Posts by peacefulpete

20

How do Jehovah's Witnesses differ from first century Christians?

by Vanderhoven7 in

let me start with a couple of distinctions.. first century christians:.

1. baptized military personnel.. 2. baptized men with political authority.

.

peacefulpete

It's just a perceptual bias leading you to believe people are less trustworthy today than 2000 years ago. Those who would break into your car today, would have robbed your ass back then. Ba-dum-bum

20

How do Jehovah's Witnesses differ from first century Christians?

by Vanderhoven7 in

let me start with a couple of distinctions.. first century christians:.

1. baptized military personnel.. 2. baptized men with political authority.

.

That's not an easy question. The earliest christian records already show huge diversity of thought,doctrine and practice. The authentic works of Paul show him trying to corral Christians to his spin on Christianity revealing that his was not the same as others. He seems to be tolerant of charismatics but not a promoter. Early church father's show a Christianity completely foreign to anything today. There was no Christian Canon,with hundreds of writings, now lost, in circulation. The orthodoxy that eventually dominated spent the next thousand years beating down holdouts and schisms. They never fully succeeded.

I'll sum by reminding everyone that nearly every new sect has asserted they were reestablishing "true" or "original" Christianity

28

An interesting Observation of some Bibles

by Blotty in

first of all, hi, i go by blotty on this website :) i am someone who has a passion for the bible and like to get a as balanced view as i can from the trinitarian and the jw (or unitarian) side - even though i come off as leaning towards one or the other at times, in my opinion they both have merits in certain cases..if this is in the wrong section i apologise - this is just something i found interesting.iv seen online a lot that say the watchtower and tract society "invented" the link between proverbs 8:22 - 30 and jesus (the word).

yet interestingly some "mainstream" "trinitarian- aimed" translations are cross referencing the following:source:https://www.biblegateway.comprov 8:22 cr rev 3:14niv, gnt,esv, nasb, nasb1995, nasbre, cevprov 8:30 cr john 1:1,2 esv nasbprov 8:30 cr john 1:3esvnasb1995nasb(this list is by no means complete)if this is simply wisdom, why is it referenced with jesus (or the word)?.

peacefulpete

Ancient mystical religious philosophy is as foreign to most modern Christians as Hinduism. Asking if logos or wisdom or light or son are physically identified in Jesus is like asking if Vishnu really had blue skin. It's simply a question that betrays ignorance. I'm hardly an expert in such matters but know enough to know how naive I am. A few works from writers like Ben Sira and Philo have survived. Take some time to learn how they developed these concepts. the writers of the New testament were heavily influenced by the metaphor and conceptualizations in the ethos of the day. Some even quoted them.

28

An interesting Observation of some Bibles

by Blotty in

first of all, hi, i go by blotty on this website :) i am someone who has a passion for the bible and like to get a as balanced view as i can from the trinitarian and the jw (or unitarian) side - even though i come off as leaning towards one or the other at times, in my opinion they both have merits in certain cases..if this is in the wrong section i apologise - this is just something i found interesting.iv seen online a lot that say the watchtower and tract society "invented" the link between proverbs 8:22 - 30 and jesus (the word).

yet interestingly some "mainstream" "trinitarian- aimed" translations are cross referencing the following:source:https://www.biblegateway.comprov 8:22 cr rev 3:14niv, gnt,esv, nasb, nasb1995, nasbre, cevprov 8:30 cr john 1:1,2 esv nasbprov 8:30 cr john 1:3esvnasb1995nasb(this list is by no means complete)if this is simply wisdom, why is it referenced with jesus (or the word)?.

peacefulpete

Deleted

10

Favorite Xmas movie?

by peacefulpete in

jw
friends

elf...simply a great movie imo.

funny, heartwarming and well acted..

peacefulpete

Elf...simply a great movie IMO. Funny, heartwarming and well acted.

59

Why isn't this forum growing like reddit exjw??

by nowwhat? in

admittedly it 90% crap over there but still they are up to 80k in subscribers.

over here it's the same half dozen or so that posts something, including myself.

why is that?.

peacefulpete

The database here contains real treasure. Sometimes I just go back and read 10-20 year old threads and amazed what I find. Thanks Simon for preserving it

38

Which of you readers are being shunned by their relatives / friends ?

by stan livedeath in

a simple " me" if you dont want to say more--or a short explanation about who is shunning you and how long has this been going on.. i'll set the ball rolling: my daughter--her husband and children; my younger son --no contact from them for 40 years...because i left their religion.. (edit--i just noticed the typo in the header--if should be of ).

peacefulpete

Funny thing, when I began my new life I met others who had lost family and close friends over religion, other religions. Others had a hard time nailing down just what happened exactly, they just no longer talked. A couple even over politics. A good friend "lost" his father over his avoiding the Vietnam draft, dies decades later never reconciling. People can be foolish about lots of things. Anyway it puts things into perspective a bit, at least for us.

13

Songs that help recovery

by peacefulpete in

jw
friends

are there songs that seem to speak to you?

maybe especially when leaving the church and losing friends and family.

i still pause when i hear hennly's heart of the matter.

peacefulpete

Sea Breeze..that is disturbing.

35

Christmas, yes or no ?

by jhine in

i have just started to steep the mincemeat for my mince pies in dark rum .

christmas is a big deal in my family and circle of friends.

however among ex jws it's a bit different or so l understand.

peacefulpete

enough......baah humbug. Ludicrous. Jesus is depicted as celebrating Hanukah. An apostate religious holiday (with Solstice lights) if there ever was one. He is also depicted as celebrating the Passover reclining not standing up like the Bible says. Jews had by then adopted the Roman tradition of reclining at ease. He drinks 4 glasses of wine, not part of the OT instructions in fact prohibited due to the yeast Sanctimonious puritanism is not a reflection of the Jesus of the Bible.

35

Christmas, yes or no ?

by jhine in

i have just started to steep the mincemeat for my mince pies in dark rum .

christmas is a big deal in my family and circle of friends.

however among ex jws it's a bit different or so l understand.

peacefulpete

We host a fairly large international Xmas. It's a highlight of our year. If the ice is good, I clear an ice rink with lights around it, bond fire where we burn last years tree. We feature the traditions of a different county every year. (almost blew myself up with Mexican fireworks last year) It means a lot to see friends and catch up. Everyone has a stocking that usually has trivial trinkets and candy. It takes effort but last year when my health was so uncertain I needed a little Norman Rockwell escape. It meant so much to have everyone come like every other year.

People are the reason for the season.

If you don't now have a group to celebrate with, reach out to a workmate or distant family, you'd be surprised how good it feels to be welcomed.