ezekiel3

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Posts by ezekiel3

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  5

  President Larson stops the presses

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  president of the wtbts max larson formally stops the press at jehovah's witnesses' printery in brooklin, ny.

  pictured below is press #4. with the sale of the furman street building and shipping methods changed to road freight, jws seems posed to evacuate their brooklin headquaters.

  jw have also been beefing up their worldwide branches, including a large facility in brazil, to decentralize their publishing empire.. common speculation among members is the fds relocation to patterson ny is based on new york city's status as a target for terrorism and god's wrath in armaggedon.. will the brooklin heights beacon "read the bible daily" be lost forever?

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  ezekiel3
• 
  5

  President Larson stops the presses

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  president of the wtbts max larson formally stops the press at jehovah's witnesses' printery in brooklin, ny.

  pictured below is press #4. with the sale of the furman street building and shipping methods changed to road freight, jws seems posed to evacuate their brooklin headquaters.

  jw have also been beefing up their worldwide branches, including a large facility in brazil, to decentralize their publishing empire.. common speculation among members is the fds relocation to patterson ny is based on new york city's status as a target for terrorism and god's wrath in armaggedon.. will the brooklin heights beacon "read the bible daily" be lost forever?

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  ezekiel3

  President of the WTBTS Max Larson formally stops the press at Jehovah's Witnesses' printery in Brooklin, NY. Pictured below is press #4. With the sale of the Furman Street building and shipping methods changed to road freight, JWs seems posed to evacuate their Brooklin headquaters. JW have also been beefing up their worldwide branches, including a large facility in Brazil, to decentralize their publishing empire.

  Common speculation among members is the FDS relocation to Patterson NY is based on New York City's status as a target for terrorism and God's wrath in Armaggedon.

  Will the Brooklin Heights beacon "Read the Bible Daily" be lost forever?
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  76

  FDS Sends Convention Delegates Packin'

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jehovah's witness across north america are being sternly counseled at this week's service meeting that they should pack lunches during the 2004 dictrict convention instead of leaving the site to eat elsewere or return with food.

  in a letter read during the announcements, members are told this is a "serious problem".

  reportedly jws have been banned from some convention locations because the venues want concession stand business if jws insist on bringing carry-out meals into the facility.

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  ezekiel3

  Jehovah's Witness across North America are being sternly counseled at this week's Service Meeting that they should pack lunches during the 2004 Dictrict Convention instead of leaving the site to eat elsewere or return with food. In a letter read during the announcements, members are told this is a "serious problem". Reportedly JWs have been banned from some convention locations because the venues want concession stand business if JWs insist on bringing carry-out meals into the facility.

  In an effort to make the counsel Bible-based, many scriptures are cited including Eccl 3:1 (There is a appointed time for everything) followed by the statement (verbatum): "including a time to bring your own lunch." Many in the congregation were amused at this stretch of Biblical application. Apparently, if enough scriptures are listed, the rank and file will consider it strong counsel.

  Suggested bagged lunch includes: a light fare of sandwich, cookie, fruit and drink.

  Apostates will be identified by bringing their prepared lunch in a MacDonalds bag.
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  27

  1975 - Love it or hate it?

  by outbutnotdown in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i find it quite interesting that, due to minimus' thread about "the end", there were a lot of comments about 1975. everybody who made comments about it here didn't seem very bothered by the fact that they had such high hopes for the year and were let down by yet another false jw prediction.

  yet the borg chastises and condemns as being arrogant those same people who may have drifted away because of it.

  to me, that says a lot about how, even subconsciously, great it must be to be out of that high control organization.

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  ezekiel3

  Check out my post "Thoughts from the inside" in "Beliefs...". I find it most interesting that the Baby-Boomers are the core of the organization now; it was their group that was sucked into the Organization during the pre-75 zealotry. It seems to me they can't let themselves down from that initial ferver, even though its gone stale. They sacrificed their prime times and their children (who have usually DFed or left).

  Remember the mantra: Where else will we go? It is their last and threadbare comfort blanket.
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  12

  Thoughts from the inside

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i can?t believe it?s going to be 30 years.

  june 1974 was the year i really dedicated myself to jehovah.

  because, although i had been baptized two years before, it was this moment in time that i really saw the love and power of jehovah?s organization.

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  ezekiel3

  I can?t believe it?s going to be 30 years. June 1974 was the year I really dedicated myself to Jehovah. I say ?really? because, although I had been baptized two years before, it was this moment in time that I really saw the love and power of Jehovah?s organization. And what a time to be in the Truth. So many new ones. I can see now that we were just a bunch of lost baby-boomers. But then, I was young and disillusioned with the whole anti-establishment thing. Just another trick of Satan for a wandering generation.

  I can still picture the look on my parent?s faces when I came by for a visit. That was right after my first convention. My hair was different, my clothes, and my attitude. ?Look Mom! I?ve got a new personality!? She didn?t take that line too well. I couldn?t understand why Dad didn?t like the fact I looked more conservative then him for once. It hurt to think my own parents were as blind as the rest of the world.

  That all happened in June 1974. There was electricity in every convention part and everyone was on the edge of their ?spiritual? seats. Service that weekend in the city felt like the front lines. The world was heaving with strife. Nixon was going down. Riots in the streets of America. It had to be the end. I knew Jehovah would keep me safe. I met my mate that weekend, a real spiritual person from a family that went way back in the Truth. I remember listening to my in-laws about the ?Millions Now Living Will Never Die? talk. It was amazing to listen to their experiences. I was thinking I didn?t care if I would die from persecution or not. But I would never see old age. What a blessing to be alive in the final days!

  Things got a little crazy the next year. All the fruitcakes that sold their homes for ?75 got angry at the organization that saved them and left the Truth for the world?s lies. I don?t remember too much about that drama. I put my head to the grindstone with pioneering and pioneer school. I was so proud to study that little blue Truth book with others, the same one I had learned with. Although it was disappointing to have to continue to wait, I learned that I had to wait on Jehovah ? not my selfish impatience. Funny thing, everyone got pregnant that year. Surprise! That was the year we had our first child too. It broke my heart to drop off the pioneer ranks. But what a blessing when Jehovah provides a child. Or two?

  The next 15 years were a blur. We always stayed active in the organization and I was proud to survive the sifting work. I?m so happy the apostates don?t picket the conventions anymore. I remember once when an apostate rushed the stage. I felt violated, like Satan had come into the convention center. I just kept repeating Jehovah?s name. I was angry but confident in my God. That?s why it was such a blessing to have the Proclaimers book. The Society was so honest and open about all the things the apostates twist into hateful lies. The signs of the end are always around.

  Anyone who is a parent will tell you that they sacrifice their life for their children. I never got much result in the ministry, but consoled myself that I was raising my kids in the truth. We never knew when the end would come. Would our babies be strong enough to resist Satan?s last-ditch effort? I tried not to take it personally when our oldest started to fade. He was baptized at 13. I cried when I saw our little baby on stage during the assembly. 17 years old and a regular pioneer. I was so proud. There was such potential in our Witness youth and so many of them. I didn?t see the warning signs, the double-life. I thought our training would be enough. Two pioneers caught in Satan?s snare of immorality. What a blow to the congregation. The other pioneer?s father was an elder and had to step down. It?s hard for me to remember the emotions I felt. I still feel a bit like old leather ruined by too many tears: hardened, curled, stiff. Still Jehovah has always shown the way out. I miss my baby. Sometimes I say a secret prayer to myself during the concluding prayer at the meeting. I know Jehovah understands.

  My youngest never got baptized and drifted away after moving out of the house. I still witness to her whenever I get the chance. She came by with her boyfriend to help us move. That sort of bothered my conscience. I hear about my son through our daughter. He is so blind. It makes me SO ANGRY that Satan would do this.

  So it has been 30 years. It is just the two of us now and we never miss a meeting if we can help it. There are a lot of couples like us in the Hall. We keep close, joke about retirement and old age. I hope the end comes soon. It?s selfish, I know. Even so, I have been contributing to a retirement account for 5 years now. There are still so many coming into the Truth. I count on Jehovah everyday to tell me what I need. If I had decided for myself back in the ?70s, who knows how I would have ruined my life?

  I no longer care if I am going to die of old age in the system. It was actually a relief when we got the adjustment about the ?generation.? It seems the organization has become so refined lately. I am just so happy to be a sheep and have a loving shepherd. I am horrified to think that the cruel confused world out there has my babies. But when it starts to hurt, I remember June 1974. Thank you Jehovah.

  The proceeding essay is a compilation of statements and stories I have heard from Jehovah's Witnesses over the last 2 years. Thoughts from the inside of the bubble.
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  12

  Smoke and orbs ... hmmm ... surely not?

  by El blanko in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a friend of mine has had many odd experiences through his life, the latest being a series of very odd occurances in his house involving the manifestation of swirling mist (or smoke) and bright orbs passing through the living room area.. he hesitated to tell me these recent events due to feeling foolish.. his girlfriend has also witnessed the same events in the same area of the property.. weird eh?!.

  a few years back he returned home (to another house) and noticed a glowing ball above his property and for some reason he commanded it to move to the right, which it promptly did and then returned to the centre before vanishing.. he has also heard padding sounds across the floor in his new house, like a dog moving around the property.

  his girlfriend reported hearing this first and my friend said she was probably imagining it until he heard the same after a bin fell over in the main living area.. anybody else here had these kinds of experiences?.

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  ezekiel3

  Mmm....good I was ready for a chilling ghost story. I haven't had any myself, although I definitely searched out evidence of spirits after I rebelled.

  Once I tryed to play a Ouiji board but it wouldn't work for me. After I let go of the guide, the others players picked out "TOO MUCH LIGHT", (must have put in alot of service time that month).
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  122

  Do you fear death?

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  the ultimate test of our existence: termination.. i don't fear death...no reservations, no nightmares.. craig

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  ezekiel3

  To Cassi,

  I just wanted to let you know that I totally empathize with your feeling. The irony for me was that my confusion about JWs and the "truth" led me to think that I was not cut out for paradise, thus leading me to suicide. After many attempts, I put myself in a coma and eventually recovered. The bonus for suicidal JWs is that "hell" is just the common grave with no punishment for opting out.

  What I learned from flirting with death is similiar to near-death survivors commonly say: Death is not to be feared. However, your life now is not to be wasted either.

  Giving up your hopes for everlasting paradise and everything we were told was true can be like emotionally dying. I hope you find that what actually dies is the part of you that is clinging to a futile hope, not the living soul you are meant to enjoy - here and now. This is what JWs steal from their members. Life has never been so beautiful since I realized what I trully had. Death is just the period on the end of the previous sentence.
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  3

  What happened to first century prophets?

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the new testament is littered with prophets, prophecy being one of the gifts of the spirit.

  this question is for jw doctrine and non jw christians alike.

  what happened to what they prophecied?

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  ezekiel3

  The new testament is littered with prophets, prophecy being one of the gifts of the spirit. This question is for JW doctrine and non JW Christians alike. What happened to what they prophecied? Should not their words have become canonized? My research on the WTlib is coming up pretty shallow. Please inform me.
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  23

  What do the JW's believe about....

  by desib77 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  alternative methods of conception?

  i'm just curious about where they stand on this.

  if a couple cannot have a child, is the only acceptable option adoption?.

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  ezekiel3

  And again sorry, I now understant this thread is a different issue. Does anyone what to sort through my format-less post and thread on the issue of contraceptives?
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  23

  What do the JW's believe about....

  by desib77 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  alternative methods of conception?

  i'm just curious about where they stand on this.

  if a couple cannot have a child, is the only acceptable option adoption?.

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  ezekiel3

  Sorry REPOSTED because of formating woes, please disregard former. JW have been given complete license for contraception with no restrictions: Watchtower 1 August 1981 says YES: However, nowhere does God?s Word, the Bible, equate such birth control with fornication or adultery. While it condemns the latter, it is silent about the former, making it a matter for personal decision. It gets weird when it comes to a vasectomy or tubal ligation (female tubes tied) the Governing Body is guilty of its classic flip flops. Currently: Watchtower 15 June 1999 says NO: We know that Christians are not under Israel?s Law, so the regulation at Deuteronomy 25:11, 12 is not binding on them. Jesus neither ordered nor implied that his disciples must marry and have as many children as possible, which many couples have considered when deciding on whether to use some method of birth control. (Matthew 19:10-12) The apostle Paul did encourage passionate ?younger widows to marry and bear children.? (1 Timothy 5:11-14) He did not bring up the permanent sterilization of Christians?their voluntarily sacrificing their reproductive potential to bear children. (So where is the scriiptual backup?) Watchtower 1 May 1985 says MAYBE: Since the Christian Greek Scriptures give no direct guidance on such matters, Christians must make personal decisions about limiting the size of their family and about birth control. As to sterilization, they should bear in mind that even though a reversal is theoretically more possible now than it was a decade ago, physicians cannot guarantee that reproductive ability can be restored. Above all, a couple should keep a clear conscience before Jehovah and toward their fellow Christians. If a couple is thinking of sterilization as a form of birth control, they still should consider any effect their actions may have on others. Though married couples do not usually publicize their decision about birth control, if it became widely known that a couple had resorted to voluntary sterilization, would the congregation be greatly upset and lose respect for them? (1 Timothy 3:2, 12, 13) These are factors to consider very seriously, even in this private and personal matter. In the final analysis, Paul?s statement is appropriate: ?To his own master [Jehovah] he stands or falls.??Romans 14:4, 10-12. Watchtower 1 December 1961 says NO: But Christians who are not facing such an unusual and distinct risk (such as condition that would cause death to mother or child) would certainly want to use ?soundness of mind? and shape their thinking and deeds by God?s esteem for reproductive potential. (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; 2:2, 5-8) This would reflect mature sensitivity to Scriptural indications. Yet, what if it became publicly known that a Christian blithely disregarded God?s evaluations? Would not others doubt whether he (or, she) was a good example, having a reputation of making decisions in harmony with the Bible? Such a disturbing blemish on one?s reputation could, of course, affect a minister?s being qualified for special privileges of service, though that might not be so if one had in ignorance had this procedure performed .?1 Timothy 3:7. Can someone tell me the moral difference between sterilization and contraception (pill, condoms)? Especially when JW couples are encouraged if they choose to remain childless?