Talking about “liability,” you would think that the WTS should be far more concerned about the liabilities of their strictly-enforced policies regarding blood transfusions (kids and babies dead), shunning (severe depression and anxiety, leading to mental illness and even suicides), protecting pedophiles (while threatening and expelling innocent victims), etc., etc. Now, that would be a liability, you would think! Much more so than any little normal social get-together like barbecues and beach parties.
Posts by SAHS
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A Way to Weave 2
by looter innow i know that this would of course be illegal, wrong, and deceitful but has anyone here ever thought of creating a fake jw.org website that looks 100% authentic to the actual site but features ttatt?
like mentioned before, this would definitely be fraud or some other badness but just think of how many people could be woken up if this were real.
it might not open up everyone's eyes but for the witnesses that stumble onto jw.org for hours watching videos, this false jw site could really work.
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SAHS
IMHO, I think that a stunt like that would just be shooting yourself in the foot. Other than getting yourself into some fancy legal trouble, it would just make people all the more angry and resentful at what they could label a stereotype “apostate.” Just like the devious form of mudslinging politician on the campaign trail, it would just be sure to backfire with a vengeance. (Simply put: Bad idea. Don’t even think about it. Not that you would ever try, I’m sure, but, well, just say’n.)
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AnointedJW Response On Df'ing
by metatron inhttps://anointedjw.org/qr_august_2014.html#qr_082914c.
so, they are claiming that these new partakers associated with their site are not being df'd.. i understand that two witness guys run this site.
can anyone confirm that they are not df'd?.
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SAHS
I think that one logical reason why the new people claiming to be of the anointed and partaking of the emblems are not disfellowshipped en masse is due to this simple fact: Whether any particular person would be anointed or not cannot actually be proven or disproven – not any more than so many of the teachings of the WTS, such as Jesus’ invisible presence since 1914. It’s like someone saying that they predicted some particular event ahead of time in a dream – dreams cannot be proven or disproven.
This is of course becoming more of a dilemma for the WTS because the total number of anointed partakers of the emblems is steadily increasing rather than decreasing – and there is not anything the WTS can really do, because how do you go about trying to prove exactly who has, or has not been, anointed by an invisible and undetectable “holy spirit”?
Although, it’s rather unfortunate that all JWs couldn’t simply rely on Romans 14:12 – “So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God” (RNWT) – in relation to whether or not they wish to celebrate birthdays or “worldly” holidays, take an emergency blood transfusion, etc., as a purely personal matter. Another scripture in Romans chapter 14 with a similar idea is verse 4, which says: “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for Jehovah can make him stand.”
The GB sets itself up not only as leaders, rulers, and mediators, but also as judges – at least in anything which they can tangibly catch people on.
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An important message from a PRACTICING Jehovah's witness
by Sparks inhi, i am also a practicing jehovah's witness and very proud of it,to say the very-very least..!
i am a middle-aged man with many decades of being a witness of jehovah god in england.. this important letter is personally to you, just as many of the bible's 88 letters are to be taken personal by you the reader.
i am writing to you to urge you to take stock of your life, think what your future holds for you.
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SAHS
I’m wondering if our Mr. “Sparks” had started to “fall away” from his JW beliefs for a time, then began feeling guilty and anxious about it, and then had some change of heart wherein he felt that he should return to the WTS to become “approved” so as to escape that non-existent state of death which he referred to. It almost sounds to me like he’s somehow making a rather pathetic attempt to ease his own guilty conscience, as he sees it, and redeem himself by making some show of affinity and allegence to what he says is God’s true organization. (Although, I would wonder if even Mr. “Sparks” himself actually believes, deep in the logical part of his noodle, what he is now spewing out to us.)
All well. At least, if nothing else, he has in reality just ended up shooting himself in the foot, as he has really just laid out for everyone how ridiculous and nonsensical it is to devote oneself to such an obviously man-made, power-hungry, and self-serving outfit as the WTS. (That is, of course, assuming that he’s not just playing with us. Either way, he’s certainly getting under my skin.) All in all, I believe that this “Sparks” fellow has, albeit unwittingly, done us all a favour!
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Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 08-31-2014 WT Study (FULL POTENTIAL)
by blondie inwt publications http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/archive.htm (old).
united nations http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm.
newly baptized brothers (not sisters) because the wts needs men to reach out.
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SAHS
It’s good to see your insightful comments on the Watchtower Study again, which certainly does help put things into a more logical and objective perspective for us all.
I gave the comment in paragraph 15 of that Watchtower Study this morning. (Our congregation recently voted to try switching the Sunday meeting to Saturday morning instead, supposedly to facilitate better field service success on Sunday morning.) The question on paragraph 15 was “How did Paul express appreciation for his brothers?,” and I related my answer to where the paragraph stated: “In Romans chapter 16, Paul gave recognition to more than 20 fellow believers for qualities that made them dear to his heart.”
I went on to highlight in my comment the following verses of Romans chapter 16:
Vs. 1: “Phoebe, our sister, who is a minister of the congregation . . .”
Vs. 6: “Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.”
Vs. 12: “Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, women who are working hard in the Lord. Greet Persis, our beloved one, for she has worked hard in the Lord.”
I then concluded my comment with the following: “This shows that at that time women had a respectable and dignified role as workers and ‘ministers’ in the Christian congregation.”
Romans chapter 16 seems to indicate that even the apostle Paul himself gave women more confidence and consideration of their roles in working, or ‘ministering,’ in behalf of the Christian congregation. I was thinking that this could imply that women in the first century could work at various tasks which today the WTS would require a “ministerial servant” – i.e., a male – to perform. Although, I’m sure that this logical deduction would have effectively been completely lost on the audience, as would be most such logical thoughts daring to venture outside of the silly and confining “box” of the WTS mindset.
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Give me a reason not to go back
by chukky 594 inbeen out now for 10 yrs but life is a mess.
starting to think its because i have no spiritual compass.
why shouldn't i consider going back?.
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SAHS
You need to differentiate between being an approved JW and living a decent, happy life – and to realize that the two do not necessary have to go together.
JWs are taught to believe that any financial, emotional, or physical hardships are a result of not being a member in good standing with the WT Society. The JW religion thus instills a kind of superstitious behavior in that the ritualistic activities and legalistic prohibitions required are thought to alleviate spiritual emptiness and make a person acceptable to his Maker, God, and thus be spiritually whole. However, one needs to realize that their life being a “mess” is not due to the failure of satisfying the expectations of any religion which is man-made but, rather, is to a large extent related to their own practical decisions and actions.
My suggestion to you would be to honestly and fearlessly examine all the elements of your life, including financial, emotional, interpersonal, and physical, and see if there are things like financial management assistance, positive affirmations, character development, or diet and exercise which can give you the actual power to sort out and modify whatever “mess” your life may seem to be at present.
In other words, think in terms of taking positive and practical steps to improve various aspects of your life, exploring new and empowering information which can open doors for you by giving you objective insight toward a better spiritual perspective. Anyone can put their own unique “spin” on the Bible (or any other “holy book”) – and many do – but one needs to be able to look above all the trees and see the entire forest as a whole – and that requires being able to think outside of the box.
Just remember this, my friend, which is very important: “religiosity” and “spirituality” are not one and the same!
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Is The Governing Body Afraid To Slam Muslims???
by minimus inthey boldly spoke against the catholics.
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i'd love to see them rail against the muslims..
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SAHS
Whenever the WTS discusses religion, they usually just lump them all together, giving them pretty much equal mention. They seem, as least currently, to be careful not to single out any particular religion, especially ones dissimilar to Christianity, so as not to seem religio-politically polarized. In terms of being “afraid” to slam Muslims, I think that they are more concerned with their public image than the actual safety of individual members. (Remember Malawi?) As for the WTS itself, I have a feeling that the new Warwick compound will have plenty of security measures – just in case.
The GB is definitely offended at least as much as Muslims, but at least they don’t advocate physical violence like Muslims or aggressively sue people like Scientologists. Although, the GB sure doesn’t mind inflicting its mental torture and coercion, not to mention blackmail. The GB is hypervigilant in categorizing and judging people’s beliefs, opinions, and practices, but they don’t really need to let things get to them, at least internally, because they know that they have their ways of dealing with “offenders.”
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How have you changed since finding TTATT ?
by Phizzy inon coftys thread about his former pastor trying to re-convert him, which is very long but a tremendous discussion of the problem of evil, a poster, sunny23, wrote :.
" having been 7 months since i first posted on the first page of this topic i have just read those posts and acknowledged a huge transfromation in myself for the better."..
i was only thinking the other day how, as i discovered this site and ttatt, i really changed as a person in so many ways, and i think mainly for the better.. i have been "born again" !!.
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SAHS
For me, I have less fear – fear of whether or not I have sinned against the holy spirit (I’m sure I must have by now – that is, assuming the WTS is correct, and of course assuming that there is a holy spirt to sin against), fear of Armageddon (well, where is it? did I miss it or something?), fear of dying (I know that I can just ask a doornail or doorknob about death and get the correct answer), fear of not pleasing Jehovah (now I know that he was simply a mythological warrior god invented by some ancient desert tribes), and fear of being disfellowshipped (aside from my parents, the rest of the family never calls me or has anything to do with me, so in that way it wouldn’t make any difference anyway).
Less fear lends itself to greater tranquility and serenity, which are much healthier in every way.
I must say that I am very grateful for this particular Web site, as it was the very place that I found around the year 2003 which really opened my eyes and put things into perspective for me. My hat is off to everyone here, especially Simon for making this site possible.
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The Only Time JWs Make Contact
by naazira ini've realised that the only time jws make contact with me is during memorial season, and at the start of the new service year.
they always try to talk more in the beginning of the service year.
as the pioneer sister always said "start off strong, and get a lot of hours early.
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SAHS
“naazira”: “. . . the only time jws make contact with me is during memorial season, and at the start of the new service year.”
The real reason is because they know that you know too much – too much about the WTS as a whole and what goes on behind the scenes. Don’t forget, knowledge is a very powerful thing, and it is that kind of knowledge (TTATT) that they are most afraid of. So, that’s why the WTS doesn’t like too much casual or frequent contact with those of us “in the know” – because they know very well that the jig is up on them!
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Good response when you are told " you want to do your own thing".
by jam ini was told that, it's a selfish act on your part not to come back.. well apparently i must be having fun, a good life.....
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SAHS
“jam”: “I was told that, it's a selfish act on your part not to come back.”
You could say this:
You know what is actually really selfish? Well, I’ll tell you what is selfish:
An organization of men
• that completely usurps the position of Jesus Christ exclusively for themselves;
• that demands and forces its members to allow themselves and their children, including young babies, to actually die without an emergency blood transfusion – not even allowing one’s own blood to be made available ahead of time before a serious operation in case of emergency (because it’s “stored” – just like blood fractions);
• that has ordered its members for many years not to take any organ transplants, only to reverse its decision . . . without so much as an apology for the unnecessary deaths;
• that has ordered its members for many years not to accept alternative military service, only to reverse its decision . . . without so much as an apology for the resulting prison rapes and suicides;
• that has promoted a scornful view of those who pursue marriage and childrearing in this system of things, especially under the Russell and Rutherford regimes (implying that they are the selfish ones);
• that has instructed young people to forego university or college, even if provided a scholarship, because the end was guaranteed to happen any day – or at least according to their own contrived chronology scam . . . without so much as an apology for the careers denied and talents wasted;
• that has forbidden young people from attending school dances, the prom, or extracurricular activities during high school, apparently because of a “worldly atmosphere” (selfish and most self-righteous!);
• that scares and vilifies young people who may be involved in any kind of sexual “uncleanness” or “loose conduct,” including masturbation, continually instilling in them a morbid fear of sinning against the holy spirit and dying at Armageddon;
• that passionately forbids any participation in celebrating any kind of “worldly” holiday, Mother’s/Father’s Day, birthdays, or indeed absolutely anything whatsoever other than the Memorial (an occasion designed to reinforce their own caste system between the elite “anointed” and earthly rank-and-file members);
• that continually pushes its members to volunteer at full-time service, either by pioneering, working at Bethel branches, or worldwide “theocratic” construction work (free labor!);
• that has always put women down (keeping them “in their place” under their misogynist “headship principle”), refusing to budge one iota on this unreasonable stance amid today’s progressive society;
• that rigidly demands its members to believe and follow unquestioningly their own unique interpretations and dogmatic teachings and policies right to the letter of the law (of course reserving the right solely to themselves to reverse and flip-flop any such teachings and policies, at their full and unfettered discretion) – threatening shunning, ostracism, and certain “spiritual death” upon any who don’t follow along completely, absolutely, and wholeheartedly.
Now, THAT is selfish!