as mentioned in the topic title, a very active, very positive, "faithful" brother talked to me out of the blue at work last week.
it was a highly unusual opportunity - i happened to be in a secluded area, captive to my task, and i saw him passing so said hello.. he's a wonderful person with a well-known, fantastic sense of humor, known all over the circuit and district.
former pioneer, elder, fill-in c.o.
Maybe they could just go ahead at this point and make them all 'priests', forbid to marry, and make the biggest headed one in any area the Archbishop of the District. They already have a built in pedophilia problem, this would finish the deal....
Jeff
hello guys.... i have a qestion .....hopefully u can help me.
its kinda stupid actually, but if someone knows i will apreciate an answer.
why are circuit / district overseers move every so often ?
I agree that all the reasons listed are part of it; but I think the deepest reason is that in order to uphold the company line they dare not let these men become sentimental and genuine friends for too long - always easy for middle management to chop heads or what is needed if not attached to the employees in a personal way - IMHO
Jeff
reflecting on some of blondie's comments at;.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/88195/1.ashx.
does anyone really ever remember reading in any watchtower publications admonition to read the bible for itself?
The rank and file are assigned a segment of the Bible to read each week and comment on at the TMS. Few do; just the same old faithful sisters. Sometimes I could tell the elder assigned to the part had not read it.
Blondie - I know that is true - but all the comments I ever heard were still based on someone's 'research' using Wt publications. Has that been the case for your situation? Almost never did anyone comment that this scripture or that seems to indicate this or that - unless they had already read like words in a Wt publication somewhere.
I loved your use of the NIV Bible at the meeting. Grand!
Once a new visitor actually raised her hand and asked the conductor of the Watchtower Study a question regarding the Bible and it's meaning as explained in the Watchtower that week. He got so flustered he could barely speak - he ended up telling her that it was his job to ask the questions, that he would not allow questions to be asked, only answers to his [actually they were the GB's questions].
*** w94 10/1 The Bible?A Book Meant to Be Understood ***
All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah?s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.?John 6:68.
Interesting comment here - Jesus said he was the 'way and the truth and the life' - they seem to forget that scripture alot.
Jeff
so, as you know, last weekend i provided some info to an elder relative of mine regarding 607. .
i am going to give him a couple weeks to research everything i brought up to him.
i don't expect him to fully accept what i said, but there is no doubt that there will be some questions in his head as to why things don't add up.
SB
easy goes it - the standard issue elder will not research anything except in the WTS pubs themselves - and oh well mistakes happen is the general feeling -
Be careful if u are still in and not wanting out - they are watching for apostates all the time now.
Jeff
at the 'big house' you go either one of two ways, company man or apostate.
i think for many that went, it demystified the whole organization and you saw firsthand that there wasn't holy spirit influencing anything - only the muses of sheltered, out-of-touch old men and political bureaucrats.
i work in the corporate world and i saw just as much if not more politics in bethel.
Never went - had no desire to be part of such institutional life myself.
Had a freind who spent 7 years there - and he has never uttered a single word to me about it one way or the other. But something changed in him after he went - the friendly, happy lad that went off to the House of God, came back meloncholy and unfriendly to say the least.
But he still holds the 'Bethel Power' dear, as he has always been a PO or at least a prominent elder since returning. Although I have not been friends with him for a long time, when I would see him at CA's he never seemed to be very pleasant to be around.
He may have a demon or two haunting his 'Bethel closet' a bit!
Jeff
jws certainly do bang on a lot about 'accurate knowledge'.
for most christians john 3:16 is the most important verse in the bible, but to jw's john 17:3 is.
jw's are so enamored with this concept of 'accurate knowledge' above all else that they have basically made an idol out of it.
It seems that all the rhetoric about 'accurate knowledge' obscures the Christian meaning of a relationship with God and Christ.
The Wt concept of 'accurate knowledge' is about facts, figures, and impersonal data, IMHO.
The concept of 'knowing God' gives personal relationship the fore -does it not?
Did not Jesus suggest that 'truth' [or accurate knowledge if u will] was about a relationship with Him?
"I am the way and the truth and the life" John 14:6
I know not one wit about Biblical Greek - but was the Bible preserved to our time to be grasped in such technicality only? Or was knowing God and Christ as persons not the issue?
I am not as sure about the matters of Trinity, Divinity of Christ, and the Nature of the Holy Spirit as I was when I was among the cocky, ever sure, witness organization. But I feel much closer to the Father and Son now than 30+ years of 'accurate [Watchtower] knowledge' ever imparted to me.
My personal feeling - knowing how the NWT was alterered and doctrinally enhanced by the ever loving and concerned 'oracle' Fred Franz, is that the entire phrase 'accurate knowledge' most likely is not in harmony with the sprit of the word translated - otherwise how have hundreds of translators - who actually are schooled in the Biblical tongues missed this rendering? Are we to assume that all these highly educated men [who in spite of Wt theological implications] are not interested in correctly translating what they consider to be God's Holy word? How did all of them get it wrong - and only one uneducated, non scholar of Biblical tongues get it right? I don't buy that! Do you really buy that, JW Ben?
Jeff
reflecting on some of blondie's comments at;.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/88195/1.ashx.
does anyone really ever remember reading in any watchtower publications admonition to read the bible for itself?
Reflecting on some of Blondie's comments at;
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/88195/1.ashx
Does anyone really ever remember reading in any watchtower publications admonition to read the Bible for itself? In nearly all references that I can recall it was always 'read the Bible and Bible based publications' or essence. There may have been a call for just pure Bible reading somewhere - but I never saw it - and I was a baptized witness since the early 70's, and a child-witness before that.
Anyone?
Jeff
.........threads that have copies of official wbts letters and documents or anything else that may help me compose a letter to elder father.
i am 32 years old and still cannot communicate to him verbally how i feel.
so i am going to write it down.
.........threads that have copies of official wbts letters and documents or anything else that may help me compose a letter to elder father.
i am 32 years old and still cannot communicate to him verbally how i feel.
so i am going to write it down.
JWnot -
Try these sites for ideas on your letter - there is enough info to fill volumes if u want it.
There are plenty of others. Wish you well in your endeavor. It is tricky since watchtower minds are tuned to ignore facts immediately if they threaten the organization, so tact is the key. Let us know how it goes.
Jeff
http://www.cnn.com/2005/tech/04/04/spark.clocky/index.html.
clever clock stops you sleeping late.
(cnn) -- if you are not a morning person and find it difficult to get out of bed, then "clocky" might be the thing to improve the start of your day.. a scientist at the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) has invented the clever device, which will defy even the most determined alarm clock "snoozers.".
Years ago, wifey and I put our alarm clock radio's across the room on the dresser. It makes one get out of bed to turn it off - no snooze to hit. Also we use oldie radio stations - better than some loud buzzer.
Jeff
