The Bible is the source of the problem when we avoid to learn how unbiased scholars have disentangled some of its contradictions. We have to admit that the Bible is a set of books with different authors with different agendas. There is no god behind the books of the Bible.
opusdei1972
JoinedPosts by opusdei1972
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"TatianJW Apologist or a Heretic Witness?"
by opusdei1972 inin the year 2003 (w03 5/15 pp.
27-29) the watchtower analyzed the heretical views of tatian, a christian of the second century, in an article entitled "tatianapologist or heretic?".
let's read some portions:.
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"TatianJW Apologist or a Heretic Witness?"
by opusdei1972 inin the year 2003 (w03 5/15 pp.
27-29) the watchtower analyzed the heretical views of tatian, a christian of the second century, in an article entitled "tatianapologist or heretic?".
let's read some portions:.
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opusdei1972
In the year 2003 (w03 5/15 pp. 27-29) The Watchtower analyzed the heretical views of Tatian, a christian of the second century, in an article entitled "Tatian—Apologist or Heretic?". Let's read some portions:
Consider, however, Tatian’s writing entitled On Perfection According to the Doctrine of the Savior. In this work he attributes matrimony to the Devil. Claiming that individuals would be tying their flesh to the perishable world through marriage, Tatian strongly condemns it.
Nevertheless, as far as I know, Joseph Rutherford forbidden marriage too, though he could have some affairs:
"...should the Jonadabs[the great crowd] now be encouraged to marry and rear children? No, is the answer, supported by the Scriptures......" (The Watchtower, November 1, 1938; "Fill the Earth", page 323)
Now let's go back to the Watchtower's article on Tatian (w03 5/15 pp. 27-29):
It appears that about 166 C.E., after the death of Justin Martyr, Tatian either founded or associated with an ascetic sect called the Encratites. Its adherents emphasized strict self-control and mastery of one’s body. They practiced an asceticism requiring abstinence from wine, marriage, and possessions.
A Lesson to Be Learned
Why did Tatian deviate so far from the Scriptures? Did he become “a forgetful hearer”? (James 1:23-25) Did Tatian fail to turn down false stories and thereby fall prey to human philosophy? (Colossians 2:8; 1 Timothy 4:7) Since the errors he subscribed to were so great, could some mental aberration be suspected?
Whatever the case, Tatian’s writings and example provide a glimpse of the religious climate of his day. They demonstrate how damaging the influence of worldly philosophy can be. May we take to heart the apostle Paul’s warning to turn away “from the empty speeches that violate what is holy and from the contradictions of the falsely called ‘knowledge.’”—1 Timothy 6:20.
Ok, so, according to the Watchtower, Tatian became an apostate after associating with an ascetic sect. It seems that the Watchtower knew this information from the second century church father Irenaeus , who said:
those who are called Encratites (self-controlled) preached against marriage.....They deny, too, the salvation of him who was first created. It is but lately, however, that this opinion has been invented among them. A certain man named Tatian first introduced the blasphemy. He was a hearer of Justin's, and as long as he continued with him he expressed no such views; but after his martyrdom he separated from the Church, and, excited and puffed up by the thought of being a teacher, as if he were superior to others, he composed his own peculiar type of doctrine. ("Against Heresies", Book I, Chapter 28)
Note that, according to Irenaeus, Tatian introduced the "blasphemous" view that Adam would not be saved by Christ's ransom. But is this not what Jehovah's Witnesses preach in their literature?.
On the other hand, the Watchtower has used a work of Tatian in order to defend the four Gospels:
Early in the history of Christianity, critics argued that the Gospels contradicted one another and thus their accounts could not be trusted. The Syrian writer Tatian (about 110-180 C.E.) came to the defense of the Gospels. He felt that any apparent contradictions would disappear if the Gospels were skillfully harmonized and blended into one account instead of four.
Tatian set about preparing such a harmony. It is not known whether his original was in Greek or in Syriac. Whatever the case, about 170 C.E., Tatian completed his work, known as the Diatessaron, a Greek word meaning “through [the] four.” Why should you be interested in this noninspired composition?
In the 19th century, critics began to promote the view that none of the Gospels were written before the middle of the second century C.E.; hence, they could have little historical value. Ancient manuscripts of the Diatessaron discovered since then, however, provide definitive evidence that the four Gospels—and only the four—were already well-known and accepted as a collection by the middle of the second century C.E.
Discovery of the Diatessaron and commentaries on it in Arabic, Armenian, Greek, and Latin led Bible scholar Sir Frederic Kenyon to write: “These discoveries finally disposed of any doubt as to what the Diatessaron was, and proved that by about A.D. 170 the four canonical Gospels held an undisputed pre-eminence over all other narratives of our Saviour’s life.” (w10 3/1 pp. 8-11, "Why You Can Trust the Biblical Gospels")
So, Interestingly, the Watchtower needs "heretical" christians to have evidences in favor to the four Gospels. Thus, it seems that the Christian God used apostates in the second century to defend the New Testament. -
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Anyone else notice the new Terms of Use on jw.org?
by leaving_quietly ini first noticed it today... slides up at the bottom.
i wonder why they felt the need to do this?
this is just silly for a religious website..
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opusdei1972
DOES IT MEAN THAT WE CAN'T QUOTE PORTIONS OF THE TEXT OF JW.ORG ?
WHAT ABOUT FAIR USE?
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Jehovah deceives us
by opusdei1972 inpaul said that god does not lie:.
in the hope of eternal life, which god, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (titus 1:2).
however, jehovah god deceived his people:.
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opusdei1972
Moses Joe - As for the decieving spirit, it actually means something different from lying. What it means is that their counsel always proved worthless.
I think that the author understood "the deceiving spirit" as literal as the following "evil spirit":
Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. (1 Samuel 16:14)
Clearly, it was a literal evil spirit.
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Jehovah deceives us
by opusdei1972 inpaul said that god does not lie:.
in the hope of eternal life, which god, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (titus 1:2).
however, jehovah god deceived his people:.
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opusdei1972
Doug Mason - The Bible is not a flat board; it is not one book written by one person or group of people.
It is not a scholarly analysis. I am just playing with the rules of the witnesses. They believe the Bible is one book and was inspired by Jehovah.
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Jehovah deceives us
by opusdei1972 inpaul said that god does not lie:.
in the hope of eternal life, which god, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (titus 1:2).
however, jehovah god deceived his people:.
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opusdei1972
Paul said that God does not lie:
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2)
However, Jehovah God deceived his people:
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD, surely thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'It shall be well with you'; whereas the sword has reached their very life." (Jer. 4:9-10)
Jehovah said he can fool a prophet:
“‘But if the prophet is fooled and gives a response, it is I, Jehovah, who have fooled that prophet.+ I will then stretch out my hand against him and annihilate him from my people Israel. (Ezekiel 14:9)
“Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you.” (1 Kings 22:23)
This is why The Governing Body is a gang of liars, because they worship Jehovah.
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If Jehovah God Really Loved Humans & This Earth How Might He Show It?
by minimus insupposing that you might say that you believe in god, how might a god of love, show that he really cares about us all?.
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opusdei1972
One way would be by sending another Bible with true words, not as the current Bible which is full of lies and myths.
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Heavy metal
by Godsendconspirator ini have always loved heavy metal music (thrash metal to be more specific).
since heavy metal is usually associated with satan and occult themes many christians and jws in particular stray away from it.
in my teenagehood i was listened to it obsessively until i started studying and got baptized at age 18 and i started listening to other genres.
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opusdei1972
Hear this song and see how the singer is worshipping :
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What's your response to Matthew 10:37 (greater love for mom and dad then Jesus)???
by jam inused to justify shunning..
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opusdei1972
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me".(Matt 28:18)
If this is true, Jesus is responsible for doing nothing against the injustice of this world. If he has authority on earth, why he could not stop many crimes in his name???....On the other hand, if he has no authority, he was also a liar, because he said that it was given to him.
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What's your response to Matthew 10:37 (greater love for mom and dad then Jesus)???
by jam inused to justify shunning..
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opusdei1972
If Jesus were the anointed Son of God, I would die for him. However, he did not fulfill his prophecy of the second coming during his generation. He permitted forgeries in the New Testament, such as the Gospel of Matthew, whose author misquoted the Old Testament. Jesus permitted false teachings and false prophecies in his name, and did nothing to get the unity of the christian churches. Jesus permitted contradictory accounts written in the four Gospels. So, Jesus caused many division and wars between different christians. Thus, Jesus can't be the head of the congregation, because he does not say which is currently his Church. There are many churches claiming to be the true church, and all of them propagate contradictory statements.
Many people destroyed their lives waiting for a person who is totaly absent and never fulfilled what he promised.
Accordingly, why should I love a person more than my family, if he is always absent ????