Posts by Adonai438

10

Jr Ex JW's

by Xena in

my daughter is interested in posting on here, but there doesn't seem to be any other pint sized exjw's around.

anyone out there have kids that would like to post with her or possibly be pen pals?.

she is 7 years old but is at a 3rd grade reading and comprehension level so any kids up to 10 or so might like to correspond with her...... anyway just a thought...

Well, Youngins are smarter than we realize
I was only 15 when I left the org. Pen pals might be a good way to go though considering the adult nature of some of the posts and the argueing that sometimes takes place.

18

Can Satan create life?

by peacefulpete in

the familiar tale of moses approaching pharoah with the demand to free israelite slaves has always purplexed me.

the account says that yhwh miraculously changed moses staff into a serpant but then just as miraculously pharoah's priests did likewise.

does this not "prove" that satan is equally capable of creating life from nothing?

Adonai438

I didn't mean the snakes were not real just that it does not neccessarily mean Satan is a creator of anything. Mentioning the Garden was just another point at which Satan and snakes are mentioned together. I don't question the reality of the miracles just to what extent he created anything. Satan is a deceiver and able to perform false miracles,signs and wonders to lead people to follow him. Not neccessarily illusions in the sense that they are optical illusions or something but in that they are not true,genuine, or what they seem and that God is still in control as demonstrated by the miraculous serpent God sent/created devouring the serpent sent/or created by Satan. Xenu is accurate The difference between Satan and the true God is that Satan is a creation and only holds this authority to do what he wills in the supernatural for a time that will come to an end with his judgement. His supernatural abilities and miracles do not serve as love for anyone like God's miracles do. Satans miracles serve only himself and his selfish ambitions and even to harm others both physically and spiritually.

26

how do we know when we interpretate correctly?

by evangelist in

i would like your help on this matter of the interpretation of the bible, because many people say we interpretate diffently and we have diffent understanding.

how do we know when we interpretate the bible correctly?.

i have a relative for instance says the gay sex life is ok and they interpretated the bible to back up the right to live a gay life.. how can i prove their interpretation is wrong?.

Adonai438

SimWitness:
“All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 NWT)

“ I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and that anointing is real, not counterfeit--- just as it has taught you, remain in him” (1 John 2:26-27 NIV)

Respectfully dungbeetle:
Knowing of good people that have samegender relationships is not an authority on whether it is biblically right or wrong. I too know many Homosexuals and in general they are all nice, kind, good hearted, decent people. If one doesn't care what the Bible says on the subject then there is no point in discussing what it says. If one does care about what the Bible says on the subject then it is worthwile.
As to the Bible in english, if you are intelligent & interested enough to pursue the original language texts then you should also be intelligent and interested enough to realize/or find out for yourself the english translations that are accurate. The majority are very accurate to the original languages and I too know a bit about them. By no means fluent but somewhat knowledgable and own many original language Bibles and know people fluent in the biblical languages. Don't assume that to read english means someone is ignorant or being misled And technically, yes, Jesu does speaka da englis. He is all knowing according to the Bible. He did not speak english while on earth because that was not the language of the people.

JA
While I do not usually agree with you you make a good point. You do need to either take the Bible for what it says the way it was written or reject it. I do not recomend rejecting it but we cannot change what it says and teaches to suit our prefferences. Incidentally while I consider myself a strongminded and independant woman I also recognize the authority of the Bible in matters of authority. It doesn't mean women are less important or intelligent or competant it simply means that women are not allowed to be head pastors. While I don't believe there should be division in the church over this minor issue I do believe it is wrong and unscriptural for women to hold that authority. The Bible praises women and also goes to the extent to name the other church offices where women do/did/can serve which include deaconess. The head pastor is always refered to as a man. So if the Bible saw fit to mention women in other leadership positions but did not for head pastor I think this is also support for women not having that authority over a man.Me 2 cent

Hi again evangelist:

M'r:16:16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

I think if you read the words it explains it. A bit of background helps: In NT times baptism was immediate-- they didn't wait or go through a membership class or anything to be baptised. They were saved and they were baptised immediately. In recent times in the churches desire to be sure people know what they are putting their faith in they often times have a baptism class first. In some churches they hold these infrequently so people end up waiting for the next one. This is a smart practise to want to teach the new in faith but maybe not the biblical formula. What I am saying is in the NT times there was probably not this question of being saved--"believing" but not getting a chance to be baptised. Take into account the account of Philip and the Ethiopian. Philip speaks to the Ethiopian about Christ, The Ethiopian understands and believes, and says "look, there is water, why should I not be baptised" and they go down on the spot and do it. It's a symbol of faith but not our faith
Look at the verse again "M'r:16:16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
It doesn't include the baptised portion when it mentions who is damned. Maybe it has to do with the grammer of the KJV but I think this shows that its 'Believething' (is that a word?) that is saving. I understand where the question comes from but I think the text explains what it means and when taken into account with the cultural context shows salvation by faith/believing.

26

how do we know when we interpretate correctly?

by evangelist in

i would like your help on this matter of the interpretation of the bible, because many people say we interpretate diffently and we have diffent understanding.

how do we know when we interpretate the bible correctly?.

i have a relative for instance says the gay sex life is ok and they interpretated the bible to back up the right to live a gay life.. how can i prove their interpretation is wrong?.

Adonai438

okay-peoples- I didn't know there were more replys to this topic but I'l be back to answer the questions asked to me soon

18

Can Satan create life?

by peacefulpete in

the familiar tale of moses approaching pharoah with the demand to free israelite slaves has always purplexed me.

the account says that yhwh miraculously changed moses staff into a serpant but then just as miraculously pharoah's priests did likewise.

does this not "prove" that satan is equally capable of creating life from nothing?

Adonai438

Well, Satan came in snake form to eve in the Garden but I think it's more of an illusion or form taking than a creation of life. As for your belief that it was a primitive society hoping in miracles I would have to say that miracles still happen today so why couldn't the records of miracles past be true? Miracles happen everyday for/to innumerable amounts of people around the world. I have seen and experienced miracles myself and know God exists not only because of intellectual logic and scientific support but also because of experiencial knowlege. I think society today doesn't experience less miracles than the ancient israelites and other people of God but they are more likely to go unnoticed, unrecognized, ignored or attempted to be explained away by some logical or scietific reasoning.
God isn't stingy with them and he is Awesome <>< Angie

11

Heaven and Earth will pass away?

by eyeslice in

like many, for years i understood the generation mentioned in matthew 24:34 to be an actual chronological generation that actually saw the events of 1914. this would mean that to be in a position to see and understand the events of 1914, someone would have to be at least 10 years old, and to be someone who actually fought in the great war, say 17 or 18 years old.

this generation has passed away, as clearly brought home with the recent death of the british queen mother who was born at the beginning of the 20th century.. whilst i understand the so called change of thought of a few years back that now makes this generation a contemporary rather than a chronological one, i cannot see how the guarantee that heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away sits with a much vaguer contemporary one.

if it is not possible to clearly define this generation, then this guarantee makes no sense.. has anyone heard of any new spins on the guarantee aspect, say from cos, dos, bethelites, etc, as the official lines have been particularly vague on this point?

Adonai438

Well, I may be sticking my nose into a JW discussion here but...... heaven and earth will pass away. In Biblical chronology for after the end of the Millenium it is described that earth will be destroyed by fire and a new heavens and a new earth will be created.
(2 Peter 3:10-13, Rev. 20:9b &11b, Rev.21:1-8 especially vs. 1-3 & 5)
The end times is detailed but clearly outlined in the Bible in Revelations and other prophecies. Just because it is detailed doesn't mean it's symbolic and should be dummied down or ignored though. JW chronology leaves out much of the prophecies and details outlined in scripture and explains away anything it doesn't like as symbolic. But remember, history past is very detailed and confusing to some to remember everything and get how it interelates but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. The same goes for 'history future'. Just because it is detailed doesn't mean it won't happen the way it says it will. Go by the BOOK, THE Bible, and the truth will be evident. Also remember that knowing/understanding endtimes chronology isn't what saves man/people-- it's knowing and believing and trusting in the True God. My nosey 2cents <><Angie

5

Choosing for your kids

by Carmel in

i wonder how those of you who grew up in the borg and have left are dealing with your kids' choices when it comes to religion.... i know this was one promise i made to myself that i would never coerce my kids into going to church or religious meetings when they were old enough to stay home by themselves.

i kept that committment and only one of the five chose to follow a different religious path.

both i and my wife respected her decision and have never done anything to pressure her to "come back" or to have any religious inclinations of any kind.

Adonai438

My son is only one year old but can speak from my experience and my cousins.
My experience was I was JW and when I chose to be a christian instead they flipped and told me I had to lie until I was 18 and pretend to be JW or I was kicked out. That may sound crazy but those were elders orders. I was kicked out at 15--over 7 years ago.
My cousin in the same house now 16 has chosen to not be JW. Her mother is makeing her go to all 3 meeting a week but doesn't make her 'study' anymore and calls that respecting her daughters decision. Go figure.

As a christian parent who hasn't had to deal with this yet, I hypotheticly in the future plan on being reasonable. I believ our faith is right and the only way but I can't make my child believe if they don't. We plan on raising him in our church community and teaching him about God and teaching him the foundation by which he can make right decisions but if the day comes that he doesn't want to go to church.......I dunno. Depending on his age and whether he's just being lazy versus actually doesn't agree with it We will probably tell him we respect his opinion, Love him and will always be here for him. We hope and pray he will find God like we have but we can't make this decision for him. I will then pray my heart out

26

how do we know when we interpretate correctly?

by evangelist in

i would like your help on this matter of the interpretation of the bible, because many people say we interpretate diffently and we have diffent understanding.

how do we know when we interpretate the bible correctly?.

i have a relative for instance says the gay sex life is ok and they interpretated the bible to back up the right to live a gay life.. how can i prove their interpretation is wrong?.

Adonai438

Well....... I don't know abbout what Imbue says about ya....I don't know ya.
Evangelist on TV doesn't neccessarily mean money is involved. TV is a communication medium every market uses so why not the church or relgion too....That would be discrimination and censorship to say religion shouldn't be allowed on TV. Not all TV evangelsts are con artists or looking for money. Their are tons of evangelsits that don't but you don't hear about them .

As to the ACTUAL question:
Interpretation. No one should be so vein as to think they know it all or are infallible. We are humans after all.
BUT God wrote the Bible for humans to communicate with us so therefore we must be able to understand it! The NT says that scripture is inspired by God and sufficent to teach us everything. It also says that we do not need a teacher to tell us what it says.
It does only say ONE truth--not many. Mistranslation is 'easy' to disprove/prove. We have numerous copies of the historical manuscripts of every book in the bible dating back to very close to their original writtings and manuscripts leading up in history to the present day and they have not changed at all over all this time. The originals are not hard to find or access anymore and a interlinear or hebrew/greek Bible will show any mistranlation as false. The person may or may not care if they are proven wrong but it is not hard to accomplish. While we as humans are not infallible we do have and infallible perfect standard by which to judge all interpretation. The Bible. If the interpretation is accurate it will be demonstrated throughout the scripture and have no contradictions. Read the Bible for what it says without trying to explain things or prove ideas.

As to the homosexual issue--I would have to see what scriptures they are trying to use to support themselves but the Bible is very clear on the subject. Just a few off the top of my head.. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and sulpher for their immense sin which was primarily Homosexuality. The NT says to not have in fellowship anyone that is living in that sin. The Bible describes it as unnatural and puts them in the same catagory as the idolotars and the sorcerers. God loves everyone but does not love the sin we choose to commit and Homosexuality is sin according to the scriptures. I am aware that they claim to have scriptural support but have yet to see from anyone actual scripture. We can't just ignore the parts of the Bible we don't feel like listening to and still claim to be christian and care about God and his word.

Finally, evangelist, I would like to welcome you to the board. I am curious about your 'story' or 'testimony' etc.... I tend to be long winded and a bit nosey but you'll get used to it <>< Angie

132

Can any Witness possibly anwser this question?

by jerome in

hello all... i came across this line of questioning many months on the inet so i decided that i would submit just this once to peer pressure and make a usefull contribution to the board.. here is the question... is jesus just "a god?".

many of the regular inet surfers would have come across this line of questioning before so if you have you could just sit back and relax and read the replys.. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>.

me: so is he a 'lesser true god' or a 'lesser false god?'.

Adonai438

To Sirona,
Respectfully, 'who' thinks YHWH is feminine? The source is important here. In regards to the language itself it is not so I would not know from where the person is comming from on that. God does use plural in some titles like 'Elohim'. Elohim is hebrew for God but is plural. Not plural Gods but in some nature of it. For the Bible says ther is ONE- numerically ONE & in Union ONE- True God. Notice that when God made man in his image he made a man. Not that God is neccessarily has gender since thats a human thing, but it's interesting he is Always refered to as male/masculine in the words & tenses.

JWs can't get their own doctrine straight unfortunately.
They have historically flip flopped on who the alpha and Omega is, they used to think Jesus was comming in the flesh, They use to understand that Michael was NOT Jesus amnd so on. Even now they want to have it both ways on many issues. They want to claim to be monotheists but they have 2 'true Gods and a bunch of true false gods.
They will only admit to having 2 gods after much pressure and scripture that they can't answer. But even then they saY there is only one God- Jehovah.

I know we can't expect them to just jump at the idea of 'joining' christendom-- with all they've been taught, but I pray they at least join the side of reason and eventually find the truth.

4christ/Lauren-- nice to see you on here-- good questions and sharing, I hope someone has been helped by some of the info shared. You can -mail me too, anytime I have yet to see ANY of the hundreds of JWs I've talked with be able to answer these questions and many want to avaiod them period thinking that somehow looking into the scriptures will lead them AWAY from truth. Go figure

God bless y'all <>< Angie

132

Can any Witness possibly anwser this question?

by jerome in

hello all... i came across this line of questioning many months on the inet so i decided that i would submit just this once to peer pressure and make a usefull contribution to the board.. here is the question... is jesus just "a god?".

many of the regular inet surfers would have come across this line of questioning before so if you have you could just sit back and relax and read the replys.. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>.

me: so is he a 'lesser true god' or a 'lesser false god?'.

Adonai438

The question isn't can we understand how One God is 3 personal, it's what does the Bible say.

I was nowhere near believing in this idea of the trinity when I read the scriptures for myself but decided to compile what the scriptures said about God to define my doctrine-- instead of going to my doctrine first and then trying to find support scripture snatches. What did my study of the scriptures end up outlining? The trinity concept. I hadn't studied the ins and outs of the doctrine but independantly read the Bible for information and VIOLA!

It is a bit mysterious only in the how sense but not in the what sense. If that makes any sense Just because we cannot understand the how doesn't mean the belief isn't true. Most of us here in this thread believe God created the earth and people-- How did he do it out of nothing? I don't know how, but he did, and it's quite amazing. Just because I don't know HOW doesn't mean it didn't happen. The WT itself says this is and irrational line of thought in its Creation book. They cite this very example and instruct a consideration of the facts above all mans reasoning. They don't mean it but they said it.

Other food for thought:
One thing I have found interesting is how we ARE made in the image of God. The trinity is even pictured in this. Man is made up of 3 parts:
Body, Soul, and Spirit but we are one being-- one person.
While it's not the same in that God isn't 3 parts, it is a picture of the triune nature.
(Contrary to JWism, Body, Soul, and Spirit are Biblically 3 SEPARATE parts that can be divided scripture upon request since its a tangent)
Bu-By for now, Its late