today i noticed on television via 'entertainment tonight' how that supposed, self-proclaiming jehovah's witness 'sister' and top rating professional tennis player, venus williams, is back in the news again.. this time she was shown cuddling up to her italian bodyguard.
she had quite a loving expression on her face, while he had a glint in his eyes which seemed to say he'd like to do more things with venus' well toned body than just protect it from intruders or perceived danger.. last year, i posted on h 20 how appalled i was on viewing sr venus running around courtside with an american flag after she won wimbledon in england.
then there were those stationary tv close-ups while she stood reverently at attention as they played the u.s. national anthem.. my gripe in all this blatant display of double standards not so much concerns ms. williams' antics, but rather how they continue to be tolerated by her religion's governing body of jehovah's witnesses.
In response to Uncanny, I think the reason that famous JWs tend to 'get away' with a different standard than the rank and file is because if they encountered some of the horrible situations described here, their accounts might appear in national or international media, and wouldn't that be bad for the organization?
Silverleaf
hi all:.
i need your opinion about one web site its www.timestime.com .why i am asking for it ?
i am more than surprised about subject of this site and now i am confused what its right and what is wrong.this site contain information about god end of times and so on and i didnt found anything what can convinced me that that they are mistaking.think is i am studying with jw but they didnt want to help me to answer my questions because they said its not healty to read anything else except their books.i didnt listen because i am used to do everything on my own and now i am really searching.so if you could tell me at least that they are mistaking on their site and show me how ill apreciated.
As Gopher said, I wasn't implying you wrote it and I was criticizing layout, not grammar or spelling. I certainly didn't mean to offend.
Silverleaf
hi all:.
i need your opinion about one web site its www.timestime.com .why i am asking for it ?
i am more than surprised about subject of this site and now i am confused what its right and what is wrong.this site contain information about god end of times and so on and i didnt found anything what can convinced me that that they are mistaking.think is i am studying with jw but they didnt want to help me to answer my questions because they said its not healty to read anything else except their books.i didnt listen because i am used to do everything on my own and now i am really searching.so if you could tell me at least that they are mistaking on their site and show me how ill apreciated.
Hello Petermanna,
Out of curiosity I looked at the site you mentioned. All I can say is if you sifted through this mess, I give you credit for your patience, what a poorly constructed site.
You asked if someone might be able to show you that the stuff on this site is mistaken. I couldn't take in enough of it to actually quote you any mistakes, because it was so difficult to read, but let me ask you this which might help you to see that you don't have to take the stuff written here seriously or be worried about it.
Who is the author of this site? On what authority, other than the dreams they mentioned, do they say these things? Do you know them? How do you know they are being sincere in their claims at all? This is the Internet after all. Anyone can claim anything they want and we really have little way of knowing if it's true or not.
I'm sorry I couldn't give you more to go on. I hope someone here will have the fortitude to read more and help you better.
Silverleaf
i may be asking a question that's already been addressed on another thread.
if so, kindly redirect me.
i read this post on another thread, which made me ask a question.
Hello Andi,
Your question was: Who says the Bible was to provide answers?
I certainly think the Bible inspires questions, however the questions I had after reading it were not very pleasant ones and the answers I thought it was supposed to provide were not there.
I think the Bible is literature. That's all. Inspired perhaps by a desire to believe in God, but not inspired by God at all - if it were I think it would stand up better under scrutiny and it wouldn't be so easy to find contradictions. If someone finds answers in it that help them lead a better life, that's great. I found my answers elsewhere.
Just my 2 cents. A good question, though,
Silverleaf
recently i read some information that state the catholic church now admits that the apostle john definitely did not write the bible book of revelation.
also, another source stated that revelation may not be an 'inspired canonical' book.
rather, revelation may be the work of a raving lunatic imprisoned on patmos, who had illusions of grandeur, and may have been on drugs as he invented this fantasy we call also call apocalypse.
Hello Amazing,
You wrote:
Rather, Revelation may be the work of a raving lunatic imprisoned on Patmos, who had illusions of grandeur, and may have been on drugs as he invented this fantasy we call also call Apocalypse.
All I can say is, finally, a reasonably explanation of Revelations.
Thanks!
Silverleaf
hi all, i was just wondering today, which seems to take up a lot of my time these days.. .
if god wants us to 'find' him, why doesn't he make it a little easier??.
it seems to me that there are a lot of very 'good' people who have their own religion or people like myself who try to 'find' him but are not willing to blindly have 'faith', and i'm sure there are a lot of you here who are like me in that respect.. .
Hi Chris,
You wrote:
If God wants us to 'find' him, why doesn't he make it a little easier??
I've often asked that question myself and while I read the replies, what I got out of them was the same thing I've heard time and time again. Apparently we can't find God or be found by Him because WE'RE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH. I've found that's what a lot of religious arguments boil down to. You can show someone all kinds of reasoning, show them errors, inconsistencies, etc, and tell them in all honesty that you've tried, you've prayed, you've confessed, you've cried, and you've done everything else they say you should do and it still doesn't make sense and what do they say? "You didn't try hard enough. You don't want to know God because if you really, REALLY wanted to, you would. He would make himself clear to you if only YOU were in the right frame of mind." And yet they wonder why some people give up.
I've always had trouble understanding the idea that in order to FIND God we're supposed to confess our sins, prostrate ourselves and declare our unworthiness and ask for His help. Why can't we stand up and say, "Here I am, I'm doing the best I can. I may have made mistakes but I've tried to be a good person and I think I am a good person. Can you please just love me the way I am?" Why isn't that good enough?
By the way, I think there are religions for thinknig people. I believe any religion can appeal to a thinking person if you approach it the right way. I think religion is a means not an end. We're here to live life, this life, not waste away pining for a better life that may or may not be around the corner, and that we can lose in the blink of an eye with one bad thought or nonconforming deed. Our creator, by whatever name we chose to call he/she or it, gave us a planet, a lifespan, a mind, creativity, ambition, love, passion and a million other things and they are for our use and enjoyment here and now. We should not have to beg forgiveness for something our ancestors did, or declare ourselves sinners unworthy of God's love in order to get it.
And, while I really don't mean to be catty, I have yet to figure out how endlessly quoting the Bible is going to convince anyone of anything. Are we expected to go, "Oh wait, I've read the Bible 157 times and I NEVER SAW THAT SCRIPTURE - gee, it all makes sense now?"
Just my ramblings,
Silverleaf
i remember hearing a "story" or "myth" or whatever you want to call it when i was younger in regards to the origin of halloween.
the way the story goes is this:.
a few angels fall from heaven and form human bodies for themselves.. they take human wives.. then they have their children, "the nephilim".. these nephilim are killed in the flood.. when the angels leave their human bodies they mourn their dead children.. the night that they mourn these children is later known as all hallows eve or the night the demons mourn thier dead.. has anyone else here ever heard this story?
Hello all,
bboyneko2 wrote:
In pagan times Halloween was the last day of the Celtic calendar and was thought to be the night when witches and warlocks were roaming the land and when evil spirits and souls of the dead were abroad. When Chirstianity came to the British Isles, it became the eve of All Hallows or All Saints' Day, but the old traditions remained. That's why youngsters wear masks when they go out trick-or-treating and it is also why the hollowed-out jack-o'-lantern has a masklike face."
May I add that among Pagans Halloween is called Samhain, a word meaning 'summer's end', it marked the end of the harvest season - it is the night when the veil between this world and the next is the thinnest and the time to honor those who have passed on. Modern witches celebrate this night in quiet reflection and honor those they have lost with candles and prayers. It is not a night to celebrate or honor the devil, since Pagans do not believe in the devil. Also warlocks are not male withces. Warlock is a term that means 'oathbreaker,' a male witch is called a witch.
Silverleaf
i've been lurking on this board for a few months and realize i'm addicted so i finally decided to post.
i'm not a witness and never was - i was shunned before i could even begin to study because i asked too many hard questions and had the audacity to want to be engaged to jw.
the relationship ended when his 'loving family in the truth' told him they would shun him if he didn't break it off.
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!And hi, California Sunshine. I do consider myself lucky looking back now, but at the time I felt terribly rejected, like God's people didn't want me because I couldn't conform to their rules. The sad part was, my former fiance's real family were NOT JWs. He left them behind as well to join his new friends. I often wonder how far he's advanced in the organization and if he's come up against any of the things I've read about here that would surely cause him to doubt.
It's good to finally meet all of you. I've been lurking so long I feel like I know you.
Silverleaf
why you shouldn't be a christian?
by steven morris, ph.d. .
los angeles harbor college, .
Another great post. I have a question on this one -
The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; Zephaniah 2:11
The Bible itself says that there are many gods, not just Jehovah!
This is polytheism; do you believe it?
If there are other gods, and Jah made everything, then didn't He make the other gods? Why make rivals for yourself and then punish people who followed the rivals you made?
Just another thing that doesn't make sense.
Silverleaf
i've been lurking on this board for a few months and realize i'm addicted so i finally decided to post.
i'm not a witness and never was - i was shunned before i could even begin to study because i asked too many hard questions and had the audacity to want to be engaged to jw.
the relationship ended when his 'loving family in the truth' told him they would shun him if he didn't break it off.
Hello all,
I've been lurking on this board for a few months and realize I'm addicted so I finally decided to post. I'm not a Witness and never was - I was shunned before I could even begin to study because I asked too many hard questions and had the audacity to want to be engaged to JW. The relationship ended when his 'loving family in the Truth' told him they would shun him if he didn't break it off. He chose them over me and for a while I was so devastated by this that I was terrified of all religion and especially of JWs - I figured any group with that much power over someone's personal life had to be dangerous.
It's been a long time since then and I've found my way finally, but can't help being fascinated with what I read here. You're stories are heartbreaking and I can't help thinking any group would be better off with so many intelligent, caring people as members. The WTS doesn't know what it's lost.
My best to all of you, I look forward to joining in the discussions.
Silverleaf
