what if everything you thought was true turned out to be a lie?.
what if some of the most important "facts" turned out to be false?.
does seeing your strongly held convictions shattered, refuted, disproved hold out liberation for you or a sense of doom and embarassment?.
My "truth" is this: I go where the evidence takes me. If that means I have to change my thinking on something, then so be it. But I got to this notion only after leaving the jws and realizing that so many things that I thought were true turned out not to be so. It's a tough step that many here have also taken, as you state Terry. It's not easy.
So now, I try not to hold on to any 'belief' too tightly. Evidence may come to my attention that will compel me to change my thinking.
and if so, would that prove an existence of evil-spirits (demons)?.
i have heard of a couple of stories of possession, or of jw's talking to spiritists and the spiritists having seen 2 men following the jw, either dressed all in black, or all in white, and very strong looking.
yet, i have never experienced any of it.. another experience that i heard is about a brother whose mom had super-natural strength, and tossed something really heavy.
I read The Ghost In The Machine paper, which was enlightening and backs up my personal feeling that, like UFOs, many "supernatural" occurances can be explained and attributed to very natural phenomenon.
this seems like a literary device by a later author added to the story of jesus.. matthew 27:19: while pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message: "have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night, i suffered much on account of him.".
how would any apostle or follower of jesus know the contents of a private letter written to pontius pilate by his wife?.
how many followers of jesus were in the same room with jesus and pilate?
It was an early example of text messaging. Or maybe an IM. Pilate's account obviously was hacked by the Gospel writer.
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what's the point of jesus if adam & eve did not 'fall' and condemn us all to sin?.
OnThe WayOut wrote: "Sin seems to be defined by religion. I understand evil, but if my daily actions are not evil, who decides that they still offend God?"
I used to wonder the same thing as a jw. I was told to pray for forgivness of sin, on a daily basis. I could not square this with my daily experiences. On a typical day I go to work to provide for my family, which I am supposed to do. I go home. I eat dinner. I go to bed. Then, in bed, I'm supposed to ask for forgiveness of the sins I committed that day. Well, how did I sin? What did I do wrong? How did I offend God when all I did that day was to do my best to be a good family man?
in person, people tend to love me.
i'm told how likeable i am.. on discussion boards i have unlikeable qualities which infuriate others.. .
are you likeable in person and likeable on boards?
Terry, if people you know personally tend to like you, you're doing well! I think how you're perceived online doesn't much matter in comparison.
women who post lots of photos of themselves on facebook value appearance, need attention, study finds.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/10/news/la-heb-facebook-vanity-20110310.
bangalore.
A "study" was needed to determine this? Isn't it pretty obvious?
i was doing some research yesterday on this scripture: 1 corinthians 4:6!.
"now, brothers, these things i have transferred so as to apply to myself and a?pollos for your good, that in our case you may learn the [rule]: do not go beyond the things that are written, in order that you may not be puffed up individually in favor of the one against the other.".
read this from the watchtower 2008, april 15th, page 7:.
The obvious problem is that the publications delve into issues that the Bible does not. Like the Pharisees, the WTS adds to the Bible and creates its own "teachings of men". This is part of the problem I have with "Bible principles". To me, citing them opens up the possibility that the Bible will now be used to counsel on situations that it does not cover.
In essence, the counsel to the Elders not to offer off-the-cuff answers is sound. The problem is that the elders are not limited to using the scriptures.
the greatest benefit to come from jehovah's witnesses was the introduction of honest investigation into the.
claims of christianity based on the bible.. exposing error was the gimmick.. replacing doctrine or ritual with door to door activity was the greatest failure to follow truth where it leads.. .
mainstream religion in pastor russell's day was set in stone.
Interesting post Terry, as usual. The religion was painted into a date-setting corner ever since its inception and has not been able to get out of that corner since. 1914 doctrine has become a noose by means of which the religion has hung itself.
well this past weekend was pretty much as predicted, the demonstrations were probably the worst i have ever seen.
you know the ones i mentioned on a post last week where in the middle the participant has a sudden epiphany!
here is a sampling of just a few.. .
Unshackled wrote: "BUT JWs don't pass a collection plate! The collection plate is clearly Satan's evil tool for soliciting funds. However, tall boxes, automatic bank withdrawals, debit machines, adjusting your will to leave real estate and stocks, and soliciting tax return money ARE all the true religion's loving provision for you. Just beware of that dang evil plate." Great way of putting it!
As for the point about what to discuss w fellow believers: I guarantee that most jws do NOT want to hear about that scripture their fellow jw happened to appreciate during bible reading. They do NOT want to talk about all your wonderful field service experiences. Jws want to talk about regular, every-day stuff, like sports, weather, work, etc. This is one of the dilemmas that many jws face - they WANT to be normal, but this religion keeps on pushing them in the other direction.
in the may 15, 2011, pg.
23 public edition watchtower, in the article 'o the depth of god's wisdom', there is a small footnote that essentially does away with an entire 1983 study article worth of material regarding the meaning of the olive tree, spoken about by the apostle paul:.
(romans 11:17,18 nwt) 17 however, if some of the branches were broken off but you, although being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became a sharer of the olives root of fatness, 18 do not be exulting over the branches.
illuminator wrote: "Of course this gem of new light starts with the word "EVIDENTLY". "
Yes, there they go with that word again.
As for pirata's theory, it makes sense to me.
