Years ago here on JWN, I had a post that showed what place Jesus had in the WTS publications, it was shocking how Jesus was used mostly as an impersonal tool by Jehovah to provide everlasting life. More recently, the WTS has tried to change that calling themselves the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. I checked the "theocratic" songs then as to how many of them were about Jesus, not many, so sad. Yes, the WTS is trying to re-invent itself.
Posts by blondie
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39JE-sus making a comeback at the 2024 Convention
by dropoffyourkeylee inattended the friday sesson of the 2024 summer convention.. july 5, 2024 summer convention crowd photo; they invited quite a lot of empty chairs.. .
the facility usually has 5500-6500. they spun it saying that fewer congregations were assigned.
there were 6 of the smaller, more distant sections blocked off with tarps to lessen cleaning, which i understand.
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20
What has the Spiritual Paradise of the WTS been over time
by blondie inthe first mention i find in the wts publications is 1958. although the wts says the index goes from 1930 to 1985, nothing appears before 1958 a search only found by using the phrase "spiritual paradise" not in the index.
in 2015 there was a clarification of the phrase "of course, we should not conclude that the terms “spiritual paradise” and “spiritual temple” are the same.
the spiritual temple is god’s arrangement for true worship.".
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blondie
April 2024 pages 20-25 whole study article on spiritual paradise (phrase still in use)
I wish I could find the scripture where the Israelites were to use a certain word to identify non-Israelites trying to sneak into Israel. I'll keep looking, but if a reader can find it that would be great. Israelites would pronounced it one way and outsiders another. Yes, there is "spiritual" vocabulary. A new one is "overlapping generation". Most jws who left or stopping associating before that time would use the old idea. Or even "congregation servant" that was changed to "congregation overseer" or presiding overseer, Chairman of the Body of Elders... Of course, if some one reads JWN or similar ex-jw website, they could keep up with the changing vocabulary.
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38
unbaptized boy having priority over women
by enoughisenough ini was thinking about the male children ( even unbaptized ) being placed ahead of the sisters.
; and i thought the jw were raising a bunch of misogynist.
would these kids not feel more important than their mothers let alone other women.
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blondie
Rivergang, I say that too unbaptized boys handling the mikes and operating the sound system. I did ask an elder wonderingly if that was a new procedure He got quiet and walked away. I guess yes or no were too dangerous to say
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43
Members of congregation know it’s not true
by Mikejw inwe have lonely old folks and even some not so old.. they know the gb are not who they claim to be.. but they stay in the congregation because they are lonely.
i wonder what percentage of jws this is the case, i would guess a lot.
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blondie
Yes, it is hard to abandon the only social group you have had for years. Hard to start new ones outside the Borg and gets worse as you get older. And being told that non-jws are a danger. Even non-jws that move away from the social group they had growing up, putting distance between old friends and family is hard on them, lacking too the skills to make a new social one. I had the problem, but I reached out to neighbors, got to know them and help them and invite them to our home for a meal, card game, etc. We have made friends in various small social groups that like the same kind of music we do. It can help if possible to show what choices they have in government agencies, especially locally.
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35
Re-activate me?
by punkofnice inthere was a knock at my door and i thought it was my take-away being delivered.. long story short, it was 2 elders calling to see me.
i guess to re-activate me.
once they said who they were i recognised them.
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blondie
StephaneLaliberte, hahahaha. I wish I could be there to see their faces.
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11
Marking has it's merits IMO
by enoughisenough init would appear the context about marking has to do with those who are not working to feed themselves, but meddling in others business.
a couple more scrptures to think about.
jesus said not to throw your pearls before swine.
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blondie
enoughisenough, no I have no idea, but now I do. I have been there. Yes, when I brought this up to an elder with my mother sitting there listening (I was over 18 but she felt I needed another person there), and he knew it was happening and said he would discuss it with the woman's elder husband. Nothing happened by the elders, and I had that "private" marking come up several times over the years about my "sin" that was nonexistent in that case. I asked the elder why they had not approached me if they believe it because it was a disfellowshipping offense....!
He had no answer. My first experience with the good ole boy's club, and not the last. As to marking others, perhaps for me as an individual, but telling others I had marked that person and that they should do so too to protect their family from contamination, no, never. I learned from my own experience how deadly it can be.
(PS I have used the pearls before swine reference, quietly with many an elder)
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171
Alteration of Revelation 3:14 in the 4th century to support the emerging Trinity doctrine
by slimboyfat inin an earlier thread another poster asserted that there is no evidence that revelation 3:14 played a part in the 4th controversy that led to the trinity doctrine.
this was claimed as evidence that the description of jesus as “the beginning of the creation of god” in the verse was not understood to mean that jesus was god’s first creation.
the scholarly greek–english lexicon of the new testament & other early christian literature 3e (2001) by bauer, arndt, gingrich, and danker, in its latest edition states that “first creation” is indeed the probable meaning of the greek phrase.
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blondie
I remember an older sister would listen to other jws get caught up in a long discussion that seemed to have no goal in sight, she would say, "Well, Armageddon will still come on time." Some may not see any connection.
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25
Do we have "original" indipendent documents proving that Rutherford was an alcoholic?
by psyco ini was wondering if you could prove with "original" independent documents that rutherford was an alcoholic.... .
i read penton, but since he is a former jw he could not be considered an independent source.... .
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blondie
Wouldn't be the first authority in the WTS whose serious flaws were concealed. We had a congregation overseer, that was a practicing alcoholic the whole time he had that position. Finally, after his 15th DWI conviction, he was asked quietly to step down, no announcement. It made me check out other men in the congregation online (open to the public, only DWI convictions viewable though). I was stunned, he was not alone. I guess public drunkenness still is allowed.
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25
New instructions on not using sisters to manage KH computer ?
by fifth.column insince covid in france, especially in the countryside with lack of brothers, it was quite common that some sisters were using the computer at the back of the kingdom hall to manage zoom session.. i heard a rumor that new instructions, maybe a july letter, stated that this was reserved for male only, even unbaptised publishers, but no sister if there is at least a male available.
that would be a steps back and disappointment for these sisters.
last week i heard at my mom’s house how they were happy that this service was available for them, a proof that the org was moving forward.
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blondie
Fifth column, I think that an unbaptized male cannot be used for such duties. I know the WTS officially believes that a baptized woman can do such things if no qualified baptized male is available. Thus, a man on restrictions for being privately reproved would not be able to do it. I am not saying that some congregations have had an unbaptized elder's son do such things, but it was not officially and somehow not challenged outside the congregation. I was a regular pioneer in one congregation, and no baptized brother to handle the meeting for field service. It was rotated among several female pioneers selected by the body of elders to do so. A brother came who had just been reinstated after having been disfellowshipped and still on restrictions (not praying for congregation, etc.) I was the sister of the day, and I suggested he take over, he had to tell me that he could not per his restrictions and it felt awkward for me even wearing a headcovering to do it with him there. So we just did our own car groups and went out. The elders told him he shoudl just have gone out in his car and came in afterwards!!!! There are so many rules and so many rules broken at the discretion of elders in one BOE and not in another. Now it did not have to be a ministerial servant to handle zoom, but it had to be a brother in "good standing." Do you get that? Probably not, I still don't seem any logic in that, but if you disagree publicly, "there's the door."
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19
So a JW can date an unbelieving person...
by silentbuddha inbut the entire congregation is not to be informed or mark the person.
the only repercussions are that the individual who is aware of it can decide to "mark" them and not go to the local club or bar with the individual, but they are still obligated to go door to door in the ministry with them, and even speak to them at the kn as if nothing is wrong and not feel obligated to tell anyone else?
this is crazy.. so they are also basically saying that a person can carry on a romantic (but none sexual) relationship with an unbeliever and still go out in service and participate in meetings?
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blondie
A quick question: Was Moses wife Zipporah the same religion as Moses?
Numbers 12:1 (Zipporah was a Cushite)
Now Mirʹi·am and Aaron began to speak against Moses because of the Cushʹite wife he had married, for he had taken a Cushʹite wife.
The WTS has said that Cushites are the current day Ethiopians. So didn't that mean that Moses did not marry a Hebrew?
Abraham had a child by Hagar, Sarah's maidservant, not a Hebrew, was that wrong?
Well, that are the first 2 I thought of? Are there more such examples? Yes, Naomi's Jewish sons married Moabite women.