Posts by THE GLADIATOR

31

Are you materialistic?

by Goldiver in

why, yes i am according to the jws.

this is an topic that has always irked me with the jws.

anyone who had a good paying job and nice things was materialistic.

I used to be spiritually minded but am now materialistic. It’s a better way to live in my opinion. We are material people living in a material world. We stay alive by eating organic material. Our entire reality is material. All the while we dwell on this planet we will seek comfort in material things. It is our nature to be materialistic. Who is to say what constitutes being ‘excessively’ concerned with material possessions?

The reason various religious leaders caution against being materialistic, is that it is a distraction from supporting their particular persuasion. They earn their living by directing people towards heaven, earthly activity is discouraged. They have cleverly retagged materialism as ‘greed’ and called it a deadly sin. Oh please!

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

THE GLADIATOR

FHN "I understand having questions about god. Glad. Its just not been your style to address posters in a disrespectful way."

OK, FHN - you won’t let this thing go, so, please quote the part of my post that was disrespectful or one sentence that was not factual, and I will reply to you. Otherwise drop it, because you are a distraction that is adding nothing to this debate.

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

THE GLADIATOR

FlyingHighNow Humour is an effective way to make a valid point about a serious subject, in an entertaining way. Questioning the way I choose to make my point is a distraction from the questions that still remain.

Why does the god of the bible still use’ methods of communication from the dark ages? Why did he not communicate at all and allow 250,000 people to die in the tsunami under discussion?

You have just asked me a question and I have answered. It’s not that hard is it. Why can’t god do that?

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

THE GLADIATOR

Let’s be honest, the god of the bible has so far used archaic methods of communication; stone tablets, prophets, angels, bellowing from the sky, and Chinese whispers. We even get messages from him via Tammy on JW.net

If emails were as hit and miss as communication with this god we would all go back to sending letters. Fortunately emails can be sent in the blink of an eye. They arrive uncorrupted and pristine with no misunderstanding or ambiguity. They can be sent to individuals or 250,000 people at the same time, if required. A reply can be made with the same accuracy. Not bad for a system invented by imperfect humans. Then we have the fantastic telephone; landline or mobile, take your pick.

Why doesn’t this god just admit that he has made a complete hash of communicating with humans? He should get up to speed and use some of the modern communication methods that humans do. For Christ’s sake, club together and buy this god an Apple tablet.

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

THE GLADIATOR

caliber, now that's my idea of heaven.

THE WATCHTOWER JANUARY 2014 Why Does God Allow Suffering?

By his words, Satan implied that Eve—and by extension, all humans—would be better off without God’s rulership. In this case too, Jehovah knew that the best way to address the challenge would be to let Satan try to prove his point. So God has allowed Satan to rule this world for a time.

Frankly the idea that Satan has ruled the world makes more sense. The snag is that he hasn’t ruled it for a time, as the Watchtower Society claims, but since the beginning of human time. He got the attention of the first humans, even before they had become parents, and turned them away from god. God’s immediate response was to hand rulership over to Satan; not for just a few years but from the very beginning until now. What a wimp. I have more respect for Satan’s character and cunning.

Fortunately for me, it is all just a romping mythological yarn and as far detached from reality as Thor and Odin. No, hold on, much further than that. The magic of reality is so refreshing.

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

THE GLADIATOR

adamah Surely your not saying that you don't believe the Watchtower?

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

THE GLADIATOR

THE WATCHTOWER JANUARY 2014 Why Does God Allow Suffering? Read all about it at JW.org

By his words, Satan implied that Eve—and by extension, all humans—would be better off without God’s rulership. In this case too, Jehovah knew that the best way to address the challenge would be to let Satan try to prove his point. So God has allowed Satan to rule this world for a time. That explains why we see so much suffering around us—it’s because Satan, not God, is the real ruler of the world. But there is good news…

The Bible teaches these two beautiful truths about God. First, Jehovah is there for us when we suffer…So even though David experienced suffering, he found comfort in knowing that Jehovah saw everything he went through. Do you find that comforting—the thought that Jehovah is aware of everything, even our painful emotions that other humans may not fully understand?...

The second beautiful truth is that God will not allow our suffering to go on indefinitely. The Bible teaches that he will soon bring an end to Satan’s wicked rulership. And he will completely undo all the bad things that have happened, including the things that you and your mother have suffered. May I come back next week and show you why we can be sure that God will soon end all suffering?

Simplify your life with the Watchtower.

52

Who is easier to indoctrinate, men or women?

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

from purely anecdotal evidence, i believe women are more indoctrinated on average.

i can openly disagree with the governing body with men and it results in a discussion however, most women i've talked to have immediately shut me down by ending the conversation.

the only person currently shunning me is a woman.

THE GLADIATOR

52

Who is easier to indoctrinate, men or women?

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

from purely anecdotal evidence, i believe women are more indoctrinated on average.

i can openly disagree with the governing body with men and it results in a discussion however, most women i've talked to have immediately shut me down by ending the conversation.

the only person currently shunning me is a woman.

THE GLADIATOR

An excellent link.

52

Who is easier to indoctrinate, men or women?

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

from purely anecdotal evidence, i believe women are more indoctrinated on average.

i can openly disagree with the governing body with men and it results in a discussion however, most women i've talked to have immediately shut me down by ending the conversation.

the only person currently shunning me is a woman.

THE GLADIATOR

Yes cofty, I get that, the yin & yang creates a tension that is compelling.