I am surprised; when I was out there, too many "Bethelites" thought they were privileged and did not have to adhere to the suggestions (rules).
Posts by blondie
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18JWs Still Attending on Zoom
by XBEHERE inanother topic based on a conversation with a friend living near warwick (i talked to him over the weekend).
he said that cong's in and around bethel, including his, are slowly starting to see an uptick with people attending in person his cong is pretty much 75%+ in person.
however there are many that still use zoom as a fall back.
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Weasel Word Phrase--The Bible Does Not Say...but
by blondie inthe bible does not say—the weasel word phrase that bugs me the most.
note that though the wts says this, it then proceeds to add :.
after jesus’ birth, why did joseph and mary remain in bethlehem instead of returning home to nazareth?.
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blondie
THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY—The weasel word phrase that bugs me the most. Note that though the WTS says this, it then proceeds to add :
After Jesus’ birth, why did Joseph and Mary remain in Bethlehem instead of returning home to Nazareth?
The Bible does not say. But it does reveal interesting details that may have affected their choice.
The Bible does not say, but here are some possible ways.
The Bible does not say. But it does reveal interesting details that may have affected their choice.
he Bible does not say why he left, but the apostle Paul evidently viewed Mark’s action as irresponsible.
But why did the holy spirit specifically direct that Barnabas and Saul be “set aside . . . for the work”? (Acts 13:2) The Bible does not say. We do know that the holy spirit directed the choosing of these men.
The Bible does not say how long it took Noah to build the ark, but it seems that he spent several decades building it.
Did Timothy become a notable speaker or an outstanding teacher? The Bible does not say. But no doubt
How many thousands had become believers? The Bible does not say, but even by the end of the first century, the number of believers must have been far fewer than 144,000.
The Bible does not say, but we have good reason to believe that the Devil would have been delighted to render Sarah unfit to bear the promised offspring.
Marking the final part of the last days will be the period that Jesus called the “great tribulation.” The Bible does not say how long that period will be, but
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WEASEL WORDS--WHAT ARE THEY--HOW THE WTS USES
by blondie in"a number of techniques employed to mislead others fall under the category of weasel words, and this article quotes examples that are regularly found in watchtower publications.. weasel words are defined as:.
“words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading,”[1].
intended “to avoid answering a question clearly or to make someone believe something that is not true."[2].
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blondie
All good points. I was looking back at some other tricks the WTS uses in Article 1, January 2023, the WTS quotes a source and does not credit, it is ambiguous. Usually it can be found by googling the quote. “There is no hint of falseness or chance of failure in anything God has said. God’s people can trust what he says because they trust the God who has said it.” Googling brings up Daniel Estes. His credentials, but why is the WTS quote a non-jw? https://www.cedarville.edu/academic-schools-and-departments/biblical-and-theological-studies/faculty-staff/estes-daniel
Weasel word Undoubtedly: Undoubtedly, it was Jehovah who made sure that his message to mankind would be accurately preserved. (same article)
It you still go to the meetings and it is painful, like it was for me, I started looking for weasel words and circling them, quotes by the WTS that did not attribute the source. It helped me look more closely at the article. One thing I like to point out to jws on the cusp or even POMI ex-jws, can they show me where the bible mentions the "governing body." And many confidently to Acts 15:2 but the phrase is not there. Or how the WTS when mentioning governing body in association with that scripture, there are no quotes around that phrase, because it is not in the scripture so cannot be a quote. It is amazing I read the scripture and heard it said from the platform and in people's comments, and that never dawned on me. I showed it to a friend, an inactive jw, and they were stunned. Looked at it over and over, the constant associating that scripture with the phrase "governing body" was assumed, many not even looking it up. Seeing the weasel words, is a signal that the WTS is going to say something that is not even in their bible. I don't read the magazines any more but this may open the eyes who are wondering why it is so hard for them to "believe" any more.
The phrase I like using the most is "it is reasonable to conclude" which means you are not "reasonable" it you don't come to the same conclusion the WTS does. I do a search with the phrase in quotes and am amazed how often the WTS uses this tactic.
Oh, let me add my second phrase, "the Bible does not say" and notices how much more the WTS adds that they admitted has no scriptural support.
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WEASEL WORDS--WHAT ARE THEY--HOW THE WTS USES
by blondie in"a number of techniques employed to mislead others fall under the category of weasel words, and this article quotes examples that are regularly found in watchtower publications.. weasel words are defined as:.
“words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading,”[1].
intended “to avoid answering a question clearly or to make someone believe something that is not true."[2].
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blondie
"A number of techniques employed to mislead others fall under the category of weasel words, and this article quotes examples that are regularly found in Watchtower publications.
Weasel words are defined as:
- “words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading,”[1]
- intended “to avoid answering a question clearly or to make someone believe something that is not true."[2]
I was checking jwfacts.com for any new articles and I saw this one. Here is the whole article but you can uses this link: https://jwfacts.com/watchtower/weasel-words.php
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JULY 2023 Study Article 29 Are You Ready for the Great Tribulation Part 1
by blondie ini thought i would never do this again, but a comment on this article made to look it up.
not much knew but looking back at previous articles, the wts has ramped up on this topic since 2020...i see a correlation there.
it is lengthy so i will split it up in parts.
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blondie
WT July 2023 Study Article ARE YOU READY FOR THE GREAT TRIBULATION PART 2 (Endurance and Compassion) (Part 3 Strengthen Your Love and Prepare Now to be posted later)
As I was looking at the second part of this article, Strengthen Your Endurance, I noticed some strange phrases, “good results of their endurance” seems to imply there are bad results from enduring. Also, equating God’s Word to WT publications, “examples of endurance in God’s Word and in our publications.”
Having jws compare their tests to those of Job’s so that later a jw woman compared herself to Job, saying “how my tests paled in comparison with Job’s.” Are jws then to compare themselves to Job rather than people with similar troubles? Is comparing ourselves to others encouraging? Are the current jw examples of any help, is a first name (maybe not even their real one) to understand their whole situation? Do they even exist, there is no way to investigate, just trust the WTS to be telling the truth, but withholding any part of their background. At least their bible gives some background material about Job.
In the July 2021 Study Article, the WTS says this “The Bible urges us to avoid comparing ourselves with others Why? On the one hand, if we think we are doing better than our brother, we may become prideful. On the other hand, if we compare ourselves unfavorably with others, we will likely get discouraged.” So the jw woman was likely to get discouraged based on this “sound wisdom” from the WTS.
As to prayer, how does the WTS define “frequently and earnestly”? This is a case of the WTS asking the reader to “fill in the blanks” with the concept they preach at every meeting, not being satisfied with what they are currently straining to DO MORE. Never seeing what they are currently in a positive way.
“Whenever you feel upset, confused, or overwhelmed.” And the source, per the WTS outside their organization. Having other jws judge you as not worthy, confused by the ever-changing doctrines/principles/future predictions, overwhelmed by the power depleting schedule of work to support themselves and their families, taking care of their spiritual, all the administrative and counting ones works. “Confident that he (our God as they put it in this article, not the god of people outside the WTS) knows precisely how to act in their behalf. So, will their god perform individual miracles for jws? Not according to the WTS, only if you stay in their sphere of control. I used to tell elders, perhaps God is trying to use the elders and other jws to give personal help to these people, not just relying on personal prayer and study of their bible and WT publications.
“We are “more likely” to endure” or “each test of faith (who is testing them?)…help the endure the next challenge. So what are the battles, look at Mira, a pioneer, (not a pioneer then is it a good comparison, what do we know about Mira, not much).
“When the great tribulation” (earlier referred to future) begins…counsel to jws that are independently thinking it has already started and passing it along to others that view their personal views as the WTS views).
COMPASSION
More counsel about helping jws experiencing challenges other jws are not experiencing, “although the brothers (and sisters of course), affected by a famine lived some distance away, Christians in Antioch were determined to help them. So jws not experiencing famine, war, being imprisoned, etc. don’t seem to be doing enough donating to the WTS to help them. Remember all these donations don’t go directly to those suffering these things but into a big pot of money for the WTS to decide who gets what and when. Once again, the WTS uses the phrase “future great tribulation.” So what specifically are the specific tests of faith. (Here is the WTS response: Besides dealing with problems common to all people, they faced additional trials. Many of them were persecuted, not only by Jewish religious leaders and the Roman authorities but also by their own families. And within the congregation, sometimes they had to fight the influence of the apostates and their divisive teachings.)
But when the WTS teaches something and the “adjusts” or “clarifies” it, the previous teachings were not apostate?
How can jws show compassion to those far away, the WTS asks. What about the ones in their own area? If a jw is in financial need, does the congregation/BOEs rally the members to donate for a specific jw? No, first the elders must decide if this person is “truly” needy, and then direct them to government programs that can help them, even helping them fill out the forms!!! “For instance, the elders may be able to help out by assisting the parents to learn about and benefit from governmental or social programs locally. (WT 3/15/2014 p.23) “ Besides dealing with problems common to all people, they faced additional trials. Many of them were persecuted, not only by Jewish religious leaders and the Roman authorities but also by their own families. (Matt. 10:21) And within the congregation, sometimes they had to fight the influence of the apostates and their divisive teachings. Note that money is the real issue, donate time and money to build KHs but not help a jw with repairs in their home (non-disaster related but lack of money despite being hard-working. And once again, an encouraging about a non-jw who observes how kind and loving jws can be in the public view though. How do jws treat individuals in their family and congregation when no non-jw is looking.
And referring to stories about jws being sent to prison for their beliefs in Russian, articles that are written and published on places such as Google News search, blowing their own horn to speak. Incidentally, the WTS mentions that some Christians owned slaves that were Christian. (Onesimus was a slave that ran away from his Christian slaveowner Philemon. Paul converted Onesimus in Rome and sent him back to Philemon, but Paul did not say to Philemon, set this man free, but rather than Philemon did not have this runaway slave executed which what as done to runaway slaves, food for thought).
And concluding Compassion segment: “Our brothers and sisters may need help to meet their basic needs.” What are basic needs per the WTS, who decides if they need help, only help those far away or better yet, those nearby? What do you think? Blondie
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JULY 2023 Study Article 29 Are You Ready for the Great Tribulation Part 1
by blondie ini thought i would never do this again, but a comment on this article made to look it up.
not much knew but looking back at previous articles, the wts has ramped up on this topic since 2020...i see a correlation there.
it is lengthy so i will split it up in parts.
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blondie
I thought I would never do this again, but a comment on this article made to look it up. Not much knew but looking back at previous articles, the WTS has ramped up on this topic since 2020...I see a correlation there. It is lengthy so I will split it up in parts. I have not taken the time to quote much from WT publications but I have given places where it can be looked up without triggering yourself reading it. It has been a challenge for me and I am using my experiences over the last 60 years to give a insight in the WTS process. Based on a previous comment on the July Study Article, I printed it out to see what “new” info was in there, “Are You Ready for the Great Tribulation.”. I was associated with the WTS during the time many updates were made about what, when, and who and why were made.
Can a jw be ready if the interpretation has changed many times over the years? Especially older jws that have not noticed the changes and cling to the old ones. This article “might” clear that up.
The timing of this article is not surprising with the COVID-19 pandemic and many jws individually, thinking this was IT, especially with KHs closing and the door to door being stopped. (Some might remember when the Twin Towers came down in 2001, many jws fled back to the KH thinking IT was then).
I have often here and other ex-jw sites used this scripture to prove that no one could predict when the GT would come. But once again the WTS leaves out part of the scripture making it what I call a “snippet” used to distract readers from “Jesus” words. Matthew 24:44 (RNWT) On this account, you too prove yourselves ready,+ because the Son of man is coming at an hour that you do not think to be it.
Some jws pre-1975 response to this was that the “hour” was not know but the year was. As to being ready, does anyone remember the fiasco after Hurricane Katrina, when many jws especially including elders were not prepared, even to not having vital personal info on members to get in contact with them. Shortly after that, the WTS developed directions for the elders and members how to prepare for events like that. To the point, the WTS and its members were caught with their pants down.
But even if a jw is prepared for it, the WTS says they would “most likely survive.” Many jws don’t realize the WTS has said very often, the “as a group” baptized, faithful jws will survive, not guaranteeing individual jws will survive, suggesting people with diabetes that could not refrigerate their insulation during the GT might die, but not by execution by their god through the angels.
· How many jws remember when the WTS taught that after the GT started, that jws will not longer being going door to door to get people to listen, study, and get baptized as a jw? The WTS said jws would then be preaching a “hard-hitting judgment.” November 2022 WT “Doing so gives us the inner strength we need to preach the Kingdom message now and to proclaim the hard-hitting judgment message that we may deliver in the near future. May 2022 WT “That coalition of nations will make one final all-out assault on God’s people. What will provoke the attack? Speaking of this time, the apostle John saw a storm of unusually large hailstones raining down on God’s enemies. That symbolic hailstorm may take the form of a hard-hitting judgment message delivered by Jehovah’s people. It could be that this message provokes Gog of Magog into attacking God’s people with the intention of wiping them off the earth and 11/15/1981 WT p. 21So this pictures how, at the end, Jehovah’s judgment message sent down upon disobedient mankind will be like a barrage of hard-hitting hail.
· WT 8/15/1967 p.503, and add this “
The time will come when circumstances will no longer permit a successful flight (start of GT my words)t, namely, at the destruction of Babylon the Great and the succeeding war of Armageddon.—Rev. 16:14 to 17:18. (Paragraphs 1-4) Next Installment soon
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Breaking News: JW's lose 1st round of Norway appeal!
by BoogerMan inthey are still officially deregistered in norway - and have to pay all the legal costs.
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share the good news.. https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/130cwcm/we_won_first_round_verdict_is_out_norway_vs_wt_10/.
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blondie
How does this fit in with this article?https://hrwf.eu/norway-why-the-european-court-of-human-rights-rejected-a-complaint-from-a-disfellowshipped-former-jehovahs-witness/
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Scriptures That Don’t Fit WT Theology
by Sea Breeze inhere’s a couple good ones: a. jesus said, “come to me and i will give you rest”.. why did jesus command us to go to him and not jehovah?.
why does the bible say that the name of jesus is above every name?
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July 2023 Study Watchtower - Great Tribulation is coming soooooooooooooon!
by BoogerMan inis this the "great tribulation" which jesus warned he would bring upon the corrupt christian congregations worldwide, (revelation 2:22; 7:14) or is it the same 1st century g.t.
which he said would never occur again?
(matthew 24:21).
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blondie
Good point, Hellothere.
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GB voice of Jesus....
by enoughisenough ina short sweet video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ekihoczyfg she put a link to the whole video if you care to watch.
here is the thing that came to my mind: by isolating just that part, the part sounds rather hubris, shocking, audacious.
when the jw hear it couched in a talk and woven in with scriptures, they will take it in without giving a real thought as to what is really being said..
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blondie
I found this in the 2022 WT February Study article:
So when a person agrees to study the Bible with us, we face the challenge of helping him to build trust in Jehovah and trust in His earthly representatives.
...The plain truth is that we cannot say that we trust in Jehovah if we do not trust in his earthly representatives—those whom Jehovah trusts." Thus it seems that the WTS (Jehovah's earthly representatives per the WTS) are the ones that people have to go through, that the WTS/GB is the authority. Where is Jesus in this quote? The WTS puts Jesus in a secondary place to the GB then. I have done a search to see how often "Jesus" alone is referred to. More often it is "Jehovah and Jesus" or similar. I checked how many WT songs highlighted Jesus rather than Jehovah. It was amazing to me how even in their songs, Jesus has disappeared. And I checked the New Testament in the RNWT and never are Jesus' followers referred to as "Jehovah's witnesses) only "witnesses of Jesus." The WTS uses this deception to write Jesus out of their theology.