just beginning to open my eyes...my aunt, flyinghighnow is helping me along.
glad to be in a place where people understand.
i guess i'll be seeing you all around.
Hi Christopher,
Welcome. I hope your tag is in honour of the brilliant Monty Python film. One of my all-time faves.
This site is fascinating, you can search on any subject and it's pretty much been covered or debated. There's still plenty more to say, though. I look forward to hearing your story
X
i can't - don't even try anymore.
just a few to chew:.
man then beast?
Rydor, the thing about the time of Jesus' death really shocked me when I read Bart Ehrman's book. For me, this was the final nail in the coffin as far as supposed bible inerrancy. I don't know how the writing department manage to write on this subject without thinking 'WTF?' The doctrine about the lamb of god taking away the sin of the world nearly didn't make it as doctrine!
How can any christian really and honestly say that they're happy to live with an errant bible, and yet declare that Jehovah's creation is so ordered and precise as to make the DNA strand, with all its biological wonders. If Jehovah were real, he wouldn't have let his legacy to us be written and copied over the centuries in such a half-arsed, haphazard way. The intricate wonders of life truly ARE wonders. The bible was something that god scribbled out in 5 minutes whilst sat on the crapper.
i can't remember the last time i was asked that question because it has been many years.
nor do i remember my response to the questioner but it no doubt contributed to not being asked the question since.
are you in the truth?
I think the truth as presented by the WT$ is on shaky ground. The facts you've brought up cannot be denied. The problem is that the WT$ accepts and tries to interpret the whole bible. Other religions will pass off certain parts as allegorical. I just don't see how you can cherry-pick parts of the bible that fit your own personal interpretation. To me, purely on a spiritual level, (even though I'm an atheist) the bible seems to kick into gear at the gospels. The tenets of love and consideration that Jesus preached make for a wholly more believable god than the old testament's bloodthirsty tyrant Jehovah. The problem is that Jesus alludes to early bible times as factual occurences.
For me it's simple. Why would god have misleading parts and/or untruths in his holy word? For an entity that created all the complexities of life, and yet be unable to make sure his words to us are at least accurate seems unfathomable. Why would god lie? Why would he dumb down the creation account by using terminology like 'god said let there be....' '...and it appeared, and it was good'. If god used evolution as a means to create life on earth, then why not just say that?
I've always had a problem with the plain facts about nature being red in tooth and claw. I could never resolve the idea that god made the animals originally as all herbivores. Lions can't digest cellulose...cows can. Lions are perfect killing machines...created by a loving god. It's simple really, yet for years I always pushed it to the back of my mind.
Sorry if I've annoyed anybody with a faith here, but Nickolas makes some good points. The contradictions are glaring. As he says, they are TRUTH.
Is it me, or was the artist inspired by watching a Bud Spencer movie...where he smacks some guy round the head with an open palm? It looks just like him. The headband kinda reminds me of the planet of the apes for some reason. The WT$ likes to show jesus as a tough badass, instead of a skinny hippy like in christian churches.
The art editor on the Watchtower must've been dropped on his head as a baby.
this is the first of nine youtube videos covering last night's debate on religion in toronto.
well worth the time.. http://www.youtube.com/user/hitchensblairdebate#p/u/8/ipmpfu3mmpa.
also available in avi format for torrent download here: http://onebigtorrent.org/download.php?id=10240&export=1&d=1.
Cheers Nickolas,
I wasn't even aware Hitch was doing anything lately. Blimey. I'm downloading the torrent. Cheers.
I've a feeling this is going to be a bit one-sided. Tony Blair is a proper tit.
it seems as though at least one article in every issue of the study watchtower is devoted to reinforcing the governing body's authority.
this from pargraph 10:.
10 christ provides loving oversight of his congregations on earth by means of appointed elders.
I can't comment as to whether the incidence of reference to the GB has gone up, or down over the years in the WT. I was always too busy drooling, or counting the number of pimples on the back of brother Paininthearse's neck, to even take any notice.
Even so, that is a lot of times. Repetition for emphasis for all the zombies to take note.
my attempt at answering.. first how many angels are there?.
revelation 5:11; .
then i looked and heard the voice of many angels, .
Most Dubs would be mortified to realise that on average they have 4 or 5 demons following them around all day. Making them miss that return visit by five minutes... making the car break down on the way to the district convention... etc...etc...pesky demons!
i tried to find it, but it's gone.
as well as the jehovah's witness fb page.
it seems in the recent weeks those sites became "overrun" with apostates and were no longer encouraging.
It's all your fault, Serenity. Now the brothers and sisters can't discuss the meetings. (They're good, by the way)
Agape x
we 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.
It would be infinitely easy for 'god' to have an intimate relationship with each one of us, and talk to us directly every day, as he did with Adam. What makes us any different? Are we any less important? Does he love us any less?
In my opinion the issue of faith is total BS. If god existed, he'd certainly want to talk to us, the same way a parent is concerned about their own children and talks/nags to them.
But apparently god has other things to do with his time, some of the new X-box games are too kick-ass, apparently.
hey guys, i'm compiling some hard drives full of films and tv series.
i've come to a bit of an impasse.
i've got hundreds of films, with all the obvious choices.
Just want to say thanks to everyone for their contributions. I'm in the process of downloading a lot of these that I haven't got. I'll list some of my favourite films, and see if you get the flavour of the kind of stuff I like. If they remind you of anything similar, please let me know!
Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Braveheart, Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Beetlejuice, Final Destination, The Descent, Braveheart, Gladiator, Memphis Belle, Ghost, The Bourne Trilogy, Coming To America, Return To Neverland, Star Wars, Borat, Little Big Man, The Jerk, Aliens, The Color Purple, Debbie Does Dallas
Cheers!
