Posts by GLTirebiter

an assembly of roman catholic bishops convened by pope francis at the vatican released a preliminary document on monday which shows a marked shift in tone from 2000 years history.

catholic church is poised for welcoming and accepting gay people, unmarried couples......in sharp defiance of the principle found in romans 1:21-27. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/world/europe/vatican-signals-more-tolerance-toward-gays-and-remarriage.html?_r=0.

this comes as no surprise to those who know the prophecy of st. malachi, the irish saint, who was also the bishop of armagh (12th c).

GLTirebiter

Use the source, Luke!

Don't assume that a popular media excerpt can tell the entire story. Context is everything.

(edited to add the following quote)

An Evaluation of the Particular Churches

113. Every bishops’ conference voiced opposition to “redefining” marriage between a man and a woman through the introduction of legislation permitting a union between two people of the same sex. The episcopal conferences amply demonstrate that they are trying to find a balance between the Church's teaching on the family and a respectful, non-judgmental attitude towards people living in such unions. On the whole, the extreme reactions to these unions, whether compromising or uncompromising, do not seem to have facilitated the development of an effective pastoral programme which is consistent with the Magisterium and compassionate towards the persons concerned.

114. A factor which clearly has an impact on the Church's pastoral care and one which complicates the search for a balanced attitude in this situation is the promotion of a gender ideology. In some places, this ideology tends to exert its influence even at the elementary level, spreading a mentality which, intending to eliminate homophobia, proposes, in fact, to undermine sexual identity.

115. Episcopal conferences supply a variety of information on unions between persons of the same sex. In countries where legislation exists on civil unions, many of the faithful express themselves in favour of a respectful and non-judgmental attitude towards these people and a ministry which seeks to accept them. This does not mean, however, that the faithful give equal status to heterosexual marriage and civil unions between persons of the same sex. Some responses and observations voice a concern that the Church’s acceptance of people in such unions could be construed as recognition of their union.

Some Pastoral Guidelines

116. When considering the possibility of a ministry to these people, a distinction must be made between those who have made a personal, and often painful, choice and live that choice discreetly so as not to give scandal to others, and those whose behaviour promotes and actively — often aggressively — calls attention to it. Many conferences emphasize that, due to the fact that these unions are a relatively recent phenomenon, no pastoral programs exist in their regard. Others admit a certain unease at the challenge of accepting these people with a merciful spirit and, at the same time, holding to the moral teaching of the Church, all the while attempting to provide appropriate pastoral care which takes every aspect of the person into consideration. Some responses recommend not using phrases such as “gay,” “lesbian” or “homosexual” to define a person’s identity.

117. Many responses and observations call for theological study in dialogue with the human sciences to develop a multi-faceted look at the phenomenon of homosexuality. Others recommend collaborating with specific entities, e.g., the Pontifical Academy of the Social Sciences and the Pontifical Academy for Life, in thoroughly examining the anthropological and theological aspects of human sexuality and the sexual difference between man and woman in order to address the issue of gender ideology.

118. The great challenge will be to develop a ministry which can maintain the proper balance between accepting persons in a spirit of compassion and gradually guiding them to authentic human and Christian maturity. In this regard, some conferences refer to certain organizations as successful models for such a ministry.

14

TRY THIS WATCHTOWER QUIZ

by Terry in

the quiz will be followed by the answers.

don't peek!.

the answers should be avoided while taking the quiz .

GLTirebiter

The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life 1969/1981 108,000,000

New World Translation (In whole or part) 1950s-2000 100,000,000

American Spelling Book 1783 Noah Webster 100,000,000

yes, but...

Gideon Bibles and New Testaments: 1,900,000,000!

(I got all of the "all the above" ones, they were pretty obvious! I was guessing Rose Ball for the settee question.)

12

Is science a tool, or a source of philosophy?

by EdenOne in

is science simply a powerful tool, or must it also dictate adherence to strict secularism?.

science must not impose any philosophy, any more than the telephone must tell us what to say.

- gilbert keith chesterton.

GLTirebiter

Is science a tool, or a source of philosophy?

Rather than being either it its source or its tool, science is a branch of philosophy. For most of western history, what we now know as "science" was called "natural philosophy." Science is philosophy directed to knowing the natural world. In other words, science is a subset of philosophy.

The "scientific method" is a tool. It applies empirical methods to extend knowledge of the world, starting from more limited previous knowledge, observations, and axioms.

4

ET's And Religion

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.cryptogon.com/?p=45103.

i am unaware of any wts statement released on this topic.

metatron.

GLTirebiter

Perhaps the WTBTS does not want another case like claiming Alcyone is the center of the universe, where stands the throne of Jehovah.

Can aliens have souls? Could aliens be baptized? Yes, according to a Vatican astonomer.

Guy Consolmagno [SJ], who is one of the pope's astronomers, said he would be "delighted" if intelligent life was found among the stars. "But the odds of us finding it, of it being intelligent and us being able to communicate with it – when you add them up it's probably not a practical question."

Speaking ahead of a talk at the British Science Festival in Birmingham tomorrow, he said that the traditional definition of a soul was to have intelligence, free will, freedom to love and freedom to make decisions. "Any entity – no matter how many tentacles it has – has a soul." Would he baptise an alien? "Only if they asked."

34

IF you believe in evolution, theistic or not.....

by DATA-DOG in

jw
friends

are you more amazed by nature documentaries now, or were they better when "god did it"??.

.

dd.

GLTirebiter

The first cell organizing itself into a functioning replicating organism is even more facinating.

A very good observation! A functioning cell that reproduces itself with inheritance of the parent's/parents' traits, including a material and energy processing mechanism to support that reproduction, is the engine that powers evolution by natural selection. That first step is the most important one.

Another important step is at the other end of the journey: death! The cycle of birth, life, and death ensures a continuous renewal, so the better adapted can thrive while the poorly adapted decline. Death works hand in hand with reproduction, providing the opportunities for natural selection to occur. In this imperfect world death should be considered the alternative not to life, but rather to extinction.

[edited for wording and style]

80

" Do not ask permission, just play the video--" service meeting instructions.

by prologos in

jw
friends

this statement startled me out of the pleasant mental absence during this week's "service" meeting.. pushing the org.

explanation: "the listener has time to interrupt, if they want--" .

together with an incredible boring "study" of an hand held device, or it's stored content, i will be a totally new crop of orgies at the halls,.

GLTirebiter

Play your own video for them!

Brenda Lee, the Truth Fairy

7

Wow! Take the grandkids to a professional sport event...$!

by Gregor in

last week we attended a major league baseball game.

could not believe the costs beyond the ticket price.

hot dogs, a slice of pizza, etc are $8.

GLTirebiter

That's why I prefer minor league sports: reasonable prices, and athletes who aren't overpaid, self-indulgent prima donnas.

28

not on JW.ORG: Why did "Holy Spirit" direct Jehovah's Witnesses Governing Body member JF Rutherford to build a private luxury compound ( Beth Sarim) during the great depression?

by Balaamsass2 in

beth sarimfrom wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

coordinates: 324616.36n 1170556.70w.

historybible student movementleadership disputesplinter groupsdoctrinal developmentunfulfilled predictionsdemographicsby countrybeliefspracticessalvationeschatologythe 144,000faithful and discreet slavehymnsgod's nameblooddisciplineliteraturethe watchtowerawake!new world translationlist of publicationsbibliographyteaching programskingdom hallgilead schoolpeoplewatch tower presidentsw.

GLTirebiter

I think a lot of his decisions can be explained by the haze of alcohol.

I agree. It was during prohibition, but the booze was pouring in abundance right across the border in Tijuana.

Also, it has been noted that San Diego is about as far as you could get from Bethel/Brooklyn while staying in the US.