Posts by Cold Steel

101

Are Gods true worshippers on Earth today? If they are not JWs then who are they?

by Formerbrother in

is there gods true worshipers on earth today as jesus said there would be?

if they are not jws then who are they?.

who else comes close to being gods true followers today?.

Cold Steel

ProLogos » Even in the earliest bible story, god did not want to be worshipped, but when Cain and Abel invented it, he "liked the idea" (quote from Splane). strangely, Cain burned some of the meat that was piling up, (nobody even dogs would eat it), and HE quoted Splane again," like it" From there the story goes downhill.

It would certainly help if you guys took a few theology courses before posting things like this. If I wanted to know about evolution, I wouldn't go to a six-day, 24-hour creationist website.

Cain's sacrifice, according to the biblical account, had to do with the fruits and grains under Cain's auspices. The Lord stipulated the sacrificial offerings be done with a lamb without blemish for the removal of sin. This was in similitude of the sacrifice of the Messiah and was a teaching mechanism. Because Satan had instructed Cain in his offering, Yahweh rejected it, promising that if Cain listened to Him, his (Cain's) offerings would be accepted. But the scripture says Cain loved Satan more than he did God and no longer walked with Him.

God was an authoritarian figure and a lawgiver; Lucifer was a consoler and accuser. According to the story he consoled Cain and accused both Yahweh and Abel of favoritism and conspiracy. The great secret he taught Cain was how to take life for power and gain and, according to tradition, he bound Cain and his followers with dark oaths and led them away from the others. Murder immediately became a capital crime, though for some reason it was not imposed on Cain.

You need to reexamine the story before analyzing it.

8

What Must One Do To Get Baptized?

by Cold Steel in

the scriptures teach one must be baptized i the name of the father, son and holy spirit.

how do the jws baptize and what must one do to receive it?

also, if all baptized members become ordained ministers, does that mean they can baptize their own converts?

Cold Steel

That's just it. The great Yahweh of the universe establishing His church and Kingdom through a New York publishing company! And He did it without uttering a word. He simply put in an invisible appearance in 1918 (even the JWs couldn't see it). So how did they know? Did Yahweh tell them? Nope. Was it in prophecy? Not exactly. Perhaps they heard Him declare it in the Heavens. Huh-uh.

You know how they know? Seriously?

They compared their doctrines and understanding of the Bible with those of other Christian sects and they discovered, after considerable study, that...drumroll...oh, would you look at that? They were the only church that had the best, most reliable doctrines and beliefs. I mean, what are the chances of that?

Of course, that was before the Branch Davidians so who knows?

18

I want to understand violence

by Chook in

tell me your thoughts ?.

Cold Steel

Well, you say "self defense" but against whom? And "border control" against what? You said "invasion protection" but what of the invader? And punishment of whom?

For each of these there is a polar opposite. There is self defense against attackers, border patrol against robbers and contraband; invasion protection against armed invaders who seek wealth, control, women and their own security. And punishment against those who are scofflaws or those who are laws unto themselves. So all of these things involve violence on both sides. That's why gun control is undesirable. Good people don't need to have their guns confiscated and bad people won't have their guns confiscated (until it's been misused).

That guy in Australia who shot a warning shot over the guys who were trying to fire bomb his house. He ended up in as much trouble as the guys who were trying to harm him. In fact, they later let these guys go and the punitive actions were directed against the wrong person, who paid horrendous legal fees. I hate to see this type of thinking making inroads into America.

8

What were two Chinese doing in Roman London?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

in the ancient world, people moved around much more than we may have expected, (think of paul's reported journeys and those of his supporters), but the identification of two skeletons in a roman era burial ground, as chinese has surprised historians.. the uk bbc reports: .

dr rebecca redfern, curator of human osteology at the museum of london, told bbc radio 4's the world at one, the find was "the first time in roman britain we've identified people with asian ancestry" and it was "absolutely phenomenal".. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37452287.

Cold Steel

Doesn't even make me blink. People got around so much more than we think they did. It's amazing how many ancients knew about the Western Hemisphere. The Chinese traded with those who traded with Rome and much of the frankincense used in the Jewish temple came from the East. That Chinese explorers ended up in Britain isn't as crazy as it may first appear. They may well have thought that "home" was beyond the Straits of Heracles and across the ocean, who knows? I'd love to read their stories, but they most likely reached Jerusalem through the Frankincense Trail and continued on to either Greece or Rome, then on to Britain with the legions. It could have taken them years.

8

What Must One Do To Get Baptized?

by Cold Steel in

the scriptures teach one must be baptized i the name of the father, son and holy spirit.

how do the jws baptize and what must one do to receive it?

also, if all baptized members become ordained ministers, does that mean they can baptize their own converts?

Cold Steel

But do they? Every day Armageddon is one day closer, and this has been going on for a very long time. If it was close in 1974, imagine how close it is now!

Can you feel the excitement growing within you?

Well, probably not. And that's the problem with the WTS. A spinning top will spin only so long. But new tops are being spun each day and some tops stopped spinning some time ago! That means tops stop spinning each day as well. And there are many wobbling tops that are nearly worn out. The people near death who thought they would never die must think about it. The youthful smugness is gone and eternity opens wide to receive them. My grandmother was no JW, but she was influenced by their doctrines and had looked forward to seeing my departed grandfather in the spirit realm. But after reading some Watchtowers, she feared she would go to the grave, cease to exist and she grew to fear it. Yet my JW relatives thought her knowing "the truth" would comfort her when, in fact, it terrified her.

For some reason the old frequently fear death more than the young. And when one is told that millions now living will never die, and they heard it when they were young, it would certainly cause me to rethink things. I'm sure, though, that there are many new members who are feeling the same excitement that the end is near. Makes me wonder at what point they do care?

101

Are Gods true worshippers on Earth today? If they are not JWs then who are they?

by Formerbrother in

is there gods true worshipers on earth today as jesus said there would be?

if they are not jws then who are they?.

who else comes close to being gods true followers today?.

Cold Steel

LisaRose, perhaps you're reading too much into it. FormerBrother never said, "Hey, if the JWs are wrong, who's right?" I know some JWs use that reasoning, thinking that their doctrines are so unassailably correct that they must win by default, but they're far from correct. And they use it to comfort themselves into believing the WTS is "The Truth" because they can't get any confirmation from God, so they lean on the dictates of men. "They draw near me with their lips, and with their mouths they do honor me, but their hearts are far from me." (Isaiah 29)

Butt FB never used the argument. He merely asked for opinions. I didn't get the impression he was defending the Society, just asking for alternatives. I might be wrong, but with a handle like "FormerBrother," he may just be asking a question.

21

By Way of Announcement, Darlene Jefferson Has Been Disfellowshiped

by Cold Steel in

i was watching a jw video where the announcement was made of a young lady's being disfellowshiped, and it happened in a regular kh sunday meeting.

this struck me as being a bit...cold.

is this when the shunning begins?

Cold Steel

So if you go into a meeting and crawl, you have a good shot at not being DF'ed?

What happens if one simply repents of the sin and decided not to trouble the elders? If one leads a good life from then on and then dies, Yahwe will not burn him at Armageddon, will He? If no, does the person just get a little singed? Maybe a little crispy around the edges?

So why would anyone do that to themselves? Who wants to be DF'ed and treated like crap when they could keep it between themselves and God? I mean if elders can sin, keep it to themselves and repent and stay elders, why muck things up?

Here's a scenario: Bill is a faithful brother but misses his non-JW family. One Christmas he attends the family's delicious and acclaimed festive meals and his family slips him some gifts, reminding him that Jesus gave mankind the ultimate gift. (Obviously they don't know that they'll die horrible deaths at Armageddon and that they'll perish forever into oblivion.) But for now our attention is on Bill. He accepts the gifts, but not in the spirit of the pagan holiday, but as reminders of Jesus' sacrifice as his mother had said. Later, he's wracked with guilt. He saw their vile tree and the offensive ornaments and lights. He ate their putrid food (which was excellent by the way) and had even enjoyed it! What should he do? Must he report this disgusting deed to the elders? What if he doesn't? What if he attended their despicable church, the one he grew up in, to hear bible readings?

How much trouble is Bill in with Jehovah?

8

What Must One Do To Get Baptized?

by Cold Steel in

the scriptures teach one must be baptized i the name of the father, son and holy spirit.

how do the jws baptize and what must one do to receive it?

also, if all baptized members become ordained ministers, does that mean they can baptize their own converts?

Cold Steel

Thank you all for your informative answers. Blondie, you are a gold mine of information. You must have an enviable database. Too bad you're going to be destroyed with the rest of us at Armageddon. Jehovah should keep you around to help keep Him straight. (Don't get your hopes up...He won't.)

And Smiddy, thank you for your detailed info. Is one required to do service before being dunked? If I were young man and headed to a university to become an archeologist, do you think I would be counseled not to go? (Do they still do that?) And if I planned to take some theology courses in school, would I have the freedom to do that or would that be viewed negatively? Certainly they must have some trained theologians in their ranks, right? Where are they trained?

Thanks again, all. If anyone has any good baptism stories, feel free to post them. Or if you want to relate your own baptism, I'd love to hear it.

9

Relationship Between the JWs and Brooklyn Coming to an End

by betterdaze in

the 107-year relationship between the jehovah’s witnesses and brooklyn is coming to an endby terence cullen sept. 21, 2016, 9:45 a.m.for jehovah’s witnesses, brooklyn heights was until recently the equivalent of vatican city for catholics.

brooklyn—“the borough of churches”—arguably has no congregation with a more noticeable presence than the witnesses.

the watch tower bible and tract society of pennsylvania, the governing body of the jehovah’s witnesses, built its headquarters at 25-30 columbia heights, and it is there to greet any visitor driving over the brooklyn bridge.

Cold Steel

Sir82 » "We wish everybody the best as we leave. Of course, we daily pray for the moment, very soon now, when Jesus Christ and a horde of resurrected ex-Bethelite spirit creatures will annihilate nearly every man, woman, and child in Brooklyn. But until that day comes when men, women, toddlers & infants are writhing in agony at their painful & violent deaths, well, hey, all the best."

You are going to writhe for that one!

101

Are Gods true worshippers on Earth today? If they are not JWs then who are they?

by Formerbrother in

is there gods true worshipers on earth today as jesus said there would be?

if they are not jws then who are they?.

who else comes close to being gods true followers today?.

Cold Steel

FormerBrother » Is there Gods true worshipers on Earth today as Jesus said there would be? If they are not JWs then who are they? Who else comes close to being Gods true followers today?

Are you asking if there's a true church on Earth? Because many people worship God on this world though they believe different doctrines and view the Bible differently. It would be an error in my view to consign worshippers to Hell or the grave if you wish, just because they aren't "true" believers.

As for if there's a church on Earth that was established by Jesus Christ, the three top contenders are, of course, the Catholic Church, which claims the church has continued an unbroken chain since the days of Christ. My horse in the race is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), which claims the ancient church fell into apostasy following the deaths of the apostles. It believes the church was restored to the earth through Jesus Christ and the ministry of angels who formerly lived as apostles and prophets to a prophet named Joseph Smith. One thing in its favor, and again, this is my horse, is that there were multitudes of witnesses who saw angels, had visions and revelations with Smith, witnessed healings and attained greatness as modern apostles and prophets. Both the Catholics and LDS believe they are in possession of the keys of the kingdom, which gives the church the power to bind both in Heaven and Earth and are necessary to the work of the ministry.

The third contender, in my view, is the Seventh Day Adventists. They also believe in the great apostasy, and they believe their church was established by Jesus Christ, who revealed to Ellen G. White that Christians all over the earth are worshipping on the wrong day (Sunday), and should return to worshipping on the Seventh Day of the week (Saturday). White maintained that, through her revelations, she could identify the Pope of Rome as the prophesied Antichrist. She was the only witness to her revelations, though some witnesses her having revelations. When enrapted in vision, they said, she could not be moved from her place.

My personal belief is that the church of Christ must have revelation at its core. The Jehovah's Witnesses have never received any communication from God confirming His acceptance of them as His representational church. They assume they are God's true servants without a modicum of confirmation. To them everything is invisible and insubstantial. As far as I know, God has never operated in this manner. He had always communicated His will through revelation and through prophets.

That's my take.