i've, over the years, looked into many religions.
obviously, from those that have seen me post here, i've become an atheist simply because i couldn't find any reason to believe in god.
recently, though, over the past few months, a new change has started.
Prologos - GREAT STATEMENT! "
"Viviane, of course, all religions are silly, cut from the same cloth, but does it follow that the universe made itself?* I remain a deist. Credit were credit is due, without worship, and anonymously.
* you try to do it, or part of it."
i've, over the years, looked into many religions.
obviously, from those that have seen me post here, i've become an atheist simply because i couldn't find any reason to believe in god.
recently, though, over the past few months, a new change has started.
"Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold."
" The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity."
" Joy can only be real if people look upon their life as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness."
" The chief difference between words and deeds is that words are always intended for men for their approbation, but deeds can be done only for God." - Leo Tolstoy
"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." - 1 John 4:20
" He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8
Why abandon the Giver of Life and Source of Love, simply because you have been lied to?
i'm interested to know of some of your view points out this.. is the mosaic law still valid, and should it be followed.
or as many claim was it done away with?.
from my examination of scripture, i feel that it is still valid, and christ did not do away with it.. briefly here are the primary reasons i feel this way :.
Humbled - Regarding portions of the law that are Unjust / Immoral / Unloving, we have to examine Jesus example. Breaking the Mosaic law would have been sin, during the life of Jesus.. But we know that Jesus did not Sin " He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 1 Peter 2:22
He did not sin, however he did break portions of the Mosaic Law.. This is not a contradiction, rather this was a part of his Purpose. Some examples of Jesus breaking The Mosaic law, while not sinning..
Matthew 12:1 " At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat." Centuries earlier, a Man it is said that a ,an was stoned to death, for simply picking up sticks on the sabbath " The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” Numbers 15:35 .. So what gives? Mark 2:27 " And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." - Men added to the Sabbath restrictions, and they added Harsh and Unjust penalties for breaking iThem..
This was not the intent of God, when he commanded Sabbath Adherence.. By Jesus breaking the "man made" extra restrictions of the sabbath, he showed his followers what proper sabbath keeping is. (Enjoyable,Holy and Relaxing)
It was a command according to the Mosaic Law to stone certain sinners.. Jesus had an Oppurtunity to Follow this "rule" and stone an adulterous woman but he chose not to follow, and by doing so he showed that this command was not commanded by his father. John 8:7 " And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
There are many more examples.. But in short, All of the Laws found in the Mosaic Law, and the Torah (First 5 books of Bible) were not given By God.. They were additions made by men, trying to figure out how to run a society. Jesus Fulfilled the law, and set matters straight on what is the law and what is not..
Jeremiah 8:8 shows that this is a fact.. " “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie."
http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20141107/272536636.html.
st. petersburg, november 7 (rapsi) environmental prosecutors office for st. petersburg have uncovered violations by the russian jehovahs witnesses chapter, according to the statement issued by the prosecution on friday.. the prosecutors office reports that the religious organization dumped waste in a creek that flows into the gulf of finland, in upstate st. petersburg, without any permit.. the neva-ladoga water authority confirmed that in 2013, jehovahs witnesses dumped more than 30 thousand cubic meters of waste into the creek.
in 2014, authorities detected a rise in concentrations in ammonium lignosulphonate and fluoride, in violation of the on environmental protection federal law and water code of russian federation.. the prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against dumping waste into the creek.
http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20141107/272536636.html
St. PETERSBURG, November 7 (RAPSI) – Environmental prosecutor’s office for St. Petersburg have uncovered violations by the Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses chapter, according to the statement issued by the prosecution on Friday.
The prosecutor’s office reports that the religious organization dumped waste in a creek that flows into the Gulf of Finland, in upstate St. Petersburg, without any permit.
The Neva-Ladoga water authority confirmed that in 2013, Jehovah’s Witnesses dumped more than 30 thousand cubic meters of waste into the creek. In 2014, authorities detected a rise in concentrations in ammonium lignosulphonate and fluoride, in violation of the “ On environmental protection” federal law and Water Code of Russian Federation.
The prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against dumping waste into the creek. Administrative cases were opened against the religious organization on the grounds of illegally occupying a body of water and violation of water security.
i'm interested to know of some of your view points out this.. is the mosaic law still valid, and should it be followed.
or as many claim was it done away with?.
from my examination of scripture, i feel that it is still valid, and christ did not do away with it.. briefly here are the primary reasons i feel this way :.
Humbled - No I do not rely on "Lawlessness" to support my View.
My Point in using this scripture is that Peter said that Paul is hard to understand.. And people make mistakes because of this..
If the Scriptures would have ended with Jesus life.. No one would argue that "Jesus abolished The Law". Jesus never said or did anything that would make someone believe that he was the end of the Law..
it was Paul's writings that Influenced Christians to eveneurally abandon The Mosaic Law. With this in mind one should weigh Jesus Statements against Pauls (Sometimes confusing) statements and decide personally based on who's words they Trust more. (John 14:23-24)
An Example Pauls confusing statements is 1 Cor 8:4 " Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” AND Verse 8 " Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do."
it appears from these writings that Paul is stating that it is no big deal, to eat Foods Sacrificed to Idols. Later the Apostles state that it is STILL Wrong to eat food sacrificed to Idols. " that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols" (Acts 15:29)
in Recelation it speaks poorly of individuals that eat food sacrificed to Idols.. Revelation 2:20 " Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."
Who to listen to and trust is the question...
i'm interested to know of some of your view points out this.. is the mosaic law still valid, and should it be followed.
or as many claim was it done away with?.
from my examination of scripture, i feel that it is still valid, and christ did not do away with it.. briefly here are the primary reasons i feel this way :.
LOL No Joke ... "That EVERYONE who is a wittness must speak the same! OMG how freaking boring!" I absolutely hate his about the Witness Mentaliy.. It's like " We're all in Agreement, so what is the use of studying or discussing any scriptural topic."
It's so absurd Prov 27:17 " Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." - If both blades are Dull and they do not even make contact, how can they Possibly Sharpen One Another.
Knowledge and Wisdom are arrived at through Argument, Discussion and Contemplation.. If Argument is improper how can anyone Explain Abraham Arguing with God, about the fate of Sodom? God allows and even appreciates humble and respectful Debate.
Debate is what the Bible is ALL about.. What is true what is not, who is God, who Isn't he? Internal debate is what humanities test is all about.. Do we accept that God is a Murdering, Blood Lusting, Child Sacrifice Demanding God, or do we question a Book, that Contradicts itself, and The Characters of God?
I feel that the Bible reads us more then we do it. Hebrews 4:12 " For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Humans and Societies do generally not Find Truth in the scriptures, they find Justification for the Evils within them. They reason.. "Surely if David and many other Scriptural Males fornicated, surely it's a fact of life.. I can do the same" OR "The Israelites stoned individuals, for Apostasy, surely we can Shun and act as though dead, ones that we deem as apostate"
If Jesus required absolute Agreement on certain matters, why did he refuse to Answer Questions? After his disciples asked if he was Restoring the Kingdom to Physical Israel.. He replied “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." He didn't say.. " The Kingdom will be in heaven, and then on earth" he simply ignored their question... How would it be possible for these Disciples to "speak In agreement" after a non response from Christ? It wasn't possible, only humility and tolerance were possible.
A cross reference to 1 Cor 1:10 is Phil 1:27 " Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel."
The Gospel of Christ is Love, Peace, Pacifism. Forgiveness, Humility and Tolerance... it is Not Doctrine , Knowledge, Opinion and Interpretation.
hello everybody ... came to check on you guys and what the watchtower is up to these days ..wow at that cut out of sparlock ...kind of sad for all the new generations of jw children indoctrinated into that cult with appealing cartoons.
i know other churches been doing it for ages but can't help think of the hipocresy of the watchtower as these churches were look down for this .... shame.
wow at the jw.org thing and all the promo items ...
Hi Bella : )
There is soooooooooo much new light, didn't you know that the Lifht Gets Brighter?
i'm interested to know of some of your view points out this.. is the mosaic law still valid, and should it be followed.
or as many claim was it done away with?.
from my examination of scripture, i feel that it is still valid, and christ did not do away with it.. briefly here are the primary reasons i feel this way :.
Hi Wonderment - According to my understanding, there was a great deal of controversy around Meat & Drink in the First Century. Not only Kosher / Unkosher meat, but Meat all Together.
There was a Sect of Judaism called The Nazarenes. Paul was mentioned as (Posaibly) a member of this Sect " For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." (Acts 24:5)
The Nazarenes did not Drink Alcohol of any type, nor did they eat any Meat. Secular liteature describes many fights between the Sects of the time on the topic of Vegetarianism.
The scripture is significant in my view " You may believe there's nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don't feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right." (Romans 14:22 ) An individual may have decided eating Meat was ok, and another , may have felt it was wrong.. The important thing was That they did not Judge one another, or feel superior, it was also Important that they were acting on what they legitimately felt was right in God's Eyes.
What do you feel is entailed in The Christian Law?
i'm interested to know of some of your view points out this.. is the mosaic law still valid, and should it be followed.
or as many claim was it done away with?.
from my examination of scripture, i feel that it is still valid, and christ did not do away with it.. briefly here are the primary reasons i feel this way :.
Hi Sowhatnow - Thanks for your thoughts.
As far as Remaining a Gentile if one failed to follow the Law perfectly, I see it differently. If a Gentile or a Jew ever followed The Law perfectly (And did not Sin) He would never Die. It is Sin that brings Death (The person who sins is the one who will die. Ezek 18:10)
eames 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it." (The reason for this is that if we break one part we have sinned, and Sin brings death)
God forgives Humans that break the Law, but this does not mean we should break the laws, freely without remorse (Romans 6:1-3)
There is indeed a reward for those that Follow The Law. Revelation 14:12 "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus."
I am not one who feels that the Bible is Infallible, or the unadulterated word of God.. I feel that it is a Puzzle, and the Reward for solving it (In deed) is Life.
I can appreciate leaving out Revelation, and distrusting its Accuracy.
One important scripture to me is Matthew 22:29 "But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God." - I feel that he was insinuating that the Scriptures had indeed been tampered with.. But this did not mean they were to be thrown out all together, rather we have to discern the what is Imspired, and what is not.
I believe that the Roman Empire invented Christianity, but I'm not aware of the Claid that they Invented Jesus. If you recall any of the books that proposed this, please let me k ow what they are. Thanks
i'm interested to know of some of your view points out this.. is the mosaic law still valid, and should it be followed.
or as many claim was it done away with?.
from my examination of scripture, i feel that it is still valid, and christ did not do away with it.. briefly here are the primary reasons i feel this way :.
Hi Humbled - This is an interesting scripture you bring up, it was directed towards Gentiles who were converting to Jewish Christianity -
"And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." ( Acts 15:29 ) The Mosaic law in its entirety would be difficult to begin observing fully at once.
If you examine All of Acts 15 you can understand the context better. Acts 15:5 " But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” -
Notice it says "the law of Moses"
God Wrote down and Clmmanded certain laws " When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." (Exod 31:18)
Moses write down some laws - " Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel." (Deut 31:9)
The Old Testament contains a mixture of God's Laws and Mans laws that were later adder, in order to be an additional protection as to not violate God's Laws. Generation by Generation these Man Made laws became further and further away from God's true commands, and this is the reason Jesus had to "Fulfill" (Set straight and Seperate God's Law from mans)
One example of this Law by Mosea (Or more properly his descendants) was animal Sacrifice, God never commanded or asked for Animal Sacrifice Jer 7:22 " For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Notice during the Sermon Jesus did not say that we must follow the Law in order to gain salvation, however he did differentiate between those that do it and those that do not do it.. They are both in the Kingdom, but the one that does the Law is called great. (Matt 5:19)
It seems possible that some were teaching that you had to follow the Law to be sved at all. (Acts 15:1 " "Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.") Galatians 3:21 "
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law."
