That is what all religions say. Amount of donation only varies--some charge more, others less.
Ireneus
JoinedPosts by Ireneus
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The 1st Church of Discount sins.
by James Mixon inmy church will set you free.
our special for tonight, two for one adultery.
if you are in a sinful relationship but you got your eye on someone else, you can be forgiven for both for only $99.95.
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Time to remind JWs of this famous quote from CT Russell!
by stuckinarut2 inwith the ever present issue of the society seeming to run out of money, and constantly asking the flock for more donations, maybe it is time to revive this quote!.
the leaked financial dept videos that have done the rounds, clearly show the society is in desperate trouble financially.. so, where is the "almighty's hand"?
where is his ability to provide funds?
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Ireneus
Russell is correct at least in this prophecy of his own
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Jehovah is not the God of Jehovah’s Witnesses
by Ireneus inin exodus 23:4 jehovah established this law: “if you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him.”.
if jws were really his people, jehovah would have ensured they never go wrong in their teaching which is in effect much more than mere “wandering.” if jehovah is concerned about wandering animals of enemies of his chosen people, much more concern should have been shown by him towards his modern-day chosen people.. yet the changes they have made are too many.
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1urjfnby6jlz8lsibve7vsrgihtxkwqbrluzihlgfh-e/edit).
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Ireneus
In Exodus 23:4 Jehovah established this law: “If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him.”
If JWs were really His people, Jehovah would have ensured they never go wrong in their teaching which is in effect much more than mere “wandering.” If Jehovah is concerned about wandering animals of enemies of His chosen people, much more concern should have been shown by Him towards His modern-day chosen people.
Yet the changes they have made are too many. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UrjfNBy6jlZ8lSibVe7VSRgihTxkwqbrLUzIHLGFH-E/edit)
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John 1:1—a concept blindly copied from other cultures
by Ireneus injohn 1:1 is the adaptation from other cultures where it is taught that we are all gods.
if expanded, john 1:1 would read like this: “in the beginning there was only god and he created the universe out of himself.
that means you are made out of god and you are a part of god, hence you are god just as much as jesus was.
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Ireneus
Hi Doug Mason, thank you for that insight into Johannine community!
When we compare all myths from around the world, we find amazing similarities. Without realizing this, most people are stuck with the details, hence miss out on the essence. If anyone wants to know the truth, he can even without any external help.
If anyone doesn’t want to know the truth, then even any amount of external help would not help.
After my comparative studies, what I have understood is this. Religious leaders wrongly assumed knowledge of God would help people to be good citizens. But it would notbecause we find people of the religions still continue to be egoistic, root of all evil. This explains why God remains unidentified.
If knowledge of God doesn’t help, then what would help? It is the knowledge about ‘Who I am’ that helps us. For this we don’t have to go anywhere as rightly understood by Carl Jung: “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
See what happens when we look beyond thinking ability. “The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realize that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. You also realize that all the things that truly matter — beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace — arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken.” (The Power of Now, Ekhart Tolle) Many scientific discoveries (such as Periodic Table, Aromatic Chemistry, Insulin …) have their roots in dreams. (http://dreamtraining.blogspot.com/2010/12/inventions-that-came-in-dreams-largest.html) Even Einstein’s great invention of Theory of Relativity is connected with two dreams he had. (Einstein: A Life by Denis Brian p.159)
In view of the above, the primary knowledge everyone should have is this: “I am a soul with vast intellectual and insightful ability to guide myself with knowledge of what is right and what is wrong.” This primary knowledge can make the difference of heaven and hell! If you remember only half truth, and say you are this transient body, you are inviting hell for you because you would then want to enjoy and accumulate as much as possible within the available period with the attitude that “let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.” Such insatiable greed has made this earth into a hell: “The world’s eight richest billionaires control the same wealth between them as the poorest half of the globe’s population” (www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jan/16) which may remind us the famous idiom “dog in the manger”—an attitude of accumulating excessively whereas many are deprived of the same [which is against the Bible’s command: “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same”—Luke 3:11]. In contrast, when you realize that “I am immaterial and immortal soul, and this is my body which I use as my vehicle, focus is changed from transient body onto the eternal life we already have. And it is everyone’s experience that body is activated when soul enters and becomes a corpse when it exits, and everything happens according to some unerring law, which makes a person responsible-minded. In such knowledge, there is acceptance (peace), and in peace one interacts with others lovingly result of which is joy. This is the whole essence of Christianity (Mathew 25:31-46)
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Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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Ireneus
Perry,
Regarding John 3:13 there are very candid Theologians (like Willian Barclay ...) who categorically say this verse has never been uttered by Jesus, but it is own words of the writer. That's the sort of theologians we want having the guts to call spade a spade.
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John 1:1—a concept blindly copied from other cultures
by Ireneus injohn 1:1 is the adaptation from other cultures where it is taught that we are all gods.
if expanded, john 1:1 would read like this: “in the beginning there was only god and he created the universe out of himself.
that means you are made out of god and you are a part of god, hence you are god just as much as jesus was.
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Ireneus
John 1:1 is the adaptation from other cultures where it is taught that we are all gods. If expanded, John 1:1 would read like this: “In the beginning there was only God and He created the universe out of Himself. That means you are made out of God and you are a part of God, hence you are God just as much as Jesus was. And everything we see in the universe is the manifestation of God.”
In the East it is taught that everyone is god, which means it is God who experiences everything as He has fragmented Himself to reside within the heart of all of His creatures. This is a god-dishonoring teaching because if God resides in everyone’s heart, or if everyone is god, then it would mean the rapist and the one who is raped would be one and the same.
Without knowing such implication, Bible writer named John adopted John 1:1. Obviously this can’t be inspired verse as it has created so much of confusion and controversies. And even after 2000 years of debate, no consensus is reached. And also, in the East, such teaching was formulated to counter the higher castes who were treating the lower castes as though worse than slaves [which means this teaching arose not as part of any divine teaching program].
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Much of the words Jesus really uttered might not have reached us
by Ireneus inmuch of the words jesus really uttered might not have reached us and what has reached us could not have been originated from jesus.
for example, eagle-eyed jeremiah could declare that what was circulating during his time as ‘the law of jehovah in fact was falsehood or deception of the lying pen of scribes or of the dishonest scribes.’ (jeremiah 8:8, berean study bible; christian standard bible; good news translation).
jesus who had even sharper eyes than jeremiah and also anointed by holy spirit would even use sharper words to describe the invalidity of that law than jeremiah did.
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Ireneus
Much of the words Jesus really uttered might not have reached us and what has reached us could not have been originated from Jesus. For example, eagle-eyed Jeremiah could declare that what was circulating during his time as ‘The Law of Jehovah in fact was falsehood or deception of the lying pen of scribes or of the dishonest scribes.’ (Jeremiah 8:8, Berean Study Bible; Christian Standard Bible; Good News Translation)
Jesus who had even sharper eyes than Jeremiah and also anointed by holy spirit would even use sharper words to describe the invalidity of that Law than Jeremiah did. Such words would not reach us because Law was made for the benefit of religious establishment—a fact that is well-attested alike in all the four gospels. (Matthew 21:12–17, Mark 11:15–19, and Luke 19:45–48; John 2:13–16). That means Jesus being depicted as a strong advocate of Law is a later adoption of the same religious establishment. Yet, words that show his real view of the Law could not be eliminated from the Bible. For example, Jesus simply cancelled Law when he said Mathew 7:12; 9:13; 25:31- 46 …etc.
The above conclusion is further reinforced when we look at the spurious context in which the Law was supposedly received, in the Sinai desert following the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt: The depiction about the Hero of the whole episode, God, doesn’t match with His actual personality, with what He has already done in the nature. His style is so majestic that He cares for more than what is just required. Look at one of His acts—our planet home. It is more wonderful than it is convenient, more beautiful than it is useful. God could provide only what would remove our hunger and thirst—yet look at the variety of each fruit (as much as 7500 in the case of apple with bananas, grapes, strawberries and clementines coming after …), flower ……..etc. In the backdrop of this, you read Exodus. The way many times Israelites had to quarrel for their basic needs such as food and water shows that this God of the universe was nowhere in the picture. (Exodus 17:2) At one point they were even about to stone Moses (Ex 17:4). If God was really leading them, He would have taken care of not only their very basic needs but even more, without even anyone asking for them (Mathew 6:8)
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GB and Moses—an interesting similarity!
by Ireneus inmoses is the symbol of divorcing anyone who acts smarter and exhibits sharper spiritual insight.
his wife, zipporah, daughter of a pagan midianite priest (exodus 2.15-22), was more spiritual and had keener spiritual insight than moses.
on one occasion she averted a disaster by acting promptly (by performing the act of circumcision on their son) thus saving moses from being killed by jehovah’s angel which ultimately helped the israelites’ exodus from egypt.
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Ireneus
Hi Michelle,
It is not that I have ‘my own idea about how the "real" God would have treated the Hebrews.’
It is like the concept we have about Fire Force Service personnel. They have created a consistent record of putting off fire that was on our property and other valuables. Suddenly, when someone says in his area, Fire Force personnel came and set on fire his house and valuables we wouldn’t believe that person. Similarly, Book of Nature which is better documented than Scriptures shows what kind of God He is. Unfortunately, He is very poorly depicted in the Bible because of the “lying pen of the Scribes” (Jeremiah 8:8)
You asked “how has He treated you since you began your journey? Have you got anything to report?”
What God has done to the whole mankind is divided by 7.6 billion (the present population) is what He has done to me. I would have been more than happy with mere sustenance. Yet look at the variety—for example apple—7500 variety! So is the case with each fruit and flower. Hence my present life is not enough if I were to thank Him. Hence I do not ask: “how has He treated me since I began my journey?”
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GB and Moses—an interesting similarity!
by Ireneus inmoses is the symbol of divorcing anyone who acts smarter and exhibits sharper spiritual insight.
his wife, zipporah, daughter of a pagan midianite priest (exodus 2.15-22), was more spiritual and had keener spiritual insight than moses.
on one occasion she averted a disaster by acting promptly (by performing the act of circumcision on their son) thus saving moses from being killed by jehovah’s angel which ultimately helped the israelites’ exodus from egypt.
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Ireneus
Hi myelaine
Your question is interesting: “Did Bernard Shaw thoroughly investigate what the bible said or were his thoughts and observations based on how people practiced their beliefs?”
I have thoroughly investigated what the Bible says, and have found that most of the things it says poorly depicts God, and thus dishonors Him (which is more than what Bernard Shaw feels). Bible is a simple book of just 31,102 verses, and you have 86400 seconds in a day—imagine how many times you can read the Bible in a year!
What claims to be written about God in the Bible does not match with what God has actually done in the nature. His style is so majestic that He cares for more than what is just required. Look at one of His acts—our planet home. It is more wonderful than it is convenient, more beautiful than it is useful. God could provide only what removes our hunger and thirst—yet look at the variety of each fruit, flower ….
Now in the backdrop of this, you read Exodus. The way many times Israelites had to quarrel for their basic needs such as food and water shows that God was not leading them. (Exodus 17:2) If He was really leading them, He would have taken care of it more than just sustenance even without anyone asking for them (Mathew 6:8) At one point they were even about to stone Moses (Ex 17:4)
If God would not lead people the way it is depicted in exodus then it means accounts are just human thoughts. This is true of most of other accounts in the Bible--something true prophets like Jeremiah could insightfully declare. (Jeremiah 8:8)
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GB and Moses—an interesting similarity!
by Ireneus inmoses is the symbol of divorcing anyone who acts smarter and exhibits sharper spiritual insight.
his wife, zipporah, daughter of a pagan midianite priest (exodus 2.15-22), was more spiritual and had keener spiritual insight than moses.
on one occasion she averted a disaster by acting promptly (by performing the act of circumcision on their son) thus saving moses from being killed by jehovah’s angel which ultimately helped the israelites’ exodus from egypt.
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Ireneus
“Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9; Jeremiah 1:8) is a command from God. What if everyone obeys this command and courageously read the Bible without the help of religious leaders? They will all come to the conclusion that Bible is filled with human thoughts and imagination.
See how the book of Exodus is made. The way many times Israelites had to quarrel for their basic needs such as food and water shows that God was not leading them. (Exodus 17:2) If He was really leading them, He would have taken care of it without anyone asking for them (Mathew 6:8) At one point they were even about to stone Moses (Ex 17:4)
If God would not lead people the way it is depicted in exodus then it means accounts are just human thoughts.