55Jay

10 minutes ago, notmyself said:

Resurrection was quite common at the time. 

Resurrection + levitation though.....

2 minutes ago, CMNightRider said:

We are in the "end times" but not at the end yet.  Perhaps you should read the Bible from start to finish.  It will only take you about 70 hours.  When we die, we will all stand before Jesus.  

 

According to the Bible, if we deny Him, He will also deny us.  Matthew 7:13,14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Have you ever picked up a book, struggle through the first chapter or so and decide it's not very good, for whatever reason?  That was my experience with the bible. 

Quote

Bible Gateway Genesis 1 :: NIV. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

If you look at most religions they all preach about human kind being good to one another.

 

However, most have also been corrupted via human kind. The Christian bible is a product of the Catholic Church which included bits it wanted and excluded bits in didn't when assembling it. And as we see throughout history this was a very corrupt organization who were intent on control, amassing wealth and power and covering up some of their more seedy activities. They literally wanted to use "the fear of god" to control people; pushed against education of the masses and social development and resisted change and exposure of their vices. It's no coincidence they flourish in third world countries where the masses are not provided with high education and superstition and obedience is encourage. Hinduism has corrupted its caste system to achieve a similar domination and control. I use these as examples, but they are illustrative.

The Catholic church certainly used "miracles" to explain things they didn't understand and to emphasize the power of the God they sought to use for their own ends. If you do believe in forces of good and evil, it could be argued that some exponents of religion are really forces of evil.

 

Every human is unique and has their own thoughts, feelings and sub-conscious which affect their world view and opinion. It was socially unacceptable for centuries for upper class people not to be seen to be active in the religions of their countries. Then it became fashionable in Christian countries to deny religion, especially with the rising celebrity class. People wanted to be fashionable as so Christianity has declined. Not so in Islamic, Hindu, Bhuddist or Jewish counties and communities.

 

People who deny others religious views are pretending to know because things cannot be proven by 'science". But each age thinks its level of science is the ultimate when in fact new more incredible things are always being discovered. Also faith is not something that can tangibly be proven to exist or not, at this moment in time. People who are religious are placing their faith in something. For sure many things can't be explained, fate, karma, call it what you will.

 

If their is an evil force, the devil, then indeed his greatest trick will be convincing people he doesn't exist.

 

The reality is, none of us really know for certain, until we die.

All good for me, until the very end, because you sneak in the notion that there IS something to know.  Back up.  Where did the suggestion that there IS something, come from again?

I don't sit around wondering/worrying about it at all.  That's my "reality".

2 hours ago, Grusa said:

I do not.

 

But, Pascals' Wager applies. To paraphrase:-

1. If I believe in God, and He exists, I will go to Heaven.

2. If I believe in God, and He does not exist, I gain nothing, and lose nothing.

3. If I do not believe in God, and He exists, I go to Hell.

4. If I do not believe in God, and He does not exist, I gain nothing, and lose nothing

On the balance of the argument, it is safer to believe in God than not.

 

Take your chances, guys!

You could be convinced to believe in and comply with pretty much anything as long as the Pavlovianesque risk/reward structure was compelling enough.  Also relates to crime and punishment systems.

An old school, non-religious example is, or was, "Never go swimming within 30 minutes of eating, or else you could DIE!  Some adults ratcheted it up to certain death, just to make sure the kids were scared shitless and complied. 

I remember sitting there with all the other annoyed kids, waiting the prescribed 30 minutes but thinking to myself, "Really?  This sounds like BS".  But you didn't question adults, and of course we didn't want to risk death, so we complied to stay alive. 

Those indoctrinated kids grew up and told their kids the same thing even though they didn't actually know if there was any truth to it, or not.  But Aunt Debbie back in 1972 "probably" knew and so on that basis alone, it carried on into the next generation.

Better to be safe than sorry.

32 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

As a result of my Catholic education I read and wrote Latin and went to the special collections department at a big city library and read ancient texts on conjuring up girl slaves to take care of my teenage needs.  Never worked.  Parents thought I was a little nutty. 

Re: teenage needs, the lingerie section of the Sears catalog was always popular. 

4 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

I have not been sick like this for three years but I understand we’re you are coming from.

I'm no Dr. but from what I recall reading/hearing over time, a lot of these visions and encounters occur when the body and mind are in some kind of extremis or altered state.   Apart from religious leaders, don't hear of too many sober, otherwise stable folks sat on the couch at home claiming to be in touch with their chosen god.  Otherwise stable would exclude the more extreme religious believers.

4 minutes ago, rumak said:

There was a god here but he has left do to the more stringent immigration policies.  I think he was doing the

monthly income method.....

There's still a few around, they primarily hang out over in the World News forum.  ????

51 minutes ago, Aforek said:

It's what a friend of mine told me, maybe it's survival instinct … 

but does survival instinct calmly gives advice in a moment of panic ?

If you had resigned yourself to give up and relaxed, possibly.

Similar dynamic often reported by people during dangerous/stressful situations, is they perceived events and communication slowing down (slow motion) when, in reality, that wasn't the case at all.

Have you ever carried on a conversation with actors in a dream?  Some of them seem very real, it can take you a moment to realize it was just a dream.  Dogs and cats can be very animated and vocal during vivid dreams.

Again, I'm no brain scientist or rocket surgeon, but have heard about these things over the years, and most of us have experienced our brain playing "tricks" on us.

Just now, Aforek said:

I don't  especially believe in what we call God, but ...

At the age of 16, I almost died in the sea, in Ivory Coast; exhausted by the waves that prevented me from going out my head, I said to myself "I give up fighting, I'm too tired, I'm going to let myself die"
at that moment, I heard a voice in my head, very clearly , who said to me "no, your time has not come, take the next wave that comes, it will take you back to the beach", it's what I have done : it was 53 years ago , never had an other experience like this since then
everyone was standing on the beach watching me back
since then, I wonder if we are masters of our destiny and if everything is not written in advance

Do you consider that divine intervention? 

Dude, why would you float an 11th hour lie like that?  ????  

Here's a useful recipe.

How to Cook and Eat Crow

When we lived out in the village, 40km one-way from city, we would make a 1/2 day of it, lunch, do the shopping, put the cold stuff on ice and do dinner and a pub on the way home that evening.   Just the two of us, no tribe in tow.

Now we live in city suburbs, the area is easy motorbike living.  Wife hits the local market on her own after exercise class.  I might drive 10 minutes into the city and hit the farang food shops once a month, usually go together and have lunch as well.  

The core of the issue is an old one though.   I'm your typical male "hunter".  I go in to the shop(s), kill what I want and am ready to drag the bloody carcass home inside 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, she's still back on aisle 2 reading the backs of shampoo bottles.????    So now we live closer to the city, she does most of the routine shopping/errands on her own.  Quite sure it's more relaxing and enjoyable for her this way.  She has her own credit and debit cards, doesn't need me there for that reason.

Just now, fforest1 said:

In a nutshell....Thailand offers no social benefits to Expats at all.....They give no legal rights to Expats at all...They offer no long term visa security to Expats at all, and no the few PRs issued dont count....The offer no ability to work,and no the few work permits issued dont count....

 

The only thing good they offered a Expat was a easy visa...

 

Well folks with out a easy visa the Thai government is offering Expats a grand total of NOTHING what so ever....

I can't imagine why anyone moves here under these conditions, and those who remain here long-term.  They must have other reasons. 

Just now, malibukid said:

really never been to both countries and yet you are so opinionated. 

What opinion?

Just now, malibukid said:

they are foolish.  smart people do not throw money away.  my mother would drive her Rolls to Costco.  rich people are frugal.  i learn from her.

Agreed.  I live below my means, only spend 1/2 of available passive income, and keep the rest reinvesting.  But I don't quibble about the 800k or the new, highly annoying 400k rule.  In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't make that much of a difference in my portfolio.  It's my immigration show money and the aw shit emergency/contingency fund. 

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

//snip//

Yes, but we aren't comparing to living in the USA, or Saudi Arabia, or countries of a similar bent. 

 

There are many welcoming destinations with a much better standard-of-living per-dollar spent on offer.  Those are the ones Thailand is in competition with - but they either don't recognize this, or don't care.  Many officials seem to want most of us gone, regardless of the harm done to their own citizens as a result.

//snip///

 

Yes, I know, it wasn't intended as a cost of living comparison.  Rather, a nod to living here, for many, is, among other reasons, a cost avoidance measure. 

Money in the Bank's new 400k no-spend-rule is essentially a bonded amount which you still "own" vs. putting it in government tax coffers or revenue for various insurance companies "back home".  That capital is gone forever.  I use the 800k in the bank method here and while I cringe at the 400k "bond", the consolation is that capital is still mine.  That's the point I was trying to make relative to leaving money for survivors when you die here. 

Edit: No argument that schemes in other countries are different/better/worse in comparison.  Anyone who wants to shop around is welcome to it. 

4 hours ago, Thailand Outcast said:

800k isn't the cost of doing business here.  It's what the Thai's think farang are prepared to pay.  Wait till it goes to 1 million, or 1.2 million. 

 

i didn't pay it then, and I'm not going to pay it now, and I will not be paying it in the future.

 

I was on the 65k method.  When that method stopped for me, I thought for sure all the dodgy agents "loaning" 800k for a few hours would have to cease, but no, this is Thailand, and it is appearing more and more that the new laws were designed to push expats onto dodgy agents, for corrupt financial gain of the immigration department, and their agent partners.

 

So, if the use of these dodgy agents are basically going to be state sanctioned, I will not be leaving. 

 

I'll have the same visa as someone on the 800k / 400k method, but I will be paying about 4000 baht less a month less for it, and I'll be able to use my money as I please, and I will not have to worry about seasoning time periods and paperwork, and dealing with immigration officers.

 

So, if this is the case, tell me why anyone would use the 800k / 400k method?  Why pay more for the same?  Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they end up giving the 800k / 400k guys a hard time, because immigration officers don't make any money out of them. 

 

if the agents get shut down, it's Vietnam 6 months and Thailand 6 months on tourist visas.   Either way, the Thai government doesn't get to tell me what I will do with my money, just to stay in Thailand 6 months more of a year. 

TLDR.

You could have included your recipe for spaghetti and meatballs.

Dude, who are you?  You just popped into TVF like a month and a half ago, an instant expert.  No first post, "Hi, my name is Ian, I'm from Cornwall, I don't know nuffin, hope to..... blah blah blah".  Come on mate, who were you in your former TVF life?  Give! 

Just now, Thailand Outcast said:

No.  Just your average guy that can see through Thai BS. 

 

If you are working outside Thailand, how long are you actually in Thailand for? 

 

You may be better off on different visa. 

But you should stop and consider the things you are saying may not be an astounding revelation to others.  800k is the cost of doing business in this particular sweaty armpit of SE Asia.   It is what it is.

Good luck in Vietnam.  When are you leaving?