Posts by Cold Steel

4

Video about Bible "Not One Word Has Failed"

by TheWonderofYou in

just clicked on the video on demand about joshua's experiences with god.

senseless?

how i hate now when someone is killed or punished the "joshua" actor gives a clear and strong cynical grin.

Cold Steel

Hey, wait...someone told me the new STAR WARS movie was here! I've watched seven minutes of this and haven't seen one storm trooper. Still, it does look and sound like a J.J. Abrams movie. What's going on?

754

Theists, why does God allow suffering..

by The Quiet One in

..specifically, the suffering of animals.

you can talk about free will/sin/people choosing to not listen to god etc to explain human suffering being allowed.. but how can you love a god that allows animals, that haven't sinned or chosen to not have anything to do with god, to have their short lives ended in often long, drawn out, painful ways.

i could list stories i've read that would probably make you feel ill, but i'm not looking to shock anyone or start an emotional debate.

Cold Steel

I'm not quite sure the JWs believe that animals will be resurrected, but most theists believe man has a spirit and many believe that animals have spirits. If true, then suffering is a temporal part of life. Because of the fall of man, suffering came into the world; and because of the atonement, Christ is able to wipe the tear from every eye. In short, there are no long term psychological effects from suffering. When Jesus, himself, suffered in the garden, he knew that his suffering would transcend the suffering of every human and animal that had lived, was living or would live on Earth. He specifically asked to have that cup removed; however, it had to be or the creation and fall would have been in vain.

Many people and animals have suffered worse than they did at death, but they survived and many led normal productive lives. As for the animals and humans who didn't survive in the flesh, they continued to survive in the spirit, as the apostle Peter noted of those who perished in the flood; for they were put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. We'll always remember the pain, but we won't be troubled by it. I've read many near death experiences and believe this life somehow improves us. In truth, most theists believe the soul is immortal and that suffering is ultimately something designed to make us better.

21

No One on GB Anointed

by TakeOffTheCrown in

what if no one on the governing body is truly anointed?

what if they just proclaim they are anointed and partake in order to gain authority, but they are not anointed?

what will happen to them when they die?

Cold Steel

Crazyguy: The Bible says that only Jesus was anointed. [As his] followers we're part of the body of Christ therefore being of his body they enjoyed his anointing. There is no favoritism with God and all those that believe in Christ are God's sons no distinction.

Where does it say only Jesus was anointed? The bible is full of people being anointed -- kings, priests, prophets were all anointed and/or ordained. Jesus gave the Twelve (and Peter) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that whatsoever they bound on Earth would be bound in heaven and vice versa. What happened to those keys? Who has them today? IF the GB members are anointed, who anointed them. Anointing wasn't just a figure of speech in the scriptures. Neither was ordination. Ordination was a hands-on-head conveying of authority. If the GB members are acting in God's name and by His authority, then they were called of God as was Aaron, ordained and anointed as was Aaron. The question is, who called and ordained them, and who anointed them? Jesus organized a church, but the WTBTS has always denied it is a church. In fact, if you're a JW, you can be disfellowshiped for attending a church.

38

Watchtower says in Paradise we will fly like Superman and so avoid accidents???!!

by Witness 007 in

golden age aug 25 1926 p.751.

"negative gravitation.

you may have wondered how accidents will be avoided in jesus kingdom since we are told nothing will hurt or destroy.

Cold Steel

Whet did this guy get the info about there being "enough atomic energy in one fingernail to propel a battleship"? Propel it where? And for how long? Which battleship? If that's true, then do we have enough dark energy in our big toe to light that battleship?

85

My letter to Bethel about the flood

by Cornbread in

i've decided to go full public with a new username on this forum.

it's been almost a decade since i've been out and i don't care at this point who knows.

that being said, here's a letter that i'm mailing to bethel.

Cold Steel

It may just be simply an issue of biblical exegesis. One scholar writes:

A

critical issue in the Flood story in the King James Bible has to do with translations of the Hebrew words eretz and adamah as meaning the entire “earth.” What do these terms actually mean? It is widely recognized that Hebrew is a wonderful language for poets, since virtually every word has multiple meanings. But that same characteristic makes it a horrible language for precision. As it turns out, eretz and adamah can indeed be a geographical reference akin to what we usually mean by “the earth.” But it is not at all clear that the ancients had the concept of a spherical planet that you and I do. Many scholars argue that the Bible writers thought in terms of a flat earth that was covered by a bowl-shaped firmament into which the windows of heaven were literally cut....

Duane E. Jeffrey

Commenting on this, one reviewer added: "Jeffrey notes that ideas of a global flood may have resulted from a widespread local problem. A current hypothesis that has been gaining ground since 1998 is that a significant flooding event occurred in the area now occupied by the Black Sea. Evidence has been discovered which has led a number of researchers to believe that the Black Sea area was once occupied by a completely isolated freshwater lake at a much lower level than the ocean. The theory is that the sea level rose and eventually broke through the Bosporus shelf, resulting in a rapid flooding event which would have wiped out all life living along the shores of the lake. Whether this is the source for the Genesis flood remains conjecture."

Although no certain evidence for the flood as a global event has been forthcoming, it's interesting to note that the legend of the flood exists in almost all the cultures of the earth, from Greece and Rome to Asia to the New World.

51

I went down in the first Round!

by John Aquila in

there is a visitor brother in town and from what ive been told, he has been a missionary for many years and they were having a get together for him.

i took my mom to that get-together yesterday and stayed for a few minutes.

i heard a group around a table with the visitor brother talking about how hard it was getting in the world with so many distractions and that many of the brothers were falling into the trap and leaving jehovahs organization.

Cold Steel

It was a good scripture to use, but what did you expect him to answer? And of course the scripture presupposes that "Jehovah of armies" was behind the formation and administration of the WTBTS. If the presuppositions are true, and God whispers his secrets to the Governing Body as he did the prophets, the brother's sentiment is indeed noble, and true. But if Jehovah did not inspect all the world's religions in the early 1900s (as difficult as that would be to believe), and if he did not choose the WTBTS, of what virtue would it be to stick with it regardless of how many, or few, pledged their allegiance to it? The very notion that the SUPREME BEING OF THE UNIVERSE would depend on MAN to create religions, then choose one as if choosing a beauty contestant winner 🏆 is itself a problematic doctrine. How do we know he didn't pick the Hare Krishnas? Or the Methodists? Or perhaps he chose the Unitarians! One thing I do know, the answer isn't in I Kings.

17

Biblical Proof that JW Elders can not have Jehovah's or Jesus Spirit

by GodZoo in

something just occured to me.. like a lightening bolt in fact.

matthew 10:19 just popped into my head... new american standard bible 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the gentiles.

19 "but when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.

Cold Steel

I don't believe the Lord's support would extend to cover-ups of any kind. Contextually it only applies to church officers who are unrighteously brought before their enemies and asked to defend themselves. The Lord will then put the words in their mouths that will stand in condemnation against their accusers in the day of judgment. Of course, these officers must be called and ordained and be agents of God to receive this promise. And many times it also happened that these testimonies also happened to be their last, as all the apostles except one, John, were put to death. Because John was allowed to tarry until the Lord's coming and could not be killed, he was banished to the island of Patmos. So effectively they were all rejected, though I'll bet they put up great defenses before they were killed.

12

A WT "prophecy" that finally came true?

by eyeuse2badub in

at long last, after 140 years of failed prophecies, it appears that the borg finally got one right!

recall the odd little article published back in the november 15th, 2013 wt about the 7 shepherds 8 dukes (anti-type) and the evil assyrian (anti-type) and some silly nonsense about the assyrians attack on the vulnerable wtbts.

page 20 paragraph 17 of that strange article contained this foreboding prophecy from the faithful and discreet slave, (anti-type);.

Cold Steel

Judge Rutherford got it right then and it is still right now when he said, "Religion is a snare and a racket."

Ummm...I think he was talking about eveyone else's religion.

5

Did JESUS Choose a MANMADE RELIGION?

by Cold Steel in

if jesus was enthroned in 1914, and if he inspected all of the earth's religions in 1919, choosing the wtbts as his, then wasn't he choosing a religion that was manmade?

if he didn't choose it until 1919, then what was the watchtower organization in 1918 or, for that matter, in 1914?

and what happened to the church jesus organized when he said anciently, "i will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"?.

Cold Steel

If Jesus was enthroned in 1914, and if he inspected all of the earth's religions in 1919, choosing the WTBTS as his, then wasn't he choosing a religion that was manmade? If he didn't choose it until 1919, then what was the Watchtower Organization in 1918 or, for that matter, in 1914? And what happened to the church Jesus organized when he said anciently, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it"?

Indeed, the Watchtower (6.15.64) itself reported: "As Jehovah revealed his truths by means of the first century Christian congregation so he does today by means of the present-day Christian congregation. Through this agency he is having carried out prophesying. All of this activity is not an accident. Jehovah is the one behind all of it."

But did God ever speak through the congregation? Or did he speak through those he called and appointed at the head of the church? And when has he ever chosen from a number of manmade organizations? It would be as if you had three self-appointed prophets, and God was to choose one to be his. But this wasn't the case with Jeremiah, who wrote: "Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5) Here it appears as though God is taking the proactive role, and not men. But now it's just the opposite. Man is the proactive force and God becomes the passive.

How would the Governing Body explain this?

In 1943 they were so thoroughly bold as to issue instructions as if they came right from God himself: "The Son has returned as King; he has come to his temple. He has appointed his "faithful and wise servant", who is his visible MOUTHPIECE. The Lord breaks down our organization instructions further and makes them more practicable by further instructing us through his "faithful and wise servant."

He [the Lord] says, 'Let us assign the field, the world, to special pioneers, regular pioneers and companies of Jehovah's witnesses in an orderly way, sufficient for everyone to thoroughly witness therein, and let us place on each one the responsibility of caring for the New World interests in these respective assignments." He [the Lord] says the requirements for special pioneers shall be 175 hours and 50 back-calls per month, which should develop into a reasonable number of studies; and for regular pioneers 150 hours and as many back-calls and studies as can be properly developed during that time. And for company publishers he [the Lord] says, "Let us make a quota of 60 hours and 12 back-calls and at least one study a week for each publisher." These directions come to us from the Lord through his established agency directing what is required of us. It is our duty to accept this additional instruction and obey it." (7.1.43, p. 207)

This is remarkable, to say the least. Here's a statement where the leading authorities of the Society are delivering an actual revelation very much like the ancient prophets and spelling out the Lord's instructions regarding workloads to be carried out by the troops. But they've fully committed themselves to speaking for God, even as the ancient prophets delivered it. And yet not one of them claims that the Lord spoke to them as he spoke to the prophets anciently. Again, self-appointed people making assumptions. Doesn't this throw a kink into their charges against Christendom -- that they're all manmade?

--

62

Christians not knowing the Bible

by Viviane in

last night a young man in a bar struck up a conversation with me.

our town is having our pride parade soon and he brought it up, the bible and how it's against the bible.

me being me, i said that i couldn't care less that it was against the bible and that it was a horrible guide for morality anyway.

Cold Steel

Well, am I safe in saying that he didn't get your number, even though you got his?