Which god?
That question alone gives a clue as to why.
The God of the Bible.
Eden
in case i didn't mention it...i was born into the disgusting cult of the watchtower(r).. i left when i was as old as 50 and went to a baptist church, then when i moved house to anglican and finally to a pentecostal church.. i now do not believe in 'god' of any variety.
i do not believe because i see no obvious evidence for a 'god' and only see what people have made of 'god' in their delusions.. ok. so, the question: 'what if you're wrong?'.
well, i might be wrong about a lot but if qi and mythbusters taught me anything it's not to be so gullible mcfly!
Which god?
That question alone gives a clue as to why.
The God of the Bible.
Eden
in case i didn't mention it...i was born into the disgusting cult of the watchtower(r).. i left when i was as old as 50 and went to a baptist church, then when i moved house to anglican and finally to a pentecostal church.. i now do not believe in 'god' of any variety.
i do not believe because i see no obvious evidence for a 'god' and only see what people have made of 'god' in their delusions.. ok. so, the question: 'what if you're wrong?'.
well, i might be wrong about a lot but if qi and mythbusters taught me anything it's not to be so gullible mcfly!
galaxie,
If you care to look at this article I wrote, especially parts 1-4, you may realize how I view the so-called "original sin" and the "death" that came along with it. Then you'll realize that I have a couple of fundamental differences with the typical JW view. You'll excuse me, but it's just too long to summarize here. If you care enough about the subject, please have a read.
Eden
in case i didn't mention it...i was born into the disgusting cult of the watchtower(r).. i left when i was as old as 50 and went to a baptist church, then when i moved house to anglican and finally to a pentecostal church.. i now do not believe in 'god' of any variety.
i do not believe because i see no obvious evidence for a 'god' and only see what people have made of 'god' in their delusions.. ok. so, the question: 'what if you're wrong?'.
well, i might be wrong about a lot but if qi and mythbusters taught me anything it's not to be so gullible mcfly!
DD
Perhaps homo sapiens have been given the chance to "evolve" into spiritually enlightened creatures??
I couldn't summarize it any better.
Eden
now playing at kdfc.com.
interesting that dvorak's symphony no.
9 was voted to the number two spot .
in case i didn't mention it...i was born into the disgusting cult of the watchtower(r).. i left when i was as old as 50 and went to a baptist church, then when i moved house to anglican and finally to a pentecostal church.. i now do not believe in 'god' of any variety.
i do not believe because i see no obvious evidence for a 'god' and only see what people have made of 'god' in their delusions.. ok. so, the question: 'what if you're wrong?'.
well, i might be wrong about a lot but if qi and mythbusters taught me anything it's not to be so gullible mcfly!
"saved" from a life alienated from God, resulting in not attaining eternal life as a "child of God" in heavens.
Basically, that's what 'salvation' from 'sin' is about.
What is God to apologize for?
Eden
wt seems to teach both and or make them interchangable------we need to be jehovahs friend.
we need to have a relationship with him as children like a father.. even though there is no bible verses for having a relationship with god, jesus teaches us (was there anyone before jesus) to approach him as father not as some friend.
what bible verses "infer" that we have a relationship with god especially if thats what worshiping him means???.
galaxie, I've replied to your PM
wt seems to teach both and or make them interchangable------we need to be jehovahs friend.
we need to have a relationship with him as children like a father.. even though there is no bible verses for having a relationship with god, jesus teaches us (was there anyone before jesus) to approach him as father not as some friend.
what bible verses "infer" that we have a relationship with god especially if thats what worshiping him means???.
galaxie, right now, I could use some pills to get rid of this persistent motion sickness instead ...
Eden
in case i didn't mention it...i was born into the disgusting cult of the watchtower(r).. i left when i was as old as 50 and went to a baptist church, then when i moved house to anglican and finally to a pentecostal church.. i now do not believe in 'god' of any variety.
i do not believe because i see no obvious evidence for a 'god' and only see what people have made of 'god' in their delusions.. ok. so, the question: 'what if you're wrong?'.
well, i might be wrong about a lot but if qi and mythbusters taught me anything it's not to be so gullible mcfly!
The 'once saved, always saved' is but a clever advertizing claim. One is 'saved' by constantly keeping faith in Christ. It's a process, a constant flow. If one loses faith, salvation is witheld, and the individual must seek to re-establish his faith so that salvation can once again be attainable.
Romans 5:1 - " Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
2 Timothy 4:7 - " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Hebrews 11:6 - "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
Matthew 10:22 - " But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
Matthew 10:33 - " But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."
Hebrews 6:11, 12 - " And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Faith can become weak, faith can be lost. The loss of faith, if permanent, equates into the loss of salvation.
Hebrews 10:26 - " For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins" Earlier, Paul described the lack [or loss] of faith as a sin.
Eden
wt seems to teach both and or make them interchangable------we need to be jehovahs friend.
we need to have a relationship with him as children like a father.. even though there is no bible verses for having a relationship with god, jesus teaches us (was there anyone before jesus) to approach him as father not as some friend.
what bible verses "infer" that we have a relationship with god especially if thats what worshiping him means???.
Abraham was God's friend because God chose to consider him his friend. It's the only such case mentioned in the Bible. It wasn't Abraham's choice, it was God's.
It's unknown to me as a Christian if God wants to be my personal friend or if I should pursuit a friendship with God. Certainly Jesus didn't teach us to be friends with God; nevertheless he said he considers his disciples as his friends, although in a conditional sense (=if we comply with his commandments). It is what it is; Jesus and God are on an entirely different league, and they own the game. We're not supposed to be 'buddies' type of friends. Why should we whine about it?
As pointed by Searcher, we are God's children, and brethren with Jesus. That's what we should look forward to. There's an immense measure of respect and love involved in a relationship with a father, much more with the heavenly Father. We're not buddies with God. We can be His children, based on the faith we put in Jesus, and when our heavenly reward is awarded, then we can expect perhaps a greater closeness with God, which will come along with greater knwledge of God on our part. Interestingly, the apostle Paul said that it's God's will that 'everyone should be saved AND come to an exact knowledge of the truth' (1 Timothy 2:4) The full knowledge of the truth comes after salvation, not before salvation. To fully understand God and Christ isn't a pre-requisite for salvation as sometimes the JW's make people believe so to persuade them to accept a Bible study with them. Yes, some knowledge about God and Christ is necessary in order to build up faith (John 17:3), but not full knowledge. That will only be attained - hopefully - when each one of God's children inherits the Kingdom.
But until then, the relationship we can establish with God is that of a "child of God".
Eden
this is an article i wrote back in '97 or '98 when i was a christian.
it is based on my personal experience of the watchtower's teachings as well as further reading of the earlier writings of russell and rutherford.. disclaimer - in my opinion, what follows shows clearly that the watchtower's doctrine of the ransom is not based on any sensible interpretation of scripture.
however i no longer believe in any version of theism.
marked