i have seen arguments surrounding jesus' resurrection being proof of "the trinity" - now while in some cases it's a good argument the evidence for it remains very weak.
(bible quotes are from the nwt but other bibles are referenced, use whichever you please) this following version of it is a good example.. "the bible indicates that all [persons] of the trinity was involved in jesus’ resurrection.
galatians[1:1] says that the father raised jesus from the dead.
Yep, Jesus resurrected himself and went to heaven and sits at HIS OWN RIGHT hand until he Subjects everything to HIMSELF that he HAD ALREADY subjected to HIMSELF ( 1 Cor 15:27,28 ) Makes perfect sense! (NOT!)
Yes, money meets a response in all things...but wisdom is life saving so wisdom trumps money ( Ecc 7:12 )
Revelations was set forth in signs. If you want to take it all literal, then can you hear Abel's blood crying?
i have seen arguments surrounding jesus' resurrection being proof of "the trinity" - now while in some cases it's a good argument the evidence for it remains very weak.
(bible quotes are from the nwt but other bibles are referenced, use whichever you please) this following version of it is a good example.. "the bible indicates that all [persons] of the trinity was involved in jesus’ resurrection.
galatians[1:1] says that the father raised jesus from the dead.
"Jesus was fully conscience after death"....I would think if one believes that Jesus died and rose from the dead that they actually believe the Bible and if you believe the Bible, you would also believe that the dead are conscience of nothing at all. For Jesus to be actually dead, then it must apply he knew nothing...his thoughts had perished, ( ECC (:5....10) Ps 146:4 His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground. On that very day his thoughts perish. So either the Scriptures lie about the condition of the dead or they lie about Jesus really being dead, OR Jesus actually died and his Father, Almighty God in heaven resurrected him.
early on, after we left jw land, my wife said to me, “i hope you don’t care, but i don’t ever see myself doing any christmas stuff.
i don’t really understand why some ex jws decide to do that crap.” we agreed that parties were a little different because of the social aspects, but other wise i didn’t care.
now… there’s a 16’ douglas fir with ornaments and lights in our living room.
My parents weren't JW. There is a description of a tree in chapter 10 of Jeremiah. As I recall the WT referred to these as totems. The very description fits a xmas tree: Jeremiah 10:2...2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
a previous thread has inspired me to post this ,thanks guys .. { i`ve been out for so long i may have missed something }.
So I am thinking the Egyptians were pagan...they built their pyramids and placed in items for the afterlife, if I recall what little I know about them-definitely not a teaching I have ever read in the Bible. BUT Russel, father of WT, based some of his teaching on pyramidology...so the WTBTS started out with pagan origins if you want to really sort it out, IMO. That is why we aren't to read the old publications...then we would know and common sense would help us see through the smoke screens.
so, jw's don't celebrate christmas or other holidays.
as bill cetnar once said, there are two reasons for everything: the reason they tell you, and the real reason.
they will tell you it's because christmas is "pagan" and can lead to all sorts of licentious conduct (like drinking too much macallan scotch?)..
Why not celebrate Christmas? What does Santa, reindeer, greenery, mistletoe, trimming trees, elves, being naughty or nice, leaving cookies, etc have to do with Christ's birth?
although cooking pots are not directly "religious" subject, perhaps not many will deny that a happy belly can lead to wholesome religious thoughts and peaceful spiritual discussions.. that said, through the years i have tried most major brands of cooking pots - all the way from all-clad to cast-iron skilets - including some with the most extraordinary claims in between.. however, the one we have used the most in our kitchen is one brand from denmark, specifically, the 5 quart pot called "scanpan.
" it is now approaching 40 years of daily use, and it has held-up surprisingly well.
the handles are as tight as day one when we bought it.
Crock pot...throw a combination together and go about your business for hours and hours. If you have put in a good combination, you will be rewarded with a tasty meal and lots of good leftovers so you don't have to cook again for a while!
in the latest copy of the elders textbook someone kindly made available to us on this website, i see that "independently organized meetings for spiritual feeding" are still not allowed.
no wonder because independent research would let the scales fall from the eyes.. the gb still insisting that they are guided by the (always lower case) holy spirit and the bible!!
not that the rank and file members need the bible or holy spirit themselves because they are fed through meetings, conventions, assemblies, jw broadcasting and the publications.
in the latest copy of the elders textbook someone kindly made available to us on this website, i see that "independently organized meetings for spiritual feeding" are still not allowed.
no wonder because independent research would let the scales fall from the eyes.. the gb still insisting that they are guided by the (always lower case) holy spirit and the bible!!
not that the rank and file members need the bible or holy spirit themselves because they are fed through meetings, conventions, assemblies, jw broadcasting and the publications.
punkofnice--go ahead and forgive yourself. I daresay, all who have woken up feel like we were gullible, stupid followers...going along with if you don't understand it, wait on Jehovah. In a video I watched, the person explained putting his doubts on a shelf because he thought those doing the writing knew better than himself. I felt the writers were true Bible scholars and researchers and who was I to question. If I had been reading the Bible without the filters of the WT, I would have recognized some of the lies sooner. If I had read some of the old books they didn't want you to read, I would have been awake to the pyramidology origins. This is why they don't want independent study groups-they don't want their blinders coming off. They keep the rank and file on such a treadmill, and what with having to support ourselves beside, it was just easier to go along with what they published...push any nagging thought away. So I think we all should forgive ourselves ( for those who are beating themselves up )and just be glad we are awake to the lies now. Are some of us suffering because of loss of friends? I am...I have no friends now where I live. I have a couple of work acquaintances, but nobody close.( I mostly work alone ) But on the flip side of that, I am not on the WT treadmill where if you don't keep up, you are judged spiritually weak and nobody wants you around. I am of the opinion some people pioneer so they will be noticed by others. The ones to be pitied are those still in slaving for the charlatans and donating to them.
in the latest copy of the elders textbook someone kindly made available to us on this website, i see that "independently organized meetings for spiritual feeding" are still not allowed.
no wonder because independent research would let the scales fall from the eyes.. the gb still insisting that they are guided by the (always lower case) holy spirit and the bible!!
not that the rank and file members need the bible or holy spirit themselves because they are fed through meetings, conventions, assemblies, jw broadcasting and the publications.
I recently listened to a video of a recorded judicial meeting where a woman was disfellowshipped for just joining in a study of nothing but the Bible.
this came to mind as my 71 year old wife got up at 6:30 to drive 1.1/4 hours to meet the field ministry group.
we live a long way from the kingdom hall and the traffic is horrendous where we live!.
somehow, i doubt the good old boys do much themselves.
