Here you go, Dan. This guy explains it quite well. If you want to be considered informed instead of prejudice, give this youtube a peek.
Are you a TRUE Christian?!?
by brotherdan 152 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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cyberjesus
Did we loose a page?
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cyberjesus
Awesome video..... that will be more likely ignored by many.
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cyberjesus
here are other True Christians, they also talk have been contacted with their Friend, or Father, Jesus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F05bNMPmzRc&feature=autoplay&list=ULevY4-GB7neA&index=4&playnext=4
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AGuest
I have replied to yo, Shelby, in a PM
And yes, quite a rant, that, dear Zid (as always, peace to you!). Hope you were able to get "it" all off your chest (though, again, I can't quite see why/how my disagreeing could/should send you into such a tizzy. And this really was quite a tizzy!). Surely, you're not expecting a response, though? 'Cause crazy as you might think I am, I am not that crazy (to even consider what you stated to be worthy of comment/response).
You are entitled to your opinions of me, of course, dear one; however, I must now ask that you either post such opinions publicly... or keep them to yourself. But please... do not PM me again. Because there truly is no point, really, as (1) I have nothing to hide, and (2) don't think acting all... ummmmm... what was the word you used... "nice"?... on the board but quite nasty elsewhere is very... ummmmm... I think "honest" was the other word you emphasized. Do you?
My peace remains,
A slave of Christ,
SA
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ziddina
Dishonest communication is dishonest communication...
If you start out by lying to yourself, can you communicate honestly with anyone else???
And yes, dishonest communicators - no matter what "mask" they wear, and the "nice" mask is the most dishonest and insidious, in my opinion - is still dishonest...
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AGuest
Thing is, dear Zid (again, peace to you!), my communication is VERY honest. I don't hide what I receive or who I receive it from. Not even to make folks like you happy. That you cannot RECEIVE such honest communication... because you don't know what it IS... is on you, dear one. You are deceiving yourself into thinking that ALL that certain ones of man tells you... is true. I disagree. While some is, some is not. Since I don't put my faith in man, I can HONESTLY say that I believe and accept some... and disbelieve/reject some. As to which I am right (or wrong) about should be no one's concern but mine, really. This a public forum, with absolutely NO compulsion to participate, engage, or indiscriminately believe what is posted. By anyone. You have a right to post what you believe... or do not believe... as do I.
But it's not really about that, if the truth be told. All kinds of folks come on this board and post things. Right as well as wrong. Many stick to their guns even in the face of irrefutable evidence. Notice, I said irrefutable. Yet, you don't go the level of, well, tizziness is the only word that fits, right now... that you have with me. Why IS that? Why do you even CARE what I believe, say I believe, or say? How does it add... or take ONE cubit from YOUR lifespan? It doesn't.
You go there, dear one... because you're afraid. Not of me, per se, but that you "just might" be wrong. Because what I share threatens to shake YOUR faith... in what YOU claim to believe.
If you're right in what you believe, though... what difference does what I believe or say make? I would suggest that it makes no difference at all... which makes your tirade irrational. It is only if I am right... and YOUR faith... in whatever your faith is in, including man's "research" and theories... is shaken that it makes sense. Because people who are FULLY confident in what they believe don't go off the deep end and resort to calling people names, attacking them personally, or insinuating/stating instability, etc. They simply get on with what they believe and leave the others to themselves and their beliefs. Because they see no true threat... and perhaps that is what they would want others to do.
I have learned, however, from the One who I have openly professed speaks to me and tells me th things I share here, that malice, deceit, and hypocrisy are just as rampant among those who profess no belief in God... as it is among those who falsely profess such a belief. Given the choice, I would much rather follow the One who speaks to me, even if it is in my own mind and/or heart... than to be like these. I did my "time" with that... taking issue with those who don't believe as I do and reducing my "argument" against their beliefs to personal attacks, calling them names, ridiculing their beliefs, and questioning their sanity. Both camps engage in this and I personally don't wish to be a part of either. So, perhaps I have created an entirely different way to believe for myself. Whatever... it works for me. I don't need your buy-in, approval, or validation.
But I honestly and truthfully do not believe that I have created my beliefs. And so while I get your skepticism, I have to let you know that your comments and opinions are... well, what they are. Comments and opinions and nothing more. They don't change a thing as to my beliefs... or disagreement with your belief as to religon.
I still disagree that simply because there were a plethora of gods/goddesses worshipped in ancient times, there were a similar number of religions. While I understand... and agree... that a certain religion did try, for over a millenium, to stamp out all other religions... I don't agree that they were completely successful, at least not as far as the NUMBER of religions are concerned. True, we only FORMALLY label a few of them (i.e., "christian", "muslim", "hindu", etc.); but if we take into account the number of SECTS within each of these, and then the differing beliefs with the sects, on a local level, I think you will find that there actually are MORE "religions" today.
Now, as someone who's probably "sampled" only one or two... or five... of such religious sects, I can see where that bit of information might not be in your vast store of knowledge, just yet. Perhaps this will compel you to look into it, though.
With that said, I am intending to move on. Please know that my wish for peace for you was absolutely honest... and still remains.
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
SA
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OnTheWayOut
This site contains a huge number of oxymorons: http://www.oxymoronlist.com/
This is just "t" below, but it looks like one more can be added:
You do know what the "one more 't'" is, don'tcha? It's in the title.
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jgnat
Great topic, brotherdan. I was first attracted by the title. SUCH a trigger word for this board....TRUE.
My next impulse was to give the obvious answer. As any organization matures, they are driven to standardize. For Christians, this happened a couple hundred years after Jesus' resurrection; the Nicene Creed. Attribute to this creed and you are a Christian. Don't, and you are something else.
Jehovah's Witnesses have weaseled around this conundrum by declaring the church corrupt way back then, and that they have the correct interpretation, 1,850 years later.
Kind of like a family arguing over the true rules of a Monopoly game.
I like how Jean Vanier (Becoming Human) discusses the conflicting need for a group's identity (boundaries and standards) with a person's need for individuality. The group has the potential for cruelty when defence of it's identity overrides the needs of the individual. The answer, if I can summarize properly, is to have a community with soft borders. People can participate and leave at will, and only marginally conform.
And, my final random thought on this, is my favorite quote about truth from Mark Twain:
We are always hearing of people who are around seeking after the Truth. I have never seen a (permanent) specimen. I think he has never lived. But I have seen several entirely sincere people who thought they were (permanent) Seekers after the Truth. They sought diligently, persistently, carefully, cautiously, profoundly, with perfect honesty and nicely adjusted judgment- until they believed that without doubt or question they had found the Truth. That was the end of the search. The man spent the rest of his hunting up shingles wherewith to protect his Truth from the weather.
- "What is Man?"From that pithy observation, I'd say that truth, too, benefits from soft borders. Be humble enough to keep asking questions.
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SweetBabyCheezits
Kind of like a family arguing over the true rules of a Monopoly game.
Great analogy, JGNAT.
Once when playing Gin Rummy with my wife and BIL, we got into a debate on some silly optional rule that we hadn't clearly defined before we started. Her brother had played one way growing up, I always played the other.
We argued a bit about which way was better before I recognized my irrational bias, and it hit me like smack to the face. (Or maybe that was my wife.) My bias was causing me to defend a rather subjective view that had no right or wrong answer... all because of the chance circumstances of my upbringing.
So much like religious belief. I took a clue from myself and we played by his rules.