Posts by tenyearsafter

199

Trinitarians! Who is Jesus Christ's father the Holy Spirit or the Father?

by booker-t in

this is one question that trinitarians try to avoid because they have created a very embarrassing problem.

the bible is very clear when the angel tells mary that holy spirit will overshadow her and she will become pregnant.

the angel does not say the father will overshadow her but the holy spirit will and if the holy spirit is a person that would make him the father of jesus.

tenyearsafter

The most simple explanation for the Trinity I have heard is the following:

The Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit are of one essence (God).

Men, women and children are of one essence (Human).

Though of one essence, The Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit are still seperate persons of equal essence (God); just as humans are all equally of one essence (Human), but seperate persons.

I am not my wife or my son, but the three of us are seperate persons, but still equally Human.

The Father is not Jesus or the Holy Spirit, but the three are seperate persons, but still equally God.

That may not make you a Trinity believer, but it certainly helps boil down the concept.

56

Did Any Atheist/Agnostic Revert Back to Their Former Beliefs?

by Space Madness in

jw
friends

are their any former atheist/agnostic on here who reverted to christianity or a belief in god.

i became an atheist back in july and it was the most unfulfilling depressive period of my life.

i'm now starting to rebuild my relationship with god and i'm already starting to feel a lot better.

I am not personally aware of any atheists that were believers who then returned to theism. As noted earlier, there have been a number of prominent atheists that have become believers in theism, C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel being notable among them. I think it would be as difficult for a "converted" atheist to return to theism as it is for a JW to leave the Borg...kind of a reverse cognitive dissonance.

40

Is it true that the GB is soon planning on ditching the 1914 doctrine?

by yogosans14 in

or atleast tweaking it again... apparently there has been rumors of this coming out of bethel.

.

tenyearsafter

It sounds like they are going to celebrate it based on their 100 years of Kingdom rule statements...

34

Feeling disloyal

by stirred but not shaken in

i've been visiting here for about a year or so, but didn't really feel compelled to participate other than reading the various posts that interested me.. there's been that uncomfortable feeling of being disloyal to god, the organization, many friends and relatives.. i've been associated since birth.

after 65 + years of service within this organization and actually enjoying that time, it troubled me to find myself wanting to express feelings that were contrary to all that time of "faithfulness".

those years were filled with progressive "privileges and responsibilities" even at a high level, and there was considerable success in our evangelizing activity.

tenyearsafter

Welcome Stirred!

I applaud your search for truth and wish you the best on the journey! It is a difficult road to travel, but a road well worth taking.

I also agree with DNC...a REAL martini is always made with gin (preferably Hendricks!), and should be treated like a woman...handled with love and respect...and definitely not bruised!!

154

How many here (believers) believe in the Hell fire doctrine and why??

by jam in

jw
friends

it's obvious the bible is very clear on a actual hell of fire.

"cursed into the eternal fire with the devil and his angels", rev.20:15.

"lake of fire", rev.21:8 "fire and brimstone".

tenyearsafter

Most Christians believe Hell is eternal seperation from God...in many ways, that is similar to JW's in belief. The concept of a literal burning Hell is becoming a minority understanding of the very fundamental sects. Even if a person refers to Hellfire, I seriously doubt that most actually believe in a literal fire and brimstone place.

36

Anyone going to the memorial this year?

by Pyramid God in

jw
friends

i was invited by my parents, and even though i have nothing but contempt for this religion, things have been good in our relationship so i was considering going just to appease them.

anyone else?.

tenyearsafter

Nicely said DNC...I will be celebrating the annual rejection of God's Son with King Crab legs and prime rib!

130

Involved with a JW woman

by jonza in

okay so i'm dating a born-in jw woman, she's younger than me and has no kids.

i'm a christian man whos divorced with 2 kids.

we're in love and seriously want to be together.

tenyearsafter

Jonza, I have no doubt that you love this woman, and you have the final choice here, but you are already getting a glimpse of the future. You are only seeing a glimmer of the cult personality. The fact that she has a relationship with you, a "worldly man", convinces me that she feels she can change you once you are married. She has convinced herself that whatever she is doing now will be forgiven after she repents and brings you, a living offering, to the altar of the WT. This is a very tough situation...I would confront it head on. Tell her you will NEVER become a JW, and forbid any children to be raised as JW's...see what her reaction is. I am guessing she will say it is ok, but you will notice "tells" in her body language to the contrary.

Remember the old adage..."Men marry women hoping they will never change, and women marry men hoping they WILL change!"

49

My personal movie review: Darren Aronofsky's NOAH

by Terry in

jw
friends

noah, my movie review.

you may have already judged this film and you've never seen it!

like many of its critics, you think you know what you're going to see and .

tenyearsafter

Hi Terry...thanks for your thoughtful review.

I do see that Aronofsky's attempt was to show the conflicted feelings of Noah and his family amidst the evil of his time and his service to the Creator. I would disagree that this was good film making. I found the movie to be plodding, dark and unable to define itself. If it weren't so controversial as to its authenticity, the movie would have faded away at the box office based on its merits. Unfortunately, I couldn't wait for it to end...just plain boring. I agree with others that have stated it would have been better to follow the biblical version for story content...it would make for more interesting viewing.

36

First post after a year or two of lurking on this site-Sorry for the length!

by Pattytheperfect1 in

not sure of the point of telling my story, but just got off the phone with my grandma and i am so angry, stressed and i don't know what else...i guess i just wanted to hear from someone other than my husband that i'm not crazy for my reaction to family interaction.. my condensed story gramatical errors and all :).

father was a born in jw, mother was a convert.

i was born the last of 3 siblings and shortly after my birth in 1981 my parents divorced.

tenyearsafter

Welcome!

It's amazing how many variations of this story there are. It is terrible that you had to endure this during your formative years, though it sounds like you have found happiness away from the JW's. I am always amazed at how JW's elevate themselves as being "better" than the world, yet produce as many, if not more, dysfunctional families than the very "worldy" ones they condemn...what a bunch of hypocrites!!

58

The Noah Movie

by Quarterback in

well, i saw it.

you better get ready for everyone's talk about it.. it was 25 % biblical, 75 % fantasy.. noah was mean as a character, his family was great.

methusala, was an old fart..

tenyearsafter

I just saw it. I don't understand the uproar over the "environmental" theme and lack of Biblical authenticity...it wasn't really that obvious to the average person.

I went with the mindset that it was a fantasy movie, similar to Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. For me it was just a mediocre movie that dragged frequently. The effects were so-so, and the acting passable. My overall take away was that this was a movie that would not stand up well on its own merits, but has been boosted by hype and bad publicity. Brilliant marketing, crappy movie.