No. And my no I mean when it really counted, not a small coincidence like passing a test or making it home when the roads are icey.
I can pray right now that it's not going to rain today. If it doesn't rain, does that mean my prayer was answered?
prayer topics seem to be the bandwagon of the moment so i'm jumping on!
seriously, has anyone here asked for something specific in prayer and actually gotten what they asked for?
what convinces you that you wouldn't have got it in any case?
No. And my no I mean when it really counted, not a small coincidence like passing a test or making it home when the roads are icey.
I can pray right now that it's not going to rain today. If it doesn't rain, does that mean my prayer was answered?
one of my best friends in the world pam who is a non-judgmental born-again christians told me that she thinks that we are only "pawns" in a chess game played by jehovah and satan.
at first i thought pam was joking with me but she told me she was serious as a heart attack.
she then started to explain her position.
I have to play the 'who cares' card on this one for the most part. It's most likely all a bunch of hooey anyway.
But if the events depicted in the Bible are real, I'd have to say that we're DEFINITELY pawns. Look at what 'Jehovah' did to Job? Yes, HE was responsible for allowing Satan to kill Job's children and give him horrible diseases on a ******* bet. I've yet to see a believer put up any kind of debate at all on the subject, and I've brought it up countless times.
So, if the story of Job is true, then nothing else needs to be debated. God's plan is laid out right there. It's all a bet. If Satan and Jehovah do exist, I don't think that either one is any better than the other.
i was reading this article, and it kinda gave me goose bumps.
simply because i have seen my two cats acting weird, when i saw nothing!.
http://paranormal.about.com/cs/trueghoststories/a/aa111703.htm.
I believe that animals and maybe even small children can see 'something' that the rest of us can't. I'm not sure what they're seeing...my brother used to have conversations with someone or something when he was around 3 in the top bunk of our bedroom. I mean like asking and answering questions, not just gibberish. When I asked him who he was talking to, his eyes would be wide open and he didn't really answer.
Now I have a psychic dog. He hardly ever barks, but every now and then he'll put his ears back and start screaming at one corner of my living room. Sometimes he does it in the middle of the night, and when I go to check it out he runs to my bedroom shivering. Nothing is ever there.
He also ALWAYS knows when company is coming over. When he sits at the front door and whines, we know that a visitor is stopping by.
i would like to have a very big and very nice hot whirlpool tub inside the house.
what kind of house would you like to have?
I'd like a comfortable house in the desert...maybe Texas or even Australia...so I wouldn't have to do any yardwork. The place I have now is like a jungle.
i think i come across as a bit agressive online but in reality i know i'm extremely chilled - lazy some might say.
i'm greek you see and we do so love to argue the toss - loudly and insistently - and then have a game of tavli (backgammon) afterwards.
thing is most of my family are still jw's and as i can't do it with them you guys end up getting both barrels!!.
But my online personality is preety much the same. I give thoughtful words if needed to my friends and ((()))) to those that need it. I'm very giving and positive when needed to be.
Same here, but I tend to use a bit more tact offline. I often come off as preachy online because it's so easy to get away with, and I often don't realize that I'm doing it. The inhibitions simply aren't there. If someone doesn't like what you have to say, well, life goes on. Of course alienating yourself by going overboard is never a good idea...I always try to respect everyone I talk to on and offline. It's good to keep in mind that people online *are* real people with real feelings. It's just harder to see them through typed words.
i think i come across as a bit agressive online but in reality i know i'm extremely chilled - lazy some might say.
i'm greek you see and we do so love to argue the toss - loudly and insistently - and then have a game of tavli (backgammon) afterwards.
thing is most of my family are still jw's and as i can't do it with them you guys end up getting both barrels!!.
I believe that our online personas are much more real than our offline selves. Online, we have the gift of anonymity. We can be our true selves freely without the often permanent consequences that come along with being our full selves in the "real" world.
Here, we can be ourselves, amplified to any degree that we feel necessary. I've said much more about myself in cyber space than I've ever revealed to anyone in the non-virtual world. I find it to be a healthy release.
apparently, a large percentage of xjw's who post on this site have embraced some other form of god/jesus belief to replace the wt doctrine.
most of them fall into the "i accept the lord jesus christ as my personal savior" class.
they are still extremely attached to the old "forgiveness of sin through the shed blood of jc" line.
But, But, Sonnyboy....Eve and Adam weren't wanting for anything....so you can't compare them with a hungry dog.Maybe they were wanting for what Satan promised them?
apparently, a large percentage of xjw's who post on this site have embraced some other form of god/jesus belief to replace the wt doctrine.
most of them fall into the "i accept the lord jesus christ as my personal savior" class.
they are still extremely attached to the old "forgiveness of sin through the shed blood of jc" line.
I have heard many answers to this question but I still can't grasp, why did God put temptation in the Garden of Eden in the first place?To get the ball rolling? He obviously knew what the outcome would be...if you dropped a juicy steak on the floor in front of a hungry dog, what do you think he'd do?
apparently, a large percentage of xjw's who post on this site have embraced some other form of god/jesus belief to replace the wt doctrine.
most of them fall into the "i accept the lord jesus christ as my personal savior" class.
they are still extremely attached to the old "forgiveness of sin through the shed blood of jc" line.
The reason why God is permitting suffering and evil in the world at this time is basically to teach mankind a great lesson. That is that we cannot live without him and his rulership over us. Becuase we were never made to live independently of God.
So, if God exists, he's teaching us the lesson that we need his protection to save us from his own creations? If the Bible is true, ALL things exist because of God. And if God is perfect, he wouldn't have created imperfect beings by accident. Allegedly, Satan is in control of 'worldly' governments, therefore these governments fail. Well get rid of the damn problem and THEN see what we can do.
If God wanted to create a flawless world with flawless beings, he could have, right? He gave us free will for the drama of it all. He allows evil to invoke the huge reality show that we call planet Earth. Apparently he wants the ego boost that comes with appreciation, otherwise he would have created us with the ability to live independently of him. He created us to fail without him? Nice. God wants to feel needed? He wants my appreciation? Come down and have dinner with me once in a while. Have a conversation with me. Let's go to the beach. Hiding in silence while allowing good people to suffer doesn't sound like the best way to get what he's looking for. Simply bringing us forth into a world of chaos without so much as a peep isn't enough.
All that aside, *why* would he need to teach us such a lesson on such a grand scale for so many years? Couldn't he be merciful and teach us in ways that aren't so violent and heinous? Why would he allow the child of one of his faithful followers, who already knows or thinks that he needs God to survive, to die of leukemia? He needs to learn his lesson twice? What lesson was he teaching Job when he allowed Satan to kill his 10 children? That story shows that God allows suffering for at least one reason. He allows suffering on a bet. It's right there in black and white; anything else is speculation.
This whole lesson would be like a human parent sending his child into the forest with an instruction manual for the rest of his life because he took a penny from the coin jar, knowing it was against the rules. If little Timmy follows the manual and survives, good for him. He trusts his parents instructions even though they sent him out among the wolves. If he doesn't follow the manual and starves to death or gets eaten by a bear, I guess he learned his lesson. But God takes it one step further. Not only do you suffer and die in this world, regardless of how loyal and appreciative you may be, but he brings you back to life and kills you again for not following his instructions.
Sounds like love to me...
If all of this is true, allowing suffering sounds more like a bet with Satan than teaching us anything.
i can't believe it, but i missed my first memorial!!!.
i wasn't sure what was going to happen, until it was past the time to get ready and leave.
i left it up to my husband, and he made no effort to get ready and go.
I haven't gone for close to 10 years now.
I felt kind of guilty at first, as did my folks, and now I can't imagine ever setting foot in a Kingdom Hall again.
Congratulations.