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Post by Maggie on Apr 11, 2014 14:19:53 GMT -6
It can tell us about too many things to list. Here for instance is a "Sumerian cylinder seal depicting Flood Story, 2000 BC." as the pinner tells us that I took from Pinterest where one can find untold treasures: 
Some one challenged the existence of ancient Israel itself over at the mother ship! Well, it is hard to understand why the capture of two Judeans would have been memorialized if it didn't. The pinner tells us : "Officer conducts 2 Judeans to the King. Detail of the Assyrian conquest of the Jewish fortified town of Lachish (battle 701 BCE). Part of a relief from the palace of Sennacherib at Niniveh, Mesopotamia (Iraq) British Museum"  Finally, a piece from a stele found at Tel Dan (at the foot of Mount Hermon)  The pinner tells us: "A large basalt stele - On this, thirteen lines of Aramaic script. The inscription was created by King Hazael of Aram-Damascus in about 825 BC, and it relates to his father, Hadad II, being victorious in battle against Jehosaphat (c. 860 BC). The most important aspect of the text, however, is that it specifically relates to Hadad defeating the "foot soldiers, charioteers and horsemen of the King of "the House of David." This doesn't even scratch the surface but is an indication of how and where we find corroboration of much that is in the Old Testament |
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Post by jstwebbrowsing on Apr 12, 2014 12:47:49 GMT -6
Oh you saw that did you? I don't think it will do any good to point this out for them. But I appreciate it for my own knowledge. But someone that would say it would be good to murder your child to ensure their eternal well being is well past any resemblance of caring about the truth. I really need to reevaluate why I even go there.
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Post by Maggie on Apr 12, 2014 21:36:51 GMT -6
It can be an evil place like all atheist/theist forums, especially when the atheists dominate. The thing about that extraordinary subject is that the answer is so simple. God does not contradict himself. He said not to murder. He did not make exceptions for parents. One may not murder anyone. Somehow, to me this seems simple. I really wonder about that group.
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Post by jstwebbrowsing on Apr 13, 2014 23:57:46 GMT -6
I dunno. If you don't want to believe in God then fine. But why make up all this false rational and deny things that are obviously true? It makes absolutely no sense to me because I cannot understand the motive behind it. They are not content to just disbelieve in God, they have to make up all sorts of horrible things about him that aren't even true. I mean, if you're going to reject him at least reject him on the basis of truth or at least some resemblance of truth and not something you just make up to offend others. In what way do they think they benefit themselves? I just dunno.
Obviously they have hardened their heart, but it seems quite illogical to see that in action. And I can never reach their heart at any time or in any way. It's as if they are all without empathy. Failing to reach their heart they will never see any light. But if I could just get one ray of light there they might like it. But I dunno how to get there.
Recently I've been rather harsh and I feel a bit bad, but I am tired of their egotism.
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Post by Maggie on Apr 14, 2014 6:16:04 GMT -6
I don't really think it is possible to reach them online. We are anonymous voices telling them what they don't want to hear. When they sign out, anything they "heard" they forget. Just to take Adam and Eve for instance-- I have given them one very plausible interpretation of the story a couple of times. Do any of them remember it? Did they take a single thing away from it that made their understanding a little more sophisticated? Now not everyone currently involved would have been there but quite a few were.
You have explained several specifically JW understandings of issues repeatedly. Yet they ask the same questions or make the same claims repeatedly. It doesn't help that the Christians have Kevin there constantly undermining them from his seat on Mt. Sinai! These forums just aren't a learning place.
Bad company corrupts good morals. And online atheists--the aggressive ones are bad company. I won't advise you to get out but I do advise you to try to adopt a spirit of, "I will correct misinformation but what you do with the correction is up to you". If you can refrain from trying to win any argument or refrain from trying to win them over, you will enjoy your time there far more.
Forums are addictive and I stayed far too long. I will tell you though that I do not miss IGI at all and have no desire to go back.
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Post by jstwebbrowsing on Apr 14, 2014 18:05:16 GMT -6
Yeah I try to adopt that spirit but then I just keep going like the Energizer Bunny. But I have learned a lot by being at the forum. It's a matter of if the risk outweighs the reward because bad company does corrupt good morals. I read a WT article that said when dealing with opposition not to take it personal and give an emotional response because it is not directed toward you but toward God. My job is simply to tell God's side of the story and let God himself take care of opposition in his own good time and in his own way. But sometimes I find it hard not to take it personally.
Now I am finding myself stuck between wilson and other Christians and I don't know what to do. Wilson has said if I talk about him anymore that he will no longer speak to me yet I am in the middle this time by wilson's doing in two seperate instances and I cannot wholly agree with him. I don't fear wilson throwing me to the dogs. However, I'm not willing to throw him to the dogs. However, the problem is I'm also not willing to throw Kevin or Francis to the dogs. But approaching wilson is like walking through a mine field.
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Post by Maggie on Apr 14, 2014 20:38:52 GMT -6
Well, you have left yourself no way out. Wilson is a very strange bird. He has been around a very long time. He has never, in my experience, hung around as long as he has this time. He usually comes for a couple of months and then leaves for 6 or 8 months. When I first joined, it was possible to have a conversation with him. That hasn't been true now for a very long time. I don't share your high opinion of him, though I liked him in the early days. I think he is another who has been corrupted by bad company. He is wrong on many things and he is now unwilling to discuss matters. I think he comes to say his piece and it doesn't matter very much what responses he gets. Or so it seems to me. I hate the way I have seen him speak to you. The very fact that he is threatening not to speak to you anymore tells me everything I need to know about his love of neighbor.
It is up to you. You don't need to apologize for your views to anyone. I think it is fine to say what you think and not worry about how it is received.
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Post by jstwebbrowsing on Apr 14, 2014 21:57:47 GMT -6
It's that love of neighbor that I would like to get him to understand. I am no longer holding on to wilson for my sake but for his sake. Not that I am anyone special but I can't just do nothing. He is really in dangerous waters I think. But I can't even get him to engage me in a two way conversation. It's always him talking and me listening and even that doesn't occur very often. But he has offered helpful advice here and there. The only way I can compel him to really respond is if I just outright oppose him, and you saw how well that worked yourself. I took the only way out of that I could without creating an unbreachable chasm between us. He is my brother and I love him. On the other hand I love God and must speak truth the best I can. I've made myself the humblest of the humble toward him and still I don't get a response. I've asked him a question in the thread he just started. I imagine he will not answer it. I bet based on my comments between him and Kevin that he already won't speak to me anymore. But all I did was tell the truth and I even leaned a lot heavier on Kevin than I did wilson. I will sacrifice my pride to him but I won't sacrifice my integrity. The very fact that he is threatening not to speak to you anymore tells me everything I need to know about his love of neighbor. Someone once demonstrated to me that it's not how the other person loves you that makes you a neighbor, but your love for them. And I cannot tell you how this has unlocked my understanding of things. This simple lesson completely changed my worldview. This is what I want to unlock in others but I don't know how! Jesus said to love your neighbor. He didn't say love your neighbor only if you agree with him. It seems everyone wants to build religion from the top (doctrine) to the bottom (love). But it needs to be built from the bottom up. When everything fancy is stripped away "these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13) At any rate, thanks for listening. If anyone has any advice to offer, I'd be glad to hear it. |
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