nicolaou

Joined

• started 824 topics
• posted 7,121 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by nicolaou

• 
  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  However for Richard Dawkins to sing songs of praise to the God that he has spent most of his life denying does seem hypocritical

  But he isn't singing them to God is he Jan? He's sharing the experience with his friends and family and perhaps the community he lives in. He's joining them in their festivities and celebrations. Sounds like a pretty good example to set if you ask me.

  Would you refuse to share the experiences of Eid or Diwali with your colleagues and neighbours just because you aren't actually Muslim or Hindu?

  Merry Christmas 😁
• 
  22

  What is worse: 1914 or Beard change

  by Gorb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is worse for jw's: changing the 1914 doctrine or allowing beards without the right to say what their opinion is?.

  g..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  Without 1914., the cornerstone of JWdom the Borg collapses unto itself.

  No. Don't assume doctrine is important to any but a few remaining diehard elderly JW's, it isn't. Everything is up for grabs, there are no sacred cows and nothing matters but the money.

  Make it nice and easy (and dumb) and perhaps the congregations will last and keep contributing.

  It's beyond pathetic now.
• 
  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  Are creationists hypocritical in making use of modern medicine?

  After all, modern medicine relies significantly on the understanding of evolution. Concepts such as antibiotic resistance, the development of vaccines, and the study of genetic diseases are all rooted in evolutionary principles.

  Understanding, and so accepting the truthfulness of evolutionary biology, is crucial in medical research and the development of new treatments.

  For the record, I don't think believers are hypocritical in using antibiotics etc, just ignorant.
• 
  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  My wife and I went to our granddaughters nativity play yesterday (she's a few weeks from her 5th birthday). It was joyous to see her and all her little classmates singing and performing.

  What does it matter that the story is mostly myth and fable? It was an end of year opportunity for the children to shine and the parents/grandparents to get a little dust in their eyes.

  Christmas is the same. The fiction doesn't matter, the people you love do.
• 
  543

  Encouraging scriptures for the day

  by Kosonen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello my friends,.

  here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.

  revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  PetrW, imagine the story of the enslaved Hebrews without God. Moses repeatedly petitions Pharaoh to release the captives without success. Eventually Moses resorts to terrorist action, sending assassins into Egyptian homes where tens of thousands of children are murdered in a single night.

  Who wouldn't condemn this act? I believe even you would. So when I ask you to justify the similar Biblical account without resorting to the supernatural it's merely to prove a very simple point.

  I'll make that point after your response.

  And yes, I'm prepared to read lengthier posts but don't try to obfuscate. The question of theodicy is not in the least bit difficult.
• 
  543

  Encouraging scriptures for the day

  by Kosonen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello my friends,.

  here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.

  revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  I still think God was right to act at the time. I can "rationalize" it for you,

  Please do. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are an otherwise rational and compassionate person. I'm going to bet (and it's a bet I always win) that you can't justify the deaths of all these innocent children without an appeal to the supernatural.
• 
  543

  Encouraging scriptures for the day

  by Kosonen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello my friends,.

  here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.

  revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  God shows goodness to both good and bad, because He still hopes that people will repent.

  He didn't show much goodness to thousands of Egyptian kids when he had them killed in their beds did he?
• 
  3124

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  LMSA, when this is all over you should write the book. I'm not kidding. Plenty has been written about JW's and their history but I can't recall a single work about the exJW community.

  It'd be pretty niche for sure and I doubt you'd make much out of it but to have this period properly documented for the record would be a valuable marker moving forward.

  I'd buy it.
• 
  14

  Israel vs Hamas

  by Riley in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  we might have russians involved in the middle east and are attacking israel.. wait.. i thought the watchtower and tract society was the central figures in the end times.

  .

  not that i believe in any of this nonsense but any news in jw world about how the evangelical narrative might be playing out closer than the wts stupidity.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  You shouldn't serve God at all, not if you have any moral integrity.
• 
  9

  Jesus and Thomas twin theory?

  by Anony Mous in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in light of the recent attack on indian jws i did some research about christianity in india and found out that india has a long history of christian influence, and not, like many of us probably believed, brought by the british, rather india has had christians for 2000 years.. matter of fact, they may be similar length and claim to the ‘original’ christians only equal by the roman (european), syrian (middle eastern) and ethiopian (african) christians.

  the story goes that judas thomas (aka doubting thomas or dydimus) (literally translated: dydimus = twin (greek) and tomas = twin (aramaic)), the twin brother of jesus travelled to india and did some miracles along the way, started the church there, hence deification of thomas is common there.. i found some articles written by eg.

  bart ehrman supporting this theory, personally not that much of a fan, but i know many interested in jw exegesis as he supports various fringe theories including wtbts claim to the name jehovah.. the claims of jesus’ twin brother seem to be supported by the original writings, including the gospel as we know it in the west (almost every canonical gospel writer alludes to the twin), but also various other non-canonical writings and at least 3 complete gospels claimed to be by thomas himself (although the oldest writings stem from the first, second and third century respectively).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  nicolaou

  Jesus didn't have a twin brother, please stop reading gnostic non sense and concentrate in actual Church history

  I'm curious Raymond, why do you value traditional church history over gnostic accounts?