Posts by outnfree

30

Two Questions

by Yerusalyim in

jw
friends

i have two questions, mostly for commited christians, though i'm sure somehow, that others will reply too.. 1) does prayer change god or his mind?.

2) if not, why pray?.

i have my own opinion on the subject, but i may be adjusting my understanding of god.. have fun!.

outnfree

Am away from home on a borrowed computer, but just had to say this, without much personal reflection at all:

Abraham asked Jehovah not to destroy all the people in Sodom when he was informed of the angels' task, remember? If xx number of righteous, 25, 10, etc. could be found, would God really practice such wickedness against ALL? Jehovah answered that he would spare the righteous. And ostensibly did. Was that a prayer or a conversation? Isn't prayer a conversation between humans and God?
At least, isn't that what we're taught? (Not having Jehovah and/or his angel materialized for a personal visit with us?) So it seems to me that the BIBLE TEACHES that God DOES change his mind in answer to prayer. (See also Flowerpetal's reply above.)

outnfree (who understands that she may have only answered ONE question, and has many more than that to pose herself

66

i am new

by knight in

i have read the various posts here an i have my own story to tell i amstill a witness not as active as i used to be but stillfaithful i think the main problem that jws have is that they put c.o's m.s's elders and the like on pedestals and when you do that you set yourself up for a letdown and when that person does something you dont think is right you are letdown but one should not let this block his/her relationship with jehovah.

outnfree

Hi, all!
I'm starting to feel bad that the "Welcome, Knight" thread has become the "chris-has-there-always-been-an-organization?" thread, but nonetheless would like to remind chris that larc's original question was:

[quote]Who was God's spokesman from Adam to Noah? ...from Noah to Abraham? From the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC until Christ? From the death of the early Christians until Charles Taze Russell? [emphasis mine]

I believe his intention was to point out to you that the persons mentioned above were INDIVIDUALS whom God used to accomplish his purpose, and also that in the intervening years God needed nobody nor any formal organization in order for his will to be done.

You may want to check out the date for the fall of Jerusalem -- if you do an internet search you will find out what the Israeli National Tourist Office says about this, as well as several Encylcopedias -- and you may ask yourself who was the Faithful and Discreet Slave just before CT Russell (Storrs/etc) popped onto the scene in the late 1800's?

It would probably be a good thing for Knight to look into as well.

Best wishes,
outnfree

5

Missouri Court Case

by outnfree in

i thought, perhaps, that the link to the court case in missouri where a brother allegedly confessed the rape of his two stepdaughters to two elders in the cabool, missouri se congregation, and where the said elders are refusing to testify due to "minister-communicant confidentiality" should be posted here: http://www.ky3.com.

(coming on the heels of the memorial non-partaking for the vast majority of witnesses and friends "minister-communicant" seems a rather out of place term, doesn't it?).

outnfree

Thanks, MrMagoo

* http://www.ky3.com/newsdetailed.asp?id=218

it is!

I'd recommend reading the Supreme Court's decision to get the full import. There's a link at the bottom of the article.

Hope that helps, Prisca.

outnfree

38

3 Gods Equal 1 God?

by 7robert7 in

jw
friends

as i sat back thinking of some of the discussions i've had with witnesses over the years, one always stands out.

the issue of the trinity teaching, whereby father(jehovah), son(jesus), and holy spirit when combined equal one god.

a witness friend from work once said that it was an impossability, and was beyond human understanding.. i asked him what he thought we believed about the trinity, to which he responded with a math lesson.. 1 jehovah god + 1 jesus god + 1 holy spirit god = 3 gods, he went on to state that 1 + 1 + 1 can never equal 1 god, it always equals 3. to which i added a little math lesson i learned as a child.. 1 jehovah god x 1 jesus god x 1 holy spirit god can equal 1 almighty god.

outnfree

Well, I guess I'm good, then, Willy_Think!

outnfree

2

GO LEAFS GO

by Kismet in

wooooo hooooooooooooo.

who woulda thunk it???

the leafs sweeping ottawa 4 games to nothin...that's right nothin!!!!.

outnfree

My Canadian husband and son (ESPECIALLY my son) were also rejoicing tonight!

And we're Red Wing fans, too, so we're hoping for a trip to the second round for them even with Steve and Shanny on the sidelines.

outnfree

16

Would you slam the door in his face?

by OlderTom in

jw
friends

if a man knocked on your door and introduced himself as jesus christ son of jehovah, would you ask him in and feed him or would you slam the door in his face and call the cops?.

if your daughter came home pregnant and claimed it was an imaculate conception, would you believe her?.

why do you believe in the other virgin birth?.

outnfree

Yeru is right. The Immaculate Conception refers to Mary's conception. Jesus was conceived supernaturally. Interesting that the Scriptures don't tell us what Mary's PARENTS' reaction was to her being pregnant out of wedlock. Were they as upset as neyank would be?

I wouldn't believe my daughter, either. I'd likely take her to a psychologist after confirming the pregnancy at a gynecologist! LOL

I'm also with those who said if the modern Jesus was performing the miracles and giving the wise speeches that he did the first time around, I'd be mighty impressed and willing to consider the possibility. But if he showed up on my doorstep with no introduction as a stranger and just said, "Hi! I'm Jesus!" I would NOT let him in.
And I'd have faith that he would understand...

outnfree

13

BLESSED APOSTATES

by nojw86 in

jw
friends

i feel blessed to have found this board with apostates, who are giving me and family comfort between my joyous hosp.

visits.

lol, but the love does come through, and reading all the posts has really been a blessing to me.

outnfree

Thanks, nojw.

When I read the topic line I immediately knew where you were going and wanted to add my heartfelt "AMEN"!

You have been in my prayers and I have been wondering how things are going for you. I wanted to e-mail you, but yours is locked. I'm glad I have this opportunity to thank you for this reminder of all the wonderful good this board has done for us apostates, and to wish you comfort and strength in your battle.

outnfree

38

3 Gods Equal 1 God?

by 7robert7 in

jw
friends

as i sat back thinking of some of the discussions i've had with witnesses over the years, one always stands out.

the issue of the trinity teaching, whereby father(jehovah), son(jesus), and holy spirit when combined equal one god.

a witness friend from work once said that it was an impossability, and was beyond human understanding.. i asked him what he thought we believed about the trinity, to which he responded with a math lesson.. 1 jehovah god + 1 jesus god + 1 holy spirit god = 3 gods, he went on to state that 1 + 1 + 1 can never equal 1 god, it always equals 3. to which i added a little math lesson i learned as a child.. 1 jehovah god x 1 jesus god x 1 holy spirit god can equal 1 almighty god.

outnfree

I spent a lot of time last summer methodically going through the gospel of John to see if it really DID teach the trinity. This was because I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be a Witness much longer, and then what would I be? I wondered if I would be able to realign myself with orthodox Christianity.

The result? I came away believing that more often than not, John's gospel did NOT teach a trinitarian God. The references upholding the Father's superior power and knowledge far outweigh the 3 or 4 verses that could possibly be interpreted as trinitarian proof texts. (I did not use a NWT for my study, BTW.)

I was happy to learn that many minds greater than mine could not wrap themselves around such a concept: -- Newton, Jefferson, Tolstoy, Milton, Servetus, and Knox. Admittedly, these are HUMAN minds. But human minds are what God gave us to unravel the words recorded by human hands in the Scriptures. So I figure if it were important to accept the Trinity in order to please God or to have salvation, it would be obvious that this was so.

Instead, I choose to believe (deliberate choice of words here) that there is a God and that he has offered us a way to feel close to him by having his unique Son, Jesus the Man/Messiah, show us the way in which we should walk. That the Father is a hearer of prayer, especially if it is offered while acknowledging his Son's mediatorship.

I am not certain if there may be other ways to approach God acceptably that do not include Jesus, perhaps just treating our fellow humans with love and respect and compassion is enough to please him. My mind's jury is still out on that one. For now, since I love the Jesus I've known as part of my Christian upbringing, and because I'm free now to acknowledge him more fully than I ever could as a Witness, I'm enjoying that freedom.

outnfree

A man must not swallow more beliefs than he can digest.
-- Havelock Ellis

25

File lawsuit or not?

by TR in

jw
friends

when i moved my family after leaving the jehoagies schmitnesses, i changed my phone number, and made sure it was unlisted.

little did i know that i would soon be receiving a call out of the blue from a jw.. now, this was a woman that i had worked with at one time and we were pretty good friends, so a few years later, when she called, i was kind of glad to hear from her.

the problem was, how did she get my phone number.