Church or Club?

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Menotu
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Church or Club?

Post #1

Post by Menotu »

It's Sunday. We see many people going to church. Once there, they socialize, sing, laugh, eat, cry...compare hats, ask where he bought that blazer.

But are they there for the right reasons?

It seems, in many churches these days, it's more of a social club than a place of worship.

I've been to churches where people literally in front of me were talking bad (gossiping) about the people a few pews away.
I've seen people 'hit on' others for dates.
I've seen people cursing immediately afterwards (or before) service. I see people singing their hearts out for 1½ hours or so, but later, you wouldn't be able to tell they were Christian much less part of a church once the service is over.

To be fair, I've also seen much love and compassion. But it seems this is the exception many times more than the rule.

It makes me wonder: are churches today more of a social gathering and less of a place of worship?

What's your opinion?
What's your experience?

Checkpoint
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Post #31

Post by Checkpoint »

Menotu wrote:
Checkpoint wrote:
JehovahsWitness wrote:
Menotu wrote:
To be fair, it's not hard to twist biblical stories and use them for different purposes (the bible has done that itself). It's not even creative - it's rather trite.
As Jehovah's Witnesses we dont twist the bible, or try and give it a meaning for our own convenience. We always try and let the bible interpret itself.



JEHOVAHS WITNESS
Yes, you do try, and do succeed sometimes.

However, your history shows the organization has given some passages "a meaning for our own convenience".

Most of these took place because past expectations related to future events were not realised.
If someone can't succeed in twisting the words of the bible :D well, let's just say they shouldn't quit their day job.
The REAL work is getting people to believe it. Not everyone is that good.
Getting people to believe what?

That good in what way?

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JehovahsWitness
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Post #32

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Menotu wrote:
If someone can't succeed in twisting the words of the bible...

I dont thnnk anyone should try to "twist the word if God", that would be wrong. For me that means to try and make it say what we want it to say rather than what it does say. The reason I'm a Jehovahs Witness is we dont do that, we alway try and let the bible interpret itself.



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Last edited by JehovahsWitness on Mon Mar 09, 2020 2:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

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Post #33

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Checkpoint wrote:
However, your history shows the organization has given some passages "a meaning for our own convenience".

Most of these took place because past expectations related to future events were not realised.

Well your presence shows you twist the scriptures most of the time. Trinity, hellfire, everyone goes to heaven, no need to belong to an organized teligion, no need to preach from hous to house, support war efforts, accepting of blood transfusions, excuse unrepentant fornication, celebrate pagan holidays, associate in worship with fasle religion, the list of your twisting is endless....That's not to say you twist everything you get some things right your posting history shows you twist give some passages "....


That doesnt mean we're perfect or that our interpretations have always been correct, we have indeed been wrong about many things, and yes sometime because we were to eagre to see the end of suffering, and let our hearts get ahead of Gods timetable. But those I would put down to errors mistakes not deliberately twisting. You make errors of interpretation too, everyone does so theres no point in throwing stones in thatmparticular glass house.

Nobody's perfect, its best we both admit that. We do!



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INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

Menotu
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Post #34

Post by Menotu »

Checkpoint wrote:
Menotu wrote:
Checkpoint wrote:
JehovahsWitness wrote:
Menotu wrote:
To be fair, it's not hard to twist biblical stories and use them for different purposes (the bible has done that itself). It's not even creative - it's rather trite.
As Jehovah's Witnesses we dont twist the bible, or try and give it a meaning for our own convenience. We always try and let the bible interpret itself.



JEHOVAHS WITNESS
Yes, you do try, and do succeed sometimes.

However, your history shows the organization has given some passages "a meaning for our own convenience".

Most of these took place because past expectations related to future events were not realised.
If someone can't succeed in twisting the words of the bible :D well, let's just say they shouldn't quit their day job.
The REAL work is getting people to believe it. Not everyone is that good.
Getting people to believe what?

That good in what way?
Believe in whatever the person wants others to believe (god, purple unicorns, aliens, whatever).
Good or bad, I guess it depends on what they're trying to get other to believe and whom is asked if that's good or bad.

Menotu
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Post #35

Post by Menotu »

onewithhim wrote: [Replying to post 29 by Menotu]

Menotu, I think that if you really looked into it, you'd come to realize that what JWs did with the New World Translation is the closest thing to the original Hebrew and Greek that you can get. That has been realized by more than a handful of scholars that have been brave enough to speak up.

(Check out the book Truth in Translation by Jason BeDuhn, a non-Witness.)
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did to the bible.

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Post #36

Post by onewithhim »

Menotu wrote:
onewithhim wrote: [Replying to post 29 by Menotu]

Menotu, I think that if you really looked into it, you'd come to realize that what JWs did with the New World Translation is the closest thing to the original Hebrew and Greek that you can get. That has been realized by more than a handful of scholars that have been brave enough to speak up.

(Check out the book Truth in Translation by Jason BeDuhn, a non-Witness.)
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did to the bible.
They didn't do anything to the Bible as it was written. What they did was look at the original languages to see what they were actually saying, with the aid of the minds of Westcott & Hort, giants of the world community of Bible translators. No other Bible translation than the NWT is as accurate.


.

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Post #37

Post by Menotu »

onewithhim wrote:
Menotu wrote:
onewithhim wrote: [Replying to post 29 by Menotu]

Menotu, I think that if you really looked into it, you'd come to realize that what JWs did with the New World Translation is the closest thing to the original Hebrew and Greek that you can get. That has been realized by more than a handful of scholars that have been brave enough to speak up.

(Check out the book Truth in Translation by Jason BeDuhn, a non-Witness.)
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did to the bible.
They didn't do anything to the Bible as it was written. What they did was look at the original languages to see what they were actually saying, with the aid of the minds of Westcott & Hort, giants of the world community of Bible translators. No other Bible translation than the NWT is as accurate.


.
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did or didn't do to the bible.

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Post #38

Post by Red Wolf »

I'm not a JW but I own a New World Translation. I think it is a very good translation. They appear to be consistent in translating Greek and Hebrew words with the same English word.

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Post #39

Post by onewithhim »

Menotu wrote:
onewithhim wrote:
Menotu wrote:
onewithhim wrote: [Replying to post 29 by Menotu]

Menotu, I think that if you really looked into it, you'd come to realize that what JWs did with the New World Translation is the closest thing to the original Hebrew and Greek that you can get. That has been realized by more than a handful of scholars that have been brave enough to speak up.

(Check out the book Truth in Translation by Jason BeDuhn, a non-Witness)
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did to the bible.
They didn't do anything to the Bible as it was written. What they did was look at the original languages to see what they were actually saying, with the aid of the minds of Westcott & Hort, giants of the world community of Bible translators. No other Bible translation than the NWT is as accurate.


.
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did or didn't do to the bible.
Pardon my inquisitiveness, but why are you seemingly bitter about JWs?


.

Menotu
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Post #40

Post by Menotu »

onewithhim wrote:
Menotu wrote:
onewithhim wrote:
Menotu wrote:
onewithhim wrote: [Replying to post 29 by Menotu]

Menotu, I think that if you really looked into it, you'd come to realize that what JWs did with the New World Translation is the closest thing to the original Hebrew and Greek that you can get. That has been realized by more than a handful of scholars that have been brave enough to speak up.

(Check out the book Truth in Translation by Jason BeDuhn, a non-Witness)
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did to the bible.
They didn't do anything to the Bible as it was written. What they did was look at the original languages to see what they were actually saying, with the aid of the minds of Westcott & Hort, giants of the world community of Bible translators. No other Bible translation than the NWT is as accurate.


.
There's not much less that I care about than what the JWs did or didn't do to the bible.
Pardon my inquisitiveness, but why are you seemingly bitter about JWs?


.
Last time I answered that question the MODs got upset
So I guess I'll have to pass on the formal answer

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