garybuss has contacts in Bethel. If this is really true, I'm sure he would be able to verify it. You could bump this thread once in a while, or PM garybuss and ask him if he knows anything.
Posts by Arthur
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29High Ranking JWs removed from ministry?
by jimbo ina freind that listens to srn (salem radio news network) said she heard a news blurb today about several high ranking jws being removed over sex scandal.
any one else heard anything???
she indicated brooklyn ny as the location.
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91
New Stupid Assembly Rules
by WTWizard ini have heard on this discussion board numerous rules that apply to upcoming a$$emblies.
some are designed to stop people from meeting the opposite sex; others, to make sure everyone is always ready to recruit new members into the scam.
i heard that some km inserts have been urging those whose congregation has cleaning assignments to sit in the section that they are assigned to clean.
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Arthur
I think I'm going to have a confrontation with one of those sign-holding 'tards. A few DCs ago, some sign-holding 'tard got on my case because I looked over the ramp edge to the drones below.
Hey Nose. You should make your own sign just like the attendants carry that says: "PLEASE MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS"
This reminds of an idea that I had a while back when I was still a JW. I wanted to make some signs that were identical to the ones that attendants carry around, but that say different messages such as:
PLEASE KEEP MOVING, YOU CATTLE
SHUT THE F*** UP, PLEASE
DO YOU WANT TO SCORE SOME?
THIS SIGN MAKES ME FEEL IMPORTANT
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54
My Spiritual Awakening has turned to........
by AK - Jeff ingeneral apathy about religion.. i don't know precisely when it happened.
but at some point i began to stop needing anything 'organized' in my life religiously.
not too long ago - as attested to by multiple threads i started here - i was still wishing to replace the ritual of religion at the kingdom hall with some other church.
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Arthur
Yet if you really say you want to replace going to the meeting with something, why dont you keep going and associating with those friends in the Hall that can help you overcome this issue.
Well gee whiz - I guess this poster has it all figured out Jeff. I guess this would apply equally to those who leave groups like the Church of Scientology. If such a former member feels the discomfort and emotional confusion from their departure, they should just continue to associate with the other Scientologists until they are able to overcome such issues.
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Arthur
Okay folks, I don't intend to be disrespectful to any individuals, but I think that this thread has gone way beyond the boundary of rediculous. This thread is approaching 20 pages of tit-for-tat name-calling, personal gibes, and juvenile insults. I don't think that the debate over 607/587 went on as long as this one is. Die thread, die!
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147
Atheists, Why the Anger?
by XJW4EVR inok, so you deny the existence of a god, or you lack belief in a god.
my question why do you get so angry over a mythical being?
no one gets as upset over the tooth fairy, santa claus or the easter bunny, as i have seen some of the atheists on this board get over the slightest mention of god.
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Arthur
In my own personal interactions, I haven't noticed any particular anger on the part of atheists unless they feel that they are being proselytized to.
I have corresponded with several people on this forum via PM who are atheists. I am sure that they know I am a Christian. We have always had friendly interactions in our PMs. I would say that our mutual respect toward one another as individuals, and an appreciation for things which we have in common has made this possible.
I think that the real problem lies with one trying to paint one's belief in God, or belief in no-God as some sort of mental defficiency or defect of character. This is where these debates descend into insults and anger. In my own personal opinion, I feel that debates between Godly believers and atheists are a zero-sum game.
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48
Comments You Will Not Hear at the 5-20-07 WT Review (Humbly Submit)
by blondie inhumbly submitting to loving shepherds.
*** w87 6/15 p. 15 par.
500-501 par.
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Arthur
I would like to say something about congregation elders that is important. Often, they are not at fault for some of the issues in the congregations because they must submit to organizational instructions and policies, regardless of how they might truly feel on a matter. I believe that the elders are micro-managed by the legalism of the organization which prevents them from fulfilling their true potential as shepherds. Elders can be removed if they do not fall in line with policies that are dictated to them by the headquarters. An prime example of this is in the organizational pedophile policies, of which people like Bill Bowen are quite aware.
I know of many elders who are wonderful people, but their hands are tied, in a sense by organizational policies. They are not able to give nearly as much attention to shepherding as they wanted to, because they were so busy with the business functions of being an elder. And now, with the new conductor guidelines that have been issued, elders are further restricted in their attempts to make meeting parts and studies more educational and stimulating.
I think that the elder bodies are just cogs in the wheels of the big beauracracy of the organization; much like the r & f. I think that it is this authoritarian; top-down business model of the organization that stifles the elder bodies in many ways. The idea that the Watchtower organization is a close reflection of first-century Christianity is a joke.
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Moral and upright but substandard
by greendawn ini recall how the fds was castigating those that didn't do any field service making them out to be spiritually dead though otherwise they may well be very moral and responsible people.
and the intimidation that those who do not support the kingdom ie do not preach will be punished by the angels during the time of the end.
they have hidden the money their master gave them, they are lazy and worthless slaves deseving of punishment.
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Arthur
The problem is they identify the kingdom of god with their own corporation so that the R&F end up working for them when they think they work for God's kingdom.
Agreed greendawn. To preach that salvation comes through organizational membership, constitutes preaching a new gospel; something that the apostle Paul condemned. An excellent Scriptural passage is in 1Corinthians chapter 12. Paul discusses the Body of Christ, and relates how different members would serve in different capaciites, much like the physical body. In verses4 and 5, Paul writes: "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served." ( Good News Translation ) The message in chapter 12 shoots down the notion that Christians are to subjugate themselves to an organizationally programmed treadmill of works where they must all march in lock-step conformity with the organization.
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48
Comments You Will Not Hear at the 5-20-07 WT Review (Humbly Submit)
by blondie inhumbly submitting to loving shepherds.
*** w87 6/15 p. 15 par.
500-501 par.
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Arthur
I would encourage everyone to go out and buy the book: Churches That Abuseby Ronald M. Enroth. Enroth spent many years researching Bible cults and abusive churches. You will find striking similarities in some of these groups with the Watchtower organization. He even prints excerpts from some of these group's newsletters and periodicals which sound eerily similar to WT study articles.
As always, blondie, you have done an excellent job. I think that you can now consider yourself a card-carrying member of the "Evil Slave Class".
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94
Why 6 Billion People Deserve to Die in Armageddon
by Leolaia injehovah is such a righteous, merciful, loving god -- slow to anger, overflowing with loving kindness and blessing.
yet it somehow bothers many of you that he will shortly execute his judgment on mankind and wipe out 99.9% of the world's population, as if that somehow is supposed to conflict with his loving qualities.
personally, i have no idea why many of you feel this way.
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Arthur
What kind of denial does a person have to be in to feel so joyous at the wanton slaughter of 99.9% of the world's population. Is it, "Oh boy, now I will get my own pet lion??!!!!"
It is also the fact that they will have a nice big house next to a waterfall. They will get to lay in their hammock and eat grapes from their very own vineyard, while pandas and peacocks roam through their yard. As for those "wicked ones" who were slaughtered by the "Great Theocrat"? Bah! Their corpses are serving the purpose of fertilizing their grape vines!
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15
For Those Raised in "Da Troof" Would Your Life Had Been Better If...
by XJW4EVR inyou had been raised by the same family, but in a different religion, or non-religious home?
i am not addressing birthdays or holidays.
i am thinking about everyday life.. the reason i ask, is that so much of our parents problems may have been caused, or enhanced by "da troof.
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Arthur
It's a mixed bag. My childhood was so much better than so many people that I know. I am glad that I was raised with strong discipline and morals. I think that my upbringing allowed me to avoid the problems of drugs, jail, and fathering out of wedlock children. I can only wonder what kind of people I would have gotten mixed up with. There is a very good chance I could have been sitting in a prison cell right now.
On the other hand, I was socially isolated and didn't develop very good social skills. I desperately wanted to get involved in sports when I was in school, and I know that I would have excelled. The indoctrination of the WTS made me give up the idea of going to college, and it also instilled a very sick and twisted concept of God in me.
Looking at the big picture, my life has been so much better than most people. I have personal friends who has a terrible upbringing: physical and sexual abuse, drugs, etc. I think the most important thing for me is to feel grateful for what I have been blessed with in my life, as it could have been much worse.