Posts by peacefulpete

26

Noah's Ark - Kentucky

by BoogerMan in

jw
friends

regardless of belief/non-belief in the bible account, why is the ark nearly always depicted by both believers & non-believers as a huge boat, with a rounded hull & stern, and a tapered bow?

https://arkencounter.com/ .

the ark was crate shaped according to the measurements.

Manipulation through emitional acting?

by road to nowhere in

we had a co talk touching on resurrection, death, seeing family again.

the brother went into scenarios about his family, complete with tears.

i question getting that emotional every time he gives this talk.

peacefulpete

I too get squirmy when emotions appears faked or forced. It's hard to do and requires real talent to do well.

I imagine the tears of anti-animal abuse advocates or antiabortion campaigners are real enough, even if they can be invoked by recounting the same stories over again. Again, I don't doubt the motives nor the effectiveness of showing passion for a subject. I may or may not agree with the conclusions.

14

Impact of Death of Favorite Character

by peacefulpete in

i'll assume we have all felt a jolt of loss when a favorite tv, movie or book character dies.

when i watched the death of the incredible hulk tv movie after years of reading the comics and watch the tv show i was impacted.

funny even today it just feels wrong.

peacefulpete

I'll assume we have all felt a jolt of loss when a favorite TV, movie or book character dies. When I watched the death of the Incredible Hulk TV movie after years of reading the comics and watch the TV show I was impacted. Funny even today it just feels wrong. When Hercule Poirot died/suicide I felt a similar jolt that has lasted years.

Wolverine's, Iron man's and Black Widow's death in the movies made millions cry. Captain Miller (Tom Hanks), Maximus (Russell Crowe) and many others.

Death, especially for a cause or the saving of others makes for a great ending that lasts. The feelings are real, sometimes even grief.

Want to share any that moved you?

8

Manipulation through emitional acting?

by road to nowhere in

we had a co talk touching on resurrection, death, seeing family again.

the brother went into scenarios about his family, complete with tears.

i question getting that emotional every time he gives this talk.

peacefulpete

Not much of a religion without the heart being involved. For that matter not much of a life without the heart involved.

I'm not denying that emotional acting can be manipulative, it can also be effective motivation, disarmingly persuasive. Good elocution demands reaching hearts not minds. The speaker was probably trying his best to convey what he felt to be valuable "truths". I don't fault him, I just disagree with him.

10

elder school and jabs

by enoughisenough in

i watched a video ( can't think which one now.

)..and the presenter said he had been given unverifiable information from an elder's wife that the elders needed to have the "jabs" in order to attend elder school in person now and there wasn't to be a zoom, and if they didn't have the jabs, they needed to contact the branch.

( my thought: when will these toothless lions (elders) wake up and be real men and use their god given intelligence and quit allowing the manipulation?

peacefulpete

Funny thing is that no doubt a few church leaders will leave the church because of being asked to get vaccinated but had no problem letting others suffer because of the blood restrictions. Ironic.

68

1975 selling of houses

by Paul Bonanno in

jw
friends

as 1975 was approaching, many witnesses sold their property.

do you know about specific cases that are willing to share their experience of doing so?.

peacefulpete

We sold everything and moved to preach. That was almost 20 years later. The influence over life decisions hardly ended with 1975.

15

Dirt floors in Africa, Ultra modern Towers in Indonesia

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

matthew 19:21. jesus said to him, “if you will to be perfect, go away, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.”.

jw family tanzania - bukombe kingdom hall.

nothing like attending your local kingdom hall in africa with dirt floors, tarps as a roof, brutal heat with no air-conditioning, and small wooden benches to sit on after a hard days work.. does the society help this congregation in africa with a suitable kingdom hall that would have the local members more comfortable with these unbearable conditions?.

peacefulpete

It's all explainable. The heart of the church is image and growth not quality of life. Again, they are not alone many churches do the same. But would you expect the "true" church to behave like others?

7

It appears Paul utilized Wisdom of Solomon

by peacefulpete in

romans 1:18-31.

18 the wrath of god is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about god is plain to them, because god has made it plain to them.

20 for since the creation of the world god’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.. 21 for although they knew god, they neither glorified him as god nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

peacefulpete

A lot depends depends upon your definition of inspired. I find it interesting because of questions of Christian origins. By paraphrasing Wisdom Paul tells us more about himself, what he read, how he formulated his unique theology. It's one of the central debates today. It's frustratingly complicated. Too much literature from the period is lost, too little known about the provenance and transmission of what are regarded as authentic Pauline works to be dogmatic about anything.

I find interesting is Wisdom's emphasis upon revelation being the objective and key to salvation. 10:10 uses the term God's Kingdom as a revelatory reward, not as a literal temporal/physical messianic liberation.

So many currents we're running through Jewish communities, especially in the diaspora.

7

It appears Paul utilized Wisdom of Solomon

by peacefulpete in

romans 1:18-31.

18 the wrath of god is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about god is plain to them, because god has made it plain to them.

20 for since the creation of the world god’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.. 21 for although they knew god, they neither glorified him as god nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

peacefulpete

Romans 1:18-31

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for idols made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.

Compare now the more verbose

Wisdom 13:1-10, 14:22-31

13 For all people who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature;
and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know the one who exists,
nor did they recognize the artisan while paying heed to his works;
2 but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air,
or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water,
or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.
3 If through delight in the beauty of these things people assumed them to be gods,
let them know how much better than these is their Lord,
for the author of beauty created them.
4 And if people[a] were amazed at their power and working,
let them perceive from them
how much more powerful is the one who formed them.
5 For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.
6 Yet these people are little to be blamed,
for perhaps they go astray
while seeking God and desiring to find him.
7 For while they live among his works, they keep searching,
and they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful.
8 Yet again, not even they are to be excused;
9 for if they had the power to know so much
that they could investigate the world,
how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?

10 But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are those
who give the name “gods” to the works of human hands,
gold and silver fashioned with skill,
and likenesses of animals,
or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand.

22 Then it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God,
but though living in great strife due to ignorance,
they call such great evils peace.
23 For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries,
or hold frenzied revels with strange customs,
24 they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure,
but they either treacherously kill one another, or grieve one another by adultery,
25 and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury,
26 confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors,
defiling of souls, sexual perversion,
disorder in marriages, adultery, and debauchery.
27 For the worship of idols not to be named
is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
28 For their worshipers[a] either rave in exultation,
or prophesy lies, or live unrighteously, or readily commit perjury;
29 for because they trust in lifeless idols
they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm.
30 But just penalties will overtake them on two counts:
because they thought wrongly about God in devoting themselves to idols,
and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness.
31 For it is not the power of the things by which people swear,[b]
but the just penalty for those who sin,
that always pursues the transgression of the unrighteous.

15

Dirt floors in Africa, Ultra modern Towers in Indonesia

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

matthew 19:21. jesus said to him, “if you will to be perfect, go away, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.”.

jw family tanzania - bukombe kingdom hall.

nothing like attending your local kingdom hall in africa with dirt floors, tarps as a roof, brutal heat with no air-conditioning, and small wooden benches to sit on after a hard days work.. does the society help this congregation in africa with a suitable kingdom hall that would have the local members more comfortable with these unbearable conditions?.

peacefulpete

Our congo in south America looked very much like the one posted. The branch was the only brick building in the country. All the materials were imported from America.. too bad it was so heavy it was sinking,lol.