Dont get me wrong Thirdson Ross is an extremely nice bloke most SDA ministers probably wouldnt go and some are the same as the witnessesI think hes in New Zealand now the last I heard.
Posts by barry
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8Interfaith at the Kingdom Hall
by barry insome of you know me now and i just thought you might like to know how i got to know jehovahs witnesses and whats an sda bloke doing on a jw board.
well it all started in the mid 80s when i got to be friends with a jw bloke who was working bricklaying for my dad invited me to the memorial.
i said i would go but i felt i would be happier going with someone else that i knew better to go with me there as i didnt quite know what to expect there.
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Interfaith at the Kingdom Hall
by barry insome of you know me now and i just thought you might like to know how i got to know jehovahs witnesses and whats an sda bloke doing on a jw board.
well it all started in the mid 80s when i got to be friends with a jw bloke who was working bricklaying for my dad invited me to the memorial.
i said i would go but i felt i would be happier going with someone else that i knew better to go with me there as i didnt quite know what to expect there.
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barry
Some of you know me now and I just thought you might like to know how I got to know Jehovahs Witnesses and whats an SDA bloke doing on a JW board.
Well it all started in the mid 80s when I got to be friends with a JW bloke who was working bricklaying for my Dad invited me to the memorial. I said I would go but i felt i would be happier going with someone else that I knew better to go with me there as I didnt quite know what to expect there.
I asked some friends to accompany me to the meeting with no success so I assked my minister to come along not really expecting a positive response and whenever i saw him over the next week or so he was undecided, I didnt let up on him not really expecting any think positive on his part but just to pressure him in a joking sort of way. Anyway Ross finally decided to come with me to the meeting. We arrived at the meeting together and met up with my bricklayer friend, he seemed a bit reserved toward me and when he got a chance to talk to me privately said, 'Why did you bring him'. Right then I started to feel pretty small and I wondered why he thought that way. Anyway we were there no good backing out now and the meeting was about to start. The sermon was very thorough, lots of scriptures reffered to and the 144000 and great crowd distinguished as having a heavenly and an earthly hope. Also it was made very clear the elements of bread and wine were only for the annointed class of 144,000. You all know the drill. Well I didnt see anyone touch the bread and wine but it was passed around. After the meeting Im still wondering if Ive done the right thing but my anxiety was soon put to rest when the leading elder came over shook our hand. It turned out Ross and the leading Elder knew each other and they both got on famously, and we didnt get away until everyone else had long gone. My bricklaying friend didnt talk to me again about spiritual things and it was quite a few years later when I moved from Tumut to Canberra and studied with the Witnesses.
Is interfaith the way to increase friendship and understanding between denominations?
Most SDAs are trinitarian some are Arian there is a group 100 miles from Canberra the Witnesses would find a common belief with that particular group. -
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Reasons why its so hard to break from the WTS
by Leander ini'm still sitting on the fence trying to figure out which direction to go in.
i think one of the reasons i have'nt left yet is because of the fact that i'm not entirely sure that the wts is really not god's organization.. some of the reasons why i feel that way is because of their insight on the scripture.
i've never heard of any other religion attempt to decipher the prophecies in the book of daniel and revelations.
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barry
Dear leander,
Just a couple of things I forgot to mention even If you do look at other opinions you have now a picture in your mind of how everything fits together with the witness theology. So for things to register in regard to other interpretations it would take some time.
Also the main approach with the Witnesses and the Adventist Church with regard to the interpretations of Daniel and Revelation has been what is referred to as the 'Historicist' approach to bible prophecy. this approach has in the past been used other Churches but is losing credibility even in the Adventist communion.
Weaknesses of Historicism.
One primary weakness of historicism is that it forgets the prophecies had immediate meaning for the people who first received them. Christians of the first century had a fairly good idea of what John the Revelator was saying. They understood him to be addressing events in their era, not nineteen centuries beyond.
Secondly , historicism ignores the fact that prophetic symbols are deliberately impressionistic so they have recurring application to similar situations elsewhere in history.
Thirdly, historicism fails to see that apocalyptic literature [like Daniel and Revelation] does not claim to set forth a detailed blueprint for 2,000 years of history. On the contrary, everything fortold could have been speedily fulfilled to the generation which first read its pages. It explicitly states that the things revealed are soon to pass [Rev.1;1,3.]
Finally and most important of all-historicists all too often have failed to recognize that all prophecy is a testimony of Jesus and his gospel. The prophetic word is not intended as a minute history written in advance. It is a symbolic portrayal of what Christ has already done and its revelance for the future. Jesus Christ is the centre of the Christian apocalyptic. Even the future events to overtake the church are seen through the spectrum of the cross. -
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Cross or Torture Stake?
by suprashy inhi folks!.
do we have any non-biblical evidence that would show how criminals were executed during jesus' day?
i beleive the cross was used for our saviour.
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barry
I had a copy of the blue aid book, I dont have it now but this book leaves the answer to this question open and lists the options cross, x shaped cross and of course a stake. it is not dogmatic about the exact form of the item.
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Reasons why its so hard to break from the WTS
by Leander ini'm still sitting on the fence trying to figure out which direction to go in.
i think one of the reasons i have'nt left yet is because of the fact that i'm not entirely sure that the wts is really not god's organization.. some of the reasons why i feel that way is because of their insight on the scripture.
i've never heard of any other religion attempt to decipher the prophecies in the book of daniel and revelations.
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barry
Gday Leander,
Other religions do have good interpretions on The beast,views on Daniel and Revelation but the two clases in revelation being two groups of christians is a distinctive wittness doctrine. As Ive said before the witnesses have recycled many Adventist beleifs and in turn the Adventists recycled beleifs from the Protestant Reformation it would take study to find out these things for yourself but it is there.
May God bless you in your decisions , Barry -
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Public Reproof will be made as scheduled.
by badwillie ini want to let all of you know that we have decided not to contest the elders decision to publicly reprove us tonight.
after a lot of thought, we feel in the long run that by letting this go ahead it will only make the elders and the organization look guilty, not us.. the elders have basically ordered us not to talk about what our "crime" is with anyone.
so we have decided that we will tell others what our crime was not, i.e.
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barry
And no action was taken against anyone
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Public Reproof will be made as scheduled.
by badwillie ini want to let all of you know that we have decided not to contest the elders decision to publicly reprove us tonight.
after a lot of thought, we feel in the long run that by letting this go ahead it will only make the elders and the organization look guilty, not us.. the elders have basically ordered us not to talk about what our "crime" is with anyone.
so we have decided that we will tell others what our crime was not, i.e.
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barry
Dear Badwillie,
This behaviour by the elders is just not normal. Im an SDA and the SDAs would have to be one of the most conservative religions around. Ive studied with the JWs in the past and I know most of the teachings. Ive been an SDA all my life and Ive seen people dissagree with the churches fundamental doctrines by standing up in a meeting and challenging the minister when he tried to push the official position that the SDA church is the remnant church of revelation chapter 14. Three members stood to there feet each saying they regret the position the pastor had taken and that was the end of the meeting when the pastor quickly retreated and said that he didnt beleive it either. Others in the church beleive the SDA is the remnant church its like saying the SDA is the only true church. This incident is not unusual with doctrinal positions. But how can you argue with the UN thing its not even a doctrinal position its a fact.
Barry -
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My past weekend
by Leander insaturday afternoon i made the decision to step down as a minsterial servant.
i had given it a lot of thought and i came to the conclusion that i would be doing the right thing.
i told my wife about the decision i had planned on making and that basically killed her mood for the rest of the day.
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barry
Dear Leander,
Ill give you a site to read it will give you a different slant to approach the question of, where is gods organisation, it can only be the Jehovahs Witnesses roundabout arguement. This artical will explain it better than I could and its about how the Reformers dealt with this issue. http://www.goodnewsunlimited.org.au/gnu-sda2.htm
Barry -
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JWs the Only Ones who use "God's Name"?
by Stephanus inservants of yahweh:.
http://www.serveyahweh.org/.
house of yahweh:.
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barry
Dear Step,
Just grab a hymnbook from Bablyon the Great any denomination and see how much Jehovah is used in the hymns . I did this when I was studied with the JWs and I was suprised myself without checking right now I think at least 25%. I showed it to the lady I studied with. -
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Why My Wife and I Have No Kids
by JT in*** g74 11/8 ***9 is this the time to have children?there has always been a positive attitude about childbearing.
*** g74 11/8 10 is this the time to have children?
what does imminent mean?
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barry
Dont worry about anyone says and dont feel guilty about having kids there lots of fun Ive got two boys 1 and 5 both you and your wife are not too old but dont leave it to long start tonight. No christian group has any right at all to influence you in any way and if they do they should identify themselves as a CULT.
God bless, Barry