That must be because you are super, duper special PSacramento. I supose all the leading scholars and academics that are still writing books about the trinity and the nature of God should have just called YOU!!!!!
Justitia Themis
JoinedPosts by Justitia Themis
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96
One thing the WT got right was the Trinity being false.
by miseryloveselders ini swear only a fool would believe in such a ludicrous doctrine that all three are one.
ridiculous..
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96
One thing the WT got right was the Trinity being false.
by miseryloveselders ini swear only a fool would believe in such a ludicrous doctrine that all three are one.
ridiculous..
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Justitia Themis
My Zondervan encyclopeida spends three pages of small print on it. My personal take is that it is a human effort to describe something that we cannot understand. Religion is not the only place we do this, read a good discussion of quantum mechanics or string theory and then try to explain it to somebody.
I think the fact that trinitarians themselves struggle to define it is telling. It is VERY analogous to how scientists struggle to define and explain quantum mechanics/string theory. But those scientists readily admit that they take too many pages to explain their subject because their present understanding is incorrect, and that when they DO discover the real Theory of Eveything (TOE), it will be a very simple, easy to understand and explain theory. (Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe...excellent book)
I don't have strong feelings one way or the other, but I suspect the trinity to so difficult to explain because it is wrong. And I don't think God is playing 'hide the ball' with humans as to his "nature" by providing a book to describe himself and then presenting a theory that humans are not able to understand just as I don't believe he provided a book to humans to guide their lives but then gave the power to accurately understand that book to only a few men in New York or a few men at the Vatican.
On an interesting side note, I attend school with several Jews, one of whom is very devout. He constantly wears t-shirts with "Tel Aviv" written all over it and some with Israeli sayings...all written in Hebrew.
In class the issue of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism came up, and he became almost agitated, but what he said really surprised me. He commented that while Muslims are "like us" (and he emphasized the "us"), Christians believe in the trinity, and he almost sneered as he said the word "trinity," which he then went on the say was a 'pagan doctrine Christians adopted.' He truly had more of a religious affinity with Muslims over Christians because of the trinity issue.
So, regardless of how you define the trinity, JWs don't believe in it, but they are not the first, and they are FAR, FAR from being the only ones. Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Zoroastrinians, Christadelphians, etc. all do not believe in the trinity.
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Does anyone else like industrial heavy metal?
by Pika_Chu injust wondering...if there aren't, i'll be sad....
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Justitia Themis
old school...I like Rammstein...du hast...
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How do you feel about the pledge of allegiance now?
by SweetBabyCheezits infor you us citizens (and those whose nations have a similar patriotic oath), how do you feel about your children saying the pledge in school if it's customary?.
my daughter is in 3rd grade and part of her school's morning routine includes the pledge.
when we stopped attending meetings a year ago, my wife and i explained to her that we don't agree with the jw "idolatry" classification so, naturally, she started joining her class in the pledge.. fast forward to the present: my wife and i are both non-theists who want to raise ethical, caring, tolerant children, but also children who aren't afraid to stand apart, especially when that stand isn't popular.
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Justitia Themis
I agree with you completely SBC. I'm trying to work that out myself. Also, my children have dual citizenship - so which flag should they salute????
I subscribe to Foreign Affairs magazine, and several times it has run an interesting, full-page ad campaign for a masters program. In bold letters at the top of the page it says, "As A World Citizen, To Whom Do I Pledge My Allegiance?" It is further testimony to the rise of the 'global imaginary' that I think will change the course of Westphalian nationalism as we know it.
The "Under God" thing is just an example of how ridiculous people can get when they feel threatened...like by the Red Scare (communism).
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So according to the Jun 15 WT, Jesus ransom sacrifice only applies to the anointed class a.k.a the GB.
by onemore inive noticed for a while now (especially at the assemblies) the frequent use of the term: jehovahs friends whenever they referr to the second class christian, ahem....great crowd, aka the non-anointed christian with earthly hope.
even in some wt studies they often throw in phrases like seeking friendship with jehovah, our friend jehovah, etc.
so, the subtle message is clear, the great crowd are not children of god, they are friends of god.
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Justitia Themis
It's old news, but it is amazing how many current JWs don't realize that that is a JW doctrine.
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How to think straight. Useful resource IMO.
by Open mind inthe watchtower, on rare occasions, pays lip service to the importance of good critical thinking skills.
most born-in jws probably think they have decent "perceptive powers", i know i did.
i got good grades in school.
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Justitia Themis
If you would like to test your skills, buy an LSAT (Law SAT) exam from Amazon. Several of the sections are pure Aristotelian logic.
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Justitia Themis
Yes.
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A long and unexpected JW encounter
by AuntBee inhi guys!
i pull up to my daugher's home in phoenix this morning, just got there from tucson for a visit.
and lo and behold, 2 jw are walking up the driveway.
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Justitia Themis
Her analogy was - think back to when you were five years old. Did you believe things then, you don't believe any more now? Did you do things you don't do any more, like play in the dirt? I responded each time she said this - i'm not talking about a child. I'm talking about an organization that makes the incredible claim of being GOd's one channel of truth on earth,
If they spoke with the spiritual intelligence of a 5-year old only a short while ago, why should I believe they now speak with the spiritual intelligence of an adult?
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Westboro Baptist Church: Are They Christians?
by whereami in.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrzao6ibmlc.
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Justitia Themis
The goal is to get people to attack the group, so that he can sue. The goal is to get local municipalities to not allow them to protest, so that he can sue.
In that case, he must have been a pretty piss-poor civil rights lawyer
Actually, they have a well established, thriving firm, and people continue to use them because they are very good attorneys.
Additionally, they have made a substantial amount of money by collecting attorney's fees and costs subsequent to winning their cases. That's why they want people to sue them; they have adroit at arguing constitutional law cases, and it's profitable for them.
Whereami: I think you have not getting the answer you want because your question is not phrased properly. You asked if they were Christians. Only Jesus can decide whether or not someone is his follower, not anyone on this board.
I suspect the question you are really asking is this: Does anything they say actually conflict with the what is written in the Bible?
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"Islamaphobia is Unpatriotic"--Article With Disturbing Video
by Justitia Themis inhttp://www.libsandcons.com/1/post/2011/03/islamophobia-is-unpatriotic.html.
they are abused with calls of go home, and terrorist, little children are subjected to it as well.
a villa park councilwoman named deborah pauly echoes the rhetoric of pamela geller and even calls for the murder of participants (who she labels terrorists) at the charity event.
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Justitia Themis
http://www.libsandcons.com/1/post/2011/03/islamophobia-is-unpatriotic.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NutFkykjmbM
“A shocking and vitriolic display of hate against Muslims attending a charity event for battered women in Yorba Linda, California. They are abused with calls of “Go home,” and “terrorist,” little children are subjected to it as well. A Villa Park Councilwoman named Deborah Pauly echoes the rhetoric of Pamela Geller and even calls for the murder of participants (who she labels “Terrorists”) at the charity event. In an ironic moment she justified her statements by saying, “I don’t even care, I don’t even care if you think I’m crazy anymore.’”Sadly the video below chronicles only one instance of Islamophobia. Perhaps most troubling is that Islamophobia persists and elected leaders support such heinous acts. Sure, these protests are constitutional and, as the Supreme Court ruled this week, if it’s in a public place, protest can continue regardless of how demeaning.
Simple fact is this: We shouldn’t need Supreme Court rulings in order for us to say that visages of hate such as the one shown below are wrong and unpatriotic. I could try to explain to these “protestors” that what they yell counters religious liberty vital to America’s identity. I could try to explain that the hate they spout sows seeds of hate among their children and communities. I could try to reveal the gross negligence they display, but people who yell hateful words against those trying to help battered women probably won’t listen.
Our struggle as America, the grand experiment, remains the ability to move forward together. Only together under one flag (the one with 50 stars and 13 stripes) can we expect improvement. As long as we call these visages of hate “protests” we will live in the delusion of "separate but equal." Some things never change. Our combative tones makes a “more perfect union” (read: the American Dream) the greatest pipe dream ever to have existed. It will remain as such so as long as we fight against each other, and not for each other.
As with Jim Crow, Women’s Voting Rights, or McCarthyism, American Society possesses an uncanny ability to find someone to oppress. If you were to examine American history it would chronicle the story of how the oppressed become privileged, and then found a new group to oppress. Islamophobia marks the next unfolding chapter of injustice.
Remarkably, many of these people will attend a Christian congregation on Sunday, and it is there that they have been fed abhorrent messages of hate. I struggle, every day, to come to terms with that fact that they call themselves Christian and I call myself Christian. I struggle, every day, to come to terms with that fact that they call themselves American and I call myself American. We must recognize that we need each other, or we will forward yet another oppressive movement that inevitably leads to the demeaning of our common humanity.
With my Muslim brothers and sisters I find strength. The story of humanity's redemption remains far from finished, and I hope humanity lasts long enough to see it come about. Those that denounce this act must stand together, and speak out lest our silence remain complicit with injustice. Half-truths have been made “The Truth.” Our humanity calls us forth into persistence that demands neither condemnation nor simplification, but transformation. Words of hate that call for militant action against American citizens practicing Islam demeans America’s identity. It’s not only the American principles their words weaken; it’s not only the Founders they disgrace with their egregious visage of hate; it’s not only our children and future ancestors who, with their continued hate, they sell short; but, we demean our common humanity.
If Islamophobes care about what America “once was,” they will cease hateful speech, and learn the narrative of oppression constantly forwarded in this country. If Islamophobes call themselves “patriotic” they will understand that Muslims have died for the flag in front of which they yell. If Islamophobes want Muslims to “go home” then they too should pack their bags. This country is not the home of the White-Anglo-Saxon Protestant, Catholic, Tea Party Member, Democrat, Republican, or any person save Indigenous American Peoples.
Unpatriotic isn't the failure to fly a flag. Unpatriotic is Islamophobia and anything that ignores the narrative of oppression from which this country was built, and presently uses to slow justice.
Our common destiny is our common humanity.
E Pluribus Unum. Or, if you need a quote from someone there in the beginning, here’s President Thomas Jefferson: “Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of person under the protection of habeas corpus, and trial by juries impartially selected. These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation.”
Will we allow them to continue to guide us? Or, will we turn out the light of liberty and cease to be the “city on a hill”? If we cannot accept our Islamic citizens we fail our United States of America.