Posts by JAVA

18

In what order were the NT books written?

by GinnyTosken in

jw
friends

"jude," she [sue bridehead] said brightly, when he had finished and come back to her; "will you let me make you a new new testament, like the one i made for myself at christminster?".

how was that made?".

"i altered my old one by cutting up all the epistles and gospels into separate brochures, and rearranging them in chronological order as written, beginning the book with thessalonians, following on with the epistles, and putting the gospels much further on.

JAVA

Ginny,

I found the section above particularly interesting because a year or so ago Jason BeDuhn, then an assistant professor at Indiana University, was quoted in one of the WTS publications in praise of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation (KIT).

Did you know BeDuhn? I called and e-mailed the Department of Religious Studies at IU. They said he just finished his doctoral work at IU, taught a few classes, but not employed beyond that. As you know, many graduate students (TAs) are used to teach lower level classes, and some graduates are used as adjuncts. They are not usually called assistant professors, and IU didn't list him as such when I checked a year or so ago.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

69

Atheists/Agnostics/Prayer

by patio34 in

jw
friends

on the subject of prayer: this is addressed to the more atheistic or agnostic ones amongst us.. now, all those years i prayed really hard when times were tough, and then things worked out.

i now believe it was my own hard work that gave the solutions.

prayer was helpful in that i felt i had help.

JAVA

Patio,

Prayer was helpful in that I felt I had help. But looking back, it was me that did it.

I think prayers seeking favor, permission, forgiving, etc., helps people who don't realize their full potential. Religion has a history of keeping people on their knees, and in need of the higher power of the church, and then to God. When that barrier is crossed, we can become moral, forgiving, etc., for reasons other than a higher power frying people in hell because they didn't kiss up to the church.

Okay, joke time; Epitaph on atheist tombstone reads:

Here lays JAVA
All dressed up
And nowhere to go

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

38

3 Gods Equal 1 God?

by 7robert7 in

jw
friends

as i sat back thinking of some of the discussions i've had with witnesses over the years, one always stands out.

the issue of the trinity teaching, whereby father(jehovah), son(jesus), and holy spirit when combined equal one god.

a witness friend from work once said that it was an impossability, and was beyond human understanding.. i asked him what he thought we believed about the trinity, to which he responded with a math lesson.. 1 jehovah god + 1 jesus god + 1 holy spirit god = 3 gods, he went on to state that 1 + 1 + 1 can never equal 1 god, it always equals 3. to which i added a little math lesson i learned as a child.. 1 jehovah god x 1 jesus god x 1 holy spirit god can equal 1 almighty god.

JAVA

Robert,

But I'll ask you this, what of unwritten history?

Written history seeks to record events that effect the larger society. Most happenings in life are "unwritten history," such as the Dayton Unitarian Fellowship (mostly atheists, and agnostics) feeding homeless people by the downtown library Wednesday evenings. Over time, we helped several homeless find a way back into the job market, etc.

What does this prove? It proves good people can do good things.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

38

3 Gods Equal 1 God?

by 7robert7 in

jw
friends

as i sat back thinking of some of the discussions i've had with witnesses over the years, one always stands out.

the issue of the trinity teaching, whereby father(jehovah), son(jesus), and holy spirit when combined equal one god.

a witness friend from work once said that it was an impossability, and was beyond human understanding.. i asked him what he thought we believed about the trinity, to which he responded with a math lesson.. 1 jehovah god + 1 jesus god + 1 holy spirit god = 3 gods, he went on to state that 1 + 1 + 1 can never equal 1 god, it always equals 3. to which i added a little math lesson i learned as a child.. 1 jehovah god x 1 jesus god x 1 holy spirit god can equal 1 almighty god.

JAVA

Scorpion,

Humans make up history. History repeats itself.

Then you said,

World History is just a fragment of what has transpired through time that has been recorded.

Which is it? It's difficult discussing a topic when the boundaries keep changing.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

18

If Kingdom halls closed their doors

by nojw86 in

jw
friends

just a thought on how the zealous witness would overcome the situation?

would they open homes for bible study?

or take the wait and see what happens next way out.

JAVA

nojw,

The KH near me closed about a year ago, and sold the building to a church group. Isn't it interesting how the Tower sells Kingdom Halls to "false religion" if the Watchtower can make a buck, but would disfellowship a JW making a living cleaning the floors of "false religion!"

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

7

Next book...

by TheApostleAK in

jw
friends

anyone know what the new book is for the convention coming up?

JAVA

I remember standing in long lines for the new releases at assemblies, and by the time I got back to the seat, I was already disappointed with the content (no kidding). As a JW, it doesn't take long before the Tower's "new light" seems like a flashlight with weak batteries. The only positive thing I remember about assembly new releases, was getting up from uncomfortable seats and stretching while in line. Oh yes, the good old day . . .

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

30

Two Questions

by Yerusalyim in

jw
friends

i have two questions, mostly for commited christians, though i'm sure somehow, that others will reply too.. 1) does prayer change god or his mind?.

2) if not, why pray?.

i have my own opinion on the subject, but i may be adjusting my understanding of god.. have fun!.

JAVA

Yerusalyim,

1) Does prayer change God or His mind?
2) If not, why Pray?

1. If you change your mind, then I suggest God changes His mind, and vice versa.

2. If prayer doesn't change God's mind, then it can be seen as a useful form of meditation.

If prayer does change God's mind, does that mean God's first answer was not the best answer? If God was going to do something first, but changed His mind because of prayer or other influences, does that mean God is influenced by humans (sort of a political lobbyist arrangement)?

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

38

3 Gods Equal 1 God?

by 7robert7 in

jw
friends

as i sat back thinking of some of the discussions i've had with witnesses over the years, one always stands out.

the issue of the trinity teaching, whereby father(jehovah), son(jesus), and holy spirit when combined equal one god.

a witness friend from work once said that it was an impossability, and was beyond human understanding.. i asked him what he thought we believed about the trinity, to which he responded with a math lesson.. 1 jehovah god + 1 jesus god + 1 holy spirit god = 3 gods, he went on to state that 1 + 1 + 1 can never equal 1 god, it always equals 3. to which i added a little math lesson i learned as a child.. 1 jehovah god x 1 jesus god x 1 holy spirit god can equal 1 almighty god.

JAVA

Hello 7robert7,

We are but mere humans, and when we cant explain something in a manner that our limited thinking can understand, we become afraid.

The “We are but mere humans” statement is condescending (to me). I don’t know another species higher in the gene pool than humans. When humans can’t explain things they come up with theories, see which ones fly or crash, and build on past knowledge to continue the learning process. Yes, it’s easy to become afraid when things are not understood; this has created more gods than any single factor I can think of in human history. Perhaps a better mathematical equation on explaining the theology of god is:

more knowledge = less gods

I’m not an atheist. I just don’t believe in things that are not proven, but realize there is much to discover and prove. However, suggesting I’m “mere human,” with “limited thinking,” and “afraid,” thus needing some other person’s concept of god to point out the way, works for the Watchtower Society, but not me. I stopped buying into fear-based-human devalueation a long time ago, and discovered I wasn't so limited after all.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

38

3 Gods Equal 1 God?

by 7robert7 in

jw
friends

as i sat back thinking of some of the discussions i've had with witnesses over the years, one always stands out.

the issue of the trinity teaching, whereby father(jehovah), son(jesus), and holy spirit when combined equal one god.

a witness friend from work once said that it was an impossability, and was beyond human understanding.. i asked him what he thought we believed about the trinity, to which he responded with a math lesson.. 1 jehovah god + 1 jesus god + 1 holy spirit god = 3 gods, he went on to state that 1 + 1 + 1 can never equal 1 god, it always equals 3. to which i added a little math lesson i learned as a child.. 1 jehovah god x 1 jesus god x 1 holy spirit god can equal 1 almighty god.

JAVA

Scorpion,

Humans make up history. History repeats itself. Humans dishonor themselves by not learning from the past.

Humans and natural events make up history. Sometimes history repeats itself, sometimes it doesn't. Humans can honor or dishonor themselves; there are many examples of both. Humans can also create concepts, such as the concept of god. World history points to the results of that concept. Please show examples in world history where the concept of god has brought people together, peace, love for others, etc.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

12

JW Convention Programs 1969-1998

by Osarsif in

jw
friends

jw convention programs 1969-1998: http://jwnet.org/conventions/.

jw in science fiction: http://www.adherents.com/lit/sf_jw.html

JAVA

Osarsif,

Thanks for the walk through the House of Horrors! Just think, we spent what little money we had and precious vacation time attending these mind-numbing sale campaigns.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop