i thought it might be interesting to post a survey for those who post on this forum.. perhaps it will provide a basis for some additional stimulating discussions on god and religion.. with that in mind, i have posted a survey of 10 yes/no/unsure questions on the bible/research forum.
Path,
I thought that was very interesting also.
However, the question was limited to the Bible's definition of "last days" with the stated implication of an impending judgment day from God. I wonder if your answer implies that you simply feel that mankind will self-destruct soon versus God's intervention - in which case your answer to the question would actually be NO?
i thought it might be interesting to post a survey for those who post on this forum.. perhaps it will provide a basis for some additional stimulating discussions on god and religion.. with that in mind, i have posted a survey of 10 yes/no/unsure questions on the bible/research forum.
Carmel,
The survey is on the General/Bible Research forum and is titled "Do you believe ...".
just a little tip: if you select "Show All Active Topics" form the scroll bar at the bottom of your screen under the heading "Jump to:" then your screen will load all active threads from ALL FORUMS from the MOST RECENT POST to the OLDEST POST. This makes it much easier to see what topics are currently being posted.
simply respond to each question with a yes or no answer (or '?
' if unsure):.
before answering, please see my comments on general/main - "how about a survey?"..
Frenchy,
Very glad to have you back! (You left as I arrived.)
re your survey comments:
4. You basically got the meaning; that God approves and directs the org (your answer was counted as NO)
6. Christianity in the most basic sense, that Christ is the only path to God for salvation (your answer was counted as UNSURE)
7, 8. Inspired in the biblical sense (authored by God - 1 Tim 3: 16) (your answers were counted as UNSURE)
10. Your answer was counted as NO
i thought it might be interesting to post a survey for those who post on this forum.. perhaps it will provide a basis for some additional stimulating discussions on god and religion.. with that in mind, i have posted a survey of 10 yes/no/unsure questions on the bible/research forum.
So ... now that we have 14 answers summarized ... does anyone besides me find this interesting?
Was anyone surprised by any of the totaled answers? If so, which one(s)and why?
Does anyone think that if the replies could be anonymous that we would have had more response?
Would anyone like to submit ideas for one or more poll questions, especially if it could be done anonymously?
It was a bit of work to tabulate the answers to this survey. If it were easier I think there would be more interest.
Perhaps one weekly poll question would be fun.
simply respond to each question with a yes or no answer (or '?
' if unsure):.
before answering, please see my comments on general/main - "how about a survey?"..
A few observations based on summary above:
1. Do you believe in God (or that the universe has a Creator)?
<NO ONE clearly DISBELIEVES in God>
2. Have you ever regularly attended meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses (either baptized or not)?
<ALL have regularly attended meetings>
3. Do you personally agree with all current teachings and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses?
<NO ONE agrees with all teachings of JWs>
4. Do you believe that the modern-day organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has God's blessing?
<NO ONE believes JWs have God's blessing>
5. Do you believe that the modern-day organization of Jehovah's Witnesses is God's ONLY channel of spiritual revelation to mankind?
<NO ONE believes JWs are God's only channel>
6. Do you believe that Christianity is the only form of worship approved by God?
<NO ONE clearly believes only in Christianity>
7. Do you believe that the Bible (or parts of it) are inspired by God?
<Only 3 of 14 believe it is inspired by God>
8. Do you believe that any religious book(s) other than the Bible are inspired by God?
<Only 1 of 14 believe so>
9. Do you believe that there will be a judgment day from God -- when God will judge living humans and put to death any that are not approved?
<NO ONE clearly believes so>
10. Do you believe that mankind is living in the Bible's prophesied "last days" and that a judgment day from God will come in the near future?
<Only 1 of 14 believe so>
simply respond to each question with a yes or no answer (or '?
' if unsure):.
before answering, please see my comments on general/main - "how about a survey?"..
There are 14 responses to date (all answered all 10 questions).
Answers are summarized below.
If no clear Yes or No was indicated, answer was counted as Unsure.
1. Do you believe in God (or that the universe has a Creator)?
YES: 9 No: 0 Unsure: 5
--------------------------------------------------
2. Have you ever regularly attended meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses (either baptized or not)?
YES: 14 No: 0 Unsure: 0
--------------------------------------------------
3. Do you personally agree with all current teachings and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses?
Yes: 0 NO: 14 Unsure: 0
--------------------------------------------------
4. Do you believe that the modern-day organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has God's blessing?
Yes: 0 NO: 13 Unsure: 1
--------------------------------------------------
5. Do you believe that the modern-day organization of Jehovah's Witnesses is God's ONLY channel of spiritual revelation to mankind?
Yes: 0 NO: 13 Unsure: 1
--------------------------------------------------
6. Do you believe that Christianity is the only form of worship approved by God?
Yes: 0 NO: 9 Unsure: 5
--------------------------------------------------
7. Do you believe that the Bible (or parts of it) are inspired by God?
Yes: 3 No: 5 UNSURE: 6
--------------------------------------------------
8. Do you believe that any religious book(s) other than the Bible are inspired by God?
Yes: 1 No: 5 UNSURE: 8
--------------------------------------------------
9. Do you believe that there will be a judgment day from God -- when God will judge living humans and put to death any that are not approved?
Yes: 0 NO: 8 Unsure: 6
--------------------------------------------------
10. Do you believe that mankind is living in the Bible's prophesied "last days" and that a judgment day from God will come in the near future?
Yes: 1 NO: 9 Unsure: 4
--------------------------------------------------
Edited by - AhHah on 4 October 2000 3:18:8
this is a place to hang out and make small talk.
this is family.
i wrote this tonight for all of you.
Say, is it getting a little warm in here, or is it just me?
in my response to path's post "it's been kind of dead around here lately", i mentioned a book written by richard carlson, ph.
d. entitled "you can be happy no matter what".. i am wondering if anyone else has read it or one of his "don't sweat the small stuff" books -- if so, what did you think of it?.
it helped me put some things in a good perspective and has helped me to take responsibility for and control of my thinking and my feelings so that i have more control of when i feel happy.
in my response to path's post "it's been kind of dead around here lately", i mentioned a book written by richard carlson, ph.
d. entitled "you can be happy no matter what".. i am wondering if anyone else has read it or one of his "don't sweat the small stuff" books -- if so, what did you think of it?.
it helped me put some things in a good perspective and has helped me to take responsibility for and control of my thinking and my feelings so that i have more control of when i feel happy.
Thanks for the recommendations. I just ordered both of those books ('The Road Less Traveled" and "The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses").
"1984" is one of my favorites. So is "Animal Farm". I intend to reread both of them again soon, through my new eyes of perception.
Edited by - AhHah on 1 October 2000 17:28:15
this is a place to hang out and make small talk.
this is family.
i wrote this tonight for all of you.
To all who replied,
Thanks for caring enough to respond to this post and for the reassurances.
I am very new to this whole thing. I have never posted on discussion forums before these last few weeks. I guess I have a few things to learn about it. I tend to accept that people are who they say they are and that they mean what they say. That is the way I have always been. Perhaps it was naive of me to think that I would immediately be accepted for who I am. Apparently, at least one of you (Waiting) thought that I might be the reincarnation of an unliked poster on this site. My wife tells me that she thinks she knows who Waiting is talking about it. I would be interested to know who it was and what it was about my posts that caused suspicion.
Maybe my excitement to be able to share thoughts with others who can relate caused me to come on too fast. Maybe I gave the appearance of someone with a hidden agenda? I really would like to know where I "went wrong".
I will try to just lay low for a while and hopefully avoid offending anyone. I guess you could say that there is no more wind in my sails right now anyway.
As to the little vignette that I opened this post with, I was simply exploring a feeling of family. I was trying to paint a picture. Looking back at it, I can see that it sounds corny. I didn't mean it to sound corny, however. I have no relationship with most family members (most are Jws), including my mother, brothers, sisters (save one who is not a JW) and my daughter from a previous marriage, despite my reassurances of my love for them. I know that many of you know how incredibly painful that is. Familes that are able to accept one another and their differences and maintain loving relationships are fortunate. Isn't it interesting that many Christain religions (unlike Jws) teach families the beauty of tolerance, even if most don't practice it? "Do not be owing one another anything except love". "Do not judge your brother".
Enough of that! Thanks again to everyone for the reassurances.
