by tootired2care 114 Replies latest jw friends
Have you ever watched a small child with its favorite Teddy bear or doll talking away...chatting...conversing...interacting?
The "other" is created in the mind and imbued with everything necessary for the "relationship".
It is part empathy reflected back upon the self. Part is projection outward of the secret person inward.
Who better to relate to than our own self?
Most JWs don't know what a relationship with God is because there is an organization between them and God. The WT dictates what God likes or dislikes, approves or rejects. They even have the power to alienate you from God by disfellowshipping you...They qualify those who are in line for survival or destruction and they also claim eventhought they don't know the exact day, that the end is sooooon to arrive. It's like me claiming that I have a relationship with the president of the company I work for because I follow the rules dictated by the human resources dept. Some of the rules I follow may not have their origin from the president and he may actually disaprove some of the actions taken by the HR manager...The president may not even know that I exist...but in the case of the company I work for I know for sure that he exists because I see him once in a while....
Jesus is quoted as saying "come to me"9 times in the Bible.
The most well-known is Matt 11:28 (NIV) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
I have a very close relationship with God, to get it I just.....(wait for it...) prayed to Jesus to take over my life. He's the one Jehovah appointed for us to "come to". Steven prayed to him. Paul prayed to him. So can I. Once I did that, the Holy Spirit let me know I have a relationship with God. Just a feeling.... a great one.
(Alright Angry Atheists, please don't cut me to ribbons.)
I'll be honest, Jesus feels a lot more approachable than Jehovah.
Many times when we "recieve" answers to prayers, it is because you have thought the problem out, figured out a way to solve it,or have been patient to see what happens, if nothing, you take action - why give the credit to something that doesn't exist?
Thanks I appreciate everyones comments on this.
I do have a followup question for those that believe they do possess a relasionship with God. Do you feel, or have you experienced something that led you to believe that you may have harmed that relasionship based on your actions at one or more points in your life and what made you conclude that? In other words what is the criteria borne out through your experience that is required to maintain that relasionship/link?
"Most JWs don't know what a relationship with God is because there is an organization between them and God."
This statement is powerful. Has anyone watched Bill Maher's documentary "religulous"? At one point towards the end of it, he says "Most people would think it's wonderful when someone says, "I'm willing, Lord! I'll do whatever you want me to do!" Except that since there are no gods actually talking to us, that void is filled in by people with their own corruptions and limitations and agendas"
This is exactly what is so mind boggling. I would understand if a christian truly thinks that he has a relationship with God. But how can a Jehovah's Witness, who puts 100% trust in an organization....and who allows that organization to insert itself as mediator in lieu of Christ, truly feel that he has a relationship with God? When a witness prays....his "prayers" are answered by meeting parts and publications by the society. Exactly what Maher said.
HI Nambo & Fernando, what are your thoughts as to what thoughts God is giving to this helpless child as a vulture waits for her to die so it can tear her apart & eat her??
There is no relationship with God until He reveals Himself by His Holy Spirit. Without the indwelling Holy Ghost there is no conviction, no commune, no joy, no assurance, no worship, no relationship. The Holy Spirit longs for the Son to be glorified in and through the believer. Without the witness of the Spirit we have religion; the form, but not the power.
My thoughts on the above picture?
That God doesnt take an active role in Satans world until Jesus brings the kingdom that will prevent and undo such suffering, God isnt a Genie of the lamp that goes around performing miracles of a physical nature, even Christians dont get saved, look at the 20 million Christians that Stalin murdered, often by burying them alive.
What God does offer us, is a relationship with him, that if we reach out to him, he will let himself be found by us, that doesnt then meam he will automatically stop us suffering in the way that that poor child is, but it does give us the comfort to know that he does exist and can undo the damage God haters have done to the world of suffering man.
Tootired2care,
In response to your last question, I have found it to be the opposite, when I have done what I considered through my Witness training, to be such a discusting vomit eating sin that I thought God would surely now have nothing whatsoever to do with me, I get his Holy Spirit even stronger, and then that tells me that he still cares for me, that the blood of his Son is worth more than any sin I could do, and that his mercy is a gift from him, not a payment for any works of mine, it also helps me to learn how to love him, something the JW doctrines of men make it very hard to do.
It also disproves the theories of some of those here who plainly dont want God to exist, yet wonder why he doesnt have a relationship with them, namely that the feelings of the Holy Spirit are the results of internal feel good chemical reactions when I am feeling far from good following such sinning.
A case of putting the cart before the horse.
