It's also continually amazing (and disappointing to be honest) to me that Atheists/Agnostics are on average better researched on the Bible and consistently present more logical arguments on topics like this.
The_Present_Truth
JoinedPosts by The_Present_Truth
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117
If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?
by smiddy inwe learn from the bible that god spoke to adam ,then certain faithful ones,then after moses only the preisthood that was established,and individuals, raised as prophets,and this by the way is only a a small select group on the planet.never mind about other groups of humans.
fastforward to the era of christ ,again, god is only dealing with a small select group to advise and admonish.during the time from moses to christ he was only dealing with what became one small nation.the rest of humankind were left to their own devices.fastforward down to this 21st century we have no guidance/instruction/prophets to instruct or guide us.
( i know this is where jw`s would say but we have been preaching & teaching you god`s truths since 1879 ) all i can say their, is take your head out of the sand and look at all the changes ,corrections adjustments,re-adjustments,reversals,and failed expectations of prophecy you have published over this last century )so as to my question why hasn`t the god of the universe revealed himself to all humans of every race on all continents instead of just a small select group, if he truly was interested in the human race.
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If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?
by smiddy inwe learn from the bible that god spoke to adam ,then certain faithful ones,then after moses only the preisthood that was established,and individuals, raised as prophets,and this by the way is only a a small select group on the planet.never mind about other groups of humans.
fastforward to the era of christ ,again, god is only dealing with a small select group to advise and admonish.during the time from moses to christ he was only dealing with what became one small nation.the rest of humankind were left to their own devices.fastforward down to this 21st century we have no guidance/instruction/prophets to instruct or guide us.
( i know this is where jw`s would say but we have been preaching & teaching you god`s truths since 1879 ) all i can say their, is take your head out of the sand and look at all the changes ,corrections adjustments,re-adjustments,reversals,and failed expectations of prophecy you have published over this last century )so as to my question why hasn`t the god of the universe revealed himself to all humans of every race on all continents instead of just a small select group, if he truly was interested in the human race.
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The_Present_Truth
Those guys make valid points OTWO. In the last 30 seconds they raise some good points about if that God did reveal himself it would change the conversation. Prior to that, he says that he could not respect nor worship the God of the Bible. IF God did reveal himself I would ask him if he is "The" God of the Bible ... the answer would be interesting for sure and I think would bring some clarity to the matter of worship going forward.
Imagine the shock if the answer was "No, I am not "that" god." Would Christians acuse this God that appears before them as being the Devil then ...simply because he is not the "God of the Bible"? Could they, would they set their beliefs aside to worship this God that appears before them?
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Medical Cannabis
by mrsjones5 inover the thanksgiving weekend my family and i stayed with a dear friend.
our dear friend partakes of medical cannabis which helps with his depression, insomnia, and panic attacks.
he suggested that my husband should give it a try because it could help relieve his pain and help him to sleep during the night.. so hubby tried it (three nights in a row, about 15 minutes each session), didn't like the scatchy throat he got from inhaling the smoke but he said it helped his pain and he was able to rest.
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The_Present_Truth
MrsJones ...
Here's a video that you and hubby should watch. Nomad Soul may want to watch it too.
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What do the Witnesses claim was God's purpose for the Gentile Times?
by The_Present_Truth inwhen watching the history of jw's last night they mentioned that period of darkness they refer to as the gentile times where no light was coming from god and the churches were keeping the bulk of mankind in the dark by only having the scriptures in latin.
i can't remember, because i've been away so long, but maybe some of you do ... what do the jws claim was god's purpose in allowing that period of darkness to go on for so long?.
i mean, according to 1 timothy 2:3,4 it says:"3this is fine and acceptable in the sight of our savior, god,4whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.
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The_Present_Truth
When watching the History of JW's last night they mentioned that period of darkness they refer to as the Gentile Times where no light was coming from God and the Churches were keeping the bulk of mankind in the dark by only having the scriptures in Latin. I can't remember, because I've been away so long, but maybe some of you do ... what do the JWs claim was God's purpose in allowing that period of darkness to go on for so long?
I mean, according to 1 Timothy 2:3,4 it says:" 3 This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, 4 whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth. "
So if it's his will that "all sorts" of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth, why would he allow the churchs to suppress people's learning by keeping the Bible in Latin only? But then again, when you consider that the scriptures say "He's" responsible for confusing the languages, "He's" never been to fond of making it easy on people to come to know him has he?
Genesis 11:8,9 : " 8 Accordingly Jehovah scattered them from there over all the surface of the earth, and they gradually left off building the city. 9 That is why its name was called Ba´bel, because there Jehovah had confused the language of all the earth, and Jehovah had scattered them from there over all the surface of the earth. "
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The_Present_Truth
Hit the enter key accidentally and don't have to ability to edit. Will start fresh thread. This one can be deleted by a mod if you like.
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Medical Cannabis
by mrsjones5 inover the thanksgiving weekend my family and i stayed with a dear friend.
our dear friend partakes of medical cannabis which helps with his depression, insomnia, and panic attacks.
he suggested that my husband should give it a try because it could help relieve his pain and help him to sleep during the night.. so hubby tried it (three nights in a row, about 15 minutes each session), didn't like the scatchy throat he got from inhaling the smoke but he said it helped his pain and he was able to rest.
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The_Present_Truth
Great show. The last season wasn't quite as good as the seasons before. We missed the rest of the characters that rounded out the show in the first few seasons.
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Just need to get some things off my chest.
by Alan_56 inwell, its been a while since i last posted just need to get something off my chest.
everything seems to be coming down on me all at once like rain.
next month i'll be 18 years old(yay!
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The_Present_Truth
Alan, welcome to the Forum. Man to be 18 again. That would be awesome. If I could rewind back to 18 or go visit myself in a time machine, I'd tell myself what the REAL scoop is on the Witnesses and what they believe. Then I'd tell myself that I should run as fast as I can away from that religion at all costs.
I don't know you Alan, but you knowing that you don't want to be in the Organization already puts you ahead of me when I was that age. I was already in business for myself at 18 but if I weren't and didn't have resources of my own saved, or inheritance put aside, etc ... I'd probably consider joing the military in some capacity to get my college paid for or maybe the Peace Corps to have a bit of a safety net under me for the basics of life - plus get some life experience and structure not related to the Organization. Otherwise, I believe the States of Texas and Alaska will pay for a person's ride for engineering school if you're willing to work for the State for "x" number of years. They even help you buy your house in the State, etc.
Are you still in High School where you could maybe talk to a guidance counselor about these programs or others and maybe confidentially about the challenge facing you? Do you have a job yet of any kind?
Timing is everything. Keep the timing on your terms. Prepare yourself. Save up money so you don't need to go back to family and ask for help. Prior to telling your family that it's your desire to leave the organization write it down in letter form explaining the reasons. Do the research so they can see it's well thought out and not just an emotional reaction to one specific thing. Have you read "Captives of a Concept" yet? Or "Crisis of Conscience"? Or "Combatting Cult Mind Control"? Those will help you if you haven't read them. I would personally start with "Captives of a Concept".
We'll be around if you need help. You're coming in to the prime of your life. I would love to have those years back that I wasted with the Organization. Be true to yourself. Follow your dreams. That's not to say you should rush into things. You'll find that what's important to you at 18 will be different by 21, then 25, then 30, and so on.
I hope you'll check in and keep us posted on your progress.
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Have you watched the video series "History of Jehovah's Witnesses" on YouTube?
by The_Present_Truth injust curious if any of you have watched it.
i'm on part three and to this point i can't help but notice the emphasis (although it was likely unintended) on the fact that this religion was/is a creation of men.
it even says that russell didn't claim to be inspired.
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The_Present_Truth
Just curious if any of you have watched it. I'm on part three and to this point I can't help but notice the emphasis (although it was likely unintended) on the fact that this religion was/is a creation of men. It even says that Russell didn't claim to be inspired. It references what all these other "secular authorities" said and felt regarding the position of the churchs etc. Who the heck cares what these men think? Where's the "inspiration" from God. If your teachings are from God then you don't need to quote secular authorities for validation. I just shake my head.
I have to say though, that Russell was one heck of a shrewd businessman. A go-getter to be sure to be worth the equivalent of $7 Million dollars at age 25. Then to have the sense to start a religion and grow that money tax free into perpetuity. I mean that tops today's Roth IRA all day long.
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Medical Cannabis
by mrsjones5 inover the thanksgiving weekend my family and i stayed with a dear friend.
our dear friend partakes of medical cannabis which helps with his depression, insomnia, and panic attacks.
he suggested that my husband should give it a try because it could help relieve his pain and help him to sleep during the night.. so hubby tried it (three nights in a row, about 15 minutes each session), didn't like the scatchy throat he got from inhaling the smoke but he said it helped his pain and he was able to rest.
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The_Present_Truth
You're right NS ....afterall, all strains were essentially ditch weed (wild growing) before man learned how to enhance the growth of the plant.
You're right on there being ways to make it more user friendly. Hopefully MrJones can find a good fit and start enjoying the plant of the gods.
Peace