Terry

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Posts by Terry

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  9

  Arguably the best debunker on YouTube

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this fellow's channel is called watchtower examination.. he is clear, reasonable, thoughtful--but best of all--his teaching method with visuals is perfection!.

  .

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukcep7v1i1o.

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  Terry

  This fellow's channel is called WATCHTOWER EXAMINATION.

  He is clear, reasonable, thoughtful--but best of all--his teaching method with visuals is perfection!

  Take this one example:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukcEP7V1I1o
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  19

  Thank You From Captives of a Concept

  by Cameron_Don in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i wanted to thank so many who have taken the time and effort to read and recommend captives of a concept over the past decade.. for those who have not seen it, there is an interview on youtube that may have helped some witnesses begin the process of getting the sense of the way the watchtower religion actually works.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5trkrpia-3q.

  don cameron.

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  Terry

  How many writers can claim they were instrumental is causing an international corporation to completely shut down a prominent policy?

  You knocked the legs out from under 1919's "appointed over all his belongings."

  I have a question: Are they about to unplug from 1914?
• 
  43

  does the wt always carefully phrase sentences so as to never take blame?

  by sowhatnow in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  im recalling a time when i sat and circled words in a watchtower article, indicating strongly the fact that it is in fact the writters opinion.. however just the suggestion in the sentence these words are ignored.. for example.

  it is our understanding.

  we believe this to be the case.

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  Terry

  "Who Molds Your Thinking?", The Watchtower, April 1, 1999, page 22, "You have free will. Exercising it, you can choose to respond to Jehovah’s molding influence or deliberately reject it. How much better to listen to Jehovah’s voice instead of arrogantly asserting, 'No one tells me what to do'!"

  The Organization can, in one instance say that salvation is a "free gift" of Jehovah's undeserved kindness and then turn around and claim

  the same Jehovah has a work schedule which must be followed to earn that same free salvation!

  "Righteous requirements", Watchtower, July 1, 1943, pages 204-206, "Jehovah ... has appointed his 'faithful and wise servant, who is his visible mouthpiece ... These expressions of God's will by his King and through his established agency constitute his law or rule of action ... The Lord breaks down our organization instructions further ... He says the requirements for special pioneers shall be 175 hours and 50 back-calls per month ... and for regular pioneers 150 hours ... And for company publishers he says, 'Let us make a quota of 60 hours and 12 back-calls and at least one study a week for each publisher'. These directions come to us from the Lord through his established agency directing what is required of us ... This expression of the Lord's will should be the end of all controversy ... The Lord through his 'faithful and wise servant' now states to us, Let us cover our territory four times in six months. That becomes our organization instructions and has the same binding force on us that his statement to the Logos had when he said, 'Let us make man in our image'. It is our duty to accept this additional instruction and obey it."
• 
  10

  "UNTIL he arrives . . ." Why do we still celebrate the Memorial? CAUSES VS. EFFECTS

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jehovah's witnesses teach worldwide that jesus arrived in 1874 1914.. i think i must have missed the wt explanation: why do we still celebrate the memorial of jesus if he returned already?.

  1 corinthians 11:26 "for as often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the lord, until he arrives (erchomai).".

  let's break this down.. 1. jesus christ 'returned' arrived in 1914 (cause).. 2.

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  Terry

  Jehovah's Witnesses teach worldwide that Jesus arrived in 1874 1914.

  I think I must have MISSED the WT explanation: WHY do we still celebrate the Memorial of Jesus if he RETURNED already?

  1 Corinthians 11:26 "For as often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives (erchomai)."

  ___________________________

  Let's break this down.

  1. Jesus Christ 'returned' arrived in 1914 (CAUSE).

  2. (EFFECT) Celebrating the memorial of Jesus' death is no longer necessary.

  3. (CAUSE) Upon the return arrival of the Master (King Jesus) the faithful and discreet slave will be appointed over all HIS belongings. (EFFECT.)

  Matthew 24: 46 Happy is that slave if his master on coming finds him doing so! 47 Truly I say to you, he will appoint him over all his belongings.

  4. Jehovah's Witnesses CONTINUE celebrating the Memorial.

  5. The FDS claims they have NOT been appointed over all the Master's belongings.

  CONCLUSION:

  Is the Society laying the groundwork for the revoking of 1914 as the 2nd Coming/Return/Arrival?

  ___________________________________HOW CAN THEY HAVE THE CAUSE WITHOUT THE EFFECT?_____________________________
• 
  1

  IS YOUR CUP OF GOD . . . Half FULL . . . or . . . Half EMPTY?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  overheard:.

  "is your cup half full or half empty?".

  they cannot live a good life with others because of "beliefs" and "truth".. instead, they are square pegs left out of round holes.

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  Terry

  Overheard:

  "Is your cup half full or half empty?"

  "Well, depends on whether you just poured something out or poured something in."

  ________________________

  This might be a clue to an important principle.

  The effectiveness of one's beliefs.

  _________________

  There are people of faith who view Christianity only as a crown of thorns to be borne in misery and self-chastisement.

  Proving endurance is their purpose like monks who dwell in damp and drafty cells submitting to scourging with a whip!

  Faith is seen as a crucible.

  _____________________

  Duty does not bring joy if our life consists of some program running in our head.

  When it comes to family, spouse, children, work, health: there are programs running.

  Living a full, joyful, practical life comes from personal expressions of our happiness--not in mere dictated behavior.

  _____________________________________

  Dissonance is a clue to dysfunction in our CUP of GOD

  ___________________________

  What we believe often differs a great deal from how we behave.

  "I shouldn't eat this dessert...."

  "I really don't need to be spending money on this right now...."

  "I ought to go get a check-up but..."

  BELIEF is totally worthless unless there is integrity connected to the behavior which follows.

  The evil of the Jehovah's Witness lifestyle is the awful disparity between all that talk about TRUTH and the bland, burdensome lives they lead!

  UNCHARITABLE, burdensome lives they lead!

  The promises given to newly baptized converts is: their lives will take on purpose leading to personal fulfillment.

  The dismal reality: life will consist of an endless list of WHAT they must do next. They will be straitjacketed with duty, repression, forced activity, monitoring and precious little downtime for relaxation and recharging.

  They will be straitjacketed with duty, repression, forced activity, surveillance, and precious little relaxation for recharging.

  ________________________________________

  The JW lifestyle will drain away their finances, their leisure, their education and their social identity. It will subject their children to deprivations as they give up one thing after another which

  It will subject their children to deprivations as they give up one thing after another which would have made them fully functioning members of their neighborhood, school, and community. Instead, they are square pegs left out of round holes. The family of humanity is denied to them! Why? They cannot live a good life with others because of "beliefs" and "truth".

  Instead, they are square pegs left out of round holes. The family of humanity is denied to them! Why? They cannot live a good life with others because of "beliefs" and "truth".

  A satisfying role in the family of humanity is denied to them! Why? They cannot live a good life with others because of "beliefs" and "truth".

  Why? They cannot live a good life with others because of. . . ? BEING HUMAN IS DISALLOWED!

  What is wrong with this picture???

  A JW lives as a public spectacle of holier-than-thou perfection and obsessive focus on WHAT MUST BE DONE to please Jehovah.

  The sorrow and the pity of RELIGIOUS BELIEFS comes when the believer makes a fetish out of arguing over them--instead of--practising

  goodness, kindness, self-control, and benevolence!

  This leads to splits, shifts, divisions, sects and denominations.

  When you look at 'CHRISTIANITY' you are not looking at unity of agreement. No, no no. 40,000 DENOMINATIONS do not come from

  agreement!

  In colonial times, you could be hanged if you didn't attend church services on Sunday! Can't argue with that one can you? Nope. It was time to move to another location and start your own congregation where staying home on Sunday didn't carry with it the death penalty!

  Nope. It was time to move to another location and start your own congregation where staying home on Sunday didn't carry with it the death penalty!

  What is the source of controversy? Is it a supernatural bad guy? Satan?

  Or is it something very simple and human? Like what? Like trying to make rational sense out of meaningless and random nonsense.

  By the year of the Council of Nicea, 325 A.D. the heads of congregations all over the Roman Empire met together and compared scars, wounds, and arguments for the purpose of agreeing on something unifying. Eusebius makes it quite clear in his history of that meeting how much dissent, disagreement, the violent controversy and utter disparity was already rife in "Christianity."

  That was 2,000 + years ago! It hasn't changed since the Reformation for Christians.

  The Enlightenment of the Renaissance at least provided an alternate path for an intelligent person of inquiry: SCIENCE, art, literature, technology.

  There is not now and there NEVER HAS BEEN one thing called "TRUE" Christianity.

  Before you shout, 'NO!' hear me out. There is a difference distinct from "True" and that is the "claim" of Truth.

  Christianity is a kaleidoscope of opinions and practices.

  SO WHY MAKE A FETISH out of arguments?

  HOW YOU TREAT PEOPLE demonstrates who you are more than all the beliefs and truth that ever existed!

  For 2,000 years the only universal Christian church tortured those who dissented and often put them to death.

  Try this test: when you think of Jesus Christ do you think of the way he treated people or all the mysterious things he taught?

  If you love him is it for his intellectual grasp of hidden truth--or is it because he healed the blind and made the crippled walk?

  That should tell you a great deal about yourself and your grasp of HOW instead of WHAT makes all the difference in the world.

  It is not 'what' you think--but HOW you treat others as a result which tells the tale and answers the question:

  IS YOUR CUP OF GOD HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY?
• 
  8

  APRIL= MEMORIAL = Time to review the "Mystery Doctrine" secrets

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  april is memorial month, and a great time to learn about the watch tower mystery doctrine.. .

  several former members of the wts have written about a secret teaching called the "mystery doctrine" about the anointed as the christ.. this doctrine, which has never been discussed publically since the death of jf rutherford, but which, equally, has not been repudiated either, teaches that the word "christ" refers to a person, the one we know as jesus, but the expression "the christ" has been invested with a separate, deeper meaning.

  it refers to the "christ class" those making up the 144,000 plus jesus .. writing in his book, "apocalypse delayed" penton tells us:.

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  Terry

  I'm borrowing this image from Don'tCallMeShirley because it fits this topic perfectly:

  
• 
  31

  Do Jws even need Jesus?

  by TTWSYF in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just thinking out loud becauseof some things my elder brother has said in the past.

  how his works help ensure his future w/the great crowd on earth.. .

  well, i need jesus for my salvation,but perhaps some of you do not.. just asking.

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  Terry

  If ever there were cause to consider somebody the ANTI-CHRIST . . .

  the GB has been very busy positioning themselves on his throne for a long, long time.

  If you are going to be baptised as a JW these days--suddenly--up pops THE ORGANIZATION

  as part of your dedication!

  The word 'insidious' comes to mind.

  in·sid·i·ous inˈsidēəs/ adjective

  1. proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects. "sexually transmitted diseases can be insidious and sometimes without symptoms"

     synonyms:

     stealthy, subtle, surreptitious, cunning, crafty, treacherous, artful, sly, wily,shifty, underhanded, indirect; informal sneaky "the insidious bond between big money and political decisions"

     • treacherous; crafty.
• 
  33

  "The Friends"

  by FeelingFree in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have only come across this term very recently on jwn and in an "apostate" video i watched yesterday.

  never have i heard anyone refer to jw's as "the friends" here in the uk.

  is it just used in america?.

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  Terry

  Get rid of the 'r' and it would be a lot more accurate!
• 

  Visual demonstration of Watchtower argument proving 607 b.c.e. and 1914

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-11/12/15/enhanced/webdr05/anigif_enhanced-30072-1415822708-7.gif.

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  Terry

  http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-11/12/15/enhanced/webdr05/anigif_enhanced-30072-1415822708-7.gif
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  19

  Reinstatement - repentance - works - Can you explain how this is supposed to work?

  by berrygerry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  nov 15, 2006 wt.

  when requesting reinstatement, he should be able to give evidence that he has repented and is producing works that befit repentance.acts 26:20.. .

  how possibly can someone "give evidence" or "produce works"?.

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  Terry

  DesirousofChange

  We're talking about reinstatement here. WTF does the Prodigal Son have to do with anything concerning reinstatement. Get real, Terry!

  _______________________

  Who peed in your Cheerios this morning?

  Thanks Blondie.