so, even thought i faded more than a year ago, i still had my wt "library" w me, i am talking about the actual books!
dozens of them... well, this past week i have been thinking and talking to some (jw) friends and i realized i dont ever want to go back to that mess... so, i threw every single one of those books in the dumpster about 15 minutes ago... and it felt great!!
i had 3 boxes of books, i mean trash.... and it while throwing in the dumpster i promise, i felt like i was throwing my anger with it... i feel renew... ready to start the 1st day of the rest of my life!!
Best to rid yourself of it all. (It's probably demonized, anyway...lol) But 20 yrs. from now, you'll probably still find an old Kingdom Ministry at the bottom of a box of stored stuff like I did recently. It felt like a blast from the past.
I never did get rid of that old sickeningly bright green NWT though. I need a reminder sometimes of the extent they will go to be perceived as "different". What a crock!
its amazing how things seemed logical when you heard them.
consider the case of eve.
we always here how truly terrible a sin (most likely the unforgivable sin) because she was perfect and given one command.
You can look at this account in its (1) literal sense, its (2) teaching or moral sense, or a (3) spiritual value sense.
In the literal sense, it seems absurd. Eve was tempted, she disobeyed, she enticed Adam to disobey, and a dynamic was set in motion that reverberated throughout mankind's history.
In the teaching or moral sense, you get a more reasonable message from the "story": Things tempt us. Sometimes we want to rebel, step outside our parents'/church's instructions and do our own thing. We have to be prepared to suffer the consequences or rewards. For every choice, there is a repercussion of some kind.
But, if you believe these "stories" have a deeper esoteric meaning on a spiritual value level, then you can perhaps see that this act (the female energy becoming active rather than receptive or passive) was exactly what was needed in order for Free Will to become manifest in the world. Until the scales are tipped, the pendulum cannot be set into motion.
that's the question that i have been thinking about all day for some reason.
it's 5:30 am and i been in and out of sleep all night.
let me go into further detail to explain.
I insisted on a personal eulogy when my JW mother passed.
My fanatical JW sister tried to take over everything and we were headed for the religious infomercial kind of funeral. I calmly stepped in and told my sister that we (meaning MY grown children) wanted to say some things about their grandmother. She hesitated, I stood my ground, so she agreed, but she insisted that she KNOW in advance what was going to be said.
I told her that even though mother was a JW, she was so much more than that. My mother had NOT been raised a witness like us. So, she actually had a life at one time. We had the services at a funeral home (too many of mother's non-JW family attending, not to mention my df'd brothers) rather than the KH. Later, I was approached by some of the witnesses who told me that was one of the most touching and personal funerals they had ever attended.
... and post what you think about them.. thanks.. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/22.htm.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/23.htm.
i screwed up somewhere.. jam's thread about job got me to thinking about this.. syl.
I have recently begun an extensive study of my genealogy and am finding it fascinating. I find myself wishing that more written documentation had been saved regarding my ancestors. I have an old family Bible close to 100 years old that has a section for recording births, deaths, and events, and I have been slowly deciphering some of the listings in it. Just today I found a tidbit of information scribbled on a corner on the back page that fit perfectly into a piece of the puzzle I have been working on! I hesitate to handle it now because of its fragility and keep it wrapped to preserve it.
I used to get bored with the "begets and begots" listed in the bible, but now I believe there is a reason we should KNOW for a certainty what our family tree is all about and who the individuals are that brought us to this birth (us) at this time (now). I think there is some deeply significant importance to having this information. So, the first text in Jasher minutely detailing the genealogy fascinates me.
... and post what you think about them.. thanks.. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/22.htm.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/23.htm.
i screwed up somewhere.. jam's thread about job got me to thinking about this.. syl.
Sorry....for some reason this topic has my interest, so I'll post another thought I found odd/funny.
Ishmael was bragging to Isaac one day about his circumcision, telling Isaac that he was only thirteen when it was done to him. (Sounds like a couple of brothers trying to out-boast the other.)Isaac told him more or less, 'what's a little bit of flesh? I'm willing to give my whole body'. This made me think about Jaheshua and the Jews. They liked to brag about their "chosen-ness" by means of their circumcision, yet Jaheshua was willing to offer up his entire Life.
we've agreed to compromise on our differences and support each other through the years we have left.. i'm seeing a psychiatrist today to deal with my difficulties that stem from a traumatic and tumultuous childhood.. he is willing to yield in his beliefs that a man should control everything and make all the decisions.. being a stubborn jamaican, i realize how hard that is for him.. we're going to renovate the house so that he has his own quarters.. that way, my boisterous g'kids won't work his nerves too badly.. just wanted to put it out there.. syl.
Sounds like a workable solution. As one gets older and wiser, the admonition to "pick your battles wisely" rings louder and truer. It gets a lot easier to just let things go like water off a duck's back. You don't have to win every argument....heck, you don't even have to allow one to take root.
... and post what you think about them.. thanks.. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/22.htm.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/23.htm.
i screwed up somewhere.. jam's thread about job got me to thinking about this.. syl.
JO, have I told you lately that I love you?As I do you, sister.
I thought this was a terrific topic. I'm still interested in verses 70-75 in the second text regarding the ram, especially what is meant by the advancing of the ram toward Abraham and Satan trying to prevent it so that Abraham would have to sacrifice the flesh and blood Isaac. Thanks for sharing this, Sylvia.
... and post what you think about them.. thanks.. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/22.htm.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/23.htm.
i screwed up somewhere.. jam's thread about job got me to thinking about this.. syl.
I found verses 70 thru 75 of the second text very interesting regarding the ram. (Lots of room for discussion there if anyone chooses to do so.)_______
Also, I think probably the only real unconditional love that exists in the world is between a mother and her child. The account described in the book of Jasher describes Sarah's love for Isaac in much more detail than the biblical account does. Most of us mothers can relate to the Jasher account totally:
Sarah is beside herself with worry and concern over Isaac going off on this journey with Abraham. The description of this heartache is palpable. She agonizes over this trip, admonishing Abraham to look after him carefully, to stay near him, to not let him wander off alone, etc. She tells Abraham that Isaac's soul is bound to hers.
Then she stays up all night hugging Isaac, instructing him, kissing him, and preparing him for the trip. She dresses him in the finest and makes sure he has all the provisions he will need, even though he is a grown man. She cries before he leaves, cries while she waves good-bye to him, and cries while he is gone. Perhaps she intuitively knows that something is not right. Abraham has not told her the real reason he's taking Isaac on this journey. When they don't come home as soon as she thinks they should have, she goes off looking for him. The description of her pain and worry is heart-breaking. Satan disguises himself and tells her Isaac has been sacrificed, then he disguises himself again and tells her he's alive. She is so overcome with joy at the last news, that she dies (probably from a stroke or heart attack).
In the end, it is this Mother that suffers the most from the worry and stress and love for her child, and it is the Mother that loses her life.
... and post what you think about them.. thanks.. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/22.htm.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/23.htm.
i screwed up somewhere.. jam's thread about job got me to thinking about this.. syl.
I'm not sure what you're thinking, Sylvia, but I'll throw another thought out there:
Before God ever told Abraham to offer up Isaac, Isaac himself had willingly made the offer in a conversation with Ishmael. God heard him tell his brother that he would gladly give his life up for his father (both heavenly and earthly father.) So, when Satan appeared before the Lord with his suggestion, God already knew what the outcome would be.
... and post what you think about them.. thanks.. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/22.htm.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/23.htm.
i screwed up somewhere.. jam's thread about job got me to thinking about this.. syl.
Darn IE9!!!! I always have to remember to hit the compatibility button!
Like Chariklo, many things came to mind. The first was that the same "story" in Job happened to Abraham. Satan appeared before God and suggested to the Lord that Abraham had grown complacent in his dedication and worship ever since Isaac had been born, and that he needed to be tested by having his beloved Isaac offered as a sacrifcice.
