Posts by Arthur

28

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 7-15-07 WT Study (Grayheadedness)

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 7-15-07 wt study (june 1, 2007, pages 21-25)thriving during grayheadness)).

review comments will be in red.

wt material from today's wt will be in black.

Arthur

Watchtower circular reasoning, platitudes, coercion and sloganeering is enough to make anyone grayheaded after a while.

25

Why doesn't Satan use the old "talking snake" anymore?

by gymbob in

jw
friends

if you ask any j-dub why jehovah doesn't do miracles anymore these days they would probably say something like, "god doesn't need to do that anymore" or something along that line.

so what about satan?.

at a time when he's suppose to have been cast down to the earth and knowing full well he has a short period of time, why doesn't he pull out the miracles again?

According to Watchtowerism, Satan doesn't need to use such primative methods as talking snakes, when he has an entire world system to "speak" for him. According to Dub-doctrine, Satan is indeed speaking through several of his proxies, such as Babylon the Great, universities, the scientific community, the internet, apostates, and of course: Deepak Chopra.

2

Jehovahs Witnesses: Missing Persons Report Nationwide A.P.B

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

jehovahs witnesses: missing persons report nationwide a.p.bdear friends: .

this letter comes to you inspired by the show unsolved mysteries.

difficult and heartbreaking aspect of leaving the organization was leaving .

Arthur

You look like Donny Osmond in that picture.

26

Ooo-oo-ooO! Picture!!! Tucson Apostafest!!! :-O

by Kudra in

jw
friends

here is the picture of (left to right) confession, misanthropic, kudra, specte and menemene:.

tada!.

i see a red x!.

Arthur

I look like I am having lower gastrointestinal problems in that picture. Please, that is not an accurate representation of Kudra.

LOL - Well Kudra, I still think you're very attractive.

20

The 144,000...How do JWs get that only 144K are going to Heaven?

by A-Team in

...using bible scripture (i knwo they can quote whatever the wts says about it, but im trying to understand how do they come to that conclusng using bible verses.

also, in doing a little research, there is something very interesting that came up, and i never ever hear this from the jw.

they always claim that the 12 tribes in rev.

Arthur

That is a good question! Why do they think that only the 144,000 should partake and go to heaven. Why not all who believe in Christ partake heavenly, earthly, or hell boy class! I like Hell boy!

Even if the two-class system were true, there is still no solid Scriptural justification for teaching that the earthly class are not to partake. The Scriptures indicate that all of those who put faith in Jesus' ransom sacrifice would partake. When Jesus said to "keep doing this in rememberance of me", he never indicated that this was reserved for one distinct class. It is striking that something this important would have been left unsaid by Christ himself. There is nothing in Scripture to indicate that people who attended the Lord's Evening Meal were to just idly sit there as "observers", as the Watchtower asserts.

There are other religions that teach the two-class, or "two-tiered" system (Seventh Day Adventists, Christadelphians). Such doctrinal constructions usually always employ some very creative interpretative methods, as well as bold statements that certain verses of the NT don't really mean what they say (such as Romans chapter 8 and 1John 5:1).

43

Do Witnesses have a Stronger Brotherhood than Christendom Does?

by gumby in

this came up in discussion between me and a fellow ex-dub buddy of mine.. as jw's, we had a brotherly unity.....at least many of us did.

if we were going somewhere and needed a witness to watch our place....even stay at our place, we had no reserves about being ripped off by them.

they were closer than some families members oftentimes and we even preferred being around them as opposed to "wordly" family members.

Arthur

There is no doubt that true, genuine love is a major characteristic among most JWs. However, to assert that this love is absent from "Christendom" or other organizations is absolutely false. I have attended a local non-denominational church near my home for a while. It is a racially diverse church, and there is certainly a genuine love and affection that is on the same level that I have seen in the Kingdom Halls.

I have also attended various other spiritual groups over the last few years. I can say that there is a very genuine love in those places that even surpasses what I have seen in most Kingdom Halls.

Genuine love and brotherhood are not exclusive to any religion, church, or organization. Some organizations (for their own self-elevating purposes) however, would have people believe that it is.

23

Kudos to the Christians/Believers on JWD. (seriously)

by Open mind in

first off i'd like to say that the title of this thread is not tongue-in-cheek.

i remember a thread from ak-jeff a couple months ago where he observed how some posters develop a condescending attitude towards christians and how that made him feel like he didn't really fit in here.

i'm sure that may have come across (unintentionally) in some of my recent threads where i've related my arrival at agnosticism/atheism.

Arthur

The way I see it; Christianity is about the way one engages with the world around them; not a devotion to doctrines, creeds, or dogmas. I think there is something very wrong with any doctrinal systems that allow followers to ignore the concepts of charity, love of neighbor (including members of other religions) as long as they adhere to "correct teachings", "are saved", or are "born again". I feel that I have retained the Christian faith, although I can say that I do not label myself by any denomination or even by any label such as "born again", "evangelical", or "fundamentalist". The message that Jesus preached was deeply profound, and simple at the same time - love God with one's whole heart, and love one's neighbor as oneself. It is very easy to lose this, and allow dogma to cause one to miss the forrest for the trees.

I think that many religions besides JWs have lost this basic dictum in the pursuit of devotion and allegiance to organizations, doctrines, and ecclesiastical bodies. It is very notable that Jesus left so much unsaid on seeming important matters. This should have a humbling effect on those who strive to follow his teachings.

13

Old Testament figure named on 2600-year-old tablet

by whereami in

i wonder if this will do anything to help settle the 607 vs' 587 debate.. the british museum yesterday hailed a discovery within a clay tablet in its collection as a breakthrough for biblical archeology - proof of the accuracy of the old testament.. .

the cuneiform inscription in a tablet dating from 595bc has been deciphered for the first time - revealing a reference to an official at the court of nebuchadnezzar, king of babylon, that proves the historical existence of a figure mentioned in the book of jeremiah.

it is rare evidence in a non-biblical source of a real person, other than kings, featured in the bible.

Arthur

I wonder if this will do anything to help settle the 607 vs' 587 debate.

Has any of the documented evidence of the holocaust changed the mind of holocaust deniers?

10

Can a JW have a relationship with a non-JW(me)

by geotsou in

if the girl is baptized already really into it, is there any way she could build a relationship with me?

do i even have a chance to develop something with her or is it just a castle made of sand?

Arthur

It might work out if the two of you never had children together. Consider these questions:

Would it be okay with you if your child was never allowed to celebrate their birthday - which includes you being prohibited from buying them birthday presents?
Would it be okay with you if you were instructed never to buy your child a Christmas present?
Would it be okay with you if your child was not allowed to play any after-school sports?
Would it be okay with you if your child was taught that it was wrong to go to college?
Would it be okay with you if your child was taught that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914, that he governs a publishing company in Brooklyn, and that all non-JWs are going to be destroyed at Armageddon, which includes . . . uhmm . . . you?

4

Add another one to the list of Kingdumb Halls

by lavendar in

jw
friends

well, there's a brand new kh that was just built on the main road close to where we live.

we have to pass by it every day on our way into town.

now, i have this "lovely" daily reminder that my son is being brainwashed into this cult.

Arthur

The thing I thought was funny was they placed these redundant signs at the entrance that read JW PARKING.

Well, this does make sense in a way. With all of the four-door vehicles that were parked there, someone may have erroneously thought that it was a Budget Rent-A-Car lot.