let's assume for the moment that god decides what is good and what is bad.
does he 'a' choose what is good because it is obviously good or 'b' is it good simply because he says so?
if 'a' then what is good is independant of god and he has no choice but to accept it as good.. if 'b' then the definition of what is good is arbitrary - god could decide that child abuse was good and it would be because he said so.. clearly this is ridiculous because we all recognise child abuse to be a bad thing and that is why god would never label it as good.
Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and put it upon Isaac his son and took in his hands the fire and the slaughtering knife, and both of them went on together.
This is amazing. A prophetic type. The son, Isaac, carried the wood for his sacrifice to the place where he would be sacrificed. The Son, Jesus, did the same with the wooden cross. The Father laid the burden upon him and he bore it to the end.
Reading this account only strengthens my faith.
Burn
let's assume for the moment that god decides what is good and what is bad.
does he 'a' choose what is good because it is obviously good or 'b' is it good simply because he says so?
if 'a' then what is good is independant of god and he has no choice but to accept it as good.. if 'b' then the definition of what is good is arbitrary - god could decide that child abuse was good and it would be because he said so.. clearly this is ridiculous because we all recognise child abuse to be a bad thing and that is why god would never label it as good.
If 'b' then the definition of what is good is arbitrary - God could decide that child abuse was good and it would be because He said so.
Nicolau, I challenge that assumption. God determines the Good. God IS the Good.
To recognise this however is to accept that we do not need God to determine for us what is good and what is bad.
Certainly and a cursory overview of history demonstrates that humanity's moral judgement is excellent.
/sarcasm
Burn
let's assume for the moment that god decides what is good and what is bad.
does he 'a' choose what is good because it is obviously good or 'b' is it good simply because he says so?
if 'a' then what is good is independant of god and he has no choice but to accept it as good.. if 'b' then the definition of what is good is arbitrary - god could decide that child abuse was good and it would be because he said so.. clearly this is ridiculous because we all recognise child abuse to be a bad thing and that is why god would never label it as good.
Here is a bit more information regarding the alleged child abuse.
While it is often imagined that Isaac was a young boy at the time of the incident, this is mostly a modern idea, with most traditional sources claiming he was an adult. According to Josephus, Isaac is twenty-five years old at the time of the sacrifice; the Talmudic sages teach that Isaac is thirty-seven, likely based on the fact that the next Biblical story is of Sarah's death at 127 (she was ninety when Isaac was born). In either case, Isaac is a fully grown man, strong enough to prevent the elderly Abraham from tying him up had he wanted to resist.
Also, according to the narrative in Genesis, Abraham already knew God's promise regarding Isaac and his future progeny. so why would God require the sacrifice of his son? It must have seemed absurd to Abraham. It certainly would have to me. However, Abraham made the leap of faith. Despite not knowing or understanding how or why, he trusted God. God stayed his hand. According to Kierkegaard, Abraham not only relinquished everything, but trusted that somehow God would give it all back.
Burn
let's assume for the moment that god decides what is good and what is bad.
does he 'a' choose what is good because it is obviously good or 'b' is it good simply because he says so?
if 'a' then what is good is independant of god and he has no choice but to accept it as good.. if 'b' then the definition of what is good is arbitrary - god could decide that child abuse was good and it would be because he said so.. clearly this is ridiculous because we all recognise child abuse to be a bad thing and that is why god would never label it as good.
The question is whether Isaac was a child at all. He was in his mid twenties as the time, and his father an old man. His physical advantage over Abraham would have been considerable, so no, it must have been a voluntary act on the behalf of Isaac, not child abuse. The binding of Isaac provides a prophetic pattern or type for the voluntary sacrifice of Jesus.
Burn
brookie is in the christmas spirit and would like to share these kisses to all jwd posters!!!!
then again she is easy and there is no need for the mistletoe..... .
.
OMG that is FUNNY!
2 years ago i left jws.
i went to a baptist church because it was what my husband was.
i knew i wanted to go to church but which one i really didn't know yet.. two years later, i think i have made up my mind: presbyterian.. anyone have anything they want to share?
What's the difference between telling a child
a. Armageddon is close, so be a good JW and survive
b. Be a good Christian so that you don't burn forever
c. Worship a pink jellyfish
Answer: Nothing. The beliefs are different, but the proof for all three is non existent. I'll even go as far as to say worshipping the pink jellyfish could be the most benign one there, but I can't see that argument swaying anyone to think it's okay to teach children that.
Strictly speaking, your 3 examples do not refer to the same type of belief. The first 2 do not refer to a belief in a god per se, but in matters pertaining to practice or doctrine.
As for the 3rd one, is there ANYONE around who worships pink jellyfish sincerely? A real god, it occurs to me, doesn't let faith in him die out once he's revealed himself . Why would he? and that makes me think, has the pink jellyfish revealed himself to anyone? So no, the pink jellyfish is not in the same league as the Christian god.
The world, and man, attest that they contain within themselves neither their first principle nor their final end, but rather that they participate in Being itself, which alone is without origin or end. Thus, in different ways, man can come to know that there exists a reality which is the first cause and final end of all things, a reality "that everyone calls God".
So you can call it the Flying Spaghetti Monster or the Invisble Pink Unicorn or whatever cutesy names you can think of to get everyones dander up, but what we are referring to the First Cause and Final End, commonly called God.
Another question: Would any parent of young children here be okay with the idea of their child being taken to learn about Hinduism every week as fact instead of Christianity? If not, why should they be told Christianity is exclusively true because by pure chance they happened to born to Christian parents? Why the double standard?
There is no double standard. We teach our children what we hold to be true. So would any sane parent. We also connect them to the chain of our past and future by delivering the traditions we have received. Your comment reminds me of why my grandfather packed up and left atheist communist Cuba, my father was going to come of age for the atheist brainwashing that boys get at 15. He gave everything up and left the country with his family and they went through much hardship.
or for that matter, if a candidate didn't believe in god or belonged to a sect or was a believer in islam.....would you be leery?
I would not be leery.
I would try to evaluate the candidate based on his character and positions on the issues.
Burn
this is the third elder that tells me that the body of elders will recommend me as an elder in the next visit of the co.. what do you think i should do?
some facts:.
i am still 'in' because of my family.i am ms.i am doing 10+ fake hours (well, some months it is fake), so they see my "spiritual" progress.-ootb.
I suggest coercing your wife into giving her oral sex. Then go to the elders and say you can't in good conscience be an elder considering you have a weakness for her girly bits.
Oh thats good! LOL! I always convinced the wife that it was a "conscience matter". And never kiss and tell!!
I was an MS until Sept '06.They threw a lot on me, accounts and weekly assignments/talks. I probably would've been elder at an English congo but they have higher standards in the Spanish ones. I was only pulling about 10 a month and the cong average was way higher. Either way, I was getting close to elderhood what with the MS workload being such a nightmare. The elders at my congo were real worn out and miserable looking.
I faded this year. Last time I attended a meeting was March.
Burn
standing in the way of stem cell research.
by alan i. leshner and james a. thomsonmonday, december 3, 2007; page a17 .
a new way to trick skin cells into acting like embryos changes both everything and nothing at all.
FD:
Unfortunately, out of 400,000 embryos (as listed on the site), they've only "placed" 134.
Still, it provides a valuable service to infertile couples.
Burn
perhaps my interest in mind control has went into obsession now.
i was watching rudolph the red nosed reindeer.
i couldn't help but ponder poor hermie the elf.
Uniformity, how very depressing it was. A desert wasteland. I am so happy I am out.
Burn
