Posts by Divergent

19

Can a baptism be annulled?

by angel.face in

i joined this site about 4 years ago and life was very different to say the least.

i was a jw and started the process of 'waking up' after experiencing life threatening blood loss due to complications of a pregnancy.

i was married with two kids (husband was an ms) and was a stay-at-home mom.

Divergent

Scully:
In legal defense cases, they always fall back on the excuse that shunning is a decision that individuals make of their own volition, nobody forces them to shun.

Well, it is a fact that the organization encourages JW's to shun

Take a look at the God's "Love" book, pages 207 & 208:

How should we treat a disfellowshipped person? The Bible says: “Stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man.” (1 Corinthians 5:11) Regarding everyone who “does not remain in the teaching of the Christ,” we read: “Do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For the one who says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.” (2 John 9-11) We do not have spiritual or social fellowship withdisfellowshipped ones. The Watchtower of September 15, 1981, page 25, stated: “A simple ‘Hello’ to someone can be the first step that develops into a conversation and maybe even a friendship. Would we want to take that first step with a disfellowshiped person?”

Is strict avoidance really necessary? Yes, for several reasons. First, it is a matter of loyalty to God and his Word. We obey Jehovah not only when it is convenient but also when doing so presents real challenges. Love for God moves us to obey all his commandments, recognizing that he is just and loving and that his laws promote the greatest good. (Isaiah 48:17; 1 John 5:3) Second, withdrawing from an unrepentant wrongdoer protects us and the rest of the congregation from spiritual and moral contamination and upholds the congregation’s good name. (1 Corinthians 5:6, 7) Third, our firm stand for Bible principles may even benefit the disfellowshipped one. By supporting the decision of the judicial committee, we may touch the heart of a wrongdoer who thus far has failed to respond to the efforts of the elders to assist him. Losing precious fellowship with loved ones may help him to come “to his senses,” see the seriousness of his wrong, and take steps to return to Jehovah.—Luke 15:17.

46

Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

the lett effect?

Divergent

I would say it's a combination of various factors, JW Broadcasting being one of them

I would say these are the main reasons:

1. JW Broadcasting (JW's have been condemning TV evangelists for so many years but are now joining them? WTF???)

2. 1914, the supposed 100th year of Jesus's reign in heaven, came & went by uneventfully. Many had expectations that Armageddon was going to come, it was even suggested that we might have our last memorial that year in one of the OKM's. When nothing happened that year, many got fed up of waiting for the end & left / faded (Proverbs 13:12 - Expectation postponed makes the heart sick)

3. Candace Conti. Blew the child abuse issue in the org wide open! (The ARC came much later, the full impact of that would be seen in the 2016 report)

Other reasons:

4. An increasing number of people going online & stumbling across something which caused them to think / question (I was one of them)

5. Anthony Morris & his senseless rants (eg. tight pants)

6. Stephen Lett (more evidence for 1914 than for gravity, electricity, wind!)

31

Facebook Meme made me angry

by Seeking agape in

jw
friends

.

Divergent

There was a time when being on Facebook / other social media was frowned upon & considered to be worldly. However, it didn't stop people from using it & now, even zealous JW's are on it too! How ironic!!!

12

Magazine money

by pepperheart in

from next year the borg will only be publishing the two magazines saving about $2 million dollars a month.

what do you think they will be spending the money on

Divergent

It's much more than 2 million. Your estimate is too low. Also, you forgot to factor in the global distribution & shipping costs, which can be a lot more than the printing costs!

6

maths

by pepperheart in

maths is not my strong point when the borg stop printing 52 million magazines from next year if the mags cost 5 cents each how much money will they be saving

Divergent

The printing costs are one part. The other part is the distribution & shipping costs which are escalating, especially when it comes to sending the literature to other countries. The donations coming in are insufficient to cover the costs. Hence, the cutbacks!

79

So this Cute Chick at the KH ...

by brandnew in

jw
friends

thought she was gonna take a pic of me on the sneak.

im df'd...been df'd for over 19 years already.

so she probably would have gotten away with it without anyone knowing.....except that her flash was on.

Divergent

So the puppy did it doggy style... ;)

22

Blondie's Highlights from 11-15-2015 WT (FAITH)

by blondie in

blondies highlights from the 11-15-2015 wt study (september 15, 2015)(faith).

excellent general website: www.jwfacts.com .

wt publications http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/archive.htm (old).

Divergent

5 Our faith continues to empower us. In faith we are able to resist the attacks of our superhuman adversary, the Devil. (Eph. 6:16) In addition, trust in Jehovah helps us to minimize our anxiety during challenging times. Jehovah says that when our faith moves us to put Kingdom interests first, he will provide for our material needs. (Matt. 6:30-34)

This is for all those penniless Bethelites who got kicked out of Bethel!

20

Review of the November 15 study article - "Stand Firm in the Faith"

by Divergent in

this study article poses questions that we should ask ourselves.

don't have time to analyze the whole thing, so will start from paragraph 8:.

8 do gods promises seem less real to me now than they once did?

Divergent

Naoscillator:
Or make a list of resurrected people you would like to talk with and what you would like to say to them.

To Marilyn Monroe: Hey babe... wanna go for a date?

9

Who have heard of Bacha Bazi, a sick culture.

by James Mixon in

islam, i don't know about this religion.. the practice of bacha bazi , "boy play.. rampant sexual abuse of children has long been a problem in afghanistan, particularly among armed commander who dominate much of the rural landscape and can bully the population.. an american soldiers, lance cpl.

gregory buckley told his father, from his bunk in southern afghanistan, he could hear the afghan police officers sexually abusing boys they had brought to the base.

at night we can hear them screaming, but we're not allowed to do anything about it.

Divergent

Again, depends on which interpretation of Islam. Take a look at the more progressive Islamic countries (eg. Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, etc.)

20

Review of the November 15 study article - "Stand Firm in the Faith"

by Divergent in

this study article poses questions that we should ask ourselves.

don't have time to analyze the whole thing, so will start from paragraph 8:.

8 do gods promises seem less real to me now than they once did?

Divergent

This study article poses questions that we should ask ourselves. Don't have time to analyze the whole thing, so will start from paragraph 8:

8 Do God’s promises seem less real to me now than they once did? For instance, God has promised to destroy the present system of things. Yet, are we distracted by the world’s array of entertainment options, thus weakening our faith in God’s promise? We might start to doubt that the end is really near. (Hab. 2:3) Here is another example. God promises to forgive us on the basis of the ransom. If, though, we became obsessed with guilt over our past mistakes, we could begin to doubt whether Jehovah has really “blotted out” all our sins. (Acts 3:19) Consequently, we could lose our joy in God’s service and become inactive.

Totally irrelevant. I lost my joy & became inactive because it became evident to me that the organization does not have the truth

9 Am I as diligent in God’s service as I once was? The apostle Paul showed that working hard for Jehovah leads to our having “the full assurance of the hope down to the end.” However, what could happen if we began to focus our efforts on personal pursuits, such as by taking a job that pays well but that interferes with our worship? Our faith could weaken, and we could “become sluggish,” doing less for Jehovah than our circumstances allow.—Heb. 6:10-12.

This is ironic. The previous paragraph tells us not to become obsessed with guilt. Yet, this paragraph is designed to guilt-trip! Also, take a look at this sentence: "Doing less for Jehovah than our circumstances allow". The problem here is that we are never able to do enough for Jehovah! No matter what we do, we are always told to do more. If we are not pioneering, can we do more & pioneer? If we are auxiliary pioneering, can we do more & regular pioneer? If we are regularly pioneering, can we do more & become a special pioneer? Preach to more people, do more return visits, start more studies? Nothing is ever enough!

10 Do I struggle to forgive personal offenses? When others offend or hurt us, we could focus on how we feel and then be tempted to tell them off or to cut them off by not speaking to them. On the other hand, if we forgive, we show our faith in Jehovah. How so? Those who sin against us owe us a debt, just as our sins put us in debt to God. (Luke 11:4) When we forgive others, we have to trust that gaining God’s favor by doing so is worth more than making them pay back their debt. Jesus’ disciples recognized that forgiving others requires faith. When he told them to forgive even those who had sinned against them repeatedly,they begged: “Give us more faith.”—Luke 17:1-5.

So cutting people off by not speaking to them is wrong. This would mean that shunning is wrong!

11 Do I chafe at Scriptural counsel? Instead of looking for a way to benefit from the counsel, we might be focusing on some defect in the counsel or in the counselor. (Prov. 19:20) We might thus miss an opportunity to bring our thinking into line with God’s.

What if the defect in the counsel or counselor is valid? What if there is clear evidence that the counsel given is invalid? (blood transfusions, 2 witness rule, etc,?)

12 Do I murmur against appointed brothers in the congregation? When the Israelites focused on the bad report of the ten faithless spies, they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron. Jehovah then asked Moses: “How much longer will they not put faith in me?” (Num. 14:2-4,11) Yes, the Israelites’ murmuring actually showed a lack of trust in God, who had appointed Moses and Aaron. Likewise, if we constantly grumble about those whom God is using to lead his people, is this not an indication that our faith in God has weakened?

Moses & Aaron were able to perform miracles which proved that they had God's backing. What signs have the Watchtower leaders / GB performed to show that they have God's backing? What evidence is there that the Watchtower leaders / GB do not have God's backing?

Paragraphs 16 - 20 offers some solutions for our problems. What are these? Personal study, meditation, prayer, association, meetings, ministry. Same old useless advice! Been there, tried that, done that, repeatedly, many times, didn't work! Ended up fading instead... LOL