under_believer

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Posts by under_believer

• 
  288

  Did the heavenly calling cease in 1935? Not anymore!

  by AnnOMaly in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  watch out for the questions from readers in the may 1st 2007 watchtower.

  "when does the calling of christians to a heavenly hope cease?

  " it's a good'un.. included are the statements:.

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  under_believer

  I disagree with those that are saying that they'll keep 1914 because 1919 is so important. I don't think 1919 is important at all in practical terms.
  
  I don't think very many active Witnesses alive right now care about their claim to authority or whether 1919 is pivotal to it. I don't think most people understand the Two Witnesses as the Society interprets them. I don't think that most people are paying attention to the Revelation book, or understanding it.
  
  I think the Society could discard 1914 today, this instant, in a huge announcement read to all the congregations, and most people wouldn't even put two and two together about how they rest their claim of authority on the 1919 appointment.
  
  Most people don't use that as their basis for believing that the WTS is God's Organization. And the Society hasn't used it as a basis in any significant way for years. They point to other things--"love among themselves," the growth, the international nature of their work, the teachings (who else teaches no trinity, no hell, paradise earth, etc). Even in absence of all of the bogus chronology, most Witnesses would believe it.
  
  They WON'T get rid of 1914, because they don't need to, but they could if they wanted. What they are going to do is stop talking about it, and in 10 years hardly anyone will even remember or care, just like in 1984 when the guy giving the war rallying speech switched enemies IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SPEECH and everyone barely noticed.
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  75

  9/11 Pentagon video released, shows explosion and no plane

  by What-A-Coincidence in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  as shown on cnn: no plane on video from hotelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atj5sute0oq.

  no big plane aa77 on pentagon videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4fjdamiffi.

  removing evidence and witnesses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjejip_47tq.

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  under_believer

  Great debating tactic. Answer my questions or be quiet.
• 
  75

  9/11 Pentagon video released, shows explosion and no plane

  by What-A-Coincidence in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  as shown on cnn: no plane on video from hotelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atj5sute0oq.

  no big plane aa77 on pentagon videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4fjdamiffi.

  removing evidence and witnesses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjejip_47tq.

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  under_believer

  needproof, are you sure you got the right username?
  
  In any case, all of you guys, answer these questions, or STFU.
  
  1) what happened to all the passengers and the planes themselves?
  2) how can there possibly have been no leaks among the hundreds or thousands of people necessary to pull off such a scheme?
• 
  29

  Five Reasons Why Some Deny 911 Was An Inside Job

  by badwillie in

  1. social
  2. current

  five reasons to deny 911 was an inside job .

  1. comfort.

  comfortable people do not dissent.

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• 

  under_believer

  > No matter how ridiculous it seems you must open your mind.
  
  That's stupid. How about if someone came to you and told you that you need to run around naked in a shopping mall to get saved by baby Jesus?
  
  By your logic one must open their mind to this possibility rather than rejecting it as ridiculous.
  
  When you quoted a definition for cognitive dissonance before, you were right, because you were quoting. Now that you're trying to explain it yourself you have strayed badly off the reservation.
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  288

  Did the heavenly calling cease in 1935? Not anymore!

  by AnnOMaly in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  watch out for the questions from readers in the may 1st 2007 watchtower.

  "when does the calling of christians to a heavenly hope cease?

  " it's a good'un.. included are the statements:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  under_believer

  After reading all this, here is what I'm expecting:
  
  1) They are going to redefine the "Faithful and Discreet Slave." It will no longer be a class of people, but instead will refer to "God's Earthly Organization," i.e. the Watchtower Society headed by the Governing Body. Not any individual people at the Society, but the Society and its daughter entities as a whole. If you think about it this is really just a formalization of the unspoken truth that Witnesses have been living with for decades.
  2) There will still be two classes of Christians, an anointed class and an "other sheep" class, with separate and distinct callings and hopes.
  3) 144,000 will no longer be a literal number.
  4) The "replacement" theory will be (and is, as of now) discarded.
  5) They will stop reporting the number of anointed (but they will still record it.)
  
  I think the logical inconsistencies this brings up are easily surmountable for the believing mind. If they can survive the 1995 generation change they can survive anything. (Then again, have they survived? History will judge...)
  
  The motive is to clear up several nagging inconsistencies and to consolidate power to the Society. Think of the positive effects for the Society:
  
  * the anointed number not going down is ok--and in fact nobody (except Brooklyn) will know how many there are, but the number will tick up quite a bit.
  * you can pick your destiny--some people really want heaven, especially converts from Christianity. Other people really want earth, usually those "raised in." There will still be more "other sheep" than "little flock."
  * No ambiguity about authority, no potential threat of insurrection. If anointed are the same as other sheep except for they're going to heaven, everyone looks to the Slave, where the real power lies. Again this is just formalizing what's already the case.
  * No restraints or restrictions on who can serve on the Governing Body.
• 
  288

  Did the heavenly calling cease in 1935? Not anymore!

  by AnnOMaly in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  watch out for the questions from readers in the may 1st 2007 watchtower.

  "when does the calling of christians to a heavenly hope cease?

  " it's a good'un.. included are the statements:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  under_believer

  slimboyfat, I apologize for calling you a troll.
• 
  53

  When and How soon should I start dating?

  by Crumpet in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  so i've been officially single for just over a week now.

  mr c laughed fondly when i asked him in barcelona if he missed me yet and wanted me back.

  so how soon is too soon to get back into the dating scene?

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  under_believer

  Young People Ask: When and How soon should I start dating?
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  27

  How Conspiracy Theories Work

  by XJW4EVR in

  1. social
  2. current

  due to the current postings of 9/11 conspiracy theories, i googled why people believe conspiracy theories, and found this rather interesting article.

  i am posting the link, and hope you enjoy it as much as i did.. .

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  under_believer

  "Soundbites and fluffy internet articles - these may be soothing for some. Those who are prepared to come out of the cocoon of their comfort zone will seek much greater detail."
  
  LOL, this from the guy who started this topic that opened with a "fluffy internet article".
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  34

  STAR CHART that will blow your mind!!

  by magdalenefan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the jews were astologers, they had to organize the encampment of the twelve tribes according to the zodiac.

  this is a lost art today.

  try this website astro-software.com .

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  under_believer

  *sigh* and by THAT, I was speaking from the theoretical JW's point of view. Jeez.
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  17

  Are elders what they used to be?

  by BluesBrother in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was a young and idealistic elder - the attitude that was stressed continually was this one :.

  christiangreatnesscomesfromserving.

  "among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant."matt.

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  under_believer

  For me this change is REAL and it is exemplified by the migration from titles with the word "Servant" to titles with the word "Overseer".
  
  Circuit Servant
  District Servant
  Congregation Servant
  
  ...etc. Now we have
  
  Circuit Overseer
  District Overseer
  Presiding Overseer
  Service Overseer
  
  ...etc. It's a huge change in tone and means something very different. I can think of no reason for this change--certainly no scriptural reason--other than an increase in hierarchical control.
  
  CONTRAST THIS---
  
  ser·vant (sûr'v?nt) pronunciation
  n.
  
  1. One who is privately employed to perform domestic services.
  2. One who is publicly employed to perform services, as for a government.
  3. One who expresses submission, recognizance, or debt to another: your obedient servant.
  
  TO THIS---
  
  o·ver·se·er (o'v?r-se'?r)
  n.
  
  1. One who keeps watch over and directs the work of others, especially laborers.
  2. A supervisor or superintendent.