WHY DO YOU INSIST on clinging to the Bible as anything other than fiction?

by Terry 72 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Preston

  WHY DO YOU INSIST on clinging to the Bible as anything other than fiction?

  Why do you insist that we should have made up our minds by now. You don't know everything as I don't. Not all information is available to everyone. A person's journey can take a person aywhere. There isn't a single person on JW.com that as a devout JW, didn't anticipate that they'd outgrow this thing and become something entirely different. I think a lot of it has to do with our perceptions of the spiritual. The evidence should result in something visually evident. I think there's plenty of evidence that supports otherwise.

  I got this off of Mjarka's link

  But there is a bigger problem with believing in a behind-the-scenes miracle worker. Why is that power not readily seen?

  I think one of the greatest problems in our society in terms of the serach for the sacred is the way we have adressed spirituality. We see our spiritual need as more of a journey of the community rather than a search by the individual. I think this strive for cohesion has stiffled a more diverse outlook necessary for humankind to be more enlightened. I think each person has a spiritual girft that they are unaware of but results from work, practice and a simple desire to believe. We've lost out soul collectively as a society. We see ourselves represented more by the whole by a religion, political belief system, or nationality that holds a majority than as a collective of diverse individuals, each with their own individual journey. More than likely if anyone has a gift that involves causing the blind to see, people to walk again, and objects to levitiate, then they aren't using their gifts for to entertain or to prosper financially. It's more of a personal journey than anything else.

  As for the Bible, well, as I stated in my post regarding God's perception of humankind, I think its fair to say that people have used god as a means to instill as much fear and guilt into mankind, so in this instance we agree. The Bible clearly depicts a God who's sole purpose for mankind is to use us in a way so as to make him angry, thus resulting in many different and unique ways for him to threaten us or to destroy us. That being the case, he's either on vacation or left the office...anyway, he's uninterested in his creation at the moment. i think if God exists, he's far more enlightened than someone who's harder to please than my drunk Irish father...
• 

  Cicatrix

  "anyway, he's uninterested in his creation at the moment."

  Or maybe the divine believes wholeheartedly in free will and is allowing us the opportunity to exercise it.

  " i think if God exists, he's far more enlightened than someone who's harder to please than my drunk Irish father"

  I agree:)
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  hooberus

  Some of the reasons why I believe the Bible:
  

  The Bible gives a reason for the origin of supernatural/spiritual phenomena -such as from Christian to occult (ie:Ouija board, spirits, etc.), whereas the atheistic/materialistic worldview generally must only deny these things.

  I have found that the Bibles teaching of a recent creation of basic kinds, followed by a global flood, is generally more in line with the hard facts of science than the alternative old earth/ evolutionary paradigm.

  I have (since accepting Jesus Christ) experienced a relationship with God that I did not experience before, and have experienced what I would consider to be miracles in my life (that I do not believe coincidence/other factors are very effective to explain).

  The Bible is supported in many cases by secular history, (such as the strong evidence for the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ by Pontius Pilate in the year ad. 32-33).

  I believe that Jesus Christ definitely fullfilled messianic prophecy such as Isaiah 52-53, Michah 5:2; Daniel Chapter 9, etc.

  I eventually hope to do a series of threads on some of the issues, along with a discussion of some important Bible doctrines such as the person and deity of Jesus Christ.
• 

  Golf

  Terry, ah, there's nothing like the world of fantasy! Reality? Who lives in reality? Fantasy is escapism. Guest77
• 

  BluesBrother

  The thread has sparked some interesting comments, which I guess was Terry's intention ..

  Personally I sit more with the views expressed by bebu and others . Ditching the worthless concepts of the WTS does not meen that we are obliged to abandon the scriptures , or indeed have formed a hard and fast conclusion already. After all it is a much bigger and more important question than whether the Gov. Body are spirit.directed, or delusional?

  If on discards the bible and belief in the Almighty then one discards the directing motivation that has inspired most of what men have done ever since civilisation began, since there would be no place presumably for any kind of 'spirituality'.

  I have yet to find anything else that answers the fundamental questions of life, although I do read with interest the evolutionary and skeptic sites that I find

  If I were to follow Terry and call it a fiction mooted by "Mystical conmen"then I would be letting Terry decide for me. The dogmatic attitude of many non believers is a turn off for me, since it is just as hard and fast as the attitude of fundamental believers
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  Kenneson

  Terry,

  Why should I believe that your rationalism is anything other than fiction?
• 

  confusedjw

  I believe in family, baseball and working hard.

  So I don't insist on anything with the bible, except this if it is from God it's a shitty way of commicating universal truths.

  family, baseball, working hard - that's the list.
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  freedom96

  I think many ex-witnesses, whether they intend to or not, relate the bible with being a witness. Witnesses believe the bible, and they are wrong, therefore the bible must be wrong.

  To judge someone on whether or not they believe the bible, and ridicule them because of it, is sad.

  If someone wants to believe the bible, then great. If not, to each their own.

  But if anyone thinks they are superior because now they don't believe, towards those who do believe, that is narrow minded and pathetic. Just because they don't believe, doesn't make them any better than those who do. Simply a difference of opinion.
• 

  czarofmischief

  Why?

  Mostly because it pisses a lot of people off.

  Bloody-mindedness is one of the five flavors of quantum psychology. (Terry Pratchett)

  CZAR
• 

  DannyBear

  Take your pick of any so-called holy writing or belief system, the arguments remain the same.

  Have you noticed that certain religions (beliefs-dogma) exercise more control over the adherents than others?

  Islam for example has morphed into a more radical/zealout style in recent times. Almost the opposite of other ancient religions.

  Much like jw's who flourished in times of persecution, religion seems to garner its most fervent and faithful when times are tough.

  Man seems incapable of facing his mortality, his lack of real solid answers to the hard questions (why are we here? is this all there is? etc) by over compensating in the arena of spiritual enlightenment.

  When the Arab and Jewish world was unfolding, perhaps the only solice the only comfort from the nomadic desert exsistance came from the thought of everlasting life in the arms of 72 virgins or sitting at the right hand of god on heavenly thrones. Think.

  Things have really not changed at all. Only the rules and requirements have been adjusted. Ask any jw they keep looking for 'new light' every summer at countless baseball stadiums around the globe.

  Danny