Posts by Forscher

12

Cops---Woman "Attacks Another at Church!

by Voyager in

credit for this article goes to (debbie), at watchtower observer.

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2005/01/11/news/porter_county/29e72e50d3863f8986256f8600176fee.txt.

Forscher

I knew a young brother that was on his po's shitlist. One evening the po gave a part on the service meeting that was intended to humiliate him and call for his marking. There'd been no warning of this (as you know the elders are required to meet with anyone they are going to do something like this to, the po hadn't even bothered with that). So he went up to the elder and demanded to know why he'd done that! It turned into an argument and then a brawl involving that kid, his po, and the po's sons. Of course the kid was the one who got Df'd.

18

What the hell are DUP

by BigG in

.

im new to this site so please dont laugh when i ask this...but i am having difficulties with the terminologies.. what are they?.

g

Forscher

When I mentioned to my son, who still lives with me, that folks here call the organization the Borg, he laughed his ass off! He doesn't have much use for Dubs because of his brother's sanctimonious attitude. He feels that if his brother, who is a Ministerial Servant, is a prime example of what is a good Dub, then he has no use for the Borg!

11

Selling of Magazines and literature

by Ticker in

i was thinking the other day that the watchtower society used to sell the mag's and books to people at the doors for a set price.

i know that realisticly they need to cover costs but everyone knows they made profit off of their sales and still do through the donation method now in place.

what i wonder is how did they justify selling for a set price when it clearly says in the bible "you recieved free, give free".

Forscher

Many folks don't have a full grasp of just how much Rutherford changed things after he siezed control of the WTBTS. Before he came to power, the congregations were clients of the WTBTS if they chose to be so. It had no more authority over them than they chose to grant it and could stop having anything to do with it if they chose. In fact many of the congrations of Bible Students did in fact sever their connections with it after Rutherford took over. Enough did, that he felt a need to take control of them away from the local level and give it to the WTBS. He called that "theocratic" rulership.

Another nice little lie that the WTBTS puts in its literature is that the Bible Student congregations that went off on their own soon withered up and died. Even a cursory search of the net shows that lie up for what it is. What is ironic is that one of the Bible Student congregations that has a presence on the net is one that was founded by Charles Taze Russell himself!

So, Before JFR, the WTBTS was a tool of the Bible Student movement, after, the Jehovah's Witnessess were the tool of the WTBTS.

12

Everyone destroyed at Armageddon? How So?

by upside/down in

i can't help but notice in almost every thread related to the subject, people mentioning who is or isn't going to be destroyed at armageddon.

this is a flawed understanding of the entire concept of armageddon.

scripture makes it clear that this is a war strictly against ungodly/antigodly entities (possibly some individuals).

Forscher

Yes, CTR saw it as a social implosion that would bring down the powers that be rather than the extermination invisioned by Rutherford and kept to this day by the GB because of its usefulness. One thing to remember is that Rutherford declared that no worship outside of the organization was acceptable to God, and, therefore, only those who were within the organization would survive the big A. Henfce, all this speculation on the subject.

6

How is Everyone? I've been off the "net a Long Time!!

by Jaypeeto in

i have been off the internet for a long time.

i see some familiar names here from the old h2o site.. how is everyone?

i'm still a catholic...interesting posts about 2034 being the new date for the end.... jaypeeto

Forscher

Doubtful is right on this one. What is happening is that the WTBS has compared the current time to the days of Noah and then, after mentioning that Jehovah alloted mankind 120 years before the flood, they state that it has been 90 years since 1914. Many folks are speculating that this is a trial balloon that is being floated to see how folks will react to another date based on that reasoning.

36

Orangefatcats Surgery

by orangefatcat in

jw
friends

well yesterday i saw the surgeon, with regards to my left hip and because it is so advanced with osteoarthritis and is crumbling the doctor says my surgical date is march the 3rd.

he said also he may have a cancellation for feburary and i may be able to have that day.

of march.

Forscher

Hey OFC! Wish you the best. I'm sure you'll get through it fine!

22

Anti-intellectualism and demagogy

by Narkissos in

jw
friends

in religion (the wt being an excellent example) or politics (it's a common attitude of a lot of electorally successful leaders such as bush and chirac)... why does it work so well?

Forscher

I'm glad you inmcluded a lefty demagog in your list (Chirac). Demagogery isn't an exclusive possesion of the right. Remember the good ole USSR. They had no room for independant thinking. And I've seen my share of anti-intellectualims among the intellectuals on university campuses. Many times I ran into liberal demagogs who couldn't stand a reasoned opinion that differed from their fuzzy, feel-good dogmas.

:-)

10

Unity vs. Uniformity

by confusedjw in

wasn't the thought that we were so unified a comforting one when you were in the congregation?

only to realize that kicking everyone out that disagrees or forcing people to act a certain way "in the name of god and the wt" produces uniformity and not unity.. there is a difference, which of course are worlds apart.. did you notice this while in?

what value do you place on unity now?

Forscher

Thanks, Confused.

10

Unity vs. Uniformity

by confusedjw in

wasn't the thought that we were so unified a comforting one when you were in the congregation?

only to realize that kicking everyone out that disagrees or forcing people to act a certain way "in the name of god and the wt" produces uniformity and not unity.. there is a difference, which of course are worlds apart.. did you notice this while in?

what value do you place on unity now?

Forscher

Yes, I did notice the unity=uniformity mind-bent of the organization. It was one of the things that started bothering me through the years because of the pharaisaical superficialty of it all. There were times when circumstances got in the way of meeting attendence. During those time I not only made it my habit to read the Bible (and I mean really read it) and to study various christian qualities without the direction of the Org.. This helped to realize that what Jesus taught is really at odds with what the Org. would have us believe God wants of us.

Jesus wanted real, internal changes, much like what anthropologists call a "mazeway realignment." He condemned the rule-driven lifestyle that is so much the norm for any good Dub. As I grew in my understanding, I was repulsed by the increasing devotion of oneself to the Org. before everything else being preached from the podium. I was shocked by the constant aggrandization of the "FDS" and the continued emphasis on rules, rules. Such worship is cold-h4earted and self-serving, and it is easy for me to see why so many here are now agnostics and even atheists. Who wouldn't be if that really represents what God is? I am glad that I, myself, and others have come to very different conclusions after reading Jesus' potrayal of his loving father.

Jesus called us to freedom, not slavery to an uncaring corperation. To me that is a liberating thought. Genuine Christian worship is about who we are inside, not about how we appear on the outside. If there is one thing that the experience of the Israelites with the law should teach us, it is that none of us can become worthy of fellowship with God by following dozens of rules and regulations. By our very fallen nature that is an impossibility. Fellowship with God is a gift. And it can't be obtained by anyother means than God giving it to us. Any other path is doomed to failure!

27

Out of the Blue, An Elder Calls

by FreePeace in

last night, my cell phone rang and it was a number i didn?t recognize.

i answered, and the voice said, ?is this doug??

and he said, ?this is dd ?

Forscher

I've been inactive for the better part of two years. Only one call from an elder who'd moved out of town, but nothing from the elders in my last congregation. The last time I went there (for the Memorial) I found out that there is actually some confusion about which congregation I belong to (I live in a city that is big enough for a group of congregations)! Fine with me!