Thank all of you for your replies. Sorry to hear about Ed Kretzinger, but probably shouldn't be surprised, he would be getting pretty old by now. Ed used to handle accounts at circuit assemblies, and frequently would have a part on the final day of the assembly detailing expenses for the rental of the assembly hall, etc, and total contributions so far. Almost always, contributions were not sufficient to match expenses, and he would exhort attendees to make further donations. I finally remembered correctly that Skip is married to Tammy, don't know why I thought Debbie was her name (perhaps Tammy had a sister?), in any event, I'm happy to hear they are well. If anyone learns of any of the others I asked about, I'd still like to know. Zman...if you are moving TO Corpus Christi, you might like a restaurant located under the bridge going out to Padre Island called Snoopys. They used to have very good seafood, burgers, and beer.
gaiagirl
JoinedPosts by gaiagirl
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Corpus Christi JW's/ex JW's?
by gaiagirl ini began wondering what ever became of many of the people i used to know when i lived in corpus christi, tx.
haven't heard from these people in years, and wondering if they are still in, or out, and how their lives are at present: marvin smith jr.; tim and cindy constance,; ron and donna russell,; tim and terry sparck,; marty and barb jarosewski,; skip and debbie mccreery,; vikki johnson and her husband mark (sorry, forgot your married name),; tim zorzi,; ed kretzinger a.k.a.
"mr. k" (just call, thats all),; jim and shirley mccreery,; elenora genteman,; chico and lupe hernandez, and their son charlie,; bruce and cindy dozier,; .
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Evolution & Creation... can they co-exist as theories?
by diamondblue1974 ini am not a scientist so i do bow to others superior knowledge on this site regarding these subjects (and welcome their input) but what is to stop these two theories both being proven so that they both apply to our origins.. what is to stop a creator creating evolution as a process just as a creator would create the laws of physics etc?
it would be akin to starting the ball rolling in creation terms and letting it carry on until the highest lifeform is present.
could scientific theory support this view perhaps?.
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gaiagirl
I suppose I disagree with the idea of a "creator" because I don't view the universe as a dead, constructed thing (like a house), but as a living organic entity. I view myself not as a "child of God" but as a child of the Universe. The universe has evolved through time, just as the galaxies, our Sun, Earth, and life on Earth have evolved, and there is abundant evidence supporting this position. This doesn't mean that deities don't exist. If they do exist, they also evolved as part of the ongoing processes within this universe, and were not necessarily responsible for our origins or subsequent evolution.
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Corpus Christi JW's/ex JW's?
by gaiagirl ini began wondering what ever became of many of the people i used to know when i lived in corpus christi, tx.
haven't heard from these people in years, and wondering if they are still in, or out, and how their lives are at present: marvin smith jr.; tim and cindy constance,; ron and donna russell,; tim and terry sparck,; marty and barb jarosewski,; skip and debbie mccreery,; vikki johnson and her husband mark (sorry, forgot your married name),; tim zorzi,; ed kretzinger a.k.a.
"mr. k" (just call, thats all),; jim and shirley mccreery,; elenora genteman,; chico and lupe hernandez, and their son charlie,; bruce and cindy dozier,; .
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gaiagirl
I began wondering what ever became of many of the people I used to know when I lived in Corpus Christi, Tx. Haven't heard from these people in years, and wondering if they are still in, or out, and how their lives are at present: Marvin Smith Jr.; Tim and Cindy Constance,; Ron and Donna Russell,; Tim and Terry Sparck,; Marty and Barb Jarosewski,; Skip and Debbie McCreery,; Vikki Johnson and her husband Mark (sorry, forgot your married name),; Tim Zorzi,; Ed Kretzinger a.k.a. "Mr. K" (just call, thats all),; Jim and Shirley McCreery,; Elenora Genteman,; Chico and Lupe Hernandez, and their son Charlie,; Bruce and Cindy Dozier,; . They probably don't remember me, but I'd like to know what they are doing, and if they are happy now.
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About the Tree of Knowledge.
by Blueblades ingod told adam and eve not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
if this were the only venue through which they could understand the difference between good and evil, how could they have known that it was wrong to disobey god and eat the fruit?.
blueblades
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gaiagirl
If one accepts the account as truthful, then Eve was not at fault, as she only wanted something good for herself and Adam, so she made a choice based on the available evidence. If anyone was a wrongdoer, it was Jehovah, who tried to withhold knowledge from the human couple, and lied about the consequences, telling them that "in the day you eat from it (the tree) you will positively die". The serpent (NOT the Satan of later writings) told the truth "You positively will not die, for God knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad." "Then the eyes of both of them became opened...." Gen 3:7 "And Jehovah God went on to say 'Here, the man has become like one of US in knowing good and bad...." So all the days of Adam that he lived amounted to 930 years, then he died". So, if one accepts this account as truthful, Jehovah bluffed, threatening death "in the day you eat from it". The account shows that this did NOT happen, instead Adam lived 930 years, and Eve lived enough years to become mother to many, many children. The verse about "one day with Jehovah being as a thousand years" simply doesn't apply here, as Adam and Eve would have had no idea about the concept of a thousand years, they would have interpreted "day" the same way it is commonly used now. The serpent spoke truthfully when he said "your eyes will become opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and bad." The account records that God himself admitted this to have happened. The underlying message of this account is not historical accuracy, but rather, "Do what we (that is, Gods representatives) tell you, and don't ask questions.
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Jehovah's Witness Oddities
by minimus ini now enjoy telling people about the things jehovah's witnesses can and cannot do.
for instance, witnesses can work in a store that sells lottery tickets and tobacco but they can't own the store themselves.....whole blood is forbidden to be transfused yet blood fractions are acceptable.
donating blood in any form is wrong but accepting blood fractions is a conscience matter.........can you think of other jw oddities????
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gaiagirl
Celebration of the of an individual's birthday is not allowed, as it shows "too much honor to an individual", however marriage anniversaries are commonly observed. So you CAN celebrate the anniversary of a marriage ceremony, but NOT the anniversary of ones birth. Also, unlike many religions and cultures, there is no ceremony to mark the transition from child to adult, and the acceptance of adult responsibilities, such as Bar- or Bat-mitzvah.
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Is the Christian Beliefs System (Biblical) a Divisive Force In Our Species?
by frankiespeakin inwhen one looks at the world history of the religions of christianity, islam, and judaism,, does it show them to be religions of peace?
i'm talking about the fundamentalist parts of these religions.
each one imo seems to be a force for agression and war.
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gaiagirl
I think it is important to deliniate "Christianity" as taught by Jesus, as compared to "Christianity" as taught by Paul, Peter, and others who re-defined Christianity to suit their own purposes. I don't see the authentic teachings of Jesus (universal love for God and neighbor, and forgiveness) as particularly divisive, however Christianity as taught by some who came later, up to and including people like Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Falwell, are exteremely divisive. These people can find a scriptural verse to support any twisted thing they want.
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What's Your View of Living Forever?
by Golf inok, be realistic, would you want to live forever?
what is your view of living forever?
golf
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gaiagirl
I agree that we are part of a cycle. Nothing that we can see lasts forever, planets, even the sun and stars have finite lives, and new stars will be born to replace them. As it is, our sun is not a "first generation" star, but one which came later in the evolution of the universe. Many, if not all, of those first generation stars have already gone. Everything we can observe on Earth also has a finite lifespan, at least in physical terms. Its difficult to say what happens to a "spirit" when the body dies, and Solomon spoke about this at Ecclesiastes 3:20-21 "All are going to the SAME place, they have come from dust and return to dust. Who can say if the spirit of a man rises to the heavens, or the spirit of a beast descends into the earth?" I personally don't think our spirit existed as a separate entity prior to our incarnation, but as part of a Universal Spirit. When our body dies, I think that our spirit returns to its source, like pouring water out of a bottle back into the ocean.
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UFO sightings and close encounters
by seesthesky inhave you seen a ufo or had a close encounter with an (apparent) extraterrestrial?
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gaiagirl
I haven't seen a UFO, but have witnessed a different "unidentified" phenomenon...the Marfa lights. These are glowing spheres which drift back and forth across the desert near the town of Marfa, Texas. There are documented reports going back for over a century. They can be seen from the highway, and I stopped and watched for a long while one night. Really odd! I suppose a devout JW would say they were demons.....
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Rapture index
by Satanus inhow much longer do christians have on this earth before they get zapped off to be w jesus at his ranch on utopianus planet in the logos nebula?
rest easy folks.
it's being taken care of by the lords people on the site called rapture ready.
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gaiagirl
What kind of "loving" god would take a person out of a moving car, to leave the car free to plow into other traffic and take other lives? I'm aware that this is the picture painted by rapturefans, and that this and similar images are in the books and movies based on the "Left Behind" series. I seem to recall one scene in which an airliner is left to crash, because the pilot had been "raptured". In the bible account at 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah went "ascending in the windstorm to the heavens". No mention is made of his clothing being left behind. And no one was injured as a result of Elijah's being taken. Could there be any other, more rational explanation for Elisha venturing into the wilderness with Elijah, and returning WITHOUT him? Could speculation about being raptured just be "wishful thinking" on the part of Christians who don't want to face responsibility for the problems of modern society? Would a "god" who would take the driver out of a moving car, or the pilot from an airliner in flight even be worthy of worship? Would such a god not be, in fact and in deed, worse than the majority of humans on this planet?
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Rapture index
by Satanus inhow much longer do christians have on this earth before they get zapped off to be w jesus at his ranch on utopianus planet in the logos nebula?
rest easy folks.
it's being taken care of by the lords people on the site called rapture ready.
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gaiagirl
Assuming that one believed in the rapture, how would one prove that the rapture had not already occurred, and those on earth now are the ones left behind, as in the series of books?