Do you have the hope of going to heaven

[JehovahsWitness]

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses I do not have a hope of going to heaven (when I speak of "heaven" I mean the spiritual abode/realm where God lives).

- Do you personally entertain the hope of going to heaven to spend eternity with God when you die? (if this question is too personal I respect if you do not want to share this information)

- If so, do you believe such a literal spiritual realm exists?

- Do you believe that Jesus is presently in heaven where God exists?



* My question is for people that do believe that a God exists, since I presume that those that do not believe in God do believe he exists anywhere and therefore there is no "heaven" where God is.

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 305 by Claire Evans]



What's more likely, that people are superstitious and gullible, or that real supernatural monsters exist?

First of all, there are those who meditate to specifically summon up their spirit guide.

Some people call their spirit guide the HOLY SPIRIT.

There have been known cases of people becoming demonically possessed by practising meditation.

It's very difficult to check out if there were ACTUAL demons involved. People have delusions and hallucinations all the time. Religion and sex are hot topics in psychiatric wards.

Remember it is an occult based practice.

Not in all cases.
Ever talk to a new age person?

When they explain THEIR beliefs, let me tell you that they seem to be wearing the same color PINK in their sunglasses lenses as a devout Christian does when talking about Christian beliefs.

God is so GOOD.
Our own brand smells so NICE.

Clearly not all become demonically possessed but there is a risk.

There is NO risk if there are NO demons.
Please provide evidence for your claim that there are.

Some people ARE superstitious, you know.
They might believe in all kinds of scary things that go bump in the night.

[Zzyzx]

.

A little touchy, aren't we. While it was ok for one of your Christian friends to claim that people who meditate, like me, are actually opening ourselves up to being possessed by DEMONS, it is A-OK. And when that same person says the following

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Do NOT respond to Moderator Action in threads. If you have something to say in response, send a PM to any Moderator or Administrator.

Implying that "one of your Christian friends' gets special treatment is a slur upon the Moderator and the Forum -- not a good move.



Please review our Rules.

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[Elijah John]

Since Jehovah's Witnesses do not emphasize the hope of Heaven, but Paradise on Earth, what do you make of the Beattitude that the pure of heart will see God?

Is God to make an appearance on this Paradise on Earth?

[Joe1950]

[Replying to Zzyzx]

First. I did not "imply" anything. I said it outright. The evidence is in the posts.A post by a Christian insulted all of us who meditate. No action was taken by any moderator. Which is fine, since I can take an insult.
However, my post, which mentioned no religious group in particular, was then "warned".

Second. I do not subscribe to the concept of "secret posts" for me and open criticisms of me by others. If a moderator is going to call me out IN PUBLIC he or she should have the guts to accept my response in PUBLIC.
Now, if a moderator wants to criticize me by a private post, I will respond in private But I do not abide by a double standard. If I am insulted IN PUBLIC by a moderator I will respond in PUBLIC.

If you find those terms of my participation to be undesirable just let me know and I will remove myself from the discussions. I do not want to be where I am not wanted.

[JehovahsWitness]

Since Jehovah's Witnesses do not emphasize the hope of Heaven, but Paradise on Earth, what do you make of the Beattitude that the pure of heart will see God

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that one can "see" God spiritually in one's heart by having a relationship with him; meaning knowing him and perceiving his beautiful qualities.

JOB 42:5
My ears have heard about you, But now I do see you with my eyes.

Is God to make an appearance on this Paradise on Earth?

No, humans cannot literally see God and live.

Some humans will die and be resurrected as spirit persons, they will have the opportunity to go to heaven where they will be able to see God. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that born again Christians (144,000 in number) will literally see God because they will go to heaven to rule with Jesus.


JW

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 316 by JehovahsWitness]

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that one can "see" God spiritually in one's heart by having a relationship with him; meaning knowing him and perceiving his beautiful qualities.

Interpreted for us atheists that might mean:

"We dream things up and then believe them as if they were real"

[OnceConvinced]

Perhaps some of you no longer gets gifts from Santa because you have lost your faith? REPENT !

I'd say that it's because they've been bad so Santa has skipped their house.

I know that once he used to give coal, but that's a fossil fuel too, isn't it, so it's not surprising he might have stopped doing that. I could imagine how heavy the sleigh would be if he had to fill it with coal. It would be impractical and a nightmare. Plus very costly. You can't build coal in a workshop.

It makes more sense that Santa would just simply avoid your house rather than bring coal.

The fact that Santa is able to know who is naughty and nice is also proof of his divinity. He is all-knowing and omniscient, surely, otherwise he would have no way of knowing.

[OnceConvinced]

[Replying to Zzyzx]

First. I did not "imply" anything. I said it outright. The evidence is in the posts.A post by a Christian insulted all of us who meditate. No action was taken by any moderator. Which is fine, since I can take an insult.
However, my post, which mentioned no religious group in particular, was then "warned".

Second. I do not subscribe to the concept of "secret posts" for me and open criticisms of me by others. If a moderator is going to call me out IN PUBLIC he or she should have the guts to accept my response in PUBLIC.
Now, if a moderator wants to criticize me by a private post, I will respond in private But I do not abide by a double standard. If I am insulted IN PUBLIC by a moderator I will respond in PUBLIC.

If you find those terms of my participation to be undesirable just let me know and I will remove myself from the discussions. I do not want to be where I am not wanted.

Moderator Final Warning

You do not get to dictate your terms of involvement on this website, nor do you get to decide which rules you will follow and which ones you will not. If you are unwilling to follow the rules, you will soon find yourself on probation or worse suspended or banned. We would rather not have to do that.

Please review the Rules.


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Moderator final warnings serve as the last strike towards users. Additional violations will result in a probation vote. Further infractions will lead to banishment. Any challenges or replies to moderator warnings should be made via Private Message to avoid derailing topics.

[Joe1950]

[Replying to Zzyzx]

First. I did not "imply" anything. I said it outright. The evidence is in the posts.A post by a Christian insulted all of us who meditate. No action was taken by any moderator. Which is fine, since I can take an insult.
However, my post, which mentioned no religious group in particular, was then "warned".

Second. I do not subscribe to the concept of "secret posts" for me and open criticisms of me by others. If a moderator is going to call me out IN PUBLIC he or she should have the guts to accept my response in PUBLIC.
Now, if a moderator wants to criticize me by a private post, I will respond in private But I do not abide by a double standard. If I am insulted IN PUBLIC by a moderator I will respond in PUBLIC.

If you find those terms of my participation to be undesirable just let me know and I will remove myself from the discussions. I do not want to be where I am not wanted.

Moderator Final Warning

You do not get to dictate the rules of this forum or which ones you are willing to follow. If you are unwilling to follow the rules, you will soon find yourself on probation or worse suspended or banned. We would rather not have to do that.

Please review the Rules.


______________

Moderator final warnings serve as the last strike towards users. Additional violations will result in a probation vote. Further infractions will lead to banishment. Any challenges or replies to moderator warnings should be made via Private Message to avoid derailing topics.

No Problem. If the rules dictate that the moderators can call people out publicly but don't have the balls to defend themselves in public, so be it. My own code of ethics demands that if someone makes a public accusation they should have the integrity to defend that accusation in public and not hide behind a "private message". It would be a completely different case if the moderators gave the warnings in a private message. But as you correctly state, these are your rules. So, please delete me from your forum. Good luck in the future. No hard feelings. It is your show, you can run it as you choose.

[Blastcat]

Perhaps some of you no longer gets gifts from Santa because you have lost your faith? REPENT !

I'd say that it's because they've been bad so Santa has skipped their house.

There's another believer in Santa.

Join the GROUP.