1john 1:1 "in the beginning was the word, and the word was with god and the word was (a) god".
could this have the same meaning?.
"in the beginning was the idea, and the idea was with god and the idea was (a) god".
http://biblehub.com/john/1-1.htm
The Aramaic to English Bible has an interesting take on the translation of this scripture. LOL.
I think in this case "The Word" is referring to Jesus specifically http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logos_(Christianity) AND jesus himself is simply an idea... so you could work with it in that angle.
howdy!
i have been out of the jw's for about five years now.
it has been about four years since i've posted.
Don't forget that Jesus entire mission was to preach against the organized religion of the time. So (1) you are in good company and (2) try buddhism.
5 said this: "by word or action, may we never challenge the channel of communication that jehovah is using today".. why not?
because if jehovah is using someone, then what they say must be bible-based truth!
are the following statements bible-based truths?
Another explaination could be schizophrenia.
well so far it is a fantastic day!
i know my grandma isn't going to call me like she does every year to say she is happy i was born.
you know the jw form of wishing someone a happy birthday.
Happy Birthday from Texas!!
(the good part)
i was talking with a jw i've known a long time and the topic of da new order came up.
she mentioned how nice it will be when all animals are at peace.
i asked why they had camouflage and defensive and offensive weapons if they were to always get along?
camouflage is a very good question, Comatose. I forgot that tigers had stripes because 'Jehovah thought it would be pretty'. LOL.
so, i was taught that they would eat vegitation and such (i guess without 'toiling the ground' like Adam and Eve did when they were kicked out of the garden). so i guess that would be a vegan's wet dream but from an oxygen-producing standpoint, it seems a little iffy.
eating dirt seems much more sustainable...
jw should put humility high on their list.
therefore i will let them do this test after a small talk:.
.
SIDE COMMENT: There are a variety of ways to prove the earth is round. The ancient Greeks figured it out mathmatically. It could be deduced from watching ships disappear in the horizon. It was verified when Magellan circumnavigated the globe (or rather his slave, Enrique). By the time one views pictures of the Earth from space there has been centuries of evidence proven with one picture. And it's okay, for some people "seeing is believing", but know there is compounded evidence and reason from a variety of cultures in history that predates photographs from space.
Similarly Jehovah's Witnesses being a deluded cult has various levels of argument. We could use the history of the bible canon's lack of original documents in their original languages and the way Jehovah's Witnesses are word-specific in their literalism. We could take their constant ever-changing dogma. We could note the "end of the world" technique used to keep members motivated. We could take the psychology of individual Witnesses and compare them to information we know about cults. We could take the sociology of the organization and note the behavior in comparison to other groups (like the Latter Day Saints for example). We could go the archaeological route and use historical record to disprove Watchtower beliefs of dates and events. And we could use powers of reason in conjunction with humanity as a whole to understand how much doesn't make sense.
I interrupt this bit of banter because I am not humble. I'm a douche. But I am also a humanitarian. Metaphorically, whether or not the earth is flat is a relevant irrelevance. The real point is that the answer (whatever it may be) will have many different paths leading to the same conclusion. So in the end... it is what it is.
The Earth is not flat, but it's not a sphere either - it bulges in the middle. Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult... pretty much just like every other fundamentalist group who all have cult-like mentalities. They certainly are not as severe as the cults of the 60s and 70s, but if the Witnesses had their choice, they would be. So they end up categorizing themselves, albeit in a diluded form.
It is what it is.
jw should put humility high on their list.
therefore i will let them do this test after a small talk:.
.
I still say that "humility" is simply a displayed characteristic, and as it stands has no bearing on what your belief system is, or if your belief system is "right" or "wrong". Witnesses are not humble because collectively they are very selfish. ANY religious organization that believes they have the one and only path to god will always appear nice, but in the back of their head they are thinking "that's nice. I'm going to live forever and you're going to die at armageddon. but please, continue talking..." That hidden smug sense of superiority is what makes the Witnesses and Mormons, etc. lack humility... not whether or not their ideals and dogma are correct/incorrect.
A person can be completely wrong in their convictions, but as long as he presents them with meekness and lowliness of mind... he would be humble. The fact his beliefs are lunicy is a different matter.
jw should put humility high on their list.
therefore i will let them do this test after a small talk:.
.
I don't equate humility with being in indecisive or not having a belief struture. Humility is a quality demonstrated in presentation, not necessarily someone without knowledge. Lowliness of mind does not mean not having a backbone. (Personal Opinion).
i saw a fight break out on the platform between an elder and a unbelieving husband who accused the elder of f---ing his wife.
he then threw the lectern on the floor and pushed the elder.
it was cool.......
@nonjwspouse wow. You uncle sounds like a bad ass. and yes, everyone I've ever heard about were awesome.
The restroom facilities in Mobile, AL... not so much....
the jw's must not trust their members or at least don't have too much faith in them when it comes to being alone around member of the opposite sex.
i can remember one time in particular from when i was a teenager that still makes me laugh today.. when i was younger i used to go out in service on a regular basis during the week when i had summer break.
one time when i met for service there were only two other people that showed up.
So being both gay and the "golden boy" of the congregation had it's perks. EVERYONE who was dating wanted me as a chaperone. One, the elders in the congregation wouldn't ask questions because 'as long as James is there it's okay'. Two, I would always end up taking off on my own for whatever reason which meant whoever was dating would get actual private time together. They didn't ask what I was doing, I didn't ask what they were doing, and everyone was happy.
Once on a road trip where we were bringing back two cars and a young (and fairly horny) couple drove half the way by themselves. That got us in a little bit of trouble, but that was easily dismissed because (my idea) they wanted to discuss the seriousness of where the relationship was going and reasonable expectations for each other. LOL.
Another time (and this is stupid) I got talked to because I went out to lunch from my office and a single sister happened to be at the same restaurant. So we sat together. At the end of our meal, an elder and his wife walk in and sees us. And we laughed because it looked like a lunch date. We were talked to JUST to make sure... but we weren't in any serious trouble.
