Thanks peacefulpete
Always enjoy the reading your posts.
Phizzy, I used to get dragged along to the meetings in whitstable over 50 years ago.
early christianity was every bit, if not more, diverse than christianity today.
one of the very early sects was named the ebionites.
we have unfortunately nothing left of their own writings apart from a few quotes from what epiphanius believed was their recension of matthew.
Thanks peacefulpete
Always enjoy the reading your posts.
Phizzy, I used to get dragged along to the meetings in whitstable over 50 years ago.
since i faded i've told a few people at work about having been raised in this organization but i found that most people don't really get what it is like at all.
they just focus on not celebrating holidays as if that is the worst thing about growing up jw.
i didn't explain much because it's too much for most people to handle.
We are all victims/ survivors of a high control group and deal with it the best we can individually.
Depending on the situation I will let people know that I used to be a jw ,often people will sympathise as they know or knew someone who has had a bad experience with jws eg someone who has been disowned by their family etc.
Occasionally someone will try and preach to me about their beliefs I just make them aware that I am a atheist now ,there reply is generally that I never really believed.
those new to ancient near east paleography may find it interesting that all cultures have struggled with the seeming injustice of suffering.
the story of job (persecuted/attacked) is one of a number of surviving poetic and prose tales with the theme of the innocent suffering despite entreaties to their gods.
this one often called "poem of the righteous sufferer" is sometimes referred to as the babylonian job.
Thanks peacefulpete
So this predates the bible's version of job by about a 1000 years, is that correct .
https://youtu.be/lpwusxk8ckc?si=d4nb1ciwccql8dox.
a man, like new gb member jody jodele, dripping in wealth—$20,000 rolex, freemasonry ring, cushy life in upstate new york—pontificating about job’s suffering.
it’s a fair jab to question how someone so detached from hardship might approach a story of utter loss.
https://youtu.be/lpwusxk8ckc?si=d4nb1ciwccql8dox.
a man, like new gb member jody jodele, dripping in wealth—$20,000 rolex, freemasonry ring, cushy life in upstate new york—pontificating about job’s suffering.
it’s a fair jab to question how someone so detached from hardship might approach a story of utter loss.
Can you provide archaeological and historical and external scholarly evidence that job was a real person and not just a mythical person and that the events took place in the time scale that the bible claims it did .
Your personally free to shun anyone who you decide deserves to be cut out off your life.
But the issue as I understand it ,is when you try to influence others to shun the individual and encourage them to cut off association with the individual .
So when jws make a announcement saying touchofgrey is no longer a jws ,they are basically telling everyone who hears the announcement to shun them, that's when it could be considered a hate crime.
Which is probably why they are saying it's up to the individual to decide whether they will shun the individual or not ,but as usual they are speaking out of both sides of their mouth at the same time.
may 2025 study article 21 seek the city that will remain.
what i remember was, when you see the romans, flee to the mountains.
now the wt is saying that's not enough.
The consensus of biblical scholars is that the gospels were written around the time of and after the destruction of Jerusalem, mark around 70ce and Matthew and Luke about ten years later, so they are not books of prophecy ,so the unknown authors just recorded events that had already taken place.
we get old because jehovah had to prove to all the angels that his way of ruling was the best?
that's the sorriest argument the watchtower has come up with.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/11hz_jqjkjo.
today we are talking about those 3 measly so-called resurrections from nearly 2,000 years ago. I wish I had a $1 for everyone today that believes that those 3 events took place.
Can you please provide independently verified evidence that these things actually happen ,and that a miracle worker called jesus ever existed?
The four gospels were written by unknown authors many decades after the so called events so not eyewitnes accounts.
Mark circa 70ce ,Matthew and Luke about 80ce and john about 15 to 20 years later. And even then there aren't any complete copies till the 3rd century.
we get old because jehovah had to prove to all the angels that his way of ruling was the best?
that's the sorriest argument the watchtower has come up with.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/11hz_jqjkjo.
The earth was not designed for life ,there have been 5 mass extinctions events in the history of the earth, last one some 65 million years ago, life is very lucky to be here and we should be thankful that we get to grow old because many do not.
Its the circle of life ,the earth and the sun will eventually grow old a die .we can't change that fact .