Posts by tyu

40

Continuity of the Bible - Start to Finish

by tyu in

i was asked in a previous topic whether i thought the bible had continuity in its thought/teaching from start to finish, from old to new testament.

you can argue from specific passages taken apart and out of context that the bible contradicts itself, but, all in all, there is one message-that of love, a father's love.

the bible is the story of a father who creates a family (beginning with adam and eve), but they break their bond with him.

tyu

Well said, Tec.

Acolytes - I don't comprehend it all. How can we, as finite creatures completely comprehend the mysteries of the infinite? But that shouldn't stop us from striving to learn and understand as much as we can.

Since God is perfect I would agrue that what He creates is perfect too. However, he did allow for an out, that being free will. If Adam never sinned creation would still be in perfect harmony. Adam decided to become imperfect. Stupid choice, yes, but it happened and now we face the consequences.

40

Continuity of the Bible - Start to Finish

by tyu in

i was asked in a previous topic whether i thought the bible had continuity in its thought/teaching from start to finish, from old to new testament.

you can argue from specific passages taken apart and out of context that the bible contradicts itself, but, all in all, there is one message-that of love, a father's love.

the bible is the story of a father who creates a family (beginning with adam and eve), but they break their bond with him.

tyu

Acolytes

In Scripture it states that everythig God created was good. It doesn't say pretty good or mostly good, so yes, really the only possibility for evil was through free will. Adam and Eve really knew what they were doing when they sinned. Our reasoning is much more clouded than theirs was. We didn't come into this world in an ideal state like they did. Whatever was going on in the garden must have been more intense than we give it credit.

I don't think being perfect, as a human being, means you can't make a wrong choice. Why else would the devil even bother tempting Jesus to sin?

I totally agree with you on the 1914 thing. Jehovah's Witnesses is a manmade belief system. There are many inaccuracies and unfortunately it has led so many people astray. I am so saddend when I read these posts and see the harm done. I applaud those who have faced up to the lies and have risked much to do so. I only wish these good people wouldn't reject God, but would keep searching for what is really true. But perhaps they are and that is why they bother with this forum.

Don't worry about me. The watchtower only makes me want to help others to find the truth even more. You're right that NOW is extremely important, but it's because the decisions we make now have eternal implications.

40

Continuity of the Bible - Start to Finish

by tyu in

i was asked in a previous topic whether i thought the bible had continuity in its thought/teaching from start to finish, from old to new testament.

you can argue from specific passages taken apart and out of context that the bible contradicts itself, but, all in all, there is one message-that of love, a father's love.

the bible is the story of a father who creates a family (beginning with adam and eve), but they break their bond with him.

tyu

Wow. Where to start? I guess - in the beginning...God created Adam and Eve in perfection. They had perfect reasoning and were in perfect union with Him. He gave them one simple test to prove their love for Him. God doesn't want robots; He doesn't force us to love Him. He gave us free will in hopes that we would recognize the great gift He had given us in creating us. Their eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil isn't like stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. Think of that tree - knowledge of good and evil. God didn't want them to know evil, so He gave one command. Obeying would not only prove their trust in and love for Him, but it would safeguard them from evil. God never wanted us to die, that wasn't part of His plan. However, actions mean something. Therefore, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, there were consequences. (Why do we only get mad at God for consequences. Do we get upset with gravity when something falls and breaks?) Now that they knew evil, they couldn't remain in a place of perfection. Why they broke their bond with God? I guess temptation was just too alluring or they were too cowardly to stand up to the devil and refuse his temptation.

All in all, as awful and horrible as human tragedies are, ultimately it's not about this life. This life is just a passing through. If this is it, wow, what a disappointment! Our souls are what matter and we can rise above the disappointments and tragedies we experience here.

40

Continuity of the Bible - Start to Finish

by tyu in

i was asked in a previous topic whether i thought the bible had continuity in its thought/teaching from start to finish, from old to new testament.

you can argue from specific passages taken apart and out of context that the bible contradicts itself, but, all in all, there is one message-that of love, a father's love.

the bible is the story of a father who creates a family (beginning with adam and eve), but they break their bond with him.

tyu

I was asked in a previous topic whether I thought the Bible had continuity in its thought/teaching from start to finish, from Old to New Testament. I do. You can argue from specific passages taken apart and out of context that the Bible contradicts itself, but, all in all, there is one message-that of love, a Father's love. The Bible is the story of a Father who creates a family (beginning with Adam and Eve), but they break their bond with him. Because of the Father's deep personal love for his people, the remainder of the story is the restoration of that familial bond. In the beginning of the story there is a break, at the end there is a wedding, a unity.

117

If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?

by smiddy in

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.

tyu

Present Truth: Interesting analogy

B) Take "your son" out in the front yard and announce to the entire neighborhood with a megaphone that you're going to shoot him dead instead because "I" broke your window and damaged our relationship, and SOMEBODY HAS TO PAY! Then kill your son to make the point? Meanwhile, you leave the window broken so that the termites, rain, wind and snow come in and do further damage to your home and then decide to fix it years later once the majority of the house is in ruins when you could have just fixed that little panel of glass on day one and prevented any further damage at all?

Jesus said Himself that He and the Father are one. The Father sending His Son is not a mean act of a father imposing some sort of cruel sentence. Jesus even said that no one takes His life from Him, but that He lays it down of His own accord. Yes, God could have just repaired the "window" and been done with it, but it wouldn't have shown the extent of God's love for humanity. That probably sounds like the opposite should be true, but think about it. To me, fixing the window quietly and moving on is like a parent who doesn't want to be bothered with his child. Instead, God took on our frail human nature and elevated it beyond our wildest dreams. He willingly suffered, although He didn't have to, to show us our value to Him. Sounds crazy, but isn't that what love is?

117

If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?

by smiddy in

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.

tyu

bohm: I'm sorry you took offense to my statement. I am not dehimanizing you at all and I wouldn't be writing to you if your opinion didn't matter and you weren't worth my time. We all, at times, are not intellectually honest with ourselves. I guess I was just recalling the Scripture of the rich man and poor Lazarus. The rich man lamenting his eternal damnation and asking Abraham to send his brothers a sign so that they might not end up in the same place of torment, to which Abraham responds negatively, adding that they would not believe even if someone should rise from the dead. God has sent us Jesus and we still want additional signs; that wasn't enough.

Regarding the Islam vs. Christianity comparision, I really don't see how we can compare the two. Christians are willing to be martyred for their faith; Muslims are willing to die in the process of killing others, yes, in the name of Allah, but there's a world of difference there.

BTW, from what I've read Muhammed was buried in his house, which is considered the second holiest site for Muslims. I have not seen any claim that he had risen from the dead.

Check out this as far as scientifically authenticated Christian miracles: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2640063/posts

117

If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?

by smiddy in

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.

tyu

Heaven: I guess I should have included that many of us are probably descendants of some barbaric tribe (Visigoths, Vandals, etc.) and somehow our ancestors were converted. Many missionaries (Francis Xavier, Isaac Jogues) spent time with barbaric tribes, etc., learned their language and ways, and eventually won their friendship and were able to teach about Christ.

117

If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?

by smiddy in

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.

tyu

Heaven: We can only be judged on what we know. If those Amazons are being the best Amazons they know how to be, I believe they can be saved. Would it be better for them to know Christ, of course, but if it's not their fault, how can they be at fault? Again, God's ways are not ours. He can lead us to Himself by different means.

117

If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?

by smiddy in

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.

tyu

designs: Let's say you made a pencil, but that pencil refused to write because it wanted to be a piece of paper. How unfair would it be for that pencil to blame you for it's misery because it is not doing what is was created for?

We were created to know and love God. When we do less, we create our own misery.

117

If God truly loved humans...why not reveal himself ? So that they could make an informed decision ?

by smiddy in

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.

tyu

bohm: You are right that nothing can be proven with Muhammed. It is different with Christianity. Where are the bones of Jesus? Those 12 apostles, many of them mere fishermen couldn't have possibly pulled off the greatest scam of all time, a scam lasting 2,000 years. Would those same men and thousands (or more) after them all go through inhuman torture and death for a lie? For what reward? Wouldn't the cruel persecutions of the Romans have put a stop to that nonsense? How could Christianity have flourished instead?

Unlike Muhammed's "miracles", there are many miracles of Jesus that can even be seen today. Check out the Shroud of Turin, the tilma of Juan Diego (Our Lady of Guadalupe), the Miracle of Santarem in Portugal, the incorrupt bodies of many saints such as St. Bernadette of Lourdes, to name just a few.

With all due respect, I really don't think you would believe even if God wrote on the moon with big letters. You'd find some scientific explanation for that too.