truth_b_known

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Posts by truth_b_known

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  52

  Free Will - Does It or Does It Not Exist?

  by truth_b_known in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  being born-in and raised as one of jehovah's witnesses i remember a common theme or phrases used by the watchtower in its theory of why things are the way they are -.

  jehovah created humans.

  jehovah created humans as free moral agents.

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  truth_b_known

  PunkofNicke: I agree with you. The law of cause and effect certainly has the most to do with things.
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  52

  Free Will - Does It or Does It Not Exist?

  by truth_b_known in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  being born-in and raised as one of jehovah's witnesses i remember a common theme or phrases used by the watchtower in its theory of why things are the way they are -.

  jehovah created humans.

  jehovah created humans as free moral agents.

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  truth_b_known

  I am beginning to think that part of the answer comes from understanding what is exactly meant. There needs to be an agreement on what the terminology means. Also, that likes most things, it is not a binary situation.

  There is "Strong Free Will" which goes something like -

  (a) it is “up to us” what we choose from an array of alternative possibilities, and (b) the origin or source of our choices and actions is in us and not in anyone or anything else over which we have no control.

  There is "Hard Determinism" which goes something like -

  the history, present state, and future of physical bodies and force fields in the universe, including the physical aspects of mental states. The hypothesis is that every physical state of affairs at any point in time is the causal product of two things: (1) an immediately prior physical state of affairs and (2) the laws of nature. “[D]eterminism” is the thesis that “a complete physical description of the world at a given time, together with a complete description of the laws of nature, entails every truth as to the state of the physical world at later times” - or earlier times, for that matter. If determinism is valid, it means that with sufficient information about the world and sufficient knowledge of the laws of nature, one can both predict the future and derive the past because every physical state of affairs that once existed, now exists or will exist in the future is inexorably dictated by what precedes it.

  There are also "soft" versions of each theory.

  So, perhaps it is like one person put it (in my own words) -

  "In each present moment we are presented with a limited number of deterministic outcomes to chose from."

  That is to say, we have some choice, but much has already been determined by prior action.
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  52

  Free Will - Does It or Does It Not Exist?

  by truth_b_known in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  being born-in and raised as one of jehovah's witnesses i remember a common theme or phrases used by the watchtower in its theory of why things are the way they are -.

  jehovah created humans.

  jehovah created humans as free moral agents.

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  truth_b_known

  I came to this website because -

  1. Sometime in the late 1970's my parents conceived me
  2. My parents are U.S. citizens and I was birth in the U.S., a country composed of mostly Christians
  3. My parents were/are devout Jehovah's Witnesses
  4. My mother's parents were also devout JWs
  5. The Watchtower demands JW parents indoctrinate their children in their belief system
  6. Like all children, I believed everything my parents taught me is true
  7. I became one of Jehovah's Witnesses
  8. In my late 20's I applied for a job
  9. That employer hired me
  10. I had to work nights, weekends, and holidays causing me to miss meetings
  11. My enthusiasm for the JW religion waned
  12. I inherited my father's aptitude for critical thinking
  13. My father taught me astronomy
  14. I took astronomy in college
  15. My astronomy instructor made my learn Kepler's Law
  16. Graham Hancock wrote a book about Mars
  17. I read that book
  18. Kepler's Law and the book about Mars changed my belief on Noah's Flood
  19. I attended the Memorial at my father's request in 2010 because he said it would be of significance
  20. I attended that Memorial and it was exactly like every Memorial I attended for 30+ years

  That's a shortlist of contributing factors of why I first came to this website. In that list there are 8 people outside of me that have a direct link of why I made it here. There are many, many more.

  • The actions of other people.
  • My inherited beliefs.
    
  • My inherited DNA.

  This is a short list of external factors I had no control over that brought me to this website.

  One person said we do things for 1 of 2 reasons -

  1. We want to
  2. We were coerced to

  The question is, how do we choose what we want? We don't. Where do our thoughts come from? Who is the thinker thinking the thoughts?

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpU_e3jh_FY
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  52

  Free Will - Does It or Does It Not Exist?

  by truth_b_known in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  being born-in and raised as one of jehovah's witnesses i remember a common theme or phrases used by the watchtower in its theory of why things are the way they are -.

  jehovah created humans.

  jehovah created humans as free moral agents.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  truth_b_known

  Being born-in and raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses I remember a common theme or phrases used by the Watchtower in its theory of why things are the way they are -

  • Jehovah created humans
  • Jehovah created humans as free moral agents
  • Jehovah created humans with "free will"
  • Free will is how sin came into the world
  • As free moral agents, God judges us by our choices and that will determine how God decides our eternal future

  I have recently begun to study the topic of free will vs determinism. The evidence definitely leans more towards determinism and that free will is illusionary.

  I was seeking other users input on the topic. Has anyone else studied this? What have your findings produced?

  "A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants." - Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher
  
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  3

  Magnum Actor died.

  by Lost in the fog in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://news.sky.com/story/magnum-pi-actor-roger-e-mosley-dies-after-sustaining-injuries-in-car-crash-12668467.

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  truth_b_known

  Magnum P.I. is on a list of shows produced by Chad Larson that made the 80's a great time to own a tv. I love the show and T.C. is a great character.
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  7

  Woke Up Feeling Poetic, so an ExJW Poem

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  come here you heavy hearted who departed from the truth your youth and family trapped you in.. no need to fear that armageddons near and you will be forgotten as a rotten failure to your kin.. the freedom that you took is nothing that a crusty book can ever realistically replace.. so stand up tall, tell all who need to hear that it is them who fear to look you in the face..

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  truth_b_known

  Well done, Simon. A powerful poem indeed. I appreciate your prose.

  I do believe it is they would both cower in shame and look away in fear. Shunning is not love. The thought that we are right burns like a hot ember in the back of their brain. "What if he's right?" is the background noise of their lives.
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  9

  Online Lesson: Why does suffering and evil exist?

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  bible teachings.

  online lessons.

  basic bible teachings.

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  truth_b_known

  If that concept were true here's the way to settle it. Have Jehovah and Satan rule over their own earth in the mirror universe or multiverse. (Star trek and marvel reference) and let the result prove itself With an equal playing field!

  This idea makes real sense. It is a true experiment with parameters. It follows the scientific method and is therefor unbiased.
  
  
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  17

  3 years in the making

  by Judgerussellford in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  thursday while i was at work, a new elder stopped by the house (almost 3 years after fading) to encourage us to go back to meetings.

  said everyone misses us.

  if you did, why not stop by and say hi every now and then?

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  truth_b_known

  If you go through with it be sure to answer their questions as U.S. Congressmen do.

  Elder: Do you believe this is the one, true religion?

  You: Brother, that information is a matter of public record.
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  9

  Online Lesson: Why does suffering and evil exist?

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  bible teachings.

  online lessons.

  basic bible teachings.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  truth_b_known

  According to Christian myth, God doesn't have to do anything. He is the sovereign over all the universe. He makes the rules and he punishes those according to his wants and desires if those roles are violated. It's all his choice.

  This is why none of it makes sense. What exactly are the perimeters of this great experiment?
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  22

  An aspect of dealing with my elderly, PIMI, Father

  by joe134cd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  for a bit of back ground.

  i’m a full blown pomo apostate.

  nothing would please me more to see wt burn to the ground.

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  truth_b_known

  Here is my opinion on the topic of disassociation within the Jehovah's Witness religion - Don't do it!

  When I stopped being one of Jehovah's Witnesses I was done with the practices and beliefs. Disassociation is a Jehovah's Witness practice. It is their game. It is their rules.

  Don't play their game. Don't play by their rules. Disassociation is a form of acknowledging their religion and authority.