Posts by Monsieur

58

The account of Ananias and Sapphira at Acts 5 categorically proves the Bible is not inerrant

by yadda yadda 2 in

go and read it again at acts 5: 11. ananias and sapphira drop dead at peter's feet for "playing false to god/holy spirit" by not giving all of the money to peter that they got from a field they sold.

ananias and sapphira were christians.

they wanted to help the poor and so sold one of their possessions, a field, and gave most of the money to peter.

Monsieur

yada yada,

What this account shows me as that God is the same from 'beginning' to infinity, He does not change, as He himself has stated.

This is a VERY strict God, that appears to DEMAND perfection, and if it wasn't for Christ, we could very well be hated by our own creator.

(this assumes that one believes in God and the Bible)

When I read that He is fear inspiring, i take it literally, fear inspiring.

The actions in Acts are consistent with his actions throughout the Bible, really. Is it right or wrong of Him to react in such ways? Many would argue NO!! But, if this God trully exists, what we think is irrelevant. Many could argue (and they do, in religion) that he has provided the way out (from His wrath) through Christ, thus becoming a loving God. This argument is also reinforced by the concept of 'choice' that He gives us, to make our decisions, as Sapphira and Ananias do.

Wether this is all true or not, is what I am personally on a 'quest' to find out.

36

Greetings

by Monsieur in

jw
friends

i visit this site often for various reasons, above all to see the opinions of those in regards to their present state in life in relation to past or present tendencies in thinking (religious, morals, etc).. i had not found anything constructive or worthy of adding to this conversation but for one reason or another here i am doing so now.

i am presently an active jw member.

i believe that our faith provides a haven or parameters from which members can significantly obtain structure and order in many different ways.

Monsieur

thanks Jgnat!

6

Twins chose death over blindness

by Monsieur in

read a story last night,.

of 45 year old twins that are already deaf and were now going blind.

the realization that they could not communicate with each other and their parents in a short time lead them to chose euthanization over the alternative.

Monsieur

Read a story last night,

Of 45 year old twins that are already deaf and were now going blind. The realization that they could not communicate with each other and their parents in a short time lead them to chose euthanization over the alternative. This happened in Belgium I believe.

I looked at my son after reading this and I felt a DEEP sadness for these twins. I wish I could do something for them. Their picture was on the article.

Man is only flesh and blood, vulnerable, extremely fragile. Its possible to sometimes feel invincible, eternal even. But the fact is, we are incredibly vulnerable to death in all shapes and forms. It will get us in old age eventually if we survive all others.

What, then, leads man to believe that he can act with hatred and violence with one another, and that only he can and has the right to live on?

Is man born with innate goodness or born with innate evil? Where is the appreciation for life?

169

The "Tree of Life and its meaning"

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

hi all.. just letting know that i've published a new article on my website, titled "the tree of life and its meaning".. you're welcome to visit, read and discuss it.. eden.

Monsieur

AGuest

a very fascinating explanation of the tree of life, tkgb and Jesus.

I myself had concluded in the past that Adam and Eve HAD already consumed of the Tree of LIfe, and had to continuously do so in order to remain eternal. It WAS in fact the other Tree (and only tree) that was off limits.

What of the releasing of Satan after a thousand years? how does this event develop?

169

The "Tree of Life and its meaning"

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

hi all.. just letting know that i've published a new article on my website, titled "the tree of life and its meaning".. you're welcome to visit, read and discuss it.. eden.

Monsieur

AGuest,

what is your interpretation on HOW one eats from this Tree of Life?

Is it merely believing that Jesus can resurrect?

169

The "Tree of Life and its meaning"

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

hi all.. just letting know that i've published a new article on my website, titled "the tree of life and its meaning".. you're welcome to visit, read and discuss it.. eden.

Monsieur

Eden,

A couple of questions.

One, the last paragraph threw me off. Did you state that there will be a 'new' or 'healed' Earth too?

Also, you quote Eclesiastes 3:11, or at least the first part of it regarding 'time indefinite' in man's heart. The second part of this verse to me is more interesting. It refers to God placing time indefinte in man's heart so as to keeping God's motives or objectives hidden from man.

How does this entire verse fit in with your theory?

169

The "Tree of Life and its meaning"

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

hi all.. just letting know that i've published a new article on my website, titled "the tree of life and its meaning".. you're welcome to visit, read and discuss it.. eden.

Monsieur

There is no such thing as perfection or utopia but it would be myopic not to ackowledge some exceptional progress. - cofty

As long as YOU are the one remaining alive and having the luxury of being myopic.

It's a 'perspective' thing I guess, but again, we have the luxury of offering our perspective.

169

The "Tree of Life and its meaning"

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

hi all.. just letting know that i've published a new article on my website, titled "the tree of life and its meaning".. you're welcome to visit, read and discuss it.. eden.

Monsieur

cofty wrote -

"I think that's a very pessimistic assessment of humanity."

I would argue that it is a very REALISTIC assesment of humanity. Hence, it was and is so easy to bundle man into evolution theory.

Don't get me wrong cofty, I acknowledge the various statistics you've presented, all of which are true. The problem is, there is STILL too much violence and hatred emanating and originating from man. The threat of mass anhilition is very real and much more possible today than yesterday.

If even ONE murder has befallen on an innocent (or not) individual, is it really possible to say "This is progress"? From that individual's perspective it is catastrophic, so what makes that situation better for us? That it didn't happen to us?

I imagine the pain felt by an afflicted mother in Syria or the Congo, or hell, right here carries just as much weight as a thousand afflicted mothers.

If we don't see it this way then we are seeing only statistics in my opinion.

54

Planning exit, alternative venues to preach?

by Goodstein in

background:.

i've come to the conclusion that many doctrines of the wts are unscriptural after many years of privately disagreeing with some of them but feeling that the society was "mostly right" and still being used by jehovah.

this turning point has happened in the last year or so.

Monsieur

jgnat wrote - "Here's a zinger I gave my husband. That week there was talk of the apostacy that the Greek philosophers introduced to Christendom, so hubby was parroting it. It just so happened that I was working through Plato's Republic, and I got to the part that talked about heaven. I quoted it to him. I asked it if it sounded familar (Paul's transport to the second heaven). I then pointed out that Plato had written his account a couple hundred years before Paul. So who copied who?"

I've come to debate this type of question with myself.

In fact, if you get down to the nitty gritty of the teachings regarding the annointed (and this is from a purely Scripturally point, NOT so much JW interpretation) there are many similarities with it to 'standard' philosophy.

That all humans have the capacity to become or reach a higher 'state' of being or existence thru shedding the corporal shell of their physical bodies. To ultimately become god-like or God himself.

The teachings of Paul fall neatly into this 'philosphy'. Interestingly jgnat, Paul also referred to Christ as being the key to the 'real' philosphy, hidden from man for centuries, but revealed in Christ. In other words, to get a shot at REALLY reaching a god-like state (eternal and immortal) one must do it through that path of Christ, not Plato or Socrates etc. So Paul in many ways DOES refer to Plato for example, but only to rebute his teachings in favor of Christ's.

Paul's claims are one of many elements that are factoring (or hoping) into discovering an 'Absolute' truth that answers all my personal questions regarding the 'state' of man and its real raison d'etre so to speak.

27

Does fear of death equate to need for God?

by Monsieur in

read a very interesting opinion article on cnn last night.

"why i raise my kids without god".. .

the writer aluded to the fear of the possibility of one's life ending forever (along with our beloved children's).

Monsieur

robcrompton, No difference that I can honestly think of. Because even after becoming concsious of our existence in life, in death (supposedly) we can not be conscious.