Posts by EdenOne

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.

EdenOne

Cofty,

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilatehad mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” What do you think Jesus was trying to say here?

I believe Jesus disentangled sin from suffering; What people suffer has no co-relation with their sins.

Yet, he definitively tied sin with salvation or failing to attain salvation.

Eden

13

Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! The Governing Body.

by LogCon in

" no one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light.".

now that the 8 most important men on earth, the governing body, have been revealed as the faithful and discreet slave, to whom all the masters.

belongings have been given, now that the most important news of the the 21st century has been brought to light, it is time for the world to be informed.. therefore, 2014 will become the year in which all world leaders will be informed that to survive, and to help the people of their respective nations to survive,.

EdenOne

Although they consider that they weren't given the Master's belongings yet, they sure feel entitled to receive them and to lord over them already.

Eden

22

WT's Crazed Obsession!

by JW GoneBad in

i have recently read for the umpteenth time the 4 gospel accounts.

what caught my attention this time around was how many times jesus makes mention of the endeared expression father (with f in caps) when referring to his god as recorded by matthew, mark, luke and john.. what was also interesting by comparison is how little jesus actually makes reference to his father on a first name basis (jehovah) in these four books.. note my findings with the help of the comprehensive concordance:.

jehovah: matthew 11 times mark 8 times luke 26 times john 4 times (total 49 times).. father: mathew 43 times mark 4 times luke 21 times john 119 times (total 187 times).. .

EdenOne

marked

31

2013 Report - difference in av. pubs compared to % of baptisms

by likeabird in

i just took the first page of the 2013 report and added two new columns to look at alternative ways of calculating the 'increase'.

first column: 2013 av.

pubs minus 2012 av.

EdenOne

What is a negative number of leavers supposed to show? I'm confused with that one.

I see that you are calculating a co-relation between increase in publishers and baptized. The negative number happens when the number of baptized is lower than the number of publishers increase. But how can you establish that relation, when a "leaver" is someone who has already been baptized, and the number of "increase" included both baptized and unbaptized publishers?

I'm confused.

Eden

169

The "Tree of Life and its meaning"

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

hi all.. just letting know that i've published a new article on my website, titled "the tree of life and its meaning".. you're welcome to visit, read and discuss it.. eden.

EdenOne

Simon, we need a "eating popcorn" emoticon here....

Eden

35

2013 Publisher Statistics now available from 2014 Yearbook.

by jwfacts in

the 2014 yearbook is out, and i have scanned the publisher figures into a more readable format at 2013 service year report.

i have updated some of the graphs at http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/statistics.php and will do the rest tonight.

there are no real surprises, with very similar results as during the last couple of years.

EdenOne

mariu,

one possible reason is that publishers are migrating from the countries more impacted with the finantial crisis, thus decreasing the numbers in their countries of origin, and move to more prosperous countries, thus increasing the numbers in the countries of destination. Germany currently isn't a very welcoming country for new imigrants, despite their relative prosperity.

Eden

108

"Jehovah ALWAYS had/used an organization". How would you reply?

by EdenOne in

in a recent meeting with elders, an argument was used to the effect that jehovah has always [= throughout history] used, or operated through, an organization; therefore, the wts must be that organization today, since god must be using one.

naturally, i know what arguments i've used to counter that argument.

but i'm interested in hearing yours.

EdenOne

So, the "channel" has always existed, but it wasn't always organized in an .... organization...?

Eden

108

"Jehovah ALWAYS had/used an organization". How would you reply?

by EdenOne in

in a recent meeting with elders, an argument was used to the effect that jehovah has always [= throughout history] used, or operated through, an organization; therefore, the wts must be that organization today, since god must be using one.

naturally, i know what arguments i've used to counter that argument.

but i'm interested in hearing yours.

EdenOne

Great catch Aurelius.

Eden

39

The Christian Hope--Is it in Heaven or on Earth?

by DS211 in

so is the christian hope in heaven or on earth?.

in acts chapter 1the question was raised: 6 so when they had assembled, they asked him: lord, are you restoring the kingdom to israel at this time?

7 he said to them: it does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the father has placed in his own jurisdiction.. notice jesus never said thered be a change in venue, just that it wasnt up to them to know when..... so what is there from both sides?

EdenOne

DS211,

Phillipians 3:12-15 - "pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus. Therefore, let those of us who are mature be of this mental attitude, and if you are mentally inclined otherwise in any respect, God will reveal the above attitude to you."

Ephesians 4:4, 5 - "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism"

Colossians 3:2 - "Keep your minds fixed on the things above, not on the things on the earth."

Matthew 5:3-12 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

John 14:2 - "There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?"

Colossians 1:4, 5 - " We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all the holy ones because of the hope that is being reserved for you in the heavens”

Revelation 19:1 - "After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God"

There are many more, but these may give you something to ponder about. You can read this article where this subject is considered in-depht.

Eden

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.

EdenOne

doofdaddy:

So could you pleaes clarify this point? god does not provide his holy spirit to you in any shape, form or manner??

I don't have any more holy spirit than any other Christian who asks God for it. I don't have "special knowledge" nor "special insight", nor does God or Christ come speak to me, nor do I have dreams and revelations. When I ask God for holy spirit, is to let me be guided by His spirit, namely, to understand the Scriptures, and then let my conclusions be guided by that, so I can acquire wisdom to guide my actions. There's nothing miraculously supernatural about it, I think.

What I believe the spirit has enabled me is to see through the deception perpetrated by the "organization" in doctrinal terms. What I do, I suppose that anyone can do also.

Eden