Truth is absolute, not relative. That does not mean that we all understand truth exhaustively (we do not). So, jgnat, were you ever a JW (I can't remember)? Why did you not come right out and publicly confess your view on Christ as being God Almighty, Jehovah in the flesh?! (Nicene Creed). Few Christians would hide this or play games about the most central truth in our lives. As well, many give mental assent to Creeds and are merely religious, not regenerated (nominal Catholics, etc.).
godrulz
JoinedPosts by godrulz
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132
Hello
by Chariklo ini am new to this site, just finding my way around.. i've been studying with jw's for about 15 months.
i'm an unbaptised publisher, and until recently never missed a meeting, have been out "on the service" quite a lot.
i've been having difficulties with one of the jw's studying with me and something happened which was just unacceptable.
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What say you Christians ???
by wobble init seems to me that most, if not all christians are really hung up on sin and redemption from sin and how naturally evil we all are.. my question, and observation is this : i had nothing to do with whatever you say adam and eve did wrong, i have always, throughout my life, treated whoever i came into contact with compassion, respect and love.. i have lived by the golden rule.. not many people, hand on heart, can say that, i can.. so, is your god going to judge me for the "sin" of some mythical forebears of mine ?
is he going to say that , because i did not believe in him, i willl be judged adversely, even though i lived by the precepts he is supposed to support ?.
all i can say is, if your god is like that, i refuse to worship or acknowledge him.. and i certainly do not want to get to know him.
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godrulz
Dog, R U hyper-Calvinist? Double predestination, decretalism, determinism, is not biblical. God does not create unbelievers. It is a chosen state (cf. homosexuality). Babies cannot do math or build cars, but that does not mean they do not have free will. Ability and free will are not identical. An immature baby has free will, but lacks the extent of moral/mental capacity to chose or reject God. In time, they will have this capacity that is innate, but not developed. A baby and a man are both human, but there are differing levels of maturity/capacity and opportunity. Just because a baby is not born running does not mean they are not human or will not do so in time.
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Original Sin
by ixthis ingood-morning friends, i noticed on another thread the question "what is cardinal sin".
the replies, naturally, follow a latinised philosophy originating through the catholic church ... i wanted to propose an alternative "view" to "sin".
one that many people on this forum may not have ever considered ... this view originates from the orthodox christian church and it really is not an "alternative view" as it is the thinking and teaching of the authentic and early church.
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godrulz
Then I am more Orthodox than Catholic on this point. Federal Headship, transducianism, etc. are also theories, not fact. The key is that sin is volitional, moral, not genetic, metaphysical. We do inherit physical depravity (propensity/death), but not moral depravity (personal, volitional). I trust you know and love the Lord Jesus as God, not just Orthodox in religion/ritual.
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The Christian Onslaught
by satinka in*sigh* i have been noticing lately there are a number of groups of "christians" signing up as members of this forum, with the obvious agenda of gaining converts for their own cult-like religions.
i have been wondering things like:.
hmmm...maybe i'll try ignoring them.. thank you simon for the space to vent.. satinka.
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godrulz
A normative literal approach is possible with Revelation since this also includes recognizing figures of speech, symbols, etc. when the context demands it.
Sat...you can reject the Bible as the Word of God, but you should at least understand what it teaches. If it is not revelation, your views are as valid as Yoda's.
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Exactly how many different views of Jesus are there on the Board and doesn't that kind of tell Believers the obvious problem...
by designs in -
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godrulz
JWs demand uniformity in belief and practice. The myriad of Christian denominations agree on the essentials, but have diversity of theological opinion on many peripheral issues. The cults do not like this because they do not understand unity/diversity. My church does not demand uniformity in belief except the truths that minimally define a biblical Christian. I have divergent views from most Christians. Behavior is a bad criteria since salvation is NOT based on works, but grace/faith alone in the person and work of Christ. Many Jews and Muslims are nominal hypocrites and do not live up to the ideals of their religion. They are not better than the average Christian when it comes to behavior. Orthodoxy and orthopraxy are related and important. Paul's letters are half doctrinal and half practical/behavioral. It is both/and vs either/or. One can be a wonderful Mormon and Muslim and go to hell. One can live the Christian lifestyle and go to hell. The issue is faith vs unbelief in Christ, not externals. Christianity has redemptive truth leading to eternal life, while religions have some behavioral truths that will make you a better sinner, but still lost.
Are you a universalist? If so, don't pretend you are a Christian. If you think Islam and Judaism are on par with Christianity, we have less in common than I thought.
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132
Hello
by Chariklo ini am new to this site, just finding my way around.. i've been studying with jw's for about 15 months.
i'm an unbaptised publisher, and until recently never missed a meeting, have been out "on the service" quite a lot.
i've been having difficulties with one of the jw's studying with me and something happened which was just unacceptable.
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godrulz
The Bible uses the word true/truth over and over. I will not let a cult co-opt legit biblical terms/concepts. Am I also supposed to stop using the words God, Bible, Jehovah, theocracy, kingdom, etc.? How do I distinguish true Christian from false, pseudo-cult Christian? Mormons think they are Christians, so just saying Christian is not sufficient. Muslims have negative views about Christians, so 'follower of Jesus' might be better, but I am not going to stop identifying as being Christian vs Buddhist, Hindu, etc. Many people think they are Christians because they are not Muslim, etc., but they don't understand biblical Christianity. Since this forum has a variety of false beliefs, how else do we distinguish generic vs real? We should not have to say true vs false God/gods, but this is a distinction God Himself makes in Scripture. I thought we would be mature enough on an adult forum to not quibble about an adjective. I also have not personally had JWs use 'true Christian' with me personally at the door or in any literature I have read, so this is news to me. There may be a point of wisdom, but most do not take offense at an attempt to distinguish biblical Christianity from Jim Jones, David Koresh, Moonies, etc.
How do we get around cults and Christianity calling themselves Christians despite diametrically opposed, mutually exclusive views? The ones who are false should not be using the true label. If someone is truly true, they should not have to apologize for a truth claim. JWs are wrong, but those who worship Jesus are truly true Christians vs pseudo-Christian Arians.
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The Christian Onslaught
by satinka in*sigh* i have been noticing lately there are a number of groups of "christians" signing up as members of this forum, with the obvious agenda of gaining converts for their own cult-like religions.
i have been wondering things like:.
hmmm...maybe i'll try ignoring them.. thank you simon for the space to vent.. satinka.
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godrulz
Jesus is not evil. Human courts deal with temporal laws based on Judeo-Christianity. The righteous Moral Governor of the universe deals with sin against Himself and others. Do you not want justice/accountability for Hitler and Bin Laden? If someone raped and murdered your child, but was never caught, do you expect a holy God to pat him on the head and tell him to go to his reward in heaven, along with Satan, Hitler, etc.? You are clueless about the blazing holiness of God and the horror of sin. The passion of the Christ shows His great love for sinners, yet great hatred for sin.
When God wiped out evil peoples in Scripture, you fail to realize how cancerous, destructive, gross, harmful they were. It was an act of mercy to protect His people and to limit the eternal justice the evildoers would experience (more sin, more justice). If you were god, would you honestly let the righteous and the wicked into the same place? Would you just extend mercy, not justice (very unwise and deletorious)?
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149
Exactly how many different views of Jesus are there on the Board and doesn't that kind of tell Believers the obvious problem...
by designs in -
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godrulz
We are certainly to follow and seek Christ, but how do we learn about God/Christ apart from Scripture? Without the parameters of Scripture, we could end up following a New Age guru-christ that is actually a demonic angel of light.
jgnat: I agree that we cannot know God exhaustively, but we can know much about His character, attributes, ways from His self-revelation in Scripture and dealings with man. One can write books on the doctrine of God, Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, etc. based on biblical revelation. We know that God exists, that He is uncreated, eternal spirit, triune, holy, just, loving, merciful, faithful, revealed in Christ, the God-Man, sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient (must be defined correctly), omnipresent, etc. etc. We know He is not Allah, a stone idol, a Buddha statue, Mormon finite, evolving men-gods, etc.
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Life after death
by truthseeker ineveryone has different views about life after death and whether or not it is a possibility.. as jehovah's witnesses, we were always taught that there is no life after death, that this is the only life we have now and that the wages of sin is death.. .
what are your views on life after death?.
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godrulz
Christian faith is rooted in historical fact (life, death, resurrection of Jesus). It is not an existential, Kierkegaardian blind leap of presumption/'faith'. Spiritual reality, including the invisible God (who became visible in Christ) is known through general and special REVELATION, not raw reason (creation, Word of God, Christ, conscience). Applying 5 sense scientific method to God/spiritual reality is the wrong way to go. I cannot see wind or electrons, but I can see the effects of them.
Gen. 1:1 'He is there and He is not silent'- Francis Schaeffer
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Original Sin
by ixthis ingood-morning friends, i noticed on another thread the question "what is cardinal sin".
the replies, naturally, follow a latinised philosophy originating through the catholic church ... i wanted to propose an alternative "view" to "sin".
one that many people on this forum may not have ever considered ... this view originates from the orthodox christian church and it really is not an "alternative view" as it is the thinking and teaching of the authentic and early church.
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godrulz
It sounds like my comments are relevant. Orthodox and Catholic both affirm 'original sin', do they not?