Posts by Big Dog

58

Does the WTS's past matter?

by M.J. in

i know, i'd jump into this topic by saying, "heck yeah.

they're the ones saying they've been appointed by god based on what they were doing back around 1914-1919.

" but i'm trying to help someone out who has reached a roadblock with his wife.

M.J., when I would point these sorts of things out to my family I would get the they are human etc. arguement to which I would respond, yes, that's fine, all well and good. But here's the rub, at the time those beliefs were held as absolute, and if you did not believe them you were either an unbeliever or an apostate. They were not presented as ideas that you could either accept or reject, they were presented as absolute truth. That seems to be the big thing that JW's never get when examples of past follies are brought up.

If they said, ok, two core beliefs, love God, love your neighbor, and all this other stuff is interesting conjecture but you don't have to believe it under penalty of death, fine, I'd have no problem with that. But the WBTS has paraded this stuff as absolute Truth which non-belief caused severe sanctions. That's the problem IMO.

65

Hypocrite Elder Gets Df'd

by Dragonlady76 in

jw
friends

there was a very well respected elder in my cong that i will call mr. r. this elder was a very zealous and pious jw and the po.

mr. r was of cuban descent and had extremely conservative veiws.

mr. r being the upstanding jw and elder had a very attractive wife and two cute kids.

Big Dog

Let me just say, Power Corrupts, in the WBTS, the Catholic Church, the US Government, etc.

21

WHY Doesn't The WTS Observe The Resurrection?

by Sunspot in

i never got a real answer about this when i was a jw.

the only explanation that i ever got was that jesus said to "do this in remembrance of me" meaning the taking in of the wine and unleavened bread.

he never said "not" to observe his birth or his resurrection.

Big Dog

Because Sunspot as has been pointed out in other threads they (WBTS) have a pathological need to be different, they equate different as marking them as special. Yeah special, as in the the short bus. They can't call it bread and wine, or host, no, we call it emblems (gag). We can't call it church, it is a kingdom hall. Special little cult speak that only insiders will understand. Yeah, he is risen, if you are a christian just about the biggest deal that there is in the whole enchilada and the borg don't even mention it. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

114

I think the jws might be right

by holly in

jw
friends

i really like this board.

i hate making this statement bec i dont want you to all start hating me.

but since i came on here i have been researching a lot.

Big Dog

Dawn, thanks a bunch, I am still stuck at my desk and didn't have an opportunity to give Defd a decent example of reading scriptures. I'm not born again but my point was not to promote any agenda, it was more along the lines that many religions and the JW's are great examples use scriptures here and there to "prove" that which is an article of faith.

I look at the Catholic/Orthodox faiths, they say, hey we can trace our linage all the way back to the first congregations, where have all you protestants been and it goes on and on.

Holly, as you have been advised, read, study, pray, talk to lots of people (as I have mentioned in other threads I had a one on one with a Jesuit Priest and while I didn't convert to Catholocism because of it I found it highly educational and sent me off in new directions of thought and info seeking).

Defd, I was raised a JW from birth, I know all the arguements, and now I know all the other arguements and things are not as clear as I was taught to believe. Then as so many have mentioned there are so many non-doctrinal issues, the so called cost of being in a particular religion that have to be looked at.

I really would like nothing better than a burning bush to tell me what the deal is, if in fact there is a deal.

114

I think the jws might be right

by holly in

jw
friends

i really like this board.

i hate making this statement bec i dont want you to all start hating me.

but since i came on here i have been researching a lot.

Big Dog

Holly, first, go to work. Second I know what you are saying, those are the questions that always get rolled out when discussing Trinity vs. Non-Trinity. I'm not saying that I buy the Trinity doctrine, but once I had it explained to me correctly by someone who actually understood it, I found it was not as whacked out as the WBTS love to make it sound. But here's the thing that I always said, it seems that the WBTS believes in 2/3 of the Trinity, they have no problem with the Holy Spirit being part of God, yet separate, separate to the point it is given the attributes of being hurt by man's actions or that the only unforgivable sin is a against the Holy Spirit. If you can buy the Holy Spirit being part of God, yet being depicted as being separate to the point of having its own name and attributes, is it really so hard to imagine Jesus being the same? My bottom line is if there is a God, none of us can really understand his nature and I don't know that arguing about it really is all that important. And dispite what anyone says I think you can really read it both ways as there are many scriptures (though some altered in the NWT) that seem to point to Christ's divinity.

Greendragon is right, sit down with a good bible, I'm sorry but I really agree that the NWT is not a very good translation and things have been altered to fit JW doctrine and work things out for yourself. Whatever you end up believing is okay, as long as you can tolerate other beliefs as well.

20

Memorial Talk?

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

will it be the same old same old, or will there be something new added?

was judas there or not?

anyone know in advance if the outline has been changed?

Big Dog

Will somebody please tell me how in the world they came up with Emblems? Bread and wine is what I read, why can't they say bread and wine?

114

I think the jws might be right

by holly in

jw
friends

i really like this board.

i hate making this statement bec i dont want you to all start hating me.

but since i came on here i have been researching a lot.

Big Dog

To Defd, I am NOT blowing you off, I am at the office and my Bible and notes are at home, I will be happy to give you examples later when I get home.

To Holly, not sure what the version you are using has, but typically one problem I can think of off the top of my head is the old John 1:1 issue, just about every translation I ever looked at said the Word was God, not was a god, huge difference there.

114

I think the jws might be right

by holly in

jw
friends

i really like this board.

i hate making this statement bec i dont want you to all start hating me.

but since i came on here i have been researching a lot.

Big Dog

Holly, are you reading selected texts or the bible as a whole? I found that really made a difference for me when I read things in the context of the chapter, not just one scripture here, one there.

172

hey yall im back!!!!!!!!! New brother

by defd in

jw
friends

man!

i cannot believe all the attention i got yesterday.. i am a forum celebrity now.

i do sign audigraphs.

Big Dog

Ah Morton, that's a pretty big leap of faith there, assuming they have a mind that hasn't been hijacked by the WBTS.

20

Memorial Talk?

by Blueblades in

jw
friends

will it be the same old same old, or will there be something new added?

was judas there or not?

anyone know in advance if the outline has been changed?

Big Dog

You want to think about Christ's sacrifice, watch Mel's The Passion of the Christ, not listen to a lame talk at the memorial which I totally agree with all the above that says next to nothing about Christ and just jabbers on about the GB's wet dream of being annointed.