if jehovah can read hearts then why did he test abraham by ordering him to kill his son ?.
You can’t give yourself a title like slave you earn it.
Actually slave is not a title and slaves don’t earn their status, it is forced upon them.
It is freedom that has to be earned or won.
A gladiator that defied an evil organization and won his freedom
if jehovah can read hearts then why did he test abraham by ordering him to kill his son ?.
As a gladiator that has won his freedom - Caesar has allowed me to watch the games from his royal podium. As an observer in the lengthy tournaments that take place between Christians and sceptics, I must in all honesty say that from my observation point Christians are down on points. This is because logic can be presented as evidence, whereas internal experience cannot.
Some Christians believe that the best way to spread the word is to fiercely debate with sceptics in the belief that other looking on will become convinced that Christ exists. Unfortunately this approach is flawed. Belief in a personal Christ who privately speaks to his followers is a private, subjective, internal experience. This being the case, trying to share it with those who have not had this experience is not possible as they can only view such claims objectively. Trying to share internal experiences with those who have been believers and had such internal experiences but then found the experiences were not from the source they thought, is even harder.
Without belief a person can only look at evidence logically and without emotion before deciding whether they can invest in such a belief. Because a personal relationship with Christ is internal and personal, the only way someone can be convinced is to have the same experience. Logically, if Christ wants someone to be convinced he will give them such an experience. In the absence of Christ’s help, another person’s internal experience can never be presented as evidence. Obviously this is why non-believers have the upper hand in such debates. They have nothing to defend, nothing to lose.
Once Christians use their faith, their internal experience and belief, to try to disprove scientific findings they are on a hiding to nothing. Resorting to using insults in place of facts or evidence is utterly unconvincing. There are more effective ways of sharing faith that engaging in gladiatorial bouts - entertaining as they are. Still each to their own.
we have decided to let the world know what happened when our websites were shut down earlier this month by means of this new video..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_9efi84qnc.
huge thanks to nugget for lending us her gorgeous voice, and also to cantleave for his cameo role as the voice of the big bad watchtower!
cedars.
Well done Cedars. Thanks for all your hard work and thanks to those working with you.
they do not keep records on the householder like they.
use to do years ago.
i,m sure i have talk to every member.
Glad you were gentle with them. They could have been angels in disguise . If you had upset them they could return in the night and exact godly vengeance on your household. Then you would be in a jam.
the following comment taken from the march 1st 2013 watchtower, is nothing new.
to witnesses the world over it's a basic teaching which even the kids understand; "humans with heavenly prospects have been baptized in water and with holy spirit and are thus spirit-begotten disciples of jesus.
" (john 3:3, 5) (both at the same time??????).
As a JW I got baptized after saying I DO to the following. So I must now be saved.
‘Have you repented of your sins and turned around, recognising yourself before Jehovah God as a condemned sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the Father, through his son Jesus Christ?’
‘On the basis of this faith in God and his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightening Holy Spirit?’
well...where do i start.... i was raised in the truth...always knowing that there was nothing better out there besides the wt...however, recently i have a made a determination to not go "anywhere"...in all of my almost 35 years of being part of this "organization" i can honestly say i never read the bible as i do today...my "personal" study of the bible has more meaning today than it ever did...after reading the bible i have found many inconsistencies in the wt organization...i hold no grudges or hard feelings towards anyone in the organization, including the so called governing body...i just believe that human imperfection has taken it's toll on this organization...however, that is no excuse to act as a false prophet or assume things that only belong jehovah and his son...the bible is the truth, and jesus said such truth will set us free...i served as a pioneer all of my youth, and served as a ms...as of today i don't partake in that kind of manmade "service"... i'm truly against monthly time reports, special titles of service, asking for donations, judicial committees, among other things...some people may ask why?...well, none of these things are biblical!...some have told me, well the gb is now the faithful and discreet slave...and i say, as determined by who?...nowhere in my personal reading of the bible does it say that there was or there would ever be a gb...this group of men was self appointed...anything self appointed or self made up is definitely not discreet or faithful...jesus never ever appointed such a group.... a family member of mine passed away 2 years ago...he was never a "witness"...but i did preach to him once in a while so he "knew" about god...he just never wanted to be part of this organization...yet, when he passed away i was told repeatedly by the brothers and resurrection publications that i will see him in paradise... i thought to myself, but jehovah is the only one that determines or says who will resurrect (weather heavenly or earth)...i always thought...we as men are nobody to classify or determine that being part of a certain "organization" is the only way to salvation...jesus never said such thing...yet some may say that jehovah has always used an organization giving an moses and the israelite "organization" as an example...but then i say, well jesus is the end of the old covenant...we don't need an organization to be our mediator between us and the true god...jesus is the only mediator.... i could just say so many other things, but i felt like sharing this with all of you...as i cannot share this with any family members or brothers since i would be considered an apostate...i truly believe god is the only judge and i will hold myself accountable to him and no one else.... thanks for reading.... .
Welcome to the forum. You certainly have a long road ahead of you. I hope you don’t get lost along the way. Fortunately you seem to have a mind that is open to change and learning. I wish you well.
i noticed some posters who used to argue along christian lines, but don't do so, anymore.
granted, it's a tough line to keep to on this forum.
i would be interested to hear (read) of people who came here as believers, and then transitioned to unbeliever, and the reasons for that.
kjg132 Welcome to the forum.
Yours is is a very fair and balanced view.
If I were a Christian it is how I would want to be.
i noticed some posters who used to argue along christian lines, but don't do so, anymore.
granted, it's a tough line to keep to on this forum.
i would be interested to hear (read) of people who came here as believers, and then transitioned to unbeliever, and the reasons for that.
Around 12 years ago I came here using my real name. I had left Jehovah's Witnesses 15 years before that. At the time I was undecided about Christianity and ‘God.’ I now realise that I do not believe in ‘God.’ I do not say ‘God’ does not exist as there are so many opinions on what ‘God’ is and I have no authority to objectively state that ‘God’ does not exist. I simply do not personally believe ‘God’ exists, which is a subjective view.
Some Christians believe that their belief in ‘God’ is objective because ‘God’ speaks to them. I do not doubt that they believe ‘God’ speaks to them but that can only ever be a subjective and personal experience. My apologies for the repetition of words but I wanted to be clear and avoid ambiguity.
i've recently been thinking about our culture and how christianity in our western culture has failed to keep up with advancements in science.
) churches have let reason sink into the intellectual closet of fundamentalism.
"feel good" churches seem to be the norm today.
You may very well think so but I couldn't possiblt comment. Insanity exists only in the mind.
i've recently been thinking about our culture and how christianity in our western culture has failed to keep up with advancements in science.
) churches have let reason sink into the intellectual closet of fundamentalism.
"feel good" churches seem to be the norm today.
It seems entirely possible that you are a wise man.
