How and when was the New Testament Compiled?

by ProdigalSon 62 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  ProdigalSon

  Isidore said,

  Hello all. I'm new to the site. I was a cradle JW that was in the WT for about 25 years. I felt compelled to comment about some things that ProdigalSon was stating above. When you make the "crushing" accusations about the Catholic Church, can you cite some sources please? You're claiming that the Catholic Church did not teach or has never taught to love thy neighbor, forgiveness & gratitude? Have you actually read what the Church teaches in it's Catechism? I think you'd be surprised to learn that it in fact does teach these things.

  Hi Isidore, and welcome!

  I was born and baptized as a Catholic and attended masses and catechism until I was 8 years old. To make a long story short, they started teaching evolution in class one day, I made a really big scene, had them call my parents, a melee ensued between my parents, the deacon and a couple of nuns, and that was the end of Catholicism for my family.

  I did not say that the Catholic Church does not teach those things. This has nothing to do with Catholic people. Just like the hypocritical Watchtower professes "love among themselves", their fruits belie that notion. I think we need to make a distinction between what a religion teaches and what its leadership actually DOES. I was speaking of the Roman Empire and its utterly brutal history. Seriously, do you really want to see links about the Inquisitions, Crusades, and torture and extermination of gnostics and other "heretics"? Why do you think the Nag Hammadi Library was found buried in a jar? Because they burned all the gnostics writings and burned the gnostics themselves. They burned the Library at Alexandria and wiped out at least 50,000 years of priceless human history. So do I really need to back up a statement like that? If you want to defend the Catholic Church, that's a can of worms that I really don't think you want me to open.
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  transhuman68

  The Gospel of Thomas was an amazing find in 1945. I wonder if Martin Luther would have included it in his Bible if he had known about it?
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  Isidore

  Thank you for the welcome, ProdigalSon. Do you need to back up the statement? Not for my sake, I've addressed all these things for myself (I'm entering the Church this year) and there is alot of misinformation about the things you listed. But if you feel the need to defend your opposition to the Church, I'm game. Do you "seriously" want to see links refuting the things you cited (Crusades, Inqusition, etc.), or have you made up your mind already about where you stand? BTW, for starters, the Muslim, Caliph Omar, burned the library at Alexandria in 640 AD.
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  ProdigalSon

  Do you "seriously" want to see links refuting the things you cited (Crusades, Inqusition, etc.), or have you made up your mind already about where you stand? BTW, for starters, the Muslim, Caliph Omar, burned the library at Alexandria in 640 AD.

  Okay, you're technically correct that a Muslim burned the library, but since the Vatican created Islam...

  http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=614&q=vatican+created+islam&btnG=Google+Search

  ....he was just doing their dirty work for them.

  I have an open mind, and I'd love to see your links refuting the Crusades and Inquisitions.
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  Mad Sweeney

  This is cool having a Catholic Church apologist here. I'll be interested to see if this becomes a real discussion.

  What's the over/under on number of posts before an ad hominem attack in this thread?
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  Isidore

  So, if I'm following you here, the Vatican created Islam just to have it overrun them all over the the Holy Lands, Africa and Europe? Islam takes no responsibility for it's own actions? Your bias towards the Church precludes you from addressing what the Koran teaches, which if it's necessary, convert others by conquest? Wow...

  Let's start with the Crusades, if that's okay with you. Why do you think the Crusades are referred to by scholars of all ilks as, the "retaking" of the Holy Lands? Who took them in the first place? And why?
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  Isidore

  Mad Sweeney, there will be no attacks, at least not from me.

  Pax
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  ProdigalSon

  Everyone takes responsibility for their own actions...it's called karma.

  The Catholic Church employs the Hegelian Dialectic very well. They have no problem hurting themselves to achieve the eventual desired outcome.

  Not only did the Vatican create Islam, but they created Radical Islam (Terrorism).

  Are you sure you want to join this religion?

  Wow, this is gonna be fun...

  ....but it's late, and it will have to wait until tomorrow.... when we can get a fresh start, ok Isidore?
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  Isidore

  ProdigalSon, please cite credible sources. You're going to hang your hat on Jack Chick hate diatribe of the Catholic Church, as shown in your link? Alberto Rivera was shown to be a total sham. What else do you have in regards to your allegation that the Church created Islam?

  I'm sorry, but I don't believe in karma. My father and brother are both Buddhists and it's a belief that in my humble opinion, is nonsensical. But I do believe that yes, every individual is responsible of their own actions. Christ never promised that His followers would never sin or make mistakes. In fact, He knew it would happen. Why else would give the apostles the power to forgive sins? (John 20:23)

  And to answer your question, of course I want to join this religion. It's the Church that Christ founded on Peter. (Matthew 16:16-20)
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  ProdigalSon

  Isidore, if you really believe the Catholic Church was founded on Peter, then you are obviously a Bible believer, and you put your trust in the Catholic Church. That means we really don't have a basis for debate because you are not grounded in reality. The Bible is not the word of God and men do not speak for or represent God. If they do, its a false god. In fact, there is no personal god in the sky, it is something that comes from the minds of men. The True God, the Absolute, the Source of All Things is pure love and light and is infinitely bigger and better than what most religions teach.

  What bothers me most about them is that they have truth in their symbolisms.... They celebrate the birth of the Son (really SUN) on December 25th, they celebrate the Fertility Goddess of rebirth at Easter time, they have crosses, Madonna and Child, a pine cone in the Vatican Courtyard, their church steeples are phallic symbols, they pray to Mary who is the equivalent of Isis, and many, many other things that are based on the metaphysical truths of mythology. So why don't they tell their followers the true meaning of these symbols?

  So what I think is that you should join the church and I wish you all the best in your endeavours. We are so far apart that I really don't have the time or the energy to debate this, especially on this thread which is about the New Testament. Perhaps we can start a new thread about the Catholic Church and its history.