BluesBrother

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Posts by BluesBrother

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  540

  Simple Question Re 1914

  by Slidin Fast in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  wt claims that satan was thrown out of heaven in october 1914 precipitating ww!

  and the end times.

  a small problem with that is ww1 started on july 28th 1914 whilst satan was still in heaven picking his nose.. how did we not see this and waste years of precious life?

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  BluesBrother

  I have wondered if the Wt had ever actually said that WW1 was caused by Satan’s being ousted from heaven or whether Witnesses had simply read that into the ambiguous writing of the WT?

  Looking today I find :-

  WT 79 2/15 p13

  ” Barry Renfrew of the “Associated Press” adds: “War has never been easy to explain and World War I is perhaps the hardest of all. Beneath the dry accounts of rivalries and alliances which historians use to explain the war, there lies a sense of something far greater, a sense of restlessness troubling the world.” Renfrew then notes that an assassination “inspired a world which had hardly heard of the murdered prince to go to war over his death without knowing why.”

  But Christians do know why. Through their Bible-based insight, they know that World War I was timed with the birth of God’s kingdom in the heavens, which was to result in “woe for the earth.” Why? “Because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.”​—Rev. 12:9-12; compare Matthew 24:3, 7, 8.”
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  11

  A JW prophecy VISIBLY failing!

  by BoogerMan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  w85 7/1 p. 21 par.

  16 - an increasing “great crowd...out of all nations” are flocking to the org jehovah’s worship.

  the brooklyn pharisees assured the sheeple for decades that isaiah 2:2, micah 4:1-3, & haggai 2:7 were prophetically.

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  BluesBrother

  If I were a believing Witness I would answer that in 1985 they had around 2.8 million publishers . Today it is well over 8 million.... Enough said.

  Even during the cessation of the field ministry they still managed a small increase.

  Of course I am not a believing Witness any more so I will qualify that by saying that figures don’t show everything.... but there are still a large number of believers prepared to preach and report each month. Much as we would like it to, the old WTS ain’t going away any time soon
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  5

  NEW LIGHT (The GB offers a contract guarantee of Armageddon)

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the mangroves’ new light.

  (a short story).

  “oh, christ—just what i needed this morning—those jehovah people in the neighborhood!”.

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  BluesBrother

  “extortion, I suppose. But, Jehovah is very jealous of his Name and reputation. This is the only workable strategy for getting Him to do what is necessary“

  This bit reminded me of the thinking we had before 1975.. we used to say that “ we cannot imagine Jehovah allowing the Society to be totally wrong on this, when it has been so publicised. It would reflect on his name , he would not allow that to happen “

  How Wrong we were.......
  
  
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  68

  Prediction of how Watchtower going to be in 5 Years.

  by Foolednomore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i can see it that watchtower will become an online/tv based group with just con-vention hall$.. field service would be letter writing and phone preaching, door to door is done.. watchtower will have pay to view programs and still ask for donations after all that.. zoom meetings are here to stay.

  kingdumb halls will be sold off except for con-vention venues, or need for new ones$.. df'ing will continue.

  the craziness will continue.

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  BluesBrother

  My attempts to predict the future of the WTS are as unlikely to come true as their attempts to predict the future of the World.

  They never cease to surprise me.
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  7

  Something Eerily Familiar about "The Village" Movie.

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  even after 17 years i still haven't forgot "the village".

  maybe it was because i had just left the wt.

  did anyone else feel like you especially identified with this movie as a witness/ex-witness?

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  BluesBrother

  I recall seeing this on tv with my believing wife. The similarities to our situation in the Wt went straight over her head, but to me it was obvious.

  Yes , a good film to watch especially if you are waking up to the Wt .
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  35

  Hello Everyone

  by JohnPaul in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone i would like to say hello to everyone,.

  i just started attending kingdom hall about a month ago now and am doing bible study with a brother..

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  BluesBrother

  I will pick up your question, Why are we here if we no longer follow the JW religion?

  Largely because we want to share our experiences with newcomers like you and maybe help you stop yourself from making the same mistakes that we did.

  With me, I did not suffer at home as some have but I did experience the crushing disappointment of realising that the beliefs that I had molded my life around - were just not true!

  Having been taught to expect a brand New World imminently, back in my childhood, I am now in my eighth decade and still it is awaited. Such expectations go back to the nineteenth century, without fulfilment.

  I could no longer stomach a teaching that all non JWs , old or young, good bad or indifferent by normal standards will horribly slaughtered at Armageddon, by our “ God of love”

  If you can accept and find joy in such things , then feel free to continue your study but please consider all the other information that is available about this organisation, before committing yourself.
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  43

  Does this look like the WT is going to be around a long time? One Watchtower @ One Awake for the public in 2022

  by pistolpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i keep hearing that the watchtower org is going to be around forever because of the many other religions that have been around a long time.

  but i disagree because the wt is not like other religious cults.. the watchtower's breath of life is dependent on the last days that started in 1914. .

  you can’t change 1914 without a death blow to the entire organization.. the watchtower's 2nd reason for staying alive, is it's continual urging that the life saving preaching work of warning people is the most important work ever.. but- it's very obvious to many, even the old ones that instead of speeding up the work------the work is slowing down to a drip.. comment by former believer; .

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  BluesBrother

  I would love to believe those who predict the imminent demise of the WTS , I have seen it on this board for the last 20 years . As time passes the 1914 date becomes more and more ridiculous. However they can change that when they have to.

  Probably they could start by inserting the word “around 1914” , then just refer to the early 20th century, and eventually just say that “world events before us show that Jesus’ words are coming true today” , dropping dates altogether. They could eventually blame It all on the Bible Students….The blind sheep will follow along.
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  49

  Start of the Great Tribulation will be announced soon

  by joey jojo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  at the 2021 annual meeting, samuel herd revealed new light and claimed the anointed will all have passed away before armageddon.

  it has since been revealed that while they will die before armageddon, there will be some anointed still around that will witness the start of the great tribulation.. so the question is, how many years until the existing members of the governing body have passed away?.

  im not a doctor, but based on their age and various stages of obesity, im thinking 10- 15 years- give or take, sounds about right.. with that in mind, the great tribulation could be announced any day.. the new understanding has now freed the org from the burden of having to identify a particular generation in relation to the date of armageddon.

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  BluesBrother

  “According to the GB, the only anointed that really count are themselves, all the rest are irrelevant.”

  No, they won’t be irrelevant when the GB needs them to count.

  Have you noticed how the helpers of the “other sheep” can suddenly feel a heavenly calling when they get within sniffing distance of the GB .

  If they want to , they can maintain this for years...... or if not just change it ..
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  31

  Does the WTS have a clergy class

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this can be confusing because the wts has adjusted from not having a clergy class to not having a "paid" clergy class.. "a congregation of brothers precludes having a proud clergy class that honors itself with high-sounding titles and elevates itself above a laity" wt 6/1/2001 p. 12, pp 11. still same idea in 2021 wt october, p. 20, pp.

  7, but 2022 in the wt publication, frequently asked questions about jehovah’s witnesses, page 13, the wts inserts "paid" in front of "clergy perhaps to shore up their current statement in secular courts they have clergy, just not paid) "following the model of first-century christianity, jehovah’s witnesses have no clergy-laity division.

  all baptized witnesses are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work.

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  BluesBrother

  Talking about taxation made me think.... When I worked there was the concept of a “benefit in kind” . That was something that your employer gave you as a perk of the job but was not money,e.g. a company car or a heavily discounted mortgage. The value of this was estimated and you were taxed on it.

  If you added up all the perks that live in Bethelites receive, accommodation, food , laundry etc , what would their true income be? They would have a tax bill......
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  32

  Bad Associations spoil useful habits. Are the JWs right? Scripturally?

  by Open mind in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it has been interesting for me to learn the various ways that the jws twist the scriptures to fit their own dogma.

  (of course jws aren't alone in that, but that's another topic.

  ) two quick examples of jws not following or going beyond the bible are blood and birthdays.

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  BluesBrother

  As a principle of life it is perfectly sound , eg, how many youngsters get into trouble through bad company?

  It is taken to extreme by the WT when they say that association with non believers will undermine your faith. Well , it can if they show you that you are wrong, but a real faith based on knowledge and sound arguments will not be easily affected.