on divorce

[ No Subject ]Tuesday, June 9, 2009 8:01 PM
From: "Carlos Burman"
To:

Dear Eikko

Its ok...im not a police man searching for you haha

i realise you and all of us have busy lives in this world.

So,i look forward to seeing you soon.

Anyway,just before i go into your main question...you opinionated that no one knows if God exists and that we have to believe in God to have faith.

Believing in God without cause is blind and illogical.

Thats why jehovahs witnesses are convinced , not just hopeful that God exists,otherwise we wouldnt take Gods word so seriously in our lives.

The reason we are convinced is not based on credulity or blind belief.

The Bible at Hebrews 11:1 says: " Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld".

At the time of the writing of the Bible book of Hebrews, the Greek term translated "assured expectation" was commonly used.

It often appeared in business documents and carried the idea of guarantee of future possession of something.
Therefore ,one reference work suggests that Hebrews 11:1 could be translated :" Faith is the title-deed of things hoped for".

If you have ever bought an item from a reputable company and then waited for it to be delivered, you have exercised that type of Faith.
The sales receipt in your hand gave you reason for faith in the company from which you bought the item.
In a sense, that receipt was yout title deed, you guarantee that you would recieve what you have purchased.
If you had lost the receipt or had thrown it away, you would have lost the proof of your claim of ownership.

Similarly, those who have faith that God will fulfill his promises are guaranteed to recieve what they hope for.

The second expression at Hebrews 11:1. translated "evident demonstration" , carries the idea of producing evidence that contradicts that which only appears to be factual.

For instance, the sun appears to revolve around the earth- rising in the east, moving through the sky,and setting in the west.
However,evidence from astronomy and mathematics reveals that the earth is not the centre of our solar system. Once you become familiar with the evidence and accept itas true, you have faith that the earth revolves around the sun- despite what your eyes tell you.

Your faith is not blind.

On the contrary,it gives you the ability to see things as they really are, not merely as they seem to be.

Hebrews 11:6 tell us that "without faith no one can please God"...

Without a doubt God has given much evidence of his existence and why we should trust him through the wisdom in his word the bible which out dates any of todays human written books and manuals.

creation too shows that a wise creator made these things.

Thus Jehovahs witnesses study very much so as to have the kind of faith that the bible describes...with out it we cannot please God.

Anyway,i realise that this was not a question you asked however, i think its important you know that Jehovahs witnesses are very logical as to why they do the things they do ...they are not based on emotion or tradition...merely the clear wors written in the scriptures.

As for your main question with regards to whether Jehovahs witnesses can divorce or not.

As we both know ,i the start of human history set out in the Bible. God created man and woman...God said at Genesis 2:24 " this is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh".

As the instituter of marriage God said that 1 man and 1 woman was to marry and to "stick" together.

Looking at the bible book of Hebrews once again,,,this time chapter 13 and verse 4...it tell christians..." Let marriage be honourable among all, and the marriage bed without defilement, for God will judge fornicators and adulterers"

It is clear that God never wanted marriage to end as long at the pair lived.

However, Notice the question the pharisees asked Jesus christ in whom Christians should follow and how Jesus answered there question as set out at Matthew 19:3-9:

3 And Pharisees came up to him, intent on tempting him and saying: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on every sort of ground?” 4 In reply he said: “Did YOU not read that he who created them from [the] beginning made them male and female 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? 6 So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.” 7 They said to him: “Why, then, did Moses prescribe giving a certificate of dismissal and divorcing her?” 8 He said to them: “Moses, out of regard for YOUR hardheartedness, made the concession to YOU of divorcing YOUR wives, but such has not been the case from [the] beginning. 9 I say to YOU that whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, and marries another commits adultery.”

Thus, these few verses tell us that a marriage should must be a union that does not end until at least one of the couple dies...

Of course today ,God does not stop couples getting divorced...that would be taking away our free will.
However ,God is not pleased if we disobey him...its like ignoring his arrangement which is a very holy arrangement.

Jehovahs witnesses like any couples on earth are not perfect...we have our little and even at times big quarrels...we have our differences,,,a couple are made up of 2 usually very different individuals...i personally know..since i am of different culture to my wife who, of course,is Japanese.

However,the Only grounds for divorce as set out in the scriptures is because of Fornication and adultery by at least one of the couple who are married.

furthermore, Divorce is not a requirement...or a command....but its an option or a loving arrangement that God set out...it is up to the couple if they actually want to divorce or not in the end.

The word "fornication" as set out in the scriptures is "porneia" in the original Greek.

It refers to the broad range of unlawful and illicit sexual relations outside of marriage.

This includes with human or beast...it includes oral, anal sex....it includes also the fondling of another persons genitals...

Thus to answer your question...Divorce is prohibited among true Christians except on the grounds of Fornication and adultery.

I hope this answers your questions and see you soon hopefully.
















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Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 11:58:34 -0700
From:
Subject: On divorce
To:


Hello good evening Br Carlos,

Sorry for not attending the meeting and not sending questions. I have just started working in a new office and I've got many matters to learn first and that's the reason of absense, not giddiness at all ;-)

No one knows whether God exists. It is very hard to verify whether God exists or not, so we need to believe in God in order to have faith. I believe in God, but my notion of God is probably different from what you grasp as God, but it's OK, we both believe in God.

In a same manner no one knows whether resurrection will take place in the future. I think resurrection is possible in future. It is not a matter of half a century or century, but tens of millions of light years ahead in such a sense as science makes almost everything possible. I think it's possible for the deceased to have new life again, but I'm afraid it's unnecessary. We have a limited life span but in such a sense as wishing our lineage last forvever.

It is just hard to verify the existence or non-existence of God and the event of resurrection and therefore you believe in God and his miraculous act.

Back in our ordinary life my question tonight is how you Jehovah's Witnesses think about divorce. Do you admit it under some circumstances?

I hope to see you on Thursday!

Sincerely yours,

E.Onoda