Posts by BluesBrother

33

Memorial Prep question

by ExCircuitOverseer in

so are individual witnesses being told to prepare bread and have wine on hand for the zoom memorial?

are they saying it’s “vital” or is it just a “suggestion?” .

BluesBrother

Most of the dubs I know are baking unleavened bread and getting the red wine.I thank my lucky stars that my wife is practical enough to say that since we are not anointed there is no point.

What to do with it afterwards? I guess it is up to the individual. When I conducted a memorial one year I found an article that directed what sort of wine to buy and bread to have. I just bought a bottle of red plonk and a packet of Jewish matzohs.. keep it simple.

After the memorial some friends came around and we had a nice supper with red wine cheese and matzohs.

24

Belgium: Jehovah's Witnesses in court to respond to incitement to hatred

by yalbmert99 in

belgium: jehovah's witnesses in court to respond to incitement to hatred.

february 16, 2021.. https://www.levif.be/actualite/belgique/les-temoins-de-jehovah-devant-le-tribunal-pour-repondre-d-incitation-a-la-haine/article-news-1392951.html.

BluesBrother

They certainly have a case with the claims of incitement to discriminate and to shun . The article mentions incitement to hatred and violence which has never happened in my experience.

Tne Witnesses still view this as an act of love , bizarrely, tough love to try and bring the individual back to them and therefore on the road to salvation. Often enough it may work in the cases of unmarried sex, or smoking , but it can never work with cases of “ apostasy “ because once your eyes are opened there is no going back.

28

Rap Music That Debases Should Be “Cancelled “

by minimus in

jw
friends

i find it interesting that we live in a cancel culture.

the influencers go after abraham lincoln, uncle ben , aunt jemima, the flag, the national anthem, people they perceive as not following their agenda.

in the midst of all of this, rap music and its dehumanizing culture are off limits to talk about.

BluesBrother

I agree with mickbobcat’s dismissal of rap, but Iwould never want to ban something just because I don’t like it...

In many cases the lyrics are offensive, so why does mainstream media play them ?

I love old blues records . In some cases they sing of similar social problems and misbehaviour as modern rap artists do. Were they played on radio at the time? I doubt it.

5

Any word on if the jws can take the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine?

by mynameislame in

looks like there's some controversy among the catholics because the j&j vaccine may be produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus.. have the jws made a statement?.

don't tell me they are going to let themselves be outdone by the catholics..

BluesBrother

At the beginning of the vaccine program the WTS made an announcement at meetings that there was no Scriptual objection to the Covid vaccine.

That may have been before the issue you speak of was known. However, my guess is that it would be a “conscience matter” . They are pretty keen to get the flock vaccinated and to see halls open again.

27

Jehovah's Witnesses can now VOTE!

by UnDisfellowshipped in

jw
friends

jehovah's witnesses were raped and tortured by the thousands in malawi because they obeyed the watchtower society's rules, and they broke caesar's law and refused to purchase a political card in a country that only had one polictical party.

now (since 1999), jehovah's witnesses are allowed to vote in political elections!

i would love to hear everyone's comments.

BluesBrother

Without reading all this post ..... The wording in the Watchtower used to start this article.is deliberately misleading .. they say that if one has to, he may enter a voting booth but must write in a vote for the Kingdom. You had better not let it be known that you voted for a political candidate or the elders will come knocking !

See these more up to date quotes ..

WT 05..07 2021

Do we see the same problem today? Yes. Many today are stumbled because of our neutral stand with regard to politics. They expect us to vote in elections. However, we realize that from Jehovah’s standpoint, if we choose a human leader to rule over us, we are rejecting Him"

"Keep Yourself In Gods Love ,published 2014, p212./213

What should a Christian do in lands where voting is compulsory or in a situation where feelings run high against those who do not go to the voting booth? Remembering that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went as far as the plain of Dura, a Christian, under similar circumstances, may decide to go to the booth if his conscience permits. However, he will take care not to violate his neutrality."

38

Watchtower Change On Origins from 42,000 Years to the "Day Age" Theory

by Sea Breeze in

does anyone know when and how the change took place?

is the "day age" theory still the current position of watchtower?.

BluesBrother

Watchtower 1970 p120

"Thus we find the seventh “day” of the creative week to be seven thousand years long. On the basis of the length of the seventh “day” it is therefore reasonable to conclude that each of the other six “days” also was a period of 7,000 years. This length of time would be ample for all that the Bible tells us took place on each of the six days of creation."

Watchtower 2015 1st June

"The Bible fixes no duration for the six creative “days.” Instead, it opens the door for modern scientists to study them and assign accurate time spans to them. We know that the creative “days” were much longer than 24-hour days."

55

Ban on Independent Meetings

by lssjr in

source - march 2021 announcements - - https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5085868283920384/2021-march-147-english-german-announcements-reminders.

this is a sobering reminder of what happened some 40 years ago when raymond franz and others were literally kicked out from the jehovah's witnesses for having pre-arranged private spiritual discussions.lesson: paragraph 7 is another example of the i and t in dr. steven hassan's bite model of the 21st century cult - information and thought control at its best!!!!

"my gosh, there must be a lot of independent meetings these days.

BluesBrother

So in these difficult times when association is sadly missed, the brothers cannot meet up electronically and discuss the scriptures? What are they trying to stop?

I hear older ones in the family recalling the days when we young things would meet up at someone's place and have lively discussions about the scriptures. That's when people were keen . I don't see much apetite for it now. Full marks to those who wanted to delve into things .. By stopping it they are showing their true colours.

8

Actual setting of meeting demonstration this week

by neat blue dog in

invite your student to the memorial, and explain from the bible why he should not partake of the emblems.. they might as well just put up a warning: do not feed the visitors sign 🤣 meanwhile, more and more baptized jws by the thousands continue to come out of the annointed closet year by year..

BluesBrother

This "invite your student to the Memorial" thing is a bit weird in these times.

Basically you have to give them the log in codes for your Cong. Meeting

Ask them to sit in front of their laptop at home with a camera open on them shown to a group they don't know

Ask tbem to have a glass of red wine and a Jewish matzoh sitting before them but NO , do not drink it - just touch it when invited to.

Listen quietly to the talkon screen .......

Really? Are strangers going to do that? They are going to think this very strange indeed.

35

An exchange with a JW about the blood doctrine.

by Giles Gray in

i recently had an online exchange with an active jw about the blood issue.

he originally wanted to talk about the potential dangers of transfusions but i pointed out that the risks of transfusions have nothing whatsoever to do with the reason that jws reject blood, and therefore i didn’t see any value in debating that topic.. not able to let it go, he then insisted that the blood mandate was a common theme throughout the bible, quoting acts 15:29.. it’s been a while since i looked into the subject, and i admit i’m now a little rusty when it comes to recalling where to find biblical quotes, but i remembered that there are passages in both the new and old testaments that, when read in the context of the time they were written, call into question the watchtower’s rendition of acts 15:29.. i offered to do some bible research and get back to the jw, suggesting that rather than letting our discussion become combative, we could have an informative and interesting exchange of ideas.

i reassured him that i was not looking to undermine his convictions, in fact i was more than happy to be corrected if my thinking was wrong.

BluesBrother

I cannot fault your reasoning on the Scriptures. I did not appreciate that 13 years passed by when gentile Christians were free to eat unbled meat if they wished..

Others have reasoned that this was a restriction on diet only, and should not apply to the medical use of blood.

I like your way of reasoning. Sadly I doubt if a blinkered JW would follow it...... unless it came from the Governing Body of course, then they would drop the blood doctrine like a shot

7

2021-Emergency Contact Information!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

emergency contact information.. .

this form may compromise data that unbelieving members of a family don't want released.. download:.

https://filetransfer.io/data-package/6dgljbjl#link.

BluesBrother

Perhaps the clue to its intended use lies in the question of another contact person, preferably out of State. Given the terrible weather events that the USA has experienced, it may be so they can find you if you flee a distance from a disaster ?

It ought to be headed with the WT or Congregation name and contain a policy that no data will be shared etc.

I would have thought you would contact them if you wanted to remain in touch......