Posts by elbib

4

Those who live their lives according to writings 2000-4000 years ago , how insane is that.?

by smiddy in

when you think about it , in this 21st century of enlightenment , the explosion of information technology in all fields imaginable , yet the majority of humans of all faiths live their lives according to ancient scriptures / writings etc.for a world long past its use by date.. the bible says" faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for " none of the expectations hoped for in the jehovah`s witness religion ever eventuated , and neither has it in any other faith .. faith , of no matter what belief , is the carrot on the end of a stick leading the gullible on , and on , and on .and on.. smiddy.

elbib

Yes, I agree. Scriptures are human answers to human question.

When something is of human origin, it is definitely based on guess work, and it is inevitable bound to bring disagreement, hence split and sects.

2

Waiting of God’s Kingdom is actually postponing happiness

by elbib in

the knowledge of religious tales are similar to knowing the story of the "little red riding hood.

" there is the big, "bad" wolf who needs to be conquered, destroyed, avoided.

the story may change as religions change.

elbib

The knowledge of religious tales are similar to knowing the story of the "Little Red Riding hood." There is the big, "bad" Wolf who needs to be conquered, destroyed, avoided. The story may change as religions change.

Story 1: The "bad" wolf eats red riding hood. End of story for some. The fear of being eaten by the "bad" wolf is infused in followers.

Story 2: The "bad" wolf is cut open by the woodcutter, saving little red riding hood. The "bad" wolf dies and everyone lives "happy ever after." That is the "redeemer," the "savior" story.... Paradise thereafter. Followers are hoping for happiness in the future.

Though Bible can be used for any interpretation (even for future happiness when God’s Kingdom come), it has its good side too—it also contains something very profound and practical to our very lives right now. One of them is: Spirituality is the art of daily living Life in joy. It is right here, right now.

When Jesus declared “The Kingdom of God Is Within You” it is unlikely that his immediate listeners understood in the sense of JWs do now (Luke 17:21) because he simply used the same Greek word for “within” to mean what is “inside” when he spoke Mathew 23:26 “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”

Interestingly, this is something people can experiment in their own lives, and find out whether “Kingdom of God is within” or not. There are at least some who lead a simple life-style. They don’t have any expectation from others because they feel that others have their freedom to act the way they like, and it is their lives and also they don’t try to correct others (but leave that work to the authorised persons/agency). Whatever they do, they do it creatively (and make it supportive of others if at all possible). In such a simple life-style, there is always a space around them, nothing would affect them, and they would feel that they are living in Kingdom of God. Yet they also have the freedom to rust out bringing in “leaven” into their lives, as Jesus himself illustrated it in Mathew 13:33. (Leaven symbolizes sin Luke 12:1; 1Corinthians 5:6-8; Galatians 5:9) If they add “leaven” or wasteful and negative qualities they are living as though in hell. (Mark 7:21; James 1:14) On the contrary, productive, positive inner qualities would make one feel that he is in Kingdom of God because he produces better results when he enjoys his work and does it with 100 % involvement, which means he is in the now. This means being in the now is natural, whereas being distracted over past deeds and worried about future fears is unnatural, away from the now as though being in hell. Apostle Paul himself had this understanding: “Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) He knew “will of God” is to be joyful in “all circumstance.” (Phil 4:4; 1Thess 5:16-18)

8

"you will find refreshment for your souls"

by stuckinarut2 in

these well known words from the bible are so interesting!.

"come to me all who are toiling and loaded down, and i will refresh you"...etc.... .

is it refreshing to be witness?.

elbib

That verse may not have uttered by Jesus because even those who experienced great miracles and even resurrection from Jesus did not come for preaching after Jesus died.

13

Awake no.3 praises Dr. Semmelweiss for discovering disease-causing germs

by Anders Andersen in

in awake!

3 2016, an article on dr. semmelweis states:.

semmelweis was eventually recognized as one of the fathers of the modern antiseptic technique.

elbib

Very good insight from your painstaking research.

11

The New World , Utopian or Dystopian?

by BluesBrother in

like many others on here i was raised and spent many years of my life looking forward to , and basing my life around the anticipated "new world" .this utopian paradise would "satisfy the desire of every living thing".

we would enjoy eternal youth in perfect health,have abundant good food ,comfortable homes ,even welcome our parents and forebears back from the dead - what's not to like?i found this description of a dystopian world on the net :"characteristics of a dystopian society• propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.• information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.• a figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.• citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.• citizens have a fear of the outside world.• citizens live in a dehumanized state.• the natural world is banished and distrusted.• citizens conform to uniform expectations.

individuality and dissent are bad.• the society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world."hmm.

elbib

Interestingly, God of JWs not only encourages free-thinking but also supports both the good and the wanderers because He made Jesus declare: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mathew 5:44-48)

Traits of dysfunctional family is same as dysfunctional organization

by elbib in

in psychology, the following are some of the traits of dysfunctional family:.

-free expression of feeling is discouraged.

-manipulation to get needs met and to control others is common.

elbib

In psychology, the following are some of the traits of dysfunctional family:

-free expression of feeling is discouraged

-manipulation to get needs met and to control others is common

-grim atmosphere because communication and openness is stifled

-relationships become very dependent

-rigid attitudes

-reverence for the past

-jealousy and suspicion …etc

If these very traits are found in a big family (in an organization), doesn’t that show that it also has become dysfunctional?

3

Prodigal son or prodigal father?

by elbib in

the impression i get from reading parable of prodigal son is that it is more about a father who is prodigal.

he gave his son’s share without any sort of reasoning (a kind of lavishness) and on his return made arrangement for a celebration killing “a fattened calf” (again a kind of lavishness) which does not make him resemble like his heavenly father who had commanded: “you shall not murder.” (exodus 20:13) for god, slaughtering an animal or a human being does not make any difference.

(isaiah 66:3) god’s view of lives of other species remains unchanged, declares jesus: “are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

elbib

SirB2,

Such sacrifices are of human origin (Jer 7:22; 8:8). However, my point is not about sacrifices. I was just highlighting the widespread inconsistencies in the Bible which now even Bible scholars themselves are becoming aware of and publicly speaking. Why, even NW ref edition puts John 8:1-11 into footnote. Though we know about many inconsistencies, I was trying to say even well-known accounts such as Parable of Prodigal son, woman caught on adultery which are all very much loved by people ... are also problematic! Is it such a book that JWs derive authority from?

3

Prodigal son or prodigal father?

by elbib in

the impression i get from reading parable of prodigal son is that it is more about a father who is prodigal.

he gave his son’s share without any sort of reasoning (a kind of lavishness) and on his return made arrangement for a celebration killing “a fattened calf” (again a kind of lavishness) which does not make him resemble like his heavenly father who had commanded: “you shall not murder.” (exodus 20:13) for god, slaughtering an animal or a human being does not make any difference.

(isaiah 66:3) god’s view of lives of other species remains unchanged, declares jesus: “are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

elbib

The impression I get from reading Parable of Prodigal Son is that it is more about a father who is prodigal. He gave his son’s share without any sort of reasoning (a kind of lavishness) and on his return made arrangement for a celebration killing “a fattened calf” (again a kind of lavishness) which does not make him resemble like his Heavenly Father who had commanded: “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13) For God, slaughtering an animal or a human being does not make any difference. (Isaiah 66:3) God’s view of lives of other species remains unchanged, declares Jesus: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.” (Luke 12:6) Moreover, God’s view of sin is also totally different from the father of this parable. (Mathew 12:36; 25:41, 46) Thus, this parable conveys a lighter view of sin!

Interestingly, there is another incident in the Bible which similarly carries a lighter view of sin in John 8:1-11 which is now put in brackets by the reference editions of the Bible because it is not found in the earliest Manuscripts of the Bible. Still, JWs believe that every verse of the Bible is inspired of God, and it is their supreme authority.

26

I think my Sunday speaker is awake

by Yondaime in

hi guys and gals,.

its been a long time since i've posted here, i've been caught up with school and work so i've never had the time to post on the forum, but i've still been reading through some articles on here.

now that finals are over i have some time to breath.

elbib

Bethelites sometime do such blunter. In my congregation too it happened. A bethelite gave a public talk on the biblical incident of 10 lepers being cured by Jesus, yet only one of the returning to thank him. It was not an outline-talk. Later he was counselled by Bethel higher ups.

24

Armageddon comes and you have 5 minutes with Jesus

by pleaseresearch in

so the big a comes, your third in line to be judged by jesus.

he wants to know why you left the organisation.

he also wants to know why jws remained with the org.

elbib

When they began to "beat the fellow slaves" I know that you will come and cut them in to pieces. Hence I left.