jaffacake

Joined

• started 68 topics
• posted 1,506 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by jaffacake

• 
  11

  For JW Facts: Question re: WT spies here and at Wikipedia

  by cabasilas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i enjoyed your description of how your df appeal meeting went.

  you mentioned they cornered you re: your site by posts you made here on jwd and at wikipedia.

  i'm curious as to their modus opperandi.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  In my own job, nothing to do with religion, I received a report that someone claiming to work for my organisation was giving away information about the organisation against our rules - in a chatroom.

  It was my responsibility to establish his identity & take disciplinary action. I confronted him with the evidence I gathered, accepted his apology and assurances about future behaviour, and gave him a formal warning.

  It was quite simple, although he did not give away too much personal information in any single post, when I examined his post history, the dozens of clues, from descriptions of his workplace, when he changed jobs, when & where he spent holidays, etc etc etc made it easy to narrow it down to one individual.

  The message is - don't leave too many clues, unless of course you have no need for anonymity.
• 
  28

  Do The WTB&TS Really Believe They Have Truth?

  by prophecor in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  or are they just stringing the rank and file along, getting every ounce of work out of thier constituents, long enough to pull the next rabbit out of the hat?

  those at the top, don't they see where they've made mistakes?

  how can they continue in good conscience before the god they profess to serve?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  I think...the question is not as simple about believing or not believing "the truth" especially the authority of the FDS. I believe their is a degree of sincerity in all JWs including the Gov Body, or most of its members. But I never cease to be amazed at the ability of the human mind to delude itself and suppress doubts. Many continue in their ways by not thinking too deeply about things, JWs find this easier because of all the buzz words - like apostate - that automatically trigger a subconscious response.

  The local PO who I was studying with admitted, with no witnesses present, in my home, that the FDS does not receive any information from God. I asked why rank & file JWs believed they did, but he would not answer. He stopped visiting me and I was dumped from Bible study - so he must know its all nonsense.

  Then I asked myself why he did not want to discover the real truth - which is my own quest. This PO had become a JW at 12 and the higher he went in the hierarchy, the more status he gained, and stood to lose. Moreover, "where else would he go?" That was the only life he knew. He could not allow himself to face up to reality after all this time. The higher people go, the more they know its false, but by then they have too much to lose - esecially status. Just my observations.
• 
  36

  The memorial service once a year or once a week? Which is apostolic?

  by greendawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is little doubt that the early christians from apostolic times performed the bread and wine ceremony (eucharist) every sunday.

  however russell made it a one time per year event.

  isn't this move strange and suspicious?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Nark & Barry

  Thanks for putting me right. My memory is indeed failing, having been out for nearly 30 years.
• 
  36

  The memorial service once a year or once a week? Which is apostolic?

  by greendawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is little doubt that the early christians from apostolic times performed the bread and wine ceremony (eucharist) every sunday.

  however russell made it a one time per year event.

  isn't this move strange and suspicious?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake
• 
  5

  "This system of things"

  by MsMcDucket in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you remember that saying?

  and "the new system"?

  almost sounds like the matrix.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Oops. A poster here once explained that the NWT 'system of things' could not possibly be the correct interpretation. I'm not a Greek scholar but I would doubt the phrase ever really occurs in scriptures.
• 
  5

  "This system of things"

  by MsMcDucket in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you remember that saying?

  and "the new system"?

  almost sounds like the matrix.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake
• 
  11

  The Mainstreaming of the WT Society

  by barry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ive seen several posts questioning how long it will be before the wt enters the mainstream.

  this is an artical about the mainstreaming of adventism and maybe in the future this artical could be written about the wt society and we are talking about sister churches here.

  the sdas have had a start on the jw since they were formed as a church in the 1860 in times past many denominations that exist today have been fringe groups.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Interesting. I will read the article more carefully later. Things are changing since my day. Btw I have replied to ur pm.

  One danger for JWs of going mainstream is that if they were to stop deminising other religions, their members might take a closer look at 'sister' religions, and see how much more Christian they actually are.
• 
  36

  Give a title to the next JW book they will publish

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  .

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Forgive Us Our Trespasses - we've been wrong all this time but we're sorry for misleading you.

  You may laugh but something similar happened to a related religion, the Worldwide Church of God (Herbert Armstrong's cult). Personally, I think the statement they published was admirable:

  Forgive us our trespasses

  The Worldwide Church of God, sponsor of the Plain Truth magazine, has changed its position on numerous long-held beliefs and practices during the past few years.

  …we are acutely aware of the heavy legacy of our past.

  Our flawed doctrinal understanding clouded the plain gospel of Jesus Christ and led to a variety of wrong conclusions and unscriptural practices. We have much to repent of and apologise for.

  We were judgemental and self righteous – condemning other Christians, calling them “so-called Christians” and labelling them “deceived” and “instruments of Satan”.

  We imposed on our members a works-oriented approach to Christian living. We required adherence to burdensome regulations of the Old Testament code. We exercised a strongly legalistic approach to church government.

  Our former Old Covenant approach fostered attitudes of exclusivism and superiority rather than the new covenant teaching of brotherhood and unity.

  We overemphasized predictive prophecy and prophetic speculation, minimising the true gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

  These teachings and practices are a source of supreme regret. We are painfully mindful of the heartache and suffering that has resulted from them.

  We’ve been wrong. There was never an intent to mislead anyone. We were so focused on what we thought we were doing for God that we didn’t recognize the spiritual path we were on. Intended or not, that path was not the Biblical one.

  As we look back, we ask ourselves how we could have been so wrong. Our hearts go out to all whom our teachings have misled in the Scriptures. We don’t minimise your spiritual disorientation and confusion. We earnestly desire your understanding and forgiveness.

  We make no attempt to cover up the doctrinal and scriptural errors of our past. It is not our intention to merely paper over the cracks. We are looking our history squarely in the face and confronting the faults and sins we find. They will always remain a part of our history, serving as a perpetual reminder of the dangers of legalism.

  Worldwide Church of God – late 1980s March/April Edition of Plain Truth
• 
  37

  Scriptures to make a JW think?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm looking for scriptures that you believe a doubting jw would read that would cause them to think a bit.

  i have four in mind now: .

  'do not go beyond the things that are written.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  Maybe looking up scriptures themselves in the NWT will make them think, for example a JW friend of mine struggled to give the correct answers...I wonder why:

  The Bible alone (ideally the

  Some answers may seem quite easy for Christians well versed in scriptures and don’t worry if some answers are repeated.

  Question1. Whose WITNESSES should we be throughout the whole world?

  Answer …………………………………………………………..(see Acts 1:8)

  Question 2a Whose WITNESSES must we be?

  Question 2b Bearing WITNESS to which NAME inspires ALL prophesying?

  Answers …a……………………………………………………………………………. (see Rev 19:10)

  b………………………………………………………………………. (see Rev 19:10)

  Question 3. Whose word must be observed if we are never to see death at all?

  Answer ……………………………………………………….(see John 8:51)

  Question 4. Whose NAME allows us to have eternal life?

  Answer: ……………………………………………………………………………. (see John 20:31)

  A harder question

  Question 5. How did Christ describe the type of men we must NOT follow? What kind of things will they say?

  Answer …………………………………………………………………………………………….

  …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (see Luke 21:8)

  Another tough one

  Question 6. After his death, when did Christ's presence start and when will it end?

  Answer ………………………………………………………………………………………

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… (see Matthew 28:20)

  Getting a bit personal now

  Question 7. Are you spirit begotton, YES or NO?

  Answer: ……………………………….

  If not, can you still be a Christian and belong to Christ? YES or NO?

  Answer: ………………………………………………………………………….…… (see Romans 8:9)

  Question 8. Whose word is truth and will set you free?

  Answer ……………………………………………………………………………. (see John 8:31,32)

  Just for good measure

  Question 9. Who is it that sets us free?

  Answer: ………………………………………………………………………………. (see John 8:36)

  Thank You. Please feel free to test your answers against the Christian Scriptures, preferably the Translation.

  ‘Lovers of the Truth’
• 
  43

  "Where else are we to go?" - How to answer?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey guys,.

  assume you're talking to a faithful, indoctrinated jw that is only now getting some doubts rolling in his head.

  let's say that he doesn't have much info yet, hasn't done much research, and is pretty scared of anything that smells "apostate".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  jaffacake

  As well as the "to whom" not "where" answer, there are other scriptures...

  John 14:6

  “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

  Acts

  “There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we may be saved.”

  1 Corinthians 3:11 (NIV)

  “For no man can lay any other foundation than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

  Jeremiah 17:5-8

  “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from Jehovah…….Blessed is the man.….”