when i was a jw, the key issue that caused me to doubt the wt was the trinity.
the wtb&ts's blatent misquotations and misrepresentations of religious scholarship to fit their anti-trinitarian presuppositions are horrid and inexcusable.
that issue, however, was not the issue that caused me to become a christian.
As XJW4EVR has repeated his little rant I will repeat my retort.
Ah! We have seen this tactic used many times. Start a discussion about faith. Then however polite and reasonable the responses, accuse the non-believers of being unpleasant.
Absolute proof that only those that believe in the resurrection are decent people. The Jehovah's Witnesses use this ploy all the time. Such a Christian approach!
(for the purposes of this post, i want to say that being angry, though a real emotion, is not healthy if it continues to fester inside you.
i think anger is reasonable if it helps you to move on from point a to point b. in addition, because of the real issues anger can bring, if you feel that after many years you are still angry over your jw experience, i strongly encourage therapy.
long term anger is destructive to the individual).
AK - Jeff I read though your post earlier and missed how well written and insightful it was. I just read it again three times.
I guess we all hide behind our armour and pretend we are tougher than we really are. We come here because we can never forget. For me, what I miss most is how much I loved so many of the people I shared a hope for the future with.
I will never love that way again.
(for the purposes of this post, i want to say that being angry, though a real emotion, is not healthy if it continues to fester inside you.
i think anger is reasonable if it helps you to move on from point a to point b. in addition, because of the real issues anger can bring, if you feel that after many years you are still angry over your jw experience, i strongly encourage therapy.
long term anger is destructive to the individual).
Anger is a good and positive emotion. It moves us to action. It is life saving and life changing.
Once it has served its purpose, like any emotion, it needs to rest. It will always be there to call upon should the view of the world that we have come to depend upon be challenged. Until then life is for living.
when i was a jw, the key issue that caused me to doubt the wt was the trinity.
the wtb&ts's blatent misquotations and misrepresentations of religious scholarship to fit their anti-trinitarian presuppositions are horrid and inexcusable.
that issue, however, was not the issue that caused me to become a christian.
XJW4EVR WHat I have gotten in return is name-calling, insults and condescension.
Ah! We have seen this tactic used many times.
Start a discussion about faith. Then however polite and reasonable the responses, accuse the non-believers of being unpleasant. Absolute proof that only those that believe in the resurrection are decent people. The Jehovah's Witnesses use this ploy all the time. Such a Christian approach!
in the musical the sound of music, a convent of nuns sings a song about how indefinable a character maria is and the problems she causes their order.. first they describe the things she does which leads to the problems she causes:.
i met a man who wasnt there.
a little man who wasnt there.
Identifying Jesus is only a problem to those that believe a dead man still lives. To those that accept that he lived and died like all humans there is no problem.
Attempting to convince non-believers is the greatest test of faith and also a great way to strengthen faith. The greatest task is elevating Jesus to god status and selling this package to the world.
Without a living Jesus, there is no kingdom and no resurrection to heavenly bliss. I often wonder whether those that spend so much time trying to convince others that Jesus lives are really trying to convince themselves.
when i was a jw, the key issue that caused me to doubt the wt was the trinity.
the wtb&ts's blatent misquotations and misrepresentations of religious scholarship to fit their anti-trinitarian presuppositions are horrid and inexcusable.
that issue, however, was not the issue that caused me to become a christian.
I wrote this yesterday but decided not to post it. In view of AllTimeJeff’s post it seems appropriate to post it to show that great minds think alike.
XJW4EVR asks ‘ My question to atheists, agnostics & sceptics is simple. ‘Why shouldn't I believe in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?’
There is no logical answer to such a question. You can believe in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth or anything you want to. Roman and Greek mythology is full of tales of resurrections, gods and things that go bump in the night. Read through it and believe it all if you want. The only question that can be asked is - Why should I believe in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?
i am in a spiritual void at the moment after a year out of the borg and 50 years in.. i'd like to hear 'brief' evidence for the existance or non existance of god/s without an argument between members here.. i'd like to get fresh view points as mine is now so critical it's telling me to be an agnostic or atheist.
why?
i am in want of evidence, not just words from a copy/paste troll & no links.. i just want to open up to new possibilities but with evidence to support it not just 'faith'..
It is good to see you posting again. I once said that your posts were worth all the others put together.
My mind has not changed.
i wish i could go back to the days when gas was a cheap 26 cents per gallon and people didn't have to lock their doors at night.. is there anything you miss about the good old days?
?.
Ah yes! As BluesBrother reminds us - we though we were going to live forever.
i wish i could go back to the days when gas was a cheap 26 cents per gallon and people didn't have to lock their doors at night.. is there anything you miss about the good old days?
?.
Being young, fresh, full of hope and excited at the wonder of being alive.
It's a sobering though to remember that the 'good old days' were formally known as 'those trying times.'
i am in a spiritual void at the moment after a year out of the borg and 50 years in.. i'd like to hear 'brief' evidence for the existance or non existance of god/s without an argument between members here.. i'd like to get fresh view points as mine is now so critical it's telling me to be an agnostic or atheist.
why?
i am in want of evidence, not just words from a copy/paste troll & no links.. i just want to open up to new possibilities but with evidence to support it not just 'faith'..
punkofnice I do get your point, I just delight in being pernickety.
I'd like to hear 'brief' evidence for the existance or non existance of God/s without an argument between members here.
My sensible answer to this is that I don’t believe that there is any real evidence for the existence or non-existence of a god.
Then we have to define what is mean by a god. Everyone has a different concept of what they are looking for in their god. My view is that no one can know the answer for certain. It comes down to whether we choose to have faith or not.
That decision will be influenced by personal emotions the most powerful factor being our need. Also personality, education, experience of life, our peer group and our social circle.
