BluesBrother

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Posts by BluesBrother

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  10

  JDub Beer

  by HappyDad in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just thought i'd put this out there.

  this is from a brewery in sarasota, florida..

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  BluesBrother

  Holy moly! Peppermint milk chocolate Porter......Sounds Yuk

  a travesty to a real drought beer drinker

  still, each to his own, I guess. Somebody must like it
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  8

  Are any books being placed anymore?

  by joey jojo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a recent post by atlantis/ petra was about destroying old books, some of which had been studied and placed over the years.. is witnessing these days only about directing people to jworg, are there books that are placed, or is hq concerned enough about having ever-changing beliefs in print that they avoid it?.

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  BluesBrother

  I can’t see that they have featured a book in the Ministry in recent times. I suspect that is down to cost.

  The technique seems to be 1) brochures 2)study the brochure 3) only then introduce a book

  [Edit.. Good grief ! The prices asked on that eBay link, for recent books are ridiculous......

  the stuff lying around this house must be worth a fortune]
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  28

  I miss old posters!

  by Biahi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  blondie, flipper, shirley w, where are you?

  did this site get too republican for you?

  i just take those threads with a grain of salt..

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  BluesBrother

  This thread brings back some great memories of some old timers like Alan F , Englishman, Lady Lee, Jan H and the aforesaid Leolaia. There was more depth and some cracking debates with Watchtower apologists who used to pop up on here.

  However, those days are gone. I still find a lot of good stuff on here , it keeps me checking in every day

  Now the U S Election is over, let’s make this a place of “peace and goodwill to all men”

  Seasons greetings to all ..
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  22

  Jehovah delivers sand for a Kingdom Hall project in Micronesia

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  you cannot make this up: financial help and the hand of jehovah complete project.

  january 2016 jw broadcasting..... video starts at 35:30. a local design construction department manager named travis brooks tells a story about a building project on the island of yap, micronesia.

  a small kingdom hall needs to be expanded because the facility wasn't big enough for those in attendance.

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  BluesBrother

  Over the years I have heard all sorts of contrived experiences that purportedly prove that Jehovah’s blessing is on a project, be it a Kingdom Hall , Assembly Hall or whatever.

  My wife and I always exchanged looks that said “oh yes”? With a questioning expression. Sometimes the coincidence was minor, sometimes big but it could always be seen as just a coincidence.

  Here a typhoon appears on cue, not to damage the precious project but just enough to deliver the sand. Is Jehovah responsible? Like Prospero In Shakespeare’s “ The Tempest”

  If he were, consider the damage this typhoon must have done elsewhere, they escaped but somebody must have copped it. Are they saying their God is willing to hurt , even kill people just to supply building materials?

  That is not the god that I know.
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  28

  Announcement December 3, 2020 FOR CONGREGATIONS

  by pixel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  announcement.

  december 3, 2020. for congregations.

  1. covid-19 vaccine information: several covid-19 vaccines may soon be approved and.

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  BluesBrother

  Thanks Pixel. That ties in nicely with the thread about their past opposition to vaccines.
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  14

  Past Watchtower Society Comments On Vaccines

  by BluesBrother in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  today there is a lot of hope placed in a vaccines to immunise against covid 19 , and relief that they are soon to be available.

  that will be shared by the eight million or so jws in this world.

  they should be thankful that the wts has moved away from its teaching ,that lasted for decades , proclaiming that vaccination was wrong, and a tool of satan.

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  BluesBrother

  Today there is a lot of hope placed in a vaccines to immunise against Covid 19 , and relief that they are soon to be available. That will be shared by the eight million or so JWs in this world.

  They should be thankful that the WTS has moved away from its teaching ,that lasted for decades , proclaiming that vaccination was wrong, and a tool of Satan. ....e.g.

  Golden Age 1921 October 12 p.17
  "Vaccination never prevented anything and never will, and is the most barbarous practice...We are in the last days; and the devil is slowly losing his hold, making a strenuous effort meanwhile to do all the damage he can, and to his credit can such evils be placed...Use your rights as American citizens to forever abolish the devilish practice of vaccinations."
  
  Golden Age 1931 February 4 p.293
  "Vaccination is a direct violation of the everlasting covenant that God made with Noah after the flood."

  And an illustration in Golden Age May 1939

  
  

  I am advised that it was not until the 1950s that the policy was changed and “new light “ allowed them to make their own personal decision. I have not seen any negative comments in my experience.

  So, their are millions of Witnesses who should be glad that the belief changed. After all it is not just the Covid vaccine. All the childhood jabs we had for protection against such things as diphtheria, polio, MMR etc. Foreign travel would not be available to them without the required inoculations against tropical diseases..

  You know, I would bet the vast majority of them are blissfully unaware of this strange doctrine in their past......

  [Edit to credit JWFacts.com for the quotes]
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  33

  Jehovah`s witnesses not the only religion GOD is using now ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when confronted with angus stewart’s blunt question “do you see yourselves as jehovah god’s spokespeople on earth?” the answer that came from jackson’s lips was astounding.. “that i think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that god is using.

  the scriptures clearly show that someone can act in harmony with god’s spirit in giving comfort and help in the congregations, but if i could just clarify a little, going back to matthew 24, clearly, jesus said that in the last days ‐ and jehovah’s witnesses believe these are the last days ‐ there would be a slave, a group of persons who would have responsibility to care for the spiritual food.

  so inthat respect, we view ourselves as trying to fulfill that role.”.

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  BluesBrother

  He said it was possible for someone in a congregation of J W to receive Holy Spirit and teach Jehovah's will. What would happen if an elder raised his hand and said a teaching that differed from the printed page of material. ? He then says... " I feel I have Jehovah's spirit with me on this"

  You know it would be. " Please meet with us in the back room after the meeting, brother"
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  33

  Jehovah`s witnesses not the only religion GOD is using now ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when confronted with angus stewart’s blunt question “do you see yourselves as jehovah god’s spokespeople on earth?” the answer that came from jackson’s lips was astounding.. “that i think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that god is using.

  the scriptures clearly show that someone can act in harmony with god’s spirit in giving comfort and help in the congregations, but if i could just clarify a little, going back to matthew 24, clearly, jesus said that in the last days ‐ and jehovah’s witnesses believe these are the last days ‐ there would be a slave, a group of persons who would have responsibility to care for the spiritual food.

  so inthat respect, we view ourselves as trying to fulfill that role.”.

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  BluesBrother

  What a weasel !

  All this time I thought he was saying it was presumptuous to say that the Watchtower was the only source of God's Spirit. Seeing it now he said that other members of the congregations ( of J W) might also get his spirit, in counselling others.

  That is not what the questioner meant ,as well he knew.

  He slipped out of that one, didn't he?

  Thanks Smiddy for bringing this up.
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  28

  How much do Elders actually get along with each other?

  by Davros in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was reading in the shepherding book that elders should “ cul­tivate and maintain friendships with one another.”, and thought to myself “bulls$it!” i remember that most of the elders in my old congregation were nothing but nasty asses.

  i know it may vary from congregation to congregation, but do elders generally get along with each other behind closed doors in elders meetings?

  or, are they often in conflict with each other?

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  BluesBrother

  There were indeed strained relationships within the various bodies that I served with, sometimes this grew from family resentments or just personality clashes. The worst thing was that it was always made to seem like it was doing the Lords work, so to disagree was to argue with “God’s arrangement “

  in the main though it jogged along O K. We were never close socially, elders stayed with their families. I didn’t get on particularly with any of them. It was a lot like going to work , you get on as best you can with the people you find yourself with.

  Edit: I should have mentioned the situation where two congregations share one hall. Inevitably the two bodies have little time for the other, over some matter regarding the Hall
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  52

  YOU ARE HER EVERYTHING!

  by Atlantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you are what she wanted to be!please, let us remove any blame to anyone right up front.

  what happened to petra was not the fault of mark o'donnell, listener, corney, mike and kim, or anyone else.. constant rejection and shunning even at an early age, the depression was storing up inside of her.

  she was shunned inside the hall and outside the hall.

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  BluesBrother

  Atlantis, old friend.

  I am so sorry to read of Petra's troubles... Depression is a swine and many of us ,including myself have been struck by it at times. I can empathize, although I would not be so trite as to say that I understand.

  Please reassure her that she is respected and loved on here for the stirling work that she does in assisting you to provide these valuable documents to us .(Incidentally, I read any comment about the documents as being a criticism of the publisher - the WTS - not yourselves by any means. )

  Anyway , I hope she is better soon and back to her old self sending stuff to us.

  Please give her a virtual hug from this old fool in England.