I search on "free will" online showed to me there are many definitions of free will, even in religions. I have found that when someone articulates what "free will" it is their opinion and many times does not even agree among jws or the WTS. Am I surprised? No. It becomes a circular conversation. I believe that my actions do not occur in a vacuum, that my choices and actions affect all those around me, so I have to consider that.
Posts by blondie
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41God cannot lie
by psyco inthe bible does not say that god does not want to lie, but that he cannot lie or it is impossible for god to lie.
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so, if god cannot lie, for what purpose and why did he create creatures (satan, demons, humans) who can lie?.
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73
Did God know adam and eve would sin?
by gavindlt into all those on this forum, i would love to know what your take on this vital question is..
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blondie
I was told by LDS (known by some as Mormons) that Adam and Eve were given 2 conflicting laws, to be fruitful and multiply and then not be able to get that knowledge on how to procreate by eating the fruit. I have been told that their god never meant people to live forever on earth, it was only a testing ground of 2/3 of the angels in heaven. Each child LDS has opens the opportunity for that angel to be born in that child to be tested. Faithful, then back to heaven with rewards (that's another post) and the others to "hell." So in order to obey their god, they had to break one of those laws. Damned if they did, damned if they didn't.
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News Documentary: No Witnesses: Claims of abuse and denial in a religious sect
by Tahoe inhttps://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/video/c2842685-w5--no-witnesses?playlistid=1.3856158 .
investigative journalist avery haines.
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blondie
With the WTS, the GB thinks they have control over what jws think in their organization...not so much, but many may be PIMOs.
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22
General Amnesty For Disfellowshipped
by NotFormer infuture gb: "please come back!
all is forgiven!".
would it work?
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blondie
What has the WTS said in the past: "Furthermore, elders today do not have divine authority to forgive serious wrongdoing in the sense of pronouncing a serious sinner clean in the eyes of Jehovah. This kind of forgiveness has to be on the basis of the ransom sacrifice, and only Jehovah can forgive on that basis" (John 20:23 not basis for this). WT 96 4/15 p.29 Questions From Readers, but then the GB may not think this applies to them.
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Hotels for convention
by ElderBerry ina department in bethel wants to try to make money from regional conventions by asking local hotels if they will give a special rate and a coupon code to give to jws.. .
they should just keep it simple and not be greedy for dishonest gain.. .
this year some convention sites the hotels said no thank you i think the jws are going to book with us anyway.
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blondie
So what will they do if jws do go to the closer hotels? I have seen many elders and MS stay at hotels not "approved" by the WTS. What about jws whose employers gives employees money-saving hotel benefits. The comp rooms go to jws with "connections." The WTS is bleeding cash despite all their property value. Jws for years have been going to the "no-no" hotels, elders included (saying we have to be closer because of our "responsibilities" at the convention).
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Further education
by ExBethelitenowPIMA ini just saw on a video that there has been a change about further education.
here is a screenshot of a letter that went to all elders.
i am an elder but i don’t remember this one, perhaps it is only for some areas?.
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blondie
I don't believe the WTS would ever do a blanket letter like this for all congregations. In the past, each BOE determined if going to a university/college would disqualify a baptized man from being an elder or ministerial servant. I have seen case-by-case situations with some specious reason why that person could go to college: e.g. one's non-jw father said he had to go to college and was paying for it. He had to do what his non-jw father said, although this man did not no live at home, and was not under his father's authority any more. That was a crock. Or if some jw man was able to regular pioneer at the same time, it was okay.
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Where’s the 2023 Service Report?
by slimboyfat inwhat’s keeping them?
this has got to be the latest it’s ever been.
maybe it’s the last one they’ll ever publish too, after dropping reporting hours for publishers ….
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blondie
I have never believed the stats the WTS gives. All I ever know were the numbers in the congregation I went to and the surrounding ones. Not much of a sample to judge by. I do know that many jw children are never baptized, may turn in turn as unbaptized publishers, but stop usually after they live home, escape. A few come back when they have children, still influenced by their children dying at Armageddon if at least one parent is a "good" jw, attending meetings. It seems that many young male jws are not "reaching out" for appointed positions, MS and elders, although staying in. I have contacts with jws still going saying that the average age of elders in the congregation is getting older and older. With the pandemic, many jws are seeing ways not to be counted. Jws now seem only have to report they did go out in the preaching/teaching work at least some, how will many of the other stats be counted. Are they going to stop having congregations give the WTS money based on the # of those at least doing that? Money is the most important thing to the WTS.
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Thoughts on annual meeting “new light”
by FFGhost inso, i finally saw the annual meeting video part 2.. this is the one with the “new light” on who might survive armageddon, vs. those who do not.. in summary, for those of you fortunate enough not to have to sit through it, it’s something like this:.
old light: once the “great tribulation” starts, that’s it for non-jws.
the “door of the ark” is closed.
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blondie
Very good list, FFGhost!
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22
Join JW's or DIE - soon!!!
by BoogerMan inw72 10/1 p. 607 - "they (jw's) know that soon now all who are not true worshipers of jehovah (jw's) will be destroyed.".
how quickly half a century passes by!
2 peter 3:8 - "...one day is with jehovah jw.borg as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
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blondie
enoughisenough
I felt/feel the same way. I never did believe that only JW would be saved because they cannot read the hearts of people. That alone should have woken me up sooner... (or that every self-proclaimed jw would survive)
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Can't the "slave" make up its mind?
by BoogerMan inw54 4/1 p. 222 par.
27 - 1919. w63 4/1 p. 202 par.
5 - 1919. w65 7/1 p. 393 par.
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blondie
No