i was wondering if it's actually possible to define what faith is in a simple, logical, unambiguous way.. .
i have a theory that words which cannot be defined in a simple, logical, unambiguous way do not really mean anything specific, and therefore should probably be avoided.. .
i know there have been books written on this subject, but i think that anyone who has to write an entire book to define a simple word like faith, does not really understand what it means.. .
The word "Faith" has been used by too many people in too many different ways to be useful any more.
I'm not sure what point there might be in attempting to repaint the word unless one just loves the sound it makes or the way the word looks when it's written.
To answer the question - "Yes".
It's always possible to provide an unambiguous definition of any word.
The question is whether others will agree with you. - They won't. Ever.
twelve reasons for preaching.
why do we preach and teach the good news?
is it primarily to help honesthearted people onto the road to life?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGR4SFOimlk
Whoever wrote these lines for Pacino really gave it some thought.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-z-bobzien-tommy&pid=157453859.
note: this just happened and some rumours are surfacing from bethel family there and are told "not to talk" about this.
1. young man called parents to say good bye night before being found dead.
well, we spend enough time on this forum criticizing the society don't we?
i think we should even this out by commending them whenever they get something right.. for example, the cover of the 2012 yearbook is a vast improvement on the year before!.
graphics guy: so ed, what pictures do you want on our 2011 yearbook cover?
That's about what I imagine. Not even in jest.
with gas prices on the rise the republicans and fox news are blaming it on obama.. .
but wait, back in 2008 when gas hit $4.11 a gallon they said just the opposite about bush: the president has no control over gas prices.. .
sure, "we report the news, you decide".
With gas prices on the rise the Republicans and Fox News are blaming it on Obama.
But wait, back in 2008 when gas hit $4.11 a gallon they said just the opposite about Bush: the President has no control over gas prices.
Sure, "We report the news, you decide"
2008:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzEnKdBAb_o
2012:
ohmygosh!!!
one of my friends who is a ms told me today that the elders have 'marked' me because i'm a reg.pioneer and i've decided to go to college next semester???!
he said he can't tell me anymore but to be careful---what the hell does 'mark' mean?
Yeah. Same old stuff.
I was working full time, pioneering and going to college. Never missed meetings, was the TMS school conductor, conducted a book study at my house for ten years and STILL some had problems with it. (my college activities...never mind I was testing out of everything via what's now known as Excelsior College and never bothered with normal class work because I studied on my own and took CLEP's, and the like for the bulk, so you couldn't argue w/regard to my nonexistent association with so-called worldlings)
They aren't anything. They're wrong about being anointed, they're wrong about there being a class called "Christ's Brother's". The FDS is a parable with a point, namely "Are YOU faithful" and later followed up with a point where in the final judgement you get looked at by how you deal with so called "least ones". You do well and you're called "Christ's Brothers" at that time. There was no identification of class.
I am so glad I'm out of that nonsense now.
Of course totalitarian madness exists in academia as well.
i'd just stand at the door and not knock on it or ring it.
if someone came, i'd make a presentation - "here's your tract!".
otherwise i'd just wait a couple of minutes and then go to the next door and not knock.. .
I'd just stand at the door and not knock on it or ring it. If someone came, I'd make a presentation - "Here's your tract!". Otherwise I'd just wait a couple of minutes and then go to the next door and not knock.
My theory was that if the angels were involved in the work, they'd make the ones who were interested come to the door and purposely engage ME.
Oddly enough that would happen sometimes.
so my whole life i heard the phrase 'faithful and discrete slave' and never paid attention to the real meaning of "discrete".
which is weird, because i'm a bit of a word junkie.
i guess the familiarity of the expression made me mentally gloss over it somehow.
The discrete elements making up the Faithful and Discreet Slave Class are ....
Of course that just makes me think of "Desperate Housewives" vs "Disparate Housewives"
perfection implies two things: a purpose and a tool for the purpose.. the fork, by itself, is neither perfect nor imperfect.. a fork is perfect for eating peas but imperfect for eating soup.
the purpose and the tool must match.. people are not, of themselves, imperfect.
they are suited for or not suited for particular purposes.. .
You think about these things a lot Terry, and though I rarely comment, I appreciate your thinking.
My own thoughts go along the lines like these:
Suppose we were given faux free will instead of real free will. Now even at present we have no way of knowing whether we have one or the other.
Suppose though, for the moment that we do.
Suppose that instead of this we were given faux free will and thought we had the real thing.
Suppose we were then told "Don't do this, else we'd die." but we in point of fact lacked the ability to actually do that which we might have imagined we might do such that we imagined we thought better of the whole thing and refrained, but in point of fact we were designed to racionate in this manner.
By these means we would if the story be true, be living forever congratulating ourselves on our wisdom and prudence in acting in our best long-term interests instead of being bit actors in this tragedy of human history.
Where's the "Love" in this?
I asked this once when I was still in of a young man who was intelligent enough to make the connections.
His response was "Well, Jehovah would know."
And I responded with a wry grin..."So it's all about him then is it?"
and it wasnt even on the platform!.
i got a knock on the door this morning from a jw in another local congregation.
it's the first time this has happened since i left in october.
You were civil and logical.
I vacillate on what my response would be.
I know that anyone capable of thinking has access to the internet and if these were truly truth-oriented they'd find what they needed to leave like me, however they haven't so I don't know if these are mentally defective, non truly truth-oriented, or on the way out even as we might speak.
Having said that I don't know if there's any value to me or them to my saying anything.
Should I even answer the door?
I don't know.
I never bought the stupid star-fish illustration even as it might be applied to those escaping the organization, so I don't know that any reaction is better than any other.
