Stevie
Well, let me be the first to congratulate you on your wt exit Christianity is better than the wt world. I spent two yrs in christianity. Nevertheless, what will you do if god calls you out of the bible paradigm?
SS
by stevieb1 57 Replies latest jw friends
Stevie
Well, let me be the first to congratulate you on your wt exit Christianity is better than the wt world. I spent two yrs in christianity. Nevertheless, what will you do if god calls you out of the bible paradigm?
SS
Besides lack of time, this thread is a good example of why you don't see me posting as much as I used to. This is quickly becoming a forum in which religion in general and Christianity in particular have no place, and only atheism and agnosticism are welcome. A person comes in and asks a faith-based question, and what happens? He gets 15 or so answers informing him that God is just a product of the human imagination, religion is the opiate of the masses, the Bible is a book of myths, etc. Only jgnat has come forward to discuss the topic the way the person who initiated it intended, and that brief comment was largely drowned out by the flood of humanist rhetoric. Honest discussion from a standpoint of faith in God is just about impossible here these days, because every time a religious or Bible topic comes up, the same contingent overwhelms the thread with pretty much the same barrage of ridicule and/or disparagement of ideas. It's a shame; this used to be a place where all points of view were welcomed, and where open discussion was possible on any number of topics, from any number of viewpoints.
StevieB, if you want to discuss your experience with God from a perspective of Christian faith, feel free to message me privately, and I'll give you my email.
Madman,
I am hurt and saddened by your antipathy toward humanism, atheism and agnosticism. I will have to close my eyes for a couple of seconds while the searing pain I feel in the imaginary part of my being... oops! I mean my soul - goes away.
OK, I'm all better now.
Please proceed with your puppet show, and I for one, will pretend to be duly impressed.
"OOOooooo, in only seven days?"
"From plain old DUST?"
"Wow! A talking snake - now that is REALLY wicked!"
"Dumb rational scientists think they're so smart - give me an illiterate goatherd ANYDAY!"
Besides lack of time, this thread is a good example of why you don't see me posting as much as I used to. This is quickly becoming a forum in which religion in general and Christianity in particular have no place, and only atheism and agnosticism are welcome. A person comes in and asks a faith-based question, and what happens? He gets 15 or so answers informing him that God is just a product of the human imagination, religion is the opiate of the masses, the Bible is a book of myths, etc. Only jgnat has come forward to discuss the topic the way the person who initiated it intended
Oh, please, he said:
I was just thinking on this issue last night - why did God happen to guide me to a more accurate knowledge of the Bible instead of the many other sincere people still in the congregation I used to associate. What makes me so special as to warrant this blessing? Is a good education in Bible doctrine the sole criterion for exiting the Watchtower when there are many sincere ones who are not natural students who seem permanently trapped in the cycle of Watchtower feeding. How do you feel about this question?He asked a question, he didnt say how do you feel only if you agree with me.
Why Did God Call ME Out of the Watchtower?
I find this question to be somewhere along the lines of a football player thanking god for helping him win the game, while god is letting millions of children starve on the street. I gave my feelings about this questions.
Honest discussion from a standpoint of faith in God is just about impossible here these days, because every time a religious or Bible topic comes up, the same contingent overwhelms the thread with pretty much the same barrage of ridicule and/or disparagement of ideas. It's a shame; this used to be a place where all points of view were welcomed....
Assuming I am one of the "contingent", it seems my "point of view" was not "welcomed". Also, I am not in any way an "atheist" or an "agnostic". More the antithesis of such. I agree much with the spirit of jgnat's post in this thread. Perhaps the reason Christians are so often and easily discouraged and offended when discussing God is because their anthropomorphized concepts and ideas of God are so diminutive as to be impossible not to insult or trip over. In fact, in my study of religions over the years, I would say that the general Christian idea of God is one of the most belittling of God -- which they have reduced to little more than a manic depressive idiot (no offence meant to those suffering with depression). Little wonder there are so many atheists and agnostics about when presented with the Christian, Muslim and Jewish views of God. Again, there is no insult or offence meant. It is just difficult not to voice compassionately when one sees clearly how tiny and limited ideas of God have caused more suffering and death in the history of mankind than perhaps all other reasons combined. j
I totally agree with Madman. I am curious as to whether or not any of you here have even noticed the large amt of people who are Christian have either left here for good or only come by now and then. Do you care? Madman stated exactly the reasons why. I do find it very sad because we do share a common painful past with you and we can understand each other better than anyone else. We have not given up on God but you have. That is your choice. I don't see the Christians demanding that the atheists believe. I have seen the atheists being extremely intolerant to the views of a Christian. I don't know how many of you have done this out of ignorance or purposefully. Why is it correct to be tolerant of all things and behaviors except those who believe in God? Isn't it a bit hypocritical to espouse the notion of tolerance to all things except those that you disagree with? I am not tolerant of many things but by the same token I never claimed to be tolerant. It is a pity that you can't see that when someone comes here and asks a question posed to Christians that you jump in with your assaults. Don't you get it?? You weren't asked.
To the poster..... I am sorry, I 've forgotten your name. I do remember your question though, amazingly. My answer to you......??????? Some stuff is just beyond us....I mean, look at who ELSE got out!!!! LOL Seriously though, I think that some just question things more and some just accept whatever they are taught. That could be a God given gift or it could just be human nature. I honestly haven't a clue...sorry. love, dj
I was just thinking on this issue last night - why did God happen to guide me to a more accurate knowledge of the Bible instead of the many other sincere people still in the congregation I used to associate. What makes me so special as to warrant this blessing? Is a good education in Bible doctrine the sole criterion for exiting the Watchtower when there are many sincere ones who are not natural students who seem permanently trapped in the cycle of Watchtower feeding. How do you feel about this question?
God read your Heart, maybe those people who you THINK are sincere ones are really rottening to the core on the inside. It's a real blessing to get the Real Calling from GOD. I'm sooo Happy GOD gave me the calling an I accepted. I was a JW for 23 yr's. At age 24 I left, wrote my disa. letter to let them know I found the Real JESUS of Scripture. I then got down on my knee's an Accepted JESUS as my personal Lord & Savior (The God Man).Then I turned 25 an I found a Great Church an on Aug. 17, 2003 I got Baptize as a REAL TRUTH Bloodwashed Born-Again Christian in Christ.....Father,Son, Holy Spirit/Ghost. Christ is in me and I am sooo happy an have a Great inner peace now and I'm SAVED.
Be Happy, remember God picked ALL of us Before the world was even maded. Isn't that a nice throught, he put you in his book of Life before Human Life was made. Just hang in there an don't be so hard on yourself. Now you can do it Right this time around. Praise God, another lost sheep SAVED and FOUND. If you accepted Jesus as your Lord an personal Savior...which I think you did, I say Welcome to the Family of God
Hi Stevieb:
I oftened have thought about the same thing. But I think a poster earlier summed it up well - God calls everyone, but not everyone listens. For years I was offered information about the history of JW's from other Christian friends and offered to attend other religious functions (both Christian and non-Christian) - I refused them because I believed that I did not need them. I had the truth and had no need to look elsewhere. This is the case with many JW's now. Stevie - you must have been ready to listen or to consider other possibilities.
To those in the Atheism v. Christianity debate: Those that want to slam Christians or their beliefs - different than the JW's who believe they have all the answers and put down anyone who believes differently. And they are also no different than Christians who refuse to listen to other possibilities. I am a Christian, I believe in God, I believe in creation, and I believe in Jesus. But that doesn't mean I should stop listening to other possibilities and other opinons. The TRUTH will always be there and can withstand any amount of scrutiny. So I am not afraid to scrutinize my beliefs as well as the beliefs of anyone else - that's how we find the TRUTH.
We have ALL been deceived at some point in our life and are ALL capable of being deceived again. This is why it is important to keep an open mind, to listen to all sides.
Christians, who think they are now free after leaving the Witnesses, have simply moved from one jail cell into another. This is how I feel. No insult was meant.
well summed up
i agree
Only jgnat has come forward to discuss the topic the way the person who initiated it intended,
come on now this ain't the Wt study where we got to give only the answer that is approved
i find the question amost sad to think that 6million folks left behind are not worthy
no one called us out, we had the opportunity and took advantage of the informatin availble
as long as folks continue to try and connect god to the WT Corp is a joke
the wt is a Biz plain and simple- the only catch is it masqurades around as being connected to god and it aint
we all were out selling books for wt, we might as well been selling them for Time Life, at least we would have some retirement benifits and health insurance
wt is running a scam plain and simple,