truth_b_known

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Posts by truth_b_known

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  30

  Opinions on the Divine name in the New Testament? + an interesting question

  by Blotty in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am genuinely curious and mainly posting this for research purposes, i do not have enough knowledge on either of these subjects to debate them in any useful manner.. (this information is as far as i am aware and may be incorrect in places)as most know the nwt is known for placing a form of the divine name in the nt (new testament) - while i agree the evidence is significantly weak for it too appear in the nt, a few things must be considered - (from my limited research)rev references the name twice (3:12, 14:1)early copies of the lxx contain the divine name (likely the versions that the nt writers copied?

  stafford has a couple of videos on this subject)it was emphasized over and over the name [divine name, which ever form you prefer] would be "known" (other words used aswell) forever - if this is true, why then go against your own message in some cases and replace it with a surrogate?some also claim the nwt is dishonest for not translating some occurrences of "lord" as the divine name - common ones i notice are: phil 2:10-11, 1pe 3:14-15, heb 1:10yet these all use "lord" as a title not a proper noun, seems to be staunch trinitarians who make this claim most oftenscholar qualifications:why does a scholars qualification's matter?

  sounds dumb i know.

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  truth_b_known

  From the historical standpoint the Israelite deity's name has changed over time.

  First there was El -

  He was a Canaanite God, worshiped as the Creator of the Universe and husband of Asherah by Northwest Semitic peoples and was also worshiped as the God of Israel, which he later ceased to be as he was considered a "false God". This is due to the fact that he was not an avatar of God like El Shaddai, the Ancient of Days or Allah, but was a descendant of Khaos, a very powerful amoral entity that inhabited the Endless Void before creation.

  After Moses founded the worship of Yahweh, unlike Asherah, El and Yahweh began to be considered the same God. After millennia, it is not known what happened to El.

  

  

  After Israel was conquered by the Assyrians they were exposed to the Zoroastrian religion and adopted the concept of monotheism. El had become YHWH.
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  20

  Are you convinced what the Gospels say about Jesus is true?

  by Fisherman in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  probably, the greatest advocacy for the gospels is the jw publication: the greatest man that ever lived.

  it convinced me.. everything else that the bible says about the resurrection and eternal life logically follows.. the testimony of a “witness” in court matters only if it is observation not commentary ( expert witness is also commentary): what did you see, what did you hear, what is the magnitude of your measurement.

  not, are you convinced; that is only belief.

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  truth_b_known

  Using the above analogy I can provide the following information for your consideration -
  

  • "Eye-witness" testimony has been shown to be the most erroneous evidence at a trial. Two contributing factors are 1) point-of-view and 2) memory. Human memory has been shown to misremember or even invent information the memory holder swears to be true.

  What do we known about The Gospels -

  • The first Gospel believed to be written is The Book of Mark
  • The other Gospel books plagiarized Mark
  • The most erroneous Gospel being The Book of John which manufactured miracles and alleged divinity of Jesus
  • The Gospel authors are anonymous
  • Modern Bibles are erroneous copies of copies based on erroneous manuscripts that are dated centuries after the events contained in the books allegedly happened.
  • The Gospels were written between 66CE to 110CE
  • The Gospels were written 33 to 77 years after the events written about are alleged to have taken place

  Conclusion -

  The Gospels are a document written by anonymous sources 3 to 7 decades after the events that are alleged to have occurred. If this is your only evidence you do not hold truth or knowledge, but rather belief which is the same as faith. In other words you hold a venerated opinion.

  Fisherman, you are 100% correct. Knowledge comes only from personal experience.
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  13

  Songs that help recovery

  by peacefulpete in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  are there songs that seem to speak to you?

  maybe especially when leaving the church and losing friends and family.

  i still pause when i hear hennly's heart of the matter.

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  truth_b_known

  About 3 years ago I had to face facts about how toxic I was. This song summed things up rather well. I would sing it to myself while looking into a mirror as a statement that I was no longer going to be "that guy" in the mirror.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LfZcmv8BMg

  I want to break free, I want to break free

  I want to break free from your lies

  You're so self-satisfied I don't need you

  I've got to break free

  God knows, God knows I want to break free

  I've fallen in love

  I've fallen in love for the first time

  This time I know it's for real

  I've fallen in love, yeah

  God knows, God knows I've fallen in love

  It's strange but it's true, hey

  I can't get over the way you love me like you do

  But I have to be sure when I walk out that door

  Oh, I want to be free, baby

  Oh, how I want to be free

  Oh, I want to break free

  But life still goes on

  I can't get used to living without, living without

  Living without you by my side

  I don't want to live alone, hey

  God knows, got to make it on my own

  So, baby, can't you see I've got to break free?

  I've got to break free

  I want to break free, yeah

  I want, I want, I want

  I want to break free
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  20

  How do Jehovah's Witnesses differ from first century Christians?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  let me start with a couple of distinctions.. first century christians:.

  1. baptized military personnel.. 2. baptized men with political authority.

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  truth_b_known

  The first Christians were Jews practicing Judaism while practicing the altruistic lifestyle Jesus' preached about.

  In addition -

  14. There were no books used to interpret scripture.

  15. There were no extra-scriptural books or magazines.

  16. There was no Bible. Just the Torah and some letters written (Mostly by Paul).

  17. There were no requirements to become baptized.

  18. There was no obsession with being different.

  19. There was no obsession with man-made rules and regulations (exception: Paul did this).

  20. The practice of Apostolic Succession (exception: Paul. Paul pulled a Rutherford and declared himself an Apostle).

  21. Christians were required to sell all personal property and donate the proceeds to the church (communal living).

  22. Those who travelled to visit the various churches were self-employed instead of living off donations and "green-handshakes".
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  52

  List of Things We Were NOT Allowed To Do as JW's

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here's my list of jw no-no's as i recall: .

  1. no giving or accepting valentine candy for students.

  2. no going to home coming football games.

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  truth_b_known

  Was "Cannot obtain higher education" mention?

  Also, how about -

  • Cannot refuse to indoctrinate your child or give them the freedom to decided whether or not they want to join the cult.
  • Cannot be in a romantic relationship unless your intention is marriage (Men - this means you have to be able to financially support a family before dating. Women - this means you have to be of legal age to marry...that's it?!?)
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  35

  Christmas, yes or no ?

  by jhine in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have just started to steep the mincemeat for my mince pies in dark rum .

  christmas is a big deal in my family and circle of friends.

  however among ex jws it's a bit different or so l understand.

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  truth_b_known

  When my family left the Watchtower we were all in on Christmas. We have even hosted Christmas at our house the past couple of years. My in-laws were never Witnesses so took over hosting to give them a break.

  I love Christmas. To me Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity even though it is in the name. I call it Yule as that is where the practice of decorating with evergreen trees and gift giving came from.

  
  
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  13

  Living your life according to the bible

  by TTWSYF in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have heard it said [numerous times] that jws live their life according to the bible.. i have also heard [numerous times] that jws have restored the correct christian practice following the great apostasy [?which is a different topic].

  my question is 'is there any proof anywhere in history where jewish or christian people lived their life according to the scriptures?".

  ttwsyf.

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  truth_b_known

  The first Christians were practicing Jews who lived their lives the way Jesus taught them. Christianity was not a religion until after Jesus was elevated to a deity. The deification of Jesus came long after Jesus' death.

  So, practicing Jew have never lived their life according to the Bible. Jesus' original followers did not either as the Bible did not exist. The first book of the New Testament to be written was The Book of Acts which was written about 4 decades after the events in the alleged events in the book were to have taken place.
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  25

  God Has Only One Visible Organization on Earth!

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  why is it important to some that god only have one visible organization to represent him on earth?

  why is it important to jehovah's witnesses that people recognize their organization as such?

  what makes a witness more moral or righteous or save-worthy if they accept that it is his one and only organization?

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  truth_b_known

  Smiddy3 - You stole my thunder! Nice!!!

  Speaking in rough numbers and approximations:

  • 4000 BCE - The first human civilization in recorded history.
  • 1200 - 900 BCE - The creation of ancient Israel as a nation.
  • 33 CE - According to Christians, Israel ceases to be God's "visible organization" and is replaced by the church.
  • 99 CE - John, the last living Apostle dies and begins the "great apostasy" according to the Watchtower.
  • 1919 CE - The Watchtower proclaims itself to be God's visible organization on Earth.

  Beginning with recorded history, the first 3,100 years of recorded history there is no visible organization for the god of the Bible on Earth. According to the Watchtower, there was no visible organization for the god of the Bible for 1,820 years until Judge Rutherford caught the eye of King Jesus of the Heavenly Kingdom of YHWH. So, no salvation for anyone between the years of 99 CE and 1820 CE.
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  31

  How get out of watchtower?

  by Hellothere in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  how do you get out of watchtower?

  am i supposed to write letter to bethel or local congregation telling them i don't want to be a jw anymore?

  how are the steps.

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  truth_b_known

  To write a letter of disassociation is to imply the Watchtower has authority over you. If you have stopped attending meetings and all other JW activity you have accomplished your will.

  You owe them nothing. Do not play by their rules. Do not acknowledge the Watchtower has authority over you or anyone else.
  
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  59

  Why isn't this forum growing like reddit exjw??

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  admittedly it 90% crap over there but still they are up to 80k in subscribers.

  over here it's the same half dozen or so that posts something, including myself.

  why is that?.

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  truth_b_known

  Joao is correct. Reddit can be downloaded as an app to a mobile device for use. In addition, Reddit is a one-stop-shop for any and all topics on anything.