Today's Text - Draw Close To God... (BUT HOW???)

Divergent

Here's where I stand at the moment: I neither categorize myself as a theist, atheist, or agnostic. I'm a freethinker and do not have a specific belief at the moment, UNLESS something comes along which is 100% conclusive & convincing

Which brings us to tackling the elephant in the room, something that today's text has failed to do:

Sunday, May 15
Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.—Jas. 4:8.
Jehovah showed his love for the human family by creating our beautiful earthly home. He still expresses his love for us by sustaining our life by means of his marvelous physical provisions. (Acts 17:28; Rev. 4:11) More important, Jehovah looks after our spiritual needs. (Luke 12:42) He also assures us that he personally listens as we pray to him. (1 John 5:14) However, the foremost way in which God draws us to himself and we are drawn to him is through the love he expresses by means of the ransom. (1 John 4:9, 10, 19) Jehovah sent his “only-begotten Son” to the earth so that we might be delivered from sin and death. (John 3:16) Jehovah has made it possible even for people who lived before the time of Christ to benefit from the ransom. From the moment Jehovah prophesied about a future Savior for mankind, the ransom was as good as paid from his viewpoint, for he knew that his purpose would not fail.—Gen. 3:15. w14 8/15 3:7, 8

I am a person who thrives on interaction. I am drawn to people who I can interact with easily & who are NOT distant + uncommunicative

Interaction is the MOST BASIC thing required to establish a strong friendship / relationship / bond. So the question is this: How the heck am I supposed to draw close to someone who DOES NOT interact with me???

Anders Andersen

God does interact with you. You just have to listen! You're not trying hard enough!

And you got it all backwards: "for whoever approaches God must believe that he is"
So first you should start believing, then you can approach God, and then the voices in your head will take over

On a more serious note: yeah, normally friends communicate with each other. One person just talking to an invisible, unheard imaginary friend can not be called communication.

And a collection of ancient letters from that 'friend', written by 40 guys I don't know either, that doesn't help either. Just because there are books in the library doesn't mean I'm friends with all those writers...

Divergent

Anders Anderson:

God does interact with you. You just have to listen! You're not trying hard enough!

And you got it all backwards: "for whoever approaches God must believe that he is"
So first you should start believing, then you can approach God, and then the voices in your head will take over

Oh... so THAT was what I was doing wrongly! LOL

Yeah, I DID believe... for more than 20 years as a born-in. As a JW, I never felt any genuine & true personal relationship with Jokehova. All the time, it was just me wanting to believe & convincing myself that it was real. Thanks for the brainwashing, mum & dad!

On a more serious note: yeah, normally friends communicate with each other. One person just talking to an invisible, unheard imaginary friend can not be called communication.

Exactly. Everything is totally ONE-SIDED & there is not a single shred of interaction. I remember quite a number of arguments saying that you can just simply pick any object or thing & pray to it & get the same results. LOL

And a collection of ancient letters from that 'friend', written by 40 guys I don't know either, that doesn't help either. Just because there are books in the library doesn't mean I'm friends with all those writers...

Yup. Not to say that those writings are OVERWHELMINGLY CONVINCING anyway! If the author of the Bible was REALLY God, I'm sure he could do better!

Result of reading the Bible: 40,000+ different Christian denominations. Great job, God!!!

Spiral

I realized after growing up "in" that when things went well people thought Jehovah was communicating with them. Well, doesn't everyone think that of their God?

I came to the conclusion that if there was a God who was both powerful enough and sophisticated enough to create the universe as we know it, he would be a better communicator. Supposedly, he can create planets and universes and creatures that love to communicate, but he can't even get his message straight to his followers. Then, he sends out confusing messages to them as a test to see if they can figure it out and "follow" him correctly.

That's just insanity. You can't "grow close" to that!

Half banana

Well said Spiral, a fumbling,casual, whimsical god who gives mixed messages and lives apparently with no tangible evidence for his existence. Worse still he claims to zap those who don't believe in him or misinterpret his message.

Truly I'm very glad there is no such thing as a god.

If there were... it would be hell on Earth if his Bible is anything to go by; being scrutinised for error, fearing punishment and lacking the freedom of humanity which has come through philosophical thinking, passing learning down the generations and democracy.

Thank goodness there is no god!

As a JW, I heard others talk about being so pleased that they had an intimate relationship with Big J, talking to him all the time and relying on him for everything...I felt deficient, just couldn't get the hang of it, I never felt close to a spirit Thing even as a pioneer. Yep it's insane!

sowhatnow

Get a number two pencil.

Divergent

Spiral:

I realized after growing up "in" that when things went well people thought Jehovah was communicating with them. Well, doesn't everyone think that of their God?
I came to the conclusion that if there was a God who was both powerful enough and sophisticated enough to create the universe as we know it, he would be a better communicator. Supposedly, he can create planets and universes and creatures that love to communicate, but he can't even get his message straight to his followers. Then, he sends out confusing messages to them as a test to see if they can figure it out and "follow" him correctly.
That's just insanity. You can't "grow close" to that!

Spot on! I don't see the need for God to keep on testing us while NOT giving us enough proof & assurance of his existence, love, & care, then destroying at Armageddon any who fail the tests (which happen to be the majority of mankind who are unconvinced of God's unconvincing message - is it their fault???) while at the same time NOT desiring any to be destroyed!

Sounds insane? But yet that's what many believe!

Divergent

Half banana:

As a JW, I heard others talk about being so pleased that they had an intimate relationship with Big J, talking to him all the time and relying on him for everything...I felt deficient, just couldn't get the hang of it, I never felt close to a spirit Thing even as a pioneer. Yep it's insane!

You know what I realize about these ones? That they are just trying to convince themselves that they have a personal relationship with God & that everything that happens - good or bad - is due to God's will. Something good happens? A blessing from God! Something bad happens? God is not to blame (although he allows it!). God is thanked for good things that happen out of pure coincidence & not blamed for bad things which happen in the same way! JW's are trained not to give in to doubts & negative feelings, so EVERYTHING that happens automatically HAS to be right - even if it's not, they would find a way to justify it!

As.a JW, I was trained to look at only one side of the picture. Now that I see the other side, things are starting to make more sense!

dothemath

Maybe many people think they're worshipping God, but instead are worshipping Time. God has no beginning or end........but so does Time.

You look at a beautiful warerfall or canyon, appreciating a creator, but in reality it was eons of time.

Of course Time doesn't care about you, just as it didn't when 100,000+ people were wiped out in the tsunami.

I guess I must be an agnostic now, but I can't really know?

Anders Andersen

Although it's not certain, it very well might be that Time started with the Big Bang. So possibly not even that 'God' existed before our universe existed.

Yeah. It's dizzying :-p

Today's Text - Draw Close To God... (BUT HOW???)

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