Since about a few months ago (or so) I started believing again that Jesus brother of James son of Joseph probably existed. I currently still believe he probably existed.
Disillusioned JW
JoinedPosts by Disillusioned JW
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Dr. Bart Ehrman Live Webinar Did Jesus Call himself God?
by Diogenesister inthere's a live webinar with dr. ehrman on the subject of the divinity of jesus.
folks will be able to put questions directly to dr. bart, the cost is $14.00 with the webinar covering the following topics:.
• soon after jesus’ death, his disciples claimed that he was god .
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Disillusioned JW
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Is the FACT that no God/god ever communicates with humans evidence that no God/god exists?
by Disillusioned JW inis the fact that no god/god ever communicates with us evidence that no god/god exists?
i think it is very strong evidence that no personal god/god exits, especially a benevolent god who wants humans to know him him/her/it, to obey him/her/it, and/or to love him/her/it.
since no god/god communicates to us (including those who sincerely want communication with the/a god/god), wouldn't it be sensible for those who pray to what they believe is the/a god/god to cease all efforts to communicate to a god/god?
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Disillusioned JW
waton, 'those setups', as you refer them,were done ingeniously in order to overcome the fact that humans don't have access to the mind boggling amount of energy that existed at the Big Bang. But the experiment lend support to the cosmological scientific theory in reference to the very early stage of the universe. Before the Big Bang, there existed energy, perhaps as a singularity. Immediately after the Big Bag or during the Big Bang some of that energy transformed into subatomic matter and thus brought matter into existence.
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A group of 136 countries set a minimum global tax rate of 15% for big corporations
by Disillusioned JW ina group of 136 countries set a minimum global tax rate of 15% for big corporations.
that is a major goal accomplished by the biden administration.
seehttps://www.wsj.com/articles/countries-agree-to-global-deal-to-curb-tax-avoidance-11633709979 .. if corresponding legislation gets passed into law in the usa it will be much harder for corporations doing business in the usa to move their operations out of the usa to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
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Disillusioned JW
Yesterday (August 12, 2022) the USA House of Representatives passed the The Inflation Reduction Act. It passed the USA Senate earlier in the week. It included a minimum tax rate of 15% for big corporations, thus closing some corporate tax loopholes. This is another example of Biden and the Democratic Party accomplishing their agenda - one in which I approve of.
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A group of 136 countries set a minimum global tax rate of 15% for big corporations
by Disillusioned JW ina group of 136 countries set a minimum global tax rate of 15% for big corporations.
that is a major goal accomplished by the biden administration.
seehttps://www.wsj.com/articles/countries-agree-to-global-deal-to-curb-tax-avoidance-11633709979 .. if corresponding legislation gets passed into law in the usa it will be much harder for corporations doing business in the usa to move their operations out of the usa to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
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Disillusioned JW
Anony Mous, I noticed that your said the following. "Name a government program that is self funded or profitable. There is none." The USA federal government's postal system is entirely self funded and receives no tax money. Right?
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What Do You Like About Biden's Build Back Better Agenda & the Democrat's Build Back Better Act?
by Disillusioned JW inwhat do you like about biden's build back better agenda & the democrat's build back better act?
is it liberal and progressive enough for you or do you wish it would go further?
https://www.vox.com/22711083/biden-reconciliation-build-back-better-polls-infrastructure has some comments about it.
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Disillusioned JW
Several months ago a major portion of the proposed Build Back Better Act was passed by both chambers of the USA congress in the form the Infrastructure bill. it was signed into law by my lawfully elected USA President Biden.
This week a large portion of the climate change provisions and a large portion of the health care provisions of the proposed Build Back Better Act were passed by the USA Senate in the form of the Inflation Reduction Act. Manchin played a major role in negotiating for that bill. Senator Ron Wyden of the great politically progressive state of Oregon saved the bill by adding an amendment which raises money in new taxes to offset Senator Sinema request that a particular tax loophole not be closed. Sinema then fully supported the bill and voted for it. The Inflation Reduction Act even has provisions to make a substantial cut in the USA federal budget deficit. Awesome!
Yesterday (last Friday) the USA House passed the Inflation Reduction Act and soon the legislation will go to President Biden for him to sign it into law - see https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/12/house-passes-inflation-reduction-act/10287418002/ for more information. This is incredibly great news! I am so thrilled! During recent months other legislation promoted by Biden has been passed and signed into law by Biden (such as the bipartisan legislation pertaining to gun safety and the bipartisan "CHIPS and Science Act"). Biden is thus now winning on major portions of his progressive agenda (which is also Bernie Sanders' agenda - agenda that I voted for Biden for President in the general election of 2020 (and when I voted for Bernie for President in the Democratic Party's primary in 2020). Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!
Biden is now showing that he can get both chambers of the USA congress to get important legislation passed - something which in 2020 he said he would do if were to get elected as President! He is fulfilling his campaign promises. Biden is now on a roll of win after win after win after win! My side, the progressive side, is now wining - big time! It will Make the United States of America Even Greater! I favor what I am now calling the "Make America Even Greater" movement!
Furthermore, there are now polls which indicate that the Democratic party might even gain one to three seats in the USA Senate and also retain their control in the USA House of Representatives (hopefully without loosing any seats) in the midterm elections of 2022. Those matters are also very encouraging to me.
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Is the FACT that no God/god ever communicates with humans evidence that no God/god exists?
by Disillusioned JW inis the fact that no god/god ever communicates with us evidence that no god/god exists?
i think it is very strong evidence that no personal god/god exits, especially a benevolent god who wants humans to know him him/her/it, to obey him/her/it, and/or to love him/her/it.
since no god/god communicates to us (including those who sincerely want communication with the/a god/god), wouldn't it be sensible for those who pray to what they believe is the/a god/god to cease all efforts to communicate to a god/god?
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Disillusioned JW
Energy can bring matter into existence and such happens. It happens by the energy 'condensing' into matter. Einstein's theory which includes the equation of E=mc2 says such and the aspect of energy converting into matter has been verified in scientific experiments. When atomic particles are accelerated to velocities near that of light, it has been observed that the particles gain mass. Not only that, but in 2014 scientists discovered how to turn pure energy into matter! See the new article at https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrodgers/2014/05/19/einstein-was-right-you-can-turn-energy-into-matter/ . The proposed process involves the smashing of photons of light together to produce electrons and a positrons. In 2021 the conversion of light directly into matter was achieved in a science experiment! See the news article at https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-generate-matter-directly-from-light-physics-phenomena-predicted-more-than-80-years-ago/ which says the following.
"The primary finding is that pairs of electrons and positrons—particles of matter and antimatter—can be created directly by colliding very energetic photons, which are quantum “packets” of light. This conversion of energetic light into matter is a direct consequence of Einstein’s famous E=mc2 equation, which states that energy and matter (or mass) are interchangeable. Nuclear reactions in the sun and at nuclear power plants regularly convert matter into energy. Now scientists have converted light energy directly into matter in a single step."
The article says that a prior experiment, using a different method, also converted photons into matter. Regarding that experiment the article says the following.
"One experiment at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in 1997 succeeded by using a nonlinear process. Scientists there first had to boost the energy of the photons in one laser beam by colliding it with a powerful electron beam. Collisions of the boosted photons with multiple photons simultaneously in an enormous electromagnetic field created by another laser produced matter and antimatter."
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WTS Says Faith Should Not be in an Organization?
by blondie inthe hypocrisy of the wts knows no bounds
most jws would say, "but we have faith in jehovah, jesus and the bible, not in men.
" yet in many places the wts does demand jws to have faith.
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Disillusioned JW
Does anyone here think it would work?
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WTS Says Faith Should Not be in an Organization?
by blondie inthe hypocrisy of the wts knows no bounds
most jws would say, "but we have faith in jehovah, jesus and the bible, not in men.
" yet in many places the wts does demand jws to have faith.
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Disillusioned JW
I think that the Baptism Nullification letter is letter to have one's JW baptism annulled/revoked and perhaps to have it considered invalid. But I might be wrong about that. I am starting to look into was is said in some topic threads about, such as at https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/47666/baptism-nullification-update and at https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/46515/extrication-via-baptism-nullification . I notice that there is an update at https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/47981/baptism-nullification-endgame . A post in it says the following.
"Well the GoverningBodyGod has added a new twist to my BN letter. They are not contesting my stand that I was never a Baptized member. But they have decided to treat me as if I was an unbaptized publisher. This put me in the approved associate standing.
After all, I did associate and had many privileges so I can't claim otherwise. They simply announced that I was not associated with the Christian Cong. anymore."
I am not sure it would work for those who while an adult had filled out and submitted an application to be a regular pioneer and became a regular pioneer. I am also not sure it would work for those who became a ministerial servant or submitted an application to work at Bethel.
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A new generation of anointed that will not pass away.
by Fisherman inobviously, the older “ anointed ” from 1914 died.
and because they were anointed, they hopefully went to heaven.
in the first century though, a newer generation did not replace the old.
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Disillusioned JW
In page 6 of this topic thread some said that all true Christians go to heaven and some say that some (but not all) true Christians go to heaven. Indeed there are scriptures (such as in some of Paul's letters) which say all true Christians will go to heaven and be there for at least a time, but some verses say (or imply) they will return to Earth after the 1,000 years.
However there are scriptures which say that all true Christians will rule on Earth. Furthermore, as I pointed out in a post on page 5 of this topic thread, the NT scholar Bart Ehrman pointed out (see https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/824479587/heaven-and-hell-are-not-what-jesus-preached-religion-scholar-says ) that Jesus taught that the kingdom would be on Earth and that he did not teach that believers in him would go to heaven.
The Bible's book called "Daniel' in chapter 2 relates a purported vision (which the book says is prophetic) depicting a stone from heaven smashing a statue which is upon planet Earth. In the purported vision the stone grows to become a large mountain which filled the whole Earth (Daniel 2;35). Notice that it does not say the mountain is in heaven, but rather it says it is on the Earth. Tthough by saying the stone came out heaven, the account says the kingdom represented by the mountain gets its authority from the God of heaven, and such is stated in Daniel 2:44-45.The Bible's book called "According to Matthew" says that Jesus said that his 12 apostles (including Judas?) will sit sit upon 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). The book also says that in the kingdom people will come from the east and the west, and thus from various places of the Earth to dine (or recline, such as at table) with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11). [That understanding of it being on Earth is more clearly expressed in the NLT which says "will come from all over the world and sit down with ...".] Those two verses when combined show that according to the book called "According to Matthew" Jesus taught the kingdom of heaven would be on the Earth.
Revelation 1:6 says that Christ made Christians "to be a kingdom". Most of the modern translations (making use of better manuscripts that those used as a basis for the KJV) in English say 'kingdom" instead of "kings" (though the KJV and NKJV say "kings", the NKJV translators' note says "NU, M a kingdom"). Revelation 5:10 in a number of modern translations say the Christians are to rule on (not simply over) the Earth and even the KJV says that. At Revelation 5:10 the KJV, the 1984 NIV, the TNIV, the NKJV, and the NLT say "on the earth". The RSV, the NRSV, and the REB say "on earth". The RV, the ARV (namely the "American Revised Version, released in 1898 by Oxford and Cambridge), the ASV, the 1977 NASB, and the NASB Updated say "upon the earth". Even the WT's Kingdom Interlinear Translation (KIT) in its interlinear word for word literal translation says "upon the earth".
These observations when I was a Christian doing independent research of the Bible was a big figurative eye opener to me and revealed to me that according to the Bible Christians would be ruling on the Earth, at least after the 1,000 years, even if prior to that they spend some time in heaven (such as during the battle of Armageddon and perhaps during the 1,000 years). It came to be another reason why I (while still a Christian) concluded that the JW religion is much out of harmony with the Bible, and that the Church of God (Abrahamic Faith) and the Church of God (Seventh Day) are the two Christian religions which are the closest to the Bible's teachings. See https://www.guthriegrove.church/our-beliefs which says the following "Jesus will return to the earth literally, visibly and personally to raise the dead in Christ and to change the living saints to immortality .... At Jesus’ second coming the Kingdom of God will be set up as a literal everlasting kingdom throughout the entire earth with Christ as king and his immortalized saints as co-rulers with him ...." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_General_Conference says that the church's teachings "... include belief in ... the literal premillennial second coming of Jesus Christ, those who have accepted the gospel will be resurrected at the return of Christ, and promises of God to Abraham will be literally fulfilled, referred to as the "Kingdom of God" being established on Earth." http://www.churchofgod-7thday.org/Summit/SecondComing.html says the following. "Satan then will be bound for 1,000 years and Jesus will set up His kingdom on the earth. The saints will reign with Him, during this period, on the earth." https://www.cog7denver.org/statement-of-faith.html says of Jesus that "He reigns as Lord in heaven and will return to earth as judge and king." The web page also says the church teaches "... the imminent return of Christ and the eventual establishment of God’s eternal kingdom on earth." The web page also says the following. "Jesus will return to earth in power and glory to resurrect the righteous dead, bestow immortality and eternal life upon the resurrected and the living righteous, avenge the saints, and be glorified in them. His earthly reign of one thousand years will be a universal kingdom in which all principalities, powers, and enemies are overcome."
Though the 1984 NWT in Revelation 5:10 says "over the earth" that is likely to support their doctrinal view that the 144,000 and Christ will rule in heaven. And while some other Bibles (such as the Bible edited/translated by Goodspeed and Smith, called The Complete Bible: An American Translation) also says "over the earth" that wording does necessarily mean that the ruling is said to be not on the Earth. It doesn't necessarily mean above the Earth (like in the sky in a spiritual heaven). For example, people often speak of kings, presidents, and other humans located on Earth as ruling over parts of the Earth, such as ruling over the USA. They don't mean those people are ruling in heaven.
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A new generation of anointed that will not pass away.
by Fisherman inobviously, the older “ anointed ” from 1914 died.
and because they were anointed, they hopefully went to heaven.
in the first century though, a newer generation did not replace the old.
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Disillusioned JW
Vanderhoven7, it is true that the governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses are not anointed of Jehovah (or of Jesus). Furthermore, some of the evidence of that are that which you and others have pointed out. But it is not just the governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses who are not anointed.
No one is anointed of YHWh (Jehovah), not even the Jesus whom you and many others believe is the Messiah, the Christ, and the Anointed. That is because YHWH God does not exist and because a heavenly Jesus Christ does not exist. Part of the reasoning in support of that is mentioned in my pro-naturalism posts in this topic thread. That is another reason why those posts are relevant to this topic thread and thus are not a hijacking of this topic thread. I was trying to get you and other Christians to see that the whole foundation for your beliefs regarding the anointed is majorly flawed.