by LouBelle 87 Replies latest jw friends
Well, thanks for assuming you know the whole trajectory of my life and state of my psyche, I have no phobias (at least not this), and no black clouds.
It is not an assumption to remark the obvious, that you are cought in a religious mind-control cult and that your independent thinking has been replaced by phobias and that you are slaving away and fighting windmills for a multinational printing corporation. Wake up, buddy. The coffee and toasts are ready for you.
It is not an assumption to remark the obvious, that you are cought in a religious mind-control cult and that your independent thinking has been replaced by phobias and that you are slaving away and fighting windmills for a multinational printing corporation. Wake up, buddy. The coffee and toasts are ready for you.
I see now why you think as you do.
I am not a Jehovah's Witness.
Burn
I see now why you think as you do.
I am not a Jehovah's Witness.
Burn
I see. My apologies. Still, your uncompromising attitude is more indicative of an inner uncertainty than a deep conviction. Fanatism under any flag is extreme.
Peace.
G
I see. My apologies. Still, your uncompromising attitude is more indicative of an inner uncertainty than a deep conviction. Fanatism under any flag is extreme.
Indeed, but I have not seen you compromise any more than I have. It is not fanaticism to have convictions.
Peace to you.
Burn
May you have peace!
I thought that slavery had been abolished in the USA because it was considered unfair and cruel.
Well, there's a couple things here: first, just because slavery was "abolished" doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Second, there is more than one type/form of slavery. There is indentured slavery (employment is a form of that). There is also compulsory slavery (where the "master" MAKES one into his/her slave), which is usually born out of contempt for the individual enslaved (the mindset that the slave is "beneath" said master)- and without pay (if you don't count room and board, which is usually the bare minimum).
There is also voluntary slavery (say, employment, but without pay). Happens all the time. All over the world. Some do it in order to pay a debt, whether real or perceived. An example of the latter would be, say, you save my life (i.e., pull me from a raging river, push me out of the way of a runaway car, etc.). As a result, I feel, believe, think, that I am indebted to you. Now, you may not ASK me to be your slave; you may not even WANT me to. You might even protest, even profusely. But, out of my GRATEFULNESS to YOU... I CHOOSE to be your slave. And there really isn't much you can do about that, other than to reject my... ummmm... attempts to "discharge" my debt.
That is the situation here: my Lord is not asking me to be his slave; indeed, he said, "I no longer call you slaves, but friends" (which answers your question). However, since he gave his life for me... since he, in essence, has saved my life... and I am GRATEFUL... beyond words, beyond description... I have chosen to slave for him. I can't repay him, of course. I know this. Indeed, he hasn't asked me to. But I WANT to. And the ONLY thing I can do, in MY mind, is let the WORLD know the TRUTH: about whom I follow, whom I CHOSE as my master... after HE chose ME... as his friend. And the TRUTH about what occurs with ME... in regard to him. I do this because (1) I love him and am grateful to him, and (2) I love those HE loves and so try to share with THEM what he shares with ME.
I understand that you don't get this. I have absolutely no expectation in that regard. I will say that, apparently like you, many people, including those who consider themselves to be "educated" to some degree, tend to view words that have more than one meaning from only one point of view. And that view is usually positive or negative based on the individual's own... well, will (i.e., "I think it means this and so it means this and only this.") This is a mistake, of course, but the result is that if one hasn't researched a word (so as to know all of its meanings)... and/or if one doesn't like the word (for example "slave"), then all forms of the word are anathema... to them.
Now, I don't know you personally, but I do wish to end by saying (and this may not apply to you at all) that I find it absolutely intriguing that many who view the word "slave" as anathema... have absolutely NO problem enslaving others, in one form or another, either as a poor employer or through various forms of mind control, etc.. AND... that although the founding folks of this country (USA) prided themselves on fleeing from an oppressive government and unwanted forms of servitude and, after arriving, devised a document hailing freedom...all the while holding others in literal and compulsory slavery. And it took quite some time for their descendants to come to grips with that truth (ummmmm, it's been less than 50 years!). But as a direct descendant of literal slaves, I believe I have a RIGHT to say who I will... and will not... enslave myself to. Notice, I said "enslave myself to," and NOT "be enslaved by." Thus, if I CHOOSE to slave for someone... anyone... that is entirely my right... and my choice.
How come Christ still keeps slaves?
He doesn't. Please see response above.
I bid you peace.
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
SA
May you have peace!
Are you saying the Bible is not true?
If by "true" you mean "inspired," then my answer is yes, I am saying the Bible is NOT inspired. The Bible itself tells you that. SCRIPTURE... is inspired; however, the Bible... is not scripture. The Bible contains scripture, along with histories, chronologies, records and letter (epistles). And there is scripture that is not contained in the Bible.
God did not leave us scripture or the other. He left US... a Son. Prior to sending His Son, God spoke to His people "by means of the Prophets." The Prophets... who were born along by holy spirit and were, in fact, IN SPIRIT (i.e., "inspired")... wrote what they were told to write. Why? Because PRIOR TO THEM... when God TRIED to speak directly to the people... THEY rejected it! That is the REASON Moses went up to get the Law: God had Moses assemble the people because He was going to come down and speak with them... FACE TO FACE. However, the people couldn't handle the "protocols" (i.e., they had to stand a distance back and they couldn't touch the mountain. Not even an animal could touch it). They were SO... COWARDLY... that they said, "Hey, look, Moses, we're scared. So, rather than have God come down, why don't YOU just go on up, find out what He has to say, and then come back and tell us."
It is they, Israel... and since then WE... EARTHLING MAN... who rejected speaking with the Most Holy One of Israel. Not HE rejecting them/us. I would encourage everyone who thinks they know... to go back and read it. I digress.
Back to the Prophets: what they wrote, the scriptures, pointed to One who was to come and told us that once that One came... HE was the one we were to listen and follow. And when HE came, HE said that "THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHICH THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, THAT ONE WILL LEAD YOU INTO ALL TRUTH." Unfortunately, most don't HEAR that proclamation, and thus, they keep searching the scriptures. This is curious, however, in light of the words of Christ at John 5:39, 40, where he says:
"You are searching the scriptures because you THINK that by means of THEM you will have everlasting life. And these are the very ones that bear witness about ME. And YET... YOU DO NOT WANT TO COME... TO ME that you might have life."
The Apostle John backed this up, however, by writing that "the anointing you received fromhim remains in you, and you do not need anyone to be teaching you; but, as the anointing from him is teaching you about ALL things, and is TRUE, and is NO LIE..." 1 John 2:27
The chronologies were held out under the pretense of an attempt to preserve the validity of the blood lines so that WHEN the Lion of Judah arrived, it could be proven that he was in fact a son of Abraham. They kept them, however, NOT because they wanted to support the one claiming to BE Messiah... but so they could be sure they had the right one when they put him to death.
The records were kept in order to provide a "puffing up" of Israel to their enemies. The gospels (excluding John's), letters (epistles) and Acts accounts are merely the attempt of Matthew, Mark (Peter's son), Paul, Luke and others to provide a record (in the case of Matthew, Mark and Luke), and encouragement and guidance (in the case of Paul). Luke certainly was not inspired: first, God did not tell him to write - Theophilus did. Second, he did not get his information from God or holy spirit, but from interviewing "eyewitnesses." Paul was often wrong (attributable to his youth and training as a Pharisee), so that if you read his letters in their proper sequence (and with the proper transliterations) you will see that (1) one of his letters to the Corinthians (his first) is missing, and (2) he corrected himself on several occasions, including, most importantly, the issue of disfellowshipping (Christ NEVER sanctioned such an act by his followers and, in fact, TAUGHT then to go after those "expelled from the synagogues"). I don't follow Paul, however; I follow the Christ.
I understand, truly, that you and others might not get this. If that is the case, one reason is because you have been misled into believing that the anointing is only for a select few, an elite class... whether clergy or some other "governing" or other body... so that you do not even know to ASK for holy spirit. This exclusivity, however, is a LIE... one designed to KEEP you from doing the VERY thing Christ said you needed to do in order to be in union with him.
The anointing, however, is for ANYONE... who exercises faith. Whether they are "of the sons of Israel"... or the "great crowd out of EVERY nation, tribe, tongue and people." Anyone... who truly wishes it. Including you... if you truly wish it. All you need do is heed the words of the Spirit and the Bride, who KEEP saying:
"Come! Take 'life's water'... FREE!"
I bid you peace.
Your servant and a slave of Christ,
SA
May you have peace... and may I respond? Thank you!
for a long time I really tried to reach out to god.
May I respectfully say that while I am sure YOU thought you were "reach[ing] out to God," you actually weren't? Again, I say that with all due respect. But, why? Because you go on to say:
As a believer and as a non-believer. I prayed, I read the bible, I looked into non-bible faiths.
But NONE of these are things that reach out to God. NONE of these will get you to Him.
I think I put in enough effort for god to have reached back out to me and fill me with some kind of feeling or spirit or faith that he was there and that he gave a damn.
Let me ask you, if you will kindly permit me: let's say you are a court of law somewhere in this country, and you wish to have a hearing before the judge. Let's say the court system in question has "rules" (which all courts do) and procedures which you have to do in order to get on the docket. Can you just go, say, into the lobby and, standing there, call out to the judge and be heard? Can you simply go to the law library and read the law books and then expect that the judge will hear you? What if you go to a court in another state, a court that has no jurisdiction in the land you came from? Would the judge in your land hear you from a court in another land?
Now, I don't mean to sound trite, but that's exactly what's happened here: you either decided to do it your way... or to listen to and do it the way others, who also have no clue as to the rules of this court, do it. Unfortunately, neither will get you heard, however. How DOES one get heard? By following the rules of the court, which rules are not burdensome at all. They require only two things: (1) FAITH... in God and One He sent forth to speak FOR Him TO us... and vice verse; and (2) going THROUGH that One. Anyone who tries to "enter" by any other method is deemed a thief and a plunderer.
But he didn't.
And why SHOULD He? I ask you: what householder among US is willing to even LISTEN, let alone RESPOND, to someone who has illegally broken into and entered his home? YOU wouldn't. Why should God????? Just because you THOUGHT you were entering properly doesn't mean you WERE. If you tried to do it through a window... or some sidedoor... rather than through the FRONT Door... and only after that had been OPENED to you... then you tried to enter... illegally. And so He is not OBLIGATED to "entertain" you, is He? The Door... is Christ. Trying to enter by ANY other means... is attempted burglary.
Which leaves in my mind three possible reasons.1. god is incapable of reaching out to me because I am flawed. But since I am his creation this is his fault not mine.
We're all flawed. That we are is absolutely irrelevant. However, you are NOT God's creation; you were NOT made in His image. Adam was made in His image. When God said, "Let us make man..." He did not mean, "Let us make all of mankind." He meant, "We going to make A man." Ad-ham. Earthling man. YOU... came into existence by means of that Ad-Ham, in whose image YOU were made, which image came into existence AFTER he had sinned. The only "men" that God created in His image were Adham... and Christ.
2. god is able to reach out to me and is choosing not to do so, either because he has rejected me or is testing.
God HAS reached out to you! He has reached out to ALL of mankind. It is MAN... who does not reach back, who does not "grope" for Him. True, we wave our arms around, wildly and in every which direction. But, more often than not, we don't make a concerted effort to "find" Him. Because if we did, we would look... FIRST... for the DOOR... that HE said was the WAY... TO Him.
I am not really comfortable with either option. 3. god is imaginary. Like Santy Clause.
Which is the easiest choice, isn't it? For it requires nothing of US. The first two at least required we THINK about God. This one doesn't even require THAT much effort. And we wonder why we can't "find" Him. It's because we choose not to LOOK... at least, not in the "place" He TOLD us to look.
I bid you peace... and ears to hear and get the sense of it.
Your servant and a slave of Christ,
SA
Try calling her "Goddess."
Lou you make very good points.
I used to think maybe humans had fallen so far from perfection God gave up on us, but this would be inconsisten with the ransom sacrifice.
I rarely pray - why do I thank God for what I have in abundance when others plead for what they do not have?
If I thank God for is provisions why can't he share his provisions with all?
I think God has gone into self-imposed exile.
What really irritates me are the dubs who talk about God's promises as if he just made them yesterday.
This sounds like a fairly good explanation to me but I'd like to hear your thoughts. God created our universe but he's probably left it to see what happens or he's working on a different project. Sound realistic to you?
This is Deism, a once popular idea among thinking people. Many of the founding fathers of the United States were Deists. As we have learned more and more through the scentific method, this scenario seems less and less likely. To quote Stephen Hawking:
"What I have done is to show that it is possible for the way the universe began to be determined by the laws of science. In that case, it would not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe began. This doesn't prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary."
