Posts by EdenOne

29

Greek Mythology influence on New Testament

by Magnum in

a few days ago, i was in a book store, and i picked up a book providing a brief overview of classical mythology.

as i examined the opening pages, i read about tartaurus (place of punishment) and hades (god of the underworld).. it seems so odd that tartarus and hades would be mentioned in the new testament, and yet they were part of greek mythology which predated the new testament.

why would bible writers have used such terms?

EdenOne

Magnum: it does seem that I'm at the beginning of the end of my belief in the Bible. Right now, that's depressing to me. I loved having a hope for the future, but now that hope is fading fast.

I can feel your pain, I've been through the same recently, and all it took was a serious evaluation of the NT; I didn't even spent much time dealing with the OT. I too came to be convinced that the Bible isn't the "word of God", and Christianity as we know it is mostly an invention of the apostle Paul and his disciples, and has little to do with the teachings and activities of that jewish Rabbi that we know as Jesus. An appealing invention, but it has no foundation in the teachings of a "would-be-son-of-God", which is what ultimately would grant its authority.

Like Doug Mason said, this in itself doesn't negate the possibility of the existence of a God above; but destroys the portrait of the God that we have been so familiar with. That loss can either be sad or liberating. I feel a mix of both. The way I see it at this point in my journey, if a mighty, loving, caring and just creator God exists, he's for sure distant and apparently barely interested in us as individuals - if at all. Plus, I question whether such God require or even be interested in our worship and obedience? I can certainly love and care for people who don't obey and worship me. Why would God make that a requirement to bestow his love and care upon us, anyway?

Eden

45

About the ten plagues in Egypt

by runForever in

alot of people are saying god is cruel for killing the firstborns and animals and people in the ten plagues.

but didn't god achieve his goal of making nations and people be in fear of him?.

EdenOne

Thanks, Doug.

I clearly need to read more into that subject.

Eden

45

About the ten plagues in Egypt

by runForever in

alot of people are saying god is cruel for killing the firstborns and animals and people in the ten plagues.

but didn't god achieve his goal of making nations and people be in fear of him?.

EdenOne

Doug,

if I understand correctly, are you proposing that Deuteronomy was a literary forgery concocted at the time of King Josiah? Everything I have read until now claims that Deuteronomy was written around the time of the Babylonian exile, not before that.

Eden

51

Your favourite dog breed ...?

by LoveUniHateExams in

in an earlier thread, i mentioned that i wasn't a particularly doggy person but that my parents got a husky last year that i've come to regard as a kind of brother.. huskies superficially resemble wolves and for me it's been fun to compare and contrast husky and wolf behaviour.

huskies howl but rarely bark, and seem to have a strong prey drive and a strong pack instinct - a nod to their wild cousins.

this is why i love huskies, i think.. do you have a favourite dog breed and why?.

EdenOne

Portuguese Estrela Mountain Dog ["Serra da Estrela"]

I've had a few of them over the years. Love them to bits. They're fiercely loyal and loving towards their owners, very tolerant with children, great watchdogs, their size and deep bark are very intimidating. Not good to walk on a leach, as they are terribly stubborn and they'll take YOU on a walk instead. They need open spaces to be happy, but don't expect them to be playmates and do tricks for you. The long fur variety [shown here] requires some extra care. But they're sooo beautiful :)

32

'Trusted' Jehovahs Witness raped and sexually abused girls

by cliff in

'trusted' jehovahs witness raped and sexually abused girls.

court: barry furlong arrives at bournemouth crown court.

first published tuesday 9 december 2014 in news by jane reader.

EdenOne

Indeed it is LG. I think that no argueing will ever convince people like her - only when they see it happenning before their very eyes. And even then ...

Eden

32

'Trusted' Jehovahs Witness raped and sexually abused girls

by cliff in

'trusted' jehovahs witness raped and sexually abused girls.

court: barry furlong arrives at bournemouth crown court.

first published tuesday 9 december 2014 in news by jane reader.

EdenOne

My wife "woke up" because of the paedophile issue. When she spoke with her mother, a devout hard-core Witness [as my wife had been until then], said that it was all lies spread out by apostates. Then my wife pointed out that the information she gathered came from respected news outlets, not apostate websites. Again, her mother said that the media was biased against the Witnesses and the Organization, was being used by Satan, the journalists were lying ... then my wife pointed out: "But I remember clearly that, every time there were news about cases of paedophilia within the Catholic Church, you would nod and say that it was evidence that they were a false religion. So, what gives? The journalists are telling the truth when it comes to the Catholic Church, but are telling lies when it comes to the Jehovah's Witnesses?"

"Of course they are", she said. "Do you realize that what you're saying makes no sense at all?", my wife replied. "Satan is obviously driving the media to badmouth Jehovah's people", she replied.

Cult mentallity at its worst.

Eden

18

El, Baal and JHVH

by Doug Mason in

one of the most important sources that we have for the most ancient stages of the religion of israel are some epic texts about the gods of canaan that were found in an archaeological excavation in a place called ras shamra (ancient ugarit) early in the twentieth century.

these epics reveal a very rich ancient canaanite mythology, especially in the elaborated stories of the gods el and baal and their rivals and consorts.

while, of course, the israelite branch of the canaanite group partly defined itself through the rejection of this mythology, much of the imagery and narrative allusions that we find in the works of the israelite prophets, the psalms, and other biblical poetic texts are best illuminated through comparison with these ancient texts.

EdenOne

When you read someof the Qumran scrolls from the Essenes, an ultra-fundamentalist jewish sect, who was furiously keen on the "purity" of worship before Yahweh, you will see that they have no bones in admitting that there are other gods in the heavenly realm. Only Yahweh is to be worshipped, but there ARE others whose divinity status is reckoned by the Essenes. Thus, the Jewish religion was never monotheistic [ony one God exists], but rather Henotheistic [several gods exist, but only one is to be worshipped]. Apparently, only after the return from the exile in Babylon, with the fundamentalist heroes Ezra and Neemiah, the myth of monotheism was retrospectively forced into the written history of the Jews. However, this was a feature of the urban elites that were somehow related to the Second Temple establishment. In the countryside, the ahm-harets, the country folk, were still very much attatched to the polytheistic / henotheistic worldview. It was ony later that, as a reaction to the hellenistic opression from the polytheistic Seleucid rulers in the 2 centuries BCE, that the monotheistic ideology of Yahweh became the norm in Judea.

Eden

75

Media request to record/broadcast oral argument; from ABC News New York

by Londo111 in

http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/dockets.cfm?dist=1&doc_id=2025979&doc_no=a136641.

see last item:.

"media request to record/broadcast oral argument; from abc news new york".

EdenOne

If the Governing Body would be even mildly interested in protecting the vulnerable children instead of protecting their own reputation, it would be a simple matter to make an interpretation of the two-witness rule in a broad way, in favor of the abused victim, for example, by saying that:

a) the two-witness rule is only valid for church discipline; when a public crime is involved, the elders should squarely tell the parents to immediatly contact the authorities, regardless of them thinking that enough evidence is present or not. They should let the authorities deal with that issue. In the cases where parents are unaware / not present / not taking action, the elders should be the ones contacting the local authorities themselves.

AND WHEN THAT HAS BEEN DONE

b) let the secular authorities become the "second witness" in church disciplinary actions taken against the individual charged with accusations of child molestation. Plus, any accusation of paedophile conduct levelled against an Elder or a MS or a pioneer should result in immediate suspension of their office/service privilege until matters have been clarified by the law enforcement authorities.

AND

c) Whenever a publisher has a recorded past as a pedophile [either in public records or congregational files] that person should be excluded from going in any form of evangelizing work that involves visiting people at their homes [this would serve a double purpose: to protect young publishers and the public at large], and to go out in the field service without being escorted by an elder or a MS; and parents in the congregation should be discreetly informed about that person's past, so that they could take precautions to protect their children. Plus, past sexual offenders against minors should NEVER be allowed to occupy positions of responsability within the congregation.

Sadly, none of the above seems to be a priority to the GB, who is too busy in playing the persecuted victim whose reputation is being tainted by Satan's agents.

Eden

55

What's Your Favorite Perfume or Cologne?

by minimus in

jw
friends

it is xmas time and perfumes and colognes are on the list.

what do you really love for a scent if you were being given a gift?.

EdenOne

Solo, by Loewe.

33

Are you an "out of the closet" atheist?

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

i'm atheist and not ashamed of it.

however, it is so politically incorrect, especially where i live.

i have a legitimate concern that being out of the closet too much will hurt my career or neighborly relations--i know for a fact it probably would.. i'm really cautious about who i tell.. how about you?

EdenOne

I'm at a stage of my life and thinking where I struggle to define what exactly is that I believe in.

If I was to coin a term, I would resort to latin: 'maius aliquid', meaning "something greater". It's not the empirical knowledge that God(s) exists or doesn't exist; [theism / atheism]; it's not faith in the existence of that divinity without needing verifiable evidence; it's not a statement that God, if indeed exists, it's unknowable. [agnosticism]; it's not indifference towards the issue of God's existence [apatheism] either. It's a rejection of the most tradicional, religious views of the deity, but also a rejection of pure atheism. It is, more than anything, a feeling. A feeling that something greater than us probably exists, although we can't be certain of what/who it is, if it necessitates our worship or service, or even if it cares for us or is able and willing to do something for us.

The perception that most human beings, unlike any other species on earth, feels the impulse, even the need, to be a part of something greater than themselves, that, if known, would impart our lives with profound meaning and purpose, is the foundation of that undefined belief in the maius aliquid. I think that someday I'll further elaborate on this notion, but for now, it's what best applies to me. Perhaps it is a form of modern spiritual deism. I wonder if others here feel the same way.

Eden