It seems that "strong circumstantial evidence" is grounds for judicial action to be taken even though the act is not witnessed by "two or three." Yet, the same evidence is dismissed in the cases of child abuse because it lacks "two or three witnesses" who observed the act. Talk about a double standard!
Posts by Pahpa
-
5Multiple witness question
by Rethinking inhello all.. i read a post on the forum about the two-witness rule and how without it, basically an accusation cannot stand.
could someone, preferably elders/ former elders explain in detail why it doesn't stand if that is true?
i know why for obvious reasons, but we're talking about how it works in witness world.
-
-
-
147
Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)
by Merry Magdalene inwho is merry?
i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.
my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.
-
-
Pahpa
lisa
I'm aware of the distinction you mention. But many blacks who joined the Black Muslim movement did so because of the past abuses of the white "Christian" involvment in the slave trade. They equated Christianity with slavery. So, by rejecting Christianity they were divorcing themselves from this terrible history. Black Muslims claim to be part of Islamic world. But the abuses of slavery were a part of the Islamic history long before and long after the participation of Europeans. Why would blacks reject one system of belief for another if the histories of both were involved in this tragic and terrible practice? Is it a case of not knowing the historical background?
-
16
THE BLOOD DOCTRINE CONFUSION!
by Blueblades infor lurkers and those not yet aware of this, because we have new ones joining us every day.
in 1993 david koresh led more than eighty branch davidians to their deaths in waco, texas.
in 1978 some nine hundred followers perished in a mass suicide in jonestown, guyana, under the command of their cult leader, jim jones.
-
-
Pahpa
More and more the Watchtower is using the argument that it is up to a person's "conscience" when deciding the use of blood in medical procedures. This is a convenient strategy to avoid the legal ramifications of law suits. It's obvious that the Watchtower is in retreat on the blood issue. It's allowing far more usage of blood fractions than it did a few years ago. But it is going to be very difficult for it to allow transfusions of whole blood in view of its stand since the 1940s.
-
147
Merry Becomes A Muslim (a bit long)
by Merry Magdalene inwho is merry?
i was born in 1965, the same year that malcolm x was assassinated.
my father had committed suicide a few months into my mother's pregnancy so we lived with her parents until she married again when i was about 18 months old.
-
-
Pahpa
Merry
Thanks for sharing your experience. But I've always been puzzled by the attraction of blacks to the Muslim movement. All down through history, it was the Muslims who enslaved the blacks even well before it was done by white Europeans and continued well after the "slave trade" to the West was discontinued. They were involved in the trafficking of slaves during the entire time. If blacks reject Christianity on the bases of these past abuses, wouldn't it also apply to the Mulims who were in the business long before and long afterwards?
-
20
Money hiding
by Manjana inthis is the first time, that i write here.
i'm from dk, so forgive me, because my english is'nt always quite good.
i have often read in here, and it's a great web-site.
-
-
Pahpa
The Watchtower Society has a long history of hiding assets. It started with Russell when he hid his so that he wouldn't have to pay support to his wife. With the pending legal case in France which would require back taxes of millions, I have no doubt that manipulation of funds are in process. Whatever happen to "pay back to Ceasar the things that are Ceasar's" ? I guess it only applies to the lowly members ....not the organization.
-
9
Pope Paul the second
by Sasha into become a saint.
seems a nun, who had parkinsons disease, prayed to the "dead" pope and he cured her!!
!
-
-
Pahpa
The Catholic church needs to authenticate a miracle to make a dead person "a saint." There seems to be a rush to make Pope John Paul II one, perhaps, because of his popularity by Catholics and non-Catholics.
Of course, the whole procedure is questionable. Only God knows for sure. No human organization can make the presumption.
-
7
stupid things jws do
by logic ini like this site because you can say what is the truth, the things you would like to stand up in the congregation and say.
for just a few: the last par.
in the watchtower study says "what are we going to study in the next article" and then some moron always raises his hand and answers....... calling everyone by brother this and brother that.
-
-
Pahpa
Logic
We use to call it our "theocratic language." And we use to boast that if we could always use it as a "code" to discern who other JWs were if we were in a crowd of non-believers. It seems very silly now. But we really believed it at one point.
-
23
Disfellowshipped? does your family still speak to you?
by DamienL ini have been disfellowshipped for 7 years and my grandfather refuses to eat with me.
there teachings are to love one another but this is not the case.
does anyone else have this problem.
-
-
Pahpa
This whole practice of disfellowshipping and shunning is counterproductive. Had anyone shown some genuine Christian love during the time that I was having serious doubts about the Watchtower Society, I might have reconsidered my own position. But the process of shunning began even before the judicial decision. I had voluntarily stepped down from serving as an elder because I felt that my four teenage children needed me at home. I suddenly became a "personna non grata" in the congregation because some felt I must have done "something wrong" to lose the privilege. It was one of the reasons that I began to take a more serious view of "the truth." Having stepped down also gave me more time to read the old literature to determine what the Watchtower taught in the past. It was quite an "eye opener." It wasn't long thereafter that I stopped going to the meetings. When the elders called at my home to "readjust my thinking", they really only wanted to determine whether or not I still recognized the Watchtower as "God's channel of communication." I expressed doubts about the claim and questioned the Watchtower's interpetation about the "faithful and discreet slave." But it was enough for them to proceed with the judicial process. I refused to submit to their authority and was df'd "in abstensia."
Fear is one of the major factors in the Watchtower Society. Members fear to get too close to anyone who is under suspicion or who is "marked" for fear they too might come under the scrutiny of the elders. So, instead of demonstrating Christian love and concern, they withdraw. By doing this, it becomes clear that this is not a Christian organization. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18
-
6
How could CT Russel have holy spirit?
by jambon1 inhe was involved in pyramidology.
he had an affair and he was involved in cash scandals.. what he taught bears very little resemblance to jw`s of today.. so how can jw`s say that he was chosen by god to start the modern day religion?.
.
-
-
Pahpa
I think Russell was probably a sincere young man who, unfortunately, eventually bought into the idea that he was special, the "faithful and wise servant." When a person gets excessive accolades from followers it is easy to get into the trap of thinking they must be right.
We shouldn't forget that the study of pyramidology became a very popular fad in Russell's era. Interest in Egypt was widespread. And Russell would grasp anything that seemed to confirm his teachings. He found the scripture in Isaiah which foretold that there would be "an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt." Isaiah 19:19,20 He became convinced that this was the great pyramid of Khufu or Cheops. (By the way, this is the same prophecy that Onias used to justify his building of a Jewish Temple in Egypt.) Russell can be accused of trying to force a fulfillment of prophecy...as he did repeatedly...but I don't think it was a conscious decision to introduce demonology into his teachings.
The charge of "adultery" was never proven. In fact, his own wife who hinted at the possibility at the trial later denied it when she was asked directly about the charge. It was Russell's enemies who widely circulated the rumor with no foundation to it.
I'm no defender of Russell who made enough mistakes of his own. But I think we should be careful not to read too much into some of them. We have to consider the time and context of the events.
-
11
GB makes exception
by sspo inhave some of you ever seen in the organization a minesterial servant that misses meetings for weeks at a time, hardly ever preaches.
shows up occasionally for sunday meeting.
when you mention his name to other servants , no one wants to talk about it.. the reason the elders and the co don't remove him is that once a year the society needs him at bethel since he is licensed in certain trades.
-
-
Pahpa
This doesn't surprise me. He has the hallowed approval of Bethel. What elder would dare question his position in the congregation when he is being used by those "important" brothers at Bethel? The organization is riff with double standards and exceptions. So this case should not surprise any of us.