Posts by Sunchild

33

Have you re-read the bible since leaving the Kingdom Hall?

by Eyebrow2 in

i always wanted to re-read the bible after i left the org; to be able to read it without having to feel like i had to apply something, or to have to read it out of obedience, etc.... well, i have always liked the new world translation, i know it isn't perfect, but i think it is better than some.

but i have always wanted to get a different modern english translation, and read that.

well, i finally picked up a new international version at wal-mart the other day...under $6, what a bargain.. started last night, and finished genesis today, and am just starting into exodous.

Sunchild

My post-JW Bible experience has been a funny one. When I first got out, I was pretty mad at BibleGod, and I wanted nothing to do with Christianity at all. So, I read just enough of the Bible to convince myself that it was worthless and that the "Christian" God was evil, petty and cruel. Mostly, I read the Old Testament since that's where the worst offenses were.

Then, through a series of rather unexpected events, I became a Christian. Basically, Christ showed up in my life in such a way that I had no choice but seek that path. I started reading the Bible again, focusing on Jesus's life and the New Testament first. I came away with a very different impression of God, Christianity, life... everything. Now, I'm re-reading the whole thing by the light of what I've learned. It turns out it's not so worthless after all.

~Rochelle.

24

So I'm Dancing, and This Bitch Is Just WATCHING Me

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

do you think dogs are critical of the way we dance?

are dogs from black families less embarrassed by their owner's dancing?

Sunchild

Do you think dogs are critical of the way we dance?

I don't know about dogs, but cats sure are. My kitty gives me a funny look and then usually leaves the room if I start dancing, which pretty much says it all.

~Rochelle.

75

I'm afraid there are only 2 ways of being a true believin' Christian

by Zep in

the first way is to be completely ignorant.to ignore the fact that the bible is a hopelessly flawed man made document, and all other reasoned argument and evidence that points to the non existence of the christian god.

this strategy basically involves living inside mental cocoon and closing your eyes to any alternative views.

the best way to employ this tactic is to perform a whole lot repetitive and ritualistic action; a whole lot of head bowing and praying etc... etc....you know the drill!.

Sunchild

Hi again, Zep.

Sorry, I am curious about your version of Christianity. I could throw heaps of questions at you right now...but I aint got time. I might get around to reading your essay fully too. But really, I feel theres no point, I'm too set in my ways. I'm an atheist, i'm not hugely passionate about Jesus, I don't see it changing.

All of the above is fine with me, and that includes your curiosity. I've gotten rather used to it.

I do want to ask: whats Christianity got that Paganism doesn't. I've never met a Pagan, atleast a person who'd call themselves a Pagan. It sounds like fun. All those festivals...orgies?????? Christianity must be so dull in comparison!

Erm, I hate to disappoint you, but I have yet to run across any Neopagan religion in which orgies are part of the package, and you'd probably find most Wiccan rituals (Wicca was my main inclination) odd or sort of boring. True, there are certain traditions, covens and individuals who do practice their rituals nude, but even they don't have orgies. Nudity is employed for its spiritual symbolism, i.e. being naked before the Goddess and the God, not for sexual reasons.

Following any spiritual path is about finding one's own most effective, meaningful way of communing with the Divine, both in terms of God however you perceive Him/Her/It and the spark of God that lives within ourselves. Being a Pagan didn't work for me because I didn't experience that, at least not in the same "real" sense that I feel it as a Christian. It's a hard concept to put into words, but it's unmistakable.

~Rochelle.

290

The Global Flood

by coldfish in

i've just read an intersting article on the flood to do with dates and whether is was truly global or a regional flood.. http://www.commentarypress.com/essay-flood.html.

my father used to be an elder for many years and the flood was one of the things that made him walk away not just from the jw but also belief in the bible.

he was hung up on issues like the flood taking place about 3500 bc and how that fit in with the pyramids.. i don't know much about egyptian history or the ages of the big pyramids, but his reasoning was if the flood wiped out every human on earth except noah etc then at 3500 bc there were only 8 people on earth.

Sunchild

Even if you explain away an un-scietific god in Genesis, you then have to explain away the blood-thirsty tribal god in the other four books of the Pantateuch (sp?).

At the risk of sounding slightly Gnostic, I think the explanation for this is the simplest and most obvious one: the being to whom those acts are attributed isn't really God. It's just an image that the ancient Hebrews (and, unfortunately, lots of present-day Christians) want to believe is God.

Christ was the living reflection of God, and he was nothing like the warmonger depicted in the Old Testament. I think that said warmonger is a type of demiurge, a false god-contruct given life by human belief. People want to see that being as God; their belief effectively brings the construct into existence. But this creation isn't the true and loving God that Jesus represents.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to tip-toe back out of this minefield. *g*

~Rochelle.

43

Why does God let bad things happen?

by FMZ in

this question seems to be getting thrown around in the earthquake threads, and is asked a lot... so, what is your opinion on why god allows bad things to happen?

also, did you stop believing in god because he allows it?.

i will throw my two-penneth in when i have a little more time tonight.

Sunchild

Oddly enough, my favorite answer to this question doesn't exactly come from the Bible. It comes from a Playstation game called Xenogears. A few of the game's characters have entered a cathedral, and they see two statues -- one-winged angels reaching out to each other. The Holy Mother explains the meaning of the statues in the context of her church's teachings:

Margie: Did you notice that the two great angels only have one wing each...? According to a legend handed down in Nisan, God could have created humans perfectly... But then, humans would not have helped each other... So that is what these great single-winged angels symbolizes... In order to fly, they are dependant on one another.
Citan: Ah, so that is the reason for it. I see... On further inspection, the left angel looks somewhat masculine... while the right one looks somewhat feminine. Now that is an unusual feature, is it not? Usually these depictions are not gender-specific. But these angels are clearly distinguishable as having opposing genders. And the space between them is the path from where God advents... Or could it be the path leading to God? Well... I do not know, it could be either, or even both. ...Now I see! This all coincides with the teachings of Nisan.
Margie: Ha, ha, ha! Why Doctor Citan Uzuki! You are an amusing fellow!
Citan: Oh! Excuse me. It is a habit of mine...
Fei: The doc knows a lot about a lot of things... Sometimes I can't even understand what he's talking about...
Bart: ...Hah! Forcing them to fly together...? It would be less bothersome if they could fly on their own, don't you think, Fei?
Margie: Bart! You miss the deeper meaning and beauty of it. Someday I wish I could be of help to someone like that.

That's why I think bad things happen. They help us learn to love, and to be grateful for our blessings. And of course, there's always the old saying that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. *g*

Obviously, I haven't stopped believing in God.

~Rochelle.

114

Open Discussion - The End Times according to bible prophecy

by Brownboy in

bible truths revealed:.

the end times.

those that seek an understanding of the scripture will be assisted according to that which is written in the bible.

Sunchild

The End Times
Those that seek an understanding of the scripture will be assisted according to that which is written in the bible. All other will be completely ignored. Those that do not follow the rules of conduct will be reported immediately to the proper authorities !
It is apparent that prophecy is being fulfilled world-wide, and on a broader scale.
Look forward to the arrival of Jesus Christ in all of his glory. Have no fear, but place complete faith in Jehovah. I will assist those with faith in acquiring the necessary instruction to be worthy of salvation. It begins with a complete faith in the words written in the four gospels of Christ Jesus ................ no more is necessary. We are nearing the final fulfillment of bible prophecy.
These words are faithful and true, and can be verified by scripture.
The faithful and discreet slave of Jehovah, the most high God in the entire Universe.

Thanks.

21

Fun Quiz: What Religion Best Suits You?

by Sunchild in

jw
friends

i found this awhile ago on another message board.

just thought i would share:.

what religion best suits you?.

Sunchild

KKLUV155,

I'm glad that someone else got a result like this. Now, I feel a bit less awkward posting mine:

True Christian
You are humble, gracious, kind and extremely Christ-like. You believe in the bible as your law, but read it in its original language. Perhaps you're not a scholar, but you're not an armature either. You normally don't feel church is acceptable for your form of worship, and if anyone believes different from you, you might try to learn something from them.

I want to say it's true (namely the "extremely Christ-like" bit), but really, I'm not there yet. But I'm trying.

~Rochelle.

21

Fun Quiz: What Religion Best Suits You?

by Sunchild in

jw
friends

i found this awhile ago on another message board.

just thought i would share:.

what religion best suits you?.

Sunchild

I found this awhile ago on another message board. Just thought I would share:

What Religion Best Suits You?

The "Fundamentalist Christian" result is especially grin-worthy, and it's not hard to figure out which answers will lead to it. *g*

Have fun!

~Rochelle.

48

My Deleted Elder Friend Stopped By.......

by minimus in

jw
friends

with his wife to say that it's been 3 months since my daughter's wedding and in october he got deleted for going to it even though the presiding overseer told him it was a "conscience matter.

period.

".....the circuit overseer saw it differently and removed my friend as an elder amd my mom as a regular pioneer because of a letter sent only to circuit overseers in 1999!!!!

Sunchild

All that did was make him beat me worse.

{{{ko38}}}

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Reading about things like this makes me feel like crying.

~Rochelle.

75

I'm afraid there are only 2 ways of being a true believin' Christian

by Zep in

the first way is to be completely ignorant.to ignore the fact that the bible is a hopelessly flawed man made document, and all other reasoned argument and evidence that points to the non existence of the christian god.

this strategy basically involves living inside mental cocoon and closing your eyes to any alternative views.

the best way to employ this tactic is to perform a whole lot repetitive and ritualistic action; a whole lot of head bowing and praying etc... etc....you know the drill!.

Sunchild

With FD's definition of a Christian you don't have to believe in any of the bible. You can dismiss it as complete hogwash, that its all made up. But you can still use the stories in the bible as motivational tools in your own life. Like FD says, a story doesn't have to be true to have resonance. With this definition of a Christian, because you don't believe that the bible is literally true, you can also dismiss certain moral tenants of the bible and still claim to be a Christian. You can sort of pick and choose your morality. Where do you draw the line as far as being a Christian is concerned? It's just too murky a definition of a Christian for me. Nah, I prefer to see a Christian as someone who believes in the literal truth of the bible and tries to follow all it's moral direction.

I once heard a really neat saying that covers my point of view very well: "Jesus is the Word of God. The Bible is a book of words about God." I think that people who are all wrapped up in "The Bible says this" and "The Bible says that" and take every single word as immutable law aren't really listening when God tries to speak to them. It's kind of hard to hear anyone when you don't want to listen, especially if the One who's speaking tends to whisper.

Personally, I choose to rely on the Holy Spirit -- that piece of God that lives within me -- and my understanding of Jesus's character to tell me what's true and what isn't. In other words, I just trust in God to let me know where the boundaries are. That is, after all, why Christians receive the Holy Spirit in the first place. I don't understand why so few are willing to trust it.

My apologies if all this God-talk makes you uncomfortable, but it's kind of hard to explain my faith without it. *g*

~Rochelle.