Posts by schnell

21

Garden of Eden

by Onager in

where is the garden of eden?.

i don't mean where in the world, i mean where in history.

adam and eve get booted out of this place.

schnell

@David_Jay, to paraphrase Joseph Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces, "When a myth is mistaken for history, it is killed."

21

Garden of Eden

by Onager in

where is the garden of eden?.

i don't mean where in the world, i mean where in history.

adam and eve get booted out of this place.

@David_Jay, my research corroborates what you say as well, and I am sure the story had more significance after the exile to Babylon. (Expulsion from paradise being the key detail.) I am aware that the tree of life, etc. were common in Mesopotamian lore, with roots back in ancient Egypt and Africa, but there is a theory that the particular telling in Genesis originated after 587 BCE.

21

Garden of Eden

by Onager in

where is the garden of eden?.

i don't mean where in the world, i mean where in history.

adam and eve get booted out of this place.

schnell

To answer the question: Missouri. ;)

21

Garden of Eden

by Onager in

where is the garden of eden?.

i don't mean where in the world, i mean where in history.

adam and eve get booted out of this place.

schnell

I guess my point is the Eden story has all the characteristics of a fable. And if it is a fable (which it is) then the fall of man is allegorical (not true) and the ransom sacrifice is not required and all Christian religions are no more valid than a Harry Potter fan club.

You know what else has quite seriously all the hallmarks of a fable? The book of Job is riddled with the number 3, just like Goldilocks (3 bears; too hot, too cold, just right...).

When I tried to explain that this quite seriously means the story of Job never happened that way (without even bothering to say that the story never happened or that it was just a guy who got sick), dubs looked at me like I was growing 2 horns.

8

If you give a present, Jehovah will kill you.

by schnell in

jw
friends

if you tell someone "merry christmas" or simply respond with "you too", then god is angry with you and you will answer for every such violation at your day of judgment.. if you eat some leftover birthday cake and a thin-skinned witness sees you and gets offended even though there's nothing wrong with the cake itself, you have become a stumbling block and god wants you to fix it before judgment day or else.. if you watch a cartoon featuring characters that may or may not be hilariously gay, it turns out that it does matter because this is an affront to god and he will judge all those who entertain such cartoons.. there are a lot of implications about god that jehovah's witnesses seem to make but never consider.

the problem is that they don't follow it all the way through.

in keeping themselves in god's love, and considering how they think he feels about matters in their daily lives, they submit to what is basically an ecclesiastical opinion that has terrible implications about god's character.

schnell

If you tell someone "Merry Christmas" or simply respond with "You too", then God is angry with you and you will answer for every such violation at your day of judgment.
If you eat some leftover birthday cake and a thin-skinned Witness sees you and gets offended even though there's nothing wrong with the cake itself, you have become a stumbling block and God wants you to fix it before Judgment Day or else.
If you watch a cartoon featuring characters that may or may not be hilariously gay, it turns out that it does matter because this is an affront to God and he will judge all those who entertain such cartoons.

There are a lot of implications about God that Jehovah's witnesses seem to make but never consider. The problem is that they don't follow it all the way through. In keeping themselves in God's love, and considering how they think he feels about matters in their daily lives, they submit to what is basically an ecclesiastical opinion that has terrible implications about God's character. Here are some more:

If you watch a movie about Hercules, you have entertained false gods and enraged Jehovah's jealousy.
If you watch a movie about Snow White and the Great Tribulation immediately hits, you have entertained magic and witchcraft and if you then die during the Great Tribulation, you will be resurrected to judgment and cast into the lake of fire in the second death. And you will die, because God will make sure of it so as to keep his people pure.
If you watch a movie where magic is called magic, God is enraged. If you watch a movie where magic is called something different and you're cool with it and nobody's stumbled, then God's cool with it too until someone is stumbled or brings it to his/your attention.

If you spend your life worrying about all this crap, you will waste it. You don't have to. Consider the implications of your beliefs. Ask yourself why you believe such things, and be honest. Is this really necessary? Is it constructive? Is it conducive to creativity? Is it realistic? Can you say it with a straight face?

Oh, and...

The origins of every single thing matter because God was there to see it and he'll hold you to it whether you know or care or not.

22

Do they still do the Written Review?

by Funchback in

i left in 2006. i seem to vaguely recall that the written review was no more but i can't say for sure.. so, do they still do it?

was (is) it a waste of time?

i used to hate it..

schnell

Ah the written review. The greatest time to come down with a cold.

29

Will Governing Body stop preaching work?

by neat blue dog in

at this year's annual meeting (2016), david "mark" sanderson asks the audience the question, "are you determined to keep on preaching with us until we say the work is completed?

" to which they respond with applause.

do you think that stopping the preaching work will ever be a part of the gb's long range plan?

schnell

No, Sanderson. My answer is no.

16

The Book of the Dead

by schnell in

jw
friends

as i've been reading the book "what did africa contribute to the origins of religion" by robin walker, i've been fascinated with walker's work and it's led me to something i never thought i'd want to read.

the egyptian book of the dead.. i got a copy of e.a.

wallis budge's 19th century translation of the papyrus of ani from barnes and noble, so i'm sure everyone here can procure a copy or find it free online.

schnell

Be careful about what you read concerning Egypt and thier similarities. Some of what has been taught in the internet is inaccurate. Example, Jesus is a remake of Horus, not true and many of the things said about Horus can't be found in any place in Egypt.

Take that up with the Egyptologists that predate the Internet, because from every single thing I have ever read about Osiris/Isis/Horus, the similarities are quite clear. It was clear in the late 19th and early 20th century too, Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth and all.

The story of Set killing his brother Osiris and Horus avenging him after Osiris conquers the world of the dead sounds a lot like the Lion King, as well. It's the monomyth, the Hero's Journey. Of course it was used to fill out the narrative of Jesus.

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