TRUE SCRIPTURE EXISTS, A LIVING ONE

by venus 15 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  venus

  I find three categories of people according to the way they display their human qualities—(1) more than humans, (2) less than humans and (3) mixed in those qualities in varying degrees.
  

  When I observe how they are all faring with their choices, it tells me what I should do and what I should not do. Hence my Scripture is the mankind and letters are living human beings—present and past. Though it is not possible to see beyond an individual’s birth, I can see the history of nations (collective individuals) beyond their present generation into their past, through many generations which shows how their past deeds contributed to their present reality. What is true of collective individuals is true of each individual. Each one’s thinking creates his reality—hence everyone receives what he deserves.

  Written scriptures contain both—good and confusing things

  Written scriptures can be tampered with, or writers could be unwittingly serving the interests of their sponsors. For example, Bible reports on Go’s communication—one time even through a donkey to avert a disaster that was looming over Israel. (Numbers 22:21-39) It means God can communicate with anyone, anytime, anywhere and through any medium. Yet He is often depicted as communicating with the wrong people!

  1) God did not give advance information to Abel, the innocent, saying ‘You should not go when Cain invite you because he wants to murder you using deception.’ Yet we find God speaking to Cain after he had murdered his innocent brother and even offering His help and support to him: “’anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” (Genesis 4:15)

  2) God did not alert Uriah, the innocent one, saying ‘beware of David who is scheming to murder you so that he can steal your wife.’ (2 Samuel 11) Yet God has only full of mercy and praise for David which is spread throughout the Bible (Psalm 89:3, 28; Jeremiah 23:5, 6; Luke 1:31, 32; Revelation 22:16)

  3) When He sent Jesus, God assured him ‘people would respect him’ (Mathew 21:37) rather than telling him he would be killed. Yet we find God making last minute patch-up work communicating with the wife of Pontius Pilate, Roman Governor. (Mathew 27:19)

  4) God is depicted as supporter of slavery. (Mathew 5:41; 24:45; Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22 ….)

  It shows Bible writers were unwittingly serving the interest of the mighty ones of the earth rather than the Almighty of the heavens. First they wrote, and later they attributed to it inspiration from God, just like Jacob did. Jacob (who was renamed Israel by God) presumptuously went ahead and robbed Laban, his father-in-law and employer (30:33-42), an act Laban described as “deception” (Genesis 31:26, 27); yet Jacob later attributes God’s direction in whole episode (31:9-13).

  Thus written scriptures can leave us more confused. However, when we look at the living Scripture or living drama that is going on earth we find how each one fares with his choices which would show what we should do and what we should not.

  [First para is Inspired by the householder in FS experience narrated by Ireneus-A Field Service that gave a shock to the CO]
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  venus

  Hi Wasanelder Once

  I don't dismiss serious subjects saying "I like turtles."

  I pay serious attention when people say things and try to read in between the lines. Here is one that shocked me from toe to head:

  My professor related an experience which he encountered when his team made an expedition to Mali. They saw a woman living in a cave; yet taking care of 20 orphan children. She herself is an orphan. She has no facilities (even no light in the cave) which we are all familiar with, no income, no relatives and no outside support whatsoever. She is human in form, yet more than a human.
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  venus

  Here is another example of one who is more than a human (Mother Teresa) who used to read daily this inscription on the wall of her bed room:

  "People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
  Forgive them anyway.

  If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
  Be kind anyway.

  If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
  Succeed anyway.

  If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
  Be honest and frank anyway.

  What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
  Build anyway.

  If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
  Be happy anyway.

  The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
  Do good anyway.

  Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
  Give the world the best you've got anyway.

  You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
  It was never between you and them anyway."
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  venus

  I admire the perfect understanding of Bernard Shaw with regard to the qualification of Bible to be God's word:

  “No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.” --Bernard Shaw
  
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  OrphanCrow

  "I pay serious attention when people say things and try to read in between the lines."

  
  
  
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  Wasanelder Once

  In 2013, in a comprehensive review[6] covering 96% of the literature on Mother Teresa, a group of Université de Montréal academics reinforced the foregoing criticism, detailing, among other issues, the missionary's practice of "caring for the sick by glorifying their suffering instead of relieving it, … her questionable political contacts, her suspicious management of the enormous sums of money she received, and her overly dogmatic views regarding, in particular, abortion, contraception, and divorce". Questioning the Vatican's motivations for ignoring the mass of criticism, the study concluded that Mother Teresa's "hallowed image—which does not stand up to analysis of the facts—was constructed, and that her beatification was orchestrated by an effective media relations campaign" engineered by the Catholic convert and anti-abortion BBC journalist Malcolm Muggeridge.

  She was sometimes accused by Hindus in her adopted country of trying to convert the poor to Catholicism by "stealth".[22] Christopher Hitchens described Mother Teresa's organisation as a cult that promoted suffering and did not help those in need. He said that Mother Teresa's own words on poverty proved that her intention was not to help people, quoting her words at a 1981 press conference in which she was asked: "Do you teach the poor to endure their lot?" She replied: "I think it is very beautiful for the poor to accept their lot, to share it with the passion of Christ. I think the world is being much helped by the suffering of the poor people."

  "I like turtles" is just shorter.
  
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  venus

  Hi Wasanelder Once,

  Critics can say anything and it doesn’t cost a penny. I have visited Mother Teresa’s Head Quarters and seen things with my own eyes. Among the many famous AWARDS Mother Teresa received, very significant ones are the following:

  Padmashree Award (for extraordinary service from Hindu Nation) August 1962

  Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India, from Hindu Nation) March 1980
  Pope John XXIII Peace Prize January 1971
  John F. Kennedy International Award September 1971
  Jawahalal Nehru Award for International Understanding November 1972
  Templeton Prize for "Progress in Religion" April 1973
  Nobel Peace Prize December 1979
  Order of Merit (from Queen Elizabeth) November 1983
  Gold Medal of the Soviet Peace Committee August 1987
  United States Congressional Gold Medal June 1997

  Six HONORARY DOCTORATES from world famous universities such as Harvard, Cambridge..); and numerous written about Mother Teresa.

  In the interview (by Edward W Desmond, 1989) published by Time Magazine, to the question “Why have you been so successful?” She humbly said “Jesus was acting through me, and I am with Jesus 24 hours.” On question about conversion of people from other religions, she said: “My mission is to give Jesus to all. Seeing what I do they realize I am in love with Jesus.”

  “During the award ceremony [Templeton Prize in England] Prince Philip said: “Mother Teresa, we know very well that you are the last person in the world who would seek rewards and recognition, but I also know that you are the first person that deserves all of that.”

  If critics are right, then these Governments and universities were fooling themselves?
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  Wasanelder Once

  I like turtles
  
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  JeffT

  I find three categories of people according to the way they display their human qualities—(1) more than humans, (2) less than humans and (3) mixed in those qualities in varying degrees.

  Actually, there are only two kinds of people:

  1) those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
  
  
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  WhatshallIcallmyself

  Kermit the frog also has an honorary doctorate...

  Politicians politic and MT was a politician...

  Venus, for so many words used you manage to convey very little...