No. ""At that time, the lifesaving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not." Watchtower 2013 Nov 15 p.20"
Posts by blondie
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33Can you openly express doubts in the congregation these days?
by Elena ini know of a lovely old sister who has been a jw for several decades now who openly expresses doubts about jw interpretations.. she does it in such a lovely way and everyone loves her.
she is such a sweet old soul, makes everyone happy around her.. she has said things like- even if we have got it wrong about this and that i still believe the bible is gods word”.
she answers up regularly and she goes on ministry groups but like most of us she is definitely jwlite, we don’t really do door to door work anymore.
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Trinity n latest ideas actually fit in more with JWs ideas?
by Mikejw inthere is a new trinity teaching that says jesus is a separate person but at the same time all three are one.. https://youtu.be/jdok0gedjau?si=bbdwoprdpzvzwkfz.
this is basically the same as watchtower teach that jesus is so much like his father in every way that you could almost call them the same.. things have changed from when i was pioneering with the old trinity brochure.
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blondie
I was asked to prove to a religious couple I was studying with, to prove Jesus is Michael. As I researched the publications, I found that they had used weasel words that made it seem possible but not actual. "Aside from Michael, no archangel is mentioned in the Bible, nor do the Scriptures use the term "archangel" in the plural. The Bible describes Michael as the archangel, implying that he alone bears that designation. Hence, it is reasonable to conclude that Jehovah God has delegated to one, and only one, of his heavenly creatures full authority over all other angels"
Evidently, that angel was Michael—Jesus in his prehuman existence
Michael, referred to by some religions as “Saint Michael,” is evidently a name given to Jesus before and after his life on earth.
Consider why it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus is the archangel Michael.
The WTS then tries to stitch together various scriptures trying to give a "scriptural" basis for their belief, but instead shows it is not clearly stated and is very confusing. I doubt the average jw could begin to explain it using the bible, to a non-jw. I could not. One more crack in my thinking that the WTS had the "truth."
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The Reason Behind Recent Watchtower Changes
by Vanderhoven7 ineric wilson's video is worth a view.. https://youtu.be/iil4fryuczk?si=f566n0tdqgpqc2ok.
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blondie
Is this the link to the other segments he mentions? https://beroeans.net/ A very informational and easy to understand discussion. I knew that there must be some underlying legal reason for the changes. Now I have some basis for this. A very good resource!
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Japan Probe into Child Rearing Practices of JW's
by Sea Breeze inapparently in response to the probe of jw's in japan, the wt is seeking positive stories of jw's child-rearing practices:.
from reditt: .
re: urgent: request for assistance.
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blondie
Mikejw, something I learned about the WTS, in countries that make it illegal to hit/strike your child can be held legally accountable for doing that. The WTS then took their publications that said that idea, were edited in that country's language to something different. So, the WTS would change it because a secular government said it was illegal. "On the other hand, in an article adapted from the seventh edition of the popular book Baby and Child Care (1998), Dr. Benjamin Spock said: “Spanking teaches children that the larger, stronger person has the power to get his way, whether or not he is in the right.” WT 2006 11/1 p. 5 But then in the same article "Dr. James Dobson wrote in The Strong-Willed Child (1978): “Corporal punishment in the hands of a loving parent is a teaching tool by which harmful behavior is inhibited.” " So the WTS does not say one is right and one is wrong, but speaks out of both sides of their mouth. The WTS cherrypicks quotes and only gives snippets of quotes, sometimes leaving out pertinent info that does not support their view. (An example of how some jws apply this doctrine "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/17/stephenbates "A devoutly religious couple from Chicago's South Side have been charged with murder after allegedly beating their daughter more than 160 times with a 2cm-thick length of electrical cable. A court heard yesterday that Larry and Constance Slack, both Jehovah's Witnesses, beat 11-year-old Laree - a punishment they believed was laid down in the Bible - after she was uncooperative during a search for her mother's jacket. The girl was tied to a metal futon frame, and at one point her five siblings, aged eight to 17, were told to hold her down. A towel was stuffed in her mouth to stifle her screams.
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Is Jesus God?
by Sea Breeze ini know that a lot of historical names have claimed to be a god.
but, jesus arguably claimed to be god.
scripture says he's the creator.
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blondie
No! When I left the WTS and started trying to find another "Christian" religion, I had 2 teachings that I would not accept 1) the Trinity and 2) burning forever in hellfire. None passed on both points as I was concerned. The LDS (Mormon) said they didn't believe in a trinity but a "binity" that Jesus and Jehovah were both god. Holy spirit was left out of it. And another said that Satan did not exist, although the bible clearly says that Jesus had a conversation with Satan. I stopped looking. Some ex-jws don't have the same parameters as I do, and some said that privately they would not support those teachings and were in it more for the social life. There are so many other markers that are easier for me to see, the lack of true love in congregations, hidden rocks in the water. People tend to overlook that too. So I have found very few people convincing about whether Jesus is or is not god. But lack of love, is more evident after time. When I see these conversations, I appreciate the research people, some bible scholars, have done on the subject. But is becomes very circular, really going nowhere, no one changing their original opinion. I do appreciate the time and research you have done.
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Stop Funding Watchtower in Canada!
by Vanderhoven7 inthis is worth a look!.
https://youtu.be/wxfczptd2n8?si=4jo-nuzmlvglbvkm.
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blondie
What is the status of this in Norway taking away WTS charitable status. https://cne.news/article/1837-jehovah-s-witnesses-norway-will-lose-state-support
https://cne.news/article/3755-norwegian-jehovah-s-witnesses-demand-subsidy-despite-their-loss-of-religious-status Update for 2023
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Are JWs forgetting Jesus altogether?
by KerryKing ina relative sent me yesterday's wt study article 46, how jehovah guarantees his promise of paradise.. it's been a long time since i read one of those articles but what really struck me about this one is that, considering it's discussing a fundamental jw belief, it only mentions jesus twice as an aside, and not at all as the central figure like the bible does.
it actually mentions satan far more in the same article!.
i don't remember this discrepancy from my time in the org 15 years ago.
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blondie
But, I think this is being discussed mainly from what the viewpoint is of jws, and how it does not fit with the picture painted of god in the old testament which they believe is from their god. Saying just Adam and Eve did not exist would not go far with jws.
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blondie
NotFormer, I can imagine a jw reporting another jw having a full Brazilian trying to explain how they know that, let alone try to get 2 people to report it. Yes, you are right elders will push jws to tell personal things to them.
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'Legal Developments and Human Rights' get nuked from the 'Newsroom' 💣
by was a new boy inwill it be resurrected after the norway trial?.
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guess which country/continent is missing?.
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blondie
Yes, the WTS has tried to make the reporting of their hiding child sexual abuse in their organization. Not much success. The WTS has had the policy not to directly respond to things such as this. "Here again, there is “a time to keep quiet and a time to speak.” The Watchtower once expressed it this way: “Whether we ignore false information in the media or defend the truth by appropriate means depends on the circumstances, the instigator
of the criticism, and his goal.” In some cases it may be best to ignore negative reports, thus not giving further publicity to the lies." (WT 1998, 12/1, p 18) -
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So what happens next...
by Farmer Jim1 inwith what is arguably the biggest change to jw life in recent decades (the scrapping of publishers counting hours) what does this lead to?.
in my mind these are the results;.
1) a massive decrease in 'preaching hours'.
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blondie
Women have been carrying the real load of the "preaching" work for years. Few male regular pioneers unless they were trying to avoid the draft back in the day, by seeming to be "ministers." After the draft ended, less male pioneers, and Bethel used to view a regular pioneer background of even only one year, made them more qualified to be "called" to Bethel. It was women would did the bulk of the door to door, return visits, and studying the bible with non-jws. Elders just cherrypicked the people who called in for a study, for themselves and their wives.