Hi Rip76 & Welcome to the Board!
Briefly, God is good and JWs don't get it
I was Jw for a year in HS and left because I studied the Bible for myself and found out the truth. I am a christian now and happier than ever with a great hubby and baby boy. When I was researching/studying my Bible back in HS I prayed to for real for the very first time and God did answer me-- He showed me the truth in his word. Ever since prayer has been totally great and different than when I was a JW. HE IS there .
Well, my humble opinion is that Satan sent the JWs to your door to interupt anything the true God was doing in your life. I say this because if the JWs were sent by the true God then their teachings and attitudes would have been godly and scriptural and I know that they are not. Keep praying- God's still listening and Loves ya!
If ya ever want to chat or talk just drop me an e-mail.
Stay strong, think for yourself and study God's word, it's quite an amazing journey
<>< Angie
Adonai438
JoinedPosts by Adonai438
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My Story - Trying to Enjoy Life.......
by Rip76 inmy name is mike.
i am from houston texas, and i am 29 years of age.
i've been reading these message boards for about a year now and i figured it was time to post my story... me: i was raised in the jw religion, and attended meetings until about age 12. i stopped attending after my grandmother passed away from cancer.
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Adonai438
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What's in a name?
by dmouse insome interesting comments about the confusion caused by using multiple identities in the last day or two.. i was wondering, as there are some strange sounding tags about, what is the story, if any, behind your screen names?
and what are your favourite alternatives (i thought about being dungeonmaster).
i am 'dmouse' because it's a shortened version of my full name, dean moorhouse, and i used to love the (uk)cartoon dangermouse when i was a kid.
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Adonai438
When We signed up for internet they asked for a name of the top of our heads to use as a user name and to make it unique- of something special so we'd remember it.
Me hubby and I are both Christians so we wanted to mention the Lord in it and 'Adonai' is Hebrew for Lord so we used that and, well there was 437 more out there already so, Viola! -
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Revelation 11:1-4
by Smitty ina question for all the bible experts: .
who or what does revelation 11:1-4 apply to?
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Adonai438
There are several temples mentioned in the Bible throughout history and in the future. 2 have already existed and been destroyed in Jerusalem and the Bible says that a third will be built before many of the futures prophecies take place. The Jews have been deprived of their temple and their place of sacrifice and dwelling of God for a long time and they are currently preparring & hoping for a 3rd temple. See: http://www.temple.org.il for information & the temple tools/artifacts they are reconstructing for such a purpose. They are also raising the ceromonial cattle for the sacrifices. They recently have sought to re-establish the Levitical lineage to find who can be the priests in the temple.
Biblically, a third temple will literally be built again here on earth:
Matt.24:15 says that the abomination will stand in it (that is the image of the beast from Revelations), Dan.9:24-27 & Ezekial 40 both are OT prophecies of it.And it will last through Armageddon until after the Millenium. In Rev.2:26-27 & Psalm 2 it says that after the Tribulation & Armageddon the temple will be purified and Christ will rule As King over the nations from Jerusalem.
Hebrews 8:5 states the earthly is a reflection of the heavenly.
The earth is destroyed by fire after Satans final defeat
(2 Peter 3:10-13, Rev.20:9b,11b)which would follow that, that 3rd temple would also be destroyed having been on earth.Rev.21:1 has the New Heavens & the New Earth and Rev.21:2-4 is the decent of the NEw Jerusalem (Which Elijah the 3rd pointed out is VERY large ). This is the setting for eternity. gottab go will be back later
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Scriptures JWs Would Prefer to Ignore
by Room 215 inhere are my nominations for scripture jws would like to see go away.
in all cases they're reduced to the ``yes, but'' defense; i.e.
john 14:2-- ``in my father's house are many mansions.".
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Adonai438
Hey Jerome--
I have an article on the NWT that may have te quotes by the supposed other scholars for you. If I remember correctly from my research,
The NWT committee does quote other scholars but out of context, surprise surprise. Thes legitimate scholars were quite annoyed at the misquotes that they even wrote letters to the WTBS. I've been using my scanner to convert the article(small pamphlet size) to computer form and I can send it to you if you'd like :) <>< ANGIEPatio34-
As to the Genesis verse, the age of dinosaurs can be debated based on several scientific facts. While most dinosaurs may pre-date the writing of Genesis they do not pre-date the content of Genesis.
If the literal creation account is accurate (as I believe it is scientificly provable) Dinosaurs do not go against scripture. After the flood meat-eating is said to have begun-- and dinosaurs existed after the flood too. Therefore the existance of meat-eating dinosaurs does not contradict the account in the Bible. Noah was commanded to take two of every animal into the ark so he yes, he took the dinosaurs as well. Dinosaurs are refered to in the Bible-not by that name- but creatures described the same way. My 2cents -
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Do any of you observe the passover
by master chief ini was thinkin now that many of you think for your selves would you or do you still observe the passover of christ and if so what date and correct time for the uk and usa this year.and another thing would you use cheap wine and crackers or drink to much of it l.o.l
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Adonai438
I am now a christian and yes, observe the passover/last supper memorial. We do at church through out the year and then on the Thursday before easter we have a traditional passover meal and serve the wine and the unleavened bread. It's on the thursday before easter for a reason:
Passover is commanded to be celebrated on that same Saturday every year in the OT as a rememberance of God passing over the faithful during the plagues of Egypt. Later in history, Thursday was the last Supper, Friday was the crucifixion, Saturday was passover, and Sunday was the day He was resurected. So we can know the dates and chronology quite specificly. -
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Scriptures JWs Would Prefer to Ignore
by Room 215 inhere are my nominations for scripture jws would like to see go away.
in all cases they're reduced to the ``yes, but'' defense; i.e.
john 14:2-- ``in my father's house are many mansions.".
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Adonai438
I happen to like using their own favorite but equally ignored verse:
Isaiah 43:10:
'You are my witnesses', declares Yahweh, 'and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed nor shall there be one after .'JWs use the first half as their name so we all are familiar with it but it's the second half of that very same verse that causes trouble. In my experience with them they don't read the second half unless they have to .
As you can read it says that no god was formed/created before nor after Yahweh so when exactly does the JWs 'a god' Jesus get created?Another faovorite that someone reminded me of on this board was about how the JWs want to calim all of Israels titles and blessings because spiritually, they are now Israel. The verse is in the NT and says that Israel will be in total darkness until the very end. I guess that means the WT is in darkness for now, makes sense . (I'll look up the reference if someone wants me too)
Most of the Bible is problematic for them, What they didn't changethrough their 'translation' they confuse with obscre wording or just simply shrug it off.
Must..... stay.... loyal.... to... mother... Org......[xx)] -
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Y R U AVOIDING THIS?
by puzzled ini was just reading moxy's post "biggest mathematical miracle in the world" .
and as i was reading all the logical reasons why it would have been impossible at least physically impossible, for that many israelites not to mention even one, to wonder through the desert 40 years and not leave a trace of their even having been there.. the only thing that seems to be more incredible then that is how many people on earth believe it.
regardless of weather it's true or not what is it that continues to inspire millions and billions of people to continue to believe?
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Adonai438
Actually Xander--
There are different ways people come up with 'bible codes'
Some skip around with ramdom non conforming numbers and just find the letters to make the words they want it to say. I to find that amusing and not anything serious.
Jewish and Christian scholars have for centuries explored the idea of Bible codes-- in fact, the ancient Jewish scribes even tried to find these according to historical accounts.
The more credible of the bible code attempts have been decently unbiased. They pick numbers like 1-50 or whatever. And program the computer to search the text (original language text, not english translations) and found that at equal intervals (like every 5th letter) those letters would spell verifiable words in the Hebrew & greek languages. They didn't set out looking for specific words or program it to create a code in which it would find what they wanted it to. Interestingly enough, the words they find are in dialogue with the surface text or related to the passage it is encoded in. For instance in a passage where Yahweh is speaking of the comming messiah the computer showed that it spelled out Yeshua over and over again in consecutive intervals. The same teams of researchers have run the exact same tests on many other books even writings of the same age and there is absolutely nothing in any of them. I'd be interested to see what type of de-coding they've attemted on war & peace . It is a lot more interesting than just the initial thought of it though and is not confined to christian scholars. There is much more but I don't use that research as a proof for the Bible when discussing it because the Bible is legitimate on it's own with science and archeology without contreversial still-in-process research.REM:
Digging myself deeper?
I wasn't aware I was in a hole.
You are the one that claimed to be interested in archeological research on the Bible and after reading book reviews on just one suggestion you think it's not worth your time. Should I post reviews I have read of the same book that raves about it's research? I can find Christian or Non-Christian sources for ya. I already told you that it's not my only source on biblical archeology but it is a good basic one to start with, written by an educated scholar who has actually seen many of the artifacts in person and quotes other famous scholars and researchers abundantly as support.
You have yet to explain or cite anything that proves the evidence 'outdated' or incorrect. And quoting a book review by someone not in the archeology field is not proof or evidence that the archeological finds cited are false.
I don't think you need to be a 'scholar' to review a book but to comment on it's accuracy without any supporting evidence is a sad attempt at intelligent evaluation. The evidence in the book is cited well and the only thing you can say is it's my word against your reviewers word. Some is christian sources (but not, by any stretch, all of it) and just because someone who happens to believe in God wrote or said it does not mean the archeological evidence shown and pictured is wrong or biased. At a glance I can say that at the very least half of the sources are not christian publishers at all but well known and international.
If you are so concerned about the fact that the archological evidence has only been uncovered withint the last 200+ years maybe you should do some research into when the world began excavating cites in attempts to find artifacts. You will find that the origin of organized archeology & excavation is at that time.
Like I said-- I don't think anyone should take any persons word for the existance of evidence (or non-existance) and should do their own research.
If all you're interested in bickering over scholarship of sources you have not read then I don't need to argue- that would be a waste of my time and yours. If you ever decide to actually research it yourself I'd be glad to talk. You don't need christian books to figure ot that the evidence is there and abundant. I'm not trying to be difficult here but I just don't have the time to do your research for you - especially when a book review can make you ingore cited fact.
I made some resource suggestions and can find more but thats the extent.It's amusing to me how most people that don't believe in the Bible or in the arguments in favor of it have never read it or researched themselves.
If you try to talk further on this and I don't reply right away I am not ignoring you-- We are in the middle of closing on our new house and moving soon so I don't have much time. God bless, <>< ANGIE
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Adonai438
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The Clergy- Laity Watchtower Lie
by metatron ini get sick and tired of hearing the watchtower lie that they.
have no 'clergy- laity' distinction.. the hypocrisy in this is almost incredible.
the society wants.
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Adonai438
Sorry to bust y'all's bubble but Pastors are volunteers too. Christians don't just go around forcing people into service
Also didn't paul say not to muzzle the ox that is treading the grain as a metaphor for supporting those in service to God? Didn't Jesus instruct his disciples to accept lodging and food from people while they where in different towns preaching? I don't believe it is biblically wrong to accept support for neccessities from God's Church. If one is doing it for profit is a problem but not the same thing as getting your neccessities taken care of.As for recognizing the pastor verses recognizing the elders:
It's about the same there.
Yes, I could always recognize the elders as the leaders/clergy because they were always the extra-spiffy dressed men running aroud preparing for the 'meeting' and during the meeting they took just as much a primary role as a pastor would in a Christian church.
I go to a christian church now and have visited many other congregations with friends and for special events and the pastor is not easily distinguishable. Most denominations do not dress their pastor up special. At any rate, there is no scripture against it in the Bible. Sure a pastor gets up and does the main teaching segment of a service but so do elders in the hall. May I remind the JWs that the NT outlines many leadership roles. Leadership is not wrong because the Bible gives the guidlines for it. -
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Y R U AVOIDING THIS?
by puzzled ini was just reading moxy's post "biggest mathematical miracle in the world" .
and as i was reading all the logical reasons why it would have been impossible at least physically impossible, for that many israelites not to mention even one, to wonder through the desert 40 years and not leave a trace of their even having been there.. the only thing that seems to be more incredible then that is how many people on earth believe it.
regardless of weather it's true or not what is it that continues to inspire millions and billions of people to continue to believe?
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Adonai438
Hi again REM:
In general I'd just like to ask why are you trusting a second hand account of a book? Thats a rather easy way to side step the evidence.
Never doesSecondly, what are the scholarly credentials of the person whose review you like so much? Sounds to me like an average persons take on it and not a person in the field with the knowledge with which to judge. Do they have any degrees in the field? Are the Archeologists? Have they even looked up the Archeological evidences put forth? Have they cited anything reliably contrary discrediting the evidence? Maybe I missed it among all his personal dislike for christianity but I don't see any proof in his statements that its unscholarly or innaccurate. It seems to me a lot of opinion with out support and a predisposed dislike for the belief in God.
Of course it is written simply, that was the point. It's written for the average person that doesn't have the background in the field to read the general proofs that exist.
Your reviewer is also incorrect or poorly informed as to the Sinai inscriptions he puts down. Yes, there is an aspect of the inscriptions that occured much later-- that scholars believe pilgrims
(religious pilgrims ) left after seeing them-- those are mentioned in the book along with the archeological proof that they were not a part of the originals.
As with anything religious in nature you will find people on both sides that either support or try to prove wrong an evidence. The fact that people exist on both sides does not mean that they are both right or that the piece of evidence should thus be discredited. The evidence does show that they are authentic and this is accepted by the majority of the archeological world- christian & non christian.Throughout history when a proof for the accounts of the Bible is discovered people that are uncomfortable with the concept of God try to disprove it. And throughout history more evidence is always uncovered through such attempts that end up validating the accuracy and authenticity of the original finds. An impartial person would see the proof for what it is and draw their conclusion from that. Others already have their minds made up when they 'investigate' and tend to attempt to discredit whatever doesn't fit into their ideas. The Bible has never been discredited by any evidence. One can argue if it is a story/history only but it is at the very least accurate. It is also provable that it is of divine inspiration and should be taken seriously for spiritual matters as well.
My humble suggestion:
Research for yourself and don't take someone elses opinion of the evidence as the evidence itself. Off the wall connection: Isn't that what we got out of when we left the JWs? Do our own thinking, research, and conclusions.