Posts by venus

7

Rhetorical Question From a Non-JW

by Brian J in

so i was asked if "jehovah's witnesses feel they are the only ones who will be saved.".

he said "i thought you would say that" and showed me our own website:.

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/who-saved/ .

venus

A great surprise waits for those who read Mathew 25:31-46 without any preconceived notion.

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?.

Ocean doesn’t have to provide fishes proofs that convince them of its existence. Similarly, God doesn’t have to provide humans proofs that convince us of His existence because humans did not come here and invent the eternal tree-seed mechanism that ensures food for humans in all varieties that take care of their varying tastes. If a person doesn’t see this life-support system as the proof of God’s existence, it is enough for God that he silently enjoys those provisions and be happy about. Further, God doesn’t need to provide proof for His existence because He is not interested in our worship/gratitude—a fact that can be discerned from His not taking any action to straighten out the conflicted religions. If He wanted worship, He would have ensured a small book with absolute clarity with subject-wise division and index and almightily safeguarded it from getting corrupted.

Problem with people who ask for proof for God’s existence is that they have formulated their own concepts of God from books like Bible. But Bible is written by humans with poor imagination. They were simply inventing details thoughtlessly. For example, Abraham said his wife is his sister in two places, and Isaac in one place. The narratives occur in Genesis 12, 20 [Abram and Pharaoh & Abimelech] and 26 [Isaac and Abimelech]. Writer’s intellect is so petrified that he supplied the same incidents happening to each character. NT writers are also not different. Reporting so great as a news such as Jesus’ resurrection in the first written Gospel Mark, is finished with too little details: “He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” (Mark 16:6, 7) John even supplies verses Jesus could have never spoken—saying Jesus did ascend into heaven at the very start of his ministry. (John 3:13) If one verse is invented, why not other verses, other incidents, everything else Bible says?

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

ttdtt,

Before asking for proof, think about this. A seed can feel it is finished as it has been buried—it doesn’t know it has only been planted to continue living! There is no need to show the proof that there is life after its seeming burial. Even if God is willing to provide proof, are we able to see Him, hear Him, feel Him … Our physical eyes are able to see only those objects that lie within the visible range. It means there are several objects that our eyes cannot perceive, though such objects tangibly exist, merely because their frequency lies beyond the visible range. The light we see with human eyes consists of photons with energies in the range 2 to 3 electron volts. What if God’s is more than that (as in the case of the gamma-rays which the Fermi Gamma-Ray Telescope detects which are of billions of times more energetic, from 20 million to more than 300 billion electron volts, powerful bullets of energy, from cosmic phenomena such as supermassive black holes and hypernova explosions0.

I know my mind and other minds exist. Other minds would include lesser minds, superior mind and even a Supreme Mind. If minds that are very much here cannot be subjected to scientific equipments, the same applies to the Supreme Mind. If we say God doesn’t exist just because He doesn’t come subjected to tools humans have invented it would be like me saying nothing exists beyond what I can understand.

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

Perry,

If Jesus really lived, then problems are more because it would mean the subject of what is called redemption by the death of the Son of God originated from God. Without any conditioning, anyone would revolt at the recollection of what he reads in the Bible that it was making God Almighty act like a passionate man who killed his son when he could not revenge himself in any other way. I am sure a man who did such a thing would be hanged.

God is too good to do such an action, and also too almighty to be under any necessity of doing it. Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system. But the Biblical concept of God the Father putting his son to death, or employing/permitting people to do it, cannot be told by a parent to a child with conviction; and to tell him that it was done to make mankind better is making the story still worse—as if something greater would be achieved through the murder of the innocent [a logic today’s terrorists resort to]; and to tell our children that all this is a mystery is only making an excuse for the incredibility of it.

Account of Adam and Eve is contradictory to the original creation account given in Genesis 1 where we find God creating mankind, not just a couple. Even if first couple sinned their sin would not be passed on to their children: "Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.” (Deuteronomy 24:16)

Hence if at all Jesus did come, that might not have been to perform miracles or to perform sacrifice "to take away the sins of the world." He might have lived like a great prophet, preached very elevated teaching such as Mathew 5:44-48 and disappeared only to appear as a mighty teacher again somewhere on earth as prophet Elijah reappeared as John the Baptist. (Mathew 11:14)

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

Perry,

Any advertisement serves its purpose when it is published just before the arrival of the product, not centuries in advance. If it was God’s plan to advertise Kingdom through the preaching and miracles using Jesus He would have done it in our time when everything Jesus speaks and does could be live-telecast to the whole world. This would have spared all confusions, doubts and debates of over 2000 years, and all people of the earth would have accepted Jesus as the Messiah.

10

Inconsistency involving Lot and Abraham

by Ireneus in

when god informed of his intention of destroying the wicked inhabitants of sodom and gomorrah abraham made extensive questioning, cross-questioning and bargaining with god till he gets satisfied.

(genesis 18:16-33) however, when god informed of his intention of murdering abraham’s own only-begotten, innocent son, he simply obeys without any questionings [which he should naturally have done more intensely than he did in the case of unrelated wicked people].. god too acted strangely!

no introduction of the subject with sufficient reasons.

venus

Sacrifices are dictates of the priests who are the only beneficiary. Jesus knew sacrifices has no value at all (Luke 6:38). God who knew very well everything belong to Him would never ask anything to be sacrificed to Him. In the case of Abraham, it is self-ridiculing on the part of God to ask Issac to be sacrificed to Him because it is God who miraculously provided Issac. If God had miraculously given Issac, Abraham would feel no pain in sacrificing Issac because He knew God's promise of great nation through him, hence God would have some arrangement to keep His own word.

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

Perry,

Scriptures often do disservice to God. For example, Isaac’s wife, Rebekka, was barren. Hence he prayed to God. Rebekka became pregnant. Twins in her womb began jostling each other. When Rebekka inquired of God: “The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."” (Genesis 25:21-23) Writers bring dishonor to God projecting Him as the originator of slavery. Jesus is also depicted as glorifying slavery (Mathew 24:45)

God is projected as initiating suffering in the case of Job. (Job 1:8-12)

53

Is Satan Real ?

by jdash in

i've been pondering on this question for awhile now, and i'm starting to think this malevolent spirit creature isn't real.

.

do you guys believe satan is real?

venus

Existence of God Almighty and existence of Satan are not reconcilable. Religious leaders invented Satan for their own benefit.

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

Everyone knows what action of others makes them happy or unhappy which means everyone knows how to act towards others, which means there is no need for Scriptures--a fact God knows--hence did not authorize writing of any scriptures in the world.

If we take the other option that God would use scriptures, there there is greater problem: We have an ocean of scriptures with all their interpretations. Among them, which is the right one? If Bible is chosen after sufficient debates, there is still problem. Among the 66 books that make the Bible, which one is true as most of them contradict each other? So are the case with verses. In one place it would say: "You are dust; unto dust you would return" which is flatly contradicted in other parts (Ecclesiastes 3:5; 12:7). Question about God is even worse--over 2000 years of debate among Christians have not yet finalized who is the God of the Bible!

9

Eden's snake

by Doug Mason in

in my study into the israelite and judahite salvations, i provided sources which tell us that the writers of the creation story at genesis 2 and 3 employed symbols associated with the goddess asherah, namely: eve, snake, and tree.. at present, i am researching satan and i came across the following from “the birth of satan” by t.j. wray and gregory mobley (pages 68-69 70).

doug.

even casual readers of the bible have heard about the story of the garden of eden (genesis 2-3).

venus

Doug Mason,

It is ok to say that a book of human origin should be studied from its context. But a book that claims written by God's Holy Spirit should not limit itself to Mediterranean context. It should not even unwittingly reveal erroneous belief such as earth is a flat disc.

I enjoy my Bible reading because I look for the real motive of the writer. Just like every crime betrays something of the personality of the criminal committing it, writer would unwittingly leave out something that hints at the real intention of the writer.