Hiya Bro. Great to see you back. I like the way you think.

Hi Sis. It's always great getting home. I so love coming up and seeing my mingle friends and spiritual family. I like seeing what your up to and ms harmony along with a few others cause of the eternal bond we have and the love that is built in automatically because of our savior. What an amazing love it is. Deep, rich and totally satisfying. In many ways the believers love affair for me is like being "in love". Their not kidding about Christ and his love for the church being a marriage.

If this is merely a fantasy (a dream) that the mind has put together according to some who don't have this relationship all I can say is "shhh don't wake me up".

peace baby

*** w99 4/1 pp. 20-22 Who Molds Your Thinking? ***

“NO ONE tells me what to think! And no one tells me what to do!” Saying that so emphatically usually means that you have great confidence in yourself and in your own judgment. Is that how you feel? Understandably, no one else should make up your mind for you. But is it wise to reject so quickly what might turn out to be good advice? Can no one at all ever help you to make wise decisions? Anyway, can you really be sure that someone is not, in fact, molding your thinking, without your even being aware of it?
Prior to the second world war, for example, Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, took control of Germany’s film industry. Why? Because he realized that this would give him an extremely powerful weapon with which he could “influence people’s beliefs and hence their behaviour.” (Propaganda and the German Cinema 1933-1945) You are probably aware of the chilling effectiveness with which he used this and other means to manipulate ordinary people—normal, rational people—to follow Nazi philosophy blindly.
The fact is that how you think, and hence how you act, is always influenced in some way by the feelings and views of those to whom you listen. This need not be a bad thing, of course. If these are people who have your interests at heart—like teachers, friends, or parents—then you will get great benefit from their counsel and advice. But if they are people who have only their own interests at heart and who are themselves misled or corrupted in their thinking, “deceivers of the mind,” as the apostle Paul described them, then beware!—Titus 1:10; Deuteronomy 13:6-8.
Thus, do not become complacent and think that no one could ever influence you. (Compare 1 Corinthians 10:12.) Most likely it is already happening—more frequently than you might care to admit—without your even noticing. Take the simple example of what product you decide to buy when you go shopping. Is that always a purely personal, rational decision? Or do other people, often unseen, subtly but powerfully affect your choice? Investigative journalist Eric Clark thinks they do. “The more we are bombarded by advertising,” he says, “the less we notice, and yet, almost certainly, the more we are affected.” He also reports that when people are asked how effective they feel advertising is, “most agree that it works, but not on them.” People tend to feel that everyone else is vulnerable, but they are not. “Alone, it seems, they are immune.”—The Want Makers.
Squeezed Into Satan’s Mold?
Whether you are influenced by everyday advertising may not have serious consequences. There is another influence, however, that is much more dangerous. The Bible clearly shows that Satan is the master manipulator. (Revelation 12:9) His philosophy is basically the same as the thinking of one advertising agent who said that there are two ways to influence customers—“by seducing them or by conditioning them.” If propagandists and advertisers can use such subtle techniques to mold your thinking, how much more skilled Satan must be at using similar tactics!—John 8:44.
The apostle Paul knew this. He feared that some of his fellow Christians might let their guard down and become victims of Satan’s deceit. He wrote: “I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, your minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3) Take that warning seriously. Otherwise you may be like those people who believe that propaganda and conditioning do work—“but not on them.” The fact that satanic propaganda does work is clearly seen all around us in the brutality, depravity, and hypocrisy that characterize this generation.
Paul, therefore, begged his fellow Christians to “quit being fashioned after this system of things.” (Romans 12:2) One Bible translator paraphrased Paul’s words this way: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould.” (Romans 12:2, Phillips) Satan will try anything to force you into his mold, like the potter of old who forced the clay into an open mold to pick up the markings and characteristics he wanted to impress on it. Satan has the world’s politics, commerce, religion, and entertainment geared up to do that. Just how pervasive is his influence? It is as widespread as it was in the apostle John’s day. “The whole world,” John said, “is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19; see also 2 Corinthians 4:4.) If you have any doubts about Satan’s ability to seduce people and corrupt their thinking, remember how effectively he did this to a whole nation of people, Israel, who were dedicated to God. (1 Corinthians 10:6-12) Might the same thing happen to you? It could if you leave your mind open to Satan’s seductive influence.
Know What Is Going On
In the main, such insidious forces will influence your thinking only if you let them. In his book The Hidden Persuaders, Vance Packard made this point: “We still have a strong defence available against such [hidden] persuaders: we can choose not to be persuaded. In virtually all situations we still have the choice, and we cannot be too seriously manipulated if we know what is going on.” That is also true of propaganda and deceit.
Of course, to “know what is going on,” you must keep your mind open and receptive to good influences. A healthy mind, just as a healthy body, needs to be well nourished if it is going to function properly. (Proverbs 5:1, 2) Lack of information can be just as lethal as misinformation. So while it is true that you need to protect your mind from misleading ideas and philosophies, try not to develop a jaundiced and cynical view of all advice or information offered to you.—1 John 4:1.
Honest persuasion is not the same thing as hidden propaganda. The apostle Paul certainly did warn the young man Timothy to be on the lookout for “wicked men and impostors [who] will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.” But Paul added: “You, however, continue in the things that you learned and were persuaded to believe, knowing from what persons you learned them.” (2 Timothy 3:13, 14) Since everything you take into your mind will influence you to some degree, the key is ‘knowing from what persons you learn things,’ to be sure that they are people who have your best interests at heart, not their own.
The choice is yours. You can choose to be “fashioned after this system of things” by letting this world’s philosophies and value systems govern your thinking. (Romans 12:2) But this world does not have your interests at heart. “Look out,” therefore, warns the apostle Paul, “perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men.” (Colossians 2:8) Being squeezed into Satan’s mold in this way, or being ‘carried off as his prey,’ takes no effort. It is like passive smoke. You can be affected simply by breathing the polluted air.
Alternatively, you can avoid breathing that “air.” (Ephesians 2:2) Instead, follow Paul’s advice: “Be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) This does take effort. (Proverbs 2:1-5) Remember, Jehovah is no manipulator. He makes all the needed information available, but to benefit from it, you must listen to it and let it affect your thinking. (Isaiah 30:20, 21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13) You must be willing to fill your mind with the truth contained in “the holy writings,” God’s inspired Word, the Bible.—2 Timothy 3:15-17.

Did I just see a whole bunch of bible verses posted?

The bible doesn't prove anything.

Faith is the belief that something is true without tangible proof that can be shown to others as verification of why it is true.

And then you have the religious people with blind faith, which goes even further into having less tangible proof of anything to show it is true.

Does prove a lot. Proves just as you say "faith is belief that something is true without tangible proof".

Things you read of in history books is purely taken on faith.
Things you read in religious doctrines is purely taken on faith.
Things someone tells you that happened to them is purely taken on faith
Things planned for tomorrow is purely taken on faith.

Faith is purely what you believe to be true. Why you have this faith is moot, irrelevant. If your faith came from things out of a book, came to you on a whim one day, someone told you, ect. All irrelevant. Faith is purely a belief in something(s) without any tangible proof. Again, this can go into things of yesterday not directly involving you, things planned for tomorrow, things one tells you that happened that again did not directly involve you. Faith can be found everywhere in everything mostly.

still doesn't change the fact that bible proves nothing.

Having faith in it is choice but proof isn't there of anything tangible.

Yes but faith and facts are two different things, and the Bible lacks the latter.

Basically you have to have faith to believe anything. Anything.

fact - b : an actual occurrence <prove the fact of damage>
5: a piece of information presented as having objective reality


,,hard to prove the bible has no 'facts'


faith- b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust




sometimes facts require faith to believe(when we havent PROVEN them for ourself, we must have faith in the integrity and intelligence of those who claim they have)


most of our lives we have faith in the facts we are taught in our formal education,, if we had no faith in anything but what we ourselves have tangible proof of,, it would be a small world indeed


Faith is a gift,, without it, we would 'know' very little and have a very shaky foundation upon which to build our life and experiences,,,,

Yes I saw them posted. Aren't they beautiful!

Do you believe in living truth?

Nope, it is gobly guck designed to fry the mind so you are easier to control. It works well huh?

Well if you don't believe in living truths let me ask you a question.

Do you know how to walk?

Yup and my walking has nothing to do with faith, god, a bible, or any of that, including a living truth so you can stop right there.

No point in going any further with me.

Lets see if you can stop yourself.

Never said it proves anything. Was not even insinuated in the quoted post. There's no proof in anything less you with to put your FAITH into being proof of. I could tell you there are pink elephants in Australia till I'm blue in the face. Present you with all kinds of "evidence". None of it will effect you if you are not WILLING to put FAITH in it being true. Someone could tell you the world is round till they are blue in the faith. None of that will effect you if you are not WILLING to put FAITH in it being true. There is absolutely no proof of anything, unless YOU are willing to put FAITH in it as being as such.

I have no desire to stop myself if that's ok. No conversion talk here sis. Just wanted to share some things I have had to relearn. Hope it doesn't offend you. It's not the intent if it does. I already know you don't like Christians and that's no biggie to me.

Here's what I have learned.

The fact is you can not walk without faith. That's how the brain works. Two years ago I had a disease that forced me to learn everything from scratch again. During the process we took courses on how the mind worked with the rest of our body's parts. One of the things taught was going from having legs but not knowing how to use them, and turn them into usable parts again. You could look at your legs but they didn't move till you told them to and you could tell them to but until you had faith that you could do this nothing happened. True story. The brain and how it works is fascinating. Basically I was a clean slate as far as my commands went from my brain to my body. How strange to live through this as the first time this happens you are too young to know what's up. As your growing up you learn all the connections on the way and practice them till they mature. With my memory loss I went through the same thing. A trip! With the amount of shock to my brain at the time the docs had no idea how far along I would come back. Would I walk, talk, think in complete thoughts at first were completely up in the air. Sometimes when the brain looses contact with the rest of the body it comes back as if it never had a short and other times it stays shorted out and you loose function. A wild ride but I'm glad I took it.

If you decide to shut the door on this that's fine others will read and listen. I'm not here to change you only to respond to you.

I can speak with clear personal facts on this issue. Faith is a part of every thing we do. I have had a chance many do not get to revisit this truth. It's given me a renewed perception of how much we depend on what we believe and the truth that is or isn't there.

Basically no matter what you believe you do so because of faith and no matter what you do you do so as a result of that faith.

thanks

you can go back to not liking me now

Do Christians really think a lot of atheists or others hate them? I'm an atheist as I'm sure most of your know and I don't hate Christians, in fact I'm very involved with one now (we been through or differences phase and I still respect and like her) . I don't hate Christians, I just don't like Christianity, Islam or any organized religion that promotes hate. Religion should only be about love and to self.

I think it depends upon how much a person 'defines' themself by a label

for instance, someone who defines themself and considers their identity wrapped up in nationality,, may think that anyone who repeatedly says bad things against american politics, by proxy dislikes americans

someone who defines themself and considers their identity wrapped up in sexual preference,, may think that anyone who repeatedly says anything about same sex or opposite sex(or whatever their identity/preference is,,) lifestyles, by proxy dislikes homosexuals, heterosexuals(or whatever other sexual label people use to identify themself)

likewise, someone who defines themself and considers their identity wrapped up in religious belief/non belief, may think that nyone who repeatedly says bad things against religions or non religions, by proxy dislikes religious people or non religious people


I kind of follow the christian doctrine of seperating the actions from the person, I dislike alot of things people may say or do, but it doesnt mean I dislike the person so I try not to assume this is what it means when someone else dislikes what I may say or do (or believe)


...Dragoness has certainly been no fan of christianity, but I dont feel she hates 'me' personally,,,,

I doubt mg does either, although he may pick up that christian sentiments are not exactly 'welcome' in dialogue with dragoness and others


,,,,