tec

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Posts by tec

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  71

  Best Argument for Atheism?

  by leavingwt in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my own faith did not survive an 'outside test for faith'.

  below, the author gives an example of how outsiders to most religions examine those religions critically, and dimiss them.

  turning a critical eye towards my beliefs was a bit scary, but i decided it was the only proper thing to do, for me.

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  tec

  How many true believing Theists are willing to do the same and admit that they POSSIBLY might be wrong and that POSSIBLY there may be no God? -om

  I was thinking about this the other day, and I hope I can make this clear enough that atheists and agnostics may understand what I'm trying to get across.

  What, exactly, does it cost an atheist to admit to the possibility of God?

  I believe in Jesus. I believe in his teachings, and his stance, and I believe that he came and showed us exactly who and what makes up the attributes of God.

  But it is both uncomfortable and almost impossible for me to admit in the possibility that God does not exist.

  Why?

  I could care less about losing face, eating crow, or simply being made to look like an ignorant fool-- of which I have no doubt appeared to be on numerous other occasions:)

  But how can I love and trust someone with my whole heart, and then turn around, shrug and say... "Of course, I have to be fair and admit that you might not actually exist..." ?

  If I do so, then I have now betrayed someone I profess to love, and this creates a terrible conflict in both my mind and my heart.

  I can certainly respect your right to your disbelief in anything not proven, and I certainly respect whatever and wherever your personal journey brings you. But in my opinion, expecting a believer to admit to the possibility of the non-existence of God is not equivalent to asking an atheist to admit to the possibility of the existence of God.

  Tammy
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  28

  What is the main issue you have with this religion?

  by Quillsky in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  like the big one?.

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  tec

  Judging.

  Constant judging.

  Listening and learning from JW's taught me to see the evil in everything.

  I was forgetting how to love.

  Going back to Christ is helping me to remember how to love.
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  77

  What is Truth?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if one 'googles' the phrase, you get 167,000,000 hits!.

  'bing' it, and you get 129,000,000 hits.. here is a sampling of opinion from just the first page of google hits.. 1] douglas groothuis, ph.d., teaches philosophy at denver seminary.

  here is his 'take' on truth: http://www.leaderu.com/theology/groothuis-truth.html.

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  tec

  Justmom -

  Those who belong to Jesus will hear him... ink or no ink.

  AK - Jeff - I agree with you. Myths are created by man and not by God. But I have no reason to doubt God's existence, nor any reason to wonder why 1st century Christians willingly suffered to the point of execution to follow a so-called mythical man... even one who stood up to self-righteous and uncaring leaders of the time; and instead taught forgiveness, mercy and love to the humble and mistreated.

  Tammy
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  21

  6/15/10 WT - p. 8, par. 12

  by sd-7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "what else do we learn from the experience of the psalmist?

  he found security and wisdom among god's people.

  he started reasoning clearly and logically when he went to the place where jehovah was worshipped.

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  tec

  In time, you'll probably realize that your personal values are much higher than those found in Scripture - LWT.

  I think that depends on whether you're taking Jesus at his word or not. I model my values after his teachings.

  Tec
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  39

  RUSSIA: Raids, literature confiscations and criminal case in Tambov--first such reported home raids against them since the Soviet era--Forum 18 News Service reports

  by cattails in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  22 march 2010. russia: raids, literature confiscations and criminal case in tambov.

  by geraldine fagan, forum 18 news service , and felix corley, forum 18 news service .

  russia has raided three flats of jehovah's witnesses in tambov in the first such reported home raids against them since the soviet era, forum 18 news service has learnt.

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  tec

  Do elders or members of the governing body ever get arrested or persecuted? Do these members ever come to the defense of the regular JW's? Because in the New Testament, Paul was flogged, persecuted, imprisoned, and possibly executed for proclaiming Jesus Christ. As was John and Peter and all the other apostles and disciples. They did not get any safe or preferential treatment.

  Also, does anyone have some of the tracts that attacked the Russian gov't? Just curious as to what they said.

  Tec
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  39

  RUSSIA: Raids, literature confiscations and criminal case in Tambov--first such reported home raids against them since the Soviet era--Forum 18 News Service reports

  by cattails in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  22 march 2010. russia: raids, literature confiscations and criminal case in tambov.

  by geraldine fagan, forum 18 news service , and felix corley, forum 18 news service .

  russia has raided three flats of jehovah's witnesses in tambov in the first such reported home raids against them since the soviet era, forum 18 news service has learnt.

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  tec

  Start going after anyone for religious backgrounds, no matter how extremist, will eventually lead to going after any religious group that goes against the government. Its a slippery slope, even if intentions are to *protect* people at the beginning.
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  17

  Melbourne Australia weather right now....what's your weather like today and where are you?

  by Witness 007 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  took my dogs for a walk on a beatiful mild sunny day 24 degrees.

  winter is coming soon so i cleaned our wall heater!

  i have never seen snow here but our cars and lawns can frost over with cold night temps so hows your weather?.

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  tec

  Two inches of heavy, wet snow here in Alberta. 'Till last night, my hubbie was riding his harley.
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  9

  Books that touch us.

  by PSacramento in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  not sure if there was a thread like this before, but.... there are times that certain books touch us in our spirtual lives, sometimes in an emotional way, other times in a theocratical way.. the shack by william young touched me deeply and renewed my faith in jesus and god.. in search of christain freedom and crisis of conscience by raymond franz, made me aware that the issues i laways had with organized religion were not just mine.. question of consceince by charles davis, showed me the the issues that mr.franz faced in the wt were faced by other in the rcc far earlier and made me understand that we must truly server christ and not any man-made organization.. the jesus i never knew by philip yancey, which i read after the shack motivate dme to read the nt with new eyes.. the nrsv of the nt with greek interlinear, one of the best study interlinears i have.. the oxford bible commentary, a must for any student of the bible.. .

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  tec

  More Jesus, Less Religion sounds good. I don't usually read these kinds of *truth/help/spiritual* books, but I think I might try that one.

  But don't write off fiction books in other genres. I love searching for subtle messages. I think they have a stronger impact that blunt speech because they make people think. Lots of authors put them into their writing.

  That being said, I thought Dean Koontz' Frankenstein series showed that a creator who granted free-will (despite all the troubles and mistakes that come with it) allows people to have hope... and that the opposite grants only despair.
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  77

  What is Truth?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if one 'googles' the phrase, you get 167,000,000 hits!.

  'bing' it, and you get 129,000,000 hits.. here is a sampling of opinion from just the first page of google hits.. 1] douglas groothuis, ph.d., teaches philosophy at denver seminary.

  here is his 'take' on truth: http://www.leaderu.com/theology/groothuis-truth.html.

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  tec

  Or must it rather be that my personal 'standards' might be different from universal truth? - AK - Jeff

  This is what I think. There is one universal truth, and it will continue to be the truth... and whether we can grasp that or not will make no difference on its validity.
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  20

  Who do you think this is talking about?

  by awildflower in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "this day has given the earth an entirely new aspect.

  the world would have gone to destruction had there not streamed forth from him who is now born a common blessing.

  rightly does he judge who recognizes in this birthday the beginning of life; now is that time ended when men pitied themselves for being born.

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  tec

  doublelife- I was getting discouraged also, hearing about all these so-called comparisons, and I was scared about the doubts it was causing me to have. But I found that after taking everything away that was false, ill-researched, or assumed, these Christ-myth'ers might be left with a handful of similarities that are so common to anyone called a savior that no one would ever have made a link to begin with.

  The zeitgeist claims were the ones I originally researched. They were easy to tear down. So eager to disprove Jesus, they rush ahead without bothering to check their sources. It seems obvious that their agenda means more to them than actual, valid research.

  And you're very welcome for the info. Other people have done the job far better than I can. That's the only reason I felt pressured.

  Tec