Here's a thought: It's all just a metaphor to explain "man's fall." If god is perfect, god needs nothing to complete him/her/itself. Cultures of all times in history have created god in THEIR IMAGE. Angry, intolerant, homophobic cultures created the same attributes in their god. As humanity became more and more civilized (using the term loosely) their god had less and less to punish. The whole Satan metaphor had to originate at a time when people needed to be dominated by fear. Look around objectively even in more liberal Christian beliefs (such as Unity) and many Eastern beliefs, and you will see no mention of an Entity that is the emodiment of evil - only a consciousness that permits it. Hopefully the end of "Satan" will mean a time of freedom from fear and an abundance of love and peace. Just an idea....
Posts by loli
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19If Satan is destroyed will another Satan be born?
by Morocco inthink about this one: the bible says one day satan, the father of all evils, will be destroyed and by extension all the sufferings of the spiritual creatures and physical creatures.
i know the jw's teach that jehovah is allowing evil in order to prove a moral point that he is the only one who can effectively rule this reality.
however, imagine a paradise on earth billions of years after the destruction of evil.
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39
Did anyone really buy into the "Universal Sovereignty" issue?
by loli ini am new to the forum, but not new to jw indoctrination.
even as a child, i would ask myself, "why would the almighty creator need to prove anything to anyone, including him/her/itself?
really, one of the few scriptures that i do actually agree with is that 'god is love.
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loli
My point exactly! Whatever "god" is, it is supposed to be PERFECT. Perfection needs nothing to make it complete. (including, in my opinion, actions, ceremonies, sacrifices from humans) thank you!!
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Nothing important.
by skyking inblinders have many uses for people, religious, political... but no matter the type of blinders, blinders are dangerous.
different people have different ideas, they are not stupid or dumb if their ideas happen to be different than yours.
hurtful words can be as damaging, as damaging as a person with blinders on.
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loli
Hi Skyking! Isn't difference of opinion what will hopefully raise everyone's awareness for the need to examine one's own beliefs? Please don't stop posting. I think this is a safe place to share thoughts and feeling in a tolerant way, am I right? I'm just a newbie.
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Did anyone really buy into the "Universal Sovereignty" issue?
by loli ini am new to the forum, but not new to jw indoctrination.
even as a child, i would ask myself, "why would the almighty creator need to prove anything to anyone, including him/her/itself?
really, one of the few scriptures that i do actually agree with is that 'god is love.
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loli
killin' those threads again
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You all are going to LOVE this!
by restrangled inmy husband and i went up to the new renovated park in our area.
it is over a mile around and very beautiful.. anyway, we meandered over and sat down.
within 3 minutes we were approached by jw's.
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loli
Go Hubby! Go Hubby! You are blessed, my friend!
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86
PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME A NEW FRIEND
by schne_belly incalico ethel.... one of my best friends!!!
glad you joined us!!!
now you can see for yourself why i talk about jwd and all the sweet people on here!
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loli
Hello Calico! You are among friends.
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Angels and Demons
by Legolas insince i hate hitting the 'active topics' button and there is only one topic on the page, i have dial up and it's a pain in the a$$ to wait again to go to the next page..lol, i made this thread!
i am here to tell you that i recommend the book 'angels and demons' by dan brown!...that's it!
has anyone read it?.
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loli
Okay, so to the people who have read Dan Brown's books, and if the subject matter even remotely caused you to think....the question is: There was a lot of cover-up/authority/politcal agenda in the first few centuries among Jesus' followers. The Romanization of Christianity and the 4th century edits of the bible altered pretty much everything pertaining to Jesus. Why can anyone be confident in the bible at all? The writings that competed with the orthodox (later Catholic) views were destroyed. Some were found in recent history, like the Dead Sea scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library and they are VERY different than the canonical scriptures.
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How many need to die before it raises a flag?!
by loli ini don't know about the rest of you, but in my geographical area, it seems that when a person is df'd, it raises their risk of suicide.
not only did i lose my baby sister when she was 21 this way, but in the last 5 years there have been seven people in the circuit who have taken their own lives.
some perhaps are considering it, or have attempted it and nobody reveals it.
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loli
From what I remember, a circuit is about seven to ten congregations. Where I'm from, they even break down each one into "part A" "partB" etc. The attendance per section usually amounted to 1500 or so. That is a head count of attendees only, mind you, not just publishers. Also, would anyone have suggestions as to how to get some sort of media attention without sounding like a bunch of disgruntled ex-employees. It would be great to just have an objective interview segment that is free of name-calling, so that we (surviving family members and friends) can be heard. Perhaps mantal health professionals could also give commentary. Thanks to you all again!!!
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How many need to die before it raises a flag?!
by loli ini don't know about the rest of you, but in my geographical area, it seems that when a person is df'd, it raises their risk of suicide.
not only did i lose my baby sister when she was 21 this way, but in the last 5 years there have been seven people in the circuit who have taken their own lives.
some perhaps are considering it, or have attempted it and nobody reveals it.
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loli
Guess I am good at killing threads :-)
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10
As ex dubs how do you deal with former prejudices you once held?
by hambeak ini have met some really great people on this site!
i 'm sure as anyone who has read my posts realize i am gay.
(unless you are really nieve).
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loli
Hello! No, I don't have prejudices that the JW life would have made me keep. I have always thought that any attitude that divides us (humans in general)is unloving and just plain wrong. I mean, didn't Jesus say not to judge eachother? I never even liked to label people as "worldly" when I was associated. I know it may sound very childish but I just wish everyone could just accept everyone else and see where we are similar, not focusing on differences. As far as homosexuality goes, I'm a hairdresser and many men that I've worked with are gay. Sure, some are jerks, as are straight men/women, but some of the best friends I've made in my industry are gay. It pains me when ANYONE is made to feel less human than anyone else, for whatever reason.