What factors were behind the rapid growth of Christianity in its first few centuries?

[Arauna]

5 hours ago, Witness said:

t is your leaders who use cunning tactics to mislead their listeners onto the wrong path.  

I am not smart enough for you...... You baffle me!

[Arauna]

3 hours ago, Pudgy said:

Sometimes the needs of the many are greater than the needs of the few, or the one.“ -  Spock

if he was an intellectual we could respect, I would accept that reasoning....... so I do not.  But the excerpt sounds a bit more socialist communist to me, where individuality is lost in the collective. 

Jehovah wants us to keep our individuality but learn to temper it around those who are not like us.  It is the loving thing to do.  Unfortunately, I also have a kind of break-out personality - like this weaponized virus!!   I contain myself (because I am a bit over the top in my enthusiasm for everything), and then the Jack-in-the-box jumps out!  I push it back in ... and then, when I am not vigilant - it pops up. 

We all have our failings. ......

[Pudgy]

The key word in this quote is “Sometimes”.

 

When the situation called for it “Sometimes” the needs of the one were greater than the needs of the few, or the many.

It’s a sword that cuts both ways ……. sometimes.

[Arauna]

17 minutes ago, Pudgy said:

It’s a sword that cuts both ways ……

You worked yourself out of that very nicely... .......total collectivism is never good .... the individual will and choice is always supreme and a willing sacrifice in every situation .....not total abstinence of the group..... just as absolute subjugation to the group is not acceptable. 

One thing that jehovah values is our willing choice in every situation.... a choice to submit to his moral values. 

[Pudgy]

Both of my “sometimes…” references are from  or about the character First Officer Spock in two separate Star Trek Movies. In the first one he is killed by radiation saving the Enterprise.

It was his personal choice. (Per the script).

[Thinking]

13 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Hmm. Well, we DO have to work on that. On the other hand, police are known to develop a sort of “gallows humor” due to what they have experienced. Maybe it’s something like that with you too.

You didn’t have to say this. No one here would ever have known. The fact that you did say it nonetheless indicates several things: 1) respect for the arrangement of the congregation of God, 2) a personal sense of honor, 3) proof that you do what you do out of fear of God and not humans, and 4) a desire not to ensnare others, even unknowingly, into violating congregation discipline not to engage with disfellowshipped ones. My respect for you has steadily heightened, and with this it goes through the roof. 

At the same time, I still see no reason you should not join the closed club, nor for @Annato reject your request when you make it. Disfellowshipped ones can attend meetings, in fact they are encouraged to do so when repentant. I’ve no doubt that the ‘honor system’ would compel you to behave there as though sitting in the Kingdom Hall. There’s no reason to cut yourself off from proper association, particularly as there are those there who are just the ticket for you to be readjusted. Find things worthwhile and you could even repackage them for the crowd here. I mean, the malcontents here repackage and run again the same pablum ad infinitum. No reason you can’t repackage stuff as well.

Well, yeah. I see where you’re coming from. But there’s no need to add to it unnecessarily. You should come, as the eagle does, to the carcass that is JWI—and all the others, too. 

I’m not sure what to make of this. Yes, you don’t want the Truth to be spoken of abusively. But with the elders apparently willing to keep you on board under some lesser form of discipline—well, I’m not sure one has to be less forgiving than God. Lots of sins are exposed these day. Adding them up, Jehovah’s people still have less than the population in general, because of the godly principles they diligently seek to apply. Even without holy spirit, it rubs off through sheer repetition.

We all fall short many times, James says. The truth of the matter might be as when Bud was replacing my car brakes and he couldn’t figure out how to reinstall the anti-rattle clip. “What’s one more rattle on a Ford?” he said at last as he threw it away.

Maybe I can serve as a character witness for you someday. I’d like that.

”Dear, TTH. Please don’t offer to serve as a character witness for Pudgy. We’re well away that he’s a character.”—the brothers.

This was a lovely post….and Pudgy please come over…your our brother!!!!!

[TrueTomHarley]

14 hours ago, Pudgy said:

The “Closed Club” mission statement says only JWs “in good standing… etc.” may join…. last time I checked.

It’s a very good idea.

It is a good idea, but nothing must be employed to the nth degree. I know that Anna will waive that bit of legalese for someone honest enough to admit they are DFed and who agrees to conduct oneself as a DFed one, same as it would be in a physical congregation.

You do want to join up, so as not to miss gems like the following: (the actual comment is longer, with additional introductory material):

“Shortly after my chum entered Bethel in the mid-70s, he reported that whereas Bethel was once been a family where everyone knew each other, its growth made that no longer possible, and that it was becoming more “corporate” [his word, not mine] in nature. I think most would agree with that assessment.

“I see it all and I overlook it. First of all, I am not sure that it is wrong. It may be entirely the way to go, even if it rubs me the wrong way sometimes. Just how are you going to deal with a ‘family’ consisting of thousands? But the greater reason I overlook it is that nobody else is undertaking the experiment that they do.

“Nobody else has coupled the detailed points of religious truth with worldwide unity—keeping everyone on the same page. Nobody else is in that league. If someone decides the earthly organization must be corporate in some respects to do that, who am I to say they are wrong? There are no contrasting examples to point to.

“It is why I quickly become livid with those intensely critical yet offering nothing positive themselves. Patiently Sitting on my Hands even makes a virtue out of doing nothing. It infuriates me.

“In fact . . . I know I will not be thanked for this, but I will re-release William Shatner’s ‘Has Been’ as a bombshell directed at those who say the Governing Body is a ‘has been’ or even a ‘never was.’ They are doing things that nobody else attempts, and seeing considerable fruitage for their efforts.

“Trust me on this: You will never again think of ‘Has Been’ in the same way after I realign it to its new cause, and maybe you will never again see the Governing Body in the same way. No, they will not thank me. They don’t know just what congregation Bill Shatner attends and they’ll frown at the language. But when they call me on the carpet I will reply that I am just imitating Paul: 

“To the Jews I became as a Jew in order to gain Jews; to those under law I became as under law . . . To those without law I became as without law . . . To the weak I became weak, in order to gain the weak. . . . to the course people I became course, so as to pull their bacon out of the fire.” (1 Corinthians 9:20)

“You’ve been warned. Here it is, dedicated to those critical of the Governing Body:”

 

[TrueTomHarley]

14 hours ago, Pudgy said:

“Sometimes the needs of the many are greater than the needs of the few, or the one.“

said Dr. Spock as he wailed the daylights out of that bratty kid that had at long last gotten under his skin.

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

10 hours ago, Arauna said:

One thing that jehovah values is our willing choice in every situation.... a choice to submit to his moral values

Or a choice to be immoral as many JWs are. 

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

2 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

“It is why I quickly become livid with those intensely critical yet offering nothing positive themselves. Patiently Sitting on my Hands even makes a virtue out of doing nothing. It infuriates me.

Well it's nice to know you think about me when you are in your closet. i actually have spent a lot of today reading from the book of Matthew. The more times i read it the more I notice different things, but there is no point in starting new topics as none of you have spiritual thoughts to offer. Hence my new topics tend to be about physical things going on regarding the Org. 

As for offering nothing possitive, what you actually mean is 'not offering anything that You agree with'.  However i never read anything spiritual from you. Maybe you keep it in the closet  like Micheal Jackson. 

 

[Arauna]

1 hour ago, Patiently waiting for Truth said:

choice to be immoral as many JWs are

I bet you know all about that and judge all according to your own preferences........  maybe you have something in your closet - that is why you so easily talk about it and push the idea.....

[Thinking]

18 hours ago, Anna said:

I am surprised they did. Usually they don't disfellowship someone just because they ask to be disfellowshipped (?) The only way I think that would work is if you handed them a letter of dissasociation...(?) But what do I know....

And yes, if you want to join the closed club you can.....as Tom said, it might be more beneficial for you than here only. 

We had some one asked to be disfellowshipped …the elders didn’t want to but she was insistent…..so they did…but it seems now the elders are loathed to disfellowship anyone,,,they really try hard to get the person to take a break….