Mostly, it just talked about not messin with your creator.
I don't think the creator likes seafood very much either.
Why didn't Jesus Give Instructions for a Bible?
by gumby 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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plmkrzy
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myelaine
back on topic...
Exodus 23:1...You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
Exodus 23:6...You shall not pervert the judgement of your poor in his dispute.
Revelation 22:18-19...For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
So we have a CLOSED CANON...because Jesus(rev 22:13) says so....He wants people to know THE truth. And He wants us to tell THE truth to our neighbor, IN LOVE.
love michelle
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Shakita
So........why didn't jesus command a book about him to be written? If you think he did....please supply some kinda proof." Hey Gumby. This is an interesting topic since there are about as many interpretations as to what it means to be Christian as there are Christian denominations. (I believe that there are tens of thousands of Christian denominations, anyone have the figures?) I feel that the proof that Jesus DID NOT instruct his followers to write down the account of his life is evident in the endless variety of those Christians that claim that one must do a,b,c and the other sect says that to be a Christian one must do x,y,z. For example, some sects claim that one must believe that Jesus is God and that believing in such and worshiping Jesus is necessary for salvation. Other sects, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, The Bible Students and other groups believe that Jesus is lesser than our Heavenly Father and that to worship Jesus is a sin that takes away that worship that should rightfully belong to God. Some sects teach that unless one puts faith and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ that that one will roast in hell for eternity. (Yeowwchh!) There are some groups that have gone back to the polygamy of times past and claim that their right to have many wives and children is their God given right. What also seems to be typical of these sects is the isolation that the leaders of these sects preach so as to avoid contamination from the world. Witness the groups such as the Mennonites, the Amish and the Hutterites that believe living a plain and simple life free from all of the amenities of our modern world is what will please God. The variety of Christian sects and their belief systems seems to be endless. I believe that all of these denominations have consulted God's written word to determine for themselves what God views as approved and unapproved. The opinions as to what constitutes the "right" way to worship God is as endless as the individuals that make up the tens of thousands of denominations that claim that their way is the Christian way. It is for that reason that I don't believe that Christ ever authorized his followers to write down an account of his life. I feel that he knew the resultant confusion that would arise when men would attempt to categorize his life. Invariably, men in power determined what was "orthodox" or what was heretical. Of course, one man's heresy was another man's orthodoxy. I personally believe that Jesus's message is very simple. We are to love God the Father with all of our heart and we are to consider all humans as our brothers that we are to love in imitation of Christ. Ever since my experience with the JW's, I have had it with the conversion scenario. I can't stomach that anymore, because the one attempting to convert is viewing their potential convert as having need of getting it right. My feelings about this are ambiguous because I understand the need for the written word because things that are passed down orally probably have more interpretations than those things that are written down. I suppose that there is no easy answer to why Jesus didn't authorize his own account, but I bet that, even if he had authorized an official account of his life, I'm sure that there would be just as many interpretations as there are with the accounts written down by his first century followers. Argghh
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Shakita
P.S. I did seperate my thoughts into paragraphs, but my post came out all bunched together. Please help moderators? Thanks. Mr. Shakita
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just2sheep
unclebruce,
you almost got my point. a concept so simple, so ingrained in the human psyche that lao tsu, buddha, celts, druids, vikings, polynesians, australian aborigines, american indians, inuit, mung tribespeople, animistic melanisians, zulus, many others; not to forget jesus, paul, unclebruce, and just2sheep can understand it. you can expand on it, you can expound on it, but; no matter how many words you use, or who you site as your source, or what proof you site as to why you believe one came after the other, you can't make it any truer. or any less true.
those six words are a universal truth...if people would pay attention to just the neighbor part the world would be an easier place to live in. how you or anyone else deals with the god part is up to the individual, and really isn't any of my business. that is between the individual and their god or no god or whatever. but if you aren't treating your neighbor with love, or you aren't treating me with love, then i don't care how you are dealing with the god part of the equation...god may love you; but i don't have to; and no amount of verbage can alter that. it isn't "deep" but it is true.
"there are 450 million taoists who would laugh at your 'depth'..." that may be true, but even jerry seinfeld would have trouble pulling those kind of numbers for one joke. unc, i never try for depth. i have enough trouble trying for quality.
no offense, but i have as much respect for history books and historians as some people on jwd have for the watchtowers and awakes.
j ( we liked this...i suppose my native american name would be Jay Twosheep)
j2s
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plmkrzy
Revelation 22:18-19...For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
So we have a CLOSED CANON...because Jesus(rev 22:13) says so....
myelaine, am I understanding you correct? You believe nothing has been added or taken away from the scriptures as we know them?
plm
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gumby
He wants us to tell THE truth to our neighbor, IN LOVE.
Myelaine....how long did it take ya to find those scriptures? It was a struggle wasn't it? Still...only you added the phrase "love" to the scriptures that didn't contain it. Your scriptures were about not lying about your fellowman and being fair to poor people. I'm not saying the OT didn'thave in mind to be loving to your neighbor......but it is vauge on How to show love that many other so called "pagan books" clearly define.
Besides....the OT only taught fairness to be shown among the Israelites specifically(though there were good moral laws to be carried out towards towards gentiles) and these laws were only given to THEM as god chose THEM and didn't teach nor give these laws and instuctions to others.....yet blamed them for their ignorance when they defied his laws only given to his "chosen" people.
Shazard......are we too be glad there was a book to at least inform us of Jesus and his one universal law to love god and neighbor.....yet also say we don't need a book to abide by....just those words? Without the book....we haven't those words. How can any have it both ways?
Gumby
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EAGLE-1
Gumby you are the coolest.I was thinking instead of a book how about a visit.Come on down say hi.Of course theres a verse about why we dont or wont see him or a verse that says we will see no proof.A no win situation.Instead of the bibles says this or the bible says that how 'bout a visit God person.Anyone can do a book.We need proof.Ready to play video games now.I get to play god.KILL KILL KILL.Bye 4 now.
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unclebruce
no offense, but i have as much respect for history books and historians as some people on jwd have for the watchtowers and awakes.
Hey just, I hope It's just a phase your going through lol .. I can understand your fear of science but in the non cult world one doesn't need to believe everything one reads. To liken historians or any other scientists to the scribes that write watchtower and awake! is woeful in its ignorance. I don't even know where to start with that lol.There are threads here where people relate their JW experience. Do we have to believe these stories? No way! But personnaly I find that arround 100% of these history records ring true. And this is without anything remotely like the standard of proof and peer review required before one can successfuly publish history research (geez if you think JWD is a tough audience, try getting anything past the argumentative hawks of academia). They'd tear you to shreds over a misplaced commer (why does that ring a bell?).
Historians aren't dogmatic purveyors of bullshit any more than any other scientists. Some of my best friends are historians. They work hard and reveal much. A friend and neighbour of mine, Mark McKenna, has just published a book called 'looking for blackfellows point' in which he examines and documents the harsh treatment and massacre of Australias indigenous folk in the very early days of settlement here in the Bega Valley. His work in revealing things till now whispered about behind closed doors hasn't made him very popular with the locals but has won him many national awards from those who appreciate well researched work shining light into dark corners and asking questions about our past and present attitudes and behaviour.
We all have our own a basic frame work of facts to hang our ideas and we all vary in this. True histrory is fascinating and fun to explore. For me the earth is an old spherical rock spinning around a dying little star (I can only take the historians word on this - it's a pretty crazy idea but I'll buy it till the flat earth society gets their act together). For me t here is more fun and truth to be found in examination of the questions than will ever be found in the answers, a view shared by most historians amature and otherwise.
cheers unc who looks for questions.
ps: sorry for the ramble, hope it makes sense I'm not awake yet
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myelaine
dear Gumby,
It didn't take me any time at all to find those scriptures, I was reading there.
the phrase, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel, comes to mind...if we are talking PURPOSE and principle.1 Cor.9:16
love michelle