how could anyone know objectively if they live in the "last days", if they fail to examine history?
how would anyone know if things were .
actually worse?
A reminder from the apostle Peter:
2 Peter 3: 3 ~ 7
3 "To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with their scoffing...4 And say, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the forefathers fell asleep, all things have continued exactly as they did from the begining of creation."
The Amplified Bible
have the society made mistakes?
yes, without a doubt.
there are failed predictions and with 100% evidence for anyone to look, to see this.
I believe the Witnesses have become like ancient Israel was. They have the primary truths about God and His promises...BUT like the Scribes and Pharisees, the GB distorted and perverted the true Christian worship of God and reduced it to a religion of OT rules and those teachings the apostle Paul that are erroneous.
I do believe the scriptures in Matthew and Luke concerning the Faithful Slave turning Evil have come true. I'm looking forward to when the Master arrives.
As for what I believe the Witnesses have correct and what sets them apart from the rest are theses teachings...which I still hold to.
the united nations and the watchtower society
having researched this issue thoroughly it was.
the deciding factor on my leaving the organ-.
....years of doubts and other experiences made me think twice about the organization [generation change 1995] the deciding factor was the UN involvement. Respectfully, The Wanderer
I can relate. Although, when a good friend first broke the news to me about the WTS and the UN, I cavalierly brushed it aside and belittled it, blaming the Apostates. In spite of my many legitimate complaints with the Society, I was still an apologist at heart.
I got this picture from this Thread:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/11/117658/2065735/post.ashx#2065735
a thought popped into my head today.
remember how inside the congregation we were taught that we should our love our brothers so much that we would die for them?.
now why were taught to trust and love our brothers and sisters so much mush that we would do that for them?.
I never liked the question, it's too broad for me. There are self righteous Witnesses who I have no interest in dying for, then there are others who I think are worthy persons, so I would consider it.
LOL, I don't know if thats what Jesus would do...but thats where I'm at now.
maybe a little influence from this website.
i had this really strange dream last night, that i wrote a letter to my parents old congregation that i last attended with them, well in my dream my letter was to let them know that i was never a jw, and that any records of me they have to shred or destroy.
i went to the hall and told some elder what i wanted to do, he asked me if i was baptized, i said no, but still wanted to do this, some other guy said "ok you will need to follow me", i walked down a long dark hallway and he opened two double doors to this big room that looked like a basement or bomb shelter, there were large tables in the middle of the room with papers and awakes and watchtowers all over them and a bunch of people who looked like half dead people you would see in scary movies just working away down there.
...awakes and watchtowers all over them and a bunch of people who looked like half dead people you would see in scary movies just working away down there. ... I looked around the room and there were crosses upside down, broken pieces of statues like the virgin Mary, Saint Frances and Jesus...
My guess is, it represents your level of esteem for religion, particularly the Witnesses.
how could anyone know objectively if they live in the "last days", if they fail to examine history?
how would anyone know if things were .
actually worse?
metatron, Hondo
Time will tell gentlemen.
My opinion is that in the near future the authority for the War On Terror will be transfered by and from USA / England to the UN who, with God's help, will determine that all religion is the problem and has to be "eliminated."
I'm sure you remember what happens next.
how could anyone know objectively if they live in the "last days", if they fail to examine history?
how would anyone know if things were .
actually worse?
metatron, Seeker4, Hondo,
Guys...I disagree, but I'm not surprised at your conclusions.
Its curious, years ago a non-witness and definately non-religious friend of mine from HS who I hadn't seen since HS, stated (without any prompting from me) one example of how times had changed. He said, "If in school we had a problem with someone we would slug it out after school. Now they shoot each other."
Jesus said that during the Last Days people would take "no note" of the times...Its sad to see its fulfillment.
how could anyone know objectively if they live in the "last days", if they fail to examine history?
how would anyone know if things were .
actually worse?
From my own experiance I have to disagree. I clearly see the changes. Since the Sixties till now major negitive changes have been steadily occuring and worsening yearly.
Life over the decades has progressively become more violent in every area.
Severe weather around the world has steadily increased so that now it has become accepted as "normal."
People have become increasingly self centered with 'attitude,' willing to seriously harm anyone over the smallest thing,
And the list goes on and on and on... Unless your in your Teens or Twenties, you should have no problem seeing the downward slide humanity and the earth has been on.
since being in the jw org for close to 35 years (from infant) and recently leaving i have been studying topics like the trinity because i was never allowed to before.
i'm getting so many mixed reviews from the scriptures of whether the trinity is possible or impossible.
" and john 1:18 "no one has ever seen god, but god the one and only, who is at the father's side, has made him known.
then why is blasphemy against the holy spirit the unforgiveable sin? that means that the h.s. is greater than even the father. or am i crazy?
I've wrestled with why such importance is placed on following Holy Spirit too. I don't believe its greater than God but something that is very important to Him. It seems to represent something more than just obeying His word. In the Bible the HS is used like a tool, it never manifests itself as an individual being or speaks on its own. I am definately looking forward to understaning its importance fully someday.
thirdwitness -- an agent of the governing body?
this evening i was talking with an old friend about recent postings on this forum by jw defenders.
we concluded that something unusual is going on.
Any such defense would have to be covert, in the sense that whatever GB member or WTS official leading the charge, or giving the green light, would have to keep all connections to those in the field secret from other JWs. This would be necessary because the Society has directly instructed JWs to avoid the Internet at all costs. It is also a WTS tradition that only those directly appointed by it are allowed to publish public defenses. Given the above, I have a strong suspicion that thirdwitness and his collaborators are either Bethelites, or JWs with extremely close ties to Bethel, or both, all of whom have been given the green light by Watchtower officials to get on the Internet and do battle with JW critics. Unfortunately, these defenders have bitten off more than they can chew. Having been steeped in the JW cult for a long time, they've lost the power for independent thought. They think that whatever nonsense the Society puts out should be accepted on the authority of the Society alone. They think that facts are there only to support the Society's claims, and when the facts don't fit, they follow the Society's tradition of ignoring them. They've made an extreme tactical blunder in posting their defenses on a open forum, where critics pay no attention to the Society's claims of authority, and deal with the facts. These defenders simply aren't used to getting their asses kicked in doctrinal debates, because in the JW world, debate does not occur. What do you think? AlanF
I wouldn't put it past the GB to sanction a covert operation. They are fully capable of rationalizing 'Wrong into Right' such as LYING disguised as Theocratic (War) Strategy or getting into bed with the UN. I wonder if they make Political Donations anywhere in the world? That wouldn't suprise me either!
