Smiddy3,
1) Branch buildings that are now sold to sustain full-time servants were once dedicated with heart-felt prayers from GB members "praying for increse" in the respective territories in line with Isaiah 60:22.
But Jehovah did not answer those prayers.
2) Instead of fleeing to Egypt (Mathew 2:13) Joseph could have prayed to God, and His angels could have saved infant Jesus from Herod's soldiers. This would have converted king and his army, and even the whole people into God's side.
Prayers of Jesus, Paul etc were not answered. (Luke 22:42; 2 Corinthian 12:9) If God were to fulfill what people pray for, that would be working against Laws of Nature (Mark 4:24) which HE can’t. If HE favors one, it would be partiality which again HE can’t show. In larger picture, not answering anyone’s prayer is the best. (Mathew 13:24-30)
1) jesus set the absolute standard on how to deal with the disagreeable or even with those becoming inimical in matthew/5/43-48.
there he said: ‘don’t behave like pagans who love/greet only those loving/greeting them.
but be like our heavenly father who loves everyone without differentiating whether one is friendly or inimical towards him.’ this is his eternal standard.
Simon,
I agree with you 99%.
Bulk of the Bible is not from inspired writers. For example, verses about all God-sponsored wars, sacrifices. Verses implying God is partial to one nation or some of His children, God destroys/burns many of His children in Hell, verses about Satan are all from uninspired writers. (matthew/5/43-48; matthew/9/13; mark/7/21-23)
Verses against Churches (Matthew 7:21–23), verses that defines true worship (MAT.25.31-40; james/1/27) and true worshippers (psalms/73-1; MAT.5.9), verses defining “pagans” as those “greeting those greeting themselves and shunning those not who are their former associates ” (matthew/5/43-48) and all accounts that shows God tested His children (James 1:13) are all from inspired writers because they are against the established religions and are also impartial.
This explains why we find many verses about too insignificant subject such as purification procedures for menstruating woman and just too limited verses about much important subject of creation of man.
Churches made the mistake of trying to reconciling the contradictory verses—it is like trying to reconcile two concepts such as Download or Upload—it is either Download or Upload.
the wt study for this week is all about disfellowshipping.
in an early paragraph it said "think how heartbroken jehovah must have been when members of his own angelic family turned their back on him!".
however when you think about it, when this happened according to the wt teaching, jehovah still engaged with satan in the heavens (book of job) and had conversations with him about what was going on in the earth.. so why do the wt org practice shunning when jehovah god obviously didn't?.
"Even casting Satan down to earth" is no comparison to Disfellowship because "earth is the footstool of Jehovah." (Isaiah 66:1; Mathew 5:35)
And also, since Jesus traced all evil's source to the human's heart (Mark 7:21-23) Satan should be understood figuratively (can't be a literal person) as old Bible Translations (such as KJV) puts "the whole world lieth in wickedness." (1/1JN.5.19.KJV) The same word is used for "bad fruits" (Mathew 7:17) and for eyes that are distracted (Mathew 6:22, 23)
the wt study for this week is all about disfellowshipping.
in an early paragraph it said "think how heartbroken jehovah must have been when members of his own angelic family turned their back on him!".
however when you think about it, when this happened according to the wt teaching, jehovah still engaged with satan in the heavens (book of job) and had conversations with him about what was going on in the earth.. so why do the wt org practice shunning when jehovah god obviously didn't?.
WT left Jehovah when they presented Jehovah as answerable to Satan through their most celebrated teaching of Issue of Sovereignty. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6251536349921280/isnt-jws-teaching-abomination-that-causes-desolation-wrong thus became an abomination in His eyes.
the wt study for this week is all about disfellowshipping.
in an early paragraph it said "think how heartbroken jehovah must have been when members of his own angelic family turned their back on him!".
however when you think about it, when this happened according to the wt teaching, jehovah still engaged with satan in the heavens (book of job) and had conversations with him about what was going on in the earth.. so why do the wt org practice shunning when jehovah god obviously didn't?.
They shun those turning inimical towards them because they have not given serious thought to what identifies "pagans," as described by Jesus in Mathew 5:53-48. Jesus said it is pagans who stop greeting others. Shunning and disfellowshipping is pagan practice.
jesus had foretold that people of "last days" would “faint out of fear” because of things such as “sea-level rise’ as part of “signs of last days” in luke 21:25. bible translators—including new world translation of jehovah’s witnesses—missed the real meaning as they translated it as “roaring of the sea and its agitation.” (https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/nwt/books/luke/21/).
more careful translations such as niv put it: “roaring and tossing of the sea.” (https://biblehub.com/luke/21-25.htm) word for “tossing” is σάλου (salou), from saino; i.e., billow,” (swell outwards).
thus underlying thought is like balloon swelling, or water flowing outwards, as though ready to roll over, thus points to the modern terminology “sea-level rise.” biblos interlinear translation (int:) translates it as “of [the] sea and rolling surge.” “rolling sea.” (a greek lexicon to the new testament, edward robinson (d.d., page 416) (a greek lexicon to the new testament on the basis of dr. robinson ... by c. robson).. jesus’ original use of the wording “tossing of the sea” is another way of saying “sea-level would rise” as a result of pollution of air.
Climate Emergency came too early that many people are yet to make up their mind to accept it as a reality. (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/02/weatherwatch-why-do-some-still-think-climate-change-isnt-real)
i hope you are all doing well.. has anyone had an encounter with a unitarian universalist?
my wife has a friend who invited us to their church a few years ago.
we never went lol.
What one should be doing is given in Mathew 5:13-16; 25:31-40; 1 Thessalonians 2:10 + 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Romans 12:15 which say ‘Lead a quiet life, mind your own business, and rejoice at the joys of others, be compassionate to the needy, thus be like salt and light with your life.’ Such a living is called “pure religion.” (james/1-27.htm) In all these, association with any Church is not mentioned. Changing another’s belief is not anybody’s business. θρησκεία (thrēskeia), the word James used for religion is also translated as “worship” in colossians/2-18.
i was in the cult for years about 40. fourth gen born in cult member or for me ex cult member.
i have seen so many cult members who don't seem to really care if the end is near or not.
they are much more concerned with the idea that this is their social network and they need and or want it just the way it is.
Disillusioned JW,
Answers to all your questions is available in that Lancet study I provided. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00648-4/fulltext) I go by what Governments say. They made it mandatory, hence I took two doses of vaccinations.
i was in the cult for years about 40. fourth gen born in cult member or for me ex cult member.
i have seen so many cult members who don't seem to really care if the end is near or not.
they are much more concerned with the idea that this is their social network and they need and or want it just the way it is.
This is true of most organizations. For example, every priest in Christendom knows all of Jesus’ apostles and his half-brother James were all married. (1-corinthians/9/5) Yet priests or young ones offering themselves for priesthood have no problem with enforced celibacy on them. They like such a way of life and belief systems. So are Pentacostals—in their reading of the Bible, they come across many verses that refute their core teaching of Trinity—yet their militant zeal for this Trinity Teaching never diminishes. Doctors and Governments know that vaccination serves no useful purpose other than a mental satisfaction, yet they treat it as of death & life importance. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00648-4/fulltext) Hence Jesus made this important observation about belief system—people believe certain things not because they are true but because it appeals to their likes and dislikes. (luke/6/43-45)
That means Preaching activity too is not going to help, yet Preaching goes on.
