Posts by Cold Steel

48

God said be fruitful and multiply,fill the earth and govern it.

by atomant in

l have a problem with this.lf adam and eve didnt sin the earth would eventually have been full to the brim with perfect human beings.then what every man gets the chop or no more sex?then on the other hand we have the jw's sayingresurrected ones will not be allowed to marry in the earthly new system.. married survivors of armageddon will remain married.

single survivors of armageddon may or may not be allowed to marry.so it seems that people reborn into new system wont be able to procreate.

and married survivors will stay married so l assume that means they can still hanky panky and have babys thats a bit unfair..the earth can only accommodate a maximum number of humans then what for the married couples.

Cold Steel

Cofty » The questions you have proposed about evolution are the sort of thing people say who have not read a single book about science in their entire life. Evolution is a fact. It is as certain as the fact that the earth is not flat. Humans evolved from non-human ancestors over millions of years. There was no Adam and Eve. The only people who doubt that are a minority of Christians, cults and most Muslims. The thing they all have in common is wilful ignorance.

About science? You mean all books on science revolve around evolution? Even books on astrophysics?

Christianity, as you said, is incompatible with evolution, so Christians would have to sacrifice the key element of their religion, which is Christ, and all the prophecies and prophets pointing to him and that's just not going to happen. The prophecies are too persistent and consistent; too accurate to write off.

46

Blood Transfusion and Eating

by dugout in

i get highly irritated when this subject comes up.

this idiot gave a talk in my hall recently and said that transfusion of blood and eating blood was the same thing.

my wife accepts this reasoning.

Cold Steel

The Watchtower of 1955 almost came out against eating, but changed the article...let's see...just before lunch. Originally it read:

“It is of no consequence that food is taken into the body through the mouth instead of the ass. Nor does the claim by some that eating is not the same as shoving it up where the sun don't shine. The fact that it nourishes or sustains the life of the body matters not. In harmony with this is a statement in the book Hemorrhage and Transfusion of Food, by Heber DeSerre, M.D., who quotes a letter from Dr. Paul Dingleberry, noted proctologist, paleontologist, protectionist and psychologist and early researcher in the field of anal analogies. It says: ‘Eating is nothing else than nourishing by a longer, more complicated road than ordinary – that is to say, placing in the ass in place of taking food by mouth only results in nouishment after several changes, which I don't want to discuss at this time, or ever.’”

Actually, the WTS view of Armageddon, in fact, all of its eschatology, is childish and painfully...PAINFULLY...absurd, as with other adventists. The Seventh Day branch believes the U.N. is going to force a Sunday law on the world at the behest of Rome, which will use the military and civil might of the U.S. to enforce it worldwide. The faithful will resist and Rome will put them to death. You can find it on YouTube. WTS biblical exegesis is forced in the NWT, but it's mostly harmless.

This blood thing is dangerous, though. The best way to change it is to first make it a matter of conscience for each member to decide and then to quietly drop it. If they just stopped it, I imagine there would be lawsuits.

Where the WT really lost the plot, though, was when they banned the use of certain pet foods and garden fertilizers that were made with blood products. That was insanity at its finest.

Oh, you're kidding. Just because we don't eat blood, the dog's not supposed to eat it, either?? What about your pet vampire bats? Can They eat it? And gardens? Those are some tough rules!

48

God said be fruitful and multiply,fill the earth and govern it.

by atomant in

l have a problem with this.lf adam and eve didnt sin the earth would eventually have been full to the brim with perfect human beings.then what every man gets the chop or no more sex?then on the other hand we have the jw's sayingresurrected ones will not be allowed to marry in the earthly new system.. married survivors of armageddon will remain married.

single survivors of armageddon may or may not be allowed to marry.so it seems that people reborn into new system wont be able to procreate.

and married survivors will stay married so l assume that means they can still hanky panky and have babys thats a bit unfair..the earth can only accommodate a maximum number of humans then what for the married couples.

Cold Steel

Yeah, it's hard for me to grasp as well. They find one skeleton, like Lucy, then, before they even break camp, all conclude she was an even earlier ancestor to man than the one before. The way science ties things together sometimes amazes me. I wonder if that's where the phrase, "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle" came from? 🙈🙊🙉

27

I am losing

by NoMoreHustle in

i haven't posted anything for a bit, but wanted to express how i am losing this battle.

it has been over 3 years now since i woke up about watchtower.

the battle that i am talking about is the tug of war with my wife (i adore her immensely), watchtower is winning, she simply will not give in to my so-called negative thoughts about the religion that we are in.

Cold Steel

You both have to be willing to let the other person live their life and make their own choices. It's not easy, especially where the WT is concerned, but it is possible.

I had a friend whose son is a member of the Churches of Christ...a convert. He got along with the kid okay, but he told me it always bothered him that his son thought that when he died, that he'd be consigned to hell for eternity. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, he'd watch his son and wonder how he could entertain that thought. I don't know why, but it really ate at him. Little things like that can have more serious consequences.

I mean, you get your keys and go out for some groceries. Your wife says, "Be careful, dear! And by the way, you're going to die at Armageddon!"

4

Frank Sinatra Jr.dies .

by smiddy in

does anybody here acknowledge the passing of frank sinatra jr.?

at the young age of 72 ?

o.k.i`m slightly older .. however i`m surprised that nobody has mentioned this to date.

Cold Steel

Don't know much about him, but when I heard the news I wondered whether all that second-hand he breathed as a kid was a factor. It's a tough life those guys live...but interesting.

Speaking of Sinatra, this is one of my favorite clips.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=q5_V9RT8aR8

48

God said be fruitful and multiply,fill the earth and govern it.

by atomant in

l have a problem with this.lf adam and eve didnt sin the earth would eventually have been full to the brim with perfect human beings.then what every man gets the chop or no more sex?then on the other hand we have the jw's sayingresurrected ones will not be allowed to marry in the earthly new system.. married survivors of armageddon will remain married.

single survivors of armageddon may or may not be allowed to marry.so it seems that people reborn into new system wont be able to procreate.

and married survivors will stay married so l assume that means they can still hanky panky and have babys thats a bit unfair..the earth can only accommodate a maximum number of humans then what for the married couples.

Cold Steel

Well, we'll have to see whether people came from apes. Evolution is simply another religion. If one begins with the assumption of a divine creator, evolution becomes much more difficult to prove. It seems that when one finds a skeleton of, say, Lucy, and says, "Hey, she looks kinda human...she must be one of our ancestors!" that there's a good deal of assumption in that. I saw a pro-evolution documentary not long ago that showed an early human and a long line of his forebears going all the way to the horizon. The camera followed that line, person by person at super speed millions of years ago until it stopped on a bipedal apelike creature completely unlike the human male figure we'd just been looking at. Then we see someone in a small ape suit eating nuts or something in a tree.

Interesting theory...if there's no God, I thought. But if there is, the only thing it proves only that there's a common designer. I've also done some reading and cannot find the solid evidence I'm told is out there. Perhaps it's too complicated for the common man to understand; however, religion isn't based solely on ancient traditions, but also by witnesses. Numerous people have had near death experiences, and they're remarkably consistent regardless of cultural and religious backgrounds. Critics say they're simply delusions brought about by the body's being deprived of oxygen -- or the effects of medicine. But such spur-of-the-moment judgments don't take into account the transfer of actual information, which frequently happens. As someone who's had medical hallucinations, they're very fuzzy and indistinct. There's no 3D, and conversations in dream states are not extended or memorable. Yet there are many rational people who have such experiences and report them with the same detail one might recant a story about a trip to Paris in the Spring!

So far such people are dismissed without consideration, as are the prophets who gave their lives to seal their testimonies. Instead of God being portrayed in many different ways by many different prophets over centuries, God's word to them have been remarkably consistent. Since atheists and evolutionists react essentially like religionists when there are flaws in their beliefs (such as the classic "leap of faith"), I also don't feel the need to have to prove them completely. Christians wouldn't need Christ if there was no Adam or Eve, for if there wasn't a fall, there need not be an atonement.

In my view, it's no contest. There are holes in every belief system, even atheism. The way I see it, there's also a body of evidence that supports many belief systems. I'm willing to wait and see what happens. If you have a different view, fine. It's a free country.

48

God said be fruitful and multiply,fill the earth and govern it.

by atomant in

l have a problem with this.lf adam and eve didnt sin the earth would eventually have been full to the brim with perfect human beings.then what every man gets the chop or no more sex?then on the other hand we have the jw's sayingresurrected ones will not be allowed to marry in the earthly new system.. married survivors of armageddon will remain married.

single survivors of armageddon may or may not be allowed to marry.so it seems that people reborn into new system wont be able to procreate.

and married survivors will stay married so l assume that means they can still hanky panky and have babys thats a bit unfair..the earth can only accommodate a maximum number of humans then what for the married couples.

Cold Steel

Wild_Thing» There is not one single thing in the entire Universe that lasts forever, and there never has been. Not a star, not a planet, not a tree, not a creature, or human.

Nothing that we can detect. Actually, most of the universe is composed of stuff we can't detect.

Matter lasts forever, and though it can change, it can't be annihilated.

And personally, there is nothing scarier to me than an entire planet full to the brim with Jehovah's Witnesses who can't have sex. Let's see them dance and sing the Happy song, then.

Well, the verdict isn't in regarding whether the WTS is the sole purveyor and arbiter of truth in the earth. Based on its history, it was created by men, established by men without any intervention of God. But I tend to agree with the sentiment, though it never specifically says there will be no sex. We only see through a dark, murky glass the things that will be, but they are said to be far beyond the understanding of man.

48

God said be fruitful and multiply,fill the earth and govern it.

by atomant in

l have a problem with this.lf adam and eve didnt sin the earth would eventually have been full to the brim with perfect human beings.then what every man gets the chop or no more sex?then on the other hand we have the jw's sayingresurrected ones will not be allowed to marry in the earthly new system.. married survivors of armageddon will remain married.

single survivors of armageddon may or may not be allowed to marry.so it seems that people reborn into new system wont be able to procreate.

and married survivors will stay married so l assume that means they can still hanky panky and have babys thats a bit unfair..the earth can only accommodate a maximum number of humans then what for the married couples.

Cold Steel

Although the Catholic church views the fall of man in the Garden of Eden as a terrible mistake, the Orthodox church sees it as a necessary step in the ladder of progression. When Jesus was resurrected, he became a being of immense power and glory with a perfect body of both flesh and bone (no blood, which is the corruptable part of man). "For a spirit hath not flesh and bone as ye see I have."

All men, because of the redemptive power of the atonement, are likewise resurrected in the flesh, from the greatest to the least, but Paul tells us that that not all will be raised to the same glory, for as heavenly bodies differ from earthly bodies, and as the sun, moon and stars differ from one another in glory, "so also is the resurrection." (See I Cor. 15) When all are judged, all will resurrected according to that judgment.

But this is only possible because of the atonement.

If man had not transgressed in the Garden, he would have remained forever with no glory on the earth or throughout the eternities, forever miserable because he knew no good from evil. To understand happiness he had to know sadness; to know joy, he had to understand sorrow. It was all part of the plan of salvation, but the Lord wanted it to be man's decision. He forbade it, but in the next breath said, nevertheless, it's your decision.

John said, speaking of the elect, "For when we see him, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." And since Jesus was resurrected as a perfect being of flesh and bones, man also has that potential.

Adam and Eve were both terrestrial in nature. Their bodies were not perfect because they contained no glory and no power. They were limited only to this world and if they wanted to go somewhere they had to walk. Knowing neither good nor evil, they lacked the ability to progress and grow. And though it never says, it's also unlikely that they could have reproduced. So they were set up to fall, and it had to be their decision.

They were put into their environ with a tree, the fruit of which could make their bodies corruptible. Also there was a fallen archangel to tempt them. They also were given time to themselves. In other words, all the elements were there for it to happen. All Adam and Eve had to do was pull the trigger. But the Lord's intentions were to make them like He, Himself, and this is why the fall had to happen.

13

Jehovah`s Witnesses an Old Testament Religion

by smiddy in

jehovah`s witnesses claim to be a christian religion , however looking at their history , publications ,such as the watchtower and awake mags., their conventions ,international ,regional ,local ,etc.their books pamphlets ,brochures ,etc.etc.

you are hard pressed to find references to the new testament and references to jesus and his ministry .. they seem to be more focused on the old testament , and the god of the old testament.jehovah.

even in their dramas at conventions , international and local events they are pre-occupied with old testament accounts and experiences , and not christian experiences , examples or ,lives to emulate .. they claim to be a christian religion and very seldom do they highlight the name of jesus , or his teachings , they are fixed on the old testament name of jehovah , and what he did in the old testament.

Cold Steel

I've never heard a theology graduate complain about God being a bloodthirsty, genocidal baby killing desert deity. Why? Because they're generally not copying and pasting from atheistic websites.

Theological commentator Jonathan Sherwin points out that since there's no way to scientifically attack God, that atheists resort to the same old attacks on God's character:

Leaving behind the intellectual front, those with a particular disdain for Christianity retreated only to launch an offensive on the moral character of God. Instead of talking about such things as beginnings and designers and all the rest of it, now perhaps some of the thrust is towards what sort of a God is there.
Richard Dawkins, the best-selling author known for his articulate attacks on religion – and Christianity in particular – takes special objection to the character of God found in the Old Testament. Dawkins tells us that “[the] God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction”, before unleashing a torrent of nasty character attributes upon God. Whilst leaving aside claims of the Bible as “fiction” for a later article, the accusation of unpleasantness should be taken very seriously.
Let us be quite clear here, the Bible has some very difficult passages to digest. Many of these are found in the Old Testament and centre on the exploits of Joshua in his handling of the Canaanites.
Cries of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ and ‘Genocide’ ring out from the towers of atheism. How on earth could you love that same God? How on earth could you say that same God is loving? After all, we rightly condemn the atrocities committed at the hands of the Nazis upon the Jews, or of blood spilled in Rwanda in 1994, so how can the God of the Old Testament not be held to the same standard?
Some of the problematic parts can be found in the book of Joshua. In one such place it is said that Joshua “struck all the land” and “left no survivor.” He is said to have “utterly destroyed all who breathed”. Heavy words. Now to set the scene briefly, we must understand something about Canaanite culture. It was bloodthirsty. Think of a scene from the film 300, but worse. Child sacrifice? Absolutely, it was built in to the heart of the culture. Bestiality? Part of the norm. If we today, part of a nice, civilised, anaesthetised, culture were to be transported back to their day we would most likely break down under sensory overload at the horrors that confronted us.
But surely, you might say, there could be a better way to deal with this than killing everyone. After all, isn’t God supposed to merciful? Well, we read earlier in Genesis that God was patient. In fact, God waited 1,430 years before acting. We also read that this sort of thing wasn’t just a judgement on one people group, and indeed, when the Israelites, God’s own people, got mixed up in some bad things their judgement was equally bad.

Although the Bible never says so, I personally believe that God destroyed Carthage during the Punic wars using the Romans. Although Rome wasn't a perfect society by a long shot, they had a good, solid form of government and they didn't practice human sacrifice. They were trade competitors with Carthage, but as far as they were concerned, it was nothing personal. But the Carthaginians were profligate in their religious practices with ritual prostitution and throwing their infants into the fires of Molech. Atheists, however, are more critical of God than those degenerate peoples he destroyed. And they do it not because they believe in God, but because they believe that if He did exist, His actions would disqualify Him for the job.

But the fallacy of such thinking is obvious. God's critics say if God did exist, He's a monster. But that's a classic non seqitur. Because if God does exist, He knows all things, has all power and knows the hearts of all men. They also ignore the obvious fact that if there is a God, then all men have spirits and continue on after death. If there is no God, then men and animals cease to exist at death and do not live on...in which case this entire debate is meaningless. Nothing has any meaning.

52

Is the WT’s Paradise Earth doctrine a delusion?

by deegee in

the wt’s teaching that humans will live forever on a paradise earth will necessitate that given that there will be no more death, then immortal humans will have to be relocated to other planets in order to prevent the earth from becoming overpopulated.. so how many habitable, earth-like planets are there?more and more habitable, earth-like planets would have to become available on a continuous, never-ending basis ad infinitum as mankind’s population grows given that there will be no more death.. the longevity/sustainability of life on these planets will be limited by the fact that the sun serving these planets will eventually die:https://shar.es/1cko6n.

http://www.space.com/22437-main-sequence-stars.html#sthash.ejbt1xrz.dpuf.

so immortal humans will have to keep moving from planet to planet.

Cold Steel

Happily, the JW's concept of Paradise is flawed. To the early Christians, Parardise was a place where the souls of the righteous await the resurrection. As Clement of Alexandria wrote, "After death, I think the saints go to Paradise, a place of learning or school of the spirits, where everything they did on Earth would be made clear to them." We cannot expect that men can be either saved or damned in ignorance, and many on Earth have died without having heard of Jesus or his gospel. So if they don't hear it here, they must hear it there, as did the thief on the cross.

Even the best of Christians must come to grips with their own lives; their faults, their successes, the good within themselves and the bad. This is reflected in countless near death experiences, where people undergo what's now popularly referred to as "life reviews." Those who have experienced them say it all happens very rapidly, yet they say it is extraordinary comprehensive and in places most unpleasant. Yet it's designed to purge the soul. The more wicked a person is, the more unpleasant the experience. Imagine, if you will, Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Saddam and his sons, and many, many others having to constantly relive their mortal existences, witnessing to the last detail the effects of their lives upon others down to the last niggling detail. Of watching each of their victims from the time of their births to the time of their deaths. Of experiencing everything they experienced, feeling everything they felt. And all of this through the entirety of the Millennium!

This, I think, is the fire of Hell. But as Malachi said, it will be a refiner's fire. And though the suffering is intense, it burns away one's wickedness, or sins. When one emerges from it, one is a better person. Thus, King David cries unto the Lord, "for thou shalt not leave my soul in hell."

The JWs see the atonement as restoring man to what he was in Eden, only now everyone will dress for dinner. But that would be a nightmare. Man was created to be much more than that.