love your enemy

by dontknow 9 Replies latest jw experiences

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  dontknow

  Greetings people,

  I've completed a lengthy conversation with my father about the bible and JWs and said to him:

  JWs place a lot of emphasis when studying and preaching with others on one main thing about what the bible is mainly about; that is the devil and those who practise his works and how to avoid him and them and for everlasting life on earth.

  I asked my father, who is the biggest enemy of God and Jesus? He said the devil. That means the devil is also the enemy of all mankind. Yes he said. Fine.

  But Jesus says to love your enemy and encourages us to pray for our enemies. What is going on here? am I missing something? All posters who were once JWs how did you respond to this situation when and if it was ever brought up during study with non JWs? How were you instructed to respond by your former elders from the congregation?

  Love a response, cheers
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  Narkissos

  If this helps, there is but one Greek word for "evil" and "evil one" (or "evildoer"), and the difference in gender (neuter for "evil," masculine for "evil one") is only perceptible in certain cases; which allows for some interesting ambiguity in phrases such as "do not resist/oppose evil (the Evil One)" (Matthew 5:39; also v. 37; 6:13 etc.).
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  greendawn

  As much as God may give the Devil the opportunity to repent over millenia he will not come to his senses but will rather carry on adding to his burden of sin. God can't wait on them forever and in due course they will have to render an account for their actions and receive retribution. The demons every so often say "forgive us we will repent" but instead they just carry on doing the same evil works.
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  Rooster

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  ***

  Rbi81Corinthians15:21-26***

  21

  For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each one in his own rank: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence. 24 Next, the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power. 25 For he must rule as king until [God] has put all enemies under his feet. 26 As the last enemy, death is to be brought to nothing.

  Maybe you could pray for death..
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  dontknow

  Rooster,

  can you please explain to me what this scripture you posted means? Can you answer my question from my first post in your own words? thank you.
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  trevor

  'Love your enemy.'

  Isn't this an oxymoron? If you love someone then enmity ceases and they cease to be your enemy. Therefore in a world of perfect love there would be no enemies. Yet the god of perfect love is on record as 'smiting his enemies.' The Bible is a badly written and contradictory collection of meaningless rants - it is not supposed to make sense.
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  Navigator

  Almost all religion is based on "Separation Theology". That is the insane notion that we somehow successfully managed to separate ourselves from our Creator. The so called "Devil" is merely that part of our consciousness that is dreaming that insane dream of separation. That is what Jesus was dealing with during his time in the wilderness following his baptism by John. We are all connected to each other in ways we don't fully understand. Jesus understood this. When we "forgive our enemies", we are really forgiving ourselves. When he said "When you do it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye do it unto me" he was referring to this connection. There is no "devil" per se. There is only that part of us who likes to dream that we can be our own gods.
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  Narkissos

  Isn't this an oxymoron?

  Sure.

  If you love someone then enmity ceases and they cease to be your enemy.

  Why? That you love them doesn't imply that they love you, does it? More deeply, the oxymoron points to the insufficiency of the common definition of "love" as bound by social antagonisms (loving those who love you, hating those who hate you). It calls for something which embraces them without denying them. (Whether that can still be called "love" is another question, but the point is precisely the displacement of the concept of "love".)

  Yet the god of perfect love is on record as 'smiting his enemies.' The Bible is a badly written and contradictory collection of meaningless rants - it is not supposed to make sense.

  Contradictory, certainly. Badly written, in that particular case, I beg to disagree. Most of the sayings that were worth saying, imo, were oxymoric (or paradoxical) in nature; those are the ones that potentially change reality instead of simply describing it.
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  trevor

  Narkissos

  As always a very deep and sensible reply. Where were the guys like you when they were writing the bible?

  It is time for an updated Bible. You, Terry and James Thomas should get together. It would still be contradictory but a lot more interesting than the old one!
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  Rooster

  Rooster,

  can you please explain to me what this scripture you posted means? Can you answer my question from my first post in your own words? thank you.

  The scripture means everyone that has ever existed will live again. This does not include the children born from unnatural relations with the angles.

  Love of your enemies is on a human level that allows you to be at piece within yourself. There will be no bottled up hatred festering within thus you will live a happier life. To hate is self destructive.