Posts by EdenOne

posted

32
Books about early Christianity
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. bible
i've just finished reading two (imo) great books:.

"a history of christianity - the first three thousand years", by diarmaid macculloch.

"misquoting jesus", by bart ehrman.
EdenOne

OrphanCrow

When I started out, I wasn't set on dismantling the Christian thought. The OT is important to give Christianity context, but I thought Christian thought could do well without it - simply store it on a closet as an obsolete worldview, as you said.

However ... upon close observation [and I say this as I am getting to the end of the book on James, by Eisenstein], the NT is but a war of words and ideas between a post-maccabean, xenophobic, apocalyptic jewish zealot movement [represented by the Qumran community, that ended up producing John the Baptist, Jesus, his brother James plus his other brothers, the Zealots, Siccars and the Ebyonites] opposing the Herodean-Roman rulership and the polluted temple establishment in Jerusalem, and a personal re-interpretation of this movement by an esoteric pro-hellenist, pro-roman, neo-platonist pharisee named Paul, who hijacked the near-exclusive jewish nature of the Jesus movement and transformed it into a new religion, pallatable to the greek-roman world.

We know who won this war.

Eden
32
Books about early Christianity
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. bible
i've just finished reading two (imo) great books:.

"a history of christianity - the first three thousand years", by diarmaid macculloch.

"misquoting jesus", by bart ehrman.
EdenOne

OrphanCrow,

I've discarded the validity of the OT quite awhile ago, at least in the sense of allowing it to have any significant wheight on my wordview. Being a "Christian", my primary interest was to test the validity of the Christian wordview. To do so, one MUST investigate the historical Jesus, what he really said, what he really taught. The result is astonishing: We know not much about what the historical Jesus actually said. What we DO know, for the most part, is what the apostle Paul constructed from the Jesus movement. And nowadays, especially with the Dead Sea Scrolls from the Qumran [Essene] community, and the Nag Hamadi texts, we have a much better idea about the "Jesus movement", and what they stood for. I have to say the result of that isn't flattering for the faith in Jesus Christ.

To a fundamentalist Christian, which now I acknowledge that I was, as a Jehovah's Witness, the notion that the historical Jesus said and taught everything that the New Testament texts say is crucial; if Jesus isn't the son of God and he didn't teach those things, it's utterly damaging to your faith. It's what's happening to me. Some may have a more allegorical / philosophical reading of the NT; given my background, I can't do it. It either is, or isn't. Finding out it isn't is absolutely damaging to the 'christian' faith.

Eden
443
Zone Visit: An Announcement That Will "Test Your Faith"
by breakfast of champions in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
this is the scuttlebutt in one of the "bethel congregations" by us.. no details as to exactly what this "faith-testing" announcement might be.. anyone else hear any of this pre-zone visit hype?.

.

.
EdenOne

He means, of course, Yahweh, the God of the old testament. That's the one he "knows" and reveres.

Eden
443
Zone Visit: An Announcement That Will "Test Your Faith"
by breakfast of champions in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
this is the scuttlebutt in one of the "bethel congregations" by us.. no details as to exactly what this "faith-testing" announcement might be.. anyone else hear any of this pre-zone visit hype?.

.

.
EdenOne

Again, I would like to thank the governing body for helping me extract my wife from this cult. Excellent work!

Ditto!

Eden
443
Zone Visit: An Announcement That Will "Test Your Faith"
by breakfast of champions in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
this is the scuttlebutt in one of the "bethel congregations" by us.. no details as to exactly what this "faith-testing" announcement might be.. anyone else hear any of this pre-zone visit hype?.

.

.
EdenOne

Wasn't that the same talk he delivered in the Bethel of Italy a couple of months ago?
443
Zone Visit: An Announcement That Will "Test Your Faith"
by breakfast of champions in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
this is the scuttlebutt in one of the "bethel congregations" by us.. no details as to exactly what this "faith-testing" announcement might be.. anyone else hear any of this pre-zone visit hype?.

.

.
EdenOne

Whatever 'privileged information' they don't want to become public knowledge too soon, I think they're perfectly aware that this information will leak and get viral, first among the apostate community then among the faithful rank & file. What do they aim to achieve?

Eden
23
Religion without revelation - any examples from the past?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
i'm researching on the common trait of mostly every religion coming from pre-humanist times, and that would be, the notion of "revelation", that is, that at the beginning of every [i say this with caution because i'm admitting to exceptions] religion there is some sort of "revelation" from supernatural being(s) of some sort.. my question is: do you know of any example of religions from the past that you can confidently say that were exempt from "revelation"?

this is not the same as asking if there were religions without gods, or religions of nature.

i'm not even considering what i understand as philosophical-ethical systems, such as confucionism or platonism my purpose is to find out if, at the starting point of all religions of the past, there is a "revelation", or merely "observation / contemplation".
EdenOne

What about the "enlightenment" of Siddarta Gautama (Buddha)? How did that come about?

Eden
82
Gerrit Losch's "I DO NOT ANSWER TO WATCHTOWER"
by Newly Enlightened in
1. social
2. current
in gerrit losch's public statement to the superior copurt of california.

http://www.watchtower.exposed/?p=364.

documents: https://www.dropbox.com/s/49zyexvagn7ux7j/losch%20public%20statement.jpg?dl=0.
EdenOne

On my part, I'm grateful that Mr. Loesch and WT lawyers make this kind of statements: it was exactly how my wife opened her eyes to the shameless hypocrytes these men are. As a result, she left. Keep it coming, 'bro' Loesch!

Eden
82
Gerrit Losch's "I DO NOT ANSWER TO WATCHTOWER"
by Newly Enlightened in
1. social
2. current
in gerrit losch's public statement to the superior copurt of california.

http://www.watchtower.exposed/?p=364.

documents: https://www.dropbox.com/s/49zyexvagn7ux7j/losch%20public%20statement.jpg?dl=0.
EdenOne

So, if Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses = Governing Body, sue them as well.

Eden
82
Gerrit Losch's "I DO NOT ANSWER TO WATCHTOWER"
by Newly Enlightened in
1. social
2. current
in gerrit losch's public statement to the superior copurt of california.

http://www.watchtower.exposed/?p=364.

documents: https://www.dropbox.com/s/49zyexvagn7ux7j/losch%20public%20statement.jpg?dl=0.
EdenOne

Actually because Loesch was a member of the GB before 2000, and therefore, liable as a former member of the Board of Directors of the Watchtower Society, I wouldn't be surprised if he comes to 'resign' from his GB position in order to avoid being called to stand before a court.

Eden