For those who still care

by Rex B13 6 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Rex B13

  This is a post to my old friend, Farkel, whom I have often argued with over the last three years. It may apply to those who know me from before, when I defended the Watchtower....for about three months.

  Don't feel sorry for me, old friend.
  I am seeing the evidence of our Lord in my daily walk with Him. I have seen cancer healed with no explanation from doctors as to how. I have seen people scarred by terrible lives recover and become a 'new creation' simply by taking the free offer of salvation:
  (from a previous post)
  "Have you thought about his future and yours? Remember, salvation is by faith alone (Eph. 2.8,9) and the faith that saves is in Christ Jesus (John 14.6, 3.16, Romans 10.9-11) while the alternative is 'death', which is always understood in the N.T. as 'hell, the separation from God for an eternity (Romans 3.23, 6.23). All you have to do is admit you are a sinner, in need of the redemption offered by the 'blood of the lamb', believe that He died for your sins and rose on the third day, repenting of your sins and asking Jesus to come into your life as your personal saviour."
  We just got back from a mission trip on the border of Virginia and West Virginia. We went to try and help a congregation of mostly older Christians restore their evangelism and compassion for a inner city community in an area that has less than $10,000 a year average income.
  We saw the results of our youth team's performances, our sermons, our outreach of free bags of groceries to people in need, the beginning recovery of alcoholism and drug abuse.
  We went into a violent area that became surprisingly peaceful to real Christians who proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. Teenaged white girls walking freely in an urban ghetto and not one word of disprespect or threat. The youth even performed on the porch of a man unable to leave his house due to age and emphysema.
  One thing from my story that people miss is that from the very beginning of my finding out about the Borg, I endeavored to pray for God to answer my questions. This happened at my lowest point and things were gradually revealed until I accepted my salvation.
  Do I have every question answered? No.
  The big difference between me and many of you is that I give God the benefit of the doubt. You and others have never unlearned the rationalism of JW thought, nor have you learned that REAL Christianity is being slandered and misrepresented just like everything else the WTS writes about.
  Keep in mind the very visible ex-JWs that still remain faithful to God and have not at all concluded as many here have.
  May God Bless you,
  Rex
• 

  claudia

  Rex, I do not beleive in spiritual healing, yes I beleive the person was healed but I think they healed themselves with their mind, if the mind can make someone sick, it can also heal. our own minds are so powerful!
• 

  larc

  Rex,

  I don't know you. I have seen other threads that you started about your beliefs. I saw the debates that insued. I think your post above is far more important than what you believe or what others believe. What you described above is a man with a good heart. Keep up the good work my brother. Where ever our road takes us, may it be on a road that helps our fellow man. God bless you.
• 

  Farkel

  Rex, (I guess I shouldn't call you dub-dub anymore, huh? )

  I'm sure you know I have no problem with people of faith. The only time I had a problem with that was when I was dub. Their ("worldly" people) faith was demonic. MY faith was pure and wonderful. I've long since given up thinking like that.

  I'm happy for you and your faith. As long as people express their faith and don't try to shove it in my face without my permission, I'm just fine. I shoved my faith in other's faces faithfully for too many years. Now I know how THEY felt when I did that.

  I've known many people who've become involved in charismatic type Christianity and for many of them it works. Others eventually see that it isn't right for them. I'm no expert on physiology, but I've I've read that tremendous emotional experiences/epiphanies have been responsible for curing "incurable" diseases. Whether that is God's doing or not, I do not know. I'm only glad that such things do happen.

  I know AlanF pretty darn well and I also know that HE cares for you as much as I do. He wouldn't spend the incredible amount of time he spends rebutting your arguments if he wasn't interested in you and your beliefs. He only responds to your claims of having "truth." If you made claims of merely having "belief" you'd never hear from him. Or me. He never instigates the first move. Never. He and I use similar styles of "shock treatment" in our arguments to stimulate thinking, but it is only after: either the argument is so lame that it necessitates such a tactic in our opinion or only after the arguer has first begun hurling names. Alan and I are both very sensitve to poorly-constructed arguments and red-herrings. We are smart enough to recognize that we lived too many years of our lives believing stuff we intuitively knew was garbage.

  I would hope that you and Alan could get back on track and deal with the issues. Alan is well-known for treating people well if they do their best to present a decent argument. This is true even if the argument is specious. But like myself, he doesn't react so nicely when someone else draws first blood and that first blood gets personal. Another thing about Alan: he doesn't hold grudges. Why? Because he never has grudges to begin with, that's why. I hope you don't, either.

  Peace and a long and happy life to you, my brother. May your new-found faith give you much joy and many rewards. We all have many choices in our path for happiness and happiness is a much better goal than spending our lives pleasing some men who think they know what's best for us when we aren't happy.

  Farkel
• 

  cnn77

  Farkel,

  Spoken like a wonderful gentleman. I wish my first dealing with you had reflected this type of civility and politeness. I fear perhaps I misjudged you.

  My apologies and I look forward to speaking with you someday.

  Regards,
  CNN77
• 

  larc

  cnn7, Farkel, Rex,

  I think that under the skin, we are all the same people. People that have been damaged by a bad system. People who are doing the best they know how to help themselves and help others.
• 

  Scorpion

  This is a very good thread. I enjoyed reading this more than any topic or thread I have read in a long time. Very positive!

  And Rex, I do care.