Well, I guess I miss understood some post, hell for all we know aliens seeded life on this planet as an expirement
For all we know, Aliens have handed out evolutionary evidence as clues to a great cosmic game of Clue.
Correct me if I am wrong here but it seems you think you know the thoughts that go on in my mind. You, "simply put", have no idea of the reasons I have for how, or what, I believe what God's will is, in regards to an earthly organization. If you did, then you would be me. Now, I know you are not me. Therefore, you can't possibly know my thoughts, and we all know what that means. It means you are "assuming" you know my thoughts. Let's be quite blunt about this. You have your beliefs and I have mine. I am very comfortable that you believe what you believe and that you are 100% entitled to your beliefs. Do you feel comfortable about what I believe? Can you let it go and continue living your life the way you have been with this knowledge about me? Or, do you feel it necessary to ridicule and attack other people's beliefs? I gather this is the "key" problem you are having. Instead of taking Jesus' advice and counsel in regards to preaching you are doing the opposite. Now what was it he said? “Into whatever city or village YOU enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until YOU leave. When YOU are entering into the house, greet the household; and if the house is deserving, let the peace YOU wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from YOU return upon YOU. Wherever anyone does not take YOU in or listen to YOUR words, on going out of that house or that city shake the dust off YOUR feet. Truly I say to YOU, It will be more endurable for the land of Sod′om and Go·mor′rah on Judgment Day than for that city." Matthew 10:11-15 Remember this very important point. The verses above are what Jesus said, not the Watchtower Society or me.
Now why is it that you feel the need to go and knock on everyone's door? Who is the one that believes everyone is wrong? Correct me if I'm wrong but you want me to keep my beliefs to myself while at the same time the Watchtowerites go door to door trying to spread their beliefs. And you keep getting it wrong time and time again. My "issue" is not with you or with the Watchtowerites. It is with the Watchtower organisation. I honestly do not expect any change from you for as long as you maintain your 100% loyalty to this organisation. Because according to the JWs the Watchtower and Christianity and of course Salvation are totally inseparable. This is a concept that you will not find anywhere in the Bible. Now tell me does my post look like this to you: "proteindude has no idea what he is talking about. He couldn't possibly know what he is talking about because he does not have the great light that I received from the Watchtower Organisation. Proteindude can read the Bible all he wants, he can study it all he wants, he can pray all he wants and the only way I will ever admit he can understand the Bible is IF he becomes a JW himself. After all the Bible was written for the sole purpose so that everyone becomes part of the Watchtower organisation. That was the reason Jesus came, so that the Watchtower becomes the world's biggest religious organisation." If this is how my post appears to you, you can understand I consider this totally different from the teachings of the Scripture. You said something about being set free. Submitting wholly to the Watchtower is not what many would call freedom but bondage. Admit it, you cannot do anything of yourself but everything has to be approved by the Watchtower.
North, I don't know how to say this but the feeling that I get about you is that when it comes to religion (read that Christianity) you are under the spirit of confusion: you believe some parts of the Bible and not others. You were a Christian but now you're not and are now convinced God does not exist or His existence can't be proven etc. Yet you jump in religious conversations with your views even though you're not surely sure what to believe. You may be a nice guy or a pacifict or whathever you want to describe yourself as being. Just like your aim is for example peace, the JW's aim is to convince everyone they are wrong and that the only TRUE organisation on this earth is the Watchtower. My take is I can have differing points on peripheral issues but the main doctrinal points of Salvation remain the same whether you are a Pentecostal, Baptist, Salvation Army etc. I like to stick with orthodox beliefs. Now, to be fair unlike Muslims I do not fear pacifist cults such as Mormons and JWs but I completely disagree with their beliefs. No wonder so many Christian groups consider Mormons and JWs cults.
I'd say you do know how you would like to say this. As to me, I've no intent to engage on what I did or didn't know of the Bible, and you really shouldn't presume. What I did, what I lived, is scattered about these pages if you're actually interested to know. Without presuming to speak for him, what I got from Cheapseo is: -He has reasons for believing as he does; -You cannot know what they are without being him; and, like our friend Tbarr on the other thread, to say you know he believes one thing while he is telling you he believes another is an assumption and, if it were me, damned arrogant; -He respects your right to believe as you do, and asks you to do the same; -He raises the example of Christ: say what you will, but if it isn't received, leave and live your life. In other words, let go and live your life as best as you see fit. I see nothing unreasonable about the request. I feel you responded with more of the same, which is a condemnation of the man's beliefs. I think he's saying, "peace, go with God." And I think you are being unreasonable.
I found a great article that someone forwarded me, http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/creation-vs-evolution.htm I think it points out some interesting views on both sides of the table.
Are we like speaking a totally separate language? You surely must have read this a zillion times already "We INVITE people to study the Bible with us". How is this seen as: ????? You obviously have no idea the point Jesus was making in the verse I pointed out to you. NPT saw the point straight away. How come you can't? Exactly! Thank you! Grandiose and inaccurate statements such as is not helping your side of the discussion. Again. Right on the button.
I am glad you and north are happy to understand each other. I wish you both well. And to use your expression: "a zillion times" I said my issue is not with JWs but with the Watchtower. I see you keep failing to see it. And regarding my "Grandiose and inaccurate statement" regarding the JWs trying to CONvince everyone else they are wrong....In that case you could then explain to me what is the aim of door knocking? If those people you are trying to CONvert are already walking in the light, why do JWs (read that watchtowerites) go door knocking through the neighbourhoods? Just so you know, I am personally NOT against door knocking. I like it when the JWs want to give me their magazine and yet they refuse to take one of mine. So much for people being strong in their faith.
Also everyone here who is Christian and is arguing with Atheists about who is right or wrong... According to the same bible your preaching about it also says you should not judge anyone that it is up to god to decide who is wrong and who is right. If they feel the need to think about there religious stand point then they will come to you and seek help of the church, But don't come here and tell people that god exists and try and argue with them, its for them to decide wither they believe or not and frankly if you truely follow the bible then you will realize that its not for you to decide or even to argue. Religion as a whole today is trying to scare people into making them believe in certain faiths which is wrong. The church fears that they no longer have an effect over the population so they are trying to scare everyone back into the faith. With new laws and civilization leaving the stone age of religious power people see the true reason behind religion. A Control system for the most part over the masses.
You're probably right. Mother Theresa was sent to Calcutta to take over the world. And what a prosperous part of the world she was sent to. She must be envied by every business man and woman and by the superpowers because she went to such a rich place. Now where is that sarcastic icon??? I found it.
This is because religion was always used for "control" and making people "believe" and "listen" to one certian way. Religion is the most potent drug in the world