Posts by rebel

9

Does god really love children?

by kelsey007 in

jw
friends

many people claim that the god of the bible loves children and fetuses.

but what does the bible say?

according to god's law, children are not persons but the property of their fathers, who may sell them as slaves.

rebel

UD,

If the God of the Bible truly loves children, he wouldn't deliberately destroy them just because their parents were wicked as some have already mentioned. I would never, ever, ever do anything to harm a child - or an adult for that matter. The majority of people feel the same way. yet a powerful God, who is supposed to be a God of love, can kill a tiny baby or child without any qualms - something that most puny, inferior humnas could not and would not do. It just doesn't make any sense. And to punish the whole human race with death just because some bimbo ate a flaming piece of fruit and her bimbo husband did the same seems a pretty warped way of thinking to me.

Think of it logically. Look at the aging process - that has to be one of the cruelest tricks played on mankind. Do you know anybody that is getting on in years? It's horrible to see someone you love grow old and feeble, hardly able to see or walk. That person was once a child, running about, climbing trees - then they grew up big and strong and perhaps had a family of their own. Then their body starts to deteriorate, through no fault of their own, and they get weak, their hands tremble and they are so vulnerable, they couldn't even defend themselves if they had to. How cruel is that?

Just my thoughts

xxR

29

Are you ashamed to admit you were a JW?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

.

how do you feel about telling people you were a jw, does it make you feel like admiting you were a flasher or some strange perv?.

i told a lady the other day who asked about what i was doing for christmas, that i used to be a jw, but i had to make sure she knew i was brought up as one by my parents , just so she didn't think it was my choice.. she thought i was very brave for leaving though.

rebel

Why be ashamed?

I went into this religion thinking it was something good, that it had all the answers and that it would give hope to me and my family and friends. I didn't know then that it wasn't what it was cracked up to be and that it would cause so much pain and damage. I didn't knowingly become part of an organisation that lies, divides families, threatens people with shunning if they step out of line, treats women like 10th-class citizens etc. I didn't know any of that. When I found out, I started to make moves to come out. It isn't an easy organisation to come out of, but I am still quitting. Just think - if you are an ex-JW - how many other people can you help? You know first-hand about the organisation - you can even warn people before they become involved. You wouldn't know any of this if you hadn't been a JW. Why be ashamed of being part of something that you thought was good and, when you found out otherwise, you left. That is something to be proud of in my book. And for those of you who have many family members still in the organisation, you have my utmost admiration because you have guts and the courage to make a stand, even though it causes you extreme pain.

It's funny, but I look back fondly on my memories as a Catholic - probably because it reminds me of my childhood and was the religion I grew up with. All my children were baptised as RCs before we became JWs. But when I look back on the years as a JW, I can't remember many happy things. There were some good times, but most of the time, I was just a lapsed Catholic pretending to be a good JW and failing badly! Unless you were born into it and had at least 2 or 3 generations of JWs in your family, you were viewed differently - at least in the congregation I was in.

Sorry to ramble on so much.

xxR

53

Bible is God's word?

by Moxy in

id like to hear some *reasoned* explanations for why you believe the bible is gods word.

ive been so fascinated by the study of *real* biblical scholarship since i began educating myself, i now find it incredulous that i used to take the bible as divine, along with all jws and tons of christians, including a good number here.

so id like to entertain your very best lines of evidence that this is the real deal.. mox

rebel

Breeze - I understand that you still believe in God without the Bible. I wish I could find that things were so simple. I do believe in God because I just can't see how this planet with all the life forms could have just happened. However, I am starting to question the Bible because it just doesn't make a lot of sense and there are too many contradictions. God seems to tell us to do one thing while he does the opposite??? I thought a good parent should teach by example. How is exterminating babies and children along with their parents setting a good example? Even if the parents are deserving of destruction, why destroy those that haven't done anything?

Do you read any other material to give you a better understanding of God? I am curious because I really would like to believe in a loving creator, a resurrection hope and a happy ending for all humankind. It may sound too good to be true, but I would like to know if there is a possibility of a better life than this. Surely, if God loves us, he would have given us some sort of guide? I'd appreciate your thoughts on this as you seem to have a belief in God without the need for the Bible. I seem to need the Bible - or some sort of communication - because I need to believe in something concrete. I am at the stage where I don't know anything any more.

xxR

29

Are you ashamed to admit you were a JW?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

.

how do you feel about telling people you were a jw, does it make you feel like admiting you were a flasher or some strange perv?.

i told a lady the other day who asked about what i was doing for christmas, that i used to be a jw, but i had to make sure she knew i was brought up as one by my parents , just so she didn't think it was my choice.. she thought i was very brave for leaving though.

rebel

I became a JW out of choice. I was brought up as a Catholic but I started studying in 1985 and got baptised in 1989. I am not ashamed to tell people I was RC or a JW - why should I be? It was a decision I made that seemed logical at the time. It also gave me a great insight into the workings of that organisation. I used to get annoyed when the WBTS constantly ran down the Catholic Church because I felt only an ex-Catholic could do that. After all, I knew what being RC was all about - I knew that religion inside out. It's the same with having been a JW - when people critisise them, I know exactly what the truth is behind the name and I am in a better position to give an informed opinion. I wouldn't know half as much about their warped doctrines if I hadn't experienced it first hand. So, despite all the anguish and pain I have experienced as a JW (plus the good times - and there were good times) I am glad I was one - this may sound weird to a lot of you but that's how I feel.

xxR

5

Probably a really silly question

by rebel in

jw
friends

.

i have been meaning to ask this ever since i started posting on this board but i didn't want to admit i didn't know what it means......because you all seem to know....and i don't....but now i don't care if you all think i'm thick.....here goes..... what does 'dub' mean?.

xxr

rebel

Got it! Thanks - told you I was thick.

xxR

5

Probably a really silly question

by rebel in

jw
friends

.

i have been meaning to ask this ever since i started posting on this board but i didn't want to admit i didn't know what it means......because you all seem to know....and i don't....but now i don't care if you all think i'm thick.....here goes..... what does 'dub' mean?.

xxr

rebel

Thanks - so it means someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Or is it someone who is gullible - still not too sure.

5

Probably a really silly question

by rebel in

jw
friends

.

i have been meaning to ask this ever since i started posting on this board but i didn't want to admit i didn't know what it means......because you all seem to know....and i don't....but now i don't care if you all think i'm thick.....here goes..... what does 'dub' mean?.

xxr

rebel

I have been meaning to ask this ever since I started posting on this board but I didn't want to admit I didn't know what it means......because you all seem to know....and I don't....but now I don't care if you all think I'm thick.....here goes....

What does 'dub' mean?

xxR

20

The Bible Code

by Lassie in

jw
friends

just curious.

maybe this topic has been addressed before, but has anyone here read the book, the bible code by michael drosnin?

i am reading it right now.... comments?

rebel

I agree with Farkel here.

As I have said quite a few times on this board - why is the Bible so hard to understand? Why would a God who loves us, give us a 'letter', telling us how we can be happy and be saved, yet obscure it in riddles. I mean, take a look at Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation etc - what are they talking about? Everyone has their own interpretation.

Lassie - you say you don't think a God of love would trick us with a code - but hasn't he done that already? If I wanted my children to know everything about me, who I am, why I think the way I do, what I expect of them - I would tell them CLEARLY - I wouldn't give them a heap of puzzles, riddles and gobbledy-gook and expect each of them to work it out because I know they would each come to their own, different conclusions. This is exactly what happens with the Bible. I would love to believe it - I always used to, but lately I am having so many doubts. Initially my doubts were just about the so-called 'Truth' - now I am even doubting the Bible - mainly because I can't understand most of it.

And I certainly don't think spending 40 hours a month on field service would matter to a God of love one little bit. What's the point of it? You influence people much more by your actions and conduct - by being loving, approachable, forgiving and kind - not by annoying the hell out of your neighbours by constantly plying them with magazines.

Just my thoughts

xxR

20

Am I the only one who really didn't enjoy x-mas?

by willdabeerman in

jw
friends

i may sound like a bit of a scrooge here but i really didn't get into x-mas.i honestlly didn't enjoy it.or better yet not enjoy it but i don't get why everyone is so excited over it.don't get me wrong it was cool as hell to see my lil step daughter get all excited over her tons of presents.but i just dont get it.

you spend many hours and stressful days spending alot of money and you spend all this time setting everything up all for about an hours worth of actual celebrating it.the time ratio makes no sense to me.

it is cool however to spend a lil extra time with the family.

rebel

I was looking forward to the break from work, the TV (although it was pretty dismal in the UK - nothing but repeats of repeats) plus spending some time with my family. As it turned out, I was all alone on Christmas day - well, for most of it anyway. I didn't really like it - I was a bit lonely. I had a lot of work to do and I was studying, but it was still sad and lonely. I had better stop now or I'll cry......

xxR

10

Fellow Posters ........And What They Accomplish

by minimus in

jw
friends

have you ever wondered why a person posts the subjects that they do?

in getting to know you, here, on this forum, i've come to appreciate certain things.

each individual contributes to the makeup of this board.

rebel

I lurked for quite a while too. Then, I just thought "What the hell - if people in this cyber-world think I'm weird and don't like what I have to say, it's no different to the way people in the 'real' world see me"

And I have been posting ever since - not for a very long time though - only a month or so.

xxR