most people are familiar with the account of job where satan makes the claim that the only reason humans serve god is because of selfish reasons.
god allowed satan to test this theory on job, so job was beset by numerous trials but he refused to give up on god or blame him in anyway.. it would appear that satan was proved wrong in this particular bible account but was he really?
would the majority of mankind follow jobs example if they were faced with similar trials?
Leander,
You could believe what the Mormons believe: Since Satan seems to have told the truth about men NOT dieing if they ate of the tree, then Satan must actually be part of the plan.
Satan, Adam and Jesus all volunteered to act out this elaborate drama (that includes Job) in order to test humans. Those that pass the test get to be a God over their own planet.
I always thought it was an interesting way to deal with the obvious discrepancies.
And no, I'm not Mormon.
circe
has anyone had this experience?.
after letting go of my beliefs as a jw, i felt the only alternative was to be atheist.
or maybe it is just logical to there is no god when i am only listening to my mind and not my heart.
Hi Dobby,
What a great thread. Glad you started it.
I'll start off by saying that I believe in God. My view of God is a "Panentheistic" one.
I don't adhere to a particular religion. I don't follow any particular path. To follow a particular path means treading in the footsteps of someone else. Why should I follow someone else's path? I love exploration and adventure. Some "take the road less traveled"; I don't take a road at all.
I grew up in Utah, with Mormonism all around. I followed Wicca for a while before Jehovah's Witnesses snagged me. I've studied Buddhism and Hinduism. (Now there's a rich treasure trove of insight: Hinduism. IMO.)
I don't think any religion is "Truth", with a capital T. All of man's writings about God are man's way of trying to understand his relationship with existence and with the Divine.
Arguing who has the correct view of God is perfectly illustrated by the Eastern story of the blind men and the elephant. Each man is touching a different part of the elephant and is arguing that they alone have the full picture. In actuality, they each have PART of the picture. If they combined their ideas they might be able to come up with a workable whole.
Too many religions say "Our way is the only way". But like some of our more enlightened posters have pointed out, it doesn't have to be that way.
circe
..tonight to see my wife.
the kids and i stayed downstairs so she could have some quiet.
now i know what that "disbelieving husband" felt like when we would pop in to study with some sister or sister-to-be.
So you been leering at those poly Mormon and Amish woman. Are you desperate...LOL
Ummm... desperate? No. Female and heterosexual? Yes. Unless Bea (Bitter Mango) made a proposition.
Oh wait! I'm also married. Sorry Bea. Can I still flirt though?
circe
hey,.
new to this site, yippee!!!!.
has anyone heard the story about the possesed smurf doll that got up and walked out of the kingdom hall?.
recommend at least one public spanking.
Promise?
..tonight to see my wife.
the kids and i stayed downstairs so she could have some quiet.
now i know what that "disbelieving husband" felt like when we would pop in to study with some sister or sister-to-be.
And we were talking about the polygamist kind...lol I was trying to get him to see the bright side of this....
LOL
Honestly, the women who are or who are willing to be in a polygamist marriage are some of the scariest looking women in all of Utah.
Of course, the scariness could be due to the sack-cloth dresses, no make-up, hair in braids wound up Princess Leia style, all topped off with kedds shoes and baggy cotton tights. [8>]
Female Mormon polygamists make Amish women look like super models.
circe
i told the presiding overseer that i'd probably be late getting home from work.
but i actually spent my time driving around and enjoying the spring weather.. in other news i'll be going in for a job interview tomorrow within the company.
i'm really hoping i land this job, because as soon as i can secure a new position (my old one is being phased out) i'll be exiting the stage of the jw comedy of errors.. .
COMF,
I was going to say the same thing.
I relished getting up on Sunday morning, having my coffee, making an omelet and reading a good book. I'd sit outside, listen to the birds sing and just "be".
So much more spiritual than setting foot inside a Kingdom Hall.
circe
..tonight to see my wife.
the kids and i stayed downstairs so she could have some quiet.
now i know what that "disbelieving husband" felt like when we would pop in to study with some sister or sister-to-be.
I don't like the LDS religion any more than I like the JW religion. I find a lot of the doctrine pretty kooky.
I feel sorry for the believers of any faith that teaches exclusivism: "If you don't believe what we teach then you won't get the reward." (But doesn't that describe most of Christianity?)
I wouldn't say that Mormon women have less power than JW women unless you are talking about women who are part of the polygamist groups, which are not "mainstream".
Most Mormons are conservative Republicans who are very much into business and the making of money. That goes for many of the women too. The Mormon church encourages it's members to go to college and to plan for the future.
I grew up in and currently live in Utah. I never thought I'd find myself defending Mormons, (the people, not the doctrine) because overall it's a pain in the butt living here and not being LDS.
But most of my family are LDS. The people that own the business that I work for are LDS. They're all regular people.
Yes, there are fundementalist, fanatical Mormons, but they do not represent the norm here.
I get a kick out of the fact that my sister won't drink coffee, but she drinks a six pack of coke a day. It's hypocritical, but no more hypocritical that the things that most believers in other religious faiths do everyday.
circe, who would never ever become a Mormon
this jw (like so many do) avoids discussing the real issues at hand and instead opts for: .
do jehovah's witnesses have pedophiles in their mists?.
yes but look at everyone else that does too and they're much worse.. i'm not even going to mention how badly he defends the un scandal, i'll let you read it yourself.. this guy has your typical "holier-than-thou" attitude.
Star,
I was here a month before you and I'm trailing behind you by 300 posts!! What's up with that?LOL!
Check out the date I re-registered and look at how many posts I have... a dozen or so of which were in the past two days because I've been home sick.
circe
i think i may have pissed off the gods or something.
;) my luck just turned further south... i just totaled my car.. i was coming around the bend where 360 north exits to the 183 east and west fork in arlington texas.
as i came around, there was suddenly a long line of stopped cars.
Elsewhere,
I echo everyone's sentiments in saying "Glad you're ok!"
I was going to ask whether your car was officially "totaled", as in "Beyond all hope of repair", but Megadude's post answered that question.
Will the insurance co give you enough money to buy a new car?
circe
hey,.
new to this site, yippee!!!!.
has anyone heard the story about the possesed smurf doll that got up and walked out of the kingdom hall?.
He was not contented with simply disrupting meetings. No, this smurf was actually a rapist.
The main reason smurfs disrupt public meetings and attempt to force themselves on women is not because they are demonized, but because they are under-sexed.
How many female smurfs do you remember in the smurf village?
Thats right: one. Smurfette.
And not only is there only one female smurf in all of Smurfendom, but they are only allowed to have sex once a year.
Their story is found on many a websight. It's graphic and disturbing. You are warned! Follow the link at your own discretion.
On second thought, do your own search on Smurf sex if you want to read it.
circe
