it is pointless with Armageddon being so close?"
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So telling that there are no little children
by eyeslice inwatching in on my wife's zoom meeting last night, there was an item about discipline is love.
they played a 'caleb' animated cartoon and then the instructions were 'if possible, ask selected young children' several questions.. it seems however, that there are no children in my wife's current congregation so the questions were all answered by retired brothers and sisters.
the congregation mainly consists of elderly people (like us) and the few of childbearing age seem not interested in having children.
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truth_b_known
It would appear that the congregation you speak of is headed for extinction. I am sure there are more just like it. The current and incoming younger generations are able to see through the curtain and don't have to pull it back like we did.
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truth_b_known
Nihilism is a pathology. Existentialism is the cure and it does not require organized religion.
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Non Believers, how do you respond ?
by Phizzy ini recently had this in a message from a jw, a lovely person, but mind controlled, he wrote " a life without hope is no life for me".. how should i respond to that ?
i am an atheist, but want to respond in as kindly a way as possible.. i was thinking along the lies of saying i got no comfort from what i knew to be false hope, but need to say it in a kindly way.. ideas please ?.
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truth_b_known
When Jehovah's Witnesses refer to "hope" they refer to the hope created by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society through its publications, which they claim is based on the Bible.
First, it is their opinion of the Bible's message that is their hope. The hope is based on the opinion (i.e. belief) that humans were originally created "perfect" and would live forever perfect health on a peaceful paradise earth. Their hope is that through their obedience to the leadership of the Watchtower the god of the Bible will restore them to that set of circumstances. They fear death as they believe that death is eternal non-existence. The idea of not having true meaning and purpose with one's limited life causes a great deal of anxiety in a person. The hope the Watchtower extends is a coping mechanism for this anxiety, but it is not a cure.
The first mistake made in the above belief system is that mankind is born imperfect and because of this imperfection deserves to die. All life, from the smallest microbe, to plants, to complex organisms like animals live in perfect cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In a sense, Jehovah's Witnesses idea of the way human existence should be is like a true that sprouts leaves and then those leaves never die, fall to the ground to fertilize the earth, and then eventually sprout new leaves.
The second mistake made in their belief system is that eternal life has value. Living forever completely undermines the value of life. Something you could do today can wait 10,000 years if you live forever so one's actions have no meaning.
Life only has value if it is lived. You can only live in the present. If your mind is stuck in the past or worrying about the future you are not in the present. Therefore you are not living. Making plans for the future has no meaning if you are not living now. Jehovah's Witnesses hope is based on sacrificing the now for mythological future created by a late 19th century publishing company bases in Brooklyn, New York.
In short, the definition of hope is simply wanting something to happen in the future. Hope can be a distraction from the present and therefor harmful to one's well being and happiness. If you cannot find happiness in your current situation, in the now, you can never be happy.
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truth_b_known
I choose to approach life with what the Japanese call "shoshin" - beginner's mind. That is to approach all things with the attitude "I know nothing".
I believe in theoretical physicist Robert Penrose's theory of a cyclic universe. The universe has no beginning and has no end. It is on an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth over an extremely long period of time. I believe everything is interconnected.
I believe that something does not come from nothing nor does something turn into nothing. Everything that exists has always existed and will always exist. As conditions change things manifest in different ways. Matter and energy are one and the same. You cannot destroy energy, but you can transform it. As ice melts into water, water evaporates into vapor, and vapor condenses into rain, all things are constantly changing as conditions change.
I believe the past and the future are illusions created by the human brain. There is only the eternal now.
I believe the narrative story created by the human brain as a safety mechanism known as the ego is not our true Self. The true Self is consciousness. Consciousness is much like a radio signal being transmitted by the universe. Our bodies are like a radio that picks up that signal and manifests it into a song. If you turn the radio off, if you unplug the radio, if you disassemble the radio, the signal is still there and ever present.
I believe the human brain is wired for religion. Anything that requires faith is a religion. To say, "I do not believe in gods or the supernatural because I believe one day science will provide a perfectly rational reason for everything" is to have faith in science. Science is just another spiritual practice. It is a great spiritual practice. The mark of a truly great spiritual practice is one that first requires faith and second requires doubts, rationality, and proof through personal experience.
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Birthdays
by Mufasa ini have an honest question, so i hope someone will explain this to me to the best of their ability.
i'm fascinated with learning about religion!
and i've been looking for a place to ask this, believe me it wasn't an easy find.
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truth_b_known
You ask a rational question that is answered by the Watchtower in nonsensical feats of mental gymnastics.
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If not the WT/JW relgion where else are 'we' to go? Why not atheistic/scientific philosophical naturalism?
by Disillusioned JW insometimes jws wonder if the wt/jw is not the truth, 'then where else are we to go?
' i say 'why not atheistic/scientific philosophical naturalism and why not a secular philosophy which teaches a way of life?
' what do you folks say?.
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truth_b_known
The Watchtower twists the Apostles response to Jesus from "Whom else would we go" to "Where else." This changes the meaning from being a follower of Jesus to changing religions.
Getting to the question "Why not atheistic/philosophical scientific naturalism" I have found some things in my studies.
As a born in Jehovah's Witness I remember studying the Live Forever book with my dad prior to baptism. One of the things the Watchtower was still doing at this time was attacking other religions and beliefs. That is to say, the Watchtower publications didn't just show their reasons for why they think they are correct, but also deconstructed other faiths in regards to reasons they are "false". A problem I would find out later in life is that the Watchtower notoriously misquotes, takes quotes out of context, and generally provides misinformation/inaccurate information about other belief systems.
Another thing I found is that, because of the above, I found that ex-Witness tend to become atheistic as a result of this. Since the Watchtower seemed to do such a good job disproving all other religions and now that a Witness comes to find out the Watchtower is also false, the next natural step is become an atheist. I know I did, but I changed as I grew in knowledge.
I have studied human brain function and psychology. One noticeable thing is that the human brain is geared for religion. Even atheism tends to be religious. Consider the idea that "there is no supernatural". Really? How do we know. Rather, the claim is made by persons who believe that there is a scientific and perfectly rational answer for everything. That is to say, "I have faith that one day there will be a perfectly ration and scientific answer for the unexplained." Faith is the cornerstone of religion.
I am not saying there is a god nor do I believe the Bible is the answer. I have found that there are religions that seemed to line up with what science is now just discovering about the human mind and the universe. I recommend having a beginners mind set - I know nothing. True faith is letting go of belief and accepting truth as it manifests.
