venus

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Posts by venus

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  28

  What is sin?

  by sinboi in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what do you consider sinful?

  okay, i know many of you no longer believe that there is a god.

  just bear with me a little, just assumed that there is a creator or god.

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  venus

  Many have read in various scriptures that we are sinners from birth and heard scriptural characters saying: “The good I wish to do I do not do, but the bad I do not wish to do is what I do. What a wretched person I am!” or “This is the way God has made me” …etc. Reading such things people feel that sin is an inherited tendency—something normal.

  But an analytical mind would not agree because he finds an avalanche of proofs against this. We find variety of people acting/reacting differently in same situation: Some do more righteous acts, some do more sinful acts, and others mix them in varying degrees, one-time sinners changing into saints, one-time saints changing into sinners, some very poor people who refuse to steal, and some very wealthy people who steal in various ways… etc. This shows people choose to act the way they like which means they are not sinners from birth—resulting in all sorts of people from sinless to the sinful ones. Interestingly, even Bible makes many references to some sinless persons who lived in the ancient times (Genesis 5:24; Job 1:8; Psalm 18:23; Ezekiel 14:14; Luke 1:6 …etc.) and human capacity to perform righteousness. (Habakkuk 2:4; Hebrews 10:38)

  Doing good to the self/others is virtue; doing harm to the self/others is sin, hence it is within the power of any human to do good which they have done many times in their lives which means they can repeat it any number of time if they want.

  Everything apostle Paul wrote about sin was his view.
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  35

  Either God’s non-existence or His majesty

  by venus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in natural calamities, everyone (despite one’s faith) is affected.

  when one denies god’s existence, he experiences no punishment from him.

  when one worships him, he receives no special favor from him.

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  venus

  smiddy3,

  I do not know about ETs. I believe God exists and also believe that He has not revealed any details about Him. Philosophers spent lifetimes to decipher nature and the mystery of life. Religious practitioners had focused on life and pronounced prescriptions for happy life. It appears as an unending quest. However, there is excitement in the quest. Methods are different; but the goal is same: ­ happiness. I feel God as Father would enjoy seeing His children becoming worship-worthy by doing selfless service for common good.
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  16

  Bible contradictions.

  by pleaseresearch in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  what are your biggest, funniest, scariest, etc.... wait wt says there are non hahahah.

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  venus

  In Genesis 3:5, when Serpent exhorted humans to "become like God" it was treated like a rebellion.

  Yet, in Mathew 5:48 Jesus too exhorts us to "become like God" and it is treated like height of spirituality.

  The practical way of handling such situations is to reject what obviously is wrong and stick to what obviously is right. Here in this situation, Genesis account seems to be of human origin.
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  35

  Either God’s non-existence or His majesty

  by venus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in natural calamities, everyone (despite one’s faith) is affected.

  when one denies god’s existence, he experiences no punishment from him.

  when one worships him, he receives no special favor from him.

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  venus

  confusedalot,

  It is Luke 17:21, not 7:21.
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  35

  Either God’s non-existence or His majesty

  by venus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in natural calamities, everyone (despite one’s faith) is affected.

  when one denies god’s existence, he experiences no punishment from him.

  when one worships him, he receives no special favor from him.

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  venus

  confusedalot

  There is no first step because situation is like this: You are already on a road. There is no point in finding out from where the road started because you will never find it as something always precedes something into eternity.

  Now refresh your mind with what I wrote in 4th point: “In some ancient languages, worship literally means egolessness, living in the now … etc. which means worshipfully engaging in whatever you do with 100% involvement. Those who have done this do not feel time passing as though living in heaven (compare Luke 7:21)”

  When I practiced this, I found it better than my life in a religious world. That means this suits me.

  What suits you may be something else which obviously you need to find out.
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  4

  Freedom from Abuse

  by Faith after Deception in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i hope you don't mind if i share my latest blog post here: .

  one of the most common ways in which people are psychologically traumatized whilst in a cult or religious high control group, is the extreme pressure to “forgive” people who have abused them.

  i use the word “forgive” in quotes, because the concept often goes way beyond the biblical mandate.

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  venus

  Faith after Deception

  Excellent thread.

  1. Forgiveness is not something that God would require us to practice because He Himself does not practice it (He simply expelled first human couple from Eden + Jesus used whip against the temple thieves…etc.)

  2. Forgiveness encourages the sinner to do more sins.

  3. Each one should act taking into consideration all the available information and special circumstances, and what one does may not fit another. That means we cannot have a blanket principle such as anger is bad because its consequences are more grievous than the causes of it. This is a tunnel view because there are situations where you will find more grievous consequences of not getting angry, as well
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  35

  Either God’s non-existence or His majesty

  by venus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in natural calamities, everyone (despite one’s faith) is affected.

  when one denies god’s existence, he experiences no punishment from him.

  when one worships him, he receives no special favor from him.

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  venus

  Confusedalot,

  You are asking me to prove the existence of God, but it is UNNECESSARY for the following reasons:

  1) God Himself wants to remain unidentified—a fact we can discern from His refusal to rectify all the conflicted scriptures.

  2) God has not told anybody to worship Him; it is in the scriptures (obviously written by mere humans) that we see things such as worship.

  3) Just like scriptures contain both right and wrong answers, they have got something right with regard to God in Mathew 5:44-48. A careful and impartial reading of those verses show that God, like sun, does not receive anything, but only gives; and He neither want nor receive worship, but want us to become worship-worthy by being a giver with no expectation from others.

  4) In some ancient languages, worship literally means egolessness, living in the now … etc. which means worshipfully engaging in whatever you do with 100% involvement. Those who have done this do not feel time passing as though living in heaven (compare Luke 7:21)
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  12

  J.W. dogma refuted by their own RNWT Bible

  by The Fall Guy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  perhaps potential j.w.

  recruits can use this example on their study conductors - and then witness the cognitive dissonance at first hand.. w98 2/1 p. 11 par.

  13 – “when jehovah made his covenant, it was only with israel; those of the “vast mixed company,” although present, were not named as participants.”.

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  venus

  The Fall guy,

  Deuteronomy 29:10-15 really undercut JW teaching.

  Excellent observation.
  
  
• 
  35

  Either God’s non-existence or His majesty

  by venus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in natural calamities, everyone (despite one’s faith) is affected.

  when one denies god’s existence, he experiences no punishment from him.

  when one worships him, he receives no special favor from him.

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  venus

  Confusedalot,

  You also asked: “Without scripture and hearsay, what would I base my position on God on?”

  You don’t need to base your position on anything. That is how the design is—each one should formulate his own principle in view of the common good. When you find both order & disorder, lower species & humans with innovative powers, earth filled with living beings & rest of the universe with no living forms ….simultaneously existing, it silently teaches each one of us should have his own conclusions about life and principles to lead that life.

  If I were God, I would have created the universe and earth exactly the same way as it is now.
• 
  35

  Either God’s non-existence or His majesty

  by venus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in natural calamities, everyone (despite one’s faith) is affected.

  when one denies god’s existence, he experiences no punishment from him.

  when one worships him, he receives no special favor from him.

  1. 
  2. 
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  venus

  confusedalot,

  Religions under the guise of divine authorization taught certain things as good and others as bad, thus in effect labeled them as “truth.”

  Those “teachings” for whatever holy they may be, cannot match the uncertainties and ever changing possibilities in Life. What is “real” cannot be relegated into a shoe box full of code of conduct, commandments and laws.

  In Nature/Life, morality does not exist. In the “office world” it exists as a façade for an ulterior purpose: Whether that is to gain heaven, to support our belief to be “special” or “rightful” among the rest or some other "reason."
  In Nature/Life, questions do not exist. Humans prisoners of their own minds, have twisted good old curiosity into the frenzy of asking “why?” out of everything, as if an intellectual verbal answer is enough.
  Curiosity does not ask “why.” Curiosity observes with appreciation the uniqueness of Life. It is through that acknowledgement how everything is answered without asking a single question; for every answer comes at the right time. It is the knowing of learning through our own experiences.

  Humans have coined the phrase: “Learn from your own mistakes.” This is a tunnel view.
  When we separate our experiences in Life between “mistakes” and what is “right,” we forsake the opportunity to live fully in Life in exchange of some comfortable fear, designed to live within the boundaries of the shoe box offered by our society through our conditioned mind.

  Instead, learn from your experiences. That learning only applies to your own path. However, what is to share to all, is to BE the type of person that is ever curious to discover Life, beyond the shoe box.

  That type of invaluable teaching cannot be put into words or a “master class.” That “teaching” spreads through the winds of warm human relationships.
  Nothing to teach, nothing to say. Just BE.

  Those winds of relationship, have the potential of turning into Hurricanes and positively affecting many, without a business plan, special funding or a proselytizing effort.

  What is natural is “good.” What is “good” is what IS.

  In brief: This is natural—when someone acts in such a way that makes me happy/unhappy, for me it is a lesson on how I am to act towards others (which means God doesn’t have to tell us what is right and wrong; hence no scripture is needed)