Posts by JustHuman14

108

The secret of how Christianity spread across the world

by Terry in

what i am going to say may sound nasty and mean-spirited.

i assure you it is not intended in that tone.. men are power seekers and control freaks.

without using women as drones to do the grunt work of religion.

JustHuman14

It is obvious that indeed women played a very importand role in the spreading of Christianity. Terry you have confirmed my observations in my post regarding Maria Magdalene.

36

Circuit Assembly Lowlights

by Red Piller in

our do is a southerner- his drawl makes the.

scary things he says much easier to swallow.. some highlights of his talks:.

apostates are miserable.

JustHuman14

I loved Avatar....would I get disfellowshiped for watching it????

31

Bible's Buried Secrets

by Mat in

anyone in the uk watching this seris?

last one on next tuesday.

the first two can be watched online here:.

The secret of how Christianity spread across the world

by Terry in

what i am going to say may sound nasty and mean-spirited.

i assure you it is not intended in that tone.. men are power seekers and control freaks.

without using women as drones to do the grunt work of religion.

There are many aspects regarding how did Christianity spread out in the World. Perhaps we might have similar reasons why did Muslims spread out as well. Both religions have their foundations in Judaism, so they are kind of "Judaic Sects", although at their beginning Muslims consider to be a Christian Sect.

What did prevented Judaism to spread out in the Ancient World? I guess it was the fact that their God, was God of wrath with laws like, "an eye for an eye". Besides the Hebrew faith was based upon Mesopotamian legends and stories like Noah's Flood, a reproduction of Gilgamesh Epic and even the Mosaic Law is a copy of the Hammurabi's Code, and that is not a surprise to have many similarities, since Abraham came from Mesopotamia region and moved to Palestine.

Then we have the same pattern of Jesus story known to the Greco-Roman World. Mithras a Roman God, He was born through a Virgin Mother, had 12 disciples, he was considered the Light of the World, the Savior, died and resurrected for the sins of mankind. The same pattern is founded with the Egyptian God Horus, Greek semi- God Adonis. Again the same story is repeated through the Hindu Krishna (Christ) and Buddha.

So Christianity, or Jesus Christ story and teachings to be more accurate, are not something new to the World. They existed in different variations in many places, that's why it was easy to be accepted.

A key role, and one of the major factors of Christianity's expansion was the Hellenic Culture domination of the Ancient World. Since Alexander the Great conquered the known World he passed the Hellenic language, religion and philosophy to many other places. Socrates, Plato, have similar ideas and teachings like Jesus did, so for a "new" religion to appeared wasn't hard, since it had the same accepted principals. So we have the unique Hellenic Culture all over the Roman Empire from Minor Asia, Middle East, Black Sea, Balkans, Africa(just to remind you Alexandria and the vast Library it was build by the Greeks) Europe and Mediterranean Sea to be the dominated by the one and only Hellenic Culture and Language. Besides Jesus preaching was more successful to the Hellenic speaking Jews, instead of the native speaking Jews.

At the early stages of Christianity, the first 300 years it was persecuted by the dominant Roman religion of the era. So if you persecute something, it usually thrives. Christians had a unique bond -Love that was Jesus fundamental teaching. Jesus preaching gave an update role to women, we all know from the Gospels the way He spoke and deled with women, plus He first appeared to them after His resurrection from the death. Even in His Mother Womb we have the prophesy that "she will be honored like no other Woman on earth" and this honor it is clearly seen within the Orthodox/Catholic Church.

The emphasis on women appeared in the Gnostic Gospels and especially in The Gospel of Maria Magdalene, a gospel that was banned from the Biblical Canon (along with some others like the Gospel Of Thomas). We know that, at the Early Christian Church there wasn't any structure or central control, regarding of what Books could the congregations read, besides the 51 books of the Old Testament. We had many other writings circulating along with Epistles of the Apostles and along with them they used to be the Gnostic Gospels. It seems that in the Early Church women played an equal role like men, and this is obvious in the Gospel of Magdalene, that women could serve in the Christian Church. We even find early paintings in Rome's Catacombs that women served as priests. There was a conflict for the role of women within the Early Church and this conflict ended when Constantine declared Christianity as the official Religion of the East and West Romanae. The structure started to be more official and Church Councils (Synodos) started to take place in order to clarify Christian Faith, starting with Council of Nicene in 325A.D with the Trinity issue. Then the Biblical Cannon was clarified by Saint Athanasius in 365A.D. and sealed for good the Books that consisted the Canon, leading to fade the Gnostic Gospels.

So we have many reasons why did Christianity spread so fast:

1. The common Hellenic Culture and Language amongst the Greco-Roman Empire
2. Jesus message and teachings that was Universal to all
3. The important role of women in the Early Church
4. Constantine the Great who turned Christianity the Official Religion of East and West Roman Empire

40

craziest reason elders wanted to have a commitee meeting with you

by glentrevette in

i had a sister who was a tenant in my house and her car was leaking oil all over my newly paved driveway before she moved in i had a condition on the lease that said if her car leaked oil she couldnt park there and i told here after she moved in that she was being deceptive to me when she said her car didnt leak oil she was good friends with a lot of powerful elders in the hall and would you believe they asked to meet with me 3 elders in the back room of the library because they said i had called this sister a liar i got out of it only after i produced a copy of the lease and pictures of the oil mess if i hadnt of had pictures maybe i would of been dfd.

JustHuman14

I miss the meeting to watch Elvis funeral.....

13

WT 15th Feb 2011;Treatment of DF'ed/DA'ed Family Members

by jookbeard in

is this a newer hard line stance or has it been similar for the last couple of years?

there clearly must be a problem in this area in regards to nations that appear to have far stronger family units not adhering to the previous warnings, the wt article definitely has a barf alert comparing jeehobah's feelings when the angels rebelled in heaven!

well how the hell would they have know his feelings?.

JustHuman14

Indeed they are promoting hate, but they will never tell that, will they? I'm a disfellowshiped person and I feel the hate, SOCIAL ISOLATION, and the cut off from family ties. If you ask anyone who is in the possition like me, they will say that our human rights are violated. So it is better for the WT to start respecting the human rights for their ex-members if they do not wish Goverments to go after them..

96

April 15th WT - WT Society says " Obeying Us is Same as Obeying God "

by flipper in

jw
friends

this is a non-study article in the witness only version of the april 15th titled " do you discern the evidence of god's guidance ?

" essentially in this article the alleged " faithful slave " is telling witnesses that to be approved to survive armageddon- they will have to recognize the " faithful & discreet slave's " authority in their lives.. notice these direct quotes from pg.

4 , " jesus christ is the assigned leader of the congregation.

JustHuman14

they are tightening the screws!!! I just don't know how long the rank and file will go on like that. As I have seen the new GB members and specially that idiot, Losch are even more hard than the old ones...

I don't know for how long the GB will continue this blasphemy, by replacing Jesus. At the end of the day they might come up that they are the ones who died for our sins and not Jesus...

13

WT 15th Feb 2011;Treatment of DF'ed/DA'ed Family Members

by jookbeard in

is this a newer hard line stance or has it been similar for the last couple of years?

there clearly must be a problem in this area in regards to nations that appear to have far stronger family units not adhering to the previous warnings, the wt article definitely has a barf alert comparing jeehobah's feelings when the angels rebelled in heaven!

well how the hell would they have know his feelings?.

JustHuman14

they do have problems with Nations that have strong family bonds. I can tell you about the Greeks and general the people living in Mediterranean Sea, that have the same ethnic characteristics.

My personal expierience shows that most of the DF'ed JW's have communication with their family. I know a family that one son is an elder the other son DF'ed and they go on family trips together, and family gatherings!!! In my case many relatives of mine still speak to me, even some of my long time JW's friends!!! And I know MANY cases of ex-jw's who still take care of their parents and having social gatherings with them.

GB cannot have control on everything as much as they desire. Family BONDS in some countries ARE STRONGER than their EVIL POLICY...

79

Are we losing members quicker than the WT ??

by wobble in

jw
friends

reading a thread from just a few months ago, made me realise that a lot of people who used to be regular contributors here no longer do so.. i know that people have always moved on, as the anger and hurt get less, as the wt mind-set totally disappears, we feel the need to come here less and less, but because of the intelligence, insight, wit and wisdom of these people, the board is somewhat impoverished each time one of these moves on.. this is a plea to all who post now, and some who still read but don't post, please do not leave us entirely, the contributions on here are literally life-saving for many.

it is easy to get dangerously suicidal when the whole wt pack of cards falls down for you.. please do not become a stranger to us !.

JustHuman14

Indeed lot of people left the forum. I'm posting since 2001,(I was justhuman but I had problem when the forum changed and I had to log on with a slight change) almost 10 years and I have seen lot of people leaving.

People get tired(like myself) and feel that they wanna go on with their life, leaving behind WT. I do post from time to time, but not like before. For sure old members can help easily the new ones who question WT and they are having their Crisis of conscious, but the internet has so many information regarding WT that is very helpful.

This forum serves like a dwelling place for those who are injured by WT, they stay as long they need to be healed and then they carry on...

46

The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament.

by whereami in

the victors not only write the history, they also reproduce the texts.

in a study that explores the close relationship between the social history of early christianity and the textual tradition of the emerging new testament, ehrman examines how early struggles between christian "heresy" and "orthodoxy" affected the transmission of the documents over which, in part, the debates were waged.

his thesis is that proto-orthodox scribes of the second and third centuries occasionally altered their sacred texts for polemical reasons--for example, to oppose adoptionists like the ebionites, who claimed that christ was a man but not god, or docetists like marcion, who claimed that he was god but not a man, or gnostics like the ptolemaeans, who claimed that he was two beings, one divine and one human.

JustHuman14

The pattern of Christianity it is traced in many Ancient Religions: We have Crishna(does it sound familiar with Christ!)He was born from a Virgin Mother, perfomed miracles, had 12 disciples, He was called the Light of The World, he was killed and reserructed after 3 days!!! The same story it is found in the Egyptian Religion with Horus, the Greek Religion with Adonis. We have at least 12-14 old ancient religions repeating the same pattern of Christianity...

The Gnostic Gospels were circulating the same era with the other Gospels. Then when the Orthodox Apostolic Church came with Bishop Athanasius and arranged the Biblical Cannon with the 76 Books, they rejected all the Gnostic Gospels, like the Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Judas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.(just to name a few). Specially the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, that clearly shows that in the Early Church, women had been Bishops and perfomed clergy duties among the first Christians. What was the reason not to accept it? Simply the just followed the Judaic system of priesthood and banned all women from having any clergy role at the Church...

Indeed there is a huge difference from the God(YHWH)of the Old Testament and Jesus. It seems like a childish God, that gets angry easyly, He is Jealous(I'm a Jealous God, you will worship no other God but Me). So how can a God be jealous and afraids from other God's that they are not even "true God's"? And what kind of God refuses for the first created Woman and Man the "knowledge of knowing good and bad"?

In the Gnostic Gospels we find a differend explanation than the Old Testament, regarding God. It describes that there are many Gods in different levels, and the God that Created this Universe, was not aware of the other levels that existed, higher than Him, and He became arrogant. That is why the other Gods. sent Jesus on Earth in order to fix the problems that they were created due to the arrogance and pride of the Creator of this World.

So in the start Christianity was so different. It had the Universal teaching of love, to share things with others, and most of all the Love Conquers all things. That is why Jesus was opposed to the Mosaic Law, He was opposed to the Scribes and Pharisees and their man made laws and actually seized that law with only one command: "Love your fellow person like your self". A complete different attitude from the God of the Old Testament that He required an Eye for an Eye..