Posts by NewSense

26

What is LDS ?

by Tyre in

sorry, that's a silly questions.. i would like to know what is lds/mormon.

and what's their doctrines.

any info ?.

The abbreviation "L.D.S." stands for "Latter Day Saints." The offical name of the Mormons is "The Church of Latter Day Saints." I believe that they prefer this name to that of "Mormons." In regard to doctrine, you will do well to go to a Mormon website [this is a site for (ex) - Jehovah's Witnesses]. On the Internet, you will find information that is both "pro" Mormon (that is to say, favorable toward Mormons) and "anti"-Mormon. I guess that you should consult both varieties in order to get both sides of the story.

In regard to doctrine, I do not know much about them. Like the Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and Christian Scientists, the Mormons had their origins in 19th-century America. All of these groups were formed in the 1800's in the U.S. In addition to the Bible, the Mormons have their own scriptural book called the Book of Mormon. Mormons are usually quite traditional in their viewpoints and conservative in their politics. They have a number of doctrines which deviate very far from "standard" Christianity. Many people do not regard them as Christians, although they themselves say they are Christians. Again, if you are interested in their doctrines, just go to Google and type in "Mormons" or "Church of Latter Day Saints."

36

Ethics, aesthetics, and morals

by onacruse in

so, in the course of tonight's prolonged conversation with one of you jwd recalcitrants .

if, in fact, this life, this life, is all there is, and nothing remains after...no resurrection, no reincarnation, no transformation, no metamorphosis; that is to say--these bags of salt, water (and a few hydrocarbons and genetic variations thrown in for good measure) are all that we are, and all that we ever will be, and then "poof":.

why should we refrain from whatever brings the "greatest" personal pleasure to our measured and time-limited existence?

NewSense

Onacruse:

The question you raise is actually an ancient one; one of the oldest in Western philosophy. The ancient Greek atomists and materialists (i.e. Democritus), the Sophists (i.e. Gorgias and Protagoras) and the Epicureans all dealt with the various ideas and notions that you mention in your post. There is, most likely no absolutely definitive answer, the reason being simply that there are no absolutes.

In a nutshell, what is (should be) the basis or foundation or our "morality"? Perhaps the answer lay in the etymology, the root meaning, of the words "morals" and "ethics." In point of fact, both are Greek words; "ethos" and "mores" both designate "customs." What is "moral" and what is "ethcial" has always been what is customary. Local customs and norms have always determined what is "ethical" and what is "moral." The ancient Greek sophists realized more than thousand years ago that what is accepted - even expected - in one place may well be absolutely forbidden and punishable in another place. As Protagoras said, "Man is the measure of all things."

Religious leaders and clergy of all faiths have consistently been hostile to materialism and related philosophical systems. In your post, you have raised an ancient "quarrel" that has been in the Western philosophical traditon for more than two millenia. The quarrel pits dogmatic founationalists against the relativists sceptics. It pits materialsits against theists.

I suppose that if you were to really insist upon an answer, I would say that you should conform to what is expected by the local community in which you live, your society. If you conform, things will go smoothly for you. If you break the norms, society will impose sanctions on you. What do you feel about this eventuality? Could you deal with the hassles? Would you be sadder, or happier, for facing society's wrath?

109

An Apology Regarding "The Voice"...

by AGuest in

to the household of god that is israel... and all those who go with them... may you have peace!.

i have been coming here for some time (although not in recent months, my sincere apologies) to share with you various truths that i have received from the truth.

for some of you, there has been little or no doubt as to the "authority" by which i share such things, the true source of such understandings: i have not refrained from confessing to you time and again that they are not mine, but are what has been given me by my lord, jaheshua mischajah, son and christ of the most holy one of israel, the god of abraham, isaac and jacob, whose name is jah or armies.

NewSense

Czar, I'm NOT flirting with Simon's wife, (says Newsense as he cowers in fear to escape Simon's wrath - and fist). I only said her name was pretty.Oh, man! Whatever on earth do I say now?! Whatever I say next will make either Simon, or his wife (or both of them) angry. And, God knows that I already have enough people ( justifiably, I'll be the first to admit it!!) who loathe and abhor me on this board. So, I just slither out the door now. Before I leave, I will say that - as the song states - 40 year-old whiskey and 20 year -old women are bound (hopefully) to be the death of me. And my most sincere desire is to die at the hands of a jealous husband (but NOT Simons' hands!).

109

An Apology Regarding "The Voice"...

by AGuest in

to the household of god that is israel... and all those who go with them... may you have peace!.

i have been coming here for some time (although not in recent months, my sincere apologies) to share with you various truths that i have received from the truth.

for some of you, there has been little or no doubt as to the "authority" by which i share such things, the true source of such understandings: i have not refrained from confessing to you time and again that they are not mine, but are what has been given me by my lord, jaheshua mischajah, son and christ of the most holy one of israel, the god of abraham, isaac and jacob, whose name is jah or armies.

NewSense

Czar, you're right, I am sorry. It's just that I really, really don't trust ANYONE who claims to speak for God - any god at all, be (s)he Jehovah, Allah, the Cosmic Muffin or anything else. And all that pre-(R)amble mallarky just nauseates me. Anyway, I see it as the acme of illogical presumptuousness to draw a parallel between Socratic teaching and Christianity. Christianity - like all other religions - is anchored and located in a specific time. I mean, it's not like it has always existed. And, some day in the future Christianity will exist only in recorded form and studied by people as a curiosity, just like people now study the religions and "mysteries" of ancient peoples. All ideologies are specific to their eras.

Obviously, Christianity did not develop in a vacuum. It obviously is a conflating of other traditions. Somewhere, I once read that Christianity was Judaic at its base, Greek in its philosphy, and Roman in its laws. Maybe a little simplistic, but not too far off the mark, in my opinion. But to say that Socratic teaching somehow foreshadows, or is a harbinger of, Christianity is - I'm sorry to say it - nonsensical. Things don't work that way.

From what is known of Socrates, it's plain to see that he - in all likelihood - would not join any religion. He was the opposite of the "true believer." His teachings are infused with IRONY, the enemy of fanaticism and dogmatism. In fact, I'm now reading Soren Kierkegaard's study of irony with its "constant reference to Socrates." I really think that Christians would find Socrates every bit as much the "gadly" as did those Athenian leaders. Socratic irony is the perfect anecdote to religious dogmatism; his irony puts religion in its place. Socrates recognized that the world is full of competing opinions and ideologies.

As Mahatma Gandhi said, "all religions are good." They all provide a way, a path for people to approach the Infinite or the Transcendent, whatever you want to call it. But, as it is institutionalized, any religion can "morph" into something heinous and hideous - fundamentalist intolerance . "God" does not speak through any one person; there are no prophets, nor have there ever been. There are only different and competing opinions.

109

An Apology Regarding "The Voice"...

by AGuest in

to the household of god that is israel... and all those who go with them... may you have peace!.

i have been coming here for some time (although not in recent months, my sincere apologies) to share with you various truths that i have received from the truth.

for some of you, there has been little or no doubt as to the "authority" by which i share such things, the true source of such understandings: i have not refrained from confessing to you time and again that they are not mine, but are what has been given me by my lord, jaheshua mischajah, son and christ of the most holy one of israel, the god of abraham, isaac and jacob, whose name is jah or armies.

NewSense

Angharad! Angharad! Angharad! Oh thou art a fearsome spear-dane indeed, who hath once again left her mead bench to edit one of my posts [I can't help it! Every time I see your name, I invariably think of that great ancient Anglo-Saxon epic poem, "Beowulf." I mean, your name sounds like it was taken directly out of the pages of "Beowulf" or Caedmon's hymns. But, upon reflecting on this idea, I realize that I should probably bite my tongue because you may well think that I'm insulting you. And then you will edit this post also]. And you edited my post in record time, I might add. Moreover, while one could justifiably admit that in recent days I have been considerably less...er...shall we say... "naughty" than previously, I do know why you edited my post.

So, allow me to rephrase myself. I was simply pointing out that a certain soi-disant PROPHETESS posting on this board bears an eerie resemblance to another poster claiming to be the second incarnation of a certain divinity trumpeted in Christian mythology. I can see quite clearly the reason that insulting, threatening and other naughty posts are edited. It's just a pity that absolute bovine excrement and testicles find their way onto this board so often.

Oh, by the way, I really find your name to be quite pretty. I was not directing any insults toward it earlier in this post. I wonder, where does your name come from. It is an old Saxon name, right?

109

An Apology Regarding "The Voice"...

by AGuest in

to the household of god that is israel... and all those who go with them... may you have peace!.

i have been coming here for some time (although not in recent months, my sincere apologies) to share with you various truths that i have received from the truth.

for some of you, there has been little or no doubt as to the "authority" by which i share such things, the true source of such understandings: i have not refrained from confessing to you time and again that they are not mine, but are what has been given me by my lord, jaheshua mischajah, son and christ of the most holy one of israel, the god of abraham, isaac and jacob, whose name is jah or armies.

NewSense

He told his contemporaries that they could not attain what they were seeking until they recognized it and that the only "worthy" ruler would be a philosopher-king "not of this world."

Could you please provide the source from which you took this quote? Is it from one of Plato's dialogues? Please provide a citation so that I can verify this quote. If (as it is my suspicion) you're - to coin a somewhat vulgar, colloquial expression - "pulling this out of your ass," it will only prove that your entire thesis is untenable. In fact, I think your ideas are totally ludicrous - absolutely asinine. What you say makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

The term "philospher-king" is an interesting one. Where did you get it from? It's strange, but I remember hearing this expression in the movie "Apocalypse Now," where the American journalist -turned-insane-babbler is speaking about his lord and master, the renegade Green Beret commander who had installed himself as a sort of god. Anybody remember that scene toward the end of the movie?

So, once again please provide a citation source in regard to the quote you provide.[edited]

10

College fund for daughter of slain U.S. hostage Jack Hensley

by little1 in

this was in today's paper and i thought some might be interested in contributing to sara's fund.

it is a great loss for a child to lose a dad.

my heart goes out to the family.

NewSense

How about establishing a college fund for the Iraqi children whose parents were mutilated and slaughtered by American troops during the invasion of their sovereign nation? What's that I hear? Boos and hisses? Oh well, it was just an idea. And, as we all know, it is only Christian, American blood that matters for Americans anyhow.

22

The End

by Annanias in

.

NewSense

Ah, yes, "The End"! I love that song by The Doors! I love how Coppola incorporated into his film, "Apocalypse Now."

76

How much harm have you caused your congregation?

by Joker10 in

jw
friends

how much harm did you cause to the people in your congregation?

everybody complains how the witnesses did this and that and in the process caused so much harm.

but what you don't say is how much pain you caused others while you were in.

NewSense

Please allow me to shout the following: DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS! I repeat: DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS! They certainly will neither reciprocate nor even appreciate your efforts. In addition, "feeding" them will only make them stronger, giving them power over you.

33

relationship with jw

by curious_catholic in

hi, i?m a catholic and i?ve been dating a girl that is jw for two years.

why do the jw have to marry a person from there own religion.

i think that it is very wrong.

NewSense

Curious Catholic,

In regard to your question about why Jehovah's Witnesses forbid their members from marrying others outside of the sect, it's because they use a scripture that admonishes people not to become "unevenly yoked," This scripture is the supposed biblical basis for thier banning religious inter-marriages. I suppose that in order to be fair, we have to admit that the Witnesses are not the only religion that has sanctions against marrying "outside the faith". However, given that they are an extremely high-control group (many call them a "cult"), they are able to exert a great deal more pressure on their members. Many members in this forum will be able to offer shocking insights and experiences they had while in this group. Also, several members suffered in a situation in which you may soon find yourself; that is to say that at one time they were formerly witnesses who were married to non-witnesses. Others were never witnesses, however they were (or are) married to witnesses. In all, I think that you will find a wealth information in regard to the woes of inter-marriage between a witness and a non-witness. In my personal opinion, there is a high likelihood that you are heading for a whole world of pain if you marry this young woman. It's almost certain that you will *never* be accepted by her parents or other witnesses as long as you resist converting. In fact, as a couple, you will both be shunned for all intents and purposes. She will be scorned by other witnesses as "the spiritually sick and frail sister" who caved into temptation and married a "worldly person" and a slave to the "harlot" of false religion. Witnesses will view you, at best, as Satan's dupe (at worst as Satan's knowing ally) . You should know that Witnesses have a particularly intense hatred for Roman Catholics. If you have children, her parents will never act as true grandparents should act. In fact, they may refuse to even meet and see your children.

But I'm sure that others on this board will be able to offer you their own personal experiences. I wish you the very best of luck because you will most certainly need it.