Posts by EdenOne

53

Atheism IS a religion! My profound apologies to Xians.

by return of parakeet in

in the course of my continuing research on why believers insist that atheists are religious, i stumbled upon a website (link below) that proves beyond any doubt that atheism is a religion.

you can imagine my chagrin upon discovering that i, as an atheist, belong to a religion after all.

i'm not exactly a member in good standing yet, but i'll work on it as hard as i can.

EdenOne

Phizzy

Do share TTATT on meatballs, please ....

Eden

23

... you have a PM

by Simon in

please don't make posts to inform people that you have sent them a pm..

Simon, it would be useful - not sure if possible - that the top right of the page would show some kind of indication that a new PM has arrived. This would eliminate the need for routine check up of the PMs. I know I don't do it that often.

Eden

13

An open CHALLENGE to active JW's

by Terry in

how can the following be proved to be scriptural?.

what possible evidence supports these teachings and policies?.

1. jesus surveyed all christian denominations and chose the "anointed" under judge rutherford for his approved church in the year 1919.. .

EdenOne

Ok, Terry, I'll bite :P

1. Jesus surveyed all christian denominations and chose the "anointed" under Judge Rutherford for his approved church in the year 1919.

Unscriptural, unproven, unprovable.

2. Charles Russell predicted 1914 was date for the return of Christ rather than Armageddon.

The understanding that 1914 was the date of the return of Christ was only set after 1914. Until then, the expectation was that 1914 would be the date of the Armageddon.

3. There are two classes of saved christians and the majority will not have a heavenly hope.

There are indeed two classes, the "144.000" that will rule with Christ, and the "great crowd". However, both have a heavenly call. This was the pre-1935 understanding.

4. The bible is only written for the anointed and not the majority of christians who must, instead, turn to the Governing Body.

Unscriptural. Actually, anti-biblical.

5. Jesus is NOT the mediator between Jehovah and the great crowd of worshippers but the Governing Body itself is.

Unscriptural. Jesus is the mediator for all Christians.

6. Declaring apostasy when any member diaagrees with the men of the GB or the Elders who parrot their policies.

Over-zealous interpretation of the Scriptures. Such interpretation lacks love an mercy.

7. Branch committees and not local congregations decide who is a child molestor and who will be declared a predator. Notifying the police is not automatic procedure.

Abiding by the law of the "Superior Authorities" is paramount here, since child molesting is more than a sin, it's a public crime, and should be dealt accordingly and promptly, prioritizing the protection of the victim.

8. Declaring it a disfellowship offense for mothers to speak a greeting to DF'd children. Family must shun ex-members even if they aren't speaking out against the religion.

The only time "total shunning" ("do not even invite them in or greet them" - 2 John 10) is called for is when dealing with "antichrists", former Christians who turned their back on Christ and God, and who teach others to do so. As far as other common sins, Paul said "you must not associate with" (1 Cor 5:11) meaning, that social and spiritual close relationship with such person should be avoided. However, this doesn't rule out greeting, verbal or written communication when needed. This is not a command for total estrangement.

Eden

17

Not even eating with such a man?

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

not even eating with such a man?.

today i added a new article to my blog taking a closer look at watchtowers doctrinal position that jehovahs witnesses should not even eat a meal with disfellowshipped individuals.

as it turns out watchtower holds families among jehovahs witnesses to one standard and holds itself to a wholly different standard.

EdenOne

I wonder if John was thinking of the memorial meal when he said "not even eating with such a man"... after all, in context, he was talking about the antichrists, which, according to his own definition, are the ones who deny both the Father and the Son. If they deny the Son, in particular, if they deny that Christ came in the flesh, why would they be worthy of partaking in a meal that's supposed to represent the body and blood of Christ?

Interesting thought.

Eden

13

"New light" and BLOOD ...

by EdenOne in

i just had a flash in my head.. in the wt 07/2013, the "new light" is basically saying that there was no appointment of a faithful and discrete slave in the christian era until 1919. if this is true, then no "spiritual food at the proper time" was served after jesus' resurrection, for over 1886 years.

that means that the decree of the "apostles and older men" in jerusalem, recorded in acts 15:24-29, isn't "food at the proper time", and shouldn't be mandatory for christians.

this includes the order to "abstain from blood".

EdenOne

This might deserve a thread of its own, but here goes ...

On 1st Timothy 3:16, we read: "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness ..."

What Paul meant by "all Scripture"...?

The context shows what Paul was talking about. On v.15 he mentions tells Timothy that " from infancy you have known the holy writings , which are able to make you wise for salvation". If Timothy was in his early 30's when he was appointed by Paul as an elder in Ephesus, then Timothy was born circa 29 CE, that is, well before Jesus' death, and therefore, the "holy writings" that he has known since his infancy were the OT. That's the "all Scripture" that paul refers to on v.16.

Since Paul was talking about the OT, saying that it was "useful" [Greek: opheleo, meaning: profit, help, benefit] for "teaching". Shall we conclude that Paul was endorsing the OT as a source of doctrine for Christians?

No. Here's why. The context on v.15 shows that Paul considered the OT useful because they "are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." The salvation doesn't come from observation and obedience to the OT. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus. However, the OT can become "useful" and "helpful" to the Chrstian [in particular, the Christian with a jewish background, as it was Timothy's case], to gain wisdom to recognize the Messiah as Jesus.

While Paul described the OT Scriptures as "useful / profitable", he didn't describe them as "authority". However, he described the apostleship as "authority that the Lord gave us" (2 Corinthians 10:8) [Strong's #1832, exesti, meaning: lawful], thus tracing his authority directly from Jesus Christ.

Eden

7

"It was the delicious meal that convinced me to cook it"

by Terry in

you decide what shirt to buy.. you decide what color.. your body decides what size.. two whims and one practical cause.. .

you decide which god you believe in.. you decide what religion you practice.. your core values decided what you were to decide.. two whims and one practical cause.. .

you are a child and your parents instruct you.. you are a young adult and your society, your school and your friends shape you.. you are an adult and you become who you already are.. two whims and one practical cause.. .

EdenOne

If triangles invented their own god, no doubt it would have three sides.
No. If triangles invented a god, it would be a square. Why? Because it would be unattainable, requiring metaphysical thought, and yet, possessing familiar traits, only perfect (two rectangle triangles with perfectly equal sides put together make a square).
Just saying ...
Eden

28

John 3:16 - "EXERCISE faith"...??

by EdenOne in

the nwt often uses the expression "exercise", when it comes to the expression of faith.. "a notable use of that is in john 3:16 - for god loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.".

i started to be intrigued by the expression "exercise faith".

it is true that james wrote that "faith without works is dead", meaning that faith must be more than just an inner feeling or an oral statement; it must be evidenced by works.

EdenOne

I actually prefer the term "demonstrate" than "exercise". Nevertheless, neither are granted by the text, only by the context.

Even better would be to "manifest" faith. Still, not granted by the original text.

Eden

13

"New light" and BLOOD ...

by EdenOne in

i just had a flash in my head.. in the wt 07/2013, the "new light" is basically saying that there was no appointment of a faithful and discrete slave in the christian era until 1919. if this is true, then no "spiritual food at the proper time" was served after jesus' resurrection, for over 1886 years.

that means that the decree of the "apostles and older men" in jerusalem, recorded in acts 15:24-29, isn't "food at the proper time", and shouldn't be mandatory for christians.

this includes the order to "abstain from blood".

EdenOne

"Tartarus" is found in 2 Peter 2:4, rather than in Jude. Although Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch aplenty.

Eden

13

"New light" and BLOOD ...

by EdenOne in

i just had a flash in my head.. in the wt 07/2013, the "new light" is basically saying that there was no appointment of a faithful and discrete slave in the christian era until 1919. if this is true, then no "spiritual food at the proper time" was served after jesus' resurrection, for over 1886 years.

that means that the decree of the "apostles and older men" in jerusalem, recorded in acts 15:24-29, isn't "food at the proper time", and shouldn't be mandatory for christians.

this includes the order to "abstain from blood".

EdenOne

The article is clear that no slave was appointed to dispense spiritual "food at the proper time" until 1919.

What they suggest is that the apostles's authority given to them directly by Jesus was unquestionable, therefore, the "no slave in the first century" is a non-issue.

However, this would allow us to discard the book of James, since he wasn't one of the 12 apostles.

What a can of worms.

Eden

13

"New light" and BLOOD ...

by EdenOne in

i just had a flash in my head.. in the wt 07/2013, the "new light" is basically saying that there was no appointment of a faithful and discrete slave in the christian era until 1919. if this is true, then no "spiritual food at the proper time" was served after jesus' resurrection, for over 1886 years.

that means that the decree of the "apostles and older men" in jerusalem, recorded in acts 15:24-29, isn't "food at the proper time", and shouldn't be mandatory for christians.

this includes the order to "abstain from blood".

EdenOne

I just had a flash in my head.

In the WT 07/2013, the "new light" is basically saying that there was no appointment of a Faithful and Discrete Slave in the Christian era until 1919. If this is true, then no "spiritual food at the proper time" was served after Jesus' resurrection, for over 1886 years. That means that the decree of the "apostles and older men" in Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15:24-29, isn't "food at the proper time", and shouldn't be mandatory for Christians.

This includes the order to "abstain from blood". Since Jesus abolished the old Covenant Law, and he himself never said a word about the consumption of blood, what follows is that we are only under the obligation to obey what God told Noah: You can't eat meat from a slain animal with the blood on it.

Actually, thinking about it, the whole NT with the exception of the four synoptic Gospels is invalidated by this order of ideas... This makes books like "The Finished Mystery" legit food and the espitole of Paul to the Romans an apostasy. .... What a concept.

Eden