Posts by cognac

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

Judas was replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:25-26) Jesus only had 12 Apostles (Rev. 21:14). I view Paul as Jesus did. (Rev. 2 :2)

This is a very interesting point. It is noteworthy to bring out that Paul said in Timothy that ALL of Asia had rejected him. I don't know if he said that before or after he wrote his letter to Ephesus. I believe he was even being tried but I'm not sure what for.

This brings up a few questions that I'm researching right now trying to figure out. It seems that in Acts that God did in fact accept him and give him his spirit. However, at that point Paul hadn't called himself Apostle. It seems that he could have been accepted by God but later disapproved...

So, my question is, could anyone other then the 12 be called Apostles? Is there a general use of the term Apostle whereas the 12 are the one with a special place with Jesus?

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

AGuest - You have given me a lot to ponder over. Thank-you for your comments!

33

Does the Watchtower KNOW they are using mind control techniques?

by finding my way in

jw
friends

i've read a few other threads about cult mind control as well as steven hassans book comabatting cult mind control.

i also read a thread questioning the watchtowers motives.

are they in it for the money or what?

cognac

It's interesting to me how they stated excommunication in 1947 was not only unscriptural, but also Pagan. One of the scriptures used was in 1 Cor. 5.

Then, a few years later they not only start excommunicating, but they take it to the extreme...

That alone makes me think they know what they are doing...

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

THanks Isaac! You are very well versed!

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

hmmm, that raises some interesting questions. I'm going to look at Matt 21:31 and the scripture that states flesh and blood won't make it into the kingdom. Maybe that will help shed some light on this. I say the one about flesh and blood not entering into the kingdom because humans would have to turn into a spirit before they can enter. That doesn't mean that humans won't enter at all just because at that point they are flesh and blood.

However, I could be misapplying the point of that scripture. I have to look it up...

Also, Matt. 21:31 leads me to believe even harlots would enter - just last. But, I gotta go really read the surrounding text...

Also, I did a quick lookup of this and some say that it could actually mean "male prostitution"... hmmm, I'm gonna have to research this...

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

That's true Psac. I wonder what Paul meant by them not being able to inherit God's kingdom then...

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

Wouldn't not making it into God's kingdom make it a mortal sin?

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

I still wonder about the fact that he said gays and such wouldn't inherit God's Kingdom. Considering how Jesus was, I would think he would be more forgiving...

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

Its impossible for us to know what ANYONE would have thought about unmarried people IN LOVE doing the deed, certainly it would be better for all if they were married (less complications), but the fact that there were prostitutes around means that Lust found a way, lol !

I guess my question was what Paul had in mind when he said "fornication"... Of course, this gives leeway for people to view it anyway they want since Paul wasn't specific and then lord it over people such as the BORG does... According to Strong's dictionary, I would have to believe like you that it was a lot more to then just doing the deed before marriage and such. This is how Strong's defines it:

a (male) prostitute (as venal), i.e. (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine):--fornicator, whoremonger.

debauchee is "a person addicted to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; one given to debauchery."

109

What Are Your Thoughts On The Apostle Paul?

by cognac in

jw
friends

i find him very confusing and difficult to figure out sometimes.

evidently, peter did also.

anyways, i find him a bit harsh and unloving in the way he deals with the congregations and i was shocked how he rebuked with peter.

cognac

The greek word for fornicationis Porneia and can mean:

illict sexual intercourse, adultery, homosexuality, intercourse with animals, intercourse with close relatives, divorced man or woman, it is also a metaphoe for worshiping idols and the difilement of idoltary.

It wasn't just a couple of people doing the hunka-chunka before mariage.

Typically it was a "sinful" act when aplied to visitinga prostitute or having sex with someone you shouldn't ( Relative, same sex, assoted woodland creatures).

hmmm, that's very interesting. I wonder how Paul would have viewed to people in a serious relationship having intercourse that broke up and then got into another serious relationship where they had intercourse with somebody else. Do you think he would have told people not to mix in company with people such as this?

I mean, people have such strong sexual feelings at even 13 or 14 years old. If they give into those feelings without marrying the person would they be now faulted to not mix in company with? Could they even be considered a brother or sister at that point anyways according to scripture?

I find it very harsh that young ones have such sexual urges at such a young age when there is no hope of being able to act on them for years. To bad they didn't start getting those urges until they were at least 20 when they were at least closer to marrying age...