jaffacake

Joined

• started 68 topics
• posted 1,506 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by jaffacake

• 
  21

  Extinguishing evil and pain

  by greendawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  supposing that you were in god's position how would you deal with the basic issue of good and evil in the world, how would you deal with that part of mankind that refuse to stop hurting and harming their fellow humans and how would you finally extinguish evil and suffering?.

  remember some people accuse god of being too soft and tolerent with evil doers while others accuse him of being too harsh and merciless.

  a delicate balance is called for.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  If the most powerful being in the universe isn't responsible why should anybody else be?

  I don't think of God as a being that makes decisions.

  A "necessary evil" is a construct of inferior minds when they cannot achieve a good purpose without destruction.

  I was referring evolution, the negative aspects of human nature that were/are necessary to produce what we are now, and what we may become. We have evolved to the point where we can choose not to follow 'animal' instincts that got us to where we are today.

  The scripture that says "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son...blah blah blah" is meaningless because God got his son back in 3 days. Big F-ing deal. Some loss. It is silly. God lost nothing and gained nothing.

  But that all sounds like you think I believe scriptures to be much more than metaphor.

  "If your partner had no choice but to return your love then that love would be worthless". Does not compute.

  Your point about love made me think, not so sure that free will has no part to play in love at all. You would have to apply the same argument to hate, and say hateful people have no control over their feelings. Do we have control, or free will over anything?

  Why pick on the dinosaurs, lol, there are lots of things in a few billion years of earth's history, and on a billion other planets, which to you or I might seem irrelevant with reference to God. I think you're imagining a JW type description of God. Maybe you and I don't actually disagree that much, but just use different terms for similar thoughts.

  cheers
• 
  2

  Can't find a post I need

  by jaffacake in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  there was a post a week or two ago, and someone quoted a watchtower that encouraged avoiding telling people the truth, not by lying, but by diverting them to another subject.

  can anyone remember which thread it was on please?

  1. 
  2. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Can you help. There was a post a week or two ago, and someone quoted a Watchtower that encouraged avoiding telling people the truth, not by lying, but by diverting them to another subject.

  Can anyone remember which thread it was on please?
• 
  153

  Why do/don't you believe in God

  by LouBelle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  now for all the scientists out there this is not a question of proof or anything along those lines.

  for my part i choose to believe in a god because i honestly believe there is one (though i did start doubting for a little while) i've always felt that there was more to our existance on earth - and that doesn't stem from me wanting to live forever or as a spirit, as i don't even know if that will happen.

  i also believe in him because many many times when i could not carry on, on my own strength, i managed to pulled through.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  very few christians that think like you. would you consider yourself (here are some labels to mull over, sorry): a deist/christian? a pantheist/christian? and if any of these are close, how do you justify the association between the two (or three), philosophically?

  Tetrapod, I hadn't heard of these terms until I joined this board a few months ago, so forgive me for not feeling able to choose a label - at least for now. In any case my beliefs are not developed. I have only just begun my education at age 47. I've read 20 books in six months, that's double what I had read in the previous 30 years.

  When I turned my back on adventism in my teens, I turned my back on all religion, and although I never addressed the question, I suppose I was agnostic, with atheist tendencies. My Christian upbringing did however influence me greatly. Only when my athiest friend was clearly getting into JWs too deep, did I start to do something about it - too late.

  If I surprise you, it is because my opinions and posts lack consistency, and sometimes I'm just thinking out loud. I'm pretty mixed up really, and will probably end up a full blown athiest. For now, perhaps my subconscious is just trying to show my friend and myself what Christianity really is. Or maybe my return to Christ is a human reaction to my wife's serious illness, God only knows.
• 
  71

  What's Your Status? Christian, Pagan, "I Don't Know", "I Don't Care"??

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just curious......

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Jesus also said you can TELL a tree by the FRUIT it BARES.

  
  

  
  Deft, That was Matthew 7, he interprets the meaning of the fruit of the tree in chapter 12. It was about false prophecy.

  See sis volumes of studies in th scriptures, finished mysteries, harp of god, for examples of fruit.

  (Matthew 7:15-20) 15 “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits YOU will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 17 Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; 18 a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Really, then, by their fruits YOU will recognize those [men].

  (Matthew 12:33) 33 “Either YOU people make the tree fine and its fruit fine or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for by its fruit the tree is known.. . . ……. 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”
• 
  15

  Why are they witnesses

  by joelbear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  1. their family dynamics require it.. 2. they are old and its too late to jump ship now.. 3. it allows them to think they are special.. 4. they are sheltered by a fake brotherhood community around them.. add more?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Sword of Jah

  But your own Bible teaches that you are supposed to be WITNESSES of Christ, why not Christ's witnesses, I'm sure you know the scripture. Jehovah was only ever mentioned in the Hebrew scripture, not the Christian, becuase that was God's name only for the natural Jews.

  The JWs deserve credit for restoring some form of the Divine name to the OT. LORD in the OT where the ancient manuscripts rendered the Tetragrammaton is unacceptable.
• 
  53

  Jehovah's Witnesses as "a people......"

  by ScoobySnax in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  who out of all you nasty old apostates (tm) will agree with me, that if you take the gb that you dislike so much, and the watchtower that you hate out of the picture, will agree with me that at the end of the day, and on the whole, jw's really are a good bunch of people.

  i did my same old rekky last sunday at the gillingham convention, and will have a good look around next sunday at twickenham convention.

  i've been in lots of crowds, at stadiums and arenas, but an assembly is something else, it is somehow unique, its somehow different from any other crowds, there is a deep sense of "togetherness" i've not see any where else.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  on the whole, JW's really are a good bunch of people. I did my same old rekky last sunday at the Gillingham convention, and will have a good look around next Sunday at Twickenham Convention. I've been in lots of crowds, at stadiums and arenas, but an assembly is something else, it is somehow unique, its somehow different from any other crowds, there is a deep sense of "togetherness" I've not see any where else.

  I agree that JWs are good people. But you are so wrong about the assemblies being unique and different from other crowds.

  When I was an SDA, a religion bigger than JWs, with a better track record for world missionary work, the same sort of atmosphere prevailed. We would go door-to-door in the host city from attendees from all over the world.

  I have less direct experience of many Christian religions with similar 'unique' togetherness. The main difference can be heard in the singing! Not to mention the uncionditional love in other Christian conventions, where apostates are welcomed back with open arms.

  JWs believe they are blessed, mainly because of ignorance of what other Christians do. Who do you think interpreted the Bible into 2000 languages, and made new ground in new countries. Not the JWs!
• 
  20

  How Would You Prove That JWs Are Frauds?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jws are supposed to interested in performing a "lifesaving work" but the truth is they are more interested in finding not-at-homes than actual people.

  and if they do find people, chances are that getting this most important message out to them will not occur because, unless they're invalids, they'll be out when you drop by.

  if you don't see a return visit----face to face----for many months, that's not unusual.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  If they were really serious the WTS as an org would have performed a lot of kindly charitable acts and that would have opened up people's hearts to the "truth", that would be worth millions of hours of preaching by mouth, instead of by acts.

  This is how the Christian faith spread so quickly in the first century, by their love ans charitable acts towards Christians and pagans alike.
• 
  21

  Extinguishing evil and pain

  by greendawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  supposing that you were in god's position how would you deal with the basic issue of good and evil in the world, how would you deal with that part of mankind that refuse to stop hurting and harming their fellow humans and how would you finally extinguish evil and suffering?.

  remember some people accuse god of being too soft and tolerent with evil doers while others accuse him of being too harsh and merciless.

  a delicate balance is called for.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Thanks Daunt,

  Yes its all 'could'. My favourite theologian once said something like: "Imagine if a Christian said to a Jew, well, actually I don't know much about God, and everything I say is so inadequate as to be virtually false." and the Jew responded "Its funny you should say that, but I don't know much about God either." How could they argue? Perhaps the winner would be the one who proved he knew less about God than his opponent.

  My words don't hold anything together. How can I summarise in a post what the world's leading Bible commentators and theologians have discerned from the Bible using scholarly interpretaion methodology. These interpretations accord with all generally accepted science.

  I think the error of many religions is they want to eradicate all the 'could' and claim they know some or all the answers. The bible teaches that we cannot ever know much at all, until this universe ends. But if you don't accept the Bible has any relevance at all, then any interpretation of it becomes meaningless.

  Like JWs I could find something in the Bible to support any doctrine at all - even that of terroists - but only if I refuse to follow interpretation principles. If I do follow proper principles, it narrows, rather than broadens the possible teachings. Too mant have beliefs first and try to fit the texts into them, rather than vice versa.

  I think it is easier to see what the Bible teaches than you suggest, if we use the proper principles. But what's the point if we don't accept the Bible at all. Suggested reading: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0281056803/qid=1122750651/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_10_1/202-9610847-2603032
• 
  20

  friend of mine with dilemma

  by burnthepig in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a good friend of mine has a coworker who is a witness.

  they have a good working relationship and are somewhat of friends, at least in that arena.

  today at work this woman told my friend that she had something important to discuss, that could not be talked about at work.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  I would LOVE to receive such an invitation because of what I know.

  But if your friend is not fully briefed on the truth about JWs, this could do her great harm.
• 
  40

  hello all - new here

  by GoingGoingGone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello everyone, this is my first post.... i'm in the process of fading after being a jw my entire life (almost).

  i don't go to meetings anymore..... hubby's an elder, and boy, is he mad.

  he still makes the kids go with him to meetings, service, etc... they hate it and i feel sorry for them, but there's not much i can do about it.. i've been feeling lonely today, i do miss my friends sometimes, and i have really good friends, but since i don't go to meetings i never see them much anymore.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  A Warm Welcome,

  You are so courageous. Someone in your shoes could have gone through life, lying to yourself, just to stay in your comfort zone. Perhaps you have saved your kids in the long run.