Posts by TonusOH

8

For the Disillusioned

by no-zombie in

a problem for all who come to realize that our faith is just another manmade religion, is that we start questioning everything we've previously believed.

where ultimately its possible to spiral down past believing in the bible, to the point of questioning god's actual existence.however while some may be happy to think of themselves now as atheists or agnostics (which i doubt that most really are, as living with the full mental and emotional consequences of being one is a lot harder than most understand), i don't think it is necessary to abandon being a spiritual person.

while others might like the idea of drifting into a modern animistic philosophy (which rather conveniently excludes personal accountability), the keeping of the core teachings of jesus has historically proven to give many people a balanced and practical moral code to live by.but what is meant by the term: 'the core teachings of jesus'?interestingly many thinkers from the enlightenment period of the late 1700s, had similar a question.

TonusOH

There's a third option: admitting that you don't know.

I think that many of the discussions about the existence of god assume a specific god, and not just the possibility of a being that is responsible for the universe but does not care to inform us of its work. And why would it? Do you ever stop to explain yourself to a microscopic dust mite when you are admiring a personal accomplishment? Maybe our universe is just another in a long line of experiments, or maybe the creator does not want to interact with us. Or maybe it doesn't even know we're here. And so on.

But we get a sort of bait-and-switch, where the atheist is asked to account for the probability of the existence of any god, and then confronted with belief in a specific god. And that's not the same thing. And if the specific god being put forth doesn't make sense, it's even less convincing. I don't have to explain how or why a godless universe exists, because I am not even sure that is the case. But the gods that humanity has put forth over our existence? None of them make sense, and I can dismiss those as an option.

56

The Reason Behind Recent Watchtower Changes

by Vanderhoven7 in

eric wilson's video is worth a view.. https://youtu.be/iil4fryuczk?si=f566n0tdqgpqc2ok.

TonusOH

I wonder if we're underestimating just how much money can be squeezed out of poor families and poor communities. It's the poorest people who learn to get by on as little as possible, allowing them to have something left over to try to buy their way into paradise. There are also a lot more poor around, so the collective amount to be made can be significant. And, let's face it, those who have money are sometimes the stingiest with it.

Maybe targeting the poor --and keeping them that way-- is working better than it logically should.

35

Have I Drifted Too Far?

by sinboi in

i was shocked, really shocked.

what i am doing now is so acceptable to the friends around me.. my friends are all doing it.

it is so normal in the society,.

TonusOH

When I saw this topic, my spidey sense was tingling pretty fiercely. Looks like my instincts still get it right occasionally.

Someone pretending not to understand why they were treated so harshly by a forum community and burying the horrifying lede (that he took part in the violent gang-rape of a young gay person, with the description of this person as the obnoxious cherry-on-top) is a kind of first-order level of trolling. My advice for the OP: go away. Please.

29

Patterson New Visitor Centre & Museum Announced

by raymond frantz in

https://www.jwupdates.com/post/new-patterson-visitor-center-and-first-century-museum.

january 1, 2024, marked the official opening of the patterson visitor center, located at the watchtower educational center in patterson, new york, u.s.a. the feature museum of the visitors’ center is entitled “first-century bible village.” brother isaiah miller, who works in the museum department at bethel, said: “the bible village was designed to provide everyone with a realistic and educational experience.

studies show that interactive learning has a powerful effect on people of all ages.” after her tour, one visitor exclaimed: “this museum made me feel like i had been transported back to the land of ancient israel.

TonusOH

Vidiot: Taking a page from Ken Ham’s playbook, huh?

That was my thought as well. And an ominous one. I don't think the Ark Encounter has done very well financially, even with significant tax breaks. And they only made of those, not 38!

48

Is Jesus God?

by Sea Breeze in

i know that a lot of historical names have claimed to be a god.

but, jesus arguably claimed to be god.

scripture says he's the creator.

TonusOH

Sea Breeze: Because you have to receive the payment.

Why?

Sea Breeze: Michael the Archangel didn't make the payment for you.

Why not?

God is not helpless and he is not limited. No one can prevent him from taking any action he wishes. He is not restricted by rules- he makes the rules. Nothing prevents him from forgiving me without pageantry. My "sinful nature" is the result of his design and his decisions. Blaming me doesn't make sense; it makes him seem weak.

If god wants everyone to be saved and to serve with him eternally in heaven, it is within his power to do so. If he chose to do this, no one could prevent it. Our present condition can only be a result of his design and his decisions. God said that the road to destruction was wide and well-traveled, but few would find the path to salvation. If he did not want this, it would not happen. The only person who can put obstacles in god's way is god.

A god who actively works to undermine his own plans, blames his failure on the sandbox that he designed and built, sets up rules that further hinder his desires, and pretends to be helpless to fix it without action from others... makes no sense. Such a being cannot exist.

48

Is Jesus God?

by Sea Breeze in

i know that a lot of historical names have claimed to be a god.

but, jesus arguably claimed to be god.

scripture says he's the creator.

TonusOH

Sea Breeze: If you make an agreement with the wrong Jesus, your contract isn't valid.

Sounds like he is a stickler for technicalities. If he paid a price to redeem me, why not just apply it and save me? Or, better yet, forgive me without a messy blood sacrifice? No need to complicate things when you're the master of reality, after all.

56

The Reason Behind Recent Watchtower Changes

by Vanderhoven7 in

eric wilson's video is worth a view.. https://youtu.be/iil4fryuczk?si=f566n0tdqgpqc2ok.

TonusOH

If only the GB are the 144,000, they can save a lot on wine and crackers at the memorial now. "We will not be passing the wine and bread, as none of you need to partake. Instead, just pantomime the act of passing them back and forth. Right, just like that. Good, good. Hey! Brother Jones! Do not pantomime drinking or eating!"

30

Depression & Isolation

by TxNVSue2023 in

i've been recently reinstated & am very happy about it.

i do love righteous (love & justice) and i do hate wickedness ( selfishness & sin).

i do love jehovah and the bible truths & wisdom.

TonusOH

Teddnzo: We so want the Bibles promises to be true and talk as if we have no doubt but we all do have doubts about JW interpretations.

Why not visit other churches to see if you can find one that eases your doubts? If you believe in the Bible but have doubts about JW interpretation, that's a pretty big hurdle in my mind. And you should be able to find new friends in those churches, without the concern that they will turn their backs on you if you express doubts or seek answers elsewhere.

19

I have some questions about the Org.!

by KerryKing in

are any or all of the gb from jewish descent?.

why are they so fascinated with following ancient jewish 'principles' ?.

isa 43:10, 44:8 ' you are my witnesses ' which they based their religious identity on, jehovah's witnesses, yet those verses address the jews, not christians, which they profess to be.. jesus said in ac 1:8 'you will be witnesses of me ', .

TonusOH

Diogenesister: It's funny because I always assumed it had always been through the female line, since back then it was the only provable line.

Keep in mind that, back then, a wife was considered a man's property. I suppose that, even in the event of infidelity, the child could be considered part of the line of the man who owned the child's mother. Would be interesting to see if this was the case. It wouldn't surprise me that they did not want to give the woman any sort of value aside from being chattel.

48

Is Jesus God?

by Sea Breeze in

i know that a lot of historical names have claimed to be a god.

but, jesus arguably claimed to be god.

scripture says he's the creator.

TonusOH

The impression I get is that the question is, how many of the deities that people worship (or once worshipped) specifically identified themselves as THE one true god. But the topic title gives the impression that it's a discussion about the specific role of Jesus. Is he god, or a creation of the actual god?

I don't know how many gods claimed to be the almighty, the god of gods, the top dog, etc. I'm going to assume that, for any gods that did not make this claim explicitly, the followers will feel that it is not a relevant criteria. How do we determine the value of such a statement? What reason would we have to give that claim any particular merit? How explicit does the phrasing need to be?

And also, I think we would need to reconcile the question of Jesus's divinity as described in the Bible. His claim to be the one true god doesn't carry weight if it is determined that he is a creation of a different god. After two thousand years, that issue does not appear to be resolved. If Jesus isn't the one true god, how do we interpret the passages where he might have insinuated this? If he claimed it, how do we account for the inaccuracy of the claim?