Posts by V

“We cannot do as you ask,” replied one of the family heads. “Those people came to teach us the Bible.” How did the elders react? They expelled them for studying the Bible! This was a cruel blow indeed. The cart belonging to the colony cheese factory passed by the home of one family without collecting their milk, denying them their only source of income. One family head was dismissed from his job. Another was turned away from buying supplies at the colony store, and his ten-year-old daughter was expelled from school. Neighbors surrounded one home to take away the wife of one of the young men, asserting that she could not live with her expelled husband. Despite all of this, the families who studied the Bible did not give up their search for the truth.

The missionaries continued to make the long weekly drive to conduct the Bible study. How strengthening the families found those studies to be! Some family members traveled two hours by horse and buggy to be present. It was a moving occasion when the families first invited one of the missionaries to pray. In these colonies Mennonites never pray aloud, so they had never before heard anyone pray in their behalf. The men had tears in their eyes. And can you imagine their curiosity when the missionaries brought along a tape recorder? Music had never been allowed in their colony. They were so delighted with the beautiful Kingdom Melodies that they decided to sing Kingdom songs after each study! Nevertheless, the question remained, How could they survive in their new circumstances?

Finding a Loving Brotherhood

Cut off from their community, the families began making their own cheese. The missionaries helped them to find buyers. A longtime Witness in North America who grew up in a South American Mennonite colony heard about the families’ plight. He had a special desire to help. Within a week, he flew down to Bolivia to visit them. In addition to providing much spiritual encouragement, he helped the families to buy their own pickup truck so that they could get to meetings at the Kingdom Hall and also get their farm products to market.

“It was difficult after we were expelled from the community. We would travel to the Kingdom Hall with sad faces,” recalls one family member, “but we returned joyful.” Indeed, local Witnesses rose to the occasion and offered support. Some learned German, and several German-speaking Witnesses came from Europe to Bolivia to help conduct Christian meetings in German. Soon, 14 from the Mennonite community were preaching the good news of the Kingdom to others.

On October 12, 2001, less than a year after that first visit to the missionary home, 11 of these former Anabaptists were baptized again, this time in symbol of their dedication to Jehovah. Since then, more have taken this step. One later commented: “Since we have learned the truth from the Bible, we feel like slaves who have been set free.” Another said: “Many Mennonites complain about a lack of love in their community. But Jehovah’s Witnesses take an interest in one another. I feel safe among them.” If you are searching for a better understanding of the truth from the Bible, you too may face difficulties. But if you seek Jehovah’s help and show faith and courage as these families did, you too will be successful and find happiness.

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PDF w/174 WBTS scans comparing lies and revisions of JW "truth"...limited time only!!!

by middleman in

hello, here's a pdf that was put together comparing many of the lies within the society's publications.

i will have the link up for a limited time and afterwards it will be available by request-send me an email and leave yours.

this is part one (141 pages) of two (perhaps a third) in the series being made.

V

Would love to have this as well

[email protected]

Thanks!
V

4

Need WT Scans for Cable TV Production

by V in

i need high quality scans of the following publications.

these images may be used in a cable network programme interviewing a prominent ex-jw.. scans should be at least 150 dpi, better at 300. i prefer jpg in colour.

please scan entire page.

V

Thanks Atlantis!

All I need now is this scan. Please see my specifications above.

Watchtower March 1, 2003 page 9 (paragraph 6)

We also need courage when opposers maneuver the media into spreading bad reports about God’s servants or when they try to restrict true worship by scheming “trouble by decree.” (Psalm 94:20) For example, how should we feel when newspaper, radio, or television reports about Jehovah’s Witnesses are distortions or outright falsehoods? Should we be shocked? No. We expect such things. (Psalm 109:2) And we are not surprised when some believe the published lies and distortions, since “anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word.” (Proverbs 14:15) Still, loyal Christians refuse to believe just any statement made about their brothers, and they certainly do not allow bad publicity to cause them to miss Christian meetings, to slow down in the field ministry, or to waver in their faith. On the contrary, they “recommend [themselves] as God’s ministers . . . through glory and dishonor, through bad report and good report; as [according to opponents] deceivers and yet [in reality] truthful.”—2 Corinthians 6:4, 8.

4

Need WT Scans for Cable TV Production

by V in

i need high quality scans of the following publications.

these images may be used in a cable network programme interviewing a prominent ex-jw.. scans should be at least 150 dpi, better at 300. i prefer jpg in colour.

please scan entire page.

V

I need high quality scans of the following publications. These images may be used in a cable network programme interviewing a prominent ex-JW.

Scans should be at least 150 dpi, better at 300. I prefer JPG in colour. Please scan entire page. If you have the image for me, email at [email protected] and I will notify here on this thread the scan is no longer needed. Thank you very much!

Watchtower February 15, 1994 page 24
We must also be on guard against extended association with worldly people. Perhaps it is a neighbor, a school friend, a workmate, or a business associate. We may reason, ‘He respects the Witnesses, he leads a clean life, and we do talk about the truth occasionally.’ Yet, the experience of others proves that in time we may even find ourselves preferring such worldly company to that of a spiritual brother or sister. What are some of the dangers of such a friendship?
Watchtower October 1, 1969 page 593
Organizing for Theocratic Warfare (Subtitle)
Watchtower March 15, 1977 page 176 (paragraph 16)
Perverted practices engaged in by homosexuals, who, in such practice, do not have natural, normal copulation between themselves, have been adopted also by some married couples in search of greater “thrills,” specifically oral and anal copulation. When writing of conditions in his day, the inspired apostle Paul said that homosexuals ‘dishonored their bodies among themselves by disgraceful sexual appetites, changing the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature, working what is obscene and receiving the full recompense for their wrongdoing.’ (Rom. 1:24-27) When married couples adopt homosexual methods they surely bring no honor to the marriage union but, rather, degrade it, exalting selfish passion instead, and the marriage bed loses its cleanness.
Watchtower March 15, 1988 page 14 (paragraph 21)
But it seems that some among Jehovah’s people have gone to the other extreme. Many Christian parents let their children wait until they are in their late teens before broaching the subject of baptism. Time and again, we hear of youngsters making a valid dedication solely on their own initiative. For example, the preteen son of an elder sincerely wanted to get baptized. So his father had three other elders discuss with the youngster the questions designed for those contemplating baptism. Their conclusion was that, though quite young, he qualified to be baptized as an ordained minister of Jehovah God. Why, attending the Pioneer Service School in the Bahamas recently was a ten-year-old baptized girl, the daughter of two full-time ministers!
Watchtower March 1, 2003 page 9 (paragraph 6)
We also need courage when opposers maneuver the media into spreading bad reports about God’s servants or when they try to restrict true worship by scheming “trouble by decree.” (Psalm 94:20) For example, how should we feel when newspaper, radio, or television reports about Jehovah’s Witnesses are distortions or outright falsehoods? Should we be shocked? No. We expect such things. (Psalm 109:2) And we are not surprised when some believe the published lies and distortions, since “anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word.” (Proverbs 14:15) Still, loyal Christians refuse to believe just any statement made about their brothers, and they certainly do not allow bad publicity to cause them to miss Christian meetings, to slow down in the field ministry, or to waver in their faith. On the contrary, they “recommend [themselves] as God’s ministers . . . through glory and dishonor, through bad report and good report; as [according to opponents] deceivers and yet [in reality] truthful.”—2 Corinthians 6:4, 8.
Watchtower November 1, 1995 page 28 & 29
What Can Elders Do?
If the elders are approached by a member of the congregation who is experiencing flashbacks or “repressed memories” of child abuse, two of them are usually assigned to help. These elders should kindly encourage the afflicted one to focus for the time being on coping with the emotional distress. The names of any “remembered” abusers should be kept in strict confidence.
The elders’ primary task is to act as shepherds. (Isaiah 32:1, 2; 1 Peter 5:2, 3) They should be especially careful to “clothe [themselves] with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, lowliness of mind, mildness, and long-suffering.” (Colossians 3:12) Let them listen in a kindly way and then apply healing words from the Scriptures. (Proverbs 12:18) Some who are afflicted with painful “memories” have expressed appreciation for elders who make regular visits or even telephone calls to check to see how they are doing. Such contacts need not take a lot of time, but they show that Jehovah’s organization cares. When the afflicted one realizes that his Christian brothers truly love him, he may be helped to recover a considerable degree of emotional balance.
What if the sufferer decides that he wants to make an accusation? Then the two elders can advise him that, in line with the principle at Matthew 18:15, he should personally approach the accused about the matter. If the accuser is not emotionally able to do this face-to-face, it can be done by telephone or perhaps by writing a letter. In this way the one accused is given the opportunity to go on record before Jehovah with his answer to the accusation. He may even be able to present evidence that he could not have committed the abuse. Or perhaps the one accused will confess, and a reconciliation may be achieved. What a blessing that would be! If there is a confession, the two elders can handle matters further in accordance with Scriptural principles.
If the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way. And the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person. The Bible says that there must be two or three witnesses before judicial action can be taken. (2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19) Even if more than one person “remembers” abuse by the same individual, the nature of these recalls is just too uncertain to base judicial decisions on them without other supporting evidence. This does not mean that such “memories” are viewed as false (or that they are viewed as true). But Bible principles must be followed in establishing a matter judicially.