I remember reading in Crisis of Conscience about Fred Franz's baptism. If I remember correctly, Fred had been baptised (sprinkled) as a Presbyterian and, therefore, was immersed when he joined Russell's Bible Students. However, Freddy felt that had he been immersed before becoming a Bible Student that a second immersion would not be necessary.
Athanasius
JoinedPosts by Athanasius
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When did the Watchtower start baptising converts?
by Philippus79 ini think to remember the russell initially accepted water baptisms of other christian denominations.
but does anyone know when (and maybe who) they started their own water baptism rite?
couldn't find much in the 'proclaimers' book.
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WTS and the Iluminatti
by heyfea in.
i heard rumors that the wts is member of the iluminatti.
heyfea.
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How much does gas cost where you live?
by reneeisorym ini was depressed yesterday because i put in the first $40.00 tank of gas.
(i drive a toyota matrix -- i'm sure most people should think i should shut up now ...) .
i was hoping you guys could make me feel grateful for only having to pay $40.
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Athanasius
I walked to work this morning, but one of the gas stations that I passed by posted $4.399 per gallon for regular. My fiance, who works in San Francisco said the station near where she used to live had posted $4.499 per gallon for regular gasoline.
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dawn bible students
by jehovahsheep inmany ex-jws have become bible students-in essence students of charles russells writings.i have also started to study his writings and find them interesting.what are some your thoughts on these groups?
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Athanasius
After leaving the JWs I attended a few Dawn Bible Student meetings. It was not with the idea of joining their group but more of a historical interest to see if they were so violently anti-JW as the Watchtower claimed. The group I met with was very kind and never once mentioned the JWs except to say that one of the members of their group was an ex-JW. Anyway, their study books were Russell's Studies in the Scriptures, but the discussion was much more open than a Watchtower study at the KH. They also had birthday parties after the service.
However, not all Bible Student groups keep the 606 or 607 BC date. The Pastoral Bible Institute accepts 586 BC as the date for Jerusalem's destruction and the beginning of the Gentile Times. Of course RR is the resident Bible Student scholar and he has a wealth of information on the movement, its beliefs and its history. He has been very helpful in answering questions about Russell and the Bible Students.
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JW's always say you can use you own bible, true?
by Champion ini remember when i was young and still a jw we always said to the prospect"you can use any bible you want".
is that really true?.
could you use an niv or king james at the meetings?
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Athanasius
In our KH when the sisters gave their talks in the TMS and they had their householder read a Scripture from their own Bible, the householder always read from the NWT. So when I became the School overseer I asked the audience how many of them found people in the territory who used the NWT as their personal Bible. Nobody raised their hand. So I suggested to the sisters that if the setting for their talk was a door to door demonstration or a new return visit that to be realistic they should have the householder use a Bible version other than the NWT. Of course very few of the sisters followed this advice, probably because most of them only had NWT Bibles in their home libraries.
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I got shunned at Wal-Mart
by loosie inthis is actually hilarious to me.
i am not df'd or da'd.
i just haven't gone for 3 years.. this woman (sister) works at my daughters school.
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Athanasius
Last Sunday my fiance and I were in a supermarket checkout line and just ahead of us was a JW elder that I had served with when I was a elder. As far as I know I'm not DFd, but most JWs from my old congregation treat me as such because I haven't attended meetings in over 20 years. This guy got very nervous when he saw us. By the way my fiance is Russian Orthodox and was never a JW. Since there were lots of people around the JW couldn't ignore me without appearing rude. So I said hi and he nervously said hi. I introduced him to my fiance and as soon as he got his change from the checker he bolted out of the store. My fiance, who doesn't know much about JW practices, said the guy looked very unhappy like he lived a miserable life. She also wondered why he seemed to be afraid of me. After I explained the JW shunning practices, she said it sounds like a very stupid religion.
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JW's always say you can use you own bible, true?
by Champion ini remember when i was young and still a jw we always said to the prospect"you can use any bible you want".
is that really true?.
could you use an niv or king james at the meetings?
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Athanasius
I always used other Bible versions in my talks when I was a JW. In fact after giving public talks there were always a few JWs who would ask the names of the different Bibles that I used so that they could get a copy for themselves. Often they would comment that the verse that I read from the New English Bible, the New International Version, the Jerusalem Bible, the New American Bible, or the Today's English Bible was so much more easily understood than the NWT. I also noticed that other brothers were using the New English Bible in their talks. One brother even used the New English Bible for the Bible reading in the Theocratic Mininstry School. However, in 1983 there was a Watchtower article that was critical of other Bible translations and boasted that only the NWT had the proper understanding. Therefore, non JW Bibles should not be used, and most brothers complied with this new directive. Nevertheless, I continued to use other Bibles in my talks, field service, and personal study. I liked to use the New International Version in field service to show the householder that JW doctrines could be found in any Bible. Interestingly I was never counseled for disobeying the Watchtower directive. I left the JWs in 1984, so I don't know what the current rules are concerning the use of other Bible translations. However, it was by reading non-JW Bibles and later the Watchtower's condemnation of their use that started me on the road to freedom.
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Pimping the Divine Name
by Farkel inobviously, a unique aspect of the wt religion is the name it has chosen, "jehovah's witnesses.
jehovah this.
jehovah that.
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Athanasius
Excellent post Fark. You are so right about the JWs' hangup with the name Jehovah. I remember the last Public Talk that I gave before leaving the JWs, I purposely didn't use the name Jehovah, but used God and Lord instead. By the middle of the talk nobody was sleeping, instead all were listening and many seemed a little nervous. The atmosphere in the hall was very strange and everyone was a bit on edge. So, not wanting to have this congregation's Body of Elders send my BOE a negative letter about my talk, I started using the name Jehovah in reference to God. When the audience heard the name Jehovah, they relaxed and some even went back to sleep. Guess the name has a relaxing effect on the JWs.
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Obama Joke
by uwishufish inobama gets to the pearly gate.
st peter greats him "name please".
obama: president obama.
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Athanasius
Not funny. However, Obama should also be concerned about radical feminists with rifles.
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Brotherly love in action ?
by lancelink inkind of a strange experience here, maybe someone can make me see what's going on.
my parents live in another state, to visit them would require at least a 22 hour drive, no trains, .
planes are fine but since the airport is in the middle of nowhere tickets are getting quite costly ($$$$$$.
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Athanasius
I agree with you Calico that many JWs want something in return for their assistance. After all, isn't that their sales pitch at the door, all the future rewards for joining the Witness religion, where the new recruit can live forever in perfect health on a paradise earth? Much of the JW message is designed to appeal one's self interest rather than the charity and good works of traditional Christianity. Quite often we hear about JWs who are ignored in their time of need by their fellow JWs. However, it is their neighbors who attend "Babylonish Churches" who note their plight and came to their aid.