Posts by THE GLADIATOR

19

How do you solve a problem like....um...JESUS' IDENTITY?

by Terry in

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.

THE GLADIATOR

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.

127

Why I Shouldn't Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth

by XJW4EVR in

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.

THE GLADIATOR

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?

78

God exists? God doesn't? God is a different concept? Convince me!

by punkofnice in

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'..

THE GLADIATOR

JamesThomas

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.

28

What Do You Wish You Had Again From The Good Old Days?

by minimus in

jw
friends

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?

?.

THE GLADIATOR

Ah yes! As BluesBrother reminds us - we though we were going to live forever.

28

What Do You Wish You Had Again From The Good Old Days?

by minimus in

jw
friends

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?

?.

THE GLADIATOR

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.'

78

God exists? God doesn't? God is a different concept? Convince me!

by punkofnice in

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'..

THE GLADIATOR

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.

17

"The Bible is Not a Book. It's a Library."

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

i would like to call your attention to this recent article by karl giberson, ph.d., scholar of science & religion, and the former president of the biologos foundation.

his conclusion is that we need not dismiss all of the bible, just because some of it is not accurate.

.. but how do we decide which parts of the bible should be read literally?

THE GLADIATOR

That’s a mighty small library. Even my modest library boasts a dozen shelves filled with books and I have a world of up to date books available via google. Some of the so called books in the bible are just 2 & 3 pages long.

If the god of the bible could type as impressively as some of our posters here we really would have a library to study.

19

Absolutely!

by IMHO in

jw
friends

why is everyone using the word "absolutely" these days, in answer to every other question..

THE GLADIATOR

"wobble "Yea?" and you were supposed to affirm that you understood..."

This is also a tactic used by sales people, nodding as they speak, to get confirmation and make sure you are going along with them. I just say, 'I see what this is leading to.' and shake my head as I speak. It knocks them off their perch.

78

God exists? God doesn't? God is a different concept? Convince me!

by punkofnice in

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'..

THE GLADIATOR

punkofnice

I'd like to hear 'brief' evidence for the existance or non existance of God/s without an argument between members here.

That’s quiet a restriction to place on a serious discussion between people with differing opinions.

An argument is a discussion or debate in which a number of people put forward different or opposing opinions. The process of presenting our argument is called an argument. We could all say nice things to each other and diplomatically nod and avoid presenting an argument or challenging the arguments that are presented.

A bit like getting through a dinner party with out falling out with vocal guests who like to speak their minds. That would be very cosy but won't help you to achieve your objective.

10

A Leaf of Absence

by SweetBabyCheezits in

jw
friends

your address.

your city, state, zip code.

your phone number.

THE GLADIATOR

SweetBabyCheezits Don't stay away too long or by the time you get back I may have given in to the voice in my head telling me that Caesar is not my master.

All the best with the move and may your gods go with you and help with the heavy lifting.