by almostbitten 51 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Dawg,
Paul, is the JC Cannon of his day
That is not really being fair to JCanon, who beneath his tousled Joan Collins wig, does have a sense of humor of sorts.
It is often quoted that Paul was well loved because as the NWT put it, on his departure to Rome to 'suffer', his friends 'fell upon his neck and wept'. I just think they were hungry vampires who found no blood in his veins.
HS
Wonders, "What have I done?"
Burns posted me saying..."Paul shouldn't be in the Bible"...
Burns replied...."Of course, we are going to take your raving anti-Christian opinion as authoritative on this".
You're right Burns... I really don't care what is in the Bible, I really don't know why I said that.
I think I was thinking about my days in the KH... sitting there reading the obvious differences between Paul and Jesus... but it really doesn't matter at all to me now, it's just interesting because I always thought Pail was the orginal apostate to Jesus' teachings.... LOL!
Speaking of JCanon, I'm surprised he hasn't chimed in on this. Or is this not his sort of shin-dig? Some of you know better than I do. LOL at Joan Collins wig!
I can side with either journey-on or hillary step here.
We really only have Paul's say so that he was flogged and suffered while evangelizing and later Church tradition. Acts ends with his being in house arrest. Gee that must be real harsh punishment in comparison to what the Romans could have dished out. Which kinda fits in with one line of speculation that Paul was actually a Herodian (Herodians could rightfully have Roman citizenship as I understand it) and so out of self interest sided with Rome against the zealots who were out to overthrow the status quo. Notice how Paul was always about the status quo regarding slaves and masters and payin taxes to Da Man. Maybe he was co-opted as an agent by Rome to attenuate the messianic/ jewish nationalistic movement festering in Palestine...of which a prominent figure was James the Just...Jewish Christians didn't seem to take a liking to Paul. So his house arrest conveniently protected him from extreme Jewish nationalists and he could use the "incarceration" to further his image as suffering for the Way.
Or he was just plain looney with all the "revelations" he was getting from on high and managed to successfully propogate his unique combination of Jewish and gentile religious ideas to Jews in the Diaspora...Jews who were already more likely to adopt allegorical interpretations of the OT.
The point of that question was to draw attention to the fact that WAY too many church/christian organizations have taken Paul's letters and writings to a level that has caused more grief than good, and the WTS is a prime example of that. His letters are held up to a standard that kills the spirit of Christ's point about how we should live: Loving God, and loving our neighbors. These two things sum up the law. My goodness, a whole book could be written on how different christian groups and denominations have picked his writings apart and applied them to formulate their own dogma.
Pentecostals: Women, don't cut your hair, wear makeup or jewelry (excessive adornment).
Baptists (and others): No women in the pulpit.
Church of Christ: Women should remain silent; no music in the church.
Catholics, JW, Mormons, Amish, etc.: Shunning in one form or another (ie. excommunication, disfellowhipping, disassociating)
JW: Don't pay clergy.
Most everyone else: Okay to pay clergy. All of this comes from the SAME PASSAGE in one of Paul's letters (can't recall it right off).
Again, I understand that Paul was trying to establish order and structure to and for the early church, but did he perceive his own writings to be the end-all of Christ's church
Is Paul being misunderstood?
btw, how does Paul's rules about a husband being the head of his wife apply to me, a Christian woman who has never been married (nor do I want to be) whose father is deceased. As far as I am concerned, my head is Christ.
Shhhhhhhhh Almostbitten! We've been trying to keep it quiet, but men are not all that smart.
I can side with either journey-on or hillary step here.
Journey On. Your sabbatical seems to have agreed with you. You are in very good company these days.
HS
I would suppose a useful practice would be to compare it directly to Christ's words.......if they go 'beyond' then it is a tosser, if they are within then a keeper.
Some letters shouldn't count. Have you seen "Atonement"?
- Preston
