*shameless thread bump for those who missed it due to the hollidays*
Eden
hello everyone.. just wanted to let you know that i've published a new article on the website of the christian fraternity of god's people, www.cfjp.weebly.com.
the article is called: "rejoice in the hope!
- the unifying hope for all christians".
*shameless thread bump for those who missed it due to the hollidays*
Eden
is the united nations letter about watchtower's involvement from 1991 to 2001 still available on the united nations webpage?.
marked
"then there will be a great tribulation, not seen since the beginning of time nor will everoccure again.
im saying,christ was talking about the comingdestruction of jerusalem in the 1st century and not the end of the world but the end of the jewish system of things.
there is no end of the world.
marked
Ex-Elder, currently MS, but I suspect that not for long. Some wheels are turning as we speak.
hello everyone.. just wanted to let you know that i've published a new article on the website of the christian fraternity of god's people, www.cfjp.weebly.com.
the article is called: "rejoice in the hope!
- the unifying hope for all christians".
Hello everyone.
Just wanted to let you know that I've published a new article on the website of the Christian Fraternity of God's People, www.cfjp.weebly.com
The article is called: "Rejoice In The Hope! - The Unifying Hope For All Christians"
It's divided into several sections:
1. "In the beginning..."
2. Created "in God's image"
3. Sin and death "enter the world"
4. God held fast to his purpose towards mankind
5. Jesus came to reveal God's purpose
6. the "sons of God" have a celestial hope
7. The death caused by Adam is the absence from God
8. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit God's Kingdom"
9. Christian "one hope" versus "another sort of good news"
10. Declared righteous by faith for a heavenly reward
11. Baptism and the salvation of the "children of God"
12. The role of works in the salvation of the sons of God
13. The "other sheep", the "144.000" and the "great crowd"
14. God's purpose for Earth and what is "paradise"
15. Our knowledge is still partial
16. "Rejoice in the hope"
I hope you enjoy reading it. I wrote it for someone especially dear to me, as a testament of my own hope, but I thought that others could benefit from it as well. As usual, your comments are welcome.
Eden
Double Post
One can only understand the statement: "For all the wild animals and for all the birds, I have provided grass and leafy plants for food." - In the sense that herbivores and invertebrates are usually found at the bottom of the food chain, thus making vegetation the basis for the vast majority of the observable wildlife.
Eden
last night we had our midweek meeting.
the bible reading was from "who is doing jehovah's will....the part where they asked who was the fds.
i thought because of the past sept. wt, every hand would go up....all you heard were crickets.
*crickets*
i've been reading and posting comments on this site for a while now (about a year) and the comments i see indicate that many who are here have good ideas about what would be required if either (1) jehovah's witnesses were completely reset and the whole framework of belief and organization were started over or (2) if a completely new organization were built.
this assumes, of course, that you believe god exists and that he is interested in human affairs (i know some of you don't).
it also assumes that you do not believe that the "heritage" of jehovah's witnesses has such great weight and importance that it precludes putting all beliefs and procedures on the table to examine them and change them if necessary.. given all this, what do you believe should be the beliefs and organization of true worship today?
Ok, here's what I think:
First and foremost: Admit to all past mistakes, repent and publicly ask for God's forgiveness.
a) Abandon the 'blood doctrine' ban regarding blood transfusions and storing own blood for later use. Like many other things, leave it as a matter of personal choice.
b) Abandon the "two hopes" theology. There's only ONE hope for Christians, the heavenly hope. There won't be eternal life on Earth, although God will change this planet into a place where righteousness will be prevalent.
c) All are to partake on the bread and wine.
d) Door-to-door preaching isn't a requirement. Reporting preaching work, measuring members' spirituallity according to field service cancelled.
e) Drop the shunning policy upon those who are disfellowshipped from the congregation.
f) Women can teach in the congregation
g) Drop 1914 as a "significant year" in prophecy. Acknowledge that most prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled in the past. Abandon the apocaliptic tone and adopt a more "Christian Lifestyle" approach.
h) Encourage individual members to be socially engaged to better the lives of others in the local community.
i) Encourage members to get the best possible education, and better themselves so that they can better serve God and Christ and be useful to their families and the society at large.
j) Drop the episcopal, vertical-oriented structure of the organization. Instead, adopt a more presbyterial/congregational horizontal model, where each congregation is given a significant measure of autonomy to choose those who take the lead amongts themselves and how local matters should be decided locally.
k) There should be a regular synod where doctrinal matters are decided, with each congregation choosing who will represent them in that synod. This should be a non-permanent arrangement that would only be called when the need arise.
l) There should be a minimum organization, mostly to handle administrative affairs, publications, etc that concern the common good of the congregations world-wide. This organization should not decide on matters of doctrine or discipline. This, of course, would mean to abandon the "Governing Body" arrangement.
m) Each congregation or groups of congregation should engage in charitable works for the benefit of the community.
n) There should be only one congregational gathering per week. This would be centered around a meal (Christian supper), with a simposium part before.
o) Quit the "we are the sole true religion" mindframe. Christianity is the true religion, we are one among many in the household of the Lord.
Eden
What happens in the water, stays in the water
Eden