Is Easter Really a Christian Celebration? ??

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

@JW Insider "Constantine was not an emperor in the 3rd century

I guess when you make so many posts, as Bible Speaks does, it is probably easy to make a slip...........Constantine started his reign in 324 CE, easy to say 3^rd Century, when you look at 324, rather than the 4^th Century.......... Constantine the Great became the first "Christian" Roman Emperor, the "state cult" changed to "Christianity," (Inverted comas mine). Now, oddly enough, the first "Christian" emperors all still retained the title of Pontifex Maximus (a traditional title for Emperors) which, under imperial law (though not Church law), actually made them the "Head of the Church" ! It was by this authority, for example, that Constantine called the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) to settle the Arian controversy (Wikipedia)..............and of course Constantine adopted the views of Athanasius rather than those of Arius...........Athanasian Creed.......trinity doctrine.......and of course many other false doctrines associated with and still held by christendom today.

 

just my thoughts..........and a"little" more on Constantine

 

 

[Bible Speaks]

2 hours ago, ARchiv@L said:

nice pictures YOU have here !!!!

I wish we had all this information in other languages too .... 

@ARchiv@L I translate Spanish, don't speak it though. You can help if you want? I'll send you Spanish Can't tag it on post not knowing language well. I give them to you? ???

2 hours ago, John Lindsay Barltrop said:

@Bible Speaks "..........and enjoy the Memorial....."

I have just returned from our Congregations Memorial, we had the late one at 2000,...............I can assure you, you will certainly enjoy. It is a new outline for the Memorial, and I thought it was truly beneficial for all, particularly those who may be attending for the first time.........that is all I will say............enjoy.

@John Lindsay Barltrop I'm a softie, already crying it's so close to my heart. Jehovah has held my two hands, I know we will all rejoice soon when the King ? reigns over the entire earth ? My Memorial is in 7 hours. May the attenders be blessed! Joy, Peace and Love His life gave us forever so many blessings, wish more could see it, ? ? ? ? ?

[JW Insider]

3 hours ago, John Lindsay Barltrop said:

just my thoughts..........and a"little" more on Constantine

Absolutely true. I had just thought I'd start in with the first of many factual problems with the quote, but decided I could leave that up to others. We can compare Memorial notes later.

[ARchiv@L]

On 4/10/2017 at 9:56 PM, Ann O'Maly said:

Two Babylons' alarm was tripped again

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! 

--- I like that red alarm sign !!

[Queen Esther]

22 minutes ago, ARchiv@L said:

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! 

--- I like that red alarm sign !!

I like  that  too  !!!!             hahahahahahahahaahaaaaaaa

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

@Allen Smith .......a little bit more on that "christian" Constantine, from a W/T: “Constantine never became a Christian,” states the encyclopedia Hidria, adding: “Eusebius of Caesarea, who wrote his biography, says that he became a Christian in the last moments of his life. This doesn’t hold water, as the day before, [Constantine] had made a sacrifice to Zeus because he also had the title Pontifex Maximus.” ...................."Constantine sensed that the “Christian” religion—albeit apostate and deeply corrupted by then—could be effectively utilized as a revitalizing and uniting force to serve his grand scheme for imperial domination. Adopting the foundations of apostate Christianity to gain support in furthering his own political ends, he decided to unify the people under one “catholic,” or universal, religion. Pagan customs and celebrations were given “Christian” names. And “Christian” clergymen were given the status, salary, and influential clout of pagan priests. Seeking religious harmony for political reasons, Constantine quickly crushed any dissenting voices, not on the grounds of doctrinal truth, but on the basis of majority acceptance. The profound dogmatic differences within the badly divided “Christian” church gave him the opportunity to intervene as a “God-sent” mediator. Through his dealings with the Donatists in North Africa and the followers of Arius in the eastern portion of the empire, he quickly discovered that persuasion was not enough to forge a solid, unified faith. It was in an attempt to resolve the Arian controversy that he convened the first ecumenical council in the history of the church."

Another couple of interesting points, also came to light in this article: under the heading, Dynastic Murders
"Under this heading, the work Istoria tou Ellinikou Ethnous (History of the Greek Nation) describes what it calls “disgusting domestic crimes that Constantine committed.” Soon after founding his dynasty, he forgot how to enjoy unexpected achievement and became aware of the dangers surrounding him. Being a suspicious person and perhaps egged on by sycophants, he first grew suspicious of his nephew Licinianus—the son of a co-Augustus he had already executed—as a possible rival. His murder was followed by the execution of Constantine’s own firstborn son, Crispus, who was dealt with by his stepmother Fausta because he seemed to be an obstruction to her own offspring’s total power.
  This action of Fausta was finally the reason for her own dramatic death. It appears that Augusta Helena, who had influence over her son Constantine until the end, was involved in this murder. The illogical emotions that often controlled Constantine also contributed to the spate of executions of many of his friends and associates. The book History of the Middle Ages concludes: “The execution—not to say murder—of his own son and his wife indicates that he was untouched by any spiritual influence in Christianity.”" (my highlights in bold type)
 

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

@JW Insider "That site has all the info that Bible Speaks includes, and then some:"

I must admit I had never heard of the WOR group before the mention of it in your post..........certainly makes some interesting reading

@Queen Esther ;We've  many  different  kinds  of  humor ~~"

Too true............sometimes, some of us may have a "slightly warped" sense of humour.......I include myself in that category!!!

[John Lindsay Barltrop]

Although this is "off topic" i found this video clip very interesting - reminds me of Isaiah 1:6-9

[Bible Speaks]

@John Lindsay Barltrop We see "miracles" everyday! Soon the whole earth ? will see the wonderful things that Jehovah has planned. That too is a "miracle!" Genesis 3:15 will finally rejoice when the serpent is crushed. What joy the earth and heavens will have. Thank you Jehovah! Thank you for sharing with us. Jehovah is GOOD!

?? ? ? ? ??

[The Librarian]

[Pudgy]

I went through more than a dozen photos posted by the Librarian, and every single one was fuzzy and not sharp at all. Is this deliberate for some reason?

[The Librarian]

I think it has to do with opening them up 'en masse' versus 'one by one'...... something about the "lazy loading" by the browser? 
if not, then I apologize.... ;-(