Posts by blondie

57

Holding a grudge

by LongHairGal in

i read something recently on reddit (not sure what thread) where a person related how some jw told them that ‘they hold a grudge’.. this reminded me of something an old jw acquaintance said to me some years back when i related my bad experience in the religion.. so, apparently, jehovah’s witnesses feel they should be forgiven for anything.

people should forget all about it and act like nothing happened and be charitable towards them, etc… when i read in james and ephesians i got the sense ‘holding a grudge’ was referring to the things average people do to offend each other.. i don’t see it applying to a religion that claimed to speak for god and who engendered hateful and unchristian attitudes towards people.. i know because i experienced this.. in addition, some people’s lives were damaged by listening to faulty teachings and interference in things that were clearly none of anybody’s business.. one case in point: them knocking worldly careers and now there are thousands of destitute jws in senior years with nothing.. then in 2023 the religion does away with a century old teaching about counting hours in the ministry.

meanwhile, i got judged over this.

blondie

Yes, the WTS not only never apologizes, it blames it on their members

For example on the failure of the 1975 doctrine

In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our sights on a certain date, stated: “If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.” In saying “anyone,” The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah’s Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date.

12

Missing photos, even Avatars

by blondie in

jw
friends

i think someone else noticed this here recently.

i wondered when i signed on today july 9, 2024, that even the avatars were missing.

does simon know?

blondie

I think someone else noticed this here recently. I wondered when I signed on today July 9, 2024, that even the Avatars were missing. Does Simon know? Perhaps he does and is working on it.

39

JE-sus making a comeback at the 2024 Convention

by dropoffyourkeylee in

attended 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.

blondie

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.

20

What has the Spiritual Paradise of the WTS been over time

by blondie in

jw
friends

the 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.".

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.

38

unbaptized boy having priority over women

by enoughisenough in

i 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.

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

43

Members of congregation know it’s not true

by Mikejw in

we 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.

.

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.

35

Re-activate me?

by punkofnice in

there 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.

blondie

StephaneLaliberte, hahahaha. I wish I could be there to see their faces.

11

Marking has it's merits IMO

by enoughisenough in

it 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.

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)

171

Alteration of Revelation 3:14 in the 4th century to support the emerging Trinity doctrine

by slimboyfat in

in 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.

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.

25

Do we have "original" indipendent documents proving that Rutherford was an alcoholic?

by psyco in

i 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.... .

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.