this site has gone through many metamorphosis over the years.
i believe it is a kinder, less edgy place tan it was a few years ago.
i wonder how many people were helped versus turned off by this place.
Not sure if it is the best among all sites. Like neverendingjouney says, some of the biggest contributors seem to be very angry and sometimes makes it harder to read their posts. I understand the feelings though.
What I like here is that news is shared rapidly.
Personally, I like more discussions around doctrine, how these have evolved over the decades, the contradictions etc.
this topic is especially for all the bible scholars in the house.
the real serious ones... ...who like this type of bible discussion, though-provoking, challenging.. (please click below for the discussion covering this topic, in detail.).
jesus does not kill satan the devil!
I guess we all must be heading for Jamaica now... :-)
i've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.
i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.
i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.
lots of good posts and most interesting. I have observed the changes in the org as well. In particularly the last say 10 years. And it has an impact on the ones that remain in: they either truly believe in the org OR they have doubts but by not leaving they actually show they still believe the org is accepted by God OR they do not believe it anymore but stay in because they are scared, like the social environment.
I agree that it seems, hard to prove, that many JW's do not think anymore or have a healthy critical mindset. I noticed I became like that. It took me quite some time and efforts to change that. As a result, I noticed I do not want to be associated anymore.
My main questions are:
if one does not have faith in the doctrines, why still have some faith in the org?
if one does not have faith in the doctrines nor in the org, why continue to attend meetings (albeit occasionally) or participate in field service? Are you not giving the impression you are just weak but still have faith in the org??
i just skimmed the titled article on jw.org and once again the watchtower is misdirecting:.
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20150301/jesus-death-and-resurrection/ .
they try and make the old case that jesus saves us from being destroyed at armageddon.
I do not understand all the comments as I believe Perry was just sharing his views on how the WBTS misleads its readers regarding this topic.
And, yes, the NWT rendering is pushing a doctrine. Most translations have PERISH but the word can mean DESTROY. It depends on the context.
But regardless the word chosen, the question is: from what does Jesus save. Well, there is not one answer. Jesus saved the Jews from the curse of the Law. Jesus saved the Gentiles from being lost and have no hope on eternal life. It has nothing to do with Armageddon, which is about a war with Kings and Armies.
To show in your daily life (acts and mind) you have faith in Jesus (name, person, position etc) means you hope to be judged positively after you died (judgment is with Jesus) and be granted the promised eternal life.
What happens to those who do not receive a positive judgment is another topic.
It all is about faith. If one does not believe or have faith, then whatever one writes about the bible makes no sense to that person.
hello all, i finally got around to posting my letter to my judicial committee meeting requests.
sorry its kind of long, it came to 4 pages because of the special meeting requests.
tuesday january 28, 2014.
I am always very surprised with this reason for DA/DF (attending another church). If such an act is wrong (considered a serious sin), then they (JW's) should stop preaching to and inviting other people (from other denominations) to attend a meeting in the KH, because by inviting them to the KH it would mean that they (JW's) are actually making someone (the person from the other church) to sin.
we just had the visit of the br, winston payne from down under australia.
he was a good old mate, and he commended the brits accent over the australian.
no mention of the metero sexual suits, bright colored socks, spandex, no association with df relatives.
the fact that a speaker is a good speaker, very encouraging etc, does not mean a thing. I went to a coupe of funerals of other religions and some speakers were very elegant, knowledgeable about the bible and encouraging.
And yes, some JW speakers can be very good in speaking. It is not the person but the religious doctrines and practices that are wrong.
hi im a 14 year old former catholic trying to find a religion and or faith my parents will drop me off at a service they support me no matter what i was wondering if anyone can prove to me their is a god cause right now im confused!
Just start reading a bible (you can find many on the internet, or can be downloaded for free for tablet / smartphone). Start with the NT, not the OT, as the NT is meant for Christians and more for our times. Same as when you would become a doctor. You would start with the latest study books, not the ones used in say 1500.
When you have questions, try to use the internet to find answers from more reliable (unbiased) sources. You can use this forum but there are also a few others that are rather good to help with biblical questions.
Practice your own thinking. Learn to make up your mind, and ideas, and test them. This will take you pretty well where you want to be.
is good calling me back or am i just letting my emotions get the best of me?also i really want to be closer to my jw family.
btw i was never baptized and i consider myself a born again christian i go to a baptist church and wath televangelist and i have expirenced gods presence like never before but sometimes i get fearful and think "what if jws are right and i'm wrong" than i'm screwed!but if there wrong and i'm right it doesn't look to good for them.. i would prefer if nobody posted "god isn't real" type comments.
i truly believe he is real but i respect why some are atheists..
For a true Christian believer, only the bible is right. All religious groups have their own interpretations and doctrines. That is why there are so many and some have even fought war against each other.
Each group can have a few doctrines that can be considered "right" meaning, it can be supported by the bible in an unbiased way, But many other doctrines cannot be supported that way. The WBTS (Jehovah's Witnesses) have many of those.
Is that a problem? Well, no, as long as you are free to express your own interpretations and belief. In that sense, even a religious organisation is entitled to have their own views and interpretations. It becomes a problem however, when the leaders of that religious group mandate their views to be accepted, they impose them on their members and actively shut-up anyone who disagrees. Such a behaviour by religious leaders go against the promise: the truth will set you free. In contrast, you will become their (mental) slave regarding your belief.
I leave it up to you to experience what the practice is you encounter with JW's or Adventists or Baptists etc.
i was just invited.
i thanked my old elder friend and he left.
(i'm not going).
This year I will not be attending for the first time.I have not been attending meetings for some months now and would feel a bit of a hypocrite if I suddenly show up for the memorial. It is like saying: I do not agree with your doctrines but regarding the memorial, I guess you are right.
The whole setup of the memorial is wrong. Attendees will not be motivated to follow Christ, to accept his ransom and obey the instructions in John 6. The speaker will try to avoid anyone partaking. They will talk about 2 hopes, which do not as such exist in the bible.
Jesus said that where 2 or 3 are gathered in HIS [Jesus]] name, He be with them. Are JW's really gathered in the name of Jesus?
In other words, showing up, for whatever reason, will give the impression that somewhere you agree with the doctrines around the memorial.
But of course, it is a personal choice.
i was at a criminal trial all day in murfreesboro, tn, involving the notorious jw who i call "mommy molester," angela montgomery.
this is the reason i didn't know until this evening that the nightline program with the segment on jws was changed until tomorrow night.
(i forgot my phone.
Possible someone to share the program as a file as where I live, I cannot view this. Many thanks.
I guess one can view the program via this link:
