this is what they have in the new world translation index 6a to support their version of john 1:1. they are not honest even to their own people.
they list the year of the bible, rendering, and source.
but there's only two sources that actually lend any type of support to their argument.
Hi Vanderhoven7
I never knew this, and looked up the interlinear and found Thomas' statement as being literally: "ho theos mou" -- "the god of me"
Very interesting point which flatly refutes JW reasoning which plays with article such as "a" and "the."
when you grow up and look back on childhood belief you have to laugh at how.
easter bunnies and santa were all too plausible for children because trusted adults who were otherwise unimpeachable sources of truth and reality assured and reassured kids.
why wouldn't they accept it?jehovah's witness kids didn't have santa, we had armageddon.only this morning i suddenly asked myself why i ever accepted the idea of a war in heaven as even remotely sane.
When Jesus asked his listeners to "become like God" (Mathew 5:48) which is exactly what Satan supposedly told first human couple, he was in effect saying no such account as Satan leading a rebellion in garden of Eden has never been taken place which means the account of Satan is a later adoption.
The Greek word used in 1John 5:19 can mean both either wastefulness or a personification of wickedness.
i have been reading the blog of bruce gerencser, a 61 year old evangelical pastor who moved on to being an atheist and humanist.
his description of climbing out of that box and the reasons why he did so will, i am sure, resonate with many of us on here.
https://brucegerencser.net/2015/02/danger-box-makes-sense/.
Interesting statements about his life such as “The box I had lived in for almost 50 years was no longer large enough for me. When I was in the box it all made sense. It all fit. But now, outside of the box, at the bottom of the slippery hill, the things I once believed now seemed to be the strange language of an alien culture. I found myself saying, I can’t believe I actually believed.”
It is true that only when someone comes out of the box he would know what he believed was not believable at all such as:
Father elevating one child over others, one nation over others, crucifying Jesus instead of Satan, after seeing miracles such as parting of Red Sea and still going and worshiping calf, macro replica of which happened when Jesus did numerous miracles with no recipients coming for his help/defense nor for preaching work after his death …
i'm sure most here who've questioned or left behind their belief in god have encountered this question - without god, what basis can there be for morality?
my exwife, when i admitted that i was an atheist, once asked me "if you don't believe in god, what's to stop you from going out and raping and murdering?
" previously, whenever i got this objection, i would tend to turn it around on the other person with a response along the lines of "if fear of god is the only thing that stops you from murdering, that makes me rather nervous to be around you.
OrphanCrow,
Jeremiah renamed a priest "Terror on Every Side" because of the kind of persecution he received from him for doing good, testifies even the Bible. (Jeremiah 20:1-3)
i'm sure most here who've questioned or left behind their belief in god have encountered this question - without god, what basis can there be for morality?
my exwife, when i admitted that i was an atheist, once asked me "if you don't believe in god, what's to stop you from going out and raping and murdering?
" previously, whenever i got this objection, i would tend to turn it around on the other person with a response along the lines of "if fear of god is the only thing that stops you from murdering, that makes me rather nervous to be around you.
OrphanCrow,
Think of the time when religions were ruling supreme even with power to make/bless the coronation of emperors. Scientists like Galileo could not speak out the truth. In some places, if lower castes read the scriptures, they would receive very harsh punishment ... it goes on and on.
i'm sure most here who've questioned or left behind their belief in god have encountered this question - without god, what basis can there be for morality?
my exwife, when i admitted that i was an atheist, once asked me "if you don't believe in god, what's to stop you from going out and raping and murdering?
" previously, whenever i got this objection, i would tend to turn it around on the other person with a response along the lines of "if fear of god is the only thing that stops you from murdering, that makes me rather nervous to be around you.
Moral laws are such that those who practice them are benefited primarily. For example, if a shopkeeper returned the excess money you gave him unconsciously, you would give him more business, and even give maximum publicity to his honest and unselfish behavior. God is not a factor that influences the choices people make (see how some of the religious leaders acting greedily). You will find even scriptures dishonoring God with their irrational stories. There are Scriptures that say God is omnipresent which would mean God is equally present in the victim and in the victimizer. Hence I would say religions dishonor God and exploit the credulous because of which atheism arose and serve as a deterrent against the excesses of religion. In this sense, I would even say atheism is the arrangement of God whether they are aware of this or not. Interestingly, according to scripture of another religion, the first and foremost quality out of 16 qualities of spiritual person, is fearlessness which is the very basis of atheists
this article won’t change your mind - the facts on why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs.
brilliant article in the atlantic by julie beck discussing the phenomena of cognitive dissonance and how it affects religious and political beliefs.
it includes some interesting thoughts on how social media has magnified the problem.. spoiler - she is not optimistic about the possibility of successfully reasoning with members of religious cults.. the article also has a link to the 45 minute audio version.. link....
Very interesting read. What I liked was this:
"There are facts, and there are beliefs, and there are things you want so badly to believe that they become as facts to you."
when you grow up and look back on childhood belief you have to laugh at how.
easter bunnies and santa were all too plausible for children because trusted adults who were otherwise unimpeachable sources of truth and reality assured and reassured kids.
why wouldn't they accept it?jehovah's witness kids didn't have santa, we had armageddon.only this morning i suddenly asked myself why i ever accepted the idea of a war in heaven as even remotely sane.
Even human governments go for deep geological disposal of the most radioactive waste produced from their nuclear reactors. Heavenly Government would have done something similar if there was a war in heaven and Satan was defeated. Throwing the defeated group with all their unquenchable wrath on to earth is an extremely unwise option which God would never sanction. This shows story has its origin in the senile mind of John.
jeremiah 7:31 says, "they have built the high places of toʹpheth, which is in the valley of the son of hinʹnom, in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, something that i had not commanded and that had never even come into my heart.’".
according to this scripture it's unthinkable for jehovah to be pleased with child sacrifices.
but yet he sent his son to be killed as a sacrifice for all?.
What we need is the insight like that of Jeremiah who defined circumcision as 'removal of foreskins of one's heart' (Jeremiah 4:4)
Similarly, sacrifice was of the ego, the brute within, which was later deteriorated into animal sacrifice and human sacrifice.
God would only ask for sacrifice of vices. Sacrifice of any other things was devised by the vested interests.
when you grow up and look back on childhood belief you have to laugh at how.
easter bunnies and santa were all too plausible for children because trusted adults who were otherwise unimpeachable sources of truth and reality assured and reassured kids.
why wouldn't they accept it?jehovah's witness kids didn't have santa, we had armageddon.only this morning i suddenly asked myself why i ever accepted the idea of a war in heaven as even remotely sane.
Nice point, EverApostate
All these childish stories came into the Bible because of its writers blindly imitating pagan scriptures.
Hence I would say religions dishonor God and exploit the credulous because of which atheism arose and serve as a deterrent against the excesses of religion.
In this sense, I would even say atheism is the arrangement of God whether they are aware of this or not. Interestingly, according to scripture of another religion, the first and foremost quality out 16 qualities of spiritual person, is fearlessness which is the very basis of atheists.
