Posts by Inkie

46

For those who were partakers

by mamalove in

jw
friends

what made you think you were supposed to drink the wine and eat the bread?

if you left the org, did you still feel like you were going to heaven?.

Inkie

I am reminded of that text at John 10:1-6, in The Jerusalem Bible, which says:

'In all truth I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a bandit. 2 He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; 3 the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by onehe calls his own sheep and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all those that are his, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognise the voice of strangers.'

--Inkie

213

My Lord spoke and told me to post

by watersprout in

jw
friends

my lord spoke to me for the first time yesterday and this morning he told me to post my experience.. i know there are going to be ones who will call me names and thats ok. i will accept whatever you feel you need to say.. here goes.

i heard a voice calling ''my child'', this happened while at the zoo so i was taken off guard!

i replied ''who is this?

Inkie

SBC, what does BTTT mean? Anyway. . . .

Genocide goes far beyond a single murder, doesn't it?

Indeed it does.

First of all, you can't possibly know whether I damn the government or not.

You are absolutely correct. I couldn’t possibly know without you having told me. I think my question was more proverbial or rhetorical, so to speak. Yes, I addressed my questions to you but meant “you” in the senses of rhetoric rather than to you specifically, although the rhetoric “you” could certainly include you specifically.

If you're going to make any assumptions to illustrate a point,

please at least base them on a subject I've discussed.

Okay. I thought I was doing that, but okay.

Second, I should clarify that I don't damn the god of the bible

for killing the Caananites

Please see my rhetoric statement above regarding my “you” and your “I”.

The genocidal tendencies of god (a reputation ascribed to him

in the OT if you read it without bias) hardly reflects a god of love, in my opinion.

Agreed. And that is exactly why the Bible cannot truly be relied upon completely to explain the God of Heaven.

To me, the god of the bible is a man-made character,

complete with all the traits of imperfect humans (jealousy, rage, regret, etc...)

and acts of fiction (a talking snake, talking donkey, origin of the rainbow,

Jonah & big fish, Joshua's 'sun stand still!', Samson's hair, virgin conception, etc..)

Okay.

Had you and I not been subjected to a Christian-biased culture,

which influenced us to accept the bible as literal, I suspect we

would have regarded it as a collection of myths early on.

Perhaps. But I never accepted the Bible as “literal”—not entirely anyway, even with having “been subjected to a Christian-biased culture.”

Whether life was originally created by a supernatural spirit being, I can't claim to know.

Okay.

But I can eliminate the possibility of gods whose descriptions/actions

are self-contradictory and violate logic.

From my point of view, the god of the bible is such an example.

I certainly get that. And I really can’t blame you for thinking along those lines. However, I am telling you that the God of the Bible is not a depiction of who or what the True God is contrary to many people’s assertions. The Bible is a faulty book containing some truth and many fabrications. And as surely as “you” believe the literalness of the Bible (if you do) then the surety of mistaken conclusions arise.

By the same token that JW's use logic to know that a "god of love" belief is incongruent with

the burning hell doctrine, some of us use logic to know that a truly loving 'father' wouldn't have

such a bloodstained record of violence.

Yes. So, let me ask “you specifically” then: Doesn’t your logic then tell you that “a truly loving ‘father’“ does exist WHO IS NOT the same God as described in the Bible? Or have you tossed out “a truly loving ‘father’” altogether so that for you there is now no God at all?

Why not temper your statements with "I believe" and "here's my opinion"?

Okay.

They're much more forgiving phrases if you turn out to be wrong.

(Trust me, I know. I hate eating humble pie, even though its still a regular meal for me.)

I understand.

Fortunately, I don't have the added pressure of having been given special knowledge

by My Lord that requires me to be right, even when I'm not.

Huh?

"NO BASIS"? Think about what you're saying.

I do try.

Was every Canaanite deserving of the same death sentence, women and children included?

Apparently.

So let's go back to your WHY..... WHY did they deserve it? For being born into the wrong family?

Did you actually read what I wrote? When did I ever say “they deserved” it because they were “born in the wrong family”? Where did you get THAT from? No one is ever “born into a wrong family.” That is an expression used to justify poor logic and reasoning whom you claim is your lord. I thought I clearly explained to you WHY (to use “your” words) “they deserved” it. Did I not? Did you read those narratives I highlighted boldly and directed to you where you could find out the “why”? I don’t seem to think you did. So, did you or did you not read those few texts that explain the “why”? Just curious at this point.

Based on your foregoing argument, criminals today should be indiscriminately

put to death along with their wives and kids. So yeah, WHY is a great question.

I NEVER said criminals today should be . . . put to death along with their wives and kids.” And you talk about me making assumptions and conclusions. I NEVER said that.

I must concede... I was wrong as to exactly which disprovable spirit being was speaking to you.

Yes, thank you.

My "Lord" is Logic and Reason.

My lord is “Wisdom.”

We have a progressive relationship.

Me too.

He speaks to me regularly, though some days I might not hear him.

My Lord speaks to me regularly too.

He tries to speak to others and occasionally will speak through some of his followers, like me.

Mine likewise.

But many still fail to listen as they are distracted and misled by his nemesis,

the powerful Lack of Critical Thinking.

Agreed.

LOCT spreads lies and misinformation and has a stranglehold on the majority of humankind.

Again, agreed.

WAIT! JUST NOW MY LORD TOLD ME that those who refuse to believe in and follow

him 100% are not worthy of him, therefore I should stop posting on this thread!

If that’s what yours tell you.

He says my time would be better spent elsewhere.

Okay.

While I did lapse into sarcasm here at the end,

Did you? Aaaaahhhh . . . yes, sarcasm . . . that little word defined as: derision, ridicule, scorn, mockery, jeer, contempt, disparagement, disdain, etc., and literally meaning “to cause to bleed.” When was I ever biting and cutting with you, SBC? So, from time to time you enjoy making others bleed a little? It satisfies something in you? Frankly, I am still astounded by people on this Board to seem to love to cause others to bleed with their sarcasm. I spoke to you from a place of respect and kindness and sincerity.

I still hope the best for you folks who hear voices

Thank you for this kindness at least.

and, again, it seems a visit with a counselor is the best way to move forward.

Indeed, SBC. And “my” Lord is a “Wonderful Counselor” indeed.

--Inkie

46

For those who were partakers

by mamalove in

jw
friends

what made you think you were supposed to drink the wine and eat the bread?

if you left the org, did you still feel like you were going to heaven?.

Inkie

Cattails: Thank you very much for your kind words of encouragement. I appreciate it.

Bible Brain:

You wrote:

I found all these comments very interesting, and very similar to my own experience.

Do you care to share your experience for the encouragement and upbuilding of the Body of Christ? You don’t have too, of course.

You also wrote:

but there is something I am not convinced about, and that is you all still refer to "Jehovah God"?

I’m not sure whom you are addressing when you ask this question. Those here who profess to be of the “body” or just those who are ex-JWs. As for me, I will tell you my take on the name “Jehovah.” That spelling and pronunciation are not correct—even the Society admits that. However, they use it because it is “familiar” to most people as the name of God because of the numerous Bible translations. I get that. Do I have a problem with that name? No, not really. I don’t. However, I KNOW that God’s name is simply and truly just—“Jah.” Jah (pronounced: “Yah”) is the name that I now use. While I recognize that the name “Jehovah” is incorrect, it still to a degree (greater or lesser) is a name attributed to the Almighty God and for that reason, while I choose not to use that name because of it not being correct, I still have a degree of respect for it. I will not vilify or in any way excoriate that name or pronunciation unlike many here on this Board. I just recognize that it is not correct.

As for question regarding 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, it has not yet been revealed to me who that “man” is.

--Inkie

46

For those who were partakers

by mamalove in

jw
friends

what made you think you were supposed to drink the wine and eat the bread?

if you left the org, did you still feel like you were going to heaven?.

Inkie

My spirit within me kept on telling that I should. My spirit within me kept telling me that I was a son of God. The various versions of the Bibles that I read said so and I believed it with my entire being for a very long time--years. Yet, the Society and the brothers kept telling me this was not so and it couldn’t be so, and so I better not partake. I was not worthy they told me. As I questioned the teachings of the Society more and more, I came to see that what they were teaching was not true, not truth. I was told on a few occasions that I should not speak about Jesus. Made me shake my head. I was told that what I was feeling couldn’t possibly be true as God was no longer calling the anointed class, that He had stopped doing that long ago. While I didn’t believe them, because of the verses I read in the Bible, I forced myself to acquiesce to their directives. Not easy. Funny, I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses BECAUSE of the Society’s publication Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God. That little red book with the gold-edgesd pages spoke of the Sons of God throughout its pages and as I read that book, that book, the things written in it, was speaking TO me. This was before I was baptized. But in voicing to the elders my belief and conviction that I was a son of God, the elders and regular brothers and sisters told me over and over that this was not the case. Now, mind you, I did not brazenly tout my belief to the brothers, it was only when the subject came up by them and when they directed their questions to me that I admitted the truth of my belief and convictions. I did not publicize it to brag in any sort of way. I just told the truth when I was asked about it.

They made me doubt my belief and conviction of what I was, who I was, for years.

Finally, I no longer could deny it. The first time I partook was on Memorial night back in 1999; however, I did it in a cowardly way. I was afraid that I might be disfellowshipped for doing so. Two other brothers and I met in one of their private homes and we three partook there. It was good to partake. It felt totally right. The next year (2000) I partook in the middle of the congregation and it was SO right! I was no longer afraid of men or what they could or would do to me. They did nothing.

Please know that just because I partook did not mean that I didn’t question my belief or conviction because of them. I continued to question it because of the indoctrination of the brothers and the Society’s teachings.

THEN . . .

One night in February 2001 (I can’t remember the exact date), I came home from work deeply deeply troubled and distraught. I went upstairs to my bedroom. The family was downstairs in the den eating and watching television. I was alone. I threw myself upon the bed and began in earnest my prayer to Jah. It was a prayer, a long prayer, filled with deep emotion and sincerity, filled with weeping and petitions I was making known to God. I don’t think that I’ve ever prayed like that, in this manner, to God before or since, and I have prayed earnestly many times. I begged Him to tell me whether I was a “son” or not. I told Jah that I needed to know this. If I wasn’t a son, fine. So be it. But I needed to know either way. The mental and emotional fight I was in, going back and forth, because of the Society’s teaching and because of the things I read in the Bible thoroughly confused me and did me emotional turmoil. It wasn’t a short prayer by any means. It was like the Bible describes when it says with “strong outcries and tears” this prayer that I was praying was like that.

Suddenly, at some point during the prayer, as I looked about the room, the bedroom began to undulate; no, not really the room—but rather, the air in the room; no, rather, more accurately, the “space” within the room began to undulate and swirl about the room around me. I was totally awake and watching it happen before my very physical eyes. I lay their prone on top of the bed having raised myself up on my elbows watching what was occurring. The “undulating space” swirled all about me and then began to enter me and it permeated me—my entire body. I watched and felt this. And as it swirled about the room and entered me and exited me and entered me and exited me and I felt such an incredible peace. I am not kidding. Such an incredible peace AND received the knowledge that—Yes! Indeed, I was a son of God! After a while, I do not remember how long this occurrence lasted but when it was finished, as I said, I felt such incredible PEACE. Unlike anything I have experienced before. And my spirit bore witness to me that I was indeed a son of God. I NOW KNEW THIS and no one can take it away from me ever. Not only that, but for an entire month from this event, wherever I went, whatever I did, whomever I was with, for an entire month that PEACE STAYED WITH ME. After a month, it dissipated slowly and left. But I knew what I needed to know and ever since I have never questioned my sonship again.

I have partaken ever since and will continue to do so until our Lord arrives.

--Inkie

213

My Lord spoke and told me to post

by watersprout in

jw
friends

my lord spoke to me for the first time yesterday and this morning he told me to post my experience.. i know there are going to be ones who will call me names and thats ok. i will accept whatever you feel you need to say.. here goes.

i heard a voice calling ''my child'', this happened while at the zoo so i was taken off guard!

i replied ''who is this?

Inkie

SBC:

You're right, I didn't really mean murder.

Exactly! I knew that; however, we humans often say or write things and in the first writing we don't always say or write exactly what we mean and thus we MUST give each other the benefit of the doubt unlike many on this board (I'm sure they know who "they" are).

Genocide would be a more accurate term... like when he issued the command to exterminate the Canaanites,

including the women and children? That was no simple test of faith.

Aaaahhhh, yes. You're right. This command "was no simple test of faith." I don't think it was even a "test" at all. It was more a command with its attendant obedience or disobedience.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it was carried out as god directed, wasn't it?

Well . . . yes and no. Some of it was carried out as God directed. Other parts were not. You would have to re-read the various narratives to determine which narrative conforms with God's command and which do not.

(And I'm aware of the rationalization that it was part of god's purpose to ensure the "seed" could come through Abraham's line....

I have sort of, kind of, heard this "rationalization" but it wouldn't be fair of me to comment on it as I am not familiar with it. While the "seed" does or did come through Abraham's line, . . . NO! . . . actually, my Lord just now reminded me that ensuring the seed had absolutly NOTHING whatsoever to do with the Canaanites. It is written plainly and clearly WHY what happened to the Canaanites happened to the Canaanites. Do you know the WHY? I being real serious with you here, SBC. Do you know the WHY? Maybe if you knew the WHY you might not be so very harsh with God. People very often DO NOT TELL THE WHY of things. (There is ulterior motive in the not telling of the why?)

SBC, people often have problems with the narrative explaining what occurred with Abraham and Isaac. Does it help at all that God never had any intention of having Isaac slain? It was a "test" for Abraham, a test which Abraham passed with flying colors. Abraham was told to "sacrifice" his son. People hate that and vilify God for this. Right?! YET . . . people do sacrifice their children ALL OF THE TIME. TO THIS VERY DAY EVEN. They even use THAT WORD--SACRIFICE! My Lord told me this yesterday as I was thinking on this subject. For example: each and every government (for the most part) on earth today "sacrifice" their children on the altar of patriotism or nationalism, sending their children to possibly die for their country. You know this. I know you know this. Governments often DRAFT the children to sacrifice their lives on behalf of their country. WHY DO WE NOT HATE OUR GOVERNMENTS OR OUR COUNTRIES JUST AS MANY HATE GOD FOR WHAT HE SUPPOSEDLY DID, and at the final outcome God didn't require it and prevented it in the case of Abraham and Isaac. Yet, day after day, children die in wars promoted by the governments on earth today. They honor their sacrificed children with gun salutes, and folded flags, and burials in special grounds, with jets flying over head. What hypocrisy! Why don't you damn them? No, we damn God but not the governments. How ridiculous is that!

Now, as for the Canaanites, look at some of the WHYs of what is supposed to have been commanded. Read Leviticus, chapters 18, 19, 20. Read chapter 20, verse 23: "And you must not walk in the statutes of the nations whom I am sending out from before you, because THEY HAVE DONE ALL THESE THINGS and I abhor them." Does GOD not have THAT RIGHT? Would YOU mind living in such a neighborhood? Some on this Board wouldn't mind it, I'm sure. (And you know who you are.) Read Leviticus 18:24-30: "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, because by all these things the nations whom I am sending out from before you have made themselves unclean. . . . For all these detestable things the men of the land who were before you have done. . . . " Does the WHY of things no matter to you, SBC? You tell me.

And if the WHY doesn't matter to you (or others) then we should just let ALL CRIMINALS out of prisons--really--truthfully. You have NO BASIS to stand on if that is your take. In all likelihood, the criminals in prisons today have done the same or similar things as the people in ancient Canaan. According to those on this Board who object to Jah's instructions against Canaan, you may as well let all the criminals out of their prisons. Is that what you'd like to see?

Man! I certainly get why God at one time stated: "I do regret that I have made man."

But all that is moot. The real issue? A number of folks on here are hearing voices, believing the messages to be from the Lord God and Savior of all Creation, and several other members of this forum do not see it as any cause for concern.

Ah, yes--the "real issue." SBC, you are mistaken (again) here. I'm sorry to point it out, SBC, the "folks on here are hearing voices" not from God. From the Savior (Jaheshua/Jesus), God's spokesperson or "Word," yes, but not from God.

--Inkie

213

My Lord spoke and told me to post

by watersprout in

jw
friends

my lord spoke to me for the first time yesterday and this morning he told me to post my experience.. i know there are going to be ones who will call me names and thats ok. i will accept whatever you feel you need to say.. here goes.

i heard a voice calling ''my child'', this happened while at the zoo so i was taken off guard!

i replied ''who is this?

Inkie

SBC:

You wrote:

Please bear with me on this....

Not a problem.

I think a "pattern", by definition, means recurring events or objects that repeat. If there were 20 accounts of god asking people in the bible to kill, and in all 20 accounts he used an angel to prevent it at the last second, that would be a pattern.

Certainly I can see your point. And what you state is true. But is that not just “one” definition of the word? Here’s another, yes:

: a reliable sample of traits, acts, tendencies, or other observable characteristics of a person, group, or institution <a behavior pattern > <spending patterns >

Let me ask you, cannot the actions of One (God, or a man, or a woman) be considered an overall “pattern” of the kinds of things He would or would not do? Do you know what I mean? While a person may do a thing one time, it CAN be included in the PERSON’S general overall pattern of things, can it not?

An, if this is the case, wouldn’t it then make your second paragraph moot? (I am not being disrespectful or insincere here.)

And with regard to your third paragraph, God does not and has not ordered any “murder.” Did you really mean to state that He did? Did a "murder" occur? He would be transgressing one of His own ten commandments, wouldn’t he? And I am speaking of the word YOU used—“murder.” Yes, I agree, that “the account of Abraham and Isaac was [an] anomaly” that had a happy outcome. The “subject” as you call him, did “execute [G]od’s will as directed (kill?).” And, indeed, he did show his “faith by not hesitating.”

As for your last question, again, I do see your point and as I read your question, I can “hear” that you sound sincere in the asking of this question.

To make it absolutely clear for everyone who might be interested, Jah, the Most Holy One of Israel, is not the same God as is portrayed or written about in the Bible—contrary to many people’s assertions that He is. Jaheshua came to earth to tell the truth about his Father because so many lies had been told about Him.

If someone wrote a book about you, SBC, and wrote in that book lies, falsehoods of every kind, gross exaggerations and misrepresentations, wouldn’t you be happy that some people cared enough to speak up in your defense? Telling the people that the book is fill with inaccuracies? Well, the Number One person to do that was Jaheshua known to most as Jesus Christ.

--Inkie

213

My Lord spoke and told me to post

by watersprout in

jw
friends

my lord spoke to me for the first time yesterday and this morning he told me to post my experience.. i know there are going to be ones who will call me names and thats ok. i will accept whatever you feel you need to say.. here goes.

i heard a voice calling ''my child'', this happened while at the zoo so i was taken off guard!

i replied ''who is this?

Inkie

Dear Starting Over and Twitch:

I was hoping someone would comment on Witness My Fury's post:

I suppose then that your “hope” has been fulfilled.

Seems to me Abraham's situation is totally getting ignored by you voice hearers.

No, not really. It only seems that way to you and others.

According to what is written, God spoke to Abraham and Abraham “heard” God speaking to him. The Bible states that God put “Abrahamto the test.” Abraham obeyed all that God said. At the point of plunging the knife into his son, Abraham was stopped, prevented from doing so, BY AN ANGEL OF GOD. (Genesis 22:12) So then, AT THE MOMENT when the knife was to be plunged in his son God prevented it from happening. This ‘test of Abraham’ is and was quite different from the many slayings that go on in the name of God today. For according to the biblical pattern as set forth in Genesis 22, everyone today who claims to hear a voice from God and that voice says to slay someone or many people—that person at the moment of the slaying would be prevented from doing so had the voice actually been that of God. Do you not see that? According to the pattern set? The fact that today no one stops the slayings says means that the voice heard was NOT from God.

Dear Steve2:

You have the temerity to call the question "stupid"[?]

Yes, I do, temerity or not.

and then as if to emphasize your point used the bolded, capitalized OBVIOUSLY, to imply the true Lord wouldn't request that a believer kill another.

Did I say that the true Lord wouldn’t request such a thing? After re-reading what I posted, I see your point. I guess I did say that. Then let me clarify for you and make what I meant more plain. “[A]ny voice that says to do the above and allows it to be carried outIS NOTthe voice of the True God or of His Christ.” God did not allow the request to Abraham to be carried out. Now, as to whether God or His Christ make such requests today—I seriously doubt it--only because it was already done once with Abraham. No NEED to do it again--ever.

Little wonder that the Old Testament has heralded the way for religious nutters everywhere to claim their obedience to "Divine" instruction to justify their violent deeds. Wake up and smell the stench of "righteous" blood-lust in the Bible before calling the question stupid.

If you know God or His Christ then the question you asked remains stupid. If you don’t know God or His Christ then I can see where you might think the question is valid.

Darth Plaugeis:

wait .....YUK I have to defend God....

Yay!!!

He didn't have anyone kill for the flood...... he did that himself.

Sorry God.

I am sure the apology will be accepted.

SBC: I do see your points. They are quite well stated. To clarify, perhaps I should have stated “love by its manifestation,” “Love at its end result,” “Love in its existence and its culmination,” and not just the claim of being loving which can be proved false. Your point is well-taken, however.

Your recommendations are noted.

--Inkie

213

My Lord spoke and told me to post

by watersprout in

jw
friends

my lord spoke to me for the first time yesterday and this morning he told me to post my experience.. i know there are going to be ones who will call me names and thats ok. i will accept whatever you feel you need to say.. here goes.

i heard a voice calling ''my child'', this happened while at the zoo so i was taken off guard!

i replied ''who is this?

Inkie

Witness My Fury:

Please, no offense is intended but, WHY do people ask this stupid question?

"If your LORD told you to kill someone, or do some other thing that would normally conflict with your conscience centre ... would you do it? . . . Lets say Your LORD tells you to kill a familly member who is mocking your new found zeal, or take out the Pope because he is the AntiChrist, take your pick."

OBVIOUSLY . . . it's not the true Lord, is it? If God is love (and He is) and Christ is the exact representation of God's being (and He is), then any voice that says to do the above IS NOT the voice of the True God or of His Christ.

--Inkie

213

My Lord spoke and told me to post

by watersprout in

jw
friends

my lord spoke to me for the first time yesterday and this morning he told me to post my experience.. i know there are going to be ones who will call me names and thats ok. i will accept whatever you feel you need to say.. here goes.

i heard a voice calling ''my child'', this happened while at the zoo so i was taken off guard!

i replied ''who is this?

Inkie

SBCheezits:

Forgive for responding to this as I know your questions were not directed to me, but to Watersprout. But, I feel compelled to answer here, if you don’t mind. I hope Watersprout won’t mind. You wrote:

Do you accept every claim others might make of hearing the voice of God, so long as they seem like a good, spiritual human?

I think the operative clause in your question is: “so long as they seem like a good, spiritual human.” Why would you choose to question such a one knowing that they “seem like a good, spiritual human”? If they do not seem to be a “good, spiritual human,” then it would behoove us to be mindful of the words of our Lord: “By their fruits you will know them,” yes? Bad fruit, bad tree; good fruit, good tree. We are instructed to “test the inspired expressions” to whether or not they originate with God. How do you test? You test by “love.” That is the determining factor. Is what is stated originating from love? If not, then it does not originate from God. Easy.

How do you determine which ones to believe and which ones to write off as being in a state of psychosis?

I think I have answered this one above. Psychosis is defined as: “ any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted.” Interesting. You tell me something. If, from all appearances, reality is intact and the only exception to that (according to you) is that one hears a voice, how has reality been lost or highly distorted? Simply because YOU didn’t hear the voice?

Should a person not question himself when he hears such a voice?

Yes, of course. Again, we are instructed to test/question the inspired expression.

Would a person who is in a state of psychosis realize it?

Probably not.

What steps have you taken to eliminate the possibility that your mind was the source of the voice?

While it is true that the voice I heard was heard from within me, so to speak, as it was NOT an audible voice from outside of me, I know it did not originate WITH me. I realize that for some that this is rather subjective, however. What steps do you suggest be taken? I'm being serious here.

--Inkie

284

To new Christians on JWN

by brotherdan in

i wanted to make a few comments to those of you that have recently begun to question or have already left the wt and made their way onto this site.

this site is a great resource to learn how others are coping with leaving the organization and moving on into a fulfilling life.. i wanted to write this post because i think reading something like this would've been helpful to me to understand where a lot of people that comment on this site are coming from.

you are going to hear from a wide range of people that have moved on to a diverse range of beliefs.

Inkie

BrotherDan:

And to be biblically specific (and I know I can be pedantic at times), a Christian is one who HAS BEEN anointed with holy spirit for the word itself MEANS "anointed one." Plain and simple. Unless you've been anointed with holy spirit you are not technically/bibilically (or in reality) a Christian. That anointing is Christ's decision. He wants us to ask for the holy spirit if we haven't yet received it. And he wants us to KEEP ON ASKING and it will be given.

--Inkie