zarco

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Posts by zarco

• 
  31

  HEY, ALL YOU JWD PEOPLE!!!!!

  by Warlock in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what a good week!.

  you have all been very funny and very entertaining.. the picture thread, the experiences.

  some good, some very sad.. what a bunch of babes!

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  zarco

  Actually no new thread alert - just want to know what you collectively believe to be true.
• 
  31

  HEY, ALL YOU JWD PEOPLE!!!!!

  by Warlock in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what a good week!.

  you have all been very funny and very entertaining.. the picture thread, the experiences.

  some good, some very sad.. what a bunch of babes!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  zarco

  Minimus - what is the truth? I understand if you mean the collective opinions against the org - but in all seriousness, what is the truth here that you adhere to? What is the collective view of JWD about things that matter like hunger, injustice, prejudice, morals, God and similar questions?

  zarco
• 
  91

  If Jehovah isn't the true God then who is?

  by unbaptized in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if jehovah isn't the true god then who is?

  if the jehovah's witnesses aren't god's people then who is?.

  please let me know and i need current information, not outdated information regarding the origin of the organization.

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• 

  zarco

  unbaptized,

  Great questions. I think you will find many honest replies here. But I am slowly learning that the forum is united only in being against the organization and what it teaches. It is not really for anything other than independant thought (which can be a very good thing). When I say "not for anything" I mean in a united sense - there is not a coalescing around an alternative "truth"

  Many individuals are for many things aligned with what they individualy beleive. The people on the board are wonderful in providing information and arguments against the "organization". For that I am very grateful. I just needed to scale back my expectations about what is here.

  zarco
• 
  1

  JW Publisher Growth Trends

  by zarco in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would like direction to past research on the publisher growth trends in the modern day organization.

  the questions i am attempting to answer are:.

  1- how many publishers should jws have today given new publishers (or baptisms) and average mortality rates .

  1. 
• 

  zarco

  I would like direction to past research on the publisher growth trends in the modern day organization. The questions I am attempting to answer are:

  1- how many publishers should JWs have today given new publishers (or baptisms) and average mortality rates

  2- in what year did the modern day organization meet/exceed 144,000 publishers

  I assume this research is somewhere on this board but I cannot find it. Thanks for any help you can provide.

  zarco
• 
  66

  JW Discussion Forum Poll

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you know i am an active jw in search of the truth and i see many good and bad things in the organization i am interested in knowing the following from forum.

  which of the following statements best describe your belief -.

  1 - the wtbts is jehovahs channel and i believe what it teaches me (i had to ask:).

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• 

  zarco

  Auldsoul,

  Thanks for your comments. I wrongly assumed that most of the folks on the board thought that God had worked through the modern day "Organization" and I now appreciate that is not the case.

  Regarding your question about when God was using a human organization, I feel that the tenets that Russell taught regarding hell, the soul, the trinity and the ransom show God's spirit operating upon him both to enable his understanding of these matters and spreading this information to others. In my opinion I would say that clearly God used him and his limited organization from the 1870s to about 1913 or so. Additionally I feel that God also used men like Martin Luther, Tyndale, Calvin and others to keep "truth" alive.

  After 1914, the failed prophecy regarding 1914 has caused additional failed prophecies and a grasping at straws of truth with very little new understanding. So if there is an apostacy it occurs after 1914 in my mind.

  Certainly the scriptures you reference prove that God can and does work with individuals. However, it seems to me that he has used groups of individuals to dessimate truth. I realize I am biased in this regard given my enjoyable experiences within the congregation I attend (at least the good outweighs the bad). It seems that the bad that many on this forum have experienced far out weighs the good possibly causing a bias as well.

  Thanks for your thoughts on the matter and I will write more later.

  zarco
• 
  66

  JW Discussion Forum Poll

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you know i am an active jw in search of the truth and i see many good and bad things in the organization i am interested in knowing the following from forum.

  which of the following statements best describe your belief -.

  1 - the wtbts is jehovahs channel and i believe what it teaches me (i had to ask:).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  zarco

  Lady Liberty,

  You point is one that I have thought a lot about and I genrally concur with your conclusion. Although I feel that he does have an organization eventhough it is not the only means of salvation.

  Jesus was obviously Jah's channel but he recognized the possiblity that others not worshipping in the "normal" way could be on God's side. And your point indeed gives us a lot to think about.

  My personal belief is that the sign of the son of man will be so dramatic that many will choose to align themselves with Jesus. This is a future event. If JWs are the true religion can imagine the surprise when many millions flock to Jesus based on his sign. These would not have had the time to serve in the "approved" way rather would come in at the last minute so to speak.
• 
  66

  JW Discussion Forum Poll

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you know i am an active jw in search of the truth and i see many good and bad things in the organization i am interested in knowing the following from forum.

  which of the following statements best describe your belief -.

  1 - the wtbts is jehovahs channel and i believe what it teaches me (i had to ask:).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  zarco

  Drew,
  
  I think there can be middle ground.

  If one believes the Bible that Abraham’s seed is the means that all nations of the earth bless themselves. It might trouble some that Abraham had significant flaws. He apparently, (1) lied about his relationship with Sarah (although many would have done the same), lived and associated with his father Terah who worshipped a pagan God and (3) directly questioned Jehovah regarding the destruction of Sodom.

  So obviously he at times had what some would call errors in judgment. Did that mean that he was not God’s means for blessing mankind? Of course not! On balance the Bible describes him as God’s friend.

  Today the WT is teaching what I feel is the truth about (1) the mortality of the human soul, (2) the monotheism of Jehovah, (3) the resurrection and (4) the ransom and God’s purpose for the earth. Do they also teach things that have proved to be false? Yes!. But no other religion that I know of has the core issues right.

  Did God let men such as Eli, Manaseh, Saul, Judas and others serve? The Bible suggests that He did. Does this mean that the nation of Isreal was not God’s channel? Or does it mean that Jesus is not God’s son since he messed up in choosing Judas? I don’t believe that to be the case.

  So bottom line, I feel that God has a channel and that channel has proved to be very flawed. Until I can find a better channel I am sticking with this one and will await His instruction.

  zarco
• 
  66

  JW Discussion Forum Poll

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you know i am an active jw in search of the truth and i see many good and bad things in the organization i am interested in knowing the following from forum.

  which of the following statements best describe your belief -.

  1 - the wtbts is jehovahs channel and i believe what it teaches me (i had to ask:).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  zarco

  I am not promoting just expressing my vote. Next time would you suggest the poll with out my vote?
• 
  66

  JW Discussion Forum Poll

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you know i am an active jw in search of the truth and i see many good and bad things in the organization i am interested in knowing the following from forum.

  which of the following statements best describe your belief -.

  1 - the wtbts is jehovahs channel and i believe what it teaches me (i had to ask:).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  zarco

  minimus,

  I am just curious about the thoughts of folks on the forum - therefore the vote - the responses so far have been interesting and different than I would expect. I would have guessed more votes for #2 and I was wrong. Apparently the WT has caused more hurt among this population than I anticipated. I am sorry for that. The data is interesting even if the debate is not up to usual standards.

  zarco
• 
  66

  JW Discussion Forum Poll

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you know i am an active jw in search of the truth and i see many good and bad things in the organization i am interested in knowing the following from forum.

  which of the following statements best describe your belief -.

  1 - the wtbts is jehovahs channel and i believe what it teaches me (i had to ask:).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  zarco

  - how would that status make the WT different from any other Christian denomination ?

  It doesn't - therefore the need for an inspection and clearing out of apostasy.

  - where exactly did they "start" erring ?

  - isn't the true motive of this belief something like, "I can't believe that I have spent a significant part of my life in a mere cult that was never the center of anything big"?

  So are you currently at the center of something "big"? If so what is it and how has it impacted others for good?

  I sincerely hope you'll be able to laugh about that soon, and not waste the rest of your life on the fringe of the fringe...

  Actually doing pretty well at all aspects of life, partly due to the TMS, partly due to family and partly due to god given abilities, no waste that I have been able to note so far other than watching a bit a TV from time to time

  zarco