AGuest - Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and your concern. I look back on these events with a wry amusement. They no longer influence my approach to spiritual matters. I broke free from my mooring a long time ago.
THE GLADIATOR
JoinedPosts by THE GLADIATOR
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65
"He who loves me will OBEY my commandments...
by AGuest into the household of god, israel, that is on jw.com, and all those who 'got with' them:.
may you have peace!.
because israel has, at this 'season' fallen asleep with regard to many 'things' that our lord, the son of god, jah-eshua mischa-jah ("jah saves"; messiah - "chosen of jah"), 'commanded' us to teach others (matthew 28:20), i am compelled by the spirit of my father, the holy one of israel, jah of armies (psalm 68:4), that is in me, by means of my lord, to remind israel of one of such commandments.. on the night that he was put to death in the flesh, our lord gave a commandment, to which he stated "keep doing this in remembrance of me.
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65
"He who loves me will OBEY my commandments...
by AGuest into the household of god, israel, that is on jw.com, and all those who 'got with' them:.
may you have peace!.
because israel has, at this 'season' fallen asleep with regard to many 'things' that our lord, the son of god, jah-eshua mischa-jah ("jah saves"; messiah - "chosen of jah"), 'commanded' us to teach others (matthew 28:20), i am compelled by the spirit of my father, the holy one of israel, jah of armies (psalm 68:4), that is in me, by means of my lord, to remind israel of one of such commandments.. on the night that he was put to death in the flesh, our lord gave a commandment, to which he stated "keep doing this in remembrance of me.
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THE GLADIATOR
Hope this is on topic. Taken from my notes:
The Easter holiday had arrived and it was time once again for our annual Memorial Service, our version of Holy Communion. Everyone vaguely interested in our religion was invited along. This year the ceremony was going to be special. The small damp hall, in which we usually met, was not large enough for the anticipated audience, so facilities in the Town Hall were hired. This was a splendid building, with two sets of large light oak doors. They led to a grand hall, shaped like a theatre.
Now that I was eight yeras old father explained the huge importance of the ceremony. ‘This is the most special meeting of the year. It is to remind us of the loving provision of God’s son who died for our sins. It is very likely that Armageddon will come on a Memorial night. Anyone who is in the building with us will probably be spared.’
‘Will it come tonight?’ I asked, reasoning that if it did I would not have to return to school.
‘It could well do! The end is due any day now and tonight would be an appropriate time for Jehovah, in his mercy, to act while we are all safely gathered together.’
My brother John and I met in the bedroom, to discuss in private this exciting moment. If ‘the end’ came tonight, it would mean we would not have time to say goodbye to our school friends and I had left my satchel at school with my crayons in it. A girl at school that I was fond of would be killed, along with my friends and teachers. I was not sure that I was ready for a new world as I had not yet got used to the old one. Still, there was nothing I could do about it and at least we as a family would be safe.
The great moment arrived and we walked through the first set of oak doors into the foyer. I did not turn to look back because I had read about how God had turned Lot ’s wife into a pillar of salt, because she looked back longingly at the city they were fleeing. On we went, through the second set of doors and into the Hall, which was finished in new light oak panelling. Once everyone was seated, the big doors were closed.
A long lecture followed, explaining the sacrifice Jesus had made. We were told that the ‘emblems’ of unleavened bread and red wine represented his body and blood. Only 144,000 anointed ones were going to heaven to rule with Jesus. This number included Jesus’ apostles and some of our members, living and dead. The dead members had already gone to heaven in 1919 and were waiting for the rest to catch up. The rest of us were going to live forever on earth and never grow old.
The anointed ones were allowed to sip the wine and have a piece of unleavened bread. The rest of us were just to pass the emblems on to the next person. We could witness these special members sipping the wine and by doing this we would also be saved. We were then warned that anyone who partook of the emblems unworthily could be killed. We did not want that to happen, so everyone was very careful.
The wine was slowly passed around. I watched intently to see if anyone who had not paid attention took a swig and died. Or perhaps I would get a glimpse of someone chosen for heaven sipping the wine, so I could be saved. I was allowed to pass the wine along with the help of my father’s guiding hand and noticed how nice it smelt. No one sipped the wine and it was returned to the silver tray untouched.
‘No one had any,’ I whispered to father. ‘How are we going to be saved now?’
He looked irritated then thoughtful before whispering, ‘Just listen and learn.’
The same happened with the bread. By now, I was worried that we would not be saved. ‘No one had any bread. Does this mean there are no anointed ones here?’ I asked quietly.
Father didn’t answer, so I pressed on. ’Will we still be saved?’
‘Be quiet and stop asking questions,’ father growled.
Oh well! There was always next year, but if Armageddon was happening outside, we might not be safe when we went out, as we had not witnessed anyone sipping the wine. I could not hear anything happening outside but the oak doors were very thick, so we were not going to know anything until we left the building. I looked towards John for reassurance but he just looked bored. Soon the ceremony was over and the congregation wandered around congratulating each other. It all seemed very serious and I realized that this was a most important occasion. People walked by and ruffled my hair as they smiled at mother, who stood there with a saintly look on her face.
Then it was time to leave our haven and go through the oak doors and return to the outside world and all its dangers. I was excited and my head was full of questions. Had Armageddon come? I had seen pictures in the Watchtower magazine showing what the destruction would look like.Would there be dead bodies and overturned cars? How had the worldly people been killed? Had people been crushed under falling buildings and were any buildings left standing? Was it safe to go outside yet or would everything still be on fire?
The last set of doors was finally opened and some of the brothers stepped through the doors without a moment’s hesitation. I followed but stopped at the door. Peering into the night the street looked remarkably calm and still. I gingerly stepped outside into the high street, eyes wide with anticipation. Everything looked so very normal and a few worldly people walked by and even looked at me. Jehovah must have decided to wait until next year. I realised with disappointment that I would be returning to school!
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Can YOU solve the following Paradox??
by Terry inbefore i address the paradox (a statement that contradicts itself) i want to insert a fact from history.. .
the romans used a malleable (and highly poisonous) metal (lead) for water pipes and conduits.
as snows melted into pure water, it was channeled into sluices and pipes made of lead that ran through the cities as drinking water.. .
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THE GLADIATOR
Perhaps the problem is that an inner spiritual experience cannot be accurately relayed or reveal through words. Words are the lead piping.
Only the person having the insight can truly understand and be transformed. Second and third-hand spiritual experiences have no value.
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295
Survey: Who here is an atheist? Who here still believes in God?
by Christ Alone ini just wanted to take a survey.
let's not let this get into the same old same old debate of atheism vs belief.
just respond with "atheist" or "believer" or "maybe god exists".
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132
Image of God - the Bible or Christ?
by tec inpeace to you!
i wanted to get some thoughts out there on this subject, because there are so many people who look to the bible as the image of god.
to the point that they do not look to christ at all, but rather they look to the law or to moses or to the ot as the image of god... over... christ.
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THE GLADIATOR
On page 3 Terry delivered an excellent clarification of how worshiping a living god is different to worshiping the image of a god as found in a book. He makes no judgment, just explains the difference and sums up what Tec is seeking to explain. I’m amazed that an ace can be laid on the table and ignored.
Here it is again for those that missed it:
“We stand or fall in our response to the God we know.
Worship is man's natural reaction to an encounter with the living God.
For humans unacquainted with anything but a book or a prayer or a seat in an arena where "god" is spoken of no reality exists.
Idolatry becomes necessary. What better way to serve an unknown and unknowable except by erecting an IMAGE?
The IMAGE of "god" has no effect on the life of the idolator. None at all.
But, the transformation in the life of someone who has God living inside is a beacon so bright there is a glory reflected of how real such a god must be.
The goodness in any of us is attracted to such light so compelling is the majesty of such reality.
The sin in any of us wrenches away in the cynical mockery which is the only refuge of disbelief.
Those for whom such a God is undeniable no explanation is necessary. No image is required.
Those for whom such a God is impossible no explanation is possible. Only the image is real.”
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295
Survey: Who here is an atheist? Who here still believes in God?
by Christ Alone ini just wanted to take a survey.
let's not let this get into the same old same old debate of atheism vs belief.
just respond with "atheist" or "believer" or "maybe god exists".
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THE GLADIATOR
Belief or non-belief are simply states of mind and alter nothing in reality.
My position is that I don’t actually wish to be defined or hold beliefs about things of which I know nothing.
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78
About what one thing do you find yourself being a real SNOB?
by Terry inyou know, to fit in....to be a part of our own family or group and not be a total nerd or contrarian.. we hold our tongue.
we smile and nod.. but, then....there is at least one thing we just can't go along with because it is too important.. why?
because we are a total snob.
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THE GLADIATOR
Mmm, among other things, I am a speech snob. When I am conversing with an adult who is too lazy to string together a coherent sentence I get snobbish. Foreigners in the UK speak perfect English as their second language, yet people born and raised here struggle to pronounce words properly or make sense; s tarting the same sentence three times w hilst sniffing and grimacing.
I'm like kinda left to like sort of ya now wot I mean fill in the blanks cos they kinda cant like expess emselves so im left like guessing an struggling. F*** language woo needs it wen we like got mobile fone language nah.
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46
Can we look at FAITH in a more practical way?
by Terry inbelief is spackle.
you can't see the crack in your thinking when you exercise faith.
consequently, a person of faith can not, must not, will not allow others the option of non-binary references.. .
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THE GLADIATOR
Faith is not separate from reality but is what the mind has accepted as true and placed its trust in. Often faith in someone or something will be vindicated. Sometimes faith or belief will prove to have been misguided.
The mind is capable of playing tricks on itself in order to achieve emotional comfort. Often just having a faith in something brings comfort and security in the present, so it serves a real purpose even if the object of the faith does not actually exist. The tragedy occurs when faith constantly takes precedent over reason and results in a wasted and unfulfilled life. Jehovah's Witnesses are an example of this.
Provide faith is used in moderation I think it has its uses, alongside alcohol, movies, novels and other forms of escapism that help to soften the harsh realities of life.
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THE GLADIATOR
Given the choice I would rather have not been a Jehovah's Witness. Then again I learnt some valuable lessons that enabled me to avoid mistakes that people with a different experience were unable to. The past no longer exists but it got me where I am now, so it served its purpose.
I save my wishes each today and the future.
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