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I Went To Church Yesterday…..

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naomi24 | 07:00 Thu 25th Jul 2013 | Religion & Spirituality
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…. to a service for infant and junior school children to celebrate the end of a successful school year …. and it was lovely – a happy, joyful occasion. The local community, along with local dignitaries, gathered, the children gave us a run-down of what they’d been doing throughout the year, the head teacher told a few jokes, the vicar told a few jokes, and as I listened to the little voices belting out ‘Sing Hosanna, sing Hosanna, sing Hosanna to the King of Kings’, I couldn’t help thinking what a pity it is that religion insists on including sin and the prospect of punishment in its doctrine. If it dispensed with the fear, the guilt, and the doom and gloom, it might attract more interest. I know …. if the church didn’t teach people that they’re sinners who need to grovel in repentance in order to save their souls, there would be no point to it all – but it was just a thought. Shame God isn’t nice, isn’t it?

If you don’t know the hymn, here it is. Different children, of course, but not so very different. The actions were just as animated.

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Clearly the Devil doesn't have all the best tunes.
Totally agree Naomi, I cant listen to the video, we haven't found the HiFi or the speakers yet.
It's all part of the church propaganda to get the punters along.
My granddaughter 7 loves the songs and the bible fairy stories but is beginning to ask my daughter "Is it true ? " My daughter doesn't want to spoil her fantasy world so says something like " Sort of " . It's a weak answer but what's the alternative ?
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The alternative is to tell her it's just a story. What does she tell the little girl about monsters in stories? I suspect she tells her they're not real.
//but it was just a thought. Shame God isn’t nice, isn’t it?//

Naomi@ To deepen your own knowledge of the Bible and his ways,do you only look the bad and not the good?

Because when you do,you see and recognize religion world’s deplorable state, you will understand that today is hardly the time to give high priority to laughter.

It is not the time to live only for recreation and entertainment or to allow “having fun” to take precedence over the pursuit of spiritual matters.
Those making use of the world” should be “as those not using it to the full,” said the apostle Paul. Why? Because “the scene of this world is changing.” (1 Corinthians 7:31) True Christians live each day in full recognition of the seriousness of the times in which we live.—Philippians 4:8.

Kind people of other nations, however, was not to override Israel’s love for Jehovah and his moral standards. Thus, the Israelites were taught not to take up the ways of the surrounding nations, not to adopt their religious customs and immoral life-styles. That also applies to true Christians today.

When you look into it ^^^^^ even the last paragraph is more JW brainwashing.

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2005366
"If it dispensed with the fear, the guilt, and the doom and gloom, it might attract more interest."

But it could not dispense with God, even if they re-wrote the book and made him a fun loving happy guy, you wouldn't suddenly believe he exists....would you....?
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Goodlife, //Naomi@ To deepen your own knowledge of the Bible and his ways,do you only look the bad and not the good?//

No I don’t. Unlike you, I acknowledge that the bad is there, and conversely I see the only words in the bible that human beings need - ‘Love one another’.
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Octavius, I didn't suggest they dispense with God - and no I wouldn't believe he exists.
Baldric, its not brainwashing. Its just a load of irrelevant infantile bollux.
Unfortunately I think the doom and gloom and guilt is an essential part of it.

As well as reward for the righteous, there has to be punishment for the sinful. Carrot and stick, which is where all the nasty stuff comes in.
I don't know if that's limited to the abrahamic faiths.
goodlife - you really are a little ray of sunshine aren't you?

You manage to take all the pleasure naomi has in sharing her experience and suck all the life and soul out of it, and try and condemn her to the same miserable existence that you clearly enjoy.

If that's what your God wants for you, i am even more delighted to have no part of it.

naomi, i thought your post was really nice and uplifitng, please don't be put off by the constant misery that is goodlife's endless cutting and pasting - the world is better than that.
naomi; 'Sinners' are people who have sinned and that is something you would not condone (given that one persons sin isn't necessarily another's).
When it comes to religion it's a personal choice of how you want to adapt it for yourself, you don't have to be a fundamentalist.
Only a fool would discard a whole fruit because it had a blemish, you cut it out and enjoy the best part.
May I quote a letter from the Spectator I collected last December;
[i]Sir: Concerning Alexander Chancellor's plea for the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury not to forget 'those of us who have the religious temperament but not the faith', I recently overheard the following at dinner: 'Religious ? God, no not me - I'm C of E.'[i]

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Andy, thank you. Other than provoking a deep sense of injustice, coupled with a profound sense of sadness at the ugly blemish that Goodlife et al thrust upon this planet, their words have no effect on me whatsoever. Love is the most important thing in this wonderful world of ours – not conflict, separation, spiteful malice, vengeance, and the prospect of death – and nothing will ever deter me from that belief – so no worries on that score. ;o)

Khandro, ‘sin’ is not a word that exists within my vocabulary. It’s a hateful concept constructed by man with the sole intention of controlling the naïve and vulnerable by preying upon their fears and upon their innate human frailties – and sadly it works.
God's a spoilsport
Isn't murder a sin? The 7 deadly one's; pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth, I leave for you to decide on.
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Khandro, murder is a crime against society; the rest are not. Sin is defined as 'An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.' I do not recognise divine law - hence unless I am discussing the concept of sin, the word is stricken from my vocabulary.
Khandro - //Isn't murder a sin//
As Naomi points out, no it isn't it's a crime and society punishes those found guilty of it.
I think, however, that the distinction is important. Those who believe in their holy books regard morals as objective i.e. it's a sin according to the bible and therefore should be punished.
Society on the other hand tends to regard morals as subjective and will take into account the circumstances and will also evolve to take account of current mores.
//you really are a little ray of sunshine aren't you//

Yes, you can see here.
www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/conventions

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