THE GLADIATOR

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Posts by THE GLADIATOR

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  267

  The true, unsung hero of the Bible....

  by Unlearn in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  my undisputed hero of the bible is known by several names, depending on who you talk to...devil, satan, lucifer, etc.. read it, and you'll find that he was the only one who really stood up for you.. he asserted that you could make decisions for yourself...and told you the very real truth that, just because the piece of meat in your chest stops thumping, you positively do not 'die'.. he was your hero.

  he stood up to a daddy-maniac and said, 'just because you made us doesnt mean you have the right to tell us what to do.

  i thought we were free?'.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  soft+gentle Perhaps you are looking too deep and projecting modern thinking on to an ancient culture. The answer could be very simple.

  The snake is an unusual creature it swallows its prey whole after poisoning it with deadly venom. It is feared by humans and animals alike. It is a prefect symbol for evil. Snakes have often been viewed in a negative light and are associated with black magic. Snakes or serpents have also been consider guardians of temples and holy places. Many tribes have used the snake as a totem .

  The same people that decided the snake was an ideal symbol for evil, wisdom, and ceremony, also though that thunder was god’s arguing in heaven.

  The human race has moved on just a tad.
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  17

  “How can everything we’ve learned be a lie?”

  by bats in the belfry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a reporter tracks down the remnants of harold campings apocalyptic movement and finds out you dont have to be crazy to believe something nuts.. .

  an excerpt of his write-up:.

  another engineer i came to know had spent most of his retirement savings, well over a half-million dollars, taking out full-page newspaper ads and buying an rv that he had custom-painted with doomsday warnings.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  " How can everthing we've learned be a lie?"

  Because we had the wrong teachers.
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  55

  Would you die for your current beliefs?

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  THE GLADIATOR

  My belief is that I shall die.

  So I have a feeling it's all going to work out very neatly.
• 
  251

  Evidence for God...

  by tec in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  life come from the living, and this is a universe of life.

  his teachings are truth.

  which is why i weight it against the truth of the teachings (and one other thing that i will get to).

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  THE GLADIATOR

  As far as records go, Jesus was on trial for sedition, stirring up of rebellion against the government in power. The Israelite nation was under Roman control. The Romans allowed the Scribes and Pharisees to remain because they kept the Israelite nation in line and gave the impression that Israel had a measure of freedom. Jesus was a political agitator. He began to be viewed as a king by some, hence the palm branch episode. He talked of his followers joining him in his kingdom, very dodgy and also a prophecy.

  One of the ways he caused agitation was by making prophecies that undermined the established order. He spread unrest and a hunger for change, p rophesying the destruction of Jerusalem for example and the demise of the Pharisees for being hypocrites.

  Things in life are seldom black or white - so Tammy & NC it seems you both have a valid point of view.
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  82

  You know you've made it on JWN when?

  by usualusername in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  discuss....

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  THE GLADIATOR

  When the desire to leave becomes stronger than the desire to stay.
• 
  82

  You know you've made it on JWN when?

  by usualusername in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  discuss....

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  THE GLADIATOR

  When you are longer concerned what other people believe, as long as they are entertaining and friendly.
• 
  251

  Evidence for God...

  by tec in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  life come from the living, and this is a universe of life.

  his teachings are truth.

  which is why i weight it against the truth of the teachings (and one other thing that i will get to).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  THE GLADIATOR

  When I was a boy, I had very few possessions, but my father worked for a telephone company. He gave me an outdated dial phone the company had discarded. It was not connected to anything, but I took great joy in pretending it worked. I would make calls and pretend people were phoning me. One day my brother threw it on the floor.

  “I’m tired of hearing you pretend you can talk to people. The phone doesn’t work you know. There’s no one there, you’re talking to yourself!”

  “I know,” I replied, “but I enjoy pretending. Why couldn’t you just let me be. I wasn’t doing any harm.”

  My point is that imagination can serve a purpose and help a person cope with difficulties in their life. Believing that there is a purpose, makes sense of our struggles and disappointments. Faith can be comforting and offer a feeling of security in uncertain times. It is not my desire to damage something a person values in order to justify my own present views; besides viewpoints can change. Mine included.
• 
  267

  The true, unsung hero of the Bible....

  by Unlearn in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  my undisputed hero of the bible is known by several names, depending on who you talk to...devil, satan, lucifer, etc.. read it, and you'll find that he was the only one who really stood up for you.. he asserted that you could make decisions for yourself...and told you the very real truth that, just because the piece of meat in your chest stops thumping, you positively do not 'die'.. he was your hero.

  he stood up to a daddy-maniac and said, 'just because you made us doesnt mean you have the right to tell us what to do.

  i thought we were free?'.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  THE GLADIATOR

  sabastious “ This is partly why I believe Atheism is a New World Religion. ”

  Actually, it is an old world non-religion.
• 
  251

  Evidence for God...

  by tec in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  life come from the living, and this is a universe of life.

  his teachings are truth.

  which is why i weight it against the truth of the teachings (and one other thing that i will get to).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  THE GLADIATOR

  Tammy, if you believe that Jesus communicates with you, then no further evidence is required. It is a personal subjective experience that you choose to share. Other humans cannot validate your experience, they can only relate theirs. Sharing involves telling others about your experience and makes the experience more vivid. Defending yourself against the challenges that sharing attracts, can help to strengthen your belief. Opposition helps you to define your belief.

  As a Jehovah's Witnesses I spent many years of my life debating with householders and insisting I had found ‘the truth.’ It turned out I was wrong. I can never again know such certainty. Fortunately I do not wish to be certain. I enjoy the freedom of letting go and allowing my mind to come to rest where it will.

  I have had many robust debates on this forum and criticized Christians for their apparent contradictions. It is a pointless exercise. I have learned that people will believe what they want to; they will only change if and when they are ready; opposition strengthens belief.
• 
  251

  Evidence for God...

  by tec in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  life come from the living, and this is a universe of life.

  his teachings are truth.

  which is why i weight it against the truth of the teachings (and one other thing that i will get to).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  THE GLADIATOR

  jgnat I alway enjoy and respect your posts.

  You seldom comment on my posts, so your words means a lot to me.