Homer has a bigger bucket...
To new Christians on JWN
by brotherdan 284 Replies latest watchtower bible
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poopsiecakes
what about the gnostic gospels? Were they excluded under holy direction?
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brotherdan
I agree with the decisions of the men that put together the canon. Like I've already said, AS FAR AS I'VE EXAMINED I can see why the other books that claim to be inspired were not included. This includes the various gospels and OT books. I've read the Qu'ran. I've read the book of Mormon. I've read the books of the apocrypha. Through researching these I can see why they are abandoned by Christianity. If there is another book that claims to be inspired, I'll read that too with an open mind. But at this point I agree with the 66 books of the Christian Bible. I know some other Bibles include apocryphal books. But I don't agree with that because of my own investigation.
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brotherdan
Poopsie, yes I think they were. Have you read them?
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notverylikely
So we are in the circular reasoning loop. You beleive in the bible because it's right. you know it's right because god wrote it. you know god wrote it because it's right and it told you so. you know the books in the bible are the right ones because the bible said holy spirit would direct god's men. you know god directed them because you agree with them that they picked the right books. you know they are the right books because god wrote them....
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poopsiecakes
Whether I've read them or not is immaterial - the council that convened and decided to exclude these books had their own agenda that had nothing to do with any kind of holy spirit. It's kind of like the WT Governing Body. Nothing holy going on there either when decisions about right and wrong are being tabled.
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brotherdan
Oh dear NVL. I'm not using the circular reasoning. I have done MY OWN investigation of the Bible and am content and happy in what I've learned. I have seen nothing in it that causes me to doubt it's inspiration. In MY OWN investigation of the other claimed "holy books", I have had major problems in accepting them, so I don't.
You jumped the gun a bit on pulling out your "circular reasoning" argument. You need to take your time when debating.
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quietlyleaving
when I was first leaving I read the gospel of Thomas and found it quite uplifting.
At the moment I only read the bible at the few meetings I attend but follow along using my KIT. However there are other sacred texts in addition to the bible and I quite enjoy looking to see why people found them divine and how they used them as escape routes from oppressive conditions
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brotherdan
Poopsie, God has used wicked people in the past to accomplish his will. Why could he not have used the councils that put together the modern day canon to accomplish his will? Again, you take the Holy Spirit out of the equasion and it falls flat. How can you say or even know that the Holy Spirit had no part in directing the construction of the Bible? It seems a bit presumptuous to me...
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notverylikely
I have seen nothing in it that causes me to doubt it's inspiration.
So it's ok to kill babies and beat your slaves to death as long they don't die for a day or two? Refusing a man with bad eyes access to the temple is a loving provision? Murder is OK as you get to a city of refuge, basically free parking? Hardening a people's heart intentionally so they will fight against and then you can slaughter them is OK?