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- Thread starter Gallowglass
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Hope you get a good job. Best of luck!
WalterTrull
Godfella
FYI Frigga is the wife of Odin and mother of Baldr
Ive had similar problems with christians too. Stay strong, welcome and have fun.
hey Walt,
I already knew that, from that:
...do what your father says...not necessarily what he does !
Lecture about Baldr's father...I thought...I'm getting to old....
I thought was Baldur who's mother was Frigg....
I'm confused as usual...but welcome to her anyway !
I already knew that, from that:
...do what your father says...not necessarily what he does !
Lecture about Baldr's father...I thought...I'm getting to old....
I thought was Baldur who's mother was Frigg....
I'm confused as usual...but welcome to her anyway !
Frigga?? A woman, wife of Odin goddess of beauty and love she also known as Frigg, Frija, Frea, the All Mother.
Edit Oops, someone already said it
So long as you remember where the beer is you have nothing to worry about.
I said to my hub "did you know memory is the 2nd thing to go when you get older"
"What's the first?" He said.
I replied "don't remember".
I grew up in a city when Catholic and Protestant jibes were common, but never descended into violence like they did in other countries like Northern Ireland for example. Australia today is pretty much a secular country and religion plays no role at all in most people's lives. Those for whom it matters don't really say much because they are in a minority, so they keep things to themselves, generally.
I can't imagine living in a place where members of the KKK imagine that they are "Christians".
Or where hatred against someone adhering to a different denomination of the same faith can come to blows! What would Jesus think when he said to love our brothers...and even our enemies? His approach was to offer the message and let people decide for themselves whether to accept it or not. It was never forced with threats. How can people get so lost? 
I see, that makes sense. After all, its the person you are, not the label you wear......right? You obviously have good morals and principles.
I do feel for those who fear to be who they are. Pretense is an unauthentic way to live....it must be frustrating.
As a JW, we are often accused of not treating our kids with kindness if they choose not to follow the path we hope for them. But our young ones are free to choose their own course and if our faith is not for them, then they are free to choose whatever life they want. The thing we will not tolerate however, is having them live immoral or drunken lives under our roof. If they choose another lifestyle, incompatible with Christianity, then they must support their own choice. This is especially important if younger siblings might be influenced by their conduct and attitude. Choices have consequences as you are well aware.
I am sorry to hear that. And I see your dilemma. How sad that practicing 'Christianity' is tainted with such failure to imitate Christ! Jesus never forced his listeners to worship God...he demonstrated by his own example that you choose to worship God, not that you are pressured to. Nor can we have one foot in the world and the other in church. You have to choose and then wear the consequences of your choice.
Christianity is based on love and free will is God's gift to us. If we cannot choose to live an authentic life, then we may as well be in prison.
It is my understanding, having been raised in the church system, that the God they present to people is like some kind of despotic dictator who only wants 'performance', but not a close and personal relationship. Having left that church system decades ago, I came to see the God of the Bible in a new way.....through the eyes and teachings of Christ. That allowed me to see past what appears on the surface and to understand the reasons why God has conducted himself the way he has all these millennia. The big picture emerged and it all made perfect sense.
I am left wondering if your choice of gods might be a reflection of how the God of the Bible was presented to you by unbalanced people. Are the Norse gods of your choice kinder or more just than that God?
Having researched the Norse gods, I am wondering what they have to offer you by comparison?
In any case, I wish you well and hope you can find a way to be your authentic self. Its a tough situation to be in.
Warm 'Welcome' to RF Gallowglass. Sound like good therapy for you working in the garden and with chickens.
After all, I find according to Genesis that life started in a beautiful paradisical garden.
Since Scripture teaches a wonderful hope for you at Isaiah 35:6 about the wonderful coming time under Christ's 1,000-year governmental rule over Earth when there will be healing for earth's nations as per Revelation 22:2.
With such a wonderful hope, I hope you won't give up on what we can learn from the Bible.
Milton Platt
Well-Known Member
Welcome to RF! As I tell all newcomers, be sure to don your asbestos underwear and buckle up your seat belt.
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Gallowglass
Member
I think your focus on choice is a little off. It's not a choice, but a belief. I'm not someone who thinks you can choose what to believe. You can study open and honestly, read primary sources and theology, but you can't make yourself choose to believe something you don't think is true.
I was a believer in polytheism long before I was exposed to any idea of a singular god. People freaked out and felt I had to learn about "God" in the singular. That said, I did look at various faiths, including Christianity. Why? Because people I trusted, who I believed in told me I was wrong. So I set out to learn. I did consider them, but I would never make a choice as serious as religion based on how someone presents their beliefs. I would need to see the base beliefs as true in order to believe. Does that make sense?
That said, yes, having studied every scripture I can get my hands on, I do find my gods more kind and more just, but more importantly I also find them more moral and more true. If I found out tomorrow the Norse gods didn't exist, I couldn't believe in them any longer.
Thank you for your reply.
Can I ask in what way you found the Norse gods to be superior in morality and truthfulness compared to the God of the Bible?
Do you believe in Jesus as an historical figure? What do you think of his actions and teachings?
Gallowglass
Member
The entirety of atonement theology is a big one. I’ve not found one atonement theology version that I would call moral in any way, shape, or form. There are others, but when the entirety of most of the Christian faith falls on that, opinions on other things matter a lot less.
I have no opinion one way or the other on the historicity question of Jesus. If I had to guess, I would say he’s probably either an amalgamation Of figures, or someone to whom various stories were attributed. It’s hard to say.
I consider some of his teachings to be good, and others not so much. Most of his teaching can be considered sound, but there are parts that are problematic. All of his good teachings, though, weren’t new.
I do not think his trial happened as shown in the Gospels because it was highly illegal all over the place, entirely out of character for the entire cast of actual historical figures, Pilate especially acts like a pod person, and so unrealistic as to appear more as a parody.
What do you believe atonement theology is?
What versions appear to be immoral, in your view?
Historian H. G. Wells said that a man’s greatness can be measured by ‘what he leaves to grow, and whether he started others to think along fresh lines with a vigor that persisted after him.’ Wells, although not claiming to be a Christian, acknowledged: “By this test Jesus stands first.”
Alexander the Great, Charlemagne (styled “the Great” even in his own lifetime), and Napoleon Bonaparte were powerful rulers. By their formidable presence, they wielded great influence over those they commanded. Yet, Napoleon is reported to have said: “Jesus Christ has influenced and commanded His subjects without His visible bodily presence.”
Jesus has powerfully affected the lives of people for nearly two thousand years. As James Allan FrancIs aptly expressed it: “All the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully.” (One Solitary Life 1963).
What parts of his teachings do you see as problematic? Can you be specific?
Given the situation with the Jews when Jesus began his ministry, (and also given John the Baptist's stinging denunciation of them) why would an illegal trial be out of harmony with where the Jews were, spiritually speaking at that time? Jesus castigated the Pharisees at every opportunity, calling them hypocrites of the worst order, and condemning them to "gehenna".
Pilate found him not guilty of any crime warranting death, but when he wanted to free Jesus according to Jewish custom, the Jews chose to free a convicted criminal and clambered for the death of an innocent man. Pilate washed his hands of this man's blood and handed him over for execution on the demands of the Jews who threatened Pilate's political career if he didn't do what they demanded.
What do you see as unrealistic in that scenario?