"Dear Lord, im sorry i questioned you.. im sorry i thought i knew better than you. im sorry i didnt trust you. im sorry i didnt have faith that you were doing what is best. thank you Lord for loving me, for making me this way, for giving me the strength to go on, for the joy you put in my heart. Lord, thank you, for giving me the hard times, and for letting me know, that they arent hard at all.. thank you for strengthening my heart, and being there for me, when my heart wasnt strong enough.
Lord, please forgive me my sins, which you have paid for in full on the cross, so that i dont have to, and help me change my ways. Lord, i decide to never sin again, give me the strength to do so.
Lord, thank you for loving me.. infinitely. and Lord, give me the strength to rely on you, to trust you, and to love you.. just as you love me. Amen."
some (probably) made up parable circling the internet, that i know joelie is going to love:
Navy SEALs are always taught
1) Keep your priorities in order and
2) Know when to act without hesitation.
A Navy SEAL was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU. One day he shocked the class when he came in, looked to the ceiling, and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor
proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting."
It got down to the last couple of minutes when the SEAL got out of his chair, went up to the professor,
and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The SEAL went back to
his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in
silence.
The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the SEAL and asked, "What the hell is the
matter with you? Why did you do that?"
The SEAL calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your
right to say stupid sh*t and act like an assh*le. So He sent me."
-shamelessly ripped off from some stupid atheist site i will not link to
a term coined by Max Müller, to mean devotion to a single "God" while accepting the existence of other gods. Müller stated that henotheism means, "monotheism in principle and polytheism in fact."
so, mormons, for example, are henotheists. as are jehovas witnesses. and NOT monotheists.
WWII was the first time many Americans entered Asian countries on a wide scale - sure, a few tourists visited before, but during WWII and Vietnam there were large numbers of American soldiers staying in Asian countries for long stretches of time. Many of these soldiers hoped for peace and an end to war, so they would flash the peace symbol in many of their photos. When the soldiers befriended the Asian civilians, such as the children of a village, they would sometimes take pictures (a technology unknown to many rural villages) and teach the people the simple peace sign. Many of the civilians took this to be part of the the picture-taking process, like saying "cheese". And from there it simply became a cultural habit.
And most tourists, no matter their nationality, take lots of pictures when traveling. If you're only going to be in a place once in your life, it's nice to take a memory that won't fade.
for time to exist, there has to be a finite number of events leading up to now (or else we would not have reached now) hence there must have been a first event. for that first event there is a need for matter to be involved, and hence that matter mustve come from somewhere. however, logic demands that from nothing, only nothing can come, (ex nihilo nihil fit) so therefore there mustve been something eternal, infinite and with the innate ability to create to have created that first bit of matter, and set that first event in motion. that infinite, eternal creator is who we call God.
not only does God exist, the existence of everything demands a Creator that is outside of His creation, and not bound by time.
me on answerbag again, answering whether God forgives people who commit suicide:
there is only one unforgivable sin that the bible mentions, and that is the rejection of forgiveness (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit is who convicts us of what we do wrong, and leads us to repentance) and once you are dead, you cannot repent.
the question really is, if murder (ie, the conscious taking of a life) is a sin, and that is the last thing you do, when do you have time to repent from what youve done?
there are many reasons why someone could commit suicide, but God is fair and judges fairly.. so beware, because you WILL be judged fairly (ie, no excuses, no stories)
friggin, wow. so heres some answers with references to that list of stuff jehova's witnesses cant do jehova's witness children.. seems like its true they cant play chess..
DO NOT PLAY CHESS. IT IS LIKE WAR!
The real danger of playing chess is it's military nature, the equivalent of the maneuvers enacted by little boys with toy soldiers. Awake !, 3/22/73, pp.12-14.
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.
1 John 5:18
and
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
1 Corinthians 5:11
and
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Hebrews 6:4-6
sorry, you cant lose your salvation, because if you could, you wouldnt be able to get it back once again.. if you are in sin, you are not a friggin christian, get it?? and forget lunch.. repent first.
101 doctrines of the jehovah's witnesses (as found in the form of a question here while i looked up the passages that i will post above)
1. Jehovah God is not a Trinity
2. The doctrine of the Trinity is inspired by Satan
3. Jesus Christ is a created being, who at one time did not exist (a.k.a.Michael the archangel)
4. The Holy Spirit is not a person but is "God's active force" i.e. gravity, electricity etc.
5. Heaven is only for select Jehovah's Witnesses
6. Heaven is limited only to 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses
7. Jehovah's Witnesses are the only true Christians
8. There is no Hell (It is simply the grave)
9. There is no life after death (except for the 144,000)
10. Salvation is by good works not by Grace
11. You cannot be sure of salvation
12. Jesus is not to be worshiped or prayed to
13. Jesus did not rise from the dead bodily but as a spirit being
14. You are discouraged from attending college
15. The "first resurrection" occurred in 1918
16. All pastors are the "Antichrist"
17. All churches are of Satan
18. All governments are controlled by Satan
19. You cannot take a blood transfusion
20. You cannot be a police officer
21. You cannot salute the flag, stand for the national anthem, or own a flag
22. You cannot serve in the military
23. You cannot buy girl Scout cookies
24. You must attend five meetings per week
25. Jesus'second coming occurred in 1914 (only known to Jehovah's Witnesses)
26. You cannot marry a non-Jehovah's Witness
27. If one does not follow the rules of the Watchtower they will be shunned
28. You cannot read Christian literature from a Christian book store
29. You cannot be a cheerleader
30. You cannot celebrate any holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.)
31. You cannot celebrate your birthday
32. You cannot run for or hold a political office
33. You cannot vote in any political campaign
34. You cannot serve on a jury
35. You are discouraged from giving to charity (except Watchtower causes)
36. You cannot speak to former members who are shunned (disfellowshipped)
37. You cannot accept Christmas gifts
38. You must read and study Watchtower literature regularly
39. Only Jehovah's Witnesses can understand the Bible
40. Angels direct the Watchtower organization
41. Jesus did not die on a cross but an upright pole
42. You cannot own or wear a cross
43. You must report your witnessing activity to the elders
44. You must go from door to door weekly to gain converts
45. You cannot have friends who are not Jehovah's Witnesses
46. You must refer to all Jehovah's Witnesses as "brother" or "sister"
47. You cannot play chess*
48. You cannot understand the Bible without Watchtower literature to explain it
49. A child abuser is reported to Watchtower elders and not the police
50. You must forgo vacations to attend annual conventions
51. You are discouraged from buying a two door car-A "Theocratic" or "spiritually strong" Jehovah's Witness will have a full size car for the door to door work
52. Men cannot wear beards
53. Men must wear short hair
54. Women cannot pray in the presence of men without a hat
55. You cannot have a tattoo
56. You forbidden to use any tobacco products
57. Only officially approved sexual practices are allowed in marriage
58. You must appear before a Judicial committee if you are caught breaking Watchtower rules (Secret files are kept on all members which record these meetings-these files are kept in New York and are never destroyed)
59. You must not own wind-chimes (they are for chasing away evil spirits)*
60. You cannot read any anti-Jehovah's Witness material
61. You cannot use pet foods made with blood or blood products
62. You cannot join any clubs or sports teams
63. You cannot wear jade jewelry*
64. You cannot purchase Christian products (books, music, plaques, pictures etc.)
65. You cannot wear any Christian jewelry
66. Jehovah's Witness meeting places have no windows
67. If you see another Jehovah's Witness breaking the rules you must turn them in to the elders to be interrogated
68. Jesus could have sinned and failed in his mission
69. Jesus was not born the savior but became the savior at his baptism
70. The Watchtower organization is God's prophet on earth today
71. Women must submit to Watchtower elders
72. You cannot support your country
73. One must study Watchtower books at least six months before he can be baptized
74. Before baptism, one must answer over 80 questions in front of a panel of elders
75. Most of The Book of Revelation applies to the Jehovah's Witnesses
76. You cannot celebrate Mothers or Fathers day (it may produce pride)
77. Kingdom Halls cannot have pews for seating
78. JWs are are fobidden to say "good luck"
79. God is not omniscient "all knowing"
80. God is not omnipresent
81. God only speaks through the "Governing Body" in Brooklyn, New York
82. The Holy Spirit is only for select Jehovah's Witnesses
83. The Lord's supper is only to be eaten by select Jehovah's Witnesses (144,000 group-99.99% of Jehovah's Witnesses are forbidden from taking the Lord's supper)
84. The Lord's supper can only be offered once per year
85. JWs in times of crisis, are strongly discouraged from consulting with family counselors, including mental health professionals who are not Jehovah's Witnesses
86. Only faithful Jehovah's Witnesses will survive Armageddon
87. If you have a non-Witness spouse your first loyalty is to the elders over your spouse
88. Jesus was equal to Adam (just a man)
89. Judgment day is 1000 years long
90. If you leave Jehovah's Witnesses or are expelled from the organization you will not be resurrected
91. Only Jehovah's Witness prayers are heard by God
92. Man's salvation is secondary in God's plan; Jesus was sent to "vindicate Jehovah's name"
93. God will destroy all non-Jehovah's Witnesses at armageddon
94. You forbidden to say "God bless you" when someone sneezes.
95. You must never enter a church building
96. You must never attend a church service
97. You cannot be involved in martial arts, boxing or wrestling
98. You cannot participate in a school play
99. You cannot donate blood or your organs when you die
100. You can never question what is printed in Watchtower literature
10l. You are forbidden to attend a funeral of an ex-Jehovah's Witness
Definition of a Cult (not to be confused with "sect") at freerepublic.com, i remember joelie asking me about this one
What is the proper definition of a "cult" in religious terms? Do we use one provided by some:
>A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible. – Alan Gomes, Ed., Unmasking the Cults (Zondervan, 1995).
One of Webster's:
>1: formal religious veneration : worship
>2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
>3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
>4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
>5 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b: the object of such devotion c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
um.. so, happy most depressive day of the year.. pfft.. according to the radio show im hearing.. according to some "scientist" guy.. hahah.. oh scientists..
and yes, black holes are offensive.. apparently, so much so, that theyve renamed them:
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - The International Space Nomenclature Council today adopted the term 'emplacements de hauts gravité super' - or 'super high gravity locations' - as the official replacement name for black holes. Originally named in reference to the fact that light cannot escape their intense gravity, the term 'black hole' was increasingly criticized as being insensitive to African-Americans and African-Europeans.
yeah, my response? "you gotta be friggin kidding me.."
"We're glad the council finally took action on this issue." said Isaiah Herman, Chairman of the National African-American Coalition of People. "The unimaginable destructive power of these super high gravity locations was giving the word 'black' a negative connotation throughout the universe."
Super high gravity locations are the remnants of giant stars that collapse into a substance so dense that it has a gravitational pull that consumes all matter that comes near it. "They're the bad boys of the cosmos." says Nokidi Imsure, Professor of Astronomic Anthropology at Howyflyl University. "You would definitely want to cross the street if you saw one coming."
pop quiz, how do you translate "pineapple" to chinese?? well.. ? well?? "phoenix pear"!! isnt that just the coolest fruit name?? i mean yeah, theres also "dragon citrus" (which is also friggin amazing, btw) but you see a pineapple and you can definitely see why.. haha.. man, the chinese have the best names for fruit!
random fact, pineapples are actually bromeliads.. cool, huh? ("whats a bromeliad?" you say? ah, just a kind of weird plant)
How-to: Make a PS360 controller.. modding your ps3 controller to fit it in the case of an xbox360 controller.. why? who cares! its awesome! plus you get to learn how to possibly mod your playstation controller to anything.. yes, "to" anything.. you really like that old NES controller from way back when? well, heh, um.. i guess you could shove the playstation controller guts into that (plus the two analogs and shoulders and.. ok its a dumb idea perhaps, but its a doable one no less!!)
just joined answerbag.com and posted the following answer to the question: "Why a bloody emperor as Constantine is called the Holy emperor?"
actually he wasnt called holy emperor at all, that came some 500 years later with charlemagne and the so-called "holy roman empire"
constantine did not, by the way, found christianity, he merely founded what is today the catholic church after declaring the official roman religion as "christian" instead of pagan. the pagan religion then synchretised with christian beliefs giving what is today the catholic church and its many anti-biblical beliefs and practices. eg: praying to dead people, worship of mary as "the mother of God", hierarchy in the church, even the pope's title of pontifex maximus was actually the title of the head of the pagan church.
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