Posts by OnTheWayOut

27

How do you anticipate the Watchtower's fall?

by JH in

jw
friends

slowly and progressively, or rapidly after a specific date?.

OnTheWayOut

A group of disgruntled 45 to 65 year old ex-Behthelites will get on the Oprah Show, telling how they have been kicked out with no healthcare provisions. Hilary Clinton, running for president, will seize on the opportunity to gather the women's votes and promise to stop this cult "if she is elected." Hilary sweeps into office and Oprah and her army demand that campaign promises be upheld. Anti-JW sentiment is strong throughout the country. Hilary manages to get the books open and taxes placed on the WT corporation. Laws are passed against publishing corporations using volunteer labor. Bethel is forced to sell most of it's Brooklyn property and loses a legal battle to avoid paying property taxes. Many Kingdom Hall are vandalized and some are torched. Privately held stadiums in North America refuse to allow conventions of JWs. As the Governing Body members (still holding some wealth) die off, nobody replaces them. The last 4 vanish, some say to a south-Pacific island, others say to join Jimmy Hoffa. Patterson is turned into a Cult Awareness University Serving Everyone (CAUSE).

Okay, this is fun. I might try some more scenarios.

47

thirdwitnessCan you Scripturally support JW dogma?

by AuldSoul in

jw
friends

thirdwitness,.

my father, who sat on his first judicial committee when he was 17 and has been and "elder" ever since, couldn't provide scriptures to support some very basic teachings of jehovah's witnesses.

our current circuit overseer could not either.

OnTheWayOut

having accurate knowledge before baptism is just common sence. How can you make such an important and spiritual decision without having knowledge?

I can do this the JW way. They did not have a series of questions in Paul's day because they had holy spirit poured out upon them. Christianity was being established, so it was necessary for people to see that those who became Christians were filled with understanding. Today, we are not instantly filled with understanding, so it is now necessary to gather in knowledge through a study with Jehovah's Witnesses and 5 weekly meetings. The scriptures clearly show that 1st sentury Christians went out proclaiming the Good News. In order to do that today, Jehovah's Witnesses must make sure that a new proclaimer has a basic understanding of the Good News before he is labeled as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Therefore, a series of questions is used, with scriptural references to each one (well, virtually each one).

DO I BELIEVE ANY OF THIS STUFF, NO. BUT I COULD CONTINUE TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE I BELIEVE I AM ANSWERING WITH SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS MENTION A SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLE ONCE-IN-A-WHILE. (which I did not do here, but could have.)

Does a faithful JW believe this stuff, you bet.

8

Let's all think about "Imperfection"... comments?

by Morocco in

jw
friends

god created everything, right?

if so then god also created our skin with the ability to heal from cuts, wounds and tears.

which means that god anticipated the infliction of pain and set a system in place to counter accidents.

OnTheWayOut

Re: Were dinosaurs part of a pre-Adamic "paradise"?
Post 302 of 381 since 02-May-06

I stole this from that previous link. It's great. Actually, the borg will say, The earth was overgrown with plant-life so that the atmosphere could be developed. The dinosaurs were put here to eat up the plants. Some dinosaurs were carnivorous to eat up the extra dinosaurs as time went on. When they were no longer needed, Jehovah allowed their extinction thru a meteor strike or any number of ways. Yes, then there must have been carnivores before Adam sinned. If I had to adjust my statements from earlier posted ones, then it is because "the light is getting brighter and brighter." As far as how animals got to particular islands like Australia, we'll have to ask Noah or one of his grandchildren. There must be a logical answer because it happened, and we know the Flood story is true, because it's in the Bible. We already proved that the Bible is all true.

8

Let's all think about "Imperfection"... comments?

by Morocco in

jw
friends

god created everything, right?

if so then god also created our skin with the ability to heal from cuts, wounds and tears.

which means that god anticipated the infliction of pain and set a system in place to counter accidents.

OnTheWayOut

Let me try an answer that works sometimes for the Borg. When the Bible says there will be peace among the animals, it may not be talking about their permanent situation. It may be rare that hunting carnivorous animals will be found together. Jehovah gave these animals the means to protect themselves and kill, so maybe that's the way they will continue. In perfection, we can be assured that the unnatural fear of man will be removed from these animals (forgetting that Man is perfected, not the animals) and we would be able to be at peace among them. Perfection doesn't mean we will all have the same perfect abilities. Perhaps, an occasional laceration of the skin will happen, or an animal bite, but we know that our perfected disease-fighting ability will be there. Pain will continue to serve as a boundary to dangerous activity.

Really, you know, there will still be weeds in paradise. You will have to pull them, but left in the wild, they are an important part of the balance of nature, or else God would not have created them. The same goes for bacteria.

I CAN DO THIS ALL DAY UNTIL YOU THINK YOUR QUESTION WAS ANSWERED, OR YOU LEARN NOT TO ASK ME AGAIN.

8

Let's all think about "Imperfection"... comments?

by Morocco in

jw
friends

god created everything, right?

if so then god also created our skin with the ability to heal from cuts, wounds and tears.

which means that god anticipated the infliction of pain and set a system in place to counter accidents.

OnTheWayOut

To the JW: Stop trying to understand everything with your independent thinking. Just wait until the new system and it will all be clear.

or to the Bible Student:

You ask many good questions, but our bible study is progressive. Hold your thoughts until we get to that in our discussion many weeks from now. Your questions may be answered by then. (Or you may forget them.)

29

Changes at NY Bethel

by architect in

last dec 2005, the ny bethel gave talks indicating that they had to downsize (word is mine) due to "improved technology" and that as a result of this simplification some bethel family members would be invited to serve in the united states field in various assignments at various congregations where the excellent training they have recieved at bethel could be put to use and contribute much to the preaching and disciple making work.. what do you make of this?.

i wonder how they would determine who stays or goes?.

are there any former bethel members out there who can comment on rather this would be an easy transistion for those who have to leave?.

OnTheWayOut

The letter reads as if the ones leaving Bethel are volunteering to do so.

"..some Bethel family members would be invited to serve in the United States field in various assignments..."

Of course, they left out "or go home."

29

Changes at NY Bethel

by architect in

last dec 2005, the ny bethel gave talks indicating that they had to downsize (word is mine) due to "improved technology" and that as a result of this simplification some bethel family members would be invited to serve in the united states field in various assignments at various congregations where the excellent training they have recieved at bethel could be put to use and contribute much to the preaching and disciple making work.. what do you make of this?.

i wonder how they would determine who stays or goes?.

are there any former bethel members out there who can comment on rather this would be an easy transistion for those who have to leave?.

OnTheWayOut

If they actually cared about their flock. They would have said that there was less of a need at Bethel and they were excepting volunteers to go out in the field or to go home. They would have slowly depleted their staff. Since they don't care they just sent out pink slips like any cold corporation.

Yeah, that's what I say, too. Let them stay if they want. Don't take any new applicants until these older ones die off. For the volunteers, offer an incentive package (just like corporations do).

There is going to be rank-and-file backlash about this. It was so obvious to most people. I am taking suggestions for my "Questions from Readers" letter on this subject in my inbox.

9

Bethel Layoffs: Any personal experiences?

by under_believer in

jw
friends

1) any bethelites who have been laid off who would like to share their experiences/impressions?

2) anybody know any bethelites who were laid off who'd like to tell the story?

3) anybody go to a congregation that has had one of these laid off bethelites assigned to it?

OnTheWayOut

About half of them I am assuming arn't even going to be able to pioneer once they get out on their own.

Many will pioneer for awhile. They will assume the congregation will try to help them, but the friends will tire of taking turns feeding them, driving them around. I say that about half of them will be very disgruntled. Watch out for the Kingdom Halls being the brunt of the jokes that Post Offices used to get. Instead of "He went postal on you," it'll be "He brandished his full-time service revolver."

25

Describing the meetings

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

has anyone ever written a thick description of a witness meeting?.

i think i am going to give it a go.

slim.

OnTheWayOut

The Watchtower Discussion Meeting- An article is read one or two paragraphs at a time. Each paragraph contains JW spin on scriptures or doctrine. After each reading, the question on this paragraph is read. The question should be rhetorical because it so obviously points to a sentence in the paragraph, which someone will read, as the answer. When this happens, the overseer will remind people to put things in their own words, never actually saying ".... in your own thoughts, no. Use the WT thoughts, but in your own words," but everyone will know what he means. Each lesson will contain several ideas which cannot be supported by scripture, but scriptures will be put in parenthesis next to these ideas, so each person who is too lazy to look them up will assume the WT writer has God's support from the scriptures. Once-in-a-while (times vary), a life-changing all-important doctrinal "adjustment" will be included within a sub-heading. All readers should immediately adjust their thinking to adapt to this new understanding, and if you have any questions, don't write them down, but wait a few years and it will all be clear to you (or you will have forgotten your question).

27

How do you anticipate the Watchtower's fall?

by JH in

jw
friends

slowly and progressively, or rapidly after a specific date?.

OnTheWayOut

I anticipate the fall of Watchtower to happen when they rejoin the UN (I think they will or already have under a different name) and Jehovah desides that is the perfect time to destroy the UN and all its supporters.

This is pretty good. Are you saying that they will find out they were right in a previous New Light, but too late, because they abandoned that light moments before this happens?