rowan williams, the former archbishop of canterbury gave an interesting answer to the somewhat stark question, what’s the point of us existing?
as a christian, my starting point is that we exist because the most fundamental form of activity, energy, call it what you like, that is there, is love.
that is, it’s a willingness that the other should be.
aqwsed12345:
To reject the Fathers out of hand is to cut oneself off from the living memory of the early Church.
I love how Catholics can demand this of Protestants but then reject the binding authority of Oral Tradition that the Orthodox Jews demand, which is the exact same principle.
Makes me laugh at the cognitive dissonance. Still a Jehovah's Witness at heart. Just changed the label but practicing the same habits with different doctrines.
Did the Borg ever apologize for 1975?
Yes.
We are sorry that the world's not ending shows us up as being sorry sons of bitches. We are still Jehovah's Witnesses, but we have witnessed the fact that he isn't backing up anything we say. For this we are far more sorry than you can possibly imagine.--Your Neighborhood Borg
how exactly did jehovah come down to earth in 1919....look around at all the religions....and choose the bible students?
.
Oompa Loompa Doompadee Doo
I've got another puzzle for you
Oompa Loompa Doompadah Dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me
How did Jehovah choose the Watchtower
Ensuring Rutherford so much power?
It wasn't truth coming down on high
But rather that they had learned to lie!
Oompa Loompa Doompadee Dah
If you don't learn from them, you will go far
You will live in happiness, too
Like the Oompa Loompa Doompadee Doo!
how exactly did jehovah come down to earth in 1919....look around at all the religions....and choose the bible students?
.
How exactly did Jehovah come down to earth in 1919....look around at all the religions....and choose the bible students?
By means of Willy Wonka's Flying Glass Elevator, accompanied by the singing Oompa Loompas.
Duh.
so god let 10 million people die in world war 2 but was too busy to help....what kind of diety does this!
if i was god i would have done something .
AnnaNana:
Thank you for your posts, but my post was asking rhetorical questions.
In otherwords, the questions are not meant to be replied to.
The post is meant to make one think about what one personally believes and the OP's take on "God." It is one created by Western culture and nominal Christian thought, though often not shared by Judaism or other Eastern peoples that have different god concepts.
The concept is based on the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, namely: "Ask and ye shall receive." This isn't the concept of the God of Abraham that the Jews have. T'fila, the concept of "prayer" in Judaism, revolves around reciting Scripture and words of wisdom that center around accepting reality and God's purpose for life, not making personal requests and expecting God to fulfill them.
Other people, like some atheists and agnostics who might have different views shaped by disappointments with religion. My point was that we can't center or be defined on what we do or don't believe on the God-question, but we can define our life now. For regardless of our beliefs, we are alive now, and we can change things for the better with or without religion. So stop complaining about what's wrong and fix what's wrong.
so god let 10 million people die in world war 2 but was too busy to help....what kind of diety does this!
if i was god i would have done something .
Why did God leave his people, the Hebrews, in slavery and bondage to the Egyptians for so long before sending them a Deliverer? Did God not hear the cries and see the suffering of his own children? Or did not God have a purpose?
Is God a genie that serves your every whim and desire or do you serve God? Are your wants and wishes supposed to be granted by God like a genie? If you want a parking space, so to speak, should God not grant it to you? And if you do not get it, does this mean God doesn't listen to your prayers or worse, does not exist?
A genie doesn't know what you are thinking unless you tell it your thoughts because it serves you. You cannot know the greater purposes of God because you serve your Creator. God is not here to grant your wishes, end the problems we cause for ourselves, change things God has set in motion just because we would rather have it different or we cannot see our place in the grand design. God is not a genie.
You don't have to believe or care or like it. This is life. If you see a problem and have the ability to fix things, fix them. That is why we are here. Instead of pointing at or blaming God or expecting God, what about you? When was the last time you changed things? Keep changing things. There may not be a life after death, so concentrate on fixing life before death for everyone.
it-1 p. 493 communication - "when the circumcision issue was resolved by the governing body in jerusalem......".
it-1 p. 881 galatians, letter to the - "by reason of a revelation, paul, with barnabas and titus, went to jerusalem regarding the circumcision issue; he learned nothing new from james, peter, and john, but they recognized that he had been empowered for an apostleship to the nations.
" (galatians 2:1-10).
Jeffro,
You are clearly very smart. I really mean it.
But my little "maneuver" of sorts in the last few posts was not to demonstrate any belief that I have power over you--but that when you lose your self-control, you become predictable...and you always have to have the last word and post something...even if it's just an emoji. You are far more than a predictable person.
You know facts and figures and can debate history as sharp as any knife--and I am very impressed. You are, in fact, very brilliant.
Some people are not open to be considerate with others, neither are they as capable or willing to be. All they can or wish to see is the mistakes (or what they believe to be mistakes) of others. And they actually make a sport of debating these with others.
Regardless of any failings, I see great light in you. This is what I choose to see. There is a lot that is right about you. And this is what will keep growing, I am sure, years after today.
I think people don't get a chance to see enough of who is really writing these posts. People decrease the value of the individuals to such limited context that they write such horrific things. Instead we should consider that there are real persons here, trying to say much more than the mere words they are typing.
I wish you the best in all your endeavors.
it-1 p. 493 communication - "when the circumcision issue was resolved by the governing body in jerusalem......".
it-1 p. 881 galatians, letter to the - "by reason of a revelation, paul, with barnabas and titus, went to jerusalem regarding the circumcision issue; he learned nothing new from james, peter, and john, but they recognized that he had been empowered for an apostleship to the nations.
" (galatians 2:1-10).
Jeffro:
...The part where you were wrong...
You're just looking for something to call me wrong because you like to correct people.
If you want to believe what you are saying, you can believe that as much as JW Scholar can believe in 607 BCE.
It pleases me for you to act this way. This is what I want you to do. You couldn't do this unless I allowed it.
In fact, I command you to reply this post.
Or any future post I make...or past.
it-1 p. 493 communication - "when the circumcision issue was resolved by the governing body in jerusalem......".
it-1 p. 881 galatians, letter to the - "by reason of a revelation, paul, with barnabas and titus, went to jerusalem regarding the circumcision issue; he learned nothing new from james, peter, and john, but they recognized that he had been empowered for an apostleship to the nations.
" (galatians 2:1-10).
Jeffro:
...Though there could be a long term plan to quietly abandon 607 BCE...
I am neither saying nor implying that at all.
I only say what I mean here, not more or less. Nothing between the lines.
People generally don't change their beliefs much unless forced, and then only what they must.
The ideal for most is to stick to a doctrine in some shape or form, not because they are stubborn but because they are afraid to change.
People are not comfortable with adjustments, so they won't, not that they can't, do them. The fictional character Harry Potter is brave mainly because he can change everything he believes about his situation in every story three-quarters or so into them and make immediate adjustments to these preconceived ideas, not much else. Real people don't do that. They are not courageous enough.
I was not saying Jehovah's Witnesses were going to abandon their views. I was merely saying that the date of 607 BCE is quite meaningless at this point. But will they abandon it? I don't know. I can't foretell the future. I didn't say that they would.
Reconstructionist Jews didn't abandon the term "God," but they do not believe that there is a personal God that exists or listens to prayer, yet they still insist on keeping the word in their theistic liturgy and they practice daily prayer to that God who they believe isn't listening. So it will not surprise me if Jehovah's Witnesses won't abandon 607 or 1914.
it-1 p. 493 communication - "when the circumcision issue was resolved by the governing body in jerusalem......".
it-1 p. 881 galatians, letter to the - "by reason of a revelation, paul, with barnabas and titus, went to jerusalem regarding the circumcision issue; he learned nothing new from james, peter, and john, but they recognized that he had been empowered for an apostleship to the nations.
" (galatians 2:1-10).
Jeffro's got a great site on this subject and done more than enough reasoning on the matter--as others here have done in their posts here as well.
Anything else is just going around in circles for the sake of making yourself dizzy! 😵
Nobody who is a real scholar writes like JWScholar. And writing walls of material--who wants to read that?
607 BCE leads to 1914...So what? That was supposed to be the date for the End of the Gentile Times. It did not happen. The Gentile nations are still here! Armageddon did not arrive. They moved it to 1915, then to 1918, 1925, 1975, before those who were alive to witness and understand 1914 passed away, etc. And now, in the latest Watchtower it's "we don't know."
So who cares about 607 BCE anymore? In the face of all that failure and the new "we don't know" it is virtually meaningless. Believe in 607 BCE all you want. You just end up like the rest of Christendom who say "we don't know" as well, many of whom also believe these are the last days.
