Hey SD-7, are you also Isaacaustin? Isaacaustin is answering questions above with your voice. Post 4613, 4616, 4617 are in question by me.
Regards,
Paul
record of committee meeting #1. after prayer, proverbs 28:13 was read: "he who is covering over his transgressions will not succeed, but he who is confessing and leaving them will be shown mercy.
" the need to confess to jehovah was emphasized.
as jehovah's representatives, the elders said we therefore needed to confess to them.
Hey SD-7, are you also Isaacaustin? Isaacaustin is answering questions above with your voice. Post 4613, 4616, 4617 are in question by me.
Regards,
Paul
thanks to mary's excellent guide i just found out about the henrietta m. riley trust fund.
there was a heated discussion several years ago, here's the thread: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/11/54708/1.ashx.
basically it is an investment fund whose sole beneficiary is the watchtower society.
I don’t believe that the Watchtower has any money flow problems. The ex-JW head of the printery said the cost of printing a WT mag was about 3cents and I was expected to freely donate 25 cents for each of them!
The very thing they condemn Christian Churches as doing is what they do, take in money for selfish gain. I know what my church does with its modest income and its all good.
Correct me if I am wrong. Several years ago a NY newspaper reported that the Watchtower had 910 Million Dollars of cash. Was that the sum total of their surplus to date (from day one) ? Or was the $910,000,000 the surplus (profit) for that year? I also think that year may have been one of the years when the Watchtower was still an NGO in the United Nations' Department of Public Information.
The UN had rules for NGOs. An NGO had to allow political freedom and some think their "conscience matter" stand on voting was due to that. Of course, where voting was not mandatory for citizens, such as in Australia, try and do it without being DF-ed.
Also, the NGO had to have democratic process for leadership. Yearly corporate meetings were held where old timers attended and voted for the one candidate for each office on the GB who are the corporate representatives. Remember, the office of President, treasurer and so-on are required by United States law for an incorporated business or charitable organization.
Also, the United Nations required the Watchtower to have open and transparent books. That would allow outsiders to investigate their finances. Since that exposure by the NY newspaper the article is no longer available online. I wonder if someone could find it on microfiche at a NY library.
910 thousand, thousand Dollars! And they call buying a few thousand dollars worth of rice for starving children in Africa “painting the deck on a sinking ship”! It is so sad that the actual teaching of the “Sheep and the Goats” in Matthew 25 has been totally ignored by the Watchtower. Jesus gave criteria for being approved as “Sheep”. TAKE CARE OF THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. EVEN THE LEAST. Without judging who those least are. I wouldn’t want to be guilty of ignoring someone in need because I blindly judged someone as not being held fondly in Jesus heart. How can I know who Jesus sees as one of HIS least? By having followed the WT leaderships direction to ignore what Jesus actually said one should do they have directed their members to become a “goat”!
If the Watchtower is a “Charitable” organization where is the proof that US law requires that they are in fact “Charitable”?
In A World Without Poverty Is Near under the heading A Fine Provision we read:
Jehovah’s Witnesses have always tried to reflect God’s concern for the poor. (Galatians 2:10 "All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." ) Often when disaster strikes a land and true Christians are affected, arrangements are made for necessary help to be given. More important, the Witnesses show concern for the spiritual needs of all, including the poor. “
"Have always tried” does not equal “Often when”.
“The poor” would mean ALL poor persons anywhere in the World which is most people. Not just the indicated “true Christians” which JWs will read as ‘other JWs ’.
"More important” is followed by works that have nothing to do with criteria for being called one of the “Sheep” in Matthew 25 but the thing the Watchtower wants most is placements or at least counter sales in the KHall where publishers are expected to pay for printed materials that are often piled up at home then trashed or left in a Laundromat then trashed by customers who know the worthlessness of the WT mind numbing indoctrination.
“Needs of all” would include “all” which already includes “the poor”.
Whoever wrote that paragraph didn’t even think about what he was writing and JWs with any time in the org know the train of thought this actually means. 1.)They don’t do “Charity”. 2.)They don’t give assistance to just anyone, it is always other JWs first and usually only JWs. 3.)They are mostly interested in keeping the flow of printed materials going and if they have to feed a few thousand African publishers to keep them from dying so that they can maintain a presence with persons willing to distribute printed materials out of appreciation for not starving.
I was shocked at these ideas for most of my life spent in the Watchtower. Starving Children are not part of a “Sinking Ship”. They are people. Helpless people. Would anyone with a heart walk by a starving child outside your local McDonalds and not get them a $3 Kid’s meal? It takes only about $1 a day to feed and educate children through Save The Children. They could do it!
$910,000,000 buys 2,493,150 starving kids food, medicine, and education through a “worldly” Christian Charity each year. That is probably the total of most of the actually starving children in all of Africa.
It distresses me that I would send them checks at the end of the year. That was money I donated based on false representations. False representations, fraud, made through correspondence carried by the United States Post Office. That misuse of the US mail comes with $10,000 fines per offense. I want my money back so I can send it to Save The Children or The Florida Baptists Children’s Home
http://fbchomes.org/1/residential_care.html ) who geared up to take in 150 children the few days after this 2010 earthquake in Haiti. http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=11283
They have bought all needed supplies and are only waiting for the Government to send them kids. The FL Baptist's Children’s home takes kids from DCF, families who become homeless, orphans, kids from jailed or other impaired parents who voluntarily bring them in. Local businesses give free stuff like bowling alleys who give the kids free bowling. The kids get free shopping, outings. That’s what I support.
Read the Bible for what it actually does say. Jesus meant what he said. "For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
I pray for Blessings for those who read this and come to this web site that they may have their eyes opened wide to the diabolical nature of the Watchtower and accept Jesus as their only means of salvation "By faith alone in Christ alone",
Paul
record of committee meeting #1. after prayer, proverbs 28:13 was read: "he who is covering over his transgressions will not succeed, but he who is confessing and leaving them will be shown mercy.
" the need to confess to jehovah was emphasized.
as jehovah's representatives, the elders said we therefore needed to confess to them.
SD-7,
I didn't know there was an issue with your relationship to your wife previous to your marrying her. They will dip you in mud and sling.
The few entries I read of yours told me that you are learning True Bible doctrine on your own. I think the Holy Spirit is teaching you just as Jesus said He would. The elders have more concern for your ideas than what you did.
I got blacklisted for giving correct answers at the WT study. They will likely DF you for having learned from the Bible itself but they will announce your name and shame you with a label of being immoral so that pubs won't get curious about what you learned that caused you to turn traitor on the WT org.
I was DF’ed years ago for getting remarried (we both had grounds to divorce our previous mates) but I wore a big fluffy beard and they couldn’t allow that so labeling me an “adulterer“, “bigamist” and “father of bastards” was their chosen tactic. I mentioned the beard as being an issue and they assured me it wasn’t. They were dispassionate and businesslike - no emotions - which irked me greatly because I knew they were addicted to the power they had over us. When I met with a trio of Elders to get reinstated I was told to shave my beard to prove I was repentant. I got so mad I stood and left with enough force to plow down an NFL lineman.
In the Mosaic law, if an unmarried man seduced an unmarried woman he had to pay the bride price and marry her.
Exodus 22:16,17
Laws about Seduction
"When a man seduces a virgin who was not promised in marriage, and he has sexual relations with her, he must certainly pay the bridal price for her to be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount in silver equal to the bridal price for virgins. - (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
That is because God knew that passions would overcome many people who love each other. He did not ordain stoning or castration. Pay up, get married.
The Witchtower can’t understand the idea that God is love. They can read the words out loud then hit you in the head with a New World Transylvania Reference Edition.
I agree how learning first hand about the true nature of JWs heavy handedness and unfairness is eye opening. Defend yourself then run. If you make them angry they will get spiteful or worse.
These reasons made me free my conscience and investigate Christian Churches. I am a Baptist and can’t say enough good about my choice. My wife viciously opposed me then joined me and is a Baptist too as are 4 others in our Family. It might not be fun but this JC thing is going to help you justify getting free.
Love and Blessings,
Fuzzy
who are they?
tell me about it.
.
Like I wrote, when people in the organization get together to discuss ideas freely and compare notes the Watchtower's false front is torn down and all the truth about their dishonest editors can be exposed. This type of open discussion elicited bans on internet use.
I had always thought the increasing efforts to control information meant the WT was up to no good. When an elder said that I shouldn't be reading newspapers I was shocked and chastised him in the KHall. The cartoonish warnings of the FDS told me what kind of information to look for. When they defended themselves for protecting children I found they protected pedophiles. When an elder said that the Watchtower doesn't use mind control techniques I found they invented modern mind control.
The Watchtower symbol is a war tower. This is war, fight back and help get people out of the Organization into a good Christian Church like I go to. I love being in Christendom.
Paul
yes we hosted the ultimate "fancy dress" party.
some did come as cowboys with guns {cringe} pirates with swords {cringe} and a male servant/pioneer came as a female balerina {oh my god nearly got deleted!
} but what's the big deal!
JUDE 10-12
But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed.
Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.
These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
If a person loves God they aren’t likely to behave wildly or immorally. The org can't put love for God into someone’s heart. They can only legislate behavior and tell you how to act. The WT focuses on VISIBLE results, statistics, numbers, dress & grooming. There are enough briefcases being walked into a KHall on Sunday for an Insurance Salesman convention.
I was a JW for 45 years. The Watchtower is most afraid of people trapped in the organization feeling a bit of fresh aire. When we had bowling parties or square dances in SW Connecticut in the early 1980's there were individual's from congregations as much as 60 miles away. 200 people at a square dance. People will talk and if the congregation they are in is having a scandal or two then the news will spread. The Watchtower does not want news to spread.
The WT likes four color illustrations of people eating baskets of fresh fruit in groups of six or seven. Most of those illustrations have a creepy feeling to me. The fact is there are subliminal pictures and hidden objects such as the Bohemian Grove Owl or skulls in the waterfall in The Live Forever Book.
Get a life, I did. I am a Southern Baptist and can not say enough good about the amazing difference this has made for us. The constant barrage of garbage in the Watchtower pubs about the "worldly" people in Christendom is intended to convince a JW that he has it so good being sent to sleep in his cupboard after the meetings. It isn’t close to being true.
This slide show is about The Cinderella’s Closet that CornerStone Baptist Church does for Prom. Dresses, shoes, make-up, accessories, hair dressing is all donated. Each year it gets bigger. Any girl can come in, get dressed up and made up for the Prom. It is a celebration in itself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjHJXnMBIDY&feature=related
They intend to add a Bridal Cinderella's Closet.
Even if one believes that the WT has crafted an exaggerated portrayal of what might happen or what did in group gatherings outside the WT org they still buy into the lie that they can’t go there. My son is 11 and went to Christian Skate Night tonight. He won the race for his age group again. The local roller rink has a monthly Christians only skate party. We have churches from 40 miles away attending with buses from some. Denomination isn’t an issue. I don’t know the denomination of anyone except people I know from my church. The DJ is a Sheriff’s Deputy (few know that, he smiles too much to look like a cop) with four kids who spins cool Christian Music and calls games. I have never seen a problem. All the kids are good.
The WT is a sad joke. The WT leaders are those who “rail at whatsoever things they know not” and are “shepherds that without fear feed themselves”. They fear you if you should ever learn firsthand how beautiful a life I have as a Baptist. Sneak into a Wednesday night supper / discipleship class night at a local Christian Church and find out for yourself - if you dare.
Love and Blessings,
Paul
i do not know if this is of use to anyone, but i thought i would share it anyway.. i prepared a personal analysis of chapter 3 from the wts book, what does the bible really teach?, and i have made it available at:.
http://www.jwstudies.com/bible_teach__chapter_3.pdf .
in the first part, i made notes against scans of each page.. following those pages, i insert the words of each scripture being cited, and at times i include verses from the immediate context.
Paragraph 13 : Armageddon is a place, not the name of the event. Har-magadan means Mountain of Magadan. Magadan is the HEBREW namne of Magdala, the town Mary the Magdallene was from. It was located 2 miles north of the city of Tiberius on the Western shore of Lake Tiberius, (The Sea of Galilee.) That location is now underwater. Magadon is NOT Megiddo. This is a universal mistake. The original Aid To Bible Understanding, (The only decent pub the WT ever had other that Commentary on the Letter of James - written by a now ex-JW) has a listing on Magadan.
See Goggle map at http://maps.google.com/?q=32.84733494629723,35.5229361797708%20%28Magadan%29&t=k&z=9&om=0
The Watchtower is a pretender, they have no true scholarship. They use void arguments, asking crafted questions they answer craftily.
I spent 45 years in the Watchtower and I now believe that if the Watchtower teaches it, the actual truth is likely the opposite.
Paul
i do not know if this is of use to anyone, but i thought i would share it anyway.. i prepared a personal analysis of chapter 3 from the wts book, what does the bible really teach?, and i have made it available at:.
http://www.jwstudies.com/bible_teach__chapter_3.pdf .
in the first part, i made notes against scans of each page.. following those pages, i insert the words of each scripture being cited, and at times i include verses from the immediate context.
paragraph 12 - 2 Corinthians 4:3 But if, in fact, our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 Regarding them: the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,
A god is worshiped. That does not mean that Satan is always obeyed or is an effective ruler. Satan still exerts his influence through Human servants who will not do his will in all cases.
The Watchtower teaches a serious over-estimation of Satan's power. He is only a Cherub Angel. More powerful than us but a mere angel. The difference in power between Jesus and Satan is infinite. In The Revelation Satan has "authority" while God has "power".
Regards,
Paul
i do not know if this is of use to anyone, but i thought i would share it anyway.. i prepared a personal analysis of chapter 3 from the wts book, what does the bible really teach?, and i have made it available at:.
http://www.jwstudies.com/bible_teach__chapter_3.pdf .
in the first part, i made notes against scans of each page.. following those pages, i insert the words of each scripture being cited, and at times i include verses from the immediate context.
RE: "How could God make things that could fail?"
A rabbi pointed out that God is not afraid of what we might do. He has allowed freedom of action.
Regards,
i do not know if this is of use to anyone, but i thought i would share it anyway.. i prepared a personal analysis of chapter 3 from the wts book, what does the bible really teach?, and i have made it available at:.
http://www.jwstudies.com/bible_teach__chapter_3.pdf .
in the first part, i made notes against scans of each page.. following those pages, i insert the words of each scripture being cited, and at times i include verses from the immediate context.
In Is 45:18 "Earth" is the common translation for a word that means "land". The land of Israel is meant. That is, the land given to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. An issue gets in the way of seeing that the land of Israel still belongs to those descendents. The promises of that ownership are eternal. Changing "Israel" to mean the "Church" in modern doctrine is common. And arbitrary. ANYONE can say their group is now Israel. Apostle Paul showed that promises made to the nations were guaranteed because those made to Israel were still valid. In the ASV Is. 45: 17-19a reads,
17 But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be put to shame nor confounded world without end.
18 For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain:
i need help remembering a scripture.
i'm sucessfully turning the conversation to the point where her answer is going to have to be something along the lines of the light keeps getting brighter and brighter, because we're discussing the "generation" teaching changing multiple times and why that is, and i want to bring out a scripture something along the lines of "you will know they are false teachers because their prophecies often fail that the jw's use against other religions", but not only do i not know what bible book, chapter and verse it is, i can't remember the correct wording to search it.. this site has already been a great help, because i've gotten her to flip flop her stance on the blood doctrine (first she told me fractions weren't allowed, and when i showed her they were, then she changed her tune, which caught the attention of others in there.
i was able to get her to the point where she is flustered and waffling over the "generation" teaching, which i was able to do thanks to the wonderful chart outlining all the flip flops that had been posted here, so thank you on those, but since i can't remember the scripture, i can't use the search function, because i can't remember what i'm talking about, as i've been out 13+ years, and didn't even keep my bible.. if you know what i'm talking about, could you please help me figure out what i'm talking about?.
Howdy,
"At times explanations given by Jehovah's visible organization have shown adjustments, seemingly to previous points of view. But this has not actually been the case."
Explanations = doctrines
After 45 years in the WT I saw plenty of changes in doctrine. Previous points of view were returned to. Someone documented several flip-flops to the question of Sodom and Gommorah in the judgment.
God does not change his revelation to us does he?
Paul