Posts by Saename

54

Survey: Are you Agnostic or Atheist or Christian?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

i am agnostic.

i will count how many agnostics, atheists and christians that are reading this forum regularly.

please answer my question.

Saename

Ha! Agnostic atheist. Not many of them around here, eh?

(How I define it: We cannot know for sure whether god exists (agnosticism.) We have no evidence, and, as of now, evidence is impossible to obtain. Because I don't know whether god exists, and because I have no evidence, I have no belief in god (atheism.) It's not that I believe god doesn't exist; it's that I have no belief in god. This is why I can define myself as an agnostic atheist. If you disagree with me on this, it doesn't really matter. It's just a label. My beliefs will still remain the same regardless of how I am labelled—namely that we cannot know whether god exists, that we have no evidence of god's existence, and that I have no belief in god.)

Edit: I should make clear that when I refer to god, I speak of some sort of higher power—not a Christian God, Islamic Allah, or whatever else, just a higher power. Additionally, when I say that I have no belief in god, I mean that I have an absence of belief.

1

50 Canadian Towns With Quirky Names

by Saename in

just wanted to share something with you guys!

i found this on the web:.

http://www.readersdigest.ca/travel/canada/50-weird-and-wonderful-town-names-across-canada/.

Saename

Just wanted to share something with you guys! I found this on the web:

http://www.readersdigest.ca/travel/canada/50-weird-and-wonderful-town-names-across-canada/

We Canadians know how to entertain our tourists.

19

UK Charity Commission - Latest

by Slidin Fast in

this is a copy of the round robin email sent out today.

i am confident that there is no problem with passing it on.

the wheels grind on, it is good to know that not much gets by these investigators.. dear all, i apologise for not being in contact over the last couple of months, but due to ongoing legal matters our inquiries into watch tower bible and tract society of britain and manchester new moston kingdom hall have been moving at a slower pace than we would have liked.

Saename

Points taken, Ruby456.

19

UK Charity Commission - Latest

by Slidin Fast in

this is a copy of the round robin email sent out today.

i am confident that there is no problem with passing it on.

the wheels grind on, it is good to know that not much gets by these investigators.. dear all, i apologise for not being in contact over the last couple of months, but due to ongoing legal matters our inquiries into watch tower bible and tract society of britain and manchester new moston kingdom hall have been moving at a slower pace than we would have liked.

Saename

Ruby456 - cofty it is patriarchal in the sense that Jehovahs wtinesses need brothers to lead

Well, yes, the rule that only brothers can lead the congregation is patriarchal, but that has nothing to do with the two-witness rule.

24

devil question

by Carol1111 in

i had a discussion with 4 jws today and they told me that jesus could not be tempted, ( they say that he would not be perfect if he could) but also they told me that satan tempted jesus in the wilderness.. can anyone clarify their beliefs please.

i like to give them a reasoned argument when i talk to them, but have never noticed this conflict of ideas before..

Saename

smiddy - Isnt it true that the Old Testament does not identify" Satan" as any one being ,Angel , God , Spirit being or otherwise ?
The personification of Satan as a fallen Angel is non existent in the Old Testament writings ,it was only introduced in the Christian Era of the New Testament.?
Isnt that correct ?

Yup. At the time when the Old Testament was being written, Jews didn't understand "Satan" as we do now. They thought "Satan" (ha satan) was really just another angel who was accomplishing God's will by being an adversary in the heavenly court. So, technically, the personification of Satan as a fallen angel is indeed non-existent in the Old Testament.

However, this notion was not technically introduced in the Christian era of the New Testament. I think it would be more accurate to say it became highly popularized by Christians, but dualism (because this is what it is—the belief that there are forces of good and evil, angels and demons, God and Satan) was already introduced to Judaism long before Jesus was born. It was the Essenes, the Jewish sect that flourished from second century BCE to first century CE, who placed the cosmic battle between angels and demons, God and Satan, in the centre of their belief system. The notion that Satan was a fallen angel was already being developed before Jesus. Nonetheless, you are right in your conclusion that it has never been the belief of mainstream Judaism, and as such, the Old Testament was never meant to be read the way Christians read it.

3

When the CO comes a knocking.

by Thisismein1972 in

i was going to reply to another thread, but thought this might deserve a separate topic.. my observations when i was a still in.. the announcement that jesus christ (the co) is visiting our local kh.. would anyone like to "volunteer" their time, money and accommodation for jesus christ.. all ass lickers of said kh come forward to receive jesus christ.

a concerted effort for all to be out in the ministry that week, along with panicking elders visiting homes of those who have not been at the meetings for at least a week, offering "encouragement" so that the number of attendance is up for the week visit.. the self righteous in the kh who would never speak to you (pioneers included) and look down their noses at you all of a sudden start to speak to you.. during the visit, the elders are on their best behavior, thanking everyone who answers up.

the pioneers are martyring themselves by making cakes and practically washing the feet of the jesus christ.. the attendance does rise, with studies being brought along, to show jesus christ what a good little jw they are.. most indoctrinated jw's practically shoot each other to have a turn on the ministry with jesus christ!.

Saename

I remember being 'encouraged' to go preaching with the CO once during his and his wife's visit. I was still a believer, so I thought, 'Why not? I'm sure I'll learn something from the freaking awesome CO [Jesus Christ]!' So I talked to the CO about going in service together, and he agreed. We then went to preach, and... I was like... what the hell? Sure, he wasn't shy to talk about his faith as some of the brothers. He was confident in preaching, just like me, and the elders, and many of other brothers and sisters. I noticed he was exactly the same. Nothing extraordinary. I couldn't understand why I was being pressured so much into going in service with him. Needless to say, I didn't learn a single thing from him. He wasn't some saint as he was portrayed.

18

Prince wanted Obama to ban birthdays and Christmas, according to his buddy Van Jones

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

i saw this news scrolling at the bottom of the television screen this morning.

i looked it up.

not much of a story, but it certainly has the ring of truth to it.

Saename

Am I the only one who would actually want to see that? Just out of curiosity, to see the reaction of the people?

45

Special Talk During the Meeting Today About the Bad Press in Canada

by RobertT18 in

i was invited to a congregation in ontario, canada today and as soon as the meeting opened the brother conducting the meeting said there was a very important statement coming from the borg.

this talk replaced the two last parts of "living as a christian" section.

he started reading a letter from the borg about how much they loved us.

Saename

I live in Ottawa, around 30–45 minutes away from Quebec, so I suppose the talk was given in my area. And if not, then it was likely given in my old congregation that was actually in Quebec (near the Champlain Bridge that connects Ottawa and Gatineau.) Too bad I didn't know of this in advance. I would attend the meeting to report. Well, too late...

13

Banned From The Kingdom Hall

by darkspilver in

banned from going to the kingdom hall..... a former jehovah’s witness has been banned from visiting any of the organisation’s kingdom halls in the uk – or face going to jail.. http://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/judges-jail-warning-to-former-117012/.

previous thread / discussion.

youtube channel.

Saename

As much as I love campaigns against Jehovah's Witnesses, what this guy did was inappropriate. I wish some former Witnesses were smarter than that.

11

This man was allowed to freely associate with the Peterborough Congregations of JWs

by punkofnice in

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/crime/peterborough-man-jailed-for-14-years-after-subjecting-young-boy-to-years-of-sexual-abuse-1-7715306.

i kid you not.

are you surprised he went to meetings and the elders knew about his perversions?.

Saename

Another one. I'm truly surprised.

Okay, maybe not yet.