if you care to believe it,job's sufferings present significant questions for the faith of believers in all ages.why do the righteous suffer?
what about the character of god,does his permission of suffering suggest that he is lacking in compassion and mercy?what about the reality of the inscrutable mystery of innocent suffering?why does he let us walk in sorrow and pain?theologians analyze the suffering and look for causes and solutions.using all of their sound theology and insight into the situation,they search for answers.does god really need human advocates to defend his involvement in calamity and suffering?for even the best effort at explaining the issues of life can be useless.. many have pre-understandings that god punishes evil,rewards obedience,and that there are no exceptions possible.however the inscrutable mystery of innocent suffering forces one to conclude that there are exceptions.in that the righteous also suffer and the wicked prosper.. so then ,does suffering take a back seat in trying to understand the character of god?
is the compelling issue of human suffering unknowable outside the story of job if you choose to believe it?are there matters going on that we truly know nothing about ;yet,they effect our lives?
Hey Gopher...Job got more kids, so what the he*double hockeysticks*. LOL
Seriously though, I've been a ne'er do well most of my life (poor- not an elder nor well respected by most) and I have truly been blessed by God, and have definitely been protected and loved by Him.
Can I prove it? Nope, but those who know me know why I believe in Him.
since you drifted or fell away from the "truth", what do you now know that you never realized before?
was there anything that shocked or surprised you about the witness religion that you didn't know about til you left??
?
I wasn't wrong to leave. Thank God for apostates!
if you care to believe it,job's sufferings present significant questions for the faith of believers in all ages.why do the righteous suffer?
what about the character of god,does his permission of suffering suggest that he is lacking in compassion and mercy?what about the reality of the inscrutable mystery of innocent suffering?why does he let us walk in sorrow and pain?theologians analyze the suffering and look for causes and solutions.using all of their sound theology and insight into the situation,they search for answers.does god really need human advocates to defend his involvement in calamity and suffering?for even the best effort at explaining the issues of life can be useless.. many have pre-understandings that god punishes evil,rewards obedience,and that there are no exceptions possible.however the inscrutable mystery of innocent suffering forces one to conclude that there are exceptions.in that the righteous also suffer and the wicked prosper.. so then ,does suffering take a back seat in trying to understand the character of god?
is the compelling issue of human suffering unknowable outside the story of job if you choose to believe it?are there matters going on that we truly know nothing about ;yet,they effect our lives?
In my personal opinion, one of the most relevant issues in the book of Job is the birthday situation.
Job's kids celebrated birthdays, Job makes a sacrifice on their behalf, they get wasted. Job is then left to wonder if all of his misfortune is because of the birthday celebrations and the subsequent sacrifices (ie. his faith). He never admitted to sinning against God, though...and he never really did.
Think about it. The book of Job is one of the books that made me realize just how far off the WTS is regarding Spiritual truth.
i must say that i am troubled by those of you who have likened the jw's to the borg.
the collective is nothing like the organization.
the borg assimilate and improve themselves as a whole.
I think I'd like a *chingus in at least one of my eyes so that I could see through sh1t better.
*chingus - 1) a generic term for anything that you forget or don't know the the proper name for
2) reefer
.
.
edited by - refiners fire on 29 december 2002 18:28:29.
When I saw them, I thought "Apocaliptic" (sp?). I guess I was right then. It's good to have an outlet for inner turmoil.
some of you might remember that i fell in love with a jw.
that was two years ago and now i've decided to let her go.
i've done everything i know to do including trying to apply most every good thing i learned since meeting her.
I'm sorry for your loss, gig. You must love her alot to put yourself through all that. You are so right on regarding the WTS that I can tell you really put your heart into finding out the real deal. Even though you are giving up someone you love, I 'm glad that you didn't end up being sucked into the cult. You may be losing the girl, but you didn't lose your spirit. That's a good thing.
If it's any consolation, I can't imagine that your girl is untouched by the effort that you made for her. It may not be apparent, but I wouldn't doubt if you planted the seeds that may lead to her freedom at some point in the future. Even if you never see it, or benefit, you can still hope that your love may turn out to be the catalyst that releases her from the prison she lives in.
In the meantime, I'm sure there's someone out there who can appreciated a devoted person such as yourself. Keep your chin up.
Lea
YEEEAAAAH!!!!
i'm just curious.
how many of you were elders or ministerial servants or pioneers?
were you an elder or ms or pioneer when you realized it wasn't the truth or a had you stepped down already, were you "weak" when you realized it?
I was a regular pioneer. When I realized (from the Scriptures) that 'the truth' wasn't, I went to several more meetings, then bagged a district assembly and took my boys camping instead. After that, I stopped attending meetings, the elders came to ask me why, I expressed my concerns, they checked with Brooklyn (supposedly) and came back a few weeks later to tell me that I was wrong, and I told them that I didn't want to be associated anymore.
I found out later that I'm df'd rather than da'd. Don't know why and don't really care anymore.
think that farting and burping are sooooooooo funny????????
my son will be 9 in jan and my bf's nephew is the same age only 2 weeks later than my son's birthday.
my son (jessie) and chris (the nephew) stayed over for a couple days.
I don't know why boys think that, but I'm starting to be concerned about my darlin' daughter who is becoming quite good at burping the alphabet. I think Sieg (or maybe one of her brothers?) has been giving her lessons when I'm not around.
got any big plans?
i plan on going in the big city til the wee hours of new years day.....and you??
?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! Sorry that's late, but my monitor took a dump and..and...*sob*...it seemed like a lifetime!
Anyway, I'll be selling glow necklaces at a fireworks display somewhere in Delaware and on New Years Day I'll be selling balloons and toys and EAGLES (!!!!!!) souveniers at the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia (if it doesn't rain).
I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL 2003!!!!
