Posts by SAHS

37

FuGK This Religion- Stop Ruining My Life!!!

by wallievase in

jw
friends

i am sorry for the title but today just took the cake.

after not going to the meetings since august and trying to sort through this with my family, my wife today told me she wants to separate because of our differences over being a witness or not.. this is ridiculous.

so i said- how can you separate from me when the religion you whole heartedly believe says you can only separate for 3 reasons- abuse, willful non-support, or stopping her from her meeting attendance, etc.

SAHS

“Hairtrigger”: “The three reasons for separation is new to me. I was under the impression the bible allows for separation/divorce only in case of infidelity.”

You have to distinguish between a separation and an actual divorce.

Actually, the position of the WTS (as they interpret the Scriptures in their literal, fundamentalist way) is that the only grounds for a divorce is adultery, which involves any act considered to be a form of “porneia.” A divorce is an actual legal proceeding, eventually resulting in the annulment of the administrative marriage status.

A separation, however, is just a physical separation, which can be temporary or permanent and can be undone anytime by simply making up and getting back together. It is a separation that is completely legitimate under the circumstances of, as the original poster listed, “abuse, willful non-support, or stopping her from her meeting attendance.”

8

How Religion Got in the Way

by Billyblobber in

jw
friends

i feel this is an excellent mini-summary of the relationship of religion to science of the years and is a good read.

the only part i disagree with is "defining yourself by atheism.

" marginalized groups are defined that way by the majority and are forced to have it as part of their self identity.. .

SAHS

“Apognophos”: “I just don't know why we can't call that "curiosity", "awe", "wonder", etc. Why use the same word that is used by others to refer to things that happen in a spirit realm, or to a belief in that realm?”

You have a good point there. I agree that the lexicography of the word “spirituality” is prone to cause misunderstanding and confusion. What I understand “spirituality” to mean is simply that which is metaphysical; i.e., a more or less an abstract construct of ideals and principles, or a logical yet higher order manifestation of emotional functioning and cognitive processing, as opposed to anything that “exists” being of real substance in itself, such as an entity of matter or energy. Something in that non-physical context could be a mathematical law such as 1 + 1 = 2, or an emotion such as fear, hate, love, etc. – things which do not exists purely by themselves, and thus cannot be created or destroyed, but are an emergent property of something that is, in fact, a real entity (such as a brain, a biological cell, or an atom).

8

How Religion Got in the Way

by Billyblobber in

jw
friends

i feel this is an excellent mini-summary of the relationship of religion to science of the years and is a good read.

the only part i disagree with is "defining yourself by atheism.

" marginalized groups are defined that way by the majority and are forced to have it as part of their self identity.. .

SAHS

“Billyblobber”: Yes I definitely believe that, as you said in the last paragraph of your initial post in this thread, we should “approach spirituality as individuals.” Spirituality is really a journey for each individual to travel and explore him/herself, and it’s not something that should be institutionalized (i.e., organized religion), and certainly not something that should be arbitrarily codified, dictated and forced on anyone or group.

“Apognophos”: “Emotions are the enemy of reason, are they not? . . . If someone wants to make decisions in a clear-thinking way, then they should rely on reason. Leave emotions for the things that aren't life-changing decisions, . . .”

“jgnat”: “I'm not entirely convinced that spirituality makes us any better at these things.”

Actually, science has proven that the brain is not just all intellect or all emotion – what we perceive as our conscious existence is the sum total of various processes for different types of functioning in the brain, which include things like fear, aggression, well-being, empathy, etc. (“emotion”), as well as the logical cognitive faculties such as sensual perception, memory, differentiation, prioritization, decision-making, etc. (“reason”). They do, and must, exist in tandem. The end result is, as the expression goes: “The total is greater than the sum of its parts.” Our consciousness, as such, is an emergent phenomenon consisting of all the various properties found in the various lobes and structures within the brain, all operating as a whole.

Spirituality is the emergent driving force, contingent upon all the multi-faceted logical, as well as primal emotive, properties which make up who and what we are – a driving force compelling us to investigate, explore, categorize, organize, enjoy, and share things in our collective environment. It is the higher-order logistical functioning which acts to express our fundamental ideals, communicate our ideas, and perform our actions in a manner which promotes social interactions with each other and with society as a whole that are advantageous and mutually beneficial. In short, spirituality is that which causes desired and beneficial thought, well-being, and action which is beneficial to oneself and the general community. It is that which promotes universal and fundamental ideals for the greater good and well-being of the unique individual and of society as a whole.

11

How many of the GB helpers are "anointed"?

by Nostromo in

jw
friends

according to this list there are 29 helpers at the moment: https://jwleaks.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/jehovahs-witnesses-governing-body-committees.jpg.

i wonder how many of these are "anointed"?

all the current seven gb members were helpers first and then appointed to be gb members.

SAHS

As I understand it, the “helpers” of the GB would fall under the “Nethinim” class, sometimes also referred to as the “given ones.” Here is a quote from the 2006 WT, Feb. 15, p. 28, par. 11, under “Walking in the Path of Increasing Light”:

“The year 1992 saw still another refinement, one that is comparable to what happened after the Israelites and others returned from exile in Babylon. Back at that time, there were not a sufficient number of Levites to care for temple service. So non-Israelite Nethinim were given more to do in helping the Levites. Accordingly, to assist the faithful and discreet slave class in caring for its increasing earthly interests, in 1992 some of the "other sheep" received added service responsibilities. They were appointed as helpers to the Governing Body committees.—John 10:16.”

So, with the number of anointed ones not really dwindling anytime soon, it looks like the GB will always have enough “spiritually mature” ones ready and willing to help them – either of the anointed class, or second-best: the good old Nethinim class.

207

Is the AGM today?

by hamsterbait in

jw
friends

anybody going or who can give us the noolite hot from the gb a$$?.

.

SAHS

Pasted below is an actual email recently forwarded to me from my dad, who is a long-time, well-known JW elder, which he received by a long-time, die-hard JW. According to this email, the new developments discussed in this thread are authenticated. I have removed the actual name and email address of the email’s original sender to preserve confidentiality (his and mine).

====================

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: XXXXXXXXXX <[email protected]>
Date: October 6, 2014 at 10:28:26 AM EDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Fwd: JW.org <http://JW.org> - 2014 Annual General Meeting
______
XXXXX

Over 4000 in attendance at the Stanley Theater (19,000 listened in overall from other branch offices)

-- New online tv channel to be available Monday. They will be offering Morning Worship and Governing Body talks once a month or so. tv.jw.org <http://tv.jw.org> via JW Broadcasting (check out their control room)The media will be pre recorded in case you were wondering.
OCTOBER 4, 2014
http://www.jw-archive.org/image/99173003243>
Private Tour of the new JW Broadcasting TV Station!! So awesome!
The first hour long show plays this week on tv.jw.org <http://tv.jw.org>
http://www.jw-archive.org/image/99173132213>
JW BROADCASTING CONTROL ROOM

-- New Pocket size Bible distributed. Will be available to order soon.

-- New songs in English distributed for the meeting.

-- In September next year there will be a new level of pioneering. Currently, this is auxiliary, regular and special .... new option called Basic Pioneer that involves reaching 10 hours a month and the purpose is to reach a milestone in August that all brothers and sisters report and avoid inactivity.

-- Also have been introduced to a new video for children, Caleb and Sophia.

Brothers announce that we have a new understanding of the meaning of GOG OF MAGOG that it is no longer understood to be Satan.

-- A new APP can be downloaded for JW LANGUAGE, and you can learn a new language online to facilitate preaching to people of other languages.

-- On 01/01/15 a new part of the service meeting entitled “How you learnt the truth” to replace local needs in which all members of the congregation can relate their experience.

-- Bethelites with five years or more service may serve for a year on a missionary assignment.
-- Year Text for 2015

XXXXX

XXXXX

JW.ORG <http://www.jw.org/en>

“This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. ”   ― John 17:3

“Less Television and more Bible vision”

“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” ― Mark Twain

“All truth goes through three stages: First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally it is accepted as self evident”   ― Schopenhauer 1409-1527

“Facts are stubborn things”

“When in doubt, remember that the kind thing is the right thing.”

“Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone.”

“No good deed goes unpunished”

“When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bustling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.” ― Dale Carnegie

“As there is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it, so reasonable arguments, challenges to magnanimity, and appeals to sympathy or justice, are folly when we are dealing with human crocodiles and boa―constrictors.”

“An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”

“The Real Life is about the Truth and it is not about who is right rather what is right” ― pt

“It’s better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction."

“Science brings men nearer to God.” ― Louis Pasteur

“If the lawn is greener on the other side of the fence,   water your lawn!”

“A pretty face is nothing if you have an ugly heart."

When asked how they managed to stay together for 65 years, the woman replied, “We were born in time where if something was broke, you fixed it... Not throw it away!”

“In marriage 1+1 = everything and 2-1 = nothing”

“Love is giving someone the power to destroy you, and trusting them not to.”

“A woman without her man is nothing” … it’s all about punctuation:

“A woman without her man, is nothing.”

“A woman: without her, man is nothing.”

“Eternity is very long, especially towards the end...”

“I have not been everywhere, but it is on my list…”

“Don’t let schooling interfere with your education”

“Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go.”

“Lack of planning on your part does not constitute and emergency on my part”

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”

“Music is what feelings sound like.”

“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” ― Leopold Stokowski

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign of?” ― A. Einstein

“‘YOU people must not do injustice in the judgment. You must not treat the lowly with partiality, and you must not prefer the person of a great one. With justice you should judge your associate.”   ―Leviticus 19:15

“There is something futile [Or “frustrating.”] that takes place on the earth: There are righteous people who are treated as if they had acted wickedly, and there are wicked people who are treated as if they had acted righteously. I say that this too is futility.”   ― Ecclesiastes 8:14

“And I said to myself: ‘Wisdom is better than mightiness; yet a poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.’ ”   ― Ecclesiastes 9:16

Jehovah isn't looking for ones with a head full of knowledge. Instead, he is looking for those with a heart full of love.

2

Totalitarian Regimes and State Controlled Television Networks and Media

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

as we embark upon the debut of jw tv, it makes me think about north korea and eastern european communist countries that have state run media.

this is exactly what jw tv is.

now people can log on and turn off their brains.

SAHS

. . . . And DEFINITELY never the name “Jesus” or “Christ,” or the word “Christian.” No, sir. That was discarded long ago.

8

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-05-2014 WT Study (WOMEN)

by blondie in

jw
friends

SAHS

I made my public comment during this Watchtower study on paragraph 17, regarding the “miraculous event” at Pentecost 33 C.E. I mentioned how God’s holy spirit was poured out in a “special way” on all those present, including women. I said how that the apostle Paul mentioned several women in Luke 8:2, 3: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susannain; as well as at Romans chapter 16, verses one, six, and 12: Phoebe, Mary, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, and Persis, who were ‘working hard in the Lord’ and ‘ministering.’ I then said that this shows women had definite responsibilities in the congregation as ministers and servants. (I.e., “ministerial servants”!) I then said how this was in stark contrast to the misogynist, chauvinistic view of women promulgated by the religious leaders: the Scribes and Pharisees, who looked down on women and sought to assign women “their place.”

My hope was that some people in the audience would somehow make the connection between the Jewish religious leaders and the GB of the WTS – both of whom known for constantly trying to assert their manmade “authority” over women and assign women “their place” – as they see it. (Although, sadly, I might as well have been whispering into a microphone which was not turned on as far as anybody making any such strategic and insightful connections inside their thick noggins. All well. It was either comment or keep sleeping.)

45

The Art of Hypocrisy - How Jehovah's Witnesses worship a symbol

by BluePill2 in

jw
friends

it has been a while since i've seen a witness, either in person or virtually.

searching for someone on facebook took me to the profile of a ministerial servant that i know.

i scrolled through his wall to see who is still around and found this gem:.

SAHS

And to think of all the poor little school kids who were teased, bullied, and persecuted for not pledging allegiance to the flag! If you walked into a Kingdom Hall with any other kind of symbol or icon pinned onto your lapel, such as your country’s flag, or a symbol of something like Free Masons, Orangemen, Teamsters Union, etc., you would get pulled into that backroom yesterday and given a scolding. I’ve even heard of JWs saying that it’s wrong to have a poster of your favorite baseball player in your own room. And, of course, not to mention a certain “political party card” in Malawi back in the 1970s. (That was a real no, no!) And what does the WT say about religious “statues and icons”? (I.e., the now-outdated Reasoning book.)

But this . . . . this stupid little blue corporate Internet marketing thing, . . . well, that’s a must-have! (When will people wake up?)

207

Is the AGM today?

by hamsterbait in

jw
friends

anybody going or who can give us the noolite hot from the gb a$$?.

.

SAHS

“hildebrando”: “On January 2015 a new part of the service meeting entitled "How do you knew the truth" will replace local needs, . . .”

I hate to be a Nitpicky Neddy but I believe that meeting part title would have to be something like either “How do you know the truth” or “How did you come to know the truth.” I think the writing and publishing departments would proofread it a little more thoroughly.

207

Is the AGM today?

by hamsterbait in

jw
friends

anybody going or who can give us the noolite hot from the gb a$$?.

.

SAHS

I suppose the WTS would consider this new Internet TV broadcasting stuff to be “[making] friends for [them]selves by means of the unrighteous riches.” (Luke 16:9, RNWT) They will gladly use anything – or anyone – to their advantage as much as they can.