zoiks inspired this thread when he mentioned this book elsewhere.. i have read other threads on this forum about it, but i always enjoy the fresh insight on here.. commentary on the letter of james was always my favorite book from wtbs, partly because i love the book of james, but also because it was one of the books that dealt with more practical christian living than constant wt doctrine.. i mentioned to a number of people that i loved that book, and got a few comments of "well, you know that book was written by an apostate.".
it didnt take me long to do a little math - that book came out i believe in 1979/1980, right around the time of the great purge.
how could someone write such an excellent book and then be branded an apostate just a few months later???.
I loved The commentary on the Letter of James too. It remember studying it in the book study and an elder telling me he was so glad to get through with it. He said it was the most boring book ever studied. I thought he must have missed the point of the book.
I still have the original version as it was the one book I truly enjoyed. It is a shame that they didn't continue down that road with other Bible books. I guess that would make them too "christian".
hi.. somethings seem weird.. for example - wages of sin is death - so if you sin you die, and if you die you have paid for that sin completely, so you have no more sin.
.
now what if everyone in the world was killed - by a nuclear domino effect - in theory we have saved everyone .... any ideas?.
So, Perry, people are resurrected to be told they will be either tortured or killed again. What purpose does that serve?
Maybe God can just read hearts and this cosmic shuffle of souls is just not necessary?
many of us here on the board are " inactive" , myself included.
have not attended meetings or gone out in service for years.
i haven't now for 6 years + .
I am not shunned by family still in, but I don't discuss religion with them either. If I see a jw out, most will talk with me, but there is a guarded, strange element to the encounter.
Most jw encounters that are more extended end up with them asking me when I am coming back to the meetings. They remind me of why I joined in the first place. They can make you feel like you are the most important person in the world. The problem now is that I truly have affection for many that I spent much of my life with, but I can't buy the teachings anymore.
hi.. somethings seem weird.. for example - wages of sin is death - so if you sin you die, and if you die you have paid for that sin completely, so you have no more sin.
.
now what if everyone in the world was killed - by a nuclear domino effect - in theory we have saved everyone .... any ideas?.
Lake of fire, is that symbolic or eternal burning? Are they resurrected and can choose Christ if they want, then? Or are they just brought up to be told they were bad/wrong and then assigned to this lake of fire?
damm this snow!!
!....i mean i am separated and all but this is the second snow where i wind up back home for the night (mostly non-sexual)...i mean separation does give you time for second thoughts but damm!!!!
!.....we had a contract practically to never do this again...but she looked at me and said "so what are we going to do...what is going to happen with us".....so i went with it....and omg it was like a nightmare of every wt jw argument rolled into one!!!!!
Arguing religion is futile. I hope you're being honest with your wife. It would be wrong to take advantage of her if you no longer see a way to patch things up. You need to be honest with yourself too. Decide what you want and get on with your life.
Life is way too short for so much drama. Believe me, I have an extended family that specializes in it.
hi.. somethings seem weird.. for example - wages of sin is death - so if you sin you die, and if you die you have paid for that sin completely, so you have no more sin.
.
now what if everyone in the world was killed - by a nuclear domino effect - in theory we have saved everyone .... any ideas?.
So, Perry, what are you saying happens to a person who does not have Christ as their mediator?
Back on subject, the idea that death somehow erases sin is confusing, at best. Most translations say what Perry quoted, that one who has died is freed from sin.
The New World Translation uses acquitted, as mentioned, and adds (his) before the word sin. Different meaning there. Does sin no longer have power over the person or are they just paying the price and all is even now?
If Christ paid for our sins, then why would we have to pay again?
boy i gotta say, i just can't make up my damned mind.
everytime i'm starting to feel better about the jw's, a brother or sister or the watchtower will say something just totally wacky.
did anyone get that bit in the watchtower last week about no questions allowed what so ever!!
Living in fear of impending doom for a long time is not a healthy way to live. All that death and destruction gets to a person. Maybe you can steer them to a better conversation, unconditional love, grace, etc. No, wait, they don't believe in such things.
There are a lot of nice folks that are witnesses. There are also a lot of nice folks who are ex-witnesses. There are even a lot of nice folks who have no idea what a jw even is, but they call them "worldly".
Keep looking, keep studying and make up your own mind about things. What one believes often changes several times in life. We are only responsible for ourselves. If we don't understand the great mysteries in life that people have puzzled over forever, I think it will still be ok.
i'm reading "the watchtower's coming crisis", by daniel rodriguez.
rodriguez claims the watchtower will have a severe crisis in the years to come, as "the generation that wouldn't pass away" does pass away.
time is the wts worst enemy, he says.
In paragraph 19 of the above quoted watchtower, it says that "while respecting the slave as a class, members of the great crowd are careful not to elevate ANY individuals who claim to be part of that slave."
That would include those who are on the governing body, as they are individuals who claim to be part of that "slave class". So, really they are no different than anyone else, by their own admission.
Are we finally all equal now? I know they don't believe that, but it is interesting language.
heaven-"man was created to live forever on earth" so it is not natural for 144k to go to heaven.. sabbath-"law covenant given to israel came to an end when jesus' death fulfilled it.so the ten commendments-including the sabbath law-that came to end?
yes".
to me that means all ten including the first one,you shall have no other god's(jehovah) before me.therefore christian have a new law and constitution under jesus christ.big jeh is out of the pix.. gilead.gb member d.s.said to missionaries "get new ones to support the preaching work financially and to obey the slave.must be short of cash.. bob.
May not be "natural" for humans to go to heaven, but it's the promise that Jesus made to his followers. The Bible says he opened the way to heaven...."many abodes."
God doesn't need our money and never has. Don't never buy nothing from a man named truth.
i'm reading "the watchtower's coming crisis", by daniel rodriguez.
rodriguez claims the watchtower will have a severe crisis in the years to come, as "the generation that wouldn't pass away" does pass away.
time is the wts worst enemy, he says.
It's a make it up as you go religion. Kinda like when we used to form clubs, as kids. We made up the rules and changed them as we went. Kicked people in and out as we saw fit. It just ain't real.
Problem is that they don't grow up. NN mentions when some "cure themselves", there are others willing to step in and take their places. Have you ever been scammed? Really bad? I have, more than once.
One side point. Is anyone watching Led Zeppelin on Classic Vh1? I am tired of listening to them on radio, etc., but I forgot how great they were in concert in the 70's.
Sorry I am off topic.
