Posts by Crooked Lumpy Vessel

10

Armaggedon comes - at a set day and hour or as a result of circumstances?

by truthseeker in

i have been thinking about this question for some time.

considering the society's past deceptions and false dates about armaggedon, i never gave the timing of this "day after tomorrow" event too much thought.. and then i got to thinking, well, maybe there isn't a set day or hour for the end of the world.

the few examples that jehovah gave a specific time for a city to be destroyed was nineveh (40 days) and jerusalem (the 70 weeks of years).

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

I always thought that this was what the Great Tribulation was all about. The tribulations would come and be so bad that God has no choice but to step in and take care of business.

Matthew 24:21 ...for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. 22 In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.

Of course, I dunno much, but I always suspected a nuclear catastophe. Something that would threaten the existence of man all together. In my speculative mind it is a nuclear ticking time bomb. So in answer to your question, I imagine something like this would prompt God into action.

22

Did you ever have a weird bible/book study?

by badboy in

jw
friends

only asking!

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

This was back in the late 80s. It wasnt my study but a sisters. Anyway...the study would insist on standing on her head during the study...on a pillow. She was not in that position all the time, but she insisted that the blood to her brain helped her to think better. So she would randomly stand on her head, then sit up, then on her head.

She also had different color hair. Like red and green one week and then a month later blue and red. Now this may be common place today but in the 80s it was just starting to become popular, hence wierd.

The funny part about the whole thing is that she is now a sister. At least she was back in the latter part of the 80s. I am not sure if she is still today.

28

I forgot..........

by Puternut in

jw
friends

.

.....what the voices of my children sound like.. .

puternut

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

I am sorry that you have to deal with this. I hope you are able to get a call in to them. I hope that this is just a temporary thing.

4

Witness Gatherings

by DaCheech in

jw
friends

first of all we had our yearly gathering - note that it was at a vfw hall (war war war).

second: for the first time it was catered & we had to pay our share.

after asking the elders why?

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

I was never asked to contribute to an event other than to bring food. The congregation funds paid for the temporary property rental.

However, when ever there is a "Feed the Speaker" no one wants to host this so we do it at a local restaurant. I always felt bad for those who were too poor to go to a restaurant. Because they had no money, they would be excluded from the occasion.

My favotite "Feed the Speaker" story (in my sisters congregation). The speaker and his wife were handed two brown paper bags with sandwich, fruit, cookies and drink. Come to think of it...Isnt this what we are now suppose to eat at the DC? See..this is how things get started.

28

What sister elder said at the book study..........ARRRGH

by Pistoff in

hello all; my jaw dropped monday at the bookstudy.at the book study on monday, the only meeting i can stomach anymore, a statement was made that made my blood boil.

in asking the question "how does god protect us?

" sister elder answered this way: "well, one of the ways is like that abuse case that was filed in the (twin) cities, or wherever, (sic) it turns out it was thrown out because all the charges were false, or whatever.

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

We had a similar situation at a WT study. Except is was about Ground Zero. Apparently a brother had wanted to go to Gilead or something but he also needed ot get a job. He went on some job interviews and was hired by an employer at the Twin Towers, before accepting the position, it turned out that he was also accepted for Gilead (or one of the WT schools). Anyway, when he asked his new potential employer if he could be hired after this ministry school thing the employer said "no". So this brother made a decision to go to the school instead of taking the job.

Now over the year, this story got translated as "God protected this brother because he chose spiritual things over physical things." A sister gave this answer at the hall to a similar question and I about wanted to puuuuuuuke. In essence, what she was saying is that God allowed the death of the other 14 brothers and sisters that day because they chose to support their families? The WT conductor did not even correct the sister..

You see, this is how all those unscriptual teachings get translated through the hall. Because sister so in so said it it must be true. It gets spread through each congregation by visitors. Over time this is how pepperoni was blood, beards were bad, dresses only, etc etc. I knew I had a responsibility to approach the sister and did and I also approached an elder because I felt that it was his responibility to correct any misconception that was be born that day through his talks . You may want to do this for Sister Elder. Otherwise the other poor sheep that follow her will perpetuate the LIE.

23

Reading CRISIS of CONSCIENCE

by azaria in

jw
friends

im borrowing it from the library and am almost half way through.

at times i have to put it down because it makes me so furious.

i had a difficult time getting into it at first because its definitely not an uplifting book.

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

Compare Job 27:5) What reason could anyone have to regret having followed his conscience in taking a firm stand for Jehovah? By loyally upholding Christian principles as they understood them or by responding to the proddings of conscience, they proved worthy of Jehovah’s friendship.

What they really should have said was "...by responding to the proddings of the collective consience of the governing body..."

Example of serving the convoluted reasoning of man and not God.

12

Picture of the transit - 8 June A.D. 2004

by Duncan in

jw
friends

.

i hope this works - first time i've done it.. i took this picture of the transit in my back garden 5 minutes ago.. the sun doesn't look perfectly round because it's a picture of a projection and i was standing to the side a little bit, but i think you can clearly see the black dot of venus.. duncan

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

That was awsome. Thanks for sharing. I have always been facsinated with our universe. I dont know much about where man is heading but I sure hope that I get to know more.

Some may find this far fetched...but I truly believe that we are not the only living beings in the universe. A look at the size of the universe itself tells me that were not the only fish in the pond. However, for some reason man feels that all life hinges on his existance. As if we were the most superior thing in the universe. However, if dinosaurs were here before we existed, then it would be reasonable to say that life is not contingent on our own existance. Of course, I dont know what is out there...I dont imagine that I would ever see it in my day...but it is fascinating to think about.

20

The fear returns

by Purza in

jw
friends

so my daughter (14 y/o and i will call her r) finds out some girl at school is a jw.

so r approaches her and tells her that she "used to be a witness".

the girl was very friendly and told r about the convention this past weekend.

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

It sounds like your daughter may have inadvertanly provided her with more information that you are comfortable with. However, it also sounds like the parents of the JW girl might have been involved with the call. I cant imagine why a school girl would be interested in what congregation you use to belong to. Her mother may have suggested that she give your daughter a call and ask that question. Your daughter may have said in casual conversation that she would like to go to the meeting not realizing the gravity of your feelings or the can of worms that would follow.

In any event, these are delicate issues. Be careful not to be hard on your daughter when you talk to her. Of course it is none of my business how you handle your personal family matters. But I was the mother of two teenagers and I can say that emotions do run high at that age. Whew!! I could tell some stories.

I am sorry you are having to deal with the stress.

24

Jacobs sons & the slaughterfest of Shichem & his tribe

by DaCheech in

jw
friends

was it not a cowardly & devious act of those sons to kill the whole male population of the tribe.. after dinah was taken advantage of, shichem & his own agreed to do the "right" & honorable thing.

& marry dinah, when they agreed to be circumcised like jacob & his family in order to do this..... what did the sons.

of jacob do?

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

What about the scripture in Numbers 31:13 where Moses was angry because his army of men only killed the men in battle. Then ordered them to kill all the male babies and any women that was not a virgin. But to keep all the young virgin girls for later use.

Then Moses and El·e·a´zar the priest and all the chieftains of the assembly went out to meet them outside the camp. 14

And Moses grew indignant at the appointed men of the combat forces, the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds who were coming in from the military expedition. 15 So Moses said to them: "Have YOU preserved alive every female? 16 Look! They are the ones who, by Ba´laam’s word, served to induce the sons of Israel to commit unfaithfulness toward Jehovah over the affair of Pe´or, so that the scourge came upon the assembly of Jehovah. 17 And now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has had intercourse with man by lying with a male. 18 And preserve alive for yourselves all the little ones among the women who have not known the act of lying with a male

42

Just randomly underline study WT or book?

by Max Divergent in

jw
friends

.

did you ever get into just doing random underlines and notes and all that on your study wt or books just to look like you?d studied it without ever having even looked at it before?

.

Crooked Lumpy Vessel

You know...I dont think I have ever completed an entire Watchtower before the meeting except maybe 4 times in 16 years. I remember the first time I grabbed a highlighter and started drawing lines through sentences while my husband was driving to the meeting. We were laughing the whole way. It was a shame that we felt like we were being judged by others to the point of making it look as though we studied. We were serving man and not Jehovah at this point. But there is a lot of pressure when you open your magazine and you see people looking over your shoulder. I suspected they were making assuptions that I do not appreciate my spiritual food as much as THEY do. Maybe it was my imagination but when I confided this to some other sisters they too admitted that they had also done this. Well, no pioneer sister would ever admit this and 9 times out of 10 these are the ones that are looking over your shoulder.

Anyway, there is a lot of pressure and judgement within the congregations. The fact that many of us were doing this shows that the pressure is there and exists. I dont think it is completely our imaginzation or paranoia.

But truth is this judging attitude is not what is suppose to be going on. There are many scriptures telling us to mind our own business. Do you think people in Christendom act like this? I found Christendom to be more forgiving then our own, although at this point in my life I am very turned off by organized religion all together.

My last few Watchtower studies I started drawing pictures and faces, bugs walking around the pages. I had some multicolored rubber stamps that I pressed on much of the white space of the pages. Mustaches and big Poofy hair also made them characters more interesting. I did this in complete rebellion to those who look over my shoulder. I could tell they were looking because I would put my WT in a way that they breifly saw it and then put it partialy of out of sight. They would stretch their necks to see what I was reading. Just call me craazy.