Yucca
Could it have been that the Holy Spirit was there all along and you simply became aware of it during your "conversion" experience?
Navigator
JoinedPosts by Navigator
-
12
When does a christian receive the Holy Spirit?
by barry infrom the new world translation.2 corinthians 1 verse 22 he has put this seal upon us and has given us the token of what is to come that is the spirit in our hearts.
from this its saying its some future event when a christian receives the holy spirit.. my new english bible says.
who has placed his mark of ownership upon us, and who has given us the holy spirit in our hearts as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.
-
-
-
37
Other religions are abusive too.,
by wednesday ini know jw's are abusive psychologicaly to their members, however so are other churches.
case in point, i knew a woman who would not marry b/c the pope said not to use birth control.
she did not want children, and she could not find it within herself to go against the pope.
-
-
Navigator
The Firm
You seem to be equating the Catholic Church as the church of Jesus. Sorry, that just doesn't hold up. Jesus also said, "By their fuits shall ye know them". Are you seriously suggesting given the monstrous atrocities carried out by the Catholic Church over the centuries, that they are Christs Church? It is more than just a few bad apples (Popes). What sort of church allows such monsters to attain positions of leadership? What sort of doctrine permits it? I keep remembering the historical quote of the Papal Legate during the 30 years war when the catholics and protestants were trying to kill each other off. His military commander came to him and pointed out that about 25% of the german town they had surrounded was catholic. He was concerned that all would claim to be catholic. The Papal Legates response was "Slay them all. God will know his own" Perhaps you are a reincarnation of that fine gentleman.
-
38
Do you plan to donate your organs when you die?
by LyinEyes ini just saw this movie john q. with denzel washington, and it is a great movie.
the subject is about health care or lack of,,, and the need for organ donations.
i have always felt strongly about this and this movie really made me think about doing something instead of just saying it.
-
-
Navigator
I've been signed up as an organ donor for many years, although I'm getting a bit "long in the tooth" and they may not want them.
-
12
When does a christian receive the Holy Spirit?
by barry infrom the new world translation.2 corinthians 1 verse 22 he has put this seal upon us and has given us the token of what is to come that is the spirit in our hearts.
from this its saying its some future event when a christian receives the holy spirit.. my new english bible says.
who has placed his mark of ownership upon us, and who has given us the holy spirit in our hearts as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.
-
-
Navigator
I believe that we all have the gift of the Holy Spirit regardless of our religious affiliation or lack thereof. It is God's gift to us because we are his children. It is God's answer to the dream of separation that we are dreaming.
-
-
-
Navigator
Very good Qwerty! This world is certainly not perfect. Could that be a clue that it was created by someone other than God?
-
30
"Are you ready to Die?"
by breeze in.
i don't know about the rest of you but i spent the better part of my life believing that i would never die!
i think i have dealt with it....but it still almost seems unnatural.... we are all going to die???
-
-
Navigator
I'm with Double Edge and Gold Morning on this one. There really is no "death". In my opinion, that is what Jesus came to demonstrate. The problem is that we have become so attached to this "lump of clay" that we have come to believe that it is what we are. We are so much more! I'm in no hurry to go because I've still got a lot of lessons to learn and things to do. However, when the time comes I'll be looking forward to a reunion with those who have already crossed over. I hope that I can make the "transition" with some degree of grace. I'm not waiting until the end to tell people how much I love them and appreciate them. I'm thanking God now for the wonderful teachers in my life that come in myriad forms. I'm especially thankful for my wife, JW though she is. Boy, have I learned a lot from her and none of it is JW doctrine.
-
37
Other religions are abusive too.,
by wednesday ini know jw's are abusive psychologicaly to their members, however so are other churches.
case in point, i knew a woman who would not marry b/c the pope said not to use birth control.
she did not want children, and she could not find it within herself to go against the pope.
-
-
Navigator
Not all churches are abusive. Some are pretty open. Someone has previously mentioned the Unitarian Church. I find either the Unity School of Christianity or United Church of Religious Science a good place to be. In the more orthodox vein, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is very tolerant of differing views. You have to decide for yourself whether a church organization is necessary for your spiritual developement and that depends on your personality, your need to belong to a group, your background, etc.. None of the churches have an exclusive "handle" on the truth. If you find any group that holds that they are the only path to truth, you should run, not walk, to the nearest exit.
-
14
Jesus Chastises Pharisees for not Killing Children
by Faraon injesus chastises pharisees for not killing children.
we can see that christians, and religions in general do only as much as allowed by secular governments.. here we see a fine example of the love of jesus for children when he chastises his adversaries for not following the law of jehovah and stoning to death children who curse their parents.. how loving are the provisions of big j and little j!!!.
matthew 15:3-4 jesus replied, "and why do you break the command of god for the sake of your tradition?
-
-
Navigator
I'm with Preacher on this one. Taking things out of context is one of the worst traits found among J.W.s. By taking things out of context, you can make the bible say anything you want to.
-
6
Incorporated churches
by Guest 77 inaccording to barbara ketay, she says about churches being incorporated, that,'...(87%) have been coerced by the government into becoming an incorportaed church, i.e., irs 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, or better yet a 'state church".. in light of the answer that jesus gave to the disciples of the pharisees and the party followers of herod about paying taxes, would jesus and his followers today be 'incorporated?
' if not, then why is the wtbts incorporated?
is this not also a 'mark' of the beast?
-
-
Navigator
Guest 77
Not all 501-C-3 organizations are churches. Most charities are also set up this way. Legally, a corporation is a person. It is a legal fiction necessary to conduct business and churches are big business. It is not feasible to bring a lawsuit, for example, against 3 million members of a church. However, it is feasible to sue a church "corporation". A corporation can enter into contracts just like a person can. It is also a tax thing. The classification under 501-C-3 makes it possible for contributors to take the donation as a deduction on their taxes. A great many donations to churches would dry up if they were not tax deductible. The classification under 501-C-3 does not give the "state" any power to dictate beliefs or influence doctrine. Our constitution and bill of rights protects us from this. However, the decision by the government that 501-C-3 is being abused, and not applicable to a particular oganization, can sure dry up the donation stream.
-
32
Earthly Resurrection Belief is INSANE
by PopeOfEruke ini know this topic gets mentioned a lot, but it still upsets me whenever i think about it.
its so insane, and i get so angry that i never questioned it or used my own brain to see the absurdity in it when i was still "in".. what got me started today is the sheer numbers involved.
the dubs believe only they will survive the big a. but not all of them - because those leading double lives etc will be killed as well as the rest of the 6 billion people on earth.
-
-
Navigator
Farkel
ANY resurrection belief is insane. If God had any sense at all, He would have made us all immortal to begin with
I believe that he did.