Posts by Justitia Themis

this is a spin-off question from my last topic on family studies, but i once read on this forum that several sisters in a hall who are still active, complained that their husbands weren't taking the lead spiritually.

they were neglecting meetings, studies and field service.. if you're still going to meetings, do you hear anything like this being brought up?.

husbands, how did you deal with your wife accusing you of not taking the lead?.

Justitia Themis

It seems the sisters are more willing to take the lead than their husbands!

I suspect it is a nationwide phenomemon at least. I know an annointed sister whose theory it is that Jehovah placed men in the lead simply to force them the engage somewhat in spiritual activities. Otherwise, she feels men would abdicate all their responsibilities, and the women would end up doing everything. Gee...and they thought it was because they were so special!

29

Mars bars made with blood

by 5thGeneration in

jw
friends

anyone remember back 15 years or so ago when some brothers used to think mars bars were made with lecithin derived from blood .. we had a sister call the company and interrogate them.

funny.. .

Justitia Themis

...reminds me of an experience my daughter had while working as a waitress at Outback during her college years. A sister came in and asked that her steak be cook "very well done" so that it didn't have any "red juice," because she is one of Jehovah's Witnesses and we don't eat blood.

Justitia

2

JW Fertility Rate No Threat to European Secularism

by Justitia Themis in

http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7913 "breeding for god.".

they have a point.

phillip longman is correct to identify religious fertility as important, but has neglected the "apostasy" side of the equation.

Justitia Themis

http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7913 "Breeding for God."

They have a point. Phillip Longman is correct to identify religious fertility as important, but has neglected the "apostasy" side of the equation. If fertility is always the main mechanism of social change, we would expect much higher populations of Amish, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and other sects with very high fertility. Yet we know that these sects suffer high "defection" rates—even the Mormons lose a higher percentage of their children than most American denominations. A religious population is more porous than an ethnic population, because conversion or abandonment of the faith can take place rapidly and easily. And as long as the rate of abandonment is high enough to compensate for the religious fertility advantage, there is no threat to secularism. European data show that the religious have had a demographic advantage over their secular counterparts for several generations, but also that this advantage has been balanced out by the secularisation of many of the children of Europe's faithful. Bearing this in mind, I developed a more nuanced model of religious change that accounts for both religious fertility and abandonment of faith in Europe.

Justitia Themis

14

End of Religion Tract Posted on Official Website

by Justitia Themis in

http://www.watchtower.org/asl/article_01.htm

Justitia Themis

http://www.watchtower.org/asl/article_01.htm

15

Anyone in the SALT LAKE CITY area?

by What-A-Coincidence in

jw
friends

??

?

Justitia Themis

...years ago. Sugarhouse Congregation

15

Laying the groundwork for dumping the "1935 anointed cutoff" date?

by sir82 in

jw
friends

the next domino to fall in the society's muddled chronology-based teachings is very likely to be the concept that the "general call" for anointed members of the 144,000 ended in 1935, when the "great crowd" was identified.

after 2+ decades of seeing the number of "memorial partakers" hover in the mid-8000's, when actuarially speaking the number can't really be more than a few hundred at most, the society needs to do something (as in, change the teaching, just as the passing of time necessitated a change to the "1914 generation" teaching).. at our circuit assembly this past weekend, i heard something which makes me think the society may already be laying the groundwork for this "new light".

the public talk included "4 lines of evidence" that we are living in "the last days".

Justitia Themis

***

w001/15pp.12-13"KeepontheWatch"***

Six

ConvincingLinesofEvidence

13

First,weclearlyseethefulfillmentoftheapostlePaul’sprophecyconcerning"thelastdays." Paul wrote: "In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. But wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled." (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13) Do we not see this prophecy being fulfilled in our day? Only those who ignore the facts can deny it!

14

Second,weseetheeffectsoftheousterofSatanandhisdemonsfromheaven,infulfillmentofRevelation12:9. There, we read: "Down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him." This has resulted in great woe for the earth. Truly, there has been much woe for mankind, particularly since 1914. But the prophecy in Revelation adds that when the Devil is cast down to the earth, he knows that "he has a short period of time." (Revelation 12:12) During this period, Satan wages war with the anointed followers of Christ. (Revelation 12:17) We certainly have seen the effects of his attack in our time. Soon, however, Satan will be confined in the abyss so that "he might not mislead the nations anymore."—Revelation 20:1-3.

15

Third,wearelivinginthetimeoftheeighthandfinal"king"mentionedintheprophecyrecordedatRevelation17:9-11. Here the apostle John mentions seven kings, representing seven world powers—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Anglo-American dual world power. He also sees "an eighth king" that "springs from the seven." This eighth king—the last one that John envisions—now represents the United Nations. John says that this eighth king "goes off into destruction," after which no further earthly kings are mentioned.

16

Fourth,wearelivingintheperiodsymbolizedbythefeetofNebuchadnezzar’sdreamimage. The prophet Daniel interpreted this mysterious dream of an enormous image in human form. (Daniel 2:36-43) The four metallic parts of the image represent various world powers, beginning with the head (the Babylonian Empire) and extending down to the feet and toes (the governments that are ruling today). All the world powers represented in that image have made their appearance. We are living in the period symbolized by the feet of the image. No mention is made of other powers to come.

17

Fifth,weseeaglobalpreachingworkbeingaccomplished,whichJesussaidwouldtakeplacejustbeforetheendofthissystem. Jesus stated: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14) Today, that prophecy is in the course of fulfillment on an unprecedented scale. True, untouched territories still exist, and it may be that in Jehovah’s due time, a large door leading to greater activity will open. (1 Corinthians 16:9) Nevertheless, the Bible does not state that Jehovah will wait until every individual on earth has received a personal witness. Rather, the good news must be preached to Jehovah’s satisfaction. Then the end will come.—Compare Matthew 10:23.

18

Sixth,thenumberofgenuineanointeddisciplesofChristisdwindling,thoughsomewillevidentlystillbeonearthwhenthegreattribulationbegins. Most of the remnant are quite elderly, and over the years the number of those who are truly anointed has been getting smaller. Yet, referring to the great tribulation, Jesus stated: "Unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short." (Matthew 24:21, 22) Evidently, then, some of Christ’s "chosen ones" will still be on earth when the great tribulation begins.

66

Some incredible new publisher statistics and Graphs

by jwfacts in

i have been doing some analysis on the declining growth rates of the watchtower society and they are very encouraging for all ex jws.

i will try to link to some of them below, but for the firefox users or anyone wanting to see the source table they can all be seen at http://jwfacts.com/index_files/statistics.htm.

number baptised compared to increases in publishers and number that have stopped publishing.

Justitia Themis

From jwfacts website:

A reason given for why the Last Days have continued for so long is that Jehovah “desires all to attain to repentance.” If, as the Watchtower Society says, only active Jehovah’s Witnesses will be saved then this scripture does not make sense. Everyday on average over 200,000 people are born, but the number of active Jehovah’s Witnesses increases by only 224 (2005 daily increase in average publishers). That would mean that each day Armageddon is delayed there is an extra 200,000 people that Jehovah will be required to destroy.

This is almost precisely my comment at bookstudy two weeks ago. I did use cruder language. I said that IF we choose to embrace this belief, then everyday Jehovah delays Armageddon the only thing accomplished is that the "body count" goes up.

...stunned faces....

25

Tyre shall never be rebuilt. Failed prophecy?

by GBSJG in

according to ezekiel 26:14 tyre will never be rebuilt after it is destroyed.

the society says that after nebuchadrezzar alexander the great came and finally destroyed tyre.

but in insight on the scriptures they also mention that tyre was rebuilt and later jesus and paul go to tyre.

Justitia Themis

***

it-2p.1136Tyre***

Mentioned

intheGreekScriptures. Despite the city’s total destruction by Alexander, it was rebuilt during the Seleucid period, and in the first century C.E. it was a prominent port of call on the Mediterranean. During Jesus’ great Galilean ministry, a number of people from around Tyre and Sidon came to hear his message and to be cured of their diseases. (Mr 3:8-10; Lu 6:17-19) Some months later Jesus personally visited the region around Tyre, on which occasion he cured the demon-possessed child of a Syrophoenician woman. (Mt 15:21-29; Mr 7:24-31) Jesus observed that, had he performed in Tyre and Sidon the powerful works that he did in Chorazin and Bethsaida, the pagans of Tyre and Sidon would have been more responsive than those Jews.—Mt 11:20-22; Lu 10:13, 14.

44

The WTS fornicating with CESNUR

by greendawn in

jw
friends

the wts is a member of cesnur an organisation that seeks to promote new religions and to oppose anti cult actions by governments on the grounds that these are attacks on personal and religious freedom.

surprise surprise the other members of this organisation make up a strange brood: mormons, scientologists, new agers, ramtha's school of ancient wisdom, etc.

clearly the wts that criticises mainstream christianity so much chooses to join forces with such dubious religions in cesnur.

Justitia Themis

I must be overlooking something here. Would someone please help me? When I reviewed the posted link, it said the paper (talk) was written about Jehovah's Witnesses, by John Brown, of the Pagan Unity Campaign, Tucson, Az. Do we know for sure that the WTBTS participated in this most recent meeting, as it appears they did in 1998?

Justitia