The visiting CO pointed out in his talk that "people who love to practice evil will be DESTROYED [very strong vocal emphasis on this word] !" Many of you insist he is referring to those whose only "sin" is not being a baptized Jehovah's Witness and their children. After my experiences on the Internet from AJWR to H2O to this forum, however, I'm beginning to appreciate that all is not "black" and "white" but many shades of gray, many hues of stunning colors, and a mixture.
Why not use the words KILLED or EXECUTED to describe the fate of these evil people, I asked the CO afterwards? He pointed to 2 Peter 2:12. This verse of the Bible says that some people willfully follow their corrupt desires and despise authority. They are further described as "bold and arrogant." The CO, knowing I have a computer, said that if I venture "out there" into discussion areas, I might recognize these kind of people on the Internet in their posts. "Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings" wrote the Apostle in 2 Peter 2:11. That is true. I have seen firsthand on this forum and others God and Christ slandered time and again!
Verses 11 continues, "yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord." Verse 12 continues, "But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand." Isn't it true? You read posts from people angry at God who are totally ignorant. Verse 12 goes on to describe the type of people who bring slanderous accusations against God. "They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish."
These blasphemous individuals who might come to your mind immediately, but I shall not name, post a variety of slick and cleverly written claims. One really slick argument is that the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) proves God has acted in a barbaric manner towards people based on certain scriptures that appear damning when superficially read. Start to dig into the true context and history, however, and an entirely different picture emerges. Those who slander God in this method are relying on the laziness of their invisible cyber-audience to not perform this digging, and accept these slick superficial arguments. Somehow "proving" that God is a "monster" satisfies the consciences of those who love to lead immoral lives, and whose own shallow lives are about their own self-interest. This classic example of their slick propaganda campaign attempts not to make people stop believing in God, but rather to incite public hatred for God by painting him as a "monster"!
Motivations for destroying the faith of people through orchestrated propaganda disguised as "discussions" go far beyond simply feeding personal egos and vendettas against God. The depraved individuals behind these screen personas have attempted to skillfully manipulate large numbers of people who read these posts into hating anything moral and good! Their goal is to get as many people as they can to take the opposite side of moral and good, the side of immoral and evil. Anyone who claims to have not seen these type of postings between dubious people are either filtering them out, living in denial or both.
I wish that more people who know the TRUTH that God will only destroy those who really deserve it, and not harm a hair on the heads of anyone who is redeemable, will speak out. It is so unfortunate that the very forums intended to help Jehovah's Witnesses become free from the yoke of slavery to men, are used by a few unscrupulous characters using a plethora of screen name personas to encourage them to grasp for false freedoms that will further enslave them. I wonder how many Jehovah's Witnesses who have been influenced by these unscrupulous people have actually bought into such so-called freedoms. For instance, how many Jehovah's Witnesses have taken the bait that "sexual freedom" practiced by these invisible online master manipulators they encourage to others, are dying of AIDS and have discovered they were deceived after it was too late?
One of the biggest online scams next to "get rich" and "work at home" schemes, is the scam of convincing people "if there is a God, he is a 'monster'" based on a superficial reading of various Hebrew scriptures in the Old Testament. The result is to get them to live self centered lives devoid of morality and hope, lives often smothered in alcohol, drugs and illicit sex, tragic lives often slowly dying of AIDS and other disease. Why? Perhaps the simple answer is that "misery loves company"? Perhaps someone who learned the truth during their years as a Jehovah's Witness, not wanting to expend the effort and energy it takes to be a good moral citizen, considers each broken life caused from their online manipulations as another "feather" in their cap?
Who knows. I just know what I have seen, feel powerless to stop it alone, and hope posts such as this one will ultimately thwart their efforts to deceive others under their online screen name cloaks.
Derrick