Womenly subjection

by vikesgirl101 43 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Heaven

  I mean, can we pick and choose which parts of the Bible we like??

  I think if you want to stay sane you have to. I also feel that Revelation 22:18 and 19, right at the end of the Bible, wouldn't have been needed had God been certain no one would alter the content. In other words, he expected it to be changed. So I take a lot of what's in this book with a huge grain of salt. You need to have common sense and a sound mind to determine if what is written is actually principled and 'good'. If it doesn't work for you, if it doesn't make sense, if it isn't supportive of people, then I'd chuck it.

  Can I say I am still a Christian if I disagree with Paul's writings?

  I think so. Paul wasn't Christ.
• 

  PSacramento

  Vikesgirl101,

  Being a christian means that you believe that Jesus is the son of God, that he was ressurected and that Jesus is our saviour and that we are blessed by God's grace through Jesus.

  You can think that Paul was a dick and still be a Christian.

  Considering the horrid things Paul did before his conversion, dick is a nice name for him, LOL !

  At the sametime, if we take the WHOLE of Paul's letters we see a different picture than what seems to be portrayed in the letter to timothy.
• 

  dinah

  Avi and Priest.......I wholeheartedly agree about Paul. I'd still like to dig Adam up and kick his ass. But it's just a story.
• 

  rebel8

  I mean, can we pick and choose which parts of the Bible we like??

  Only if you want to keep deluding yourself that the bible is inspired of god, who is a nice person.
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  meangirl

  Vikesgirl just remember it is Paul's opinion and view it as that just his opinion......That helps me stay sane!!!!
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  vikesgirl101

  meangirl, thanks for putting some logic to all of this. Actually everybody here seems to be on the same page on this subject. Being raised a JW, and never allowed to question some doctines (more so by my Dad than the religion itself) I am trying to put some pieces together. This issue really bugs me to no end. I kept my boyfriend up half a night complaining about this vicious scriptual circle. Although he is religious, he just doesn't care. He could roll over and go to sleep, and not think about it. Me?? I so need professional help. I am questioning if I am justifying my feelings on this without proper reason.
• 

  PSacramento

  Vikesgirl,

  People sometimes confuse or misunderstand what "inspired by God" means.

  God inspires people to talk and to write about him and his son and their teachings, heck we are doing that right now.

  Does God CONTROL what is written? No.

  And I don't think that Paul's ( if it was even Paul who wrote the pastoral epistles) was speaking out of divine inspiration when he repeated what was the typical cultural crap of the time.

  Add to that how Paul referres to women in the letters of which there is no doubt ( or minimal if you prefer) he authoured and you will see his view was of a certain "equality" between Man and Women, well...at least as much as the times allowed for "equality".
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  cantleave

  All this is reinforcing my growing belief that the bible really does contradict itself, contains men's opinions and is not inspired aof god and beneficial for all things. It does have good principles but then so does the Koran, chicken soup for the soul and Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy
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  PSacramento

  I really think that, if ay any point in one life, we pick up the Bible and find very little or nothing that agrees with us, that makes us feel loved or comples us to love others than, indeed, it may well be time to put it down and leave it for awhile.

  Sometimes coming back to it helps us find what we need, other times we may never coem back to it.

  I know that for years I found nothing I wanted in the Bible, it was a horrible book written by controlling and manipultive old farts, about a horrid and demented God.

  I wanted nothing to do with it, I saw no hope, no love, no grace in the Bible.
• 

  Heaven

  cantleave ...

  I have also found very principled information in Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and "First Things First". I relate to these far more than I ever have related to the Bible.