WOW, go to work for 15 hours and come back to....a whole lotta posts.
The actual purpose of this thread was twofold: to find information, and comfort. I've read a few sites that explore what the "anti-gay" verses could have meant. I wanted to see if anyone here had personal experience with this quest, as well. Also, I was seeking comfort and what comforted other people with similar experiences and circumstances.
I actually looked at the Skeptic's Annotated Bible last night, before I saw that recommendation on this post. It made me laugh at work. It did make me question what kind of personality the God of the Bible has, as demonstrated by his actions. And do I feel comfortable worshipping a God that would do those things, that has that kind of personality? Oh, and it did have some sections related to homosexuality.
Thanks to the people that answered what I was asking, thanks for the links and the positive feeling.
I was really only seeking advice and info on a few select verses, though I recognize that some people were trying to help by questioning the Bible as a whole. But, I feel that large of a topic deserves its own separate topic from the one I started.
I think darkuncle29 hit the nail on the head, rather that a few other people. I've not been going to meeting for 7 years now, well except maybe once or twice a year. But that whole time, in the back of my head, I've always still felt that the Society was right. Now I'm questioning that. Instead of just having this low level current of disapproval going on in my head all the time, that sometimes erupts. So, I am somewhat starting to question the Bible as a whole, but slowly, slowly, baby steps.
BFD--I was just looking to explore the notion that maybe some words got mistranslated. Not to discredit it all together.
I'm starting to see homosexuality in the light of a civil rights movement. People used the Bible to support slavery....and I hope we all think that slavery is wrong. People used the Bible to support women being treated as property, and that doesn't quite jive either. We look back on it now, and go ," What were they thinking!?" So, maybe it will be for homosexuality soon.
Hellrider--I've thought about that exercise often in the past. I can't actually perform this exercise but always thought the observation that straight guys thought lesbians were fun, and gay guys were gross was...unfair, to say the least.
Phew, sorry if this doesn't exactly flow well, I've been up all night working and am quite tired.
cloudblue
JoinedPosts by cloudblue
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33
Refute anti-gay Bible verses
by cloudblue inanyone done some research to refute the handful of anti-gay verses in the bible?
i've done a bit of research on the net.
i don't have the links handy, but most of them centered around the assertion that the original words in those passages were mis-translated.
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cloudblue
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Lurking Believing JW's - READ then ANSWER
by KW13 indeuteronomy 18:20-22
20 but a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything i have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.
21 you may say to yourselves, "how can we know when a message has not been spoken by the lord ?
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cloudblue
Yea Gopher, that's what I was trying to say, but I think you said it better.
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33
Refute anti-gay Bible verses
by cloudblue inanyone done some research to refute the handful of anti-gay verses in the bible?
i've done a bit of research on the net.
i don't have the links handy, but most of them centered around the assertion that the original words in those passages were mis-translated.
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cloudblue
OOO
Please less thread hi-jacking. Just was looking for refutation links. Not Bible bashing. -
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Refute anti-gay Bible verses
by cloudblue inanyone done some research to refute the handful of anti-gay verses in the bible?
i've done a bit of research on the net.
i don't have the links handy, but most of them centered around the assertion that the original words in those passages were mis-translated.
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cloudblue
Hi all,
Anyone done some research to refute the handful of anti-gay verses in the Bible? I've done a bit of research on the net. I don't have the links handy, but most of them centered around the assertion that the original words in those passages were mis-translated. And they should have meant things that had to do with idolatry, temple prostitution, etc.
It'd help me out a bunch. I'm overall well-adjusted with being out of the org, but a few times a year I can't sleep at night, and feel really scared. Not so much from the Org, but from reading Bible passages, and being disturbed at thinking God won't give me eternal life b/c of it. I even broke up with my b/f of 2 years over it. :( That did not make him very happy. We got back together btw, but it's a stressor in our relationship.
Oh yea, what's a dub? J-dub? What's that mean? -
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Evil JW tortured children WARNING: Graphic Descriptions
by Nemesis ini just found this very disturbing new article.
heres the link, but these links dont last long on the mails site, so here is the text if the link goes down:.
link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=443589&in_page_id=1770&ct=5.
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cloudblue
Just wanted to chime in too. This is horrid. But what I thought of as I read it is this. That could have been a Catholic, or a Muslim, or a pagan, or an atheist. It's just sick, but there is only a correlation with the fact that she's a JW. I don't smell any hints of causality. No cause/effect relationship.
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Lurking Believing JW's - READ then ANSWER
by KW13 indeuteronomy 18:20-22
20 but a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything i have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.
21 you may say to yourselves, "how can we know when a message has not been spoken by the lord ?
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cloudblue
Where did you hear they did not claim to be inspired? I thought that the Governing Body asserted it was directed by the Holy Spirit to give food at the proper time.
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Lurking Believing JW's - READ then ANSWER
by KW13 indeuteronomy 18:20-22
20 but a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything i have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.
21 you may say to yourselves, "how can we know when a message has not been spoken by the lord ?
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cloudblue
Yea, The Society is not claiming to be a prophet. I've also read the assertion that a fulfilled prophecy is best recognized after it has occurred, i.e. we know now that 1914 was a pivotal year, but before that time it was not exactly clear. I forgot where I read that one.
Even if denying being a prophet, it sure sounds like it to me. If some medium said, "In such and such year, this will happen. You had better prepare for it." It would sure sound like prophecy to me. -
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California Wildfires = The end?
by RollerDave ini just got a call from my jw mom asking if i was watching the news.. i'm like, "no, what's up?".
i'm imagining something must really be up, like we invaded some more countries or mushroom clouds over american cities, or maybe somebody famous did something horrible in public, or something.. she tells me 'half of california is burning.'.
i'm like "yeah, it's been doing that for a while now.".
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cloudblue
Actually, the meeting times for the congregation that I think serves Moorpark on Sunday are 10: 30, 3:30, and 6:30 at night ;) I'm not positive that Hall serves Moorpark though.
I called my Mom to let her know I was Ok, since I'm close to the area, but not evacuated, and she's all, "Fires? I didn't know there were any fires, but I'm glad you're safe honey." -
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Growing up a gay Jehovah's Witness (My Life Story)
by m0nk3y ini feel the need to express how i feel and felt about my life as a gay man.
i was brought up from birth as a jehovahs witness.
this has played a major part in my life and it has been a real struggle to get past.
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cloudblue
OOO thanks baba yaga. I am using firefox, so hopefully that will help. I actually know a little about the baba yaga myth/story. It's a neat Russian Witch that dwells in a house on chicken feet. I think she's usually bad, but I've seen a couple references where she helped people, but mainly people feared her.
re: am I Josh? Nopers. I'm Cloudblue. I'm Aaron, living in Cali. Just had my own story to tell, since alot of what Josh said resonated with me and my own experience.
I remember trying this exercise on my Mom and an elder. I said,"Ok, just try for a minute to imagine if tomorrow new understanding of the Bible showed that you couldn't like the opposite sex anymore, but you had to have attraction to/love/marry the same sex." I would always get blank stares and a mental brick wall, and an answer like,"Jehovah doesn't command that." I would then explain,"I'm just trying to illustrate how hard of a thing it is, that you're asking me to do. You are unable to even fathom trying to be attracted to the same sex, and it's just as hard for me to try to be attracted to the opposite sex." -
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Welcome, Cloudblue
by BFD inwelcome to the forum, cloudblue.. good to have you here.
keep posting.. bfd.
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cloudblue
Well, thanks for the prayer, and the fellow feeling. I did the same, just relocated to cali, and faded, never DF or DA. My mom and dad are still in the truth. Yes, you can reprint what I wrote, BFD, and hopefully reformat it to look normal, and not just a BIG WALL OF TEXT.