Posts by deegee

15

Solomon's gold mines called a myth but there's one so-called prophecy that always makes me stop and think

by Isambard Crater in

the authenticity of the old testament account of solomon is being called into question in the news media:.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/king-solomons-fabulous-hidden-gold-mines-are-a-myth-historian-says-194663/.

for the most-part, i don't really want to believe the bible as true, certainly not the j.w version including their stubbornness over 607 and 1914. but there's one prophecy that always makes me stop and wonder if maybe some of the bible was inspired by god, if he or she exists.

deegee

The book of Daniel:

1. Is history written as prophecy (or prophecy written after the event):

There is a sudden prophecy failure after a long string of uncanny successes in chapter 11.

http://web.archive.org/web/20061022015215/http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1998/5/985good.html

2. Is a book of historical inaccuracies.

The historical inaccuracies have led scholars to recognize it couldn't have been written by someone who was an important Babylonian official when the events recorded in the book were unfolding.

It is impossible to believe that the mind of Daniel was illumined with accurate knowledge of future times, while, at the same time, thoroughly befogged as to the events in which he himself had played no mean part:

http://web.archive.org/web/20061115025003/http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1998/4/984bad.html

3. The claimed 6th-century BC authorship of the book of Daniel is without basis. Scholars have assigned a 2nd-century BC date:

http://web.archive.org/web/20041221020449/http://www.infidels.org:80/library/magazines/tsr/2001/1/011dan.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20051216195709/http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1998/3/983delib.html

- Gerald A. Larue's book on the Old Testament

- The writer of Daniel knew more about the Grecian empire than the Babylonian and Persian, because he lived much closer to the time of the former.

http://web.archive.org/web/20061112075921/http://www.theskepticalreview.com/JFTBobbyPreterism11.html

4. There is a mismatch between the world powers of actual history and the world powers claimed by Christianity.

The interpretation of the empires as:
- Babylon
- Medo-Persia
- Greece and
- Rome

predominates among (early) Christians as among Jews, and writers often see themselves and their readers as thus near the End of which Daniel spoke.

However, according to history, the ACTUAL foreign countries that occupied what is now Palestine between the 6th century and 2nd century BCE are:

- Babylon (symbolized by the lion/eagle symbol and gold in the book of Daniel).

- The Median empire (symbolized by a bear and silver in the book of Daniel).

- The Persian empire (symbolized by a leopard and bronze in the book of Daniel).

- The Greek empire (symbolized by a terrible beast and iron in the book of Daniel).

THERE WAS NEVER A COMBINED MEDO-PERSIAN EMPIRE. WORLD EVENTS MEAN NOTHING:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/daniel1.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20061022015227/http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/2000/2/002what.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20051216195709/http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/1998/3/983delib.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20061112080821/http://www.theskepticalreview.com/JFTBobbyOlivet8.html

14

"Prayer" and answers to it , positive / negative ,or is it all in the mind ?

by smiddy3 in

speaking from my own experience and that of my family of wife and two now adult sons do not believe that prayers to jehovah /god are answered .. so it must also be true of all other religions and their believers also.. my wife and i were jw`s for 33 years and and i don`t believe anyone prayed harder than my wife and i at various trials we faced during those times in those 33 years.. we may as well have been like the present day jews who pray to a brick wall .

deegee

Prayer is not open two-way communication nor a gradual increase of understanding.

Though it would be well within his power, God never does something even as simple as replying to a prayer in an actual, audible voice.

The believer sends their prayers into the darkness, usually to be answered by silence, occasionally receiving in response a hazy feeling “within their heart” so to speak, then they thereafter spend their time looking for signs and trying to figure out if whatever subsequently happens is an answer to their prayer because God doesn't tell them if it is - they have to figure it out for themselves.

Human beings may talk to God, but God never talks back, except, so the believers say, in subjective feelings and vague sensations that possess all the explanatory clarity of a Magic 8-Ball.

14

"Prayer" and answers to it , positive / negative ,or is it all in the mind ?

by smiddy3 in

speaking from my own experience and that of my family of wife and two now adult sons do not believe that prayers to jehovah /god are answered .. so it must also be true of all other religions and their believers also.. my wife and i were jw`s for 33 years and and i don`t believe anyone prayed harder than my wife and i at various trials we faced during those times in those 33 years.. we may as well have been like the present day jews who pray to a brick wall .

deegee

http://new.exchristian.net/2010/02/prayer-and-insanity.html?m=1 :

Whenever prayer has been scientifically tested with carefully constructed, double-blind research methods it has always failed. The best known of these is The Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP), conducted under the auspices of Harvard Medical School (2006). It showed, you guessed it, no positive benefit from prayer.

But are the believers buying this? Not on your life! Why not? Well, as one high-profile hospital chaplain said, "God is not subject to scientific research." How does he know this? Well because the research failed to provide a positive outcome, of course. You had to ask?

20

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

deegee

The resources which I posted above regarding ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs) were true to form in the case of my father. His mother died when he was a little boy, he was the eldest of 7 children. His father was not the nurturing, caring type. He and his siblings were split up and sent to live with different family members who weren’t nurturing – his only sister was sexually molested.

He didn’t get the help he needed to deal with the loss of his mother and the attendant trauma. He too lost his childhood and had to grow up fast. True to form, my father became an alcoholic, a heavy smoker and womanizer. He died at age 54 as a result of poor health – 26 years earlier than someone who had zero incidence of ACEs.

20

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

deegee

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

deegee

The husband had a rough upbringing. His father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings. He had to learn things faster then any normal child……..The wife how ever had a hard life. As a child her mother left her for a time and father didn't pay much attention to her. She was also molested at a young age --------Gokumonkey

https://www.samhsa.gov/capt/practicing-effective-prevention/prevention-behavioral-health/adverse-childhood-experiences :

ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events, including abuse and neglect. They may also include household dysfunction such as witnessing domestic violence or growing up with family members who have substance use disorders. ACEs are strongly related to the development and prevalence of a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan, including those associated with substance misuse.

ACEs include:

· Physical abuse

· Sexual abuse

· Emotional abuse

· Physical neglect

· Emotional neglect

· Mother treated violently

· Substance misuse within household

· Household mental illness

· Parental separation or divorce

· Incarcerated household member

· Death of a parent

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/about.html :

As the number of ACEs increases so does the risk for the following*:

Dose-response describes the change in an outcome (e.g., alcoholism) associated with differing levels of exposure (or doses) to a stressor (e.g. ACEs). A graded dose-response means that as the dose of the stressor increases the intensity of the outcome also increases.

· Alcoholism and alcohol abuse

· Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

· Depression

· Fetal death

· Health-related quality of life

· Illicit drug use

· Ischemic heart disease

· Liver disease

· Poor work performance

· Financial stress

· Risk for intimate partner violence

· Multiple sexual partners

· Sexually transmitted diseases

· Smoking

· Suicide attempts

· Unintended pregnancies

· Early initiation of smoking

· Early initiation of sexual activity

· Adolescent pregnancy

· Risk for sexual violence

· Poor academic achievement

*This list is not exhaustive. For more outcomes see selected journal publications(https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/journal.html).

20

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

deegee

Now grown man and married he developed a porn addiction and even went to strip clubs and his wife didn't know of this --------Gokumonkey

Addictions, (whether substance or non-substance) are usually a sign of mental health issues. People often resort to certain behaviours to solve/deal with unresolved internal/psychological issues.

20

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

deegee

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

deegee

WT 1996, p. 30, "Questions from Readers":

"Some, suffering severely from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder…and other distressing disorders, have been able to live fairly normal lives after obtaining the right professional help, (but) in many cases the patient does not have a severe mental disorder but has difficulty coping with some situation in life. However, it is the Bible that gives the most effective help in handling the difficult problems of life......The Bible encourages such ones to call on the Elders for help and counsel......"The prayer of faith will make the indisposed one well." "

20

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

deegee

WT 1993, p. 13, "Trust in Jehovah":

“Worldly counselors and psychologists can never hope to approach the wisdom and understanding that Jehovah displays.......Rather than lean on the wisdom of prominent men of the world or on our own uninformed emotions, let us look to Jehovah, his Word and the Elders in the Christian congregation for advice."