Gander

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Posts by Gander

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  21

  JW's Banned In Tajikistan...

  by brinjen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  tajikistan bans jehovah's witnessesposted tue oct 23, 2007 8:22am aest.

  ex-soviet tajikistan outlawed the jehovah's witnesses religious organisation on monday, saying its missionary activities violated the laws of the predominantly muslim central asian state.. "door-to-door missionary activities, calls to refuse to serve in the armed forces and their intolerance of other religions contradict the law," tajik culture minister mirzoshohruh asrorov told a news conference.. jehovah's witnesses in tajikistan could not immediately be reached for comment.. according to official figures, more than 95 percent of the tajik population belong to the sunni branch of islam and another two percent are shiites.

  the tajik government though is strictly secular.

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  Gander

  Beyond what the Establishment says, anyone that requires toddlers to be spending their whole days out in field circus or that regularly has children staying up past 10 PM on school nights is looking at blatant child abuse.
  
  Oh please. Child abuse? Sitting at a meeting may not be loads of fun, though I try to make it as fun as possible for them (drawing and coloring, etc.), it certainly isn't child abuse. Unreasonable claims make a person look unreasonable.
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  15

  God Or Satan?

  by Lloyd Braun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here's an interesting question about "satan" and "god".

  recently, i have been studying some material that suggests that "satan" in the hebrew is never defined as a rebellious angel, that only comes in revelation (greek) later.

  in the ot, satan and yhwh are the same being in certain circumstances.

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  Gander

  Very interesting. I searched for articles related to 1Ki 22:22 on the WT CDROM and found the following Insight Book article regarding it:
  
  *** it-2 p. 845 Samaria ***
  This forfeiture came about in the third year after that when Ahab invited Judean King Jehoshaphat to help him recover Ramoth-gilead from Syria. The two kings formally held court at the entrance of Samaria and, after ignoring Jehovah’s prophet and listening to the deceptive counsel of false prophets, set out for the battle. (1Ki 22:1-28)
  
  What this fails to mention is that they ignored Jehovah's one prophet to listen to Jehovah's other falsely inspired prophets leading to their ruin. Lots of implications to that one.
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  40

  Rutherford's last book Children 1941-"Don't have kid's till after Armegedon

  by Witness 007 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  printed during w.w 2 on cheap paper this soft cover book is rare.

  so i stole one from the hall.

  interesting quotes.. watch.

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  Gander

  I clearly remember talks given in the early to mid 80's at district conventions strongly counseling against having children sort of like they strongly counsel against going to college now. In other words, don't do it or you are spiritually weak. Surprised there are any witnesses in their twenties these days.
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  7

  Strike posed quandary for Jehovah's Witness

  by VanillaMocha73 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/233590.html.

  shlachter, perotion, fuquay & co.. strike posed quandary for jehovah's witness.

  by barry shlachter, jim fuquay, maria m. perotin.

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  Gander

  I can understand the need and usefulness of unions to promote the rights of workers. However, this story to me shows that unions have become too powerful when they are victimizing the workers that unions are supposed to protect and represent. I am glad I have never had to work somewhere that required me to be a member of union as I can not imagine taking instructions from a union. Enough control tactics from every organized group imaginable already!
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  22

  I joined the YMCA last week!

  by alias in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ... and as i was filling out the application there was a line that said: .

  "please note: if you are one of jehovah's witnesses, you may not join our organization!

  ha, ha, just kidding!

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  Gander

  *** w79 1/1 p. 30 Questions from Readers *** Questions from Readers
  
  • Is it true that for religious reasons Jehovah’s Witnesses may not become members of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association)?
  
  Yes, that is so. We have long recognized that the YMCA, though not being a church as such, is definitely aligned with the religious organizations of Christendom in efforts to promote interfaith.
  
  In September 1885 the Watch Tower took this position:
  
  “Alas for the Bible-rearing practiced in the Y. M. C. Associations! They are completely under the control of the sectarians, by whom they are supported. Though professedly non-sectarian, professedly controlled by no creed but the Bible, they are more creed-bound than others, since they are bound by all the popular creeds.”—P. 6.

  Now look at 27 years later what Russell himself did:

  *** yb77 p. 37 India ***
  
  An avid reader of The Watch Tower, Joseph learned that Brother Russell, while on a world tour during 1912, would visit India. Madras City was to be visited, so Joseph seized the opportunity to hear Russell and gain a personal interview. At Madras, Brother Russell lectured in the YMCA Hall and, though his schedule was full, he granted Joseph a personal interview lasting two hours.

  So, 27 years after the WT first prints that the YMCA is bad (in 1885 as referenced in the QFR from 1979) Russell is giving a lecture in one!
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  4

  The Current Sitatuation - The Society

  by KW13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just when you think the society couldn't get more oppressive, they prove you wrong.

  there are lots of threads about the recent changes - the thing that really is a slap in the face for any witness who is considering their view of the organization, is the kingdom ministry which not only speaks against witnesses having sites (can't see those disappearing anytime soon) and they also want people to stop meeting together independently.. since when was this bible based?.

  the bible says when two or three are gathered together that god will be among them, and many other scriptures speak against this teaching.. share your opinion on how this might help others wake up but please for me and others wanting to use this opportunity to have a discussion try and provide some scriptures along the way, they will be a great help!.

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  Gander

  I was just thinking about this last night and the scripture came to mind at Ecc 8:9 "man has dominated man to his injury."
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  16

  We don't pass the plate, we just demand the $$

  by lost_light06 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the other night during the announcements between the ministry school and service meeting there was a letter read.

  i pretty much tuned out the whole thing but what did catch my ear was the request that $4.50 per publisher be contributed by each cong.

  for whatever bogus committee the letter was dealing with (sorry i cant be more specific, i honestly dont remember what it was for).

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  Gander

  "Did they make a resolution and vote on it? Yearly, the congregation pays a set dollar amount per publisher for the CO/DO health and car insurance. This could be the same thing but I thought it was more around $8.50."
  
  At my meeting last week they read and passed a resolution to pay $8.50 per publisher for CO/DO health and care insurance. The resolution was to spread the $8.50/publisher out in monthly payments over the course of 12 months. When that was done they read another letter asking for $4.50/publisher for the next year. Again a resolution was passed spreading that payments out over 12 monthly payments. I also can not recall what the purpose of this additional donation was.
  
  "BTW, they don't collect it from the donations to the worldwide work or from individual JWs but from the general congregation fund monies. So they only way not to be part of it is to quit donating altogether to any contribution box at the KH."
  
  Done. In fact, I don't think I ever started donating a single penny... ever. That is with the exception of back when I had to buy my books and mags. At least I got them at half price as a pioneer and could make some coffee break money off the proceeds. That's when there was some small motivation to place the material.
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  27

  Active JW Apologists: Did you take the OATH at the Convention?

  by kid-A in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  inquiring minds want to know: how did respond to oath # 7 which all jws were required to take at the latest dc?

  "we will resist with all our strength the spirit of the world manifested in such things as materialism, unwholesome entertainment, overindulgence in food and alcoholic beverages, the plague of pornographic material and the curiosity or temptation that lures one into association with outsiders through internet chat rooms.

  our resolve is to be no part of world as we carry on worship that is clean from the standpoint of our god.

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  Gander

  I agree that the resolution read at the convention was over controlling in so many ways.
  However, I think it needs to be pointed out that no one was required to take an "oath". I was there. I didn't say anything at the end of the resolution. No one cared. It is just a method of speaking. I am not saying I agree with what was being said. But we need to avoid falling into the same trap often used in WT literature of overstating, stretching, or bending the facts to make things fit our point of view.
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  7

  Athiest Elders?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this thought is inspired by hopie's thread about going undercover to rescue her daughter.. i have often wondered if any others have done the same, but for differing reasons?

  before i left, and when i had become aware that something was wrong with the 'men appointed by holy spirit' doctrine that elevates elders to the full rank of pharisee, i considered the possibility of moving to an area in which i was unknown and beginning the correct politics needed to 'make elder'.

  i wanted to see if i could go from disgruntled, unsure this was even god's organization, to 'elder in shekinah light standing' in less than two years.

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  Gander

  I did this personally. I made it to MS and was about to be appointed Elder when I decided I no longer had the stomach for it and resigned. They tried to talk me out of resigning (stepping down). Then they waited over three months before announcing it hoping I would still change my mind.
  
  I started out to prove it wasn't appointment by holy spirit and felt I proved it fully to myself. It was strictly politics and knowing who to do what for.
  
  My problem was that I am much too moral to be dogmatically preaching something I don't believe. The shepherding visits and counseling of individuals was what really got to me as in several cases these people were really trying to good and got totally trampled by the elder I was accompanying.
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  12

  Desperately seeking fade

  by 5thGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i really want out but keep going for personal reasons.. my question: has anyone else during their fade period gone off the school, quit do-t-do and just gone to the sunday meeting?.

  that's where i'm at right now but it's a living hell still 'being' a publisher but being a lump at the same time..

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  Gander

  Has anyone else during their fade period gone off the school, quit do-t-do and just gone to the Sunday meeting?
  The boat you describe is pretty much the one I am in. I have come to a place where I can get a great deal of physical and mental rest during my required "lump" time at the meetings.