How long must I study Watchtower publications, to become a True Christian?
~Sue
betterdaze
JoinedPosts by betterdaze
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31
Quick Questions For When A JW Knocks Your Door
by besty inanybody like to contribute a few suggested questions - should be less that 12 words.. .
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31
Quick Questions For When A JW Knocks Your Door
by besty inanybody like to contribute a few suggested questions - should be less that 12 words.. .
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betterdaze
Show me the scripture where Jesus is mediator for only the 144K.
~Sue -
31
Quick Questions For When A JW Knocks Your Door
by besty inanybody like to contribute a few suggested questions - should be less that 12 words.. .
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betterdaze
If you were baptized 100 years ago, would you be "apostate" today?
(From the reasoning that Jehovah God does not change, nor does His Word.)
~Sue -
59
On Being a Pagan...
by ziddina inthis video pretty much sums it up..... .
in case you can't see the video, here's the address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdhdmswviea&feature=related.
wearing nothing but thin silk, dancing in the waves of the ocean or the shallows of a great river.... .
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betterdaze
As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart
A thousand hands will naturally come to your aid
As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart
You will reach out with a thousand hands to help othersGuan Yin is the bodhisattva of compassion, revered by Buddhists as the Goddess of Mercy.
Her name is short for Guan Shi Yin. Guan means to observe, watch, or monitor; Shi means the world;
Yin means sounds, specifically sounds of those who suffer. Thus, Guan Yin is a compassionate being
who watches for, and responds to, the people in the world who cry out for help.
Thousand-Hand Guan Yin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgHmSdpjEIk -
105
What code of conduct do "atheists" live by?
by The Berean inwho or what are we acountable to for our actions?.
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betterdaze
What Is Secular Humanism?
Secular Humanism is a term which has come into use in the last thirty years to describe a world view with the following elements and principles:
* A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.* Commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
* A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
* A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
* A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
* A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
* A conviction that with reason, an open marketplace of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.
Are Secular Humanists Atheists?
Secular humanists are generally nontheists. They typically describe themselves as nonreligious. They hail from widely divergent philosophical and religious backgrounds.
Thus, secular humanists do not rely upon gods or other supernatural forces to solve their problems or provide guidance for their conduct. They rely instead upon the application of reason, the lessons of history, and personal experience to form an ethical/moral foundation and to create meaning in life. Secular humanists look to the methodology of science as the most reliable source of information about what is factual or true about the universe we all share, acknowledging that new discoveries will always alter and expand our understanding of it and perhaps change our approach to ethical issues as well. In any case their cosmic outlook draws primarily from human experiences and scientific knowledge.The Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles
* We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems.
* We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence, to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation.
* We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of human life.
* We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities.
* We are committed to the principle of the separation of church and state.
* We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual understanding.
* We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating discrimination and intolerance.
* We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves.
* We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together for the common good of humanity.
* We want to protect and enhance the earth, to preserve it for future generations, and to avoid inflicting needless suffering on other species.
* We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their fullest.
* We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence.
* We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be allowed to fulfill their aspirations, to express their sexual preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to have access to comprehensive and informed health-care, and to die with dignity.
* We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are normative standards that we discover together. Moral principles are tested by their consequences.
* We are deeply concerned with the moral education of our children. We want to nourish reason and compassion.
* We are engaged by the arts no less than by the sciences.
* We are citizens of the universe and are excited by discoveries still to be made in the cosmos.
* We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge, and we are open to novel ideas and seek new departures in our thinking.
* We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich personal significance and genuine satisfaction in the service to others.
* We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than blind faith or irrationality.
* We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as human beings. -
12
My Bad Apostate Ass Scared Them Off!
by AK - Jeff inthis morning - a wonderful sunny spring day - grandmunchkin #3, wifey and i went 'garage sailing'.
we encountered a nice little sale, that happened to be at the house of someone we have come to know from an uptown art business in our little town.. as we snooped, and shared a little polite conversation with the owner, lo and behold - up walk two of my former good friends - marsha and sally, both dyed-in-the-wool witnesses.
marsha is partly my fault - i started the bible study with her husband that ended them up as the religious fanatics they have become.
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betterdaze
"By their fruits you will know them."
And what a fine Witness for Grandmunchkin #3, to see his/her grandparents treated like that in such a casual and otherwise friendly setting.
~Sue -
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Jehovah Knows in Advance His People Will Fail - July 1 09 WT
by Hopscotch inin this public edition of the watchtower it uses an illustration of a piece of furniture to help explain why jehovah tolerated polygamy.. but the more interesting point i thought was the reasoning in the first paragraph in the second column about jehovah warning his people when they strayed from his standards.
it says "however, he knew in advance that his people would often fail to obey even the most basic of commands, such as the one against idolatry.
(exodus 32:9).
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betterdaze
Do you think this article is a set-up for "new light?"
God's temporary toleration of polygamy [changed or discarded doctrine] had other advantages. It helped the nation Watchtower Corporation to grow rapidly.
The larger population rank and file helped to ensure the nation's Watchtower Corporation's survival until the time of the Messiah Government crackdown aka Armageddon.
Polygamy [Changed or discarded doctrine] may also have provided a measure of protection for some women Bethelites kicked to the curb, giving them a shelter and a household in dangerous tax evading, money laundering times.
~Sue
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Jehovah Knows in Advance His People Will Fail - July 1 09 WT
by Hopscotch inin this public edition of the watchtower it uses an illustration of a piece of furniture to help explain why jehovah tolerated polygamy.. but the more interesting point i thought was the reasoning in the first paragraph in the second column about jehovah warning his people when they strayed from his standards.
it says "however, he knew in advance that his people would often fail to obey even the most basic of commands, such as the one against idolatry.
(exodus 32:9).
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betterdaze
Consider: Have you ever temporarily tolerated a piece of furniture unbiblical unChristian manmade Watchtower doctrine though it needed to be replaced, perhaps reasoning that it would prove impractical or disruptive to remove it for now?
Is this their reasoning for keeping the deadly ban on blood transfusions, and other destructive teachings?
It would prove impractical or disruptive? TO WHOM?
~Sue -
15
B B Q Etiquette
by FlyingHighNow inbbq rules .
we are about to enter the bbq season.
therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity .
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betterdaze
Not that I mind Mr. B hangin' with his buddies. Just please give me a head's up if you're going to wander off from the grill, m'kay?
Our first barbecue here, he goes to fire it up and discovers there's no fuel left from last season... Takes off for over an hour galavanting about the countryside with his Peter Pan brother while everyone arrived, then played frisbee while I waited upon everyone like a good little Susie hausfrau.
The one thing I asked him was to watch the grill... I was vegetarian for so many years and had no clue how it was done right... and the meat burnt on the grill that originally had no fuel!
All's well that end's well, I had bought extra anyway. That's just what we wimmin grillers do. ;–)
~Sue -
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betterdaze
Welcome, Happier than ever! (HTE)
~Sue