29-07-2014 10:57 AM
An interesting Article that has been puplished recently, to help us all understand the Basis of the Beliefs in Creation not Evelotution.
Just thought I would share with anyone who may interested in the answer to the title Question, as it may help you to at least understand the reasonings on the JW faith.
Who Made God?
Picture a father talking with his seven-year-old son. He says, “Long, long ago, God made the earth and everything in it, and he made the sun, the moon, and the stars.” The boy thinks about this for a few moments and then asks, “Daddy, who made God?”
“Nobody made God,” the father replies. “He has always existed.” That simple statement satisfies the child for now. As he grows older, however, the question continues to intrigue him. He finds it hard to comprehend how anyone could be without a beginning. Why, even the universe had a beginning. ‘Where did God come from?’ he wonders.
How does the Bible answer? Essentially, in much the same way as did the father in our example. Moses wrote: “O Jehovah, . . . before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the productive land, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” (Psalm 90:1, 2) Likewise, the prophet Isaiah exclaimed: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, is a God for all eternity”! (Isaiah 40:28) Similarly, the letter of Jude refers to God as existing “for all past eternity.”—Jude 25.
Those scriptures show us that God is “the King of eternity,” as the apostle Paul describes him. (1 Timothy 1:17) This means that God has always existed, no matter how far back in time we cast our gaze. And he will always exist in the future. (Revelation 1:8) Thus, his eternal existence is a fundamental attribute of the Almighty.
Why do we find this idea difficult to grasp? Because our limited life span gives us a completely different concept of time from that of Jehovah. Because God is eternal, to him a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8) To illustrate: Could a grasshopper, which lives as an adult for only about 50 days, fathom our life span of 70 or 80 years? Hardly! Yet, the Bible explains that we are like grasshoppers in comparison with our Grand Creator. Even our ability to reason is dwarfed by his. (Isaiah 40:22; 55:8, 9) So it is not surprising that there are aspects of Jehovah’s nature that escape full human understanding.
Although the concept of an eternal God may be hard to grasp, we can see that it makes sense. If someone else had created God, that person would be the Creator. Yet, as the Bible explains, Jehovah is the one who “created all things.” (Revelation 4:11) Furthermore, we know that the universe at one time did not exist. (Genesis 1:1, 2) Where did it come from? Its Creator had to exist first. He also existed before there were any other intelligent beings, such as his only-begotten Son and the angels. (Job 38:4, 7; Colossians 1:15) Clearly, then, he existed alone first. He could not have been created; nothing was in existence that could have created him.
Our own existence and that of the entire universe testifies to the existence of an eternal God. The One who put our vast universe in motion, the One who established the laws to control it, must have always existed. Only he could have breathed life into everything else.—Job 33:4.
01-08-2014 5:52 PM
@. Did Godtommy.irene wrote:
Why it's dangerous to associate with Jehovah's WitnessesMany people feel under pressure because of the stressful times in which we live. ... First of all, what right do I have to examine this religion, to call it dangerous?
Yes busty.... If God created everything, who created God?
The Bible says God cannot be contained within the universe. In addition. the Bible says God fills both heaven and earth, which is a Hebrew idiom to describe the entire universe. So, God is both transcendent and immanent simultaneously. Gods normal abode is heaven, which is not located within the physical universe. According to the Bible heaven seems to operate under different physical laws, with laws of thermodynamics seeming to be absent. So, the question ''Who made God?'' is not one that can be answered with the knowledge we posses.
The universe has not existed forever. Rather, the universe and time it's self, had a begining about 15 billion years ago. Did God exist before time? (they say the big bang) And look how long we have been here. I'm sorry but I wonder what duties God has been on for the best part of 15 billion years? I have to say I wonder what duties he is on nowadays?
01-08-2014 6:10 PM
01-08-2014 6:12 PM
01-08-2014 7:18 PM
01-08-2014 7:27 PM
01-08-2014 7:30 PM
01-08-2014 8:01 PM
@astrologica wrote:
So...'God cares about everyone and their futures'. How can he care about billions of people at the same time? As someone has already said, where is he now when the people of Israel and Gaza are suffering, and most of them children? And where was he at the time of the Aberfan disaster, when 116 little children and 28 adults perished? The moment of that disaster was the moment I lost any Faith and belief in any God that I ever had.
I agree with Banks that JW's are afraid to leave the organisation because they will lose their families and friends. But if 'Busty' ever did leave the JW's , she would be able to hug her brother.
I have a friend who was a JW. She left the organisation and lost her husband and her JW friends. But the transformation of my friend was unbelievable...she is now a totally free person and has blossomed into a totally happy individual who now has loads of friends who are not JW's.
I agree with you.. I know some ex JWs and they are happier now that they are free from it.
01-08-2014 8:24 PM
01-08-2014 8:35 PM
But to understand and accept that we must be humble enough to accept that God is a superior being with the Authourity to expect and do what he does.
And if that is your point of view you would have to accept there is no such thing as subjective morality, morals would be whatever God said they were so if he decreed murder was okay (and he's done that often) then it would be okay to murder others.
If you want good thought out morals based on logic and empathy you would have to speak to an atheist, forget God he may change his mind.
If God plays no part in man's affairs and there is no evidence he does, then why are we bothered about him, why does he matter?
If he does play some part, why does he keep it so well hidden and if the bible is his word why did he not make it clearer, why are there so many different interpretations of just about every part of it so that we have approximately 41,000 different denominations of churches all of which disagree with each other, shouldn't there just be one?
One conclusion you could come to after reading the Bible is that if God exists his sole purpose in creating the earth and man to populate it, is to have people to worship and glorify him, a bit like a small spiteful child who wants a kitten to play with, whether or not the kitten actually wants to is immaterial it doesn't have the option, it's punished if it doesn't.
However since there is no evidence whatsoever for an all powerful god, one should worry about living a worthwile life and not fret over keeping happy a non existent being with their man invented demands on our behaviour.
01-08-2014 8:40 PM
02-08-2014 2:06 PM
02-08-2014 5:08 PM
02-08-2014 5:57 PM
@**bustysinclaire** wrote:
Mere...............the OP article was to explain that God was not made, he has always existed and always will, he had no begining and will have no end............The article goes on to explain how that may not be something we can comprehend very easily because we only have a very short lifespan.............The article then helps to explain that if God has always existed with the power and ability to do and create what ever he so wishes for what ever reason then creation can easily be understood and the begining of life as we know it and how the universe and heavens were created before it.........................But to understand and accept that we must be humble enough to accept that God is a superior being with the Authourity to expect and do what he does.
Thank you busty.
But I don't think we must be humble enough to accept what anyone says unless we know it is the truth...and that we actually know that someone exists. An example below how dangerous it can be:
I know you did not mention cults, but someone did. When the word cult is mentioned, some people may think of the tragedy of Waco, Texas but also of 'Jonestown' and the murder /suicides there on 18 November 1978. when 913 died following the order of Reverend. Jim Jones to drink cyanide laced 'Kool-Aid'. Yes, 913 people must have humbly accepted what he ordered. I'm wondering what you would have done had YOU been there? Take your time please. I should be back later.
Figures quoted for the UK usually indicate 500 + cults are in operation here. Thank heavens they (at the moment) it seems are not as easily influenced by cult leaders as in the U.S.
An awfull lot of people would still be alive if those murderes had been allowed to think for themselves ... 9/11 & 7/7 & Lee Rigby, just examples. They were not allowed to think for themselves, they were brain washed.
02-08-2014 5:59 PM
You yourself are only going by other mens own thoughts and misinterprations......
They can all be confirmed and I could add that prophecies that supposedly came true are largely a matter of interpretation, it's easy to go through all the events happening over many years and select bits which seem to fit.
Take for instance the first on the list in that link "The Destruction of Tyre", The prophesy was fulfilled over 200 years later, in 332 BCE by Alexander the Great and his Army. It may not always be a fulfillment in the way you would expect but a fullment in a way Jehovah states.
Proves my point.
The prophecy can only be said to have come true in the most vague of ways but one thing that plainly didn't come true is that God said it would never be rebuilt and it was rebuilt so there's a fail there.
For a prophecy to be considered a prophecy, it has to be of a precise event taking place at a precise time in a precise way and written before any knowledge of the possibility of the event being known, there are none to be found that fulfil the criteria.
The prophecy of Jesus birth, life ministry and death was fulfilled
The nativity story has a number of serious inaccuracies when compared to known historical events and has all the appearance of being written to fit prophecies rather than to have been prophesied, apart from it being remarkedly similar to a number other stories from other beliefs concerning the birth of a god.
Study the myths of Krishna, Odysseus, Romulus, Dionysus, Heracles, Zoroaster, Attis of Phrygia and Horus.
All of those show a remarkable similarity to the Jesus myth many predating it indicating the distinct possiblity it is just a common story repeated across different societies and times.
Considering the effects at the time were it that Jesus actually existed, it is remarkable that no contemporaneous accounts exist anywhere, there are no eyewitness accounts or anything written before Mark about 40 years after the supposed death of Jesus.
Even the League of Nations then the United Nations organisations where prophecied about
That's just silly.
02-08-2014 6:11 PM
@bankhaunter wrote:One came up to me on my way to work one morning waving about a leaflet with her little friend beside her
Print some leaflets out yourself explaining the virtues of following Satan, how much better the parties are and how friendly the believers are when you all sleep together.
LOL,LOL
02-08-2014 7:02 PM
I know you did not mention cults, but someone did.
I did, the Jehovah's Witnesses have many of the characteristics of a cult mainly,
Members are strongly persuaded to only associate with others in the religion to avoid 'contamination'.
Once in the grip of the cult it is difficult to leave as it will mean the loss of friends and on many occasions other family members who will actively shun the apostate.
There is a lot of secrecy higher up in the ranks who still give protection to child abusers getting their reasoning from the Bible.
And of course there is the good old Armageddon to look forward when all the faithful adherents will get their reward whilst the non believers will receive their just desserts.
02-08-2014 7:11 PM
@**bustysinclaire** wrote:
Ebay is playing silly watsits, with my posts grrrrrrrrrr............................................. I am so sorry it looks like a buch of goggledegook. xxxxxxxxx I hpe things can be read (if attempted) without too much trouble.........I had tried to post that post but it looked as though it hadn't for a good 10 minutes, the I have just returned to the boards for a little read and what do I see my post. how very very strange.................................... I really don't know why I am having trougle with the format.............
You seem to be the only one having with your ebay format... Maybe its your God thats messing it up for you..
02-08-2014 7:36 PM
02-08-2014 7:38 PM
02-08-2014 7:47 PM
Satan is another man made boogy man..