Posts by AnnOMaly

15

Who is the mediator for the R&F now?

by nonjwspouse in

jw
friends

has this been changed?

i thought this might need a new thread.. the memorials i have heard about multiple ones noted the prayer ending with something like "jesus our mediator".. sams on another thread :.

nonjwspouse: sahs, so has it now been stated that jesus is only the mediator for the fds, not all the anointed as was previously?.

AnnOMaly

The r&f (including 'other sheep' elders - I've heard some of them!) think Jesus is their mediator. They take 1 Tim. 2:5 at its word and forget (if they ever really knew) the Org. teaches that Jesus is not their mediator.

*** w79 4/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

● Is Jesus the “mediator” only for anointed Christians?

... At a time when God was selecting those to be taken into that new covenant, the apostle Paul wrote that Christ was the “one mediator between God and men.” (1 Tim. 2:5) Reasonably Paul was here using the word “mediator” in the same way he did the other five times, which occurred before the writing of 1 Timothy 2:5, referring to those then being taken into the new covenant for which Christ is “mediator.” So in this strict Biblical sense Jesus is the “mediator” only for anointed Christians.

*** w89 8/15 p. 30-1 Questions From Readers ***

□ Is Jesus the Mediator only for spirit-anointed Christians or for all mankind, since 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 speaks of him as the “mediator” who “gave himself a corresponding ransom for all”?

... The people of all nations who have the hope of everlasting life on earth benefiteven now from Jesus’ services. Though he is not their legal Mediator, for they are not in the new covenant, he is their means of approaching Jehovah. Christ said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) All who will gain life on earth must direct their prayers to Jehovah through Jesus. (John 14:13, 23, 24) Jesus also serves as a compassionate High Priest who is able to apply in their behalf the benefits of his sacrifice, allowing them to gain forgiveness and eventual salvation.—Acts 4:12; Hebrews 4:15.

Consequently, 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 is not using “mediator” in the broad sense common in many languages. It is not saying that Jesus is a mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, it refers to Christ as legal Mediator (or, “attorney”) of the new covenant, this being the restricted way in which the Bible uses the term.

*** w89 12/15 p. 30 Do You Remember? ***

In what sense does Paul use the term “mediator” when referring to Jesus at 1 Timothy 2:5, 6?

In this text, Paul uses the Greek word me·si′tes for “mediator,” which term has a legal significance, so he is not using this word in the broad sense common in many languages. Hence, Paul is not saying that Jesus is Mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, he is referring to Christ as legal Mediator of the new covenant, which laid the basis for Christ’s anointed followers to share with him in his heavenly Kingdom. (2 Corinthians 5:1, 5; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Hebrews 8:7-13)—8/15, pages 30, 31.

27

loesch likes C of C

by bigmac in

.

AnnOMaly

"At the 2013 District Convention, in his Sunday final address, 'Remain "Firmly Set in the Truth,"' Brother Lösch continued the program's timely warnings against being deceived by falsehoods. His detailed discussion of 2 Peter 1:12 climaxed when he enthusiastically held up the latest release titled 'Crisis of Conscience' and announced that this publication would be made available to all publishers in October 2014.

"'The Governing Body loves you more than you love yourselves and we have your best interests at heart. The reason for the book only being made available in October 2014 is that if Armageddon hasn't come by then, we'll realize the game's up and you might as well know the truth about how we've been stringing you all along for so long.'

"At first there was a gasp from the audience and momentary silence, but then the whole arena erupted in thunderous applause. 'I truly appreciate this latest provision from Jehovah!' gushed 10 year old Neil Naive, who had symbolized his dedication in baptism the previous day. One attendee, an elder who had served many decades said, 'This convention is the best ever!' Eleanor Lonelyheart*, a faithful, single sister of 97 years of age and a full-time evangelizer from the age of 6, had tears in her eyes as she said, 'A fat lot of good that is. I'll be dead by then.'

"All in attendance were truly happified and well-fed from the rich, spiritual banquet provided by the 'faithful and discreet slave' in their final days."

---

* Sadly, Eleanor Lonelyheart passed away on April 1, 2014.

34

I am DF'd now... Decisions, decisions...

by Comatose in

so i was df'd a couple weeks ago.

i live in a place where i didn't really have new friends at the kh, so my day to day life isn't changing.

i'm just me living life like i was 2 weeks ago and 2 years ago.

AnnOMaly

They say they have to see her without us.

Ridiculous. That'll mess up your daughter's head. If they want to be in your granddaughter's life, then they should act normally (at least civilly) with you and not play games.

27

loesch likes C of C

by bigmac in

.

AnnOMaly

LOL! We now need to attach a semi-plausible myth as a backstory and make it go viral.

48

Essay by Barbara Anderson: "What's in a Name?"

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

whats in a name?

posted on april 15, 2014 by barbara anderson http://watchtowerdocuments.org/whats-in-a-name/ .entry-meta-icons .entry-meta .

.entry-header one morning at bethel in 1989, after the usual text discussion before breakfast, there was an announcement to the staff about the legalization of jehovahs witnesses in poland.

AnnOMaly

Barbara, I'd love to read the Turkey story when you get to writing and posting it! I liked the 'footsie' story too

Yes, I wouldn't have remembered the Mexico 'Cultural Society' thing had it not been for Ray's book.

32

Lunar eclipse April 14th 2014

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/april_2014_lunar_eclipse.

it says it's the 15th but that's in ut.

i am in utc-6 (on dst) so for me and those who have a chance to see it it will be on the 14th starting at 9:58pm and ending at 2:58 am on the 15th.. .

AnnOMaly

Anybody else here experienced even just a tiny twinge of foreboding fear coming across this and triggering the memory of the WTS’ latest “understanding” (bet) of Jesus’ apocalyptic prophecy about the signs in the sun, moon, and stars and the “sign of the Son of Man”?

No tiny twinge of foreboding fear for me. I'm sorry you've relived your anxieties about it, though. What happened was a perfectly natural phenomenon that has happened countless times. Ancient or superstitious peoples, who did not know how the universe worked and believed that (what we know to be natural) events in the sky affected earthly events, saw bad omens and panicked.

Now, if this perfectly natural and predictable phenomenon occurred at a time that was perfectly UNnatural and UNpredicted, and a reasonable, scientific explanation could not be given to account for it, then one might sit up and take notice.

55

THE GRAND APOSTATE "WALKOUT" - January 1, 2015

by RagingBull in

jw
friends

after knowing ttatt for many years now...i had made up my mind long ago that after 2014, i would no-longer subject myself to the boredom, pain, and frustration of following this cult...the wt...the borg.. so...i made up my mind that since the wtbts/gb makes such a big deal as to the "significance" of the year 1914 and this year 2014, there can be no greater time for me to leave it all behind.

i daydreamed of how awesome and telling it would be if everyone that could ( because i do know that some have personal circumstances of their own, as i did too) would just .... walkout...never to attend/step foot in a kingdom hall from that moment on.. independence day of sorts?

there is too much evidence, too many videos, blogs, books, news reports and lawsuits for me to keep lying to myself.

AnnOMaly

You don't have to have a specific date in mind. If you see a 'hole in the fence' and your circumstances are favorable, just go and make a run for it!

48

Essay by Barbara Anderson: "What's in a Name?"

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

whats in a name?

posted on april 15, 2014 by barbara anderson http://watchtowerdocuments.org/whats-in-a-name/ .entry-meta-icons .entry-meta .

.entry-header one morning at bethel in 1989, after the usual text discussion before breakfast, there was an announcement to the staff about the legalization of jehovahs witnesses in poland.

AnnOMaly

Hi Barbara, fascinating article. Enjoyed reading it. Very interesting about the lawsuit in Israel. 'CIC' - absolutely, LOL!

Wasn't there also the situation in Mexico many years ago, where JWs were known and registered as some sort of 'cultural society'? They had Cultural Meeting Halls instead of Kingdom Halls, 'companies' instead of 'congregations,' and never went out in Service armed with a Bible but just with the magazines.

*** Yearbook 1995 pp. 211-213, 233, Mexico ***

"However, there were obstacles because of the restrictions that the law imposed on all religions. Objections were raised to the house-to-house activity of the Witnesses, since the law stipulated that ‘every religious act of public worship must be held inside the temples.’ For the same reason, objections were raised to our conventions in public places. This was a problem, because these conventions were constantly getting larger. Owning property also presented problems, because the law required that every building used for religious purposes had to become federal property.

"For these and other reasons, the Society decided that it would be wise to reorganize, with a view to giving greater emphasis to the educational nature of our work. Therefore, on June 10, 1943, application was made to the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs to register La Torre del Vigía as a civil society, and this was approved on June 15, 1943.

"With this rearrangement, singing at our meetings was discontinued, and the meeting places became known as Halls for Cultural Studies. No audible prayers were said at meetings, though nothing could prevent a person from saying an earnest prayer silently in his heart. Every appearance of a religious service was avoided, and truly our meetings are designed for education. When Witnesses in other lands began to call their local groups “congregations,” the Witnesses in Mexico kept on using the term “companies.” House-to-house visits by the Witnesses continued, and with even more zeal; but direct use of the Bible at doors was avoided. Instead, publishers learned the texts by heart so that they could quote them. They also made good use of the book “Make Sure of All Things,” which is a compilation of Scripture quotations on many subjects. Only on return visits and on studies (which were termed “cultural” instead of “Bible”) was the Bible itself used.

"The principal work of Jehovah’s Witnesses remained the same, namely, preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom."

[ ... ]

"In 1989, with the approval of the Governing Body, a letter was written to all the “companies” saying that as of April 1, we would be operating in Mexico as a religious organization. Afterward, in the June issue of Nuestro Ministerio del Reino (Our Kingdom Ministry), which was changed from being called Informador (Informant) de la Torre del Vigía, further details were given. From then on, the Bible would be used from door to door, and prayers would be offered at meetings. Later, we began to sing songs at the meetings."

See also: Awake! 1974, 7/22, "New Building for Cultural Work in Mexico" p. 16.

By the way, I noticed a typo (I think):

"In October 2012 [should be 2014?] when Watchtower leaders are putting on a new face and celebrating a new image at their Annual Meeting, we will continue to announce the truth to the world ..."

32

Lunar eclipse April 14th 2014

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/april_2014_lunar_eclipse.

it says it's the 15th but that's in ut.

i am in utc-6 (on dst) so for me and those who have a chance to see it it will be on the 14th starting at 9:58pm and ending at 2:58 am on the 15th.. .

AnnOMaly

Great set of pics!

58

2014-03-29 BOE CONFIDENTIALS PDF Adjustment to financing Kingdom Hall and Assembly Hall construction worldwide

by WatchTower87 in

2014-03-29 adjustment to financing kingdom hall and assembly hall construction worldwide.

pdf version: http://adf.ly/juxnc.

instruction: press the 'skip ad' button top right, you should then see the download screen more easily.

AnnOMaly

Silly questions time: Are the Italian heading and Italian CCoJWs signature originally on this English letter? IOW, this is from the Italian branch to English-speaking congregations? So this isn't just being implemented only in the U.S. but globally? Just double-checking.

And thank you!