startingover

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Posts by startingover

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  58

  Have your prayers EVER been answered?

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  have you ever prayed for something and actually gotten what you asked for?

  specific examples would be nice to hear about.. .

  nic'.

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  startingover

  So I guess the bottom line is that you can either have a god answer your prayers or you can be lucky but the results appear to be the same.
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  58

  Have your prayers EVER been answered?

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  have you ever prayed for something and actually gotten what you asked for?

  specific examples would be nice to hear about.. .

  nic'.

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  startingover

  How nice it must be to pray and have it answered, even in exact dollar amounts...imagine that!! Seems to me the prayers said here were for the benefit of the person doing the praying. How about using some of that special talent you have on a larger scale that benefits many others? You obviously have something going on so why not use it to make a real difference in the world?
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  52

  Honest questions for believers.....

  by Paulapollos in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-gb</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp /> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables /> <w:dontvertalignintxbx /> <w:word11kerningpairs /> <w:cachedcolbalance /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val=" " /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><!

  [endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* style definitions */ table.msonormaltable {mso-style-name:"table normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"times new roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif].

  over the last couple of years, i have done a lot of reading, and rather than answering my questions, it has made me think even more - particularly about god and the bible.. when i was kicked out of the wtbts, it was because of my personal belief in jesus.

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  startingover

  Rocky-Girl,

  Exactly, instead of doing all the mental gymnastics necessary to try to make it fit, why not just admit they just like the idea of it and would probably stick with it even if Jesus himself told them it was a nonsense.
• 
  52

  Honest questions for believers.....

  by Paulapollos in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-gb</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp /> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables /> <w:dontvertalignintxbx /> <w:word11kerningpairs /> <w:cachedcolbalance /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val=" " /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><!

  [endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* style definitions */ table.msonormaltable {mso-style-name:"table normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"times new roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif].

  over the last couple of years, i have done a lot of reading, and rather than answering my questions, it has made me think even more - particularly about god and the bible.. when i was kicked out of the wtbts, it was because of my personal belief in jesus.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  startingover

  I spent most of my life never even considering any of this debate. But the last ten or so have been consumed with it, and I have come to a simple conclusion.

  Believers believe because they want to.
• 
  32

  I spend a few hours in rehab...

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  he was recruited, sort of, when his church (unity) was queried if they had somebody who could.

  god is love.

  feel love instead of hate for that person who wronged you.

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  startingover

  Thanks for sharing Terry. I can relate to the feelings stirred up by your experience.
• 
  18

  Why Does God Need A Name Anyway?

  by Room 215 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if he is the lord god almighty, solely the creator and sustainer of the universe, why the need for a name other than that?

  doesn't monotheism require belief that the other, named gods worshipped by the pagans don't exist in a place beyond the imaginations of their worshippers?

  why then the need for a name, if it isn't to reinforce a differentiation between him and lesser gods?

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  startingover

  I think you will enjoy this essay: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/211731/1/but-did-you-know-that-God-has-a-name-A-personal-name-Nine-Billion-of-them
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  65

  Hi, new to this forum. Figured I'd let everyone know about my story before I got involved.

  by JonathanH in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  if you just want the juicy details where i leave, i'll make disclaimer where it begins, if you just want to know what happened with the elders and organization after i realized it wasn't true, i'll mark that seperately.

  we didn't do jack shit in service, or in the congregation.

  maybe this was how jehovah came about?

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  startingover

  I missed this first time around, but glad I found it. I have enjoyed your voice of reason and excellent way of expressing it in other threads. Thanks for sharing your story.
• 
  158

  Can the Bible be proved wrong?

  by The Quiet One in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible
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  startingover

  That definitely needed to be said Trevor. Thanks for expressing it so well. It's tough to have a discussion with those who have invisible goalposts.
• 
  158

  Can the Bible be proved wrong?

  by The Quiet One in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible
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  startingover

  I personally don't see any disrepect and am totally into the discussion. There have been a ton of threads like this and although the persons discussing never change their viewpoints, others reading it can sure be enlightened, like I was many years ago.
• 
  25

  " ...but did you know that God has a name? A personal name?" Nine Billion of them.

  by Duncan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this post - and i warn you now, its a longish essay - is going to be all about names.

  but to get started, a little quiz: - what do the following all have in common?.

  mount fuji, the river avon, the sahara desert, lake niassa.. .

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  startingover

  Excellent!