Posts by Pathofthorns

30

Defining Christianity

by Carmel in

jw
friends

it seems i constantly am confronted with those who are trying to make a "christian" out of me.

in various threads on this forum the term is used as if everyone understands what it means and there is no fuzzy edges.. i wonder if all here assume that only those that follow "jesus" are to be considered "christian"?.

consider that the title "christ" was not the name of the nazarene, only a title!

Pathofthorns

I do think that only those who follow Christ are to be called Christian. Isn't that by definition what it means?

But I have considered what Seven said regarding other possible paths and consider that a reasonable possiblility. Because mankind is devided so heavily by culture and tradition, I find it hard to believe that God would somehow judge others adversely because they were born in a non-Christian land. Besides many who follow religions like Islam are for the most part far more devout than those who call themselves Christian.

Its a very difficult subject. By insisting one way is better than the next, one is only inviting problems.

Path

67

Purgatory, Limbo or the Twilight Comfort Zone

by SolidSender in

jw
friends

no offence meant but is this place some kind of waystation inhabited by beings neither in nor out of the lie?

this is not a criticism just an observation.

i know it can take time to make up your mind-solidsender

Pathofthorns

It's almost to simple to comprehend. jesus removed the law and hence to those who have faith in him made us all equal before God. A group of people who all consider themselves equal in this respect, that's hard to imagine

You are right. Its so simple that many people think it can't possibly work that way. The real reason might be that true Christianity doesn't allow for one to make money off it, or hold power or control over others. Religion evolves so people can control others and make money off them.

why the hell did he give us the bible if he knew all this s**t was gonna happen?

(Having a bad day SS? LOL Sometimes the subject pisses me too, but why give the self-righteous crowd one more thing to talk about?)

I think with or without the Bible things would end up similarly. All religions outside of Christianity have their problems too. My thoughts though on the question is that perhaps the real answers lie in the search for truth, and not the certainty of the answers themselves. While most people have a spiritual side, few are really pondering the questions and searching, few bind themselves to God's laws when no one is around to control or punish them, few have their hearts fixed on the spiritual as opposed to the physical. (I only say few in relation to the whole number of people in Society)

If the Bible was written so that it was simply rules and answers, we would all become like the Pharisees. By taking away Law and writing the Bible the way it is, we each have an opportunity to demonstrate what love and truth really mean to us individually.

(Also and interesting conversation going on at Witnet in Controversial Topics relating to Meetings. Some good honest responses, plus some good canned ones too. )

Path

67

Purgatory, Limbo or the Twilight Comfort Zone

by SolidSender in

jw
friends

no offence meant but is this place some kind of waystation inhabited by beings neither in nor out of the lie?

this is not a criticism just an observation.

i know it can take time to make up your mind-solidsender

Pathofthorns

Great comment SS. I don't think Christianity needs to be so complicated as we want to make it sometimes. The basics that you stated are usually lost when an organized religion gets to "organized".

Path

6

The voting issue?

by Andyman in

jw
friends

now last year the society came out with an article on voting that completly confused everyone.

many jw's thought they could vote, but from what i hear the c.o.

's have been telling them nothing has changed.

Pathofthorns

The basic stand on voting has not changed. One cannot vote for a political party. However, one can go into a voting booth and what he does in there obviously is only known between him and Jehovah. One can cast a spoiled ballot or choose to vote for "God's Kingdom" (LOL).

This was a disappoiting article for many in that it showed the WTBS saying one thing to the world in that article, and in reality enforcing the same stand they always have. Quite a change from the days they stood up to the Governments and told them where to stick it. Now, we present a watered down stance to the world on voting and blood to achieve the status of the rest of false religion.

On one hand we condemn Babylon the Great, but we want all the benefits that go along with being part of it.

Path

67

Purgatory, Limbo or the Twilight Comfort Zone

by SolidSender in

jw
friends

no offence meant but is this place some kind of waystation inhabited by beings neither in nor out of the lie?

this is not a criticism just an observation.

i know it can take time to make up your mind-solidsender

Pathofthorns

You had made a comment in another thread SS to the effect that we were all "wishy washy" or something like that. I'm glad you brought the subject up.

I doubt many here would say they are wishy washy despite neither DAing themselves nor being a faithful Witness. Like Frenchy said, for most its the family and friends who remind us who we were, and to some degree the person we always will be.

We all know there is no "middle ground" in the truth, but perhaps to "fade away" is the least controversial and burns the least bridges. It seems that this site is where we go, to neither hate, nor condemn, but just to be with those who share common roots and are dealing with the same challenges on the path to freedom.

Path

25

A New "Class"?

by Pathofthorns in

(edited for waiting :).

in 1935 a "new class" was "discerned" when the great crowd was understood to have an earthly hope and survive armageddon.. could there be a new "class" of witnesses surfacing today?

the articles, such as those on blood, feature a "some" whose conscience permits this and that.

Pathofthorns

I could quite likely be mistaken in saying that some who did not conscientiously partake had any bearing on the change. The Society's material suggests that the due to the understanding several stopped partaking when they realized they were of the Great Crowd.

I guess the likely reason for the 1935 "new light" is that since Rutherford believe the 144,000 to be a literal number having began to be selected after Christ, he out of necessity had to realize some sort of "new light" if he expects the Organiztion to grow beyond that number.

Path

25

A New "Class"?

by Pathofthorns in

(edited for waiting :).

in 1935 a "new class" was "discerned" when the great crowd was understood to have an earthly hope and survive armageddon.. could there be a new "class" of witnesses surfacing today?

the articles, such as those on blood, feature a "some" whose conscience permits this and that.

Pathofthorns

(Edited for Waiting :)

In 1935 a "new class" was "discerned" when the Great Crowd was understood to have an earthly hope and survive Armageddon.

Could there be a new "class" of Witnesses surfacing today? The articles, such as those on blood, feature a "some" whose conscience permits this and that. The Society seems to constantly be making changes to suit this "some".

There seems to be a dividing between the "hardcore" Witness and this new "some" class which seems to be concientiously accepting some things and rejecting others. The speed at which the thinking of Witnesses is shifting from one group to the other possibly suggests either massive changes to tolerance, or a future rift in the Organization.

Any thoughts?

Path

Edited by - Pathofthorns on 26 June 2000 20:25:5

7

ELECTRONIC ASSOCIATION

by SolidSender in

jw
friends

is electronic/virtual ( read: online ) association with df'd, da'd, marked, evil slave, non approved associates, apostates etc right or wrong?

Pathofthorns

According to the Society one would do well to avoid the internet as far as association goes just for those reasons.

I agree that its difficult to see the "real" person online sometimes, but it doesn't take long to see where people stand on matters such as the truth.

Where the main issue lies is each individual's heart is on the matter. Is an apostate one who rejects God and Christ, or is it someone who still is a Christian yet doesn't see eye to eye with the Society on some matters? Does the individual look at things the way Christ did, and display the empathy and forgiveness he did, or does one feel to "make someone pay for their sins"?

Where one is in his "journey" will determine whether it is right or wrong to associate with various ones on the internet.

Path

34

Disassociated

by Scorpion in

jw
friends

it has been an experience to say the least.

i accepted eagerly the teachings of the watchower bible and tract society over the last 7 years.

i have been a dedicated pioneer for four of those years.

Pathofthorns

IMO I don't think it was Friend's intent to encourage anyone to stay or to leave. I gathered he was saying if one had disagreements with "the Truth" that he make sure those disagreements were valid and solidly based in fact.

Of course I could be wrong. Maybe he'll stop by and clarify things?

Path

16

Demon-possessed inanimate objects

by Dubby in

jw
friends

for years i heard stories that certain items in the home could be demon-possessed.

i was told to be careful of items bought at garage sales because we didn't know their origin, or who or what they were used for.. did we own a ouija board before becoming a witness?

could it be that items like these were creating misfortune?

Pathofthorns

I find it strangely surprising that the number of "demon" related stories has gone down since the end of the 80's. One would think that would be "stepping up" their work the nearer we get to "the end"(LOL).

Perhaps the Society realizes how rediculous all this supersticious stuff sounds. I really can't believe how many people bought into that Smurf crap as well.

Not to say that I don't believe in wicked spirits, their power or influence. But when you've got a bunch of people believing a stuffed Smurf walks out of a Kingdom Hall, you've got to start questioning the mental control involved to convince sane people of things like that.

Those who think that quoting a few scriptures or rhyming of JEHOVAH's name like some lucky charm must really be gone to think that they can "expel" demons when Christ's own disciples didn't have strong enough FAITH to do so. Considering how long these creatures have been in existence and the power they have, one must at least neither insult their power or intelligence.

It also seems cultures and times of ignorance breed such stories. Perhaps there is some merrit to some, but where have all the recent stories gone? The noticable reduction in these stories tells me that people simply aren't buying into them anymore.

Path