Posts by slimboyfat

55

A question to Non-US forum members.

by Spoletta in

now that trump is on his way to making america great again, will you consider moving here where you can get the best healthcare and education that anyone with a lot of money can buy, plus the ability to buy all the guns you need to protect yourself?

and it gets better!

if you are caucasian, you need never worry about discrimination.. am anxious to hear your replies.

slimboyfat

I'd like to visit the US, I don't think I'd like to live there.

But I would leave off visiting until Trump chaos dies down. I don't think he'll last long as president anyway, at least I hope not.

25

It's right there in our faces, how could we NOT see it?

by NikL in

i know there have been many many posts on here over the years on the deity of jesus.. i am submitting this one because i am feeling a little confused.. the thing is, i am not the sharpest knife in the drawer and i know this.

so when i am going through my bible reading (to all you haters, yes i still do it) i see so many scriptures that just fly in the face of everything the jws teach about jesus.. i begin to wonder if indeed i am diseased in the mind ,as they will try to paint me, because it seems so plain to me.. i never even gave it a though growing up as to if jesus and god were equal.

i just didn't.. now when i read scriptures like philippians 9.... 9 for this very reason, god exalted him to a superior position+ and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name,+ 10 so that in the name of jesus every knee should bend—of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground+— 11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that jesus christ is lord+ to the glory of god the father.. .

slimboyfat

Same idea expressed again later in Acts in different context.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

See "Did the First Christians Worship Jesus?" by James Dunn. Despite being a mainstream Christian himself, as well as a biblical scholar, Dunn concludes the first Christians didn't worship Jesus and that Jesus was viewed as a messenger from God.

Also "How Jesus Became God" by Bart Ehrman, who argues that Paul and the early Christians viewed Jesus as an angel. Only later did Jesus become "God" in the Trinitarian sense of the word.

There are many respects in which Jesus is not the focus of JW religious life the way he was in NT Christianity, there's no doubt about that. At the same time JWs do appear to preserve something of subordinationist/sent-forth-saviour/angel character of early Christology that Trinitarian theology obscures.

25

It's right there in our faces, how could we NOT see it?

by NikL in

i know there have been many many posts on here over the years on the deity of jesus.. i am submitting this one because i am feeling a little confused.. the thing is, i am not the sharpest knife in the drawer and i know this.

so when i am going through my bible reading (to all you haters, yes i still do it) i see so many scriptures that just fly in the face of everything the jws teach about jesus.. i begin to wonder if indeed i am diseased in the mind ,as they will try to paint me, because it seems so plain to me.. i never even gave it a though growing up as to if jesus and god were equal.

i just didn't.. now when i read scriptures like philippians 9.... 9 for this very reason, god exalted him to a superior position+ and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name,+ 10 so that in the name of jesus every knee should bend—of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground+— 11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that jesus christ is lord+ to the glory of god the father.. .

slimboyfat

Because that's exactly how many parts of the NT present the situation:

Acts 2:22 Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

If what the writer of Acts really meant to say was that Jesus was himself God, that sure is a funny way of putting it.

Even in the gospel of John with its high Christology this is spelled out:

John 5:36 "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish--the very works that I am doing--testify that the Father has sent me.

John 13:16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

236

What did President Trump say about Sweden?

by kpop in

this you will never see on the mainstream media.

before you comment watch the whole video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqaigeqxqgi.

slimboyfat

Yes I've alarmed myself how much good sense I've been speaking on this thread. But not as alarmed as I am at how bat shit crazy many other posters have turned. It's like tuning out of JWD and into right wing corner by mistake.

53

Best statement a householder made to get you to leave them alone.

by Esse quam videri in

knocked on a door on a saturday morning.

a window opened on the floor above me.

a grizzled old man stuck his head out and said, " we're all heathens here!

slimboyfat

One guy came to the door and said "Genesis 1:26", winked and went back inside.

"Go forth and multiply!"

58

No more official visits to disfellowshipped & disassociated ones

by AverageJoe1 in

new letter today (please visit avoidjw.org for a copy of the official letter and yes, i also noticed they got the date wrong!).

february 28, 2017. to all bodies of elders.

re: visiting disfellowshipped or disassociated individuals.

slimboyfat

many disfellowshipped or disassociated individuals have returned to Jehovah after having seen Jehovah’s Witnesses carrying out their ministry in public places.

I said it before. I am convinced this is the main effect of the JW carts - to reactivate former JWs. I've heard of it happening locally. And it makes sense that seeing JWs publicly has induced guilt/nostalgia in some former JWs. They sure as hell aren't attracting ordinary members of the public with the carts, but former JWs it might have some effect. However it's an effect that's probably subject to diminishing returns as the carts become familiar.

236

What did President Trump say about Sweden?

by kpop in

this you will never see on the mainstream media.

before you comment watch the whole video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqaigeqxqgi.

slimboyfat

Merkel is presented as making a big mistake, but she stated the situation very elegantly early in 2015 when she said:

"Wir schaffen dass!"

Meaning we can do this. It may be difficult to welcome people from a different culture and there may be problems. But Germany and other countries are equal to the challenge. Compassion and the lessons of history demanded that we take refugees fleeing for their lives. Germans know this better than most. They are to be commended and supported, and Sweden too, not lied about for political reasons.

236

What did President Trump say about Sweden?

by kpop in

this you will never see on the mainstream media.

before you comment watch the whole video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqaigeqxqgi.

slimboyfat

Mass immigration of young men from countries where fundamentalism is endemic can't end well.

What's the basis for this assertion? Why can't it end well? Of course it can end well, if democrats don't allow right wingers to exploit the situation to promote suspicion and stigmatisation.

And anyway, isn't the mass migration of fundamentalists from one continent to another precisely how the United States began in the first place? And this is a far smaller scale and in the context of liberal democracies.

"Can't end well"? Exaggerate much? Stop stigmatising and fear mongering.

236

What did President Trump say about Sweden?

by kpop in

this you will never see on the mainstream media.

before you comment watch the whole video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqaigeqxqgi.

slimboyfat

The difference is the faith of a moderate Muslim makes them an asset to the community.

It's perfectly true that extremists of all kinds tend to disguise themselves. The problem arises when this is presented as a issue peculiar to Muslims. Or worse still, as above, when people aftempt to stigmatise the very category of "Muslim" to the extent of saying the only way to be a good Muslim is to be an ex-Muslim.

Prejudice takes many forms and this kind reminds me of assimilationist anti-Semitism of nineteenth century Germany. It was argued that Judaism was a destructive ideology not really a religion (sound familiar?) that was incompatible with European values (sound familiar?) and the only way for Jews to be acceptable was to give up their religion because it was inherently wicked. (Sound familiar?)

Many Jews responded and converted to Christianity and adopted the dominant culture, many fighting for Germany in the First World War. But of course anti-Semitiam didn't stand still. When the Nazis came to power it was no longer acceptable for Jews to renounce their heritage and beliefs. Anyone with a practicing Jewish grandparent could be convicted of being a Jew whether they themselves practised or not.

20

Round and round the not so marigoround

by Coded Logic in

i find most theist arguments to be either confused or dishonest at best.

and most of them i regard with mild annoyance.

but there is one track of thinking that is so stupid it really gets under my skin: when, in order to try and prop up "faith", people try and tear down reason and critical thinking.

slimboyfat

The question Stephen Fry poses about why God would create a world where children suffer is a good one, and of course all sensible people wonder this at some time.

The problem is when Stepeh Fry and other atheists insist this is the end of the conversation rather than the beginning.

As Williams puts it, the way Fry asks the question, one wonders whether he would brother to listen to the answer.

No matter how good our logic or evidence or powerful personal experience, I think we should always be ready to be surprised. There may be an answer when we least expect it.