Posts by sparky1

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."

19

What was your favorite video game?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i've never been that big on video/computer games but i used to have a ps2 and my absolute fav game was star wars battlefront ii, released by pandemic in 2005.. you could choose to play as three different classes of soldier and fight for the rebels, the imperials, the republic or the battle droids.

as you played and gained points by killing the enemy, you could unlock a fourth and fifth class of soldier.

you could also play as a hero or villain - such as darth vader, luke skywalker, princess leia, etc.. there was something absolutely awesome playing as darth vader and cutting down or force-choking rebel soldiers on the tantive iv.. .

sparky1

23

Did You Ever Get Hit On By An Elder?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the organization stresses to elders to be careful with members of the opposite sex.

never be alone with a sister whether it be in field service or paying a visit by means of a shepherding call.

do you know of any elders that flirted or were overly “touchy” with females?

sparky1

Yes...my Watchtower Farms roommate! When I asked for a room change because of this, the whole affair was turned around on me by the Home Servant Frank Lewis. After this, the Bethel rumor mill began to destroy my reputation. Funny thing was that eventually my room mate was disfellowshipped years later for 'conduct unbecoming a Christian'. Fuck Frank Lewis and Fuck Bob Fischer.

60

Did You Think Jehovah’s Witnesses Were Typically “Racists”?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i was a jw from infancy.

we had a melting pot type of congregation.

i grew up with all types of witnesses , all with different backgrounds.

sparky1

Someone correct me if I am wrong but I don't think that there were any interracial couples at the US Bethels until the mid 1970's. Knorr did not believe in interracial marriages.

8

Honoring Our Dead

by The Bethelite in

jw
friends

yesterday, i was driving around on a beautiful fall day in arizona and thinking about how lucky i was.

how my dead friends could never enjoy this day or the thousands of other days they had missed over the years.

i'm still alive yet they are gone..... .

sparky1

Keith, keep honoring James Olson's memory. I believe Jehovah's Witness theology, his parents, Bethel Organizational Hierarchy and Max Larsen ' killed ' him. Those who did not know him or his situation would do well not to judge him.

"We are born involuntarily, to please (or displease) others. That is what makes dying voluntarily the ultimate freedom." - Thomas Szasz MD

Pushed into an undesirable life situation by others, I believe he may have taken his own life to show them that ultimately he was in control of his final destiny.

30

Good memories of full-time service?

by fulano in

perhaps not a topic for everybody... mine.. in both sp service in a foreign field in europe , the freedom and helping people to read and write in spanish .

doing a lot of work in the congregations.. in missionary-service.. helping congregations in a third-world country and see good results in family relations.

and the siestas from 13:00 to 15:00..... who has good memories of bethel?

sparky1

"Who has good memories of Bethel?..." - Fulano

I absolutely hated almost every waking second of my Bethel experience! The place was loaded with back stabbing, throat slitting, ladder climbing, hypocritical, boot licking, sycophantic, corporate stooges that were merely god intoxicated religious fanatics. That being said, I met some of the finest human beings I have ever come in contact with in my life at Bethel. Phil Wilcox and Ray Erickson were good and true men caught up in the movement. And I met some truly wonderful 'sisters' from around the country that probably would have made excellent marriage partners for me if I had only been mentally and emotionally prepared to meet their needs. (Of course, I didn't believe the Watchtower Dogma even when I was a Bethelite and so it would have been unfair for me to mislead a potential marriage partner into thinking that I was a real Jehovah's Witness.) The salad and the vegetables were a highlight for me at mealtimes. Other than these positive experiences, I would just as soon forget the whole damn Bethel portion of my life. But of course, our lives don't work that way...we go to our graves carrying the good and the bad.