by watch the tower 36 Replies latest watchtower bible
what impressed me about the Gospels was the intent of Jesus to have people encounter God directly, without
human intermediaries. He didn't set up any strict hierarchy or structure of rulership - the whole "faithful and discreet
slave" thing is wildly misinterpreted. He just wanted faithful and smart people to run things, that's all.
After Jesus' death, along come priests, bishops, pastors, and Governing Body types who interject themselves
between God and man.
metatron
I agree metatron. Jesus said "I am the vine, YOU are the branches." He didn't say "I am the vine, a bunch of middle aged men will be the branches and you are the bird droppings on the branch."
I'm not sure if the FDS means that Jesus wanted faithful and smart ppl to run things tho. Looking at the context of that scripture, to me it appears that it was just a parable for everyone to be ready when he comes back. That statement was made within a series of parables where the point was to be alert.
It has changed my view of the world and my future for the better. That's all the proof I need.
Of the two biggest all-time bestsellers (The Bible and Atlas Shrugged) you will, oddly enough, find people who say what you just said about both of them.
I hardly think Atlas Shrugged is divine. But, by your incredibly low and naive standard, Ayn Rand must have been god!
Maybe I'll trying reading it again.
T.
what impressed me about the Gospels was the intent of Jesus to have people encounter God directly, withouthuman intermediaries.
Jesus was human...........................and, reportedly an intermediary!
T.
Of the two biggest all-time bestsellers (The Bible and Atlas Shrugged) you will, oddly enough, find people who say what you just said about both of them.
Comparison of "Atlas Shrugged" with the Bible...
That was a weak analogy...Why stop there? You could have mentioned Dr. Seuss. Those books brought me happiness and changed my life at one point in my life too.
Nuff said...
You obviously don't get the point.
It's OK. Atheists never do. However, I hope you do someday.
peace
Reality when void of religious beliefs and mental constructs is unconditional love for others. That is all that's left and all that really matters.
I agree. If you actually know that too Wtt, why are you then making such a big deal about the Bible? When you have the food, why eat a menu? When you actually enter Paris, why carry around and give your attention to a street sign which points and reads: "This way to Paris"? In other words: rather than giving credence and attention to words and thoughts about truth, why not give all attention to the livingness and presence of it?
I have no religious beliefs, have no use for a "Holy" Bible, and care not one way or the other whether Jesus even existed. What of folks like me in your mention of "unconditional love"?
j
What you have here, if you will only step back and give it a hard look, is a PRESUPPOSITION.There is a "given" you won't (or haven't) examine which is the hidden hook the worm is wriggling around when you went to feed.
You simply cannot BEGIN by ASSUMING something which requires a great deal of proving: "..the Bible is inspired from our creator."
That is the real flaw in your understanding and not the FILTER from any religious group.
You cannot let this just slide by.
Terry...I believe that also...When you are examining your beliefs you have to start at ZERO not at ONE.
Of the two biggest all-time bestsellers (The Bible and Atlas Shrugged) you will, oddly enough, find people who say what you just said about both of them.Comparison of "Atlas Shrugged" with the Bible...That was a weak analogy...Why stop there? You could have mentioned Dr. Seuss. Those books brought me happiness and changed my life at one point in my life too.
Nuff said...
You obviously don't get the point.
It's OK. Atheists never do. However, I hope you do someday.
peace
Since you missed my point.......
The idea of identifying a god-authored book solely in terms of your personal and subjective reaction to it is what I was focusing on. Anybody can have a life-changing experience from reading any book. Depends on what kind of life you have and what you change it to.
I don't know what Atheism has to do with any of this. I'm not an Atheist.
I'm a person who knew god personally for many many years and spoke to him constantly and dedicated my life to him. I risked my life for this god and excused his shortcomings and quietude with great imagination. I too had my life changed by god.
I wouldn't wish such a god or such a life on a pock-marked rat in the belly of a sceptic tank.
I'm now not on speaking terms with this absentee landlord in the sky. He doesn't take phone calls and returns letters marked "addresse unknown". He won't lift a finger to stop a child from being molested nor lessen the torture of the innocent by sadistic monsters under his vast and omniscient gaze.
He has given us lots of so-called Holy Books that the greatest minds disagree on and the least minds contort into agendas for wealth, power and self-aggrandisement.
If somebody asks me who or what sort of god this IS I shake my head and say truthfully, "I don't know". I'm done defending his feckless reign of malfeasance parading as divine planning. Not only is he/she/it invisible, silent and absent from the struggling world of teeming flesh as it thrashes out in starvation for a mere reassurance of his love and actuality---but, he apparently finds our extinction quite entertaining as he did for the millions of years of dinosaur battles with fang and claw in rivers of blood now dried.
I only wish I were Atheist! I could be rid of him.
T.
The mediatorship of Jesus hardly gets in the way. It's not as if some elder or Grand Poobah was physically present and
needed to approach God. Jesus didn't leave behind any clear chain of command and , I will add, did not set up the
12 apostles as a formal Governing body, either. How so? 'cause everybody in the congregations could do miracles!
If you could heal or speak in tongues or the like, you already felt united with God anyway - and were unlikely to be strictly commanded
by others.
metatron
And in addition the FDS according to their own concepts is not the GB in Crooklyn but the entire body of the supposedly "annointed christian brothers of Jesus" 8000 not 10 individuals. How come ten old pricks alone are functioning as the FDS and all the rest have no voice in the org?
Once more something fishy is going on called power lust and power grabbing.That is the evil servant that marginalises and abuses his fellow servants.
