New Testament scholar James McGrath explaining that Jesus is not God according to the New Testament authors
slimboyfat
JoinedPosts by slimboyfat
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The position of Christ in the Godhead
by JW Answers inwhat is your views on christ?.
do you hold to the view that christ and the father are the same person?
do you hold to the view that jesus is a lesser god than the father?.
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Will Ukraine win?
by Fisherman ini was under the impression that it was going to be a short war, that russia’s military would indeed subdue ukraine’s forces quickly but that is not happening.
seems that russia’s military power is much less than it’s reputed to be.
no guess how it will all end..
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slimboyfat
Absolutely. All the “military experts” they have on US networks with undeclared interests.
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94
Will Ukraine win?
by Fisherman ini was under the impression that it was going to be a short war, that russia’s military would indeed subdue ukraine’s forces quickly but that is not happening.
seems that russia’s military power is much less than it’s reputed to be.
no guess how it will all end..
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slimboyfat
The United States invades Iraq on the other side of the planet, under false pretences, and western opinion is: that was unfortunate, but we had the best of intentions.
Russia warns for decades about NATO expansion, and that Ukraine is absolutely a red line for them, and western opinion is: this is a complete shock, they won’t leave any other country in peace unless we stop them now.
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94
Will Ukraine win?
by Fisherman ini was under the impression that it was going to be a short war, that russia’s military would indeed subdue ukraine’s forces quickly but that is not happening.
seems that russia’s military power is much less than it’s reputed to be.
no guess how it will all end..
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slimboyfat
No, because ultimately Russia has nuclear weapons, and won’t accept defeat.
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Where it all went wrong for the WT - JF Rutherford
by LoveUniHateExams ini was thinking a bit about this the other day.
ct russell, from what i remember about him, kinda seemed like a genuine, nice(ish) guy, although he had a few eccentric but harmless ideas.. during the russell era jws (actually bible students) could still celebrate christmas, worship in other churches if there was no kingdom hall available, and accept blood transfusions.. then after russell died, along came rutherford - a major league a-hole, for sure.. rutherford had plenty of eccentric ideas but at least some of them weren't/aren't harmless.
some have been long forgotten about - jesus depicted without a beard, the plan to rename the names of the week because names such as thursday (thor's day) is pagan, the articles about the 'dangers' of aluminium, etc.. one key contribution of rutherford which does a lot of harm is no blood transfusions, even in life-threatening situations.. another is shunning, something which never occurred under russell, or at least was much milder.. rutherford has a lot to answer for, i reckon ....
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slimboyfat
This forum was not “established to expose” Watchtower. It started out as a place for JWs to meet and discuss. The founder was a JW at the time and initially not vocal about doubts in the organisation.
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slimboyfat
On Friday I was in another city and I noticed a couple of JWs at a cart, so I thought I’d challenge them on whether it’s correct to pray for the monarch. I went up to them and smiled and they said hello. It was an older sister in her 60s and a younger sister in her 20s. I asked if they have prayed for the new king. They said no. I said don’t you think we should pray for the new king. The older sister said no because she looks to Jesus as the king of God’s kingdom and we are taught to pray for God’s kingdom to come. I said but don’t you think we should pray for the king of the country as well? She said you can pray for anyone but he is a man just like everyone else. She said they are JWs, and asked do I believe in God. I said yes. Then I said, can I read you a scripture? She said, is it from the Bible? I said yes, and I’ve got it here ready because I spotted you earlier and looked it up. She said okay. I showed and read 1 Tim 2 from the NWT on the JW website, where it says we should pray “concerning kings”. Then I asked her, don’t you think we should pray for the king because of what it says in the Bible. She took a moment to think about it and then she said that scripture says we are to pray that the rulers will give us a peaceful life and not persecute us. It doesn’t say to pray for the king himself. I read the scripture again, and I had to admit that’s what it says, “so that we may go on leading a calm and quiet life“. I thought about it for a minute and said I thought that was a good answer. She said she was relieved that was a good answer. I didn’t know what else to say, so I smiled and turned and said bye. The way she said she was “relieved” I said it was a good answer, sounded a bit like she was being evaluated for a meeting part. I don’t know if she thought I was a JW “testing” her, an apostate, or just a member of the public who knows something about JWs.
When I approached them, I thought I was going to show the JWs something from the Bible that they didn’t know: that they should pray for the king. But in the end the sister gave a better understanding of the text than I had in mind. I think she’s right that the text doesn’t really advocate praying for the king as such. Later Christians who believed in the divine right of kings probably read the verse that way, but the first Christians probably understood it like JWs do, that they pray that the ruler allows them to practice their religion, not that they pray specifically for the king’s health or administration or anything like that. I was in the wrong and she was in the right. It made me realise that opinions are weak until they are tested by talking to those with another viewpoint. It also made me wonder what else JWs have got right that I have already dismissed in my own mind.
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Where it all went wrong for the WT - JF Rutherford
by LoveUniHateExams ini was thinking a bit about this the other day.
ct russell, from what i remember about him, kinda seemed like a genuine, nice(ish) guy, although he had a few eccentric but harmless ideas.. during the russell era jws (actually bible students) could still celebrate christmas, worship in other churches if there was no kingdom hall available, and accept blood transfusions.. then after russell died, along came rutherford - a major league a-hole, for sure.. rutherford had plenty of eccentric ideas but at least some of them weren't/aren't harmless.
some have been long forgotten about - jesus depicted without a beard, the plan to rename the names of the week because names such as thursday (thor's day) is pagan, the articles about the 'dangers' of aluminium, etc.. one key contribution of rutherford which does a lot of harm is no blood transfusions, even in life-threatening situations.. another is shunning, something which never occurred under russell, or at least was much milder.. rutherford has a lot to answer for, i reckon ....
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slimboyfat
My impression of Russell is that he was a likeable and sincere person. He got on well with his family and with others and people were drawn to him. That counts for quite a lot in my opinion. This is in contrast with Rutherford who was feared rather than loved, although it’s possible he grew to be a harsher person following his imprisonment and illnesses.
Russell seems to have been a genuine theological seeker who was at first put off Christianity because of the idea that God punishes people in hell. When he realised that scripture did not need to be read that way he developed a deep interest in the Bible. He read extensively in the Bible and about the Bible and used his own reason to try to work out the best interpretation of scripture. He was studious in his own way, and as many ordinary people are who try to understand the Bible. He was influenced by ideas that where popular in his time, including questioning the Trinity, immortal soul, and focus on chronology and the return of Jesus. He was convinced that God had a plan for humanity to live on earth forever and he devoted his life to spreading that message.
I don’t think he can be faulted for his sincerity or the effort he put into understanding the Bible and spreading the message about the future for mankind. -
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slimboyfat
Yes, apparently politicians and the media were informed at 4.30pm and told to release the information at 6.30pm, which is why Nicholas Witchell said on the news to Huw Edwards: “it’s now six thirty” with stress in the time, and yet the BBC, for some reason, managed to make the statement a few minutes later than other news channels, at 6.35. So that’s why they were wearing black for two hours before the announcement.
Junior BBC journalist Yalda Hakim tweeted the news early, apparently by mistake, and it’s not clear whether the mistake was releasing the correct information too early, or bad information at the time.
When the queen actually died we may never know. The royal family will probably want to maintain that at least some of them were by her side in the afternoon, before she died, whether that is true or not.
I’ve heard that the statement that the queen was “comfortable” is a known euphemism for being sedated with morphine. So it seems likely the queen was unconscious since at least that morning, following a medical event such as a stroke or a heart attack.
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slimboyfat
I tuned in to the meeting at 6.50 to see how the news, at 6.35, that the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II had died, was received.
Ten minutes of chit chat by the 25 present on Zoom, no mention of the queen at all. The chairman begins the meeting at 7.00, no mention of the queen. The chairman says the opening prayer, no mention of the queen. The congregation sings song 10, which used to be song 100 with the lyrics “sing for joy! Sing a joyful song …” Those words are not in the new version, but they still spring immediately to my mind with that tune. The Bible reading mentions the Queen of Sheba.
While the meeting was in progress the announcement was made that the new king has taken the name Charles III.
Nobody at the meeting quoted or made reference to 1 Tim 2, which reads in the New World Translation (2013):
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made concerning all sorts of men, concerning kings and all those who are in high positions, so that we may go on leading a calm and quiet life with complete godly devotion and seriousness. This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, whose will is that all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.
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It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars
by Newly Enlightened inoriginal reddit post (removed).
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slimboyfat
I’m going to try to stop reading these updates because I feel myself getting agitated by the sheer nastiness of this individual and I can’t believe there are still people supporting him. It’s incredible. It’s like a recurring bad dream.