by Fisherman 39 Replies latest watchtower bible
Fisherman,
Their prophecies and their credentials. Although some prophecies were future to those they spoke to, Bible states that God directly or through the prophets communicated with people proving that God was communicating.
Just because the Bible states that God spoke directly or through the prophets, is no reason to beleive that God "really" spoke through them. The Bible is so full of internal contridictions, that its claims of inspiration can hardly be taken seriously.
Please take my statement about the Bible in conctext. It is not intended to assert or imply that the the Bible is or isnt "God's Word". It is in response to the poster that uses the Bible to show that the Bible says that men claimed received prophecies from God. The same Bible also records other information about God's communication. I am only showing this too.
100 people go into a hospital for treatment of a terminal illness- they all pray to God for healing. 20 walk out later in remission and 80 die. Those 20 tell everyone that God has answered their prayers. The 80 who died have no way to tell us that God did not answer their prayers. Consequently, the success of prayer is I feel, over rated. I have never had God communicate with me directly, so I have had to obtain what I know about God by my past experiences. I have observed that God does not stop any natural disaster from happening, prevent or stop wars, stop an epidemic by supernatural means, prevent a dictator from killing 6 million Jews in the Holocaust- it goes on and on. I wonder why we continue to seek out God and his favor.
when my grandmother died I could only send the cheaper flowers I said to God I so much wanted to send some thing special for my Grandmother. Then a few days later I received calls from my family telling me that the beautiful blanket of roses I sent were buried with my Grandmother .
Moshe there are many jews that are agnostic and even atheists, but mainstream religious judaism is not deterred in faith by wii or the jewish fate throught history. Jews resolutely belive in their covenant with God and accept everything that happens to them. THey admit they that they do not know why God allows evil and believe that it is for our own good and we will see the wisdom God on this later on. Jewish faith is strong. Jews resolutely believe that God communicated with them in the past, in fact the basis of Judaism is the written and oral law which they belive that the Almighty communicated with Moses. THey try to communicate with God according to what I ask many but mone can say with certainty that God communicates with them.
Fisherman,
It is not possible to make blanket statements about Jews and what they believe. I belong to a Reconstructionist Synagogue and you might be surprised in what we believe about God and Torah.
Intersting Moshe, but I said MAINSTREAM judaism. BY they way, I love jews. I know jewish thought. I understand jewish thought but I do not always agrre with the conclusions but human to human I relate better to jews.
Moshe thank you kindly for the link. Put it in my favorites very interested in the movement. I will read the info. Thanks much appreciated.
No, he doesn't. Prayer is a form of thought organization, introspection or meditation, nothing more. Events in one's life that seem to be answers can be coincidence, acquaintances helping secretly or your own subconscious helping you work things out.
Fishernman-
We are definitely small, and probalby considered heretics by Orthodox Jews, but we are the only Jewish group that originated in the USA. I think some on this discussion forum would feel very comfortable with Reconstructiont Jewish thought.
