Posts by venus

15

TRUE SCRIPTURE EXISTS, A LIVING ONE

by venus in

i find three categories of people according to the way they display their human qualities—(1) more than humans, (2) less than humans and (3) mixed in those qualities in varying degrees.. when i observe how they are all faring with their choices, it tells me what i should do and what i should not do.

hence my scripture is the mankind and letters are living human beings—present and past.

though it is not possible to see beyond an individual’s birth, i can see the history of nations (collective individuals) beyond their present generation into their past, through many generations which shows how their past deeds contributed to their present reality.

venus

Here is another example of one who is more than a human (Mother Teresa) who used to read daily this inscription on the wall of her bed room:

"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway."

15

TRUE SCRIPTURE EXISTS, A LIVING ONE

by venus in

i find three categories of people according to the way they display their human qualities—(1) more than humans, (2) less than humans and (3) mixed in those qualities in varying degrees.. when i observe how they are all faring with their choices, it tells me what i should do and what i should not do.

hence my scripture is the mankind and letters are living human beings—present and past.

though it is not possible to see beyond an individual’s birth, i can see the history of nations (collective individuals) beyond their present generation into their past, through many generations which shows how their past deeds contributed to their present reality.

venus

Hi Wasanelder Once

I don't dismiss serious subjects saying "I like turtles."

I pay serious attention when people say things and try to read in between the lines. Here is one that shocked me from toe to head:

My professor related an experience which he encountered when his team made an expedition to Mali. They saw a woman living in a cave; yet taking care of 20 orphan children. She herself is an orphan. She has no facilities (even no light in the cave) which we are all familiar with, no income, no relatives and no outside support whatsoever. She is human in form, yet more than a human.

15

TRUE SCRIPTURE EXISTS, A LIVING ONE

by venus in

i find three categories of people according to the way they display their human qualities—(1) more than humans, (2) less than humans and (3) mixed in those qualities in varying degrees.. when i observe how they are all faring with their choices, it tells me what i should do and what i should not do.

hence my scripture is the mankind and letters are living human beings—present and past.

though it is not possible to see beyond an individual’s birth, i can see the history of nations (collective individuals) beyond their present generation into their past, through many generations which shows how their past deeds contributed to their present reality.

venus

I find three categories of people according to the way they display their human qualities—(1) more than humans, (2) less than humans and (3) mixed in those qualities in varying degrees.

When I observe how they are all faring with their choices, it tells me what I should do and what I should not do. Hence my Scripture is the mankind and letters are living human beings—present and past. Though it is not possible to see beyond an individual’s birth, I can see the history of nations (collective individuals) beyond their present generation into their past, through many generations which shows how their past deeds contributed to their present reality. What is true of collective individuals is true of each individual. Each one’s thinking creates his reality—hence everyone receives what he deserves.

Written scriptures contain both—good and confusing things

Written scriptures can be tampered with, or writers could be unwittingly serving the interests of their sponsors. For example, Bible reports on Go’s communication—one time even through a donkey to avert a disaster that was looming over Israel. (Numbers 22:21-39) It means God can communicate with anyone, anytime, anywhere and through any medium. Yet He is often depicted as communicating with the wrong people!

1) God did not give advance information to Abel, the innocent, saying ‘You should not go when Cain invite you because he wants to murder you using deception.’ Yet we find God speaking to Cain after he had murdered his innocent brother and even offering His help and support to him: “’anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” (Genesis 4:15)

2) God did not alert Uriah, the innocent one, saying ‘beware of David who is scheming to murder you so that he can steal your wife.’ (2 Samuel 11) Yet God has only full of mercy and praise for David which is spread throughout the Bible (Psalm 89:3, 28; Jeremiah 23:5, 6; Luke 1:31, 32; Revelation 22:16)

3) When He sent Jesus, God assured him ‘people would respect him’ (Mathew 21:37) rather than telling him he would be killed. Yet we find God making last minute patch-up work communicating with the wife of Pontius Pilate, Roman Governor. (Mathew 27:19)

4) God is depicted as supporter of slavery. (Mathew 5:41; 24:45; Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22 ….)

It shows Bible writers were unwittingly serving the interest of the mighty ones of the earth rather than the Almighty of the heavens. First they wrote, and later they attributed to it inspiration from God, just like Jacob did. Jacob (who was renamed Israel by God) presumptuously went ahead and robbed Laban, his father-in-law and employer (30:33-42), an act Laban described as “deception” (Genesis 31:26, 27); yet Jacob later attributes God’s direction in whole episode (31:9-13).

Thus written scriptures can leave us more confused. However, when we look at the living Scripture or living drama that is going on earth we find how each one fares with his choices which would show what we should do and what we should not.

[First para is Inspired by the householder in FS experience narrated by Ireneus-A Field Service that gave a shock to the CO]

18

The earthly resurrection pipe dream

by Sour Grapes in

i woke up this morning thinking about when my mom died about 10 years ago.

she was an avid jdub and was confident that she would be resurrected to an earthly paradise petting zoo.

if i would today go to my mom's house and because god brought her back to life, saw her sitting in her favorite chair, would she really be my mom?

venus

What DATA DOG wrote makes sense. Resurrection is possible only by ‘uploading soul into the new body.’

However, the implied truth of this is that soul is immortal and immutable taking charge of another body. This is what reincarnation means.

18

The earthly resurrection pipe dream

by Sour Grapes in

i woke up this morning thinking about when my mom died about 10 years ago.

she was an avid jdub and was confident that she would be resurrected to an earthly paradise petting zoo.

if i would today go to my mom's house and because god brought her back to life, saw her sitting in her favorite chair, would she really be my mom?

venus

Sour Grape

You wrote: "There is not one shred of evidence that there has even been one resurrection on earth."

This is true. If there was one resurrection at any time in the history, that would have marked the end of all religions because that is the absolute proof the one who performed it is God, and everybody on earth would have abandoned his religion and followed Him.

20

A Field Service that gave a shock to the CO

by Ireneus in

during one co visit to our congregation, i was asked to work with co as i was a new publisher.

after some ordinary visits, we entered a house where there was only a lady who proved be well-educated.

though it was my turn, i told co to present the good news.

venus

Thanks for sharing this!

She is really great taking pride in who she is and remaining true to her core self—thus refusing to erode herself at the preaching of others. It seems she knew true happiness lies in loving and celebrating oneself, not in imitating others in their beliefs. I really liked what she said: “I am not seeking happiness; but I am seeking a meaning to my life”which would automatically bring happiness.

11

What if Damascus is destroyed fulfilling Isaiah 17 prophecy?

by sinboi in

i don't think the wt ever say anything about this prophecy.

if they did, i think they will say it is symbolic and that it doesn't mean damascus will be destroyed literally,.

but watching the things happening now in syria , it seems very possible that it could happen.. if this prophecy comes true, will those of you here who have rejected the bible as the word of god think twice regarding the bible?.

venus

The very fact that God did not ensure non-tampering of the Bible shows that it doesn't belong to Him, nor any other scriptures because they all have been tampered with whereas Book of Nature cannot be tampered with by anyone. Many have discerned vital truths reading the Book of Nature.

Even if Bible somehow proved to be God's word, then problems are more because it has books in it contradicting to each other. If Damascus is destroyed we can say ok at the most some portion of the Bible is true.

But prophecy is not a too significant aspect because it can come from other source also:

For example, Craig Hamilton-Parker has had a streak of correct predictions about significant developments in geopolitics.

Chiefly among them are Brexit, and the election of Donald Trump in 2016.

As someone who sees the future, New Year's Eve is probably a night without much wonder, or hopeful anticipation.

Hamilton-Parker has deigned to share his visions with us.

Speaking in a video posted to his YouTube channel, he predicted:

More terrorist attacks.
Mass strikes in Britain.
A US warship will sink.
Kim Jong-un will be overthrown.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will announce an engagement.
Donald Trump will survive an impeachment attempt.
A volcano near Naples will erupt (possibly Mt. Vesuvius)
A large chunk of Antarctica will break away.

Writing on his blog, Hamilton-Parker said that despite this gloomy list, the year 2018 will have some good moments.

2018 will be a year of political turmoil and environmental crisis caused by dramatic and unprecedented weather.

https://www.indy100.com/article/2018-predictions-brexit-trump-hamilton-parker-psychic-8052751

9

A challenge to believers

by Half banana in

nothing is ever fixed, laws change and religious myth evolves.

no doubt the habiru (hebrew) forebears of the jews when arriving in the levantine highlands cherished their stone age practices and sacred rituals.

child and human sacrifice was a grim stone age social mechanism to make for balance, loyalty and control within a tribe.there was no connection then with an almighty spirit, polytheism ruled the hebrew mentality.

venus

Hi punkofnice,

Those who seek happiness would not find it because a happy person does not have thoughts about being happy or unhappy—he is always in the now fully focused in what he does—which is the key to happiness.

Similarly, those who seek proof for God’s existence would not find it because they expect it to come from high-voltage theological/philosophical/scientific debates. But proof exists in what we see everyday which we make use of several times a day. For me, tree-seed mechanism that ensures food for us in all its varieties that take care of all our varying taste is the proof that God exists—because humans did not design it. In my garden there are some plants which would die if I don’t care for them which means not only a designer, but a tender caretaker is also needed for certain varieties of plants and trees. Suppose God withdraws this provision of tree-seed mechanism, we all would immediately cry for the reinstatement of this proof.

9

A challenge to believers

by Half banana in

nothing is ever fixed, laws change and religious myth evolves.

no doubt the habiru (hebrew) forebears of the jews when arriving in the levantine highlands cherished their stone age practices and sacred rituals.

child and human sacrifice was a grim stone age social mechanism to make for balance, loyalty and control within a tribe.there was no connection then with an almighty spirit, polytheism ruled the hebrew mentality.

venus

Situation is like Leo Tolstoy’s story of a man named, Pahom, who was obsessed by amassing more and more land, and in the process acquiring relentlessly more than enough only to fall to the ground, dead. His servant took a spade and dug a grave. He made it just long enough and just wide enough to match Pahom’s body and buried him. Here’s the title Tolstoy gave his story: “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” He ends this short story with this line: “Six feet from his head to his heels was all that man needed”.

People know the essence of this story, still they repeat what Pahom did. Similarly, even a cursory look is enough to know that Bible doesn’t match the lofty personality of God, hence could be the work of puny humans. Still people would cling on to it.

113

No Bible = No God?

by menrov in

some doubt about the bible completely, some partially.

what if the bible turns out to be a product of humans, nothing divine.

would you still believe in a creator?.

venus

Onager,

If God were not performing the act of renewal (Mathew 19:28) at the regular interval, universe would have gone into a state of darkness long back in view of the eternity. If universe exists, earth remains with its life support system … all go to show that God is in action. And my conviction is strengthened by what I read in the Book of Nature. In nature everything happens in cycles. Even history is a never-ending cycle of New World and Old World [or cycle of paradise earth becoming a hellish earth which would again be renewed to paradise earth]—something Jesus implied in Mathew 19:28. But this is very much seen in the Book of Nature. Nature has a rhythm and things happen in cycles—cycle of day and night, cycle of season, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle… etc. There are cycles happening within us too—our breathing is a cycle of inhaling and exhaling; cells in our bodies become old and are being replaced with new ones at regular intervals! Even when we sleep at night, we typically go through several sleep cycles. And each one of these cycles consists of 4 different stages of sleep—awake, light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. Those cycles show a mutual interdependence and purpose. For example, each season emerges from the previous and gently turns into the next. Winter snows feed the ground for Spring’s blossoms. Summer’s heat ripens the plants for Fall’s harvest. While in day, we desire for night and vice versa. While in hot Summer we wish it was Fall. While in cold Winter we wish it was Spring. While in old, decadent world we wish for New World—and God does it in His time.