Hi Doug Mason
You put it perfectly: "Each party wrote in order to promote their own ideology and at the same time to argue against the views of others. Hence we are exposed only to the views of a writer" not to the thoughts of God.
Posts by venus
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7John 1:1—a concept blindly copied from other cultures
by Ireneus injohn 1:1 is the adaptation from other cultures where it is taught that we are all gods.
if expanded, john 1:1 would read like this: “in the beginning there was only god and he created the universe out of himself.
that means you are made out of god and you are a part of god, hence you are god just as much as jesus was.
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7
John 1:1—a concept blindly copied from other cultures
by Ireneus injohn 1:1 is the adaptation from other cultures where it is taught that we are all gods.
if expanded, john 1:1 would read like this: “in the beginning there was only god and he created the universe out of himself.
that means you are made out of god and you are a part of god, hence you are god just as much as jesus was.
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venus
In Luke 7:19 we read:
So John called two of hisdisciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “AreYou the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
In John 1:32-34 we read:
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
This shows John Gospel writer has no idea about what John the Baptist had already admitted in public which means this gospel writer was just creating stories. If John 1:32-34 were true, then what Luke reported would not happen.
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
Slimboyfat,
You say “everything we are and know and experience derives its existence from something else, whereas God does not derive his existence from anything else;” and also you also make an interesting reference to the etymology of the word atheist.
When we are stuck with the details, we don’t have the whole picture. It is like answering to the question “Which came first the chicken or the egg?” Some say chicken, and others would say egg. But both are wrong because it’s all about an eternal mechanism—it can’t have any beginning which is the essence of the matter. So is the case with God and we. Neither God nor anything else could have any beginning. Eternal recycling is what we experience.
In the East, atheism is called Charvaka system which is combination of charu (delightful) + vak (words). It arose to counter the exploitation of the clergy whose authority was based on the scriptures. Hence Charvakas rejected the authority of scriptures which was delightful to the ears of the listeners/the exploited; hence atheists were called Charvakas. Here, atheism has nothing to do with the question of whether God exists or not.
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
slimboyfat
We may go wrong on the perception of time. But that doesn't mean we cannot have correct view of God. We are children of God, and He is our Father--both can understand each other perfectly because He is like an ocean, and we are like a drop. In qualities, God the Father and we the children are same, differ only in the quantum aspect.
Religions succeeded in spreading wrong concepts about God (saying we are first enemies of God, and sonship is to earned .... through faith one of God's children etc); and it is they who say it is mystery when encountered with question.
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
Perry,
Account involving Nicodemus is found in John chapter 3 which is a fabrication. For example, Jesus has supposedly said: "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.”—John 3:13
It means only Jesus who descended from heaven has gone into heaven, no one else has gone into heaven! Jesus ascended into heaven at the end of his ministry, after his death. Hence how could he say he has ascended into heaven at the start of his ministry?
When the writer of gospel of John wanted to put his words into the mouth of Jesus, see how unwisely he made it—he unwittingly gave a clue to the readers that it was fabricated.
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
Knowledge has often no effect on people. If it had, after Buddha everyone would have become balanced and spiritual because he understood the folly of accumulating and possessing things which one would not finish using in his life time when he was born as a heir to the throne.
Hence God would not provide any knowledge through anybody--everyone has to follow his conscience.
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
Perry,
All you are saying is the religious theories which religious leaders "lyingingly" formulated for their own benefit, not for people's benefit. (Jeremiah 7:22, 31; 8:8)
Jesus rejected such theories when he said we can become "perfect" by simply practicing unconditional love. (Mathew 5:44-48)
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
Fukitol,
There is no dilemma here. Dilemma was created because of anthropomorphic concepts of God for which God is not responsible.
Father would not accept worship from His children, and true children would not feel the need of giving worship to their father. Children would simply love others as themselves because it is natural.
All confusions were created by religions who used their "lying" as their main instrument, as Jeremiah rightly testified. (8:8)
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
nicolaou, and cofty
Nicolaou, You said “Which is just how the Universe would appear if there were no god in it.”
That is exactly my point is—God gives opportunity for everyone to make his own conclusion. When I first heard there are over 7500 variety of apple, I drew the conclusion that it is all because there is Father Figure that takes care of more than just the sustenance, and my faith in Him has only been reinforced further and further as the time passed. Yet the same knowledge may give different conclusion to another person.
Forget about apple. Let us take the case of vast sky towards which all are drawn, a common meeting place so to say, and people seem to look up instinctively either in thanksgiving or in trouble. Ironically enough, it is also a place where scientific search and religious faith seem to coalesce naturally.
In trying to comprehend the vastness of the universe, we would realize that it is our heart (not ego) that we need to expand like the sky—something mythologist Joseph Campbell intelligently grasped. This is what God wants—each one should make his own conclusion, and Joseph Campbell got it correctly. If he got it, it means everyone else also can get it if they want to.
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169
Universal sovereignty on trial
by Factfulness ini just had a thought of clarity regarding the jw explanation for this doctrine.
they explain that satan challenged god regarding his right to rule.
god failed to prove his right to rule.
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venus
The best thing I like about God:
Every artist puts his signature in a corner of his painting (his own creation)—something which God never did for Himself; hence the mystery surrounding Him.
I like Him for this characteristic of leaving the potential for surprise by not revealing Himself nor purpose of our life which means each one has to find out his purpose.
JWs provided the best joke for Jehovah in imagining the worst about Him through their teaching of Sovereignty Issue.