Posts by Cold Steel

14

Which is worst cult---JW or Scientology?

by cameo-d in

do these two cults have more similarities or more differences?.

is one any worse than the other?.

.

Cold Steel

Scientology is spun completely from NOTHING.

JWs, on the other hand, are just a bit eccentric. I'd rather my neighbor be a JW than an atheist.

22

"I don't want to be a...

by mrsjones5 in

f***ing jehovah's witness you a**hole!

i just came home from picking up my youngest son and heard my next door neighbor say that.

this morning i thought i had seen a pair of jws walk by my door twice and i think they left something at her door.

Cold Steel

JWs are pain in the A$$ES, but people ought to be more tolerant.

I let the JWs in when they drop by and I'm always interested to hear them out. They can never answer my questions, but I don't lie in wait for them. Many times I just let them talk and ask general questions. If they want to return more than about once, I begin asking them more challenging questions. I don't want to destroy their faith, but there is such a thing as critical thinking.

19

Aluminum Poisoning by Charles T. Betts - download link

by VM44 in

charles truax betts was a dentist that wrote about the dangers of aluminum poisoning.. many of his articles were published in the golden age magazine during the 1920's and 1930's.. he wrote a book with the title "aluminum poisoning", the second edition being published in 1928.. it may be obtained at this webpage:.

file name: betts_aluminum_poisoning_2ed.pdf.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/h8wuuz.

Cold Steel

I used to work for the National Institutes of Health and researchers did acknowledge that the brains of Alzheimer patients tended to contain excess aluminum. Whether this was due to anti-perspirants or cooking in aluminum, no one knows. It could be that the disease causes the body to metabolize aluminum in a different way. Just because the evidence isn't there doesn't mean to just ignore the potential risks. Quite a few people at NIH were suspicious of close proximity of cell phones and the use of aspertame, too, though they admit the evidence wasn't there. I went though a number of meeting places for some of their conferences, and almost no one drank diet drinks. There were Coke cans, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and others, but very, very few were diet.

One researcher told me that if any of them spoke only on suspicions that it would risk their funding and call down the wrath of various lobbies. Generally they want 10-20 years for something to manifest itself in society. The bottom line is that while one should be wary, there's not enough data to be dogmatic. That's where the Watchtower fails. They think they know everything and they want their declarations to be taken as scripture.

13

Some questions for the JWs here

by Mickey mouse in

can you prove the following watchtower teachings using nothing other than the bible?.

1. jehovah has an earthly organization today and that the governing body is being directed by jehovah.

2. only the remnant have the heavenly hope.

Cold Steel

The early Christians were always aware of their reading audience. In many NT texts, Jesus is referenced as distinct from God, beginning in the book of Acts and so forth. You can't separate His divinity from him, personally, though, as John (in his gospel and in the Apocalypse) emphatically teaches that Jesus is God. A Greek Orthodox theologian has noted that "God became as we are" so that we might become as he is. Thus it is that our resurrection, like Christ's, is a physical resurrection, not a resurrection of spirit. Jesus announces that He is NOT a spirit, yet the JW teach that this was a deception, and that Jesus appeared to them in the flesh because that's the only way He could appear to them.

My chief grip with the Witnesses is that they deduce things that cannot be deduced. I could respect this is they claimed to know it because of a revelation or a vision, but they offer nothing but their own opinions.

The "oneness" of God is a oneness of design or purpose. Christians have always been labeled as polytheists by Jews and Muslims and they do have a point. But the word in the Bible denotes a plurality from the beginning ("let us create man in OUR image, after OUR likeness" and "man has become as one of US"). We think in term of the word "family" and we think, okay, this is a single unit. But family can have many members. In this case Elohim denotes both singleness and plurality, and like the word family, it can have more than one member. This is clearly how the ancient Christians saw it.

Again, David suggests plurality himself in Psalms 110:1-2.

13

Some questions for the JWs here

by Mickey mouse in

can you prove the following watchtower teachings using nothing other than the bible?.

1. jehovah has an earthly organization today and that the governing body is being directed by jehovah.

2. only the remnant have the heavenly hope.

Cold Steel

Ah, but teaching something means nothing.

One must be called of God, anointed and ordained and commissioned by Christ.

Based on all the apocraphal writings recently discovered from the first century on, there is absolutely no indication that Jesus was Michael. In fact, Jesus seems to have been the Old Testament Jehovah. When Adam sinned, the Father could no longer directly commune with man and an intercessor was needed. This was Jehovah, later known as Jesus. It was He who communicated with Moses, Elijah, Isaiah and other great prophets. After the Earth has been glorified and redeemed, He will offer it back to the Father.

But what of all the references to Jesus being Jehovah's son? The simple answer is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are ONE, and they speak as ONE. Jesus prayed that the apostles may be ONE, "even as we are ONE." Thus, the godhead is comprised of three individual entities. When David wrote in Psalms, "The Lord saith unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand," who was David's Lord? Jehovah. To whom was the first Lord (the Father) speaking? To Jehovah, who was David's Lord. Jesus even referenced this in his rebuttal to the Jews.

The New Testament says that the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son; yet in the Old Testament we see that it is Jehovah who will judge the nations and, indeed, all mankind.

Isaiah said that Jesus would be "the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." This is not a reference to Jesus' Father, but to Jesus who is the father of our salvation and of our second birth, wrought by baptism.

He is NOT Michael, nor has any ancient text in or out of the Bible identified Him as such.

There are some texts that identify Adam as being Michael. In one text, Satan promises to throw Adam out of the Garden just as Adam caused his expulsion from Heaven. Although this text is from a gnostic library, it does reflect an early tradition where Adam is either Michael or at least a spiritual representation of him. Adam was the chief of God's creation on Earth and Michael was the chief of God's creation in heaven. It was Michael who routed Satan and cast him from heaven. Satan, likewise, promises to expel Adam from the Garden as retribution.

Again, no text, no tradition, no early Christian teaching associates Michael with Jesus.

Jesus told his apostles, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you." There is no indication, either, that the Watchtower people have been called or commissioned by God. The Watchtower leadership also is on record of saying that they aren't inspired. If so, who then called them and appointed them over anyone. If you're convinced the JW teachings are correct, then you are equal to the leaders and they to you, for if they are blind guides (being without inspiration) then how can they lead others?

21

Luke 9:27. How does The Watchtower explain it?

by VM44 in

luke 9:27 says:.

"...but i tell you truthfully, there are some of those standing here that will not taste death at all until first they see the kingdom of god.".

how does the watchtower explain this?.

Cold Steel

The answer, given at the aforementioned site is speculatory and doesn't mesh.

Peter and John and James went into a mountain to pray with Jesus where they experienced a vision. In that vision they saw Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. This is what Jesus referred to as the kingdom of God. Both Moses and Elijah were taken to Heaven. We see the proof in the following text.

Where do we read anything about a kingdom? Nowhere. The apostles simply saw two beings who had been taken up. They did not all ascend into heaven; rather, the prophets descended.

Daniel 2 states that the Kingdom of God would be created in the days of the independent nations, part iron and part clay. This followed the Roman Empire and is the kingdom referenced by Jesus here and in the Lord's prayer, "Thy kingdom come...." This tells us that the kingdom wasn't then in existence, but that it would come in a future day.

John and possibly others were promised that they would tarry, or remain, until that day. It's one reason the Romans weren't able to kill John and finally banished him to Patmos. After writing the Apocalypse, he vanished and was not heard from since.

Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, the scattering of the Jews, the great falling away, the gathering of Israel and the creation of His Kingdom, by which the gospel would be preached to the nations before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Clearly, all this could not have taken place all within the lifetime of most of the people. Had we a more complete record, we would know if others received the same promise as John.

21

Luke 9:27. How does The Watchtower explain it?

by VM44 in

luke 9:27 says:.

"...but i tell you truthfully, there are some of those standing here that will not taste death at all until first they see the kingdom of god.".

how does the watchtower explain this?.

Cold Steel

John was most likely one of the ones to whom Jesus was referring. In John 21, we read: "Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?"

It wasn't that John wasn't going to die; it's that he would tarry, or remain, until Christ's Kingdom was established (see Daniel 2) . That kingdom would be established in the days of the individual nation states after the fall of Rome.

There may have been possibly others who were translated that we don't know anything about. But that's what I think.

34

Time of The END ????

by wobble in

a number of religions ,not just the wacky dubs, claim we are in the "time of the end ".

now, leaving out silly numbers and 1914, which was blown away years ago, what do such apocalyptic doom-mongerers have from scripture to give this idea credence ?.

the only thing i can think of , apart from the "cry of peace and security " which is no proof at all, is daniels dream image in dan chap.

Cold Steel

The Roman world was represented by the legs of iron. The empire was split in twain with capitals in Rome and Constantinople. The Roman empire was broken up into smaller kingdoms, represented by the feet and toes of iron and clay, and as there were ten toes on the image, the ten kingdoms representing the toes were: Italy (496 A. D.), France (753), England (853), Germny (806), Holland (922), Portugal (1138) Persia (1139) Austria-Hungary (1159), Spain (1171), and Greece (1829). It would be in the days of these ten kings that the Lord would establish His great and final dispensation, which would be circa 1829.

35

Was Jesus a hunchback, unibrowed dwarf?

by villabolo in

i recall some time ago reading a book (i forgot the title) that stated that there was an early church tradition about jesus being deformed.

one source described him as being 3 cubits tall-41/2 feet (males at that time and region were on average 5'4"), hunchbacked, long face with a unibrow that made him look terrifying when he looked at you.. i was wondering if any of our scholars, leolaia or narkissos are familiar with this issue and perhaps enlighten us with some references.. villabolo.

Cold Steel

Nope, Jesus was supposed to be the Lamb without blemish. He was both divine
in nature and human, but he was a perfect man and often referred to as the "second
Adam." The Romans were said to have lacked the power to take his life, but Jesus'
ability to freely give it was what provided salvation.

11

"Blinded by Satan"

by Sour Grapes in

the brother who gave the public talk on sunday said.

that people who are not jehovah's witnesses are.

blinded by satan.

Cold Steel

The truth is, I think we sometimes blame Satan for things we should be taking responsibility for ourselves.

Certainly, Satan blinds. If the Jehovah's Witnesses is God's earthly organization, then Satan will blind people to it. But if the Mormons or Seventh-Day Adventists are His church, then he will blind people to that, just as he blinded the Jews to the early church.

Faith is a good thing, but at least the Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists have claimed that God speaks. He's actually talked to someone and said, "This is the way to go." Now both of these sects cannot be right, but both can be wrong, or one might be right, who knows? But the Witnesses are completely without confirmation. In every respect its a manmade church.

In the end, though, we can't blame Satan for having blinded us. On the same basis, God will not damn people because they chose wrongly thinking they were choosing right. Everything has its consequences, but God ultimately judges men by what's in their hearts. For anyone to say, everyone else is blinded and, therefore, damned, is a bohemian view.