I think the lesson of the fig tree was for that time. For the Pharisees and teachers not bearing fruit for the people who were hungry for the word of God. Their tree was barren, and so it will never bear fruit again.
Tammy
Posts by tec
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6The cursed fig tree
by hoj inwhen jesus was hungry he looked to see if there were figs on the fig tree.
there weren't any figs, only leaves.
he cursed the tree so that there wouldn't be figs on it again.
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How error entered the religious world
by hoj inadam and eve were to eat of any of the trees of the garden except the one.
they must have been fruit trees, since they were to eat of them.
eating (and drinking) in the bible is figurative of partaking of a message.
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tec
No worries, Hoj. The meaning is far more important than whether the story is to be taken as literal or allegorical.
Tammy
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tec
Most people don't start out fat, they let themselves get that way and they can change if they want
Children don't let themselves get any way. Their parents let them get that way. Once -that way- it becomes so much more difficult to change, even as adults.
As for fat vs. obese, many children who are not actually fat, but healthy with 'baby fat' are considered fat because of what society dictates is attractive. And once self-esteem is gone, destructive behavior will begin or worsen if it was already there to begin with.
Tammy
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How error entered the religious world
by hoj inadam and eve were to eat of any of the trees of the garden except the one.
they must have been fruit trees, since they were to eat of them.
eating (and drinking) in the bible is figurative of partaking of a message.
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tec
Actually, I enjoy the new thoughts on what I consider an allegorical story. I don't know if I agree with this take, but its food for thought. I do believe that whatever the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented... that knowledge, once learned, could not be unlearned. Which is why that knowledge of good and evil got passed on to everyone who descended from Adam and Eve.
The result of that knowledge (and disobedience) was spiritual death.
The cure/ransom is Jesus (the last Adam). Belief in Jesus takes away that spiritual death and gives spiritual life.
Tammy
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Afraid of Dying?
by PointBlank ini don't know if this subject has been discussed here before.
if it has, could someone help me find it?
if it hasn't (i can't imagine that it hasn't), here's what i was wondering.
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tec
XPeterX - Wanting to die, and being at peace with death are two different things. I do not want to die, but I am not afraid of death. It comes to everyone at some point.
Tammy
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Afraid of Dying?
by PointBlank ini don't know if this subject has been discussed here before.
if it has, could someone help me find it?
if it hasn't (i can't imagine that it hasn't), here's what i was wondering.
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tec
Not afraid to die. Afraid to leave people behind who still need me - namely my children. Afraid to die before I can make amends for some of my mistakes. Certainly afraid of any pain involved in the actual dying.
Other than that, I do not fear actual death.
Tammy
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Would Jesus have told us the devine name was lost?
by wannabe insome would just love to see it lost!
satan the devil maybe he`s a god!
{jehovah} 7 " 'i will make known my holy name among my people israel.
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tec
And since NONE of the other stuff asked about EVER HAPPENED, the logical conclusion is that Jesus either did NOT know God's name correctly or IT SIMPLY WASN'T IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO BOTHER WITH. - Mad Sweeney
Well said. This is what I tend toward as well. The meaning behind a person's name - are they loving, honest, just, merciful, forgiving - is important. Far more important than translation and pronunciation.
Oh... and hi back, NAC!
Tammy
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Twisting Scripture vs A Literal Reading
by AllTimeJeff inknowing that passions run deep on this matter, i have what i believe to be a very simple premise for a discussion of how to read the bible.. terry has labored over the last couple of months to demonstrate (in my view, conclusively) that the bible is far from unaltered, and often mistranslated.
these facts, inconvenient as they might be for believers, are nonetheless, a problem for those who claim that the bible is the word of god.. this is not what i wish to discuss... rather..... jehovah's witnesses come from a tradition of "reading in" or "adding meaning" to the scriptures.
no one jw outside of the governing body is allowed to do this.. but why is it necesarry?.
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tec
NAC - I have an Aunt just like your friend. She doesn't care as much about all the theology behind everything; she works to make sure the devil doesn't get to her thoughts and attitude; she just has faith and trust in God. Her answer to the atheists in the States was to look at American money 'in god we trust'. Now I could have argued with her, but her faith is so simple and sweet... Why mess with her? Really? She is a kind hearted and helpful person to all those around her, and her faith gives her hope and strength to continue to be so.
She draws comfort and enjoys the insight I bring to our discussions. And I admire and take comfort from her full-hearted and simple faith. In the end, it is faith in Jesus that we both adhere to, so what does it matter the different paths that take us there?
I think that's also my answer for literal or figurative interpretations on scripture. We might all have a different take, but we should all come to the same understandings.
Love of fellow man. Forgiveness. Compassion. Mercy. Faith (belief and trust) in Jesus and his Father.
Tammy
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Don't get me wrong, I like Jesus
by stillin infont of wisdom, anti-corruption, moral type of man who stood up for his beliefs.. in today's watchtower study, the illustration of the weeds sown among the wheat was expounded upon.
it occurred to me that one thing that jesus never mentioned, but that any farmer/gardener would have thought of right away, was that leaving the weeds among the wheat would have, at best, diminished the quality of the harvest.
that's what weeds do.
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tec
Stillin - that's a good question. I think I would ask it too. I think some of the answer is that God was not willing that any innocent be uprooted with the guilty. But what about the innocent who have been harmed by the guilty who are allowed to remain?
I would ask this question of Jesus, but I think I might be starting to understand something.
Who are the guilty and who are the innocent?
What guilty person today is not a result of the harm done to them? Harm from family, from society, from strangers? There are some, perhaps. But for the most part, we are all a product of the world we are each responsible for creating.
Perhaps that's why forgiveness from God is a gift given freely. Because so few people have that face of evil. Most people are just lost; a product of what we have allowed to become of humanity - by ignoring those who have needed help; by refusing to understand or forgive or help heal those who have been hurt; and by whatever other reasons I can't currently think of.
So I guess what I'm saying is - we might think we're pulling up the weeds in this figurative garden; but those weeds might just be a product of what we, ourselves, have created.
Of what we ourselves have failed.
Tammy
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Would Jesus have told us the devine name was lost?
by wannabe insome would just love to see it lost!
satan the devil maybe he`s a god!
{jehovah} 7 " 'i will make known my holy name among my people israel.
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tec
Jesus prayed to his Father; spoke of his Father, and taught others to pray to their Father in heaven. Following his example, this is how I pray to God. By calling Him my Father.
Also, as Leo said, the tradition of using 'Adonay' when speaking the tetragrammaton was already in place. If Jesus suddenly changed that, I think we would have some specific writing or lesson on it.
We don't.
Tammy