I'm posting this not as a criticism, but as a perspective from a non-JW. Most Christians would be sooooo boggled by the complete obsession with historical dates that JW's can argue back and forth about for ever it seems! I'm not voicing an opinion here about whether there is merit to it or not. OK, maybe a little bit. I think everything in the Bible is important, and if that is the subject you really are called to explore and learn about, that's cool. The more we learn the better. Just an observation that most other Christians would find it "curious". Are there similar things you have observed with other Christian denominations?
praiseband
JoinedPosts by praiseband
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JW obsession with dates, etc
by praiseband ini'm posting this not as a criticism, but as a perspective from a non-jw.
most christians would be sooooo boggled by the complete obsession with historical dates that jw's can argue back and forth about for ever it seems!
i'm not voicing an opinion here about whether there is merit to it or not.
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Question for Christians only
by Steve Lowry inok, i got save in 1984 (left the wbts 1979).
i have always felt at a loss when it has come to the emotional impact aspect of jesus' sacrifice.
what i mean to say is, that i have seen other christians openly weep about jesus and his death on the cross, while i have felt nothing.
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praiseband
I am a Christian, and I think Poodlehead (i love that name) got it pretty close for me. Jesus told his disciples the greatest commandments were to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus's crucifixion was the ultimate example of just that, but people didn't understand. They were expecting a worldly king and warrior to throw himself into political leadership and protect them from earthly enemies. They didn't see that he was there to throw himself between Satan and separation from God and themselves. I don't think God wants you to be in a constant state of weeping and mourning over Jesus's sacrifice. I do think he wants you, all of us, to understand what real love is. When a person shows kindness of any type to another person, God rejoices. When we are unkind he is sad and disappointed. Jesus suffered from the physical torment, no doubt; but, I believe he suffered even more from the emotional aspect of the world not fully comprehending the choices they made then or would make in the future. The message is simple, but we always try to make it so complicated! Love God, love each other. It really doesn't matter what year Jerusalem was destroyed - it was. It doesn't matter when Jesus will return - he will. It doesn't matter if we praise God in traditional or contemporary style - just praise Him. Understand that real love is unconditional - Jesus died for those who followed him from the beginning, but denied him at the end, as well as the thief dying next to him. He died for the Roman soldiers and he died for his mother. So that ALL might see what real love was.
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How tolerant are you?
by nicolaou ini was just skimming through lt's intolerance thread and it seemed to me that sometimes tolerance is a terrible thing.
we don't tolerate racism, sexism or abuse and punish it when we can.
we expose and ridicule individuals and corporations if they are found guilty of fraud or deceit because we are intolerant of dishonesty.
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praiseband
Keep in mind there is a HUGE difference between being tolerant and being accepting. I can be tolerant of a difference of opinion, I may even consider the validity of it and weigh it back and forth, however, that does not mean I am also being accepting of the other. I can listen and gain an understanding without having to agree.
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Does God bless "Non JW's" as well?
by JH inmy sister phoned my mother yesterday and she was all happy that her son found a good job.
and since she belongs to another religion, she said "god blessed us".
so, in my jw mind, i said to myself, "nah, it can't be".
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praiseband
Talley - yes, the job could have found him. God does want us to use our brains and not just sit around anticipating things will happen to us. But, sometimes, HE determines what should happen and sets things in motion for us. Jesus being born to Mary, calling Samuel and Moses, telling Noah to build an ark. Things can be found even when we're not looking. Just look at the ads in your local paper or check the notices posted at a public location and see how many cats and dogs have been found. There may or may not be someone looking for them.
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Couple of JW Sisters came to my door - mini rumble
by Qcmbr infirst of all want to thank you all for informing me of the good the bad and smurfly about jws - i was so stoked when these two sister's knocked on my door.
i apologise now - i was a smug git - in fairness they conducted themselves impeccably in the face of me.
this is how it went (paraphrased to highlight 'clever' bits i said and downplay swathes of conversation when i said silly things.
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praiseband
Q - thanks once again for your reply. The first half in particular really helped me to get a grasp on your perspective. Do you mind if I ask another question? Are men and women equally able to attain the titles of god, independent of each other? Can a man or woman become god without the other? By the way, I really enjoyed the title to your thread - "mini rumble" that's good! Good luck with your next dialogue and I will be thinking about all of you and eager to hear the outcome. Maybe you could call it a "tiny throwdown". Also, I should mention that I am a Biblical Christian. My daughter-in-law is a Witness, so I have come to this website to learn what I can and have been very impressed with the insight that I have gained. Sometimes, it is much easier to learn from a group of diverse strangers than to approach a new relative. I love her very much and hope to have some good, open discussions in the future. We have only had mini discussions up to this point. Take care!
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Couple of JW Sisters came to my door - mini rumble
by Qcmbr infirst of all want to thank you all for informing me of the good the bad and smurfly about jws - i was so stoked when these two sister's knocked on my door.
i apologise now - i was a smug git - in fairness they conducted themselves impeccably in the face of me.
this is how it went (paraphrased to highlight 'clever' bits i said and downplay swathes of conversation when i said silly things.
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praiseband
Qcmbr- I appreciate your reply, but I guess I didn't clarify my question very well. I was intending to ask (1) do you believe that you as a human will one day (you use the word that is most accurate for you) become a God? (2)And as a God, will you then "plateau" in your spiritual maturity or will you continue throughout eternity to become even more spiritually mature? (3)Are there God's who are more spiritually mature than others. You do believe there is, and will be, more than one God, correct? Even though you may only actually worship the one you recognize as the God of earth. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
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Couple of JW Sisters came to my door - mini rumble
by Qcmbr infirst of all want to thank you all for informing me of the good the bad and smurfly about jws - i was so stoked when these two sister's knocked on my door.
i apologise now - i was a smug git - in fairness they conducted themselves impeccably in the face of me.
this is how it went (paraphrased to highlight 'clever' bits i said and downplay swathes of conversation when i said silly things.
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praiseband
Qcmbr, I have a question. Do you believe that you will continue to progress/evolve to a more enlightened or exalted state to become like God? Is there a point at which this type of growth stops because you have advanced as far as possible? Or even once you are exalted do you continue to progress? If yes, how do you know that the God of earth is fully mature and not basically an "adolescent" God. If he is still progressing, then what you have believed to be absolutes at one point in time may prove to be totally or partially wrong in the future. If he has more to learn, then he couldn't have possibly shared everything with the humans he has created. Just something I've been thinking about.
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Power to change this world
by DjSadhu inand some more monkeys.
everytime a monkey learns the trick, he adds this knowledge to the "collective consiousness" of the monkeys.
people have this same "collective consiousness".
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praiseband
I'm just wondering, does "collective consciousness" only apply to monkeys? Because, seriously, I've had several dogs and cats, not to mention children, and I'm just not seeing this happening. If it did, then why would we have to spend so many hours, days, years training all of them. We should be able to take a couple of dogs who are well-trained, lock them in a room with untrained dogs and soon they will all know how to sit, stay and heel with no problem. Right?
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Why didn't Hitler jail other pacifist religions?
by jwfacts inthe watchtower still proudly highlights that they were the only religion sent to concentration camps, due to their neutral war stance.
however there are many other religions that are neutral or pacificts and so must have disobeyed hitlers request for them to join his ss.
so what is the real reason jws were put into concentration camps?
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praiseband
While not all Protestants are pacifists, many were and are. And even those who are not strictly pacifist (as in they would take up a weapon to defend themselves or others) did not support the aggressive, murderous and genocidal actions taken by Hitler and his followers. Many civilians put their own lives and those of their families between those who needed protection from Hitler's armies. Please research two who are very well known - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Protestant minister hanged in a concentration camp for protecting Jews, and Corrie TenBoom (sp?) a Dutch women who along with her family hid Jews in their home. There are many books and movies about both and they are held in high regard and quoted often in Protestant churches.
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Jesus Perfect Man
by praiseband injust wanted to get your input on these thoughts before i shared it with any jw's.
1. how do you view jesus?
2. do you consider him to be the perfect man?
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praiseband
Hallelujah, Thanks for your explanation, because I can understand you much better now. I liked the portion about dipping in the ocean because the ocean is my favorite place to be. Although, the water is not near warm enough where I visit, or calm enough, to be enjoyed much past your knees! To me it is a very restful and meditative place, and I am always so amazed by how just sitting there you can see the landscape changing minute by minute. I won't pretend to understand exactly how you feel about faith in general, because I do not have the same experiences you have had, but I do hope you will continue to seek the truth. I believe we all need to find our faith on our own journey, and I believe that if you really study you will find it. But one thing that can't be done is for people to demand that you believe what they do. I am a Biblical Christian. I have always been allowed, in fact encouraged, by my pastors and fellow Christians to study and dialogue about all kinds of interpretations of what I read. I have found that the more I have learned from other people's viewpoints the more I have grown in my faith. Not because I feel I must or I will be rejected by my church or family and friends, and not because I feel that I must protect my beliefs from the 'outside enemy'. But because I believe God wants us to use our brains and discern for ourselves what is true and what is not, and what is gray because what is right for one situation may not always be right in another. He wants us to learn through growth and anticipates us getting it wrong sometimes and right others. I would not describe Jesus as a Perfect Man, that is something I took from JW literature. I do believe he is the example that God placed before us to model ourselves after. That he is fully human and fully God in one. And I do believe that more than anything God wants us to learn to love him and other people unconditionally. But he allows us to do this of our own choosing, and not by force. Take care.