Posts by TheListener

24

A Friend Needs Advice and Help--NOW!!!!

by whyizit in

jw
friends

a good friend of mine is a former jw.

she is married to an active jw and her children are still jws.

her husband has demanded that they discuss why she is no longer willing to go to meetings, etc... she is wondering what subject would be the best to approach him with first.

TheListener

Generic may be the way to play this.

If she gets specific he can keep coming up with counter arguments and she'll find herself fighting from a negative position.

Realistically she doesn't have to prove her un-faith to him. Each individual is responsible before God for themselves.

Perhaps she could start by saying (if it's true) that her faith in God and Jesus ransom sacrifice is as strong as ever, in fact stronger even. She could follow that up with that she has found some doctrines that made her feel uncomfortable and upon further research and study she realized that some things that the society is dogmatic about - well, they shouldn't be.

By putting the blame squarely on the dogmatism of the society she can take the pressure off of discussing several doctrinal errors for which he may be more prepared than her.

However,

If he just pushes the point and wants to discuss specific doctrinal issues; she should be prepared with two or three that she's bothered by and prepared to discuss.

Just thinking about her situation is stressing me out!!

6

Arbor Day: It's the Devil's work! Don't worship the Earth, sayth the JW's

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

yep, you heard me.

the previous thread about school made me remember a tidbit about an activity my grade school participated in annually - arbor day.

this is the day when you are supposed to remember to be good to the earth by planting a tree.

TheListener

Anyone have any WT quotes on Arbor day?

13

Google Trends: The Mormons are kicking the JW's asses

by seattleniceguy in

jw
friends

i thought that title would get your attention.. google has released a new and fascinating tool, called google trends (http://www.google.com/trends).

it allows you to see what people search on over time.

just type in a search term, and you'll see how people have searched on that term over the past two years.

TheListener

My only concern with the growth of Mormons vs. JWs is that I thought Mormons could baptize dead friends and relatives. If that's true then the numbers won't make sense when compared to only living jws.

Any thoughts?

21

Did Noah preach the "good news"?

by M.J. in

i've heard it a hundred times.

"noah preached, so we preach.

" but is that what the bible indicates?

TheListener

M.J., I've researched this as well.

In Genesis Noah was not commanded to preach.

With respect to 2 Peter and Noah being a preacher of righteousness: Why can't we say he was preaching in the sense that he was doing God's will and others would/could see what he was doing? If he was building the ark and others asked why I'm sure he told them. Why does preaching have to imply asking others to repent. It seems that Genesis was pretty clear that God selected Noah and his family to survive - period - it's not mentioned that anyone else could get on board.

Also,

If you look at the amount of time (per the bible anyway) between Adam/Eve creation and the flood you have a little over 2,000 years. Using the bible provided life spans and average number of children per household there would have been A LOT of people around. How could Noah and his sons build a giant boad and preach to potentially millions of people? Why do we automatically assume that there were just a few people clustered around in small groups?

I didn't re-read Leo's posts that were linked but maybe she covered all of this and was more clear than I.

I'm sure there is a thread somewhere that discusses the potential number of people living in the ante-diluvian world.

The WTS has said that the number isn't known but it was probably less than the number of people living now. When I read that I thought 'Oh my God, Jehovah potentially already killed millions and millions of people with the flood and now I'm waiting for him to do it again. Will he have to do it a third time in the new order?'

40

Special Field Service Campaign at DA

by limbogirl in

jw
friends

i have this memory of going to a da back in the mid to late seventies -- i was about 8 years old -- and there was a special field service campaign.

seems to me that one of the assembly days was shortened and everyone was given a service kit -- some tracts in a plastic bag -- and everyone was to go out and preach for the remainder of the afternoon.

i remember going with my dad to get in line to pick up the bag of tracts and then going into the neighborhood around the stadium to witness.

TheListener

Ah yes, conventions and assemblies of yore.

If I am ever out out out and free free free I will share some home videos I have of several conventions in the 60s and 70s. It's hilarious to watch them now. I'm sure several here were at the same conventions and it would be fun to find mutual friends and point out people we know (or knew?).

111

Sagan and anyone who care toreply

by jw in

jw
friends

.

!.

only intelligent replys.. 2.no big bang replys.. what is your theory on how humans came into existence?

TheListener

Like everyone else I take in information and process it within my brain. The I spit out my opinions (from where? depends on the opinion).

I always believed the Genesis account 100%. I bought into the WTS explanation hook line and sinker. I thought the Creation book was the be all and end all of the discussion regarding evolution.

However, (this is where the spitting out of my opinion comes into play) I've come to feel that there may be a hybrid mixed answer. It would nicely into my belief system if God started the process and actually created animate "things" and then allowed evolution to run its course. Perhaps necessary tweaks and adjustments have been needed at times and those were provided. For me this would explain the Miller-Urey experiment and others failing to actually create a living cell while at the same time being able to account for the multitude of fossils, bones and such found throughout the world and the radio carbon dating of many of them.

The Genesis account may be a point of intervention, with some hyperbole thrown in, and the flood, localized or not may also be an intervention point.

Seriously, I believe in a Creator and God and I see the evidence of ancient animals and man from aeons past.

This is how I reconcile my belief with the facts as I know them.

36

Two classes of Christians after all?

by Narkissos in

jw
friends

first, as i am just back online, happy new year to everyone!

totally unrelated to the above (or maybe not), it just occurred to me that the unscriptural wt doctrine of "two classes of christians" might have some faint pars veritatis after all as far as the nt is concerned.. of course it is not about "anointed or not," "two hopes," "heaven vs. earth".. yet several segments of early christianity did seem to allow for a huge difference in levels of requirement, vocation, or fate among believers.

on the one hand, the high and hard way of the apostles, disciples, missionaries, evangelists, martyrs; on the other hand, the minimal requirement of the rest.

TheListener

I'm resurrecting this thread (imagine me with arms outspread raised high standing with my a mane of white hair and a large white beard blowing in the wind)

I'm resurrecting this thread.

Narkissos linked a discussion of 2 Cor. 5:20 to this thread and I think for good reason.

After thoroughly reading the material I have a couple of questions:

1. If there are two classes of christians do they have different rewards?

2. Could the two classes of christians be jews vs. gentile?

3. Would one of these two classes also be the firstfruits mentioned in Revelation?

As I read the scriptures it seems that everyone has the opportunity for the same reward. But, it does seem that some will have a greater role in God's kingdom as well (like kings and priests, firstfruits and sitting at Jesus' right hand). Perhaps those that exert themselves more and have an extra measure of God's spirit will be on the top of the heap in God's Kingdom and the rest of us be the base of the pyramid.

Same reward; different responsibilities?

23

NWT 2 Corinthians 5:20

by TheListener in

in 2 corinthians 5:20 the nwt says, "we are therefore ambassadors substituting for christ, as though god were making entreaty through us.

as substitutes for christ we beg: "become reconciled to god.".

i could not locate any other bible translations that have the word "substituting" in the text.

TheListener

Oh man Narkissos you're killing me.

Just when I think I've some sort of handle on an issue you pop up and turn me upside down. THANK YOU.

31

Hi every one!

by wifey in

jw
friends

i may not post much cause i'm really busy with work and raising 3 grandkids but some times see posts i would like to comment on.

glad to meet all of you.. later, .

wifey

TheListener

Welcome Wifey. Nice to meet you as well.

Your husband has provided me some excellent advice in the past.

44

Did anyone experience that feeling at the end of assemblies, or C/O visits?

by dido in

jw
friends

i`m new on here so don`t know if this subject has been covered, but i was wondering if anyone else experienced that overwhelming feeling at the end of assemblies, or when the c/o visited and gave his talk, there was a different feeling in the air, and i always thought it was `jehovah`s spirit`.

now i`m out and have learnt a lot about the borg, and know all their dastardly deeds, i can`t understand what that feeling was.

it can`t have been his spirit, as i don`t believe now that the borg is the `truth`.

TheListener

Dido,

It is true that some individuals are more emotionally driven. Perhaps, and this isn't meant to be offensive in any way, but perhaps you are an emotional individual. Have you every taken the Myers-Briggs personality test? It has a designator for thinking vs. feeling individuals. Both are desireable but most lean into one category or the other.

On the other hand I have never had any kind of real emotional experience connected with my faith and until I faded from the dubs it didn't concern me. Now, there are times when I wonder if I'm supposed to have some emotional feelings and I'm just not getting it.

Great topic by the way.