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9:17 am
April 29, 2009
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beverly alverson
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Isn't that interesting! I am a very openminded person, once a practicing WICCAN but now born again, I cant help but wonder if the day of judgement is close upon us. Think about it, the Bible states as the time grows closer to the end the dead shall begin to rise so maybe its all tide together. All the resent paranormal activity, the weather changes, earthquakes, floodes, and the political junk, how can we not think that the end is near. Now, I'm a 36 year old female that spent 13 years in WICCA as a High Priestess, I have seen things most people will never experence so I know how real the dark can be. I have had the ability to see spirits and read people every since I can remember, even as a Christian. So maybe, just maybe ,we should all sit back in silence and reflect on who we are and stop stressing over the little things, we can learn to grow if we learn to listen to our inner voices and stop tring to listen to the voices that are hunting us. Read your Bible, even if you don't believe in it, it will help you to understand from all aspects, you have to first learn to listen to your own spirit before you can hear other spirits. This may not be to interesting to you now but just wait.
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10:30 am
April 29, 2009
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Wes
| | Spaulding Inn, Room 38 | |
| Investigator | posts 142 |
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I tried listening to my inner voice once, but all I could hear was my gastric juices digesting a Snickers bar – sounded like a small dog growling in existential angst — but thanks for the advice!
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"The truth shall bear all light."
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12:08 pm
April 29, 2009
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Harry
| | Fort Mill, SC | |
| Investigator | posts 60 |
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I loved "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" when it was on the Cartoon Network.
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8:39 pm
April 29, 2009
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Learjet
| | Australia | |
| Lead Investigator | posts 1122 |
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Repent for the end is nigh? Oh okay. Been there done that for 21 years as a fundamentalist christian. Didn't really work out for me. I have too many issues with a genocidal biblical God. Good for you if you can live with all that. I can't.
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9:53 pm
April 29, 2009
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Stephen
| | San Jose, CA | |
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Welcome, Beverly.
I like the advice about sitting back in silence and not stressing over little things.
I accept that you're speaking sincerely, but like many of us here I'm looking for compelling, verifiable evidence of the paranormal. If you can provide it, that would be quite impressive.
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Stephen the Friendly Skeptic
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5:49 am
May 2, 2009
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Grant Wilson
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yeah, and the Bible is a story book, nothing more, just so you know
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8:29 am
May 2, 2009
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alicat
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| Lead Investigator | posts 1215 |
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@ Beverly,
I too am an openminded person. I was brought up through my school years in and with a specific religious background, however, as I grew older and went through stages of my life, my beliefs were challenged and some changed. I feel religion gives you tools and an outline as to how to live your life and you are given many choices along the way. I also believe in commonsense. It's up to the individual to choose their own path. That being said, I am not going to throw the Bible under the bus as just a story book because every book is a story book. None of us has any first hand knowledge of any story being told unless we lived or were a part of it. Even recent history books are not accurate and we've lived on the fringes of that history.
I do agree in part to your statement that "we should all sit back in silence and reflect on who we are and stop stressing over the little things, we can learn to grow if we learn to listen to our inner voices and stop tring to listen to the voices that are hunting us." The only part of that statement I have a problem with is "voices haunting us". I trust "me". I do what I feel is right and I have no voices haunting me. Of course you have to listen to yourself but I'm skeptical about being able to "hear" other spirits because I have never had that experience. I don't deny your right right to believe whatever you want.
And you don't have to read the just the Bible to draw the doom and gloom connection. Nostradamus wrote stories on that as well and people believe these to be true however a lot of that could be applied to the world since creation. Think back, has there ever been a time where every place in the world was at peace? I'll stop now because this is not a religious or political forum and, I feel, it is the inappropriate place for that discussion.
However, I will end with the fact that I totally agree with Stephen when he said, "I accept that you're speaking sincerely, but like many of us here I'm looking for compelling, verifiable evidence of the paranormal. If you can provide it, that would be quite impressive.
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8:35 am
May 2, 2009
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bullerspoke
| | Sweden | |
| Investigator | posts 101 |
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I would put it this way: The Bible is one story among many. Not the only story. And all stories needs interpretation, also sacred ones (hence exegetics). Your interpretation of the bible (the rapture as fact and comng soon) might not necessarily hold true for anyone but you, even if they read the bible.
In my opinion, your interpretation of the bible as a basis for stating the end is nigh and seeing spirits, is a minority interpretation, very much a product of protestant literalists and other fringe groups in the US.
And furthermore, in my opinion, the bible is all bout stressing over the little things and not the manual for some new-agey, quakerish sitting in silence, listening to "inner voices"* and grow as a person. It's about believing in God as he is described and adjust your life accordingly, and take the consequences of that belief. It is a call to action, not a self help book. It's not psychology, it's faith.
(*In fact you shouldn't listen to inner voices, since they might be deceptive, but listen to God. Period. )
I should stress, that I am not a believer or a member of any organised religion, and is not proposing a "true way" to be christian. I am simply putting Beverly's post into context, and reacting to what I consider bad thinking and outright nonsense. I do frown upon christians who can not be bothered to do some basic exegetics but simply cherry-pick a christendom that suits them (just as I would a cherry-picking scientists). And literalists are they worst ones, because they not only don't do exegetics, but considers it bad, evil and something to frown upon. The word is to be taken literal and any process of thought is the work of the devil. And that is not only stupid, and counter to the human condition, but downright dangerous.
Rant over.
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When in doubt… figure it out!
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11:31 pm
May 2, 2009
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Bobarino
| | Valencia, CA | |
| Investigator | posts 181 |
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Well, opening myself up here, but what the heck.
I am a devout Catholic. Some probably would think that does not go well with being skeptical (or involved in the sciences). I disagree whole heartedly, but will leave that for another post for y'all to bash me. 
That being said, it seems to me that about every 10 years or so, since I've been alive anyways, some new "The end is near" fear starts to grip everyone (everyone being a loose term). "They" start quoting the Bible, the Koran, Nostradamus, etc. Right now it is mainly from the 2012 misunderstanding of the Mayan calendar. 10 years ago it was the "Y2K bug". Heck I knew a family who was convinced that when comet Hale-Bopp crashed into Jupiter that was one of the signs of the apocalypse from the Bible.
In reality, all people regardless of background need to step back and take a realistic view of what is going on around them in the real world. I personally do believe the Bible. I am just not convinced any of the "signs" have happened.
To put a final "current event" example, I know you have all heard about the Swine Flu which has it's roots in Mexico. A few days after the announced the epidemic/pandemic, a major earthquake hit an area near Mexico City. People who lived there were convinced it was the signs. There were many quotes at the time, here is one:
"We Mexicans are not used to living with so much fear, but all that is happening _ the economic crisis, the illnesses and now this _ it feels like the Apocalypse." http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Apr27/0,4670,LTMexicoEarthquake,00.html
For those who live there, it could have easily seemed that way. If things kept getting worse, who knows? But in reality, the spread of the flu has apparently fizzled out, and the earthquake wasn't as bad as it could have been. Just an unfortunate and poorly timed coincidence that jar and startle the locals, but nothing more.
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I've found that being AWESOME is a full time job…
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6:08 am
May 3, 2009
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alicat
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| Lead Investigator | posts 1215 |
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Bobarino,
First, I would never bash anyone for their religious beliefs and I don't think you have anything to worry about here.
Second, what you said is true. Every so often there is the latest "the end is near" fear. In addition to that fear, as we grow older we tend to think more and more about our own mortality which, without realizing it, puts us in a slightly different frame of mind. I think this somewhat fans those flames of fear. I use to think whoa! I'm not going to be like that! but somehow it snuck up on me and I find it does creep into my thoughts occasionally. Being a very active person for most of my life, maybe it's the beginning of knee problems, creaking bones, loss of stamina, meds for this or that, or whatever, but you do examine things more closely.
When I was growing up there was the running joke that people were going to buy property in Nevada or Arizona because eventually in their lifetime it would be waterfront property. Well, that hasn't happened but I bet you somewhere out there people did buy property for that single purpose.
Fear does strange things to people and some are more susceptible than most. We've seen people do horrific things en masse fed by fear and yet even seeing these events unfold, we still have those who have repeated these actions and there are still those that are led by their fear. We lived through 9/11, hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.
So, with all that being said, it's not unusual to hear those who believe "the end is near" cry out when any disaster happens. They have the need to connect to something and justify it.
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10:48 am
May 3, 2009
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Nosfer
| | Rotaredom | |
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It is very easy to "retrofit" a disaster to a prophecy. Years and Years ago I had read a book on Nostradamus' prophecies and the author had fit them nicely to things that had already happened. Interestingly, one of the prophecies has now been "refit" or "re-explained" so that it now fits 9/11. Several others that had nice matches in the earlier book (from the 70s or 80s) have now been re-explained to match our involvement in Iraq, the recent terrorism, etc. It is amazing the clarity that hindsight brings to things!
Bobarino, same boat as you. One can be skeptical and not have it be a contradiction of faith. One also has to remember that the bible was written by men (ie, mortals) (gasp!) and at different times. When asked if I believe in the Bible, I have to couch my answer in terms of "which parts?" and also point out that you can't believe it in it's entirety given the contradictions in it.
Reminds me of a Simpson's episode where Ned is looking back on the troubles of his life, trying to fathom why…"afterall, I follow everything in the Bible, even the parts that contradict the other parts" :)
Beverly…weather changes: One bit of consolation that the end times may not be upon us is that weather has been changing for eons. The last 10,000 years, in fact, have been some of the least variable in the planet's history and the fact that it MAY (repeat, MAY) be becoming more variable could simply mean that things are going back to "normal"
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