by EdenOne 9 Replies latest jw friends
Just wanted to let you know that a few changes were made to my website, CHRISTIAN FRATERNITY OF GOD'S PEOPLE (CFGP).
Thanks to all who have visited the website. The peak of unique visitors in one day was 493, established on June 22, 2013.
Eden
Forgot to mention that I've added a plug-in whereby you can read the Bible on the site (and search Bible passages etc), using the Holman Christian Standard Bible Translation.
Also added a contact form (linked to our email) on the front page.
Eden
Eden are there any significant differences between your beliefs and those of an average JW?
this is a huge difference if it represents edenOne's beliefs
The average JW has not got a clue what they are supposed to believe about OT prophecies.
Are there any significant differences between JWs and your "Christian Fraternity of god's People"?
I just read your "basic beliefs" page and I can't see any important differences.
According to one of the articles he doesn't believe we're living in the last days which is a big difference.
Eden. According to your website, your basic beliefs include...
The inspiration of the protestant canon of the bible.
The importance of using the divine name.
The creation of pre-human Jesus
Jesus' "unblemished" life as ransom sacrifice. (words straight from the pen of Rutherford)
Need to "exercise faith" in the ransom (pure WT terminology)
Salvation through faith + works.
Holy spirit is an impersonal force.
Paradise earth.
Kingdom of god = an administration to return humans to "an approved condition".
Vindication of god's universal sovereignty
Soul sleep.
Political neutrality.
This is 99.9% Watchtower theology is it not?
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/251808/1/John-3-16-EXERCISE-faith
Eden, how come you criticised the term 'exercise faith' in that thread a month ago but now use it on the basic beliefs of your website?
Cofty
I don't believe anymore that we live in "the last days"; I believe that the greatest part of the OT prophecies has been thoroughly fulfilled until the first century. Isn't that a major difference?
As for what I believe the Kingdom of God is, you must go and read beyond the "Basic Beliefs". On the article "The Divine Purpose of Redemption", please go to Part VI, "The double mission of Christ", and you'll find there what I believe the Kingdom is. I intend to write a dedicated article to that alone, but the fundamentals are there.
As for Paradise on earth, you obviously didn't read my article "The tree of life and its meaning". If you had, you would understand how my beliefs regarding the "earthly paradise" are quite a departure from what the WT teaches.
You see...the other day you told me to "go read a book" ... and now you raise a bunch of points that clearly show that you haven't got much clues on what I've been writing. You remind me of Dawkins when he was trapped into an interview with a TV crew from Australia. They asked him a question that only a creationist could have asked, and he realized he had been tricked into an interview with a creationist, something that he had refused, for he feels that debating with a creationist (or a believer, for that matter) is to give undeserved credibility to his antagonist. In a way, this is ironic, because you raised points that clearly show that you don't know what you're talking about when you point your finger at me.
There are a bunch of things I haven't written on yet, because unfortunately both my business and a bit of an ailing health has stolen from me my time and my capacity to focus. I hope I can back to cruise mode sometime soon.
Laika,
You're right to point out what you did. Old WT habits die hard. I did write "exercise faith" before i made some research about the term and debated it here on JWN. I made an edit, and replaced the expression "exercise faith" by the most biblically accurate "put faith". Thank you for pointing out my mistake.
Eden
Cofty, let me go point by point:
The inspiration of the protestant canon of the bible. While the catholics believe that the Bible is "inerrant" or totally free from error; or the protestants believe the Bible is "infallible", that is, incapable of containing errors, I simply say that the Bible is "reliable". Big difference.
The importance of using the divine name. The Bible say it's important, and I merely second what the Bible says. I agree that Jehovah isn't the best rendering of that name.
The creation of pre-human Jesus. It's in the Bible. How could i deny it?
Jesus' "unblemished" life as ransom sacrifice. (words straight from the pen of Rutherford) As far as I know Rutherford didn't coin the term "unblemished", so i don't know what you're talking about. The King James Bible Translation, from 1604, uses the expression "without blemish" in 1 Peter 1:19. I wrote extensively that the term "redemption" is much better than "ransom". See my article "The Divine Purpose Of Redemption".
Need to "exercise faith" in the ransom (pure WT terminology) You and Laika are correct about that one. I should have replaced that expression for the more accurate "put faith on". I corrected that.
Salvation through faith + works. Salvation comes through grace. Faith is essential to attain grace. Works are evidence of faith. What's your problem with that?
Holy spirit is an impersonal force. Correct.
Paradise earth. Paradise earth, yes. But that doesn't mean that each human will individually live forever on a paradise on earth. "Salvation" doesn't mean "to live forever on a paradise on earth". Again, you didn't read what I wrote.
Kingdom of god = an administration to return humans to "an approved condition". That's just ONE among SEVEN things that the Kingdom of God is. Again, you didn't read enough.
Vindication of god's universal sovereignty. Yes, but! Although i don't believe that's the main theme of the Bible nor the ultimate objective of the Kingdom of God. In its aspect of being an "Administration", yes, it's one of its objectives. But, as it turns out, the Kingdom of God is way more than that.
Soul sleep. I don't know what you mean by that. That death is like a sleep?
Political neutrality. Yes, but I also wrote that neutrality "shouldn't hold back from helping in improving the life of others through good deeds.", which means that a Christian is free to have a participation in social and community actions, instead of simply sit and wait for the "new system" to correct everything.
This is 99.9% Watchtower theology is it not? You be the judge.
Eden
