Posts by Cold Steel

25

Don't touch ark of covenant

by Chook in

i raised an issue with a co once about an elders qualifications, he visited my house and in no uncertain terms said don't touch ark of covenant ( referring to elder as ark ) , i was gob smacked then he said to wife and i that if we pursued such an avenue we could be grieving gods holy spirit.

so ther you go elder are on par with god ..

Cold Steel

It's interesting, but the entire point of the story about the steadying the ark is all about divine authority and following divine procedure. There were proscribed ways of moving with and carrying the ark just as there are for appointing and ordaining elders. The Israelites had grown careless in these procedures and had not followed the Lord's commandments. The ark, like most everything else in Hebrew worship, was symbolic and represented the bond, or connection, between Heaven and Earth. That it was covered with a veil represented the veil that existed between the two abodes. And while it was covered, no man could touch it -- not even the high priest. Uzzah was no priest and he should have known to just let the ark go, for there was nothing forbidding the ark from touching the ground.

Now pertaining to the appointment of elders, it's a fair question to ask how, according to the dictates of scripture, they are chosen and how they receive their authority from On High. We know the rules regarding the ark because it was given by God and carefully recorded. But Uzzah's sin wasn't against the priests and rulers of the people, it was against God, so I don't understand your CO's point. There is no connection or correlation between Heaven and the elders of the Jehovah's Witnesses that I know of. The dos and don'ts of the ark are well documented by the Lord himself; however, the same cannot be said about the qualifications of a JW elder.

So what was his beef? Probably that you were questioning your leaders who have been called and instructed by Jehovah like Moses. Only what leaders would those be?? None of the current or past JW leaders, as far as I know, have heard even a word from God. Even in 1919 God never spoke to the presiding body to announce His momentous decision to choose them as His spokesmen forever, based on his inspection of the world's religions and their leaders.

62

ls homosexuality really normal?

by atomant in

l know animals do it but their animals.they dont live by a moral code.the thought of 2 men going for it is not normal.what are your thoughts?.

Cold Steel

Bugbear » Sex is not a sin. Sex is something necessary to keep life going on. All creatures do have sex. Some are homosexual, some transgender, some Bisexual? There is nothing wrong with sex, unless your sex -desires hurt or harm your partner. I agree that some sex acts ex. pedophilia, violent Sadism, rape and so forth will harm your partner….therefore not acceptable. But as long as both or more agree fully….we should´t interfere with what other people do in their privacy…

A "sin" is an offense against God, and unless you're authorized to speak for Him, your answer is moot. There also seems to be quite a pantheon of gods on this world, so there are conflicting beliefs regarding His nature, disposition and will. And many seek to regulate sex as a moral issue, which makes sense. Sex has played a significant role in wars, murders, disease and a host of other evils in society. It affects future generations and cultures and sexual acts can go from normal and healthy all the way to disgusting and degenerate. According to Robert Graves, the Roman emperor Tiberius left Rome to reside in Capri, simply because in Capri he could engage in his own debauchery away from the prying eyes of his countrymen.

Fifty years ago, people "knew" homosexuality was wrong. There was virtually no social debate about it, and it was considered a sexual anomaly like pedophilia. Now there are groups saying that pedophilia is not an anomaly at all but a normal way to show love and affection.

To say there are no sexual sins is to say there is no God, which is also to say that if there is no God, there is no right or wrong. But I think most people know in their gut that some sexual practices are just plain wrong, and others are far worse.

62

ls homosexuality really normal?

by atomant in

l know animals do it but their animals.they dont live by a moral code.the thought of 2 men going for it is not normal.what are your thoughts?.

Cold Steel

It's a valid scientific question.

I knew a professor of biology/anthropology who used medical charts to show how the sexual organs worked, and the infections and rectal bleeding such activity caused. And I've spoken to a hospital executive who formerly worked in an Emergency Room. "I've seen just about everything that could fit into a human anus removed in EMs, including lightbulbs, animals, toys, kitchen implements and so forth," he said. One time he removed a dildo that had become lodged in the rectum, he added. "I couldn't resist it," he said. "I looked down at the man lying face down on the gurney and couldn't resist," my friend said. "I touched the device and the man moaned. So I said said as straightfaced as I could, 'So do you want me to remove it or just change the batteries?'" The patient subsequently complained and the letter went into my friend's file for two years.

So is it normal? That's up to society to answer.

77

Inappropriate Behavior

by rebelfighter in

jw
friends

now i know i am getting older or of the older generation.

i have had a very strange day with a lot of strange dealings with people with strange behavior today but this one incident was just over the top.

so i came out of a store in a busy shopping center.

Cold Steel

Quarterback » It's ok if you are Spider Man, or Superman.

Better if it's the Flash.... Whooosh💨

22

need input: My older son has an interesting theory as to why my wife has her head in a watchtower 90% of the time

by goingthruthemotions in

i am still having issues with my still in wife.

my two son's and i don't want anything to do with the cult.

our marriage is a battle ground all the time.

Cold Steel

I believe she's reading the WATCHTOWER for reinforcement...or she's sending you a message in the hopes you'll return to the faith and get with the program. In many ways I'm sympathetic to ħer which is why I urge patience in the matter. In her present state, she sees in you a role of a betrayer. You need to get her to see the Organization as the betrayer.

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

IslandMan » The number of people who are DF'd and reproved is not representative of all the "serious" sinning going on. Many JWs secretly carry on "serious" sins like smoking, celebrating holidays, fornication, etc. Those that are reproved or DF'd are only those that have been found out.

Okay, smoking, celebrating holidays, fornication. Are these equally serious? What if someone attends another church? Is that like worshipping idols or something? Has visiting other churches always been strictly forbidden? Can you get DFed, shunned and everything for doing that? What if the church shares the same adventist core doctrines as the JWs? Is that still like visiting a (gasp!) Catholic church?

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 » I did not misrepresent the facts of the story. Meat was not allowed until the flood, hence Abel sacrificed garbage, fertilizer at best. God did not command worship, it was a spontaneous action invented by humans. The Bible story was the best guess at the time, we have moved on, and our actions, aka worship, should be based on what makes further progress. imho.

That is up to the religion as to what changes are made, but the religion of the God of Israel has always been a revealed religion and some religious scientists feel there's enough latitude built into it that there's plenty of`room for faith. Of all the religions on Earth, it's the only one based on continuing revelation, or communication between God and man.

So where are you getting your information? How do you know that no one ate meat before the flood? Or that Abel sacrificed garbage, fertilizer? Or that God did not ask for or expect worship? In the great scheme of things, worship has always included teaching. Everything has meaning. Animal sacrifice taught the blood sacrifice of Christ. It had no power to remit sins by its own virtue, but by virtue of Christ's sacrifice on the cross (and yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was a cross). In Christian times, baptism represented the burial and resurrection of Jesus. Both animal sacrifice and baptism also represented covenants (two way agreements) between God and man.

Worship is a way of recognizing the dominance and authority of God, accepting His laws as binding. God is described as being King, Lord and Master. But He also is our Father. And to believers, He has promised to reveal all things to us upon His coming.

“Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.” (D&C 101:32-34)

And Paul wrote nearly 2,000 years ago:

"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. ... Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ... But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty."
(I Corinthians 1:19-25)

The promise is to reconcile all things. Also, God has never demanded our worship. If we accept His dominion and His Fatherhood, we receive protection (security), prosperity and knowledge. If you don't wish to worship Him, no one holds a gun to your head. Above all else, He respects free agency.

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 » You can't be serious, you believe in the talking snake story? I just wanted to pointed out the absurdity of it all.

Whether the talking snake story is true or whether it's metaphor or just a load of crock makes no difference. It's how the story relates to the culture that's the issue. You misrepresent the story and then ridicule it. If you choose to ridicule the talking snake, fine, have at it. But what you're doing is constructing a strawman, then attacking it and tearing it to pieces without any regard to accuracy.

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?