the story about the instructions jesus allegedly gave to his disciples before they were to set out on their evangelizing journey illustrates the type of contradictions which are found in the gospel stories.
in their two accounts of this event, the authors of mark and matthew disagree about whether jesus wanted the disciples to carry a staff with them.
mark tells us jesus told the disciples to go forth with a staff:.
<< It was COMMON PRACTICE for shepherd's AND journeymen to carry along with them an EXTRA staff. >>
I don't know much about ancient middle east shepherd practices, but it wouldn't suprise me that someone thoughtful would take an extra staff into places where trees were scarce.
Bang
a few thoughts from this mornings tower study.. .
w10-15-01 ...satan and his wicked world are against us.
enemies may falsely accuse us, even in the courts of the land.
Fredhall writes:
<< If you think that you can do something better than the TOWER, then get off your lazy ass and do something about it!!! >>
Well, the other day when we helped out with the dimented incont residents at the local home we didn't see any dubs there - they must have been down the hall gettin saved an' all - I suppose if they came we could have asked them to remember us in their mercy during that end of the world thing soon.
Do ya think?
the story about the instructions jesus allegedly gave to his disciples before they were to set out on their evangelizing journey illustrates the type of contradictions which are found in the gospel stories.
in their two accounts of this event, the authors of mark and matthew disagree about whether jesus wanted the disciples to carry a staff with them.
mark tells us jesus told the disciples to go forth with a staff:.
Joesph,
you seem to be clouting people for being fundy's and yet you want the Whole book to either Be fundy or it's no good to you.
It's the same thing with John saying, 'I'm not Elijah'. Are you saying He's a liar, or is Christ for saying that he was, or maybe the gospel writer - or better still - none of them. They were talking about different ideas.
One person spoke of one meaning and the other, another.
I can see it in your own lines - take nothing for yourself, your journey, no staff etc., as self-support for you.
And another meant take nothing for the journey except a staff, the sign of God's power and authority - Moses' staff prefigures it.
If the explanation is copied, does that mean it's not quality proselytizing - or is it simply that I'm not speaking from myself?
Anyway, that's a very old perception - about 1700 years and maybe even more if that person heard it too.
What's your reason for looking for Him anyway ?
Bang
you guys are probably going to think this is silly of me, but i have always wondered why the society, in the nwt and all of their literature always uses the term "undeserved kindness" and never the term "grace.
" is it because the churches of christendom use the term grace, therefore it is bad?.
i know that undeserved kindness is suppose to mean the same as grace, but is it really?
I'm not sure that the word kindness necessarily includes the beauty encompassed in the word grace.
The Lord said "I want kindness, not animal sacrifice" (which I also think condemnes the WT society in a sentence) , but would it sound the same if He said "I want grace" i.e. from us ?
Can we say that such beauty is natural to humans ? Rather, grace is thought of as God. It's said that one may be full of grace, such as Mary, and we consider God in such a statement, but we can refer to kindness in a more human way.
Bang
matthew 24:14 and this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.
(nwt).
im new to this board game, but i have been reading the submissions and replies from .
drhook writes:
What I was referring to about real truth was doctrine such as Christendom's view on Hell, Soul, Death, Trinity, etc., etc.. As for those remaining in the WTS, I'm confident that the time will come when they become tired of the milk and desire some solid food... whatever that is. Those seeking will find.The WT society has lactose intolerance after seeing the food that the adults of 'stupid christendom' are eating. They simply don't want to 'eat' that stuff. i.e. solid food like - give away all you have, and - help the unsavory street people, and - love your enemies.
Hence all the excuses and accusations of a stubborn child, making up fantasy stories and saying blah blah blah blah with their ears stopped. Let them go to bed without their dinner then. I can accept just about any religion on the face of the earth as containing some christian ideals, but when it comes to the WT, "I don't know who they are"
Bang
i've been reading all your comments since i found the un thread.
(i'm not angry- just hit the wrong button!
should have called my self crap with keyboard )have read all with great interest since then; meeting attendance and hours down to zero... but feeling pretty low.angry,shocked, dissapointed etc ,funny how it hits you .any way ;just a little question; i cant(this typing is getting embarassing) just ignore it.
I think it's a form of self-sufficiency, just like having plenty of money or something similar. Whether or not the whole thing's a lie seems to take second place to the firmament of personal pride which convinces a person that they simply must be right; the reasons including - a belief in the superiority of one's 'goodness' whereby accusations of others is standard - an unwarranted belief in one's intellectual ability - and an inability to accept the truth of one's own selfishness, particularly in regard to giving half or all of one's belongings to the poor.
The smug and content darkness of the mind is reinforced by the new 'cleverer than the ordinary' type of followers, like oneself, and a person's unique importance to the creator of everything requires some sort of backing. And the importance of appearances is not just to circumvent potential embarrasement, but to give the self-assuring faith necessary to maintain the facade.
Bang
has anyone looked into what psychological factors or psychosocial structures, apart from if your parents were jw, persuade people to believe that the world is going to end soon?
there are groups of people apart from jws who also succumbe to this perplexing phenomena, and i wonder what triggers it, and/or if there are any official studies on it.
i reckon it'd make a good thesis.. maybe it's mainly a city thing?.
Has anyone looked into what psychological factors or psychosocial structures, apart from if your parents were jw, persuade people to believe that the world is going to end soon?
There are groups of people apart from jws who also succumbe to this perplexing phenomena, and I wonder what triggers it, and/or if there are any official studies on it.
I reckon it'd make a good thesis.
Maybe it's mainly a city thing?
Bang
the story about the instructions jesus allegedly gave to his disciples before they were to set out on their evangelizing journey illustrates the type of contradictions which are found in the gospel stories.
in their two accounts of this event, the authors of mark and matthew disagree about whether jesus wanted the disciples to carry a staff with them.
mark tells us jesus told the disciples to go forth with a staff:.
They were to take nothing for their own provision (refering to self-reliance), which included money, spare tunics or spare sandals or anything else in their own power to alleviate worldly anxieties, like their staffs.
There was however a particular staff that they were to take, which is the ensign of the power and authority of the Lord.
Bang
associated press is reporting that the pope issued.
an encyclical via e-mail apologizing for clergymen.
molesting children.. admittedly, such an apology can't change the past,.
However, The AMA has never tried to protect the pedophiles.
But, for christians it's not so easy to hang someone out to dry, particularly if the have demonstrated a repentant disposition. Christians don't require revenge, but they do carry the responsibility of preventing further abuses occuring - oh, and not being stiff-necked.
Bang
is a word equal to the breath?
is the breath equal to the mind?
these are not equal as jesus plainly said, and god is not the nicene trinity but they took the truth and mixed in a pagan corruption of it.
Hi jed,
The creed isn't a waste because it mightn't get you to fully understand God - not understanding God doesn't mean He's a God of confusion. You'll probably find that the church needed to put down what guidelines they were able to when called on to do it, because as time progressed people were going off on strange tangents - who can deny that, they still do. It's hard to explain in words what you know in spirit so to speak, and christians didn't really try much, without being pressed by a reason for it.
Also, the Spirit maybe the first person, but usually we don't percieve what we know until told, perhaps by Christ, after imagining another person, He, the Father - so we say the third person - but not third as in next in command, certainly not.
The Spirit is called a "he" because the Spirit carries the same personality as the whole of God, not because of being a person in 'his'/its own right.. yet the Nicene Trinity does not make this clear at all, but confuses it.Maybe the Nicene creed doesn't agree with your view of God, but for a billion catholics it seems to fit with how they feel.
Bang
