Posts by sparky1

50

How old is old?

by joey jojo in

having a conversation with a pimi elder and i asked him how he deals with the fact that he never expected to get old.

i get the feeling that some dubs still have the original generation explanation hard-wired, even though they claim to accept the new version.

so my question is, how old do you have to be to be considered old?

sparky1

You are old when you find out 'that it takes all night to do once, what you once did all night'.

14

Why are the Jehovah's Witness Tennis players allowed to "serve two master"?

by I_love_Jeff in

jw broadcasting sept 2019 issue commentary.

according to the jw in the sept 2019 episode, the ukrainian soccer player andriy nesmachniy (go to 1:04:14 in the video) "abandoned" his career for jehovah????

he retired at 32 years old, the normal retirement age among soccer players.

sparky1

"Don't have two different scales. You must not have one that weighs things heavier than they really are and another that weighs them lighter than they are." - Deuteronomy 25:13 NIRV

Nothing new here. In Jehovah's Organization, it's not what you are but 'who you are'. There have always been two classes...the in crowd and everyone else. A different set of judging criteria (scales) for one group over and against the other.

24

Anthony Morris looking for members with construction skills..Now and after Armageddon

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

here is a screenshot from a youtube video (521 and the circus continues) where anthony morris blasts post-secondary college & university education.

''we will not need doctors or lawyers after armageddon.

so, anthony...what occupations do the society need '' today'' and after armageddon?

sparky1

This is the only 'diploma of higher education' deemed valid in Tony's eyes!

19

Is it me or does Stephen Lett come across......

by JimmyYoung in

i get the feelings that stephen lett tries to come across as mr. rogers but there are times it oozes through that he is a lot more dominant and controlling then he lets on.

.

sparky1

Hey, DOC...I have great memories of BOZO the clown. I was on his show live in 1962 when I was 7 years old at his studio in Boston. There was an old urban legend about why the Bozo Show went from being live to a video tape delay. Bozo would ask kids live what their favorite joke was and one kid 'blindsided' him with an off color joke. Supposedly it went like this:

Kid: How do you get a squirrel to come down from a tree?

Bozo: I don't know little boy. How?

Kid: Pull down your pants and show him your 'nuts'!

Bozo could take a joke. Stephen Lett is a joke.

49

What Did You Do With All Your Meeting Clothes?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i literally had dozens of suits.

i still have more dress clothes than anyone i know.

i did give some suits and clothing away and to be honest, i still like wearing a nice suit.. brothers and sisters, are all your “ meeting clothes” still in your closet?

sparky1

I donated much of my clothing to a homeless shelter.It probably helped some people in a practical manner more than handing them a tract and telling them 'to keep warm and well fed'.

25

What was the retirement plans you heard brothers talk about if any

by JimmyYoung in

i know some would not think about retirement.

i had one brother who would pioneer as he could afford and when he paid off his home he was about to collect social security.

he made enough that his plan was to work two to three days a week and pioneer the rest of the week.

sparky1

I never learned a thing from any active witness about how to plan for retirement. My financial literacy came from reading books and listening to financial gurus. The Jehovah's Witness religion is irresponsible in advocating that their followers not plan for the future but rather rely on god.

I sold my partnership interest in my business when I was 47 years old and semi retired.

I lent back some working capital to the new owners and have been receiving monthly interest only installments ever since. I get my full capital investment back when they sell the business.

I will receive 80 to 85 % of the MAXIMUM for social security depending on when I apply for it.

I have a 401k plan in place as I work part time in my old company. The plan is in American Funds.

I have a personal ROTH IRA at JANUS-HENDERSON.

I have an Annuity at MODERN WOODMEN of AMERICA.

I have a brokerage account at FIDELITY.

I have $$$ invested in laddered CD'S that pay me dividends on a monthly basis.

Not one Witness ever, ever, ever gave me advice on how to plan for retirement. It's a good thing. If I had listened to any one of them I would probably be broke right now.

15

Double Standard of Proof

by neat blue dog in

there's a new article about john the baptist (not sure why they reverted to baptist instead of the modern english 'baptizer'), and it goes into several areas of his life followed by quotes from josephus showing that these specific things were historically documented.

the article is summarized by saying:.

the first-century historian josephus viewed john the baptist as a real person.

sparky1

"Josephus also said that Jesus was killed on a cross." - neat blue dog

Absolutely correct. "He was the Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross..." - ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS Chapter 3 Subsection 3 Josephus Complete Works 1983 edition

"he was a captured jewish rebel who worked his way up society Rome where he wrote about seeing Caesar ascend to heaven." - Simon

Could you tell me which one of the works of Josephus that this is found in so that I can post the direct quote here and help to show how unreliable Josephus was. Thanks.

52

How Much of the WT Teaching Did You Believe?

by Ding in

some people on this forum have said that they never really believed any aspect of wt teaching, that they couldn't wait to get free of it all.. others seems to have been really gung ho, believing it all until something happened that got you questioning "the truth.".

i would say my own high water mark was about 50%, which put me squarely on the fence, trying to decide if i should be in or out.. how about you?.

sparky1

0%. I was raised in the religion and thought it was garbage from very early childhood. However, the ten commandments and Jesus' teachings about brotherly love and compassion resonated with me.

32

How it will end for the believers

by iankiptoo in

today, many signs have been fulfilled showing that we are in the end times and much has been said in regards to armageddon, tribulation... etc but little in regards to what happens to those who believe and what transitions them to be free and escape from all that to the final destination.

this is my focus and message is based on that.in creation, there were two trees at the centre of the garden of eden and we are familiar with what happened;man ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and then we are familiar with the ramifications afterwards.

now through jesus christ, the events that will lead to the end for those who believe are in 3 stages1.knowledge will be increased (daniel 12:4)there will be a transition, knowledge will transition from that of the tree of knowledge of good and evil to also include knowledge of the tree of life and this brings with it a transformation that will bring in the second phase2.healingthe knowledge/belief/faith will bring about spiritual transformational healing, also practical knowledge i.e.

sparky1

You forgot stage 4 in your salvation scenario and the most important tree for the Governing Body. That would be the Money Tree!

41

Creepy display

by neat blue dog in

.

i dunno about you, but if i walked up to this display at an expo i'd be a little creeped out..

sparky1

"Everything old is new again."