cofty

Joined

• started 464 topics
• posted 24,957 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by cofty

• 
  16

  Did Jesus say the God of the OT is not the same God as mine??

  by Diogenesister in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  bart erhman states, in this you tube short presumably taken from the video series he has been doing with megan lewis*, that jesus said the god of the ot, the god of jeremiah, is not the (same)god as jesus.

  bart continues "jeremiah's god killed (the children) - jesus said let the children come to me.

  jesus' god said turn the other cheek" - the ot god was war-like etc (paraphrasing bart here a bit).. it's always been the thing that stopped my fully embracing the bible after leaving watchtower.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  Bart's views could not be further from orthodoxy. Always have been. Unless you go way back to his youth.
• 
  16

  Did Jesus say the God of the OT is not the same God as mine??

  by Diogenesister in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  bart erhman states, in this you tube short presumably taken from the video series he has been doing with megan lewis*, that jesus said the god of the ot, the god of jeremiah, is not the (same)god as jesus.

  bart continues "jeremiah's god killed (the children) - jesus said let the children come to me.

  jesus' god said turn the other cheek" - the ot god was war-like etc (paraphrasing bart here a bit).. it's always been the thing that stopped my fully embracing the bible after leaving watchtower.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  who can help but love Jesus?

  Me.

  The challenge is trying to ignore centuries of xtian tradition about Jesus and see the person of the gospels.

  He was a failed apocalyptic prophet. He taught his followers to literally walk away from their wives children and businesses and follow him. He didn't mean what we do by 'follow'.

  He came to divide families. He was as convinced that the end would come in the lifetime of his disciples as the WT are about their apocalyptic ravings. He was a dangerous deluded fool.
• 
  168

  Moral responsibility.

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  no subtlety here, it's going to be obvious where i'm going with this.

  please consider the following scenario.. you're seated on a railway platform bench waiting for your train.

  a high speed intercity is about to hurtle through without stopping when you see a small child running to the platforms edge!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  Oh dear we are back to presupposition BS.

  Nobody is buying it. I sent you a sincere PM last night to appeal for a more useful conversation, I see it made no difference.
• 
  141

  My Prediction Regarding New Space Telescope That Will See Back to 100 Million Years From the Big Bang

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a new space telescope launched a few days age that will supposedly be able to see to within 100 million years of the big bang.

  wow... only 100 million years from the big bang.

  that is pretty early given the 12 billion year age of the universe assigned by scholars who adhere to naturalism.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  Has there ever been a more blatant example of Dunning Kruger?
• 
  168

  Moral responsibility.

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  no subtlety here, it's going to be obvious where i'm going with this.

  please consider the following scenario.. you're seated on a railway platform bench waiting for your train.

  a high speed intercity is about to hurtle through without stopping when you see a small child running to the platforms edge!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  nscansr - Of course the god of xtian theism can do anything that is LOGICALLY POSSIBLE. Nobody is arguing otherwise.

  However your god specifically advocates for evil actions such as slavery, kidnap, rape and genocide. Jesus told his disciples to literally abandon their wives and children to follow him.

  But more damningly is the evil that god does himself. He made a world that is perfectly designed to maximise suffering. No creature dies peacefully in its bed. All fall victim to disease, starvation, exposure or predation. That includes all of our human ancestors. The entire history of life on earth is one of carnage.
  

  Then there are the natural disasters that are entirely of god's making. Tens of thousands of innocent children drowned in a tsunami that god could have prevented without any impact on free will.

  How do you defend your god from the accusation that he is a moral monster?
• 
  9

  Update: Its been awhile.. Sorta a long post but i'll have a TLTR at the bottom.

  by Jayk in

  1. social
  2. family

  last time i was really active on here i just found out ttbtt.. i was 28 at the time and now im 33. a lot has gone on but im finally able to live my life.

  have my own apartment, steady job, a dog.

  a big event that recently happened was a little of a year and a half ago my jw mom passed away.. i hadn't talked to her in over a year prior and i almost didn't go see her before she did.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  Sorry to hear about your family. It does sound like you are making great progress in building a new life. You don't need toxic people.

  Draw a line and move on. If they ever have a genuine change of heart fair enough but the ball is in their court. See who is happier five years from now.
• 
  42

  God and Unicorns

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  atheist scientists now agree that "elasmotherium sibiricu" lived with humans.

  all they had to do was read their bible to know that.

  job 39:9 “will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?”.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  SB I already described the chemical process that preserves organic matter for millions of years.
• 
  168

  Moral responsibility.

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  no subtlety here, it's going to be obvious where i'm going with this.

  please consider the following scenario.. you're seated on a railway platform bench waiting for your train.

  a high speed intercity is about to hurtle through without stopping when you see a small child running to the platforms edge!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  Dreary weather - I think it's a reasonable response for theists to object that god cannot be held responsible for the actions of humans when he has told us not to do those things.

  But that doesn't begin to get him off the hook.

  He specifically advocates for evil actions such as slavery, kidnap, rape and genocide. Jesus told his disciples to literally abandon their wives and children to follow him.

  But more damningly is the evil that god does himself. He made a world that is perfectly designed to maximise suffering. No creature dies peacefully in its bed. All fall victim to disease, starvation, exposure or predation. That includes all of our human ancestors. The entire history of life on earth is one of carnage.

  Then there are the natural disasters that are entirely of god's making. Tens of thousands of innocent children drowned in a tsunami that god could have prevented without any impact on free will.

  The most popular response from theists is to assert that god can do anything that he wishes. I agree. But he can't behave like an evil monster AND be the god and father of 'gentle Jesus meek and mild' who keeps track of the number of hairs on our heads.

  They say we just can't possibly understand god's ways. But that doesn't work. It negates the ministry of Jesus who came to reveal a god of love and show how that love is demonstrated in action, caring for the practical needs of others.

  In years of discussing this topic I have yet to meet a theist who will face the challenge of theodicy with intellectual honesty. In this thread Sea Breeze has taken dishonesty to a whole new level. I have sent a PM to appeal for a more useful conversation. Time will tell.
• 
  168

  Moral responsibility.

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  no subtlety here, it's going to be obvious where i'm going with this.

  please consider the following scenario.. you're seated on a railway platform bench waiting for your train.

  a high speed intercity is about to hurtle through without stopping when you see a small child running to the platforms edge!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  Dozens. Good night
• 
  168

  Moral responsibility.

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  no subtlety here, it's going to be obvious where i'm going with this.

  please consider the following scenario.. you're seated on a railway platform bench waiting for your train.

  a high speed intercity is about to hurtle through without stopping when you see a small child running to the platforms edge!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  You are the very stereotype of an ideologue who is incapable or unwilling to engage honestly with anybody who doesn't share your worldview.

  You have taken everything I and nicolaou have said and presented it as the exact opposite of what we actually said.