Posts by zack

8

Losing the faith-but using the bible?

by JWdaughter in

jw
friends

i find myself still arguing for the bible pov vs. the wt pov at times when i really don't believe the bible is inspired of god.

a whole new layer of potential evil on my part, i guess.

however i just think that academically, if they are claiming their stance as being from the bible, that it is fair to show them where it is not biblical.

zack

Even if you do not beleive the Bible to be the wholly infallible word of Almighty God, it contains good advice, history, object lessons, etc....

And it's fun showing fundies who claim a monopoly on the Bible how their teachings refute, twist, contradict, add to, take away from what

is actually written. One of my favorites is in James: "If any man knows what is right and does not do it, it is a sin for him."

In other words, be TRUE TO YOURSELF. By defending the Bibles's POV you are doing just that.

26

Elder lost privilages due to 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Why?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

jw
friends

1 timothy 3:1-7 reads:.

if any man is reaching out for an office of overseer, he is desirous of a fine work.2the overseer should therefore be irreprehensible, a husband of one wife, moderate in habits, sound in mind, orderly, hospitable, qualified to teach,3not a drunken brawler, not a smiter, but reasonable, not belligerent, not a lover of money,4a man presiding over his own household in a fine manner, having children in subjection with all seriousness;5(if indeed any man does not know how to preside over his own household, how will he take care of gods congregation?

)6not a newly converted man, for fear that he might get puffed up [with pride] and fall into the judgment passed upon the devil.7moreover, he should also have a fine testimony from people on the outside, in order that he might not fall into reproach and a snare of the devil.. .

zack

The scripture used in the beginning of the thread is a good one. After all, if you are a Christian you expect those taking the lead to have

developed Christian qualites in order to be more stable in their faith and not easily blown about by every different teaching, temptation,

etc.... Any man who ministers takes on himself a heavy responsibility. What the Watchtower does, however, is impose IT'S OWN rules

on men who wish to minister, and they are by their very nature capricious and arbitrary. Christianity is far more loving and nurturing

than what the WTS espouses. Further, and I don't want to debate Paul's inspiration, but Paul (for a man that didn't want

rules imposed on Gentiles by Judaizers) had LOTS of opinions that he freely offered to the brethren who

later took those opinions as Church Law.

19

Where do you THINK the WT will be in 20 years? (Not what you hope)

by UnConfused in

do you think growth will have stopped?

do you think membership will be up or down?

do you think financially they will be in trouble?

zack

They will still be selling and people will still be buying. Look at us, here. It took us all a while to learn the truth abouth the "truth."

Thy tell people they do not ever have to die, just waltz right over into the New World. The Witnesses give them a short cut, so to speak.

So, for a believer (in Christianity) the message can be quite appealing since no death is more palatable over certain death. They'll still be here. I WON"T.

17

Dinosaurs?

by Paralipomenon in

i was very curious about dinosaurs as a child.

what was jehovah's purpose for them?

my mother used to say that they were used to prepare the earth for living, you know, like mulch and stuff.

zack

I don't know what their purpose was but they sure help to identify the nut jobs and their nut theories. "By their fruits you will know them." Well, aren't JW beliefs towards dinos

some of the nuttiest ever? "Get OUT OF HER, my people."

12

Tony Dungy, and cognitive dissonance

by DanTheMan in

jw
friends

one thing that always struck me about jw's was their insularity, how truly ignorant so many of them are about the world outside of their world.

to hear many jw's talk, worldly people, to a person, live in a constant state of debauchery.. i would guess that the majority of american jw's were watching the super bowl last night.

towards the end of the game, phil simms (the color commentator for cbs) was talking about how tony dungy (the coach of the indianapolis colts) never raises his voice, never curses, is "class" all the way.

zack

AA: Your post was hilarious because it is SO TRUE!

DanTheMan: My grandmother, a nominal Catholic, was the best person I ever knew. She was self sacrificing, honest, generous, kind, unpretentious, humble, and

full of love for others. She delighted in doing good things for other people. I grew up a JW and could NEVER fathom the thought that a just God could ever have anything

but compassion and love for the gentle soul that I knew this woman to be. I now know why. The JW's do have their own God, but it isn't the true one.

Thanks for yor posts.

36

The Mystery behind the Conventions and Assemblies

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

the mystery behind the conventions and assembliesin the organization, the idea behind the conventions was to unite gods people under one roof.. .

looking back and knowing it is not gods organization raises.

a few questions about the conventions and assemblies.. what was the real motivation behind the conventions?did the watchtower hold conventions to show the world god has a united people?.

zack

Money. Control. Retention. More MONEY.

And I don't know who has the money, but someone has the money somewhere. Sooner or later all will find out where the money's gone. I wouldn't be surprised if one

day the WTS announced that it's financial operations will be entrusted to faithful brothers OUTSIDE the corporations because "We have to outsmart" Satan before the tribulation.

42

Did U Ever Know Of An Elder That Committed A D'Fing Offense While An Elder?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i used to go to strip clubs with another fellow elder when we would go out of town on "business".

i believe those lapdances could've gotten us removed.

don'tcha think?

zack

YES. ME. Just believing as I do is enough to be DF'd for.

31

Why don't YOU believe anymore?

by Crumpet in

someone on another site was asking "what if they are right?

" which made me think about why i know that they are not and i wondered what was your epiphany or road to damascus moment or moments that just made you realise - hey i've been led up the garden path here!.

here was my response but i really think a list of reasons on one thread for easy reference for newbies would be good.

zack

It was the blatant dishonesty. If as the leadership of the religion the GB would just say: "Look. We don't know everything. We can't know everything. We don't

expect you to believe everything. Help us out where you think we need help. In the meantime, we can fellowship together, be with people who love God and

share common values, and we can all make good friends in a christian environment. We're all just trying to get to the same place, hopefully at the same time. What

do you say? Stay with us. We love you."

Instead they say: "WE ARE THE FDS! GOD"S ONLY REPRESENTATIVE ON EARTH! OBEY US OR DIE!"

The choice between the two is clear.

29

JWs and Gambling

by JohnnyMarr in

jw
friends

i've been inactive for a while and i can't remember the jws stance on gambling.

i'm kinda big into poker now and i want to know what to expect if i'm televised or spotted in a public tournament.

is it a disfellowshipping offense, public reproof offense, or conscious decision?

zack

Gamblibg is a disfellowshipping office, though I have never seen anyone actually get df'd fot it.

37

Ever hear an experience at an assembly that you KNOW was slanted?

by Bonnie_Clyde in

i remember one at a district assembly.

a brother was being interviewed as to why he never chose over time work at his job.

he said he worked for a small printing company and that he was content with working regular hours.

zack

At a District Convention in Florence, SC in 1999 a couple was interviewd by our CO because they had both given up their jobs in order to pioneer full time. What

was NOT said was that her Dad had given them a $2 million annuity as part of a revocable trust. He'd done well and wasn't going to let estate taxes eat up his kids'

inheritance. The other JW's were made to feel materialistic because they weren't making adjusments like this couple had. I knew about this because the Dad has

a son in the congo I attended who "retired" at 35. He too got his "inheritance" early, just like sis. Except the son and his wife didn't pioneer. They didn't put THEM

on the stage! I knew it was dishonest they way they framed the experience. But it would be a few years 'til the scales finally wore off. WHAT HORSES---!

Zack-----