that is the title of one of the current topics at watchtower.org.
while the slave trade may not have been condoned by god, article doesn't really answer the question as to why god did not condemn slavery outright.
it seems to me that the bible takes a neutral stand towards slavery, accepting it as a social fact.
I think you would like a book called "the age of reason" by Thomas Paine. I adore the book, it is online and was written almost 200 years ago.
I agree with the author's premise that Christianity (including the JW's) have done a terrible job of presenting God and the Bible to us. When I started rereading the bible (once per year) I not only had to cast off the JW version but also Chrisitanity version in general.
I'm still learning. And my email is always open.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=31348&site=3
so, i see there are people that wish to say i wen't off in to a mindless rant eh?
thanx for filling up my e-mail btw with some of your opinions btw.. 1) i stand by what i first said.
(((((((((((((( group )))))))))))))))))))
the jw brotherhood is composed of people.
you know people right?
people are the ones we work with, the ones we live next to, the ones we share this planet with.
I would like to point out one thing to the Farkels and the D8TAS of the world (hugs to you both by the way--and preparing to duck)
This last year, Watchtower reported zero or negative growth in 75 countries.
In the last couple of decades, Watchtower has had to lower their standards for Bethelites, for pioneering, even initiate a 15 minute rule for publishers. Four and five congregations are crowded into one Kingdom Hall sometimes because their Halls are being sold out from under them for money. The numbers of partakers are going UP and not DOWN.
Why? BECAUSE JW'S AREN'T TAKING THE GB CRAP ANYMORE. JW's ARE voting with their wallets, they ARE voting with their feet. Inch by painful inch, family by family, country by country, formerly 'brain dead' JW's are slowly taking back their families, and their lives, as evidenced by Lawrence Hughes' battle in Canada. There are many many Lawrence Hughes's in the world, and they don't all have the luxury of the media coverage. Their battle is a silent and loney one----yet they are heroes none the less.
Guys, give the JW's a break and give them a little more time. They WILL come around, they ARE coming around; maybe not as fast as the rest of us...but they are coming around.
that is the title of one of the current topics at watchtower.org.
while the slave trade may not have been condoned by god, article doesn't really answer the question as to why god did not condemn slavery outright.
it seems to me that the bible takes a neutral stand towards slavery, accepting it as a social fact.
A favorite example of mine was the treatment Jesus meted out to the prostitues of his day. He did not condemn them; rather, he ate with them and spent time with them.
Why?
Prostitution was a form of slavery, for those women (and men) who had no other way to make a living. Jesus recognized that it was the fault of the governmental system of that day. There no doubt would have been women who would rather have died than be prostitutes---Jesus did not condemn them. And of course there were those who would rather have been prostitutes than die.
Jesus did not condemn them either.
Jesus was not the first to take this stance. Please recall back to the days of Solomon, and the two prostitutes fighting over the one living child. Did Solomon condemn either one for their 'choice' of occupations? No, rather, his statement of judicial decision in favor of the prostitute who would rather lose her child than see it killed, can be interpreted as a rebuke against the other prostittue---as her attitude toward a living child WAS something over which she could exercise a choice.
http://christianitytoday.aol.com/ct/2002/008/14.15.html
christianity today,
july 8, 2002
<Translation: only those who wont shutup are disfellowshipped>
Bwahahahahahahaha <splutter> <choke>
ooohhhh so true.
that is the title of one of the current topics at watchtower.org.
while the slave trade may not have been condoned by god, article doesn't really answer the question as to why god did not condemn slavery outright.
it seems to me that the bible takes a neutral stand towards slavery, accepting it as a social fact.
The issues rests on translation. As everybody knows, the Bible was not originally written in English. So, it falls on the translators to try and find an English equivalent for a Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic word. Looking around, many translators decades ago chose to use the word 'slave' when 'employee' or 'worker' would be better for us today.
Regarding God's/Biblical attitude toward slavery, it seems to me that God recognized that it should be up to a person to decide his own fate..."to die on his feet rather than serve on his knees" is not something that God condemned, otherwise the Hebrews would have been out of existance before Jesus was born. The bible recognizes that some people WOULD rather live in 'slavery' than die. For those that make that choice, the Bible holds no condemnation.
By the time that what we know as the biblical canon was complete, it should be obvious to any student of history that all nations and systems of government have their appointed time. None of them last forever, so it makes no difference whether slavery was practiced or not, ALL of those governmental systems are either gone or changed so much they are not the same governmental system. Therefore, you can see why inidividuals were NOT encouraged to try and change their governments; this change would occur as the natural selective process of human development--give or take a few centuries.
well, due to my family situation, i was forced to attend the "zealous kingdom proclaimers" convention this year.
i decided to take notes so that i could share some of the points with you guys.
i've decided to post the notes for the friday morning session.
Love the personal comments....you can give a talk at MY KH ANY DAY!!! esp the part about the Declaration of Facts.
<-there must have been members of the anointed through time. They may have been few in number, but they were definitely there. (well, that really clears up that issue)>
there's that apostolic succession that You Know says that Watchtower doesn't teach...bwahahahaha
i always find it so annoying whenever there's a wt study on the good samaritan.
no one at the hall ever suggests that the idea behind it, is that we should be helping our "enemies" in a charitable way, such as feeding them, clothing them, helping them out in a physcial way.....nope they always turn it around to where it only means we should be preaching to our enemies, cause lord only knows, actually helping someone out in a charitable way means less than nothing in the organization.. anyhoo, the last time we had an article on that (couple of years ago), i specifically put up my hand and said "this is not talking about preaching to our enemies.
the samaritan did not preach to the jew nor vise versa.
Watchtower takes the anti-charity issue one step farther:
WT 10/1/86
<In fact, even though pity for the people prompted Jesus to care for them in a physical way, his chief interest was in offering them the spiritual help their religious leaders had failed to provide. (See Matthew, chapter 23.) Jesus was "the fine shepherd," one willing to surrender "his soul in behalf of the sheep." (John 10:11) Because he gave this preaching activitynot engaging in social work or building hospitals or running relief agenciestop priority in life, he was later able to tell Pilate: "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth."John 18:37.
Although Jesus bestowed upon his apostles the ability to perform miraculous good works of healing, he made no mention of this when issuing his final instructions to them before ascending into heaven. Instead, he commanded: "Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you." Obviously, then, the more important work was to "make disciples . . . baptizing them . . . teaching them."Matthew 28:19, 20.>
mailing campaign fallout.
recently, kingdom halls of jehovahs witnesses were the largest group of intended recipients of an international mailing campaign, spanning all fifty states of the united states and including the countries of canada and england.. the results in the us have been interesting, and could have far-reaching effects on our legal system and on the preaching practices of jehovahs witnesses.. over a hundred years ago, a group of evangelical apocryphical persons calling themselves "bible students" began a campaign to sell bible-based literature at homes throughout the united states.
from time to time, their effeorts faced legal challenges, some were won and some were lost, but in general the door-to-door campaigns have continued unabated, with varying degrees of success.
<As far as I know the only purpose it served was to provide an opportunity for people to write and inquire about JWs>
And of course, what better reason to remove mailboxes...bwahahahahaha
at this summers district assembly, a new book was released.
worship the only true god.
two chapters puzzles me:
who are you kidding? You Know doesn't believe half of what You Know says, I don't think!!!
