It's easy to dismiss these things if it's never happened to you. It's only then that you understand that there are things in this world that we don't fully understand.
Ghosts and Spirits
by Cold Steel 51 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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SweetBabyCheezits
You are right, BP. But after almost 30 years of accepting the WT claims of divine direction, I've decided a little healthy skepticism of all fantastic claims would probably be a wise investment.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying strange things haven't happened to people. People regularly perceive unexplained events. It's the hasty explanation some folks arrive at that concerns me.
It's only then that you understand that there are things in this world that we don't fully understand.
I disagree that "it's only then" because that's precisely what I'm preaching (and science preaches the same message), only not from your perspective: Some things that happen we might not be able to comprehend. What I don't understand is why many folks presume to then explain those things as ghosts or spirits despite knowing that "we don't fully understand."
Epilepsy is just one simple parallel.
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HintOfLime
I once met a man in 'field service' who upon my arrival was prying the nails out of his front porch. When I asked 'why?', he explained that the government was spying on him - by bouncing a 'radar beam' from nail to nail into his house. He claimed to know this because one day while watching TV he flipped to a channel that was displaying HIM, sitting on the toilet. Also, he "knew" that the motherboard in his HAM radio had been removed and replaced with an inferior motherboard by the government.
Since then I've come to realize there is a percentage of the population that is absolutely bat shit insane - and they are absolutely here, on this forum. But they have no idea who they are.
(If you don't believe this story... you should go check your front porch. If you notice there are 'extra' nails - nails that clearly aren't required to keep the deck in place.... well, I have some bad news. Yes... I'm afraid the government is VERY interested in how often you have a bowel movement, and both we public citizens AND the demonz are watching.)
- Lime
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1Robinella
"It's easy to dismiss these things if it's never happened to you. "
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Broken Promises
SBC,
No one is asking you to believe anything. No one is asking you to give over your life to a cult based on anything any of us have experienced.
I'm just saying that when you experience something abnormal, well... it makes you more open to the fact that we don't know everything about this world (or other ones).
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SweetBabyCheezits
No one is asking you to believe anything. No one is asking you to give over your life to a cult based on anything any of us have experienced.
BP, I realize this is innocent stuff, no malicious intent, just people sharing their anecdotes of what they perceive to be spirit encounters or whatever. I'm really not trying to take the wind out of anyone's sails. I apologize if I come off too pushy.
But, again, there's a pattern throughout makind's history in which general superstition impedes progress. So while the sharing of "ghost stories" is pretty harmless... I believe, based on history, that strong superstitions get in the way of logic and reason. All I'm promoting is another perspective to encourage skepticism before a hasty acceptance of extraordinary claims.
"The skeptic does not mean he who doubts, but he who investigates or researches, as opposed to he who asserts and thinks that he has found." Miguel de Unamuno
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Nickolas
Also, have you ever had any experiences, again, good or bad, in your lives? Do you believe in hauntings? Possessions?
No, no, and no.
I do, however, believe in mindless piffle. Lots and lots of evidence everywhere.
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Broken Promises
SBC: All I'm promoting is another perspective to encourage skepticism before a hasty acceptance of extraordinary claims.
And I completely agree with you. When I watch those paranormal shows I have a healthy dose of scepticism in their claims, as many of those shows rely on sensationalism and false claims.
However, there is much about this world that we don't know. It's possible that many things ascribed to the paranormal is due to electrical charges and other scientific reasons that we don't know about yet.
And as I said, there are some things that just can't be explained, and have to be experienced to be understood.
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Joey Jo-Jo
SBC wrote: BP, I realize this is innocent stuff, no malicious intent, just people sharing their anecdotes of what they perceive to be spirit encounters or whatever. I'm really not trying to take the wind out of anyone's sails. I apologize if I come off too pushy.
When I was young we had the weekday meeting (bookstudy) at my granparents place, after the meeting was over everyone was walking to their cars and a broomstick started to chase and hit the chickens we had around the yard. Around 15 people saw that, now what makes you so sure the me and everyone else perceives these spirit encounters?
Referring to all these shows and pics, not all are real, the majority of pics are false, the only true are the vintage black and white ghost pics, omens are just dust particles or computer generated, a lot of pictures (and old) can be digitalised and stuff added to it, I dont think paranormal "shows" are real, I just find it all too corny, there are some good documentaries about ghosts one being which occured in the UK, mom and her three (or 4) daughters living in a house, poltergiest occurred live on the news but I dont recall what the documentary is called. Spirits from dead people is not true, demons can lie and kill you, the same principall applies with the OT food offerings can calm down the demon
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SweetBabyCheezits
Around 15 people saw that, now what makes you so sure the me and everyone else perceives these spirit encounters?
Well, first, I wouldn't be questioning the perception of 15 eye witnesses, I'd be questioning the memory of a perception of one person who claims he shared the same perception with 14 others many years ago. Right now I only have the testimony of one person, not 15. And since I don't know you personally, it would be ridiculous for me to just accept your word, right? I mean you acknowledge all that other stuff is ridiculous but you expect me to take your word that you witnessed a broom chase chickens around the yard? Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
And yet if I should take your word at face value on something so fantastic, I should also accept Joseph Smith's claims about the book of mormon since there were supposedly 11 witnesses to the golden plates. Now what makes you so sure Joseph Smith and everyone else didn't really see the golden plates from whence came the Book of Mormon?
Aside from that, please re-read your question above. Everything we sense via sight, sound, touch, etc.. is a perception, is it not? So even if the real cause of the thrashing broomstick was, in fact, an angry demon who was pissed at the chickens... it was still a perception. So my question isn't whether or not you perceived it but, specifically, how do you know that your perception was unquestionably caused by a demon? Explanations for unexplained or inexplicable events - that's where I have an issue.
BTW, did you offer him some food to calm him down?