Posts by EdenOne

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

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. Has God "always" used an organization? Must he use an organization? Does he need one?

(Don't waste your time trying to prove that the WTS isn't God's organization, that's not the main point here)

Eden

46

Head of the House?

by cofty in

i often see comments by ex-jws that would suggest some men still view themselves as "head of the house".

sometimes comments from women appear to support the idea as well.. how many still see things this way or have you completely got over it?.

EdenOne

I have no issues with letting my wife get her way if I agree that's beneficial; She does the same towards me. And we negociate a lot. The "headship" issue isn't an issue to us.

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,

I'm sure that the subtle sarcasm of my comment to cofty hasn't escaped you...?

I can only conclude what the Bible allows me to conclude. Jesus promised that God would give his spirit to whomever asked for it. That's what I ask for. And I thank him for the food, yes, although I have no proof that He is miraculously puting food on my table. I'm grateful, there's nothing hypocrite about gratitude. Go ahead and ridicule it if you like, as Cofty does. But there's so much that I simply don't know about God, that I don't want to risk being a proud cock and fail to show some gratitude for him.

For example, I can be grateful that my government has established and keeps running a public heath care system. Do any of the politicians in the government even know who I am? No. (Ermm, I actually do know a couple of them..., but that's beyond the point) Do they care that I am but a number in their system? Probably not, unless those who would know me personally. Do they personally attend to my health issues? No. Yet, I can be correctly grateful that such a system is in place. I pay my share in taxes to support it, but I am sure that I've benefited more from the system than I actually contributed into it. So, why not feel grateful?

Eden

46

Head of the House?

by cofty in

i often see comments by ex-jws that would suggest some men still view themselves as "head of the house".

sometimes comments from women appear to support the idea as well.. how many still see things this way or have you completely got over it?.

EdenOne

I disagree, cantleave.

In my company I own 75% of the shares while my partner owns 25%. I clearly have the "headship", but we're still partners. I see no theoretical problem with that. We still run the business together.

Eden

46

Head of the House?

by cofty in

i often see comments by ex-jws that would suggest some men still view themselves as "head of the house".

sometimes comments from women appear to support the idea as well.. how many still see things this way or have you completely got over it?.

EdenOne

In theory, the man's headship isn't problematic until the man starts to push it down the throat of his wife, and the wife starts to dispute it. In the real world, a true partnership between the two seems to work out better than one claiming to be the leader.

Eden

7

Inherit the Earth?????

by Crazyguy in

the wt has taught that some of the righteous will inherit the land and live on earth forever.

this dogma is very hard to get over because some scriptures allude to this and even jesus said the meek will inherit the earth.

but also jesus himself will inherit the nations but that doesn't mean he will reside down here with them.. so how does one explain that the meaning of inherit does not mean necessarily that one will have to live here on earth?

EdenOne

Psalms says that the messianic king [Jesus] receives the 'nations of the earth as inheritance'. Does this mean he will ever dwell on earth? No. In the same manner, from those who will inherit a heavenly reward, some will be ruling with him as priests and kings, and they will "rule over the earth". In this manner, they shall "inherit the earth" in the likeness of Christ.

Eden

21

Early Christian apocalypses

by Leolaia in

early christian apocalyses

i thought it would be a good idea to put together into a single thread all the early 1st.

cent.

EdenOne

I'm always fascinated by Leolaia's research.

Eden

99

New development in my life

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

no longer a ms ........................... can't give details atm, for it might be a dead-giveaway and it ain't quite over yet.

but, it really taught me one thing: if you're trying to fade or stay in, trust no one.

and i mean no one.. eden.

EdenOne

It's easy to dismiss the elder's authority, chalking it up as having no legitimacy. While that may be true, when analyzed from a certain angle, it's no less true that in practical terms they have the power in their hands to cut you off from your family and friends, which, when you haven't got a network of family and friends outside the congregation, may be really hard to handle. So I must thread very carefully, and if I can get away with only loosing my "privileges" (gawd, I hate that expression), then I'd say the outcome isn't all bad. At least it buys me time to figure out how I can help my family.

Also, Phizzy is absolutely right. You DO have to have the mindset of someone living in North Korea, where you can get executed for giving a half-hearted clapping to the speeches of the 'great leader'.

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

Laika, sorry, I missed that post.

That's not exactly my point. I think God respects our free choice, and since Christ's resurrection, he decided to refrain from being the type of interventionist God he had been before. It has nothing to do with the "falling" of Adam and Eve. It's not a punishment for human rebellion. It simply is God letting nature follow its course; believers get comfort, spirit, wisdom and hope from Him, but they cannot expect miraculous intervention in either the triffle matters nor the big natural calamities. So, Cofty's #22 doesn't suit either.

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

Adam: Insurers consider all natural events such as hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc as "acts of God".

That's irrelevant from a doctrinal point of view, don't you think? The question asked was about the 2004 Tsunami. My answer is: Since Christ was resurrected, God stepped aside from interveining in human affairs, and instituting an automatic mechanism towards salvation based on the faith in Christ. Thus he didn't cause, nor would he intervein to forewarn or prevent that Tsunami. He merely offers hope and assure us of salvation, if we should accept it.

Eden