Nihilism is a pathology. Existentialism is the cure and it does not require organized religion.
truth_b_known
JoinedPosts by truth_b_known
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16
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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12
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.
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JW.org move to media
by Gorb inwith the built of new jw.org media studio's we can predict the future of the jw religion.. because we are living in an age of digital media, what will be the effect of this all?.
will the religion generate a new population?
we know video media is a strong marketing tool.. like to hear your thoughts.. gorby .
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truth_b_known
Even JW's are talking about no need for a kingdom hall using 4 hours in a week.
Wow! Excellent point! Think of the money member shell out on a monthly basis just to be used 2 days a week for 2 hours a day. Even with 2 congregations meeting in the same Kingdom Hall it doesn't make fiscal sense.
The American evangelical "Disney for Jesus" churches have activities going on inside their jumbo churches 7 days a week and all hours. Whether it is services, Bible classes, social activities, etc. The Watchtower would never allow that!
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Will Jehovah’s Witnesses Go Back To Normal Activities?
by minimus inmost every state has a plan to get back to normalcy.
many countries also are ready to get their citizens on the road to recovery.. where does this leave the witnesses?
will they ever go back to house to house ministry?
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truth_b_known
Right now the governing body is waiting on their accountants if they can make more money reopening kh's or keeping them closed!
NowWhat? for the win!
The Watchtower is, has, and will always be a business. Jehovah's Witnesses are just the volunteer workers who turn the crank of the money machine.
Operational costs for Bethel facilities, Kingdom Halls, Assembly Halls, and Regional Conventions for the past year have to be near $0.00. For the past 2 Memorials no additional facilities had to be rented.
Meanwhile donations and Kingdom Hall sales still go on. Even better now that people can donate directly to the Watchtower through their website. I am sure at some point they will go back to meeting at the Kingdom Hall, but I am sure the Watchtower is in no hurry.
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Degree of Effectiveness of JW Letter Writing Form of Witnessing
by Disillusioned JW ina newspaper article quotes a jw as saying "every (letter) i put in the mailbox, i feel, 'ah, this could reach somebody.
'" the article also quotes her as saying "we are accomplishing even more now than we were door-to-door because this way everybody in the house gets a chance to pick up that letter and respond to it.
it just feels good.
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truth_b_known
JW.s--the fastest shrinking religion in the world.
Nice!
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6
Phone-witnessing conversation
by Anony Mous injust got called by a lovely elder(ly) woman trying to get a conversation started about the state of affairs in the world and if it is ever going to get better (this introduction is so old, this came straight from the old 1980's brown book of conversation starters).
at first i asked whether she was a telemarketer, no, she is a "bible student".
i hadn't heard that in a while, so i asked her what denomination, she kind of struggled and quietly said i'm one of jehovah's witnesses - the embarrassment was palpable.. so i said, oh, i'm one of jehovah's witnesses too!
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truth_b_known
Q: Would be believe the Bible over the Watchtower?
A: I would have to research that.
Yikes!
That is like asking -
Q: Would you listen to God over the Governing Body?
A: I would have to think on that.
I guess Jehovah's Witnesses are actually a polytheistic religion. They worship many gods. At least 8 of them.
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Degree of Effectiveness of JW Letter Writing Form of Witnessing
by Disillusioned JW ina newspaper article quotes a jw as saying "every (letter) i put in the mailbox, i feel, 'ah, this could reach somebody.
'" the article also quotes her as saying "we are accomplishing even more now than we were door-to-door because this way everybody in the house gets a chance to pick up that letter and respond to it.
it just feels good.
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truth_b_known
We got the letter about 6 months ago. It is just members paying via postage to advertise JW.org. The Watchtower would be better off upgrading their business model by actually paying for advertising online to get people to go to their website. I won't say that will never happen as I never thought the religion would turn out the way it looks now either.
