Justitia Themis

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Posts by Justitia Themis

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  18

  Are You A Witness In Good Standing?

  by feenx in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everybody :)

  so i am curious about the jw's on here that are still in good standing.

  even after i was df'd i still had the brainwash in my head telling me not to go onto an internet site discussing jw issues.

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  Justitia Themis

  Yes.
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  22

  College problems for daughter

  by Stopthem in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i need electronic copies of anything in the watchtower or anything else speaking against college and higher education, preferably from the october 15 2005 wt and onward.

  my bright, intelligent 17-year-old daughter just informed me that she's decided against going to college because of all the garbage her kingdumb hall has told her.

  her mother started up going to jw about 4 years ago, and i guess i wasn't watching what they were doing to my daughter closely enough (but then, they don't want you to).

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  Justitia Themis

  ***

  g983/8pp.20-21DoestheBibleDiscourageEducation?***

  Carefully

  WeighingtheMatter

  Some Christians have found that pursuing additional education, in the form of either academic or vocational studies, has assisted them in caring for their family’s material needs. Caring for one’s family is proper, for ‘providing for one’s household’ is a sacred duty. (1 Timothy 5:8) Gaining the skills needed to do this is a matter of practical wisdom.

  However, those who feel the need to acquire more than a basic education to meet this objective should weigh both the benefits and the drawbacks. Potential benefits include being equipped to procure employment that enables a person to support himself and a family adequately while zealously pursuing the Christian ministry. In addition, he may be able to assist others in a material way, ‘having something to distribute to someone in need.’—Ephesians 4:28.

  What are some potential drawbacks? These may include being exposed to teachings that erode faith in God and in the Bible. Paul advised Christians to be wary of "the falsely called ‘knowledge’" and "the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men." (1 Timothy 6:20, 21; Colossians 2:8) Undeniably, exposure to some forms of education can be detrimental to the faith of a Christian. Those who consider additional training or studies should be aware of the risk of such harmful influences.

  Moses, who was "instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," maintained strong faith despite receiving an education that doubtless included polytheistic, God-dishonoring teachings. (Acts 7:22) Likewise, Christians today are careful not to succumb to unwholesome influences in whatever environment they find themselves.

  Another potential danger in pursuing additional education is that knowledge puffs up, or breeds conceit. (1 Corinthians 8:1) Many seek knowledge through education for selfish reasons, and even the sincere pursuit of knowledge could result in feelings of superiority and self-importance. Such attitudes displease God.—Proverbs 8:13.

  Consider the Pharisees. Members of this prominent religious sect prided themselves on their erudition and supposed righteousness. They were well-versed in the large body of rabbinic traditions, and they looked down on the common people, who were less educated, viewing them as ignorant, contemptible, even accursed. (John 7:49) Besides this, they loved money. (Luke 16:14) Their example shows that when pursued for wrong motives, education can make a person proud or lead to his being a lover of money. Therefore, in determining the type and amount of schooling to pursue, a Christian would do well to ask himself, ‘What are my motives?’

  A

  MatterofPersonalChoice

  Just as was true in the first century, a wide variety of educational backgrounds exist among Christians today. Under the guidance of their parents, young people who complete their obligatory schooling may choose to pursue additional secular education. Likewise, adults interested in improving their means of providing for their families may view such additional schooling as a viable means to that end. Some aspects of traditional academic education lay emphasis on developing general intellectual capacity rather than professional or vocational skills. Thus, a person may find that even after investing much time in acquiring such an education, he lacks marketable skills. For this reason, some choose to pursue studies in vocational programs or technical schools, with a view to more readily filling actual demands in the job market.

  At any rate, such decisions are of a personal nature. Christians ought not to criticize or judge one another on this matter. James wrote: "Who are you to be judging your neighbor?" (James 4:12) If a Christian is considering pursuing additional schooling, he would do well to examine hisown motives to make sure that selfish, materialistic interests are not the driving force.

  It is apparent that the Bible encourages a balanced view of education. Christian parents recognize the surpassing value of a spiritual education based on God’s inspired Word and give balanced counsel to their children regarding supplementary education. (2 Timothy 3:16) Being realistic about life, they acknowledge the value of secular education in gaining the skills necessary for their grown children to provide for themselves and their future families. Therefore, in determining whether supplementary education is to be pursued, and to what extent, each Christian can make sound personal decisions based on devotion to Jehovah God, which "is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come."—1 Timothy 4:8.
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  22

  College problems for daughter

  by Stopthem in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i need electronic copies of anything in the watchtower or anything else speaking against college and higher education, preferably from the october 15 2005 wt and onward.

  my bright, intelligent 17-year-old daughter just informed me that she's decided against going to college because of all the garbage her kingdumb hall has told her.

  her mother started up going to jw about 4 years ago, and i guess i wasn't watching what they were doing to my daughter closely enough (but then, they don't want you to).

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  Justitia Themis

  ***

  km4/99p.8pars.2-5"WhatShouldIDo?"***

  2

  Some youths become anxious when they look at the world’s economic situation and the forecasts for the future. They wonder: ‘Should I pursue additional secular education? Should I enter the full-time service right away?’ In order to make the right decision, a person needs to answer this question honestly, ‘What is my foremost interest in life?’ He must examine his motives.

  3

  What have you cultivated as your prime concern during your youth? Are you mainly interested in seeking financial advantage, or do you really want to use your life to advance Kingdom interests? A university degree does not guarantee success in the job market. As an alternative, many have acquired marketable job skills by means of apprenticeship programs, some vocational or technical school education, or short-term college courses that require a minimum of time and involvement.

  4

  TakeJehovahatHisWord: An all-important fact to consider is the assurance from Jehovah God that he will provide for those who put Kingdom interests first in life. (Matt. 6:33) This is not an idle promise. Many brothers attending the Ministerial Training School earned college degrees prior to learning the truth. But what were they doing for secular work? Very few were pursuing the career for which they had been educated. Many were working in service-oriented fields, caring very well for their financial needs while pioneering. By expanding their activity in the ministry, they are receiving blessings far beyond anything monetary.

  5

  In deciding what you should do after graduation from high school, weigh all the factors and examine your motives carefully. For a balanced view of your choices, consider such information as appeared in Awake! of March 8, 1998, pages 19-21. Speak with your parents, the elders, your circuit overseer, and successful pioneers in your area. That will help you make a wise decision about what you should do with your life.—Eccl. 12:1, 13.
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  22

  College problems for daughter

  by Stopthem in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i need electronic copies of anything in the watchtower or anything else speaking against college and higher education, preferably from the october 15 2005 wt and onward.

  my bright, intelligent 17-year-old daughter just informed me that she's decided against going to college because of all the garbage her kingdumb hall has told her.

  her mother started up going to jw about 4 years ago, and i guess i wasn't watching what they were doing to my daughter closely enough (but then, they don't want you to).

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  Justitia Themis

  ***

  w999/1pp.16-17Youths—TrainYourPerceptivePowers!***

  Discernment

  inPlanningYourEducation

  11

  The Bible says that it is wise to plan for the future. (Proverbs 21:5) Have you and your parents discussed your future? Perhaps you plan to enter the full-time ministry as a pioneer. Really, no career choice could bring greater satisfaction. If you are cultivating good study habits and developing skills in the ministry, you are preparing for this exciting career. Have you thought about how you will support yourself in the ministry? If, in the future, you choose to raise a family, will you be able to care for that added responsibility? Making balanced, realistic decisions about such things requires the use of perceptive powers.

  12

  In some places it is still possible to get on-the-job training in a useful skill or profession. There are youths who learn the family business or receive training from adult friends who have businesses. Others take courses at school that will be useful in earning a living later. Where such opportunities are not available, after careful thought parents may arrange for their children to receive some supplementary education after high school. Planning ahead in this way so as to care for adult responsibilities and especially so as to be able to share in the pioneer service over the long term is not incompatible with putting God’s Kingdom first. (Matthew 6:33) And supplementary education does not rule out pioneering. One young Witness, for example, had wanted to pioneer for a long time. After she finished high school, her parents—regular pioneers themselves—arranged for her to have some supplementary education. She was able to pioneer while she received her schooling, and now she has a skill with which she supports herself as she continues pioneering.

  13

  In the matter of supplementary education, each family has the right and responsibility to make its own decision. When such education is well chosen, it can be helpful. It can, though, be a trap. If you are considering such education, what is your goal? Is it to prepare yourself to handle adult responsibilities in an honorable way? Or are you "seeking great things for yourself"? (Jeremiah 45:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Timothy 5:8; 6:9) What about pursuing supplementary education away from home, perhaps living on a campus? Would that be wise in view of Paul’s warning that "bad associations spoil useful habits"? (1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Timothy 2:22) Remember, too, that "the time left is reduced." (1 Corinthians 7:29) How much time will you devote to such education? Will it consume the bulk of your youthful years? If so, how will you apply the Bible’s encouragement to "remember, now, your Grand Creator in the days of your young manhood"? (Ecclesiastes 12:1) Further, will the courses you take allow time for such vital Christian activities as meeting attendance, field service, and personal study? (Matthew 24:14; Hebrews 10:24, 25) If your perceptive powers are keen, you will never lose sight of spiritual goals as you and your parents plan for your future.
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  30

  Most Witnesses Don't Know the "Current Truth" on Matthew 5:5!

  by deaconbluez in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  matthew 5:5: "happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.".

  if you ask most witnesses what this verse means, they will say that it means those who are meek/mild/humble will be given the earth as a reward to live forever on.

  i was surprised to find out that this is not the official watchtower teaching of that verse.

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  Justitia Themis

  I now have the opportunity to go back and systematically review the cd-rom for Matt. 5:5. It appears they now may be linking Psalms 37 :29 to Matthew. But I can't find one incident of them linking Ps. 37:11 to Matthew 5:5.

  ***

  w0010/15pp.17-18par.8WhatGod’sKingdomWillDo***

  8

  Summing up the grand hope for those who want to live forever on earth, Jesus said: "Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5) Likely he was referring to Psalm 37:29, which foretold: "The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it." Jesus knew that it was Jehovah’s purpose to have righthearted ones live on a paradise earth forever. Jehovah says: "I myself have made the earth, mankind and the beasts that are upon the surface of the earth by my great power . . . , and I have given it to whom it has proved right in my eyes."—Jeremiah 27:5.
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  30

  Most Witnesses Don't Know the "Current Truth" on Matthew 5:5!

  by deaconbluez in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  matthew 5:5: "happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.".

  if you ask most witnesses what this verse means, they will say that it means those who are meek/mild/humble will be given the earth as a reward to live forever on.

  i was surprised to find out that this is not the official watchtower teaching of that verse.

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  Justitia Themis

  Can you present any WTBTS quotes in which they apply Matt.5:5 to the great crowd?
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  30

  Most Witnesses Don't Know the "Current Truth" on Matthew 5:5!

  by deaconbluez in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  matthew 5:5: "happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.".

  if you ask most witnesses what this verse means, they will say that it means those who are meek/mild/humble will be given the earth as a reward to live forever on.

  i was surprised to find out that this is not the official watchtower teaching of that verse.

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  Justitia Themis

  Oompa, I agree with Deaconbluez. In reviewing the cd-rom, I can't find a single instance of Matt. 5:5 being applied to the great crowd.
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  13

  Now it is real! Generation U-turn: New Light coming in February Watchtower!

  by pElE the King in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello folks, .

  just to let you know that jaracz had a 1 day visit this week to london bethel to explain the brother there is a new understanding coming on the fig tree illustration that will clarify our view on the generation that will not pass.

  he haven't told anything else, but the point will be on the study watchtower of february.

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  Justitia Themis

  Here is the current understanding, so we will have something with which to compare:

  ***

  w035/15pp.25-26EachOneWillSitUnderHisFigTree***

  In his illustration of the unproductive fig tree, Jesus showed God’s patience with the Jewish nation. As noted earlier, he spoke of a certain man who had a fig tree in his vineyard. The tree had been unproductive for three years, and the owner was about to have it cut down. But the vinedresser said: "Master, let it alone also this year, until I dig around it and put on manure; and if then it produces fruit in the future, well and good; but if not, you shall cut it down."—Luke 13:8, 9.

  When Jesus gave this illustration, he had already been preaching for three years, endeavoring to cultivate faith among members of the Jewish nation. Jesus intensified his activity, "fertilizing" the symbolic fig tree—the Jewish nation—and affording it an opportunity to produce fruit. The week before Jesus died, however, it became evident that the nation in general had rejected the Messiah.—Matthew 23:37, 38.

  Once again Jesus used the fig tree to illustrate the bad spiritual state of the nation. While traveling from Bethany to Jerusalem four days before his death, he saw a fig tree that had abundant leaves but no fruit whatsoever. Since the early figs appear along with the leaves—and sometimes even before the leaves develop—the tree’s lack of fruit showed that it was worthless.—Mark 11:13, 14.

  Like the unproductive fig tree that looked healthy, the Jewish nation had a deceptive outward appearance. But it had not produced godly fruitage, and it finally rejected Jehovah’s own Son. Jesus cursed the sterile fig tree, and on the following day, the disciples noticed that it had already withered. That dried-up tree aptly signified God’s forthcoming rejection of the Jews as his chosen people.—Mark 11:20, 21.

  "Learn

  FromtheFigTree"

  Jesus also used the fig tree to teach an important lesson about his presence. He said: "Learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. Likewise also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near at the doors." (Matthew 24:32, 33) The fig tree’s bright-green leaves are a noticeable and unmistakable harbinger of summer. Likewise, Jesus’ great prophecy recorded in Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13, and Luke chapter 21 provides clear evidence of his presence now in heavenly Kingdom power.—Luke 21:29-31.

  Since we are living at such a crucial time in history, surely we want to learn from the fig tree. If we do so and keep awake spiritually, we have the hope of experiencing the fulfillment of the grand promise: "They will actually sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making them tremble; for the very mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken it."—Micah 4:4.
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  30

  Most Witnesses Don't Know the "Current Truth" on Matthew 5:5!

  by deaconbluez in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  matthew 5:5: "happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.".

  if you ask most witnesses what this verse means, they will say that it means those who are meek/mild/humble will be given the earth as a reward to live forever on.

  i was surprised to find out that this is not the official watchtower teaching of that verse.

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  Justitia Themis

  And here I thought possession was 9/10 of the law. Apparently, that other 1/10 is very, very important...like the 10th of the mint important. :)
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  30

  Most Witnesses Don't Know the "Current Truth" on Matthew 5:5!

  by deaconbluez in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  matthew 5:5: "happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.".

  if you ask most witnesses what this verse means, they will say that it means those who are meek/mild/humble will be given the earth as a reward to live forever on.

  i was surprised to find out that this is not the official watchtower teaching of that verse.

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  Justitia Themis

  Do you think they are "revising" their understanding?

  ***

  w0312/1pp.13-14par.20"TakeExquisiteDelightinJehovah"***

  Then, "the meek ones themselves will possess the earth." (Psalm 37:11a) But who are these "meek ones"? The word translated "meek" comes from a root word meaning "afflict, humble, humiliate." Yes, "the meek ones" are those who humbly wait on Jehovah to right all the injustices inflicted upon them. "They will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11b) Even now we find an abundance of peace in the spiritual paradise associated with the true Christian congregation.

  *********Never mind. I just noticed that in this article, they switched scriptures in this paragraph's application to Ps. 37:11 Very, very tricky!!!!