Mr. Flipper,
Thanks for staying after these issues. Your post on the generation was excellent as well. It is amazing how bizarre these teachings are when you step back just a step or two.
zarco
under the study article " you are my friends " ( indicating jesus naturally by his quote ) the wt society makes it very clear that the only way to be jesus friend is to come through them or else you won't be approved by jesus or god.
translation : friendship with jesus = treating the " faithful slave " kindly = jesus approving you.
our jw relatives will be studying this in december at their meetings.. under the subheading on pg.
Mr. Flipper,
Thanks for staying after these issues. Your post on the generation was excellent as well. It is amazing how bizarre these teachings are when you step back just a step or two.
zarco
just had a brain fart and i don't think i'll actually try this, but see what you think.. .
i made myself a promise that i was done serving on jcs roughly 2 years ago.
and, with the exception of a rubber stamp reinstatement charade, i've kept that promise.
Please do not take this in the wrong way. But the sooner you live in accord with what you believe the better person you will be. Life is too short.
Best,
zarco
today is kim clijsters' birthday and a month ago she announced her retirement from tennis.
i remember the week she was born very well.
i have watched tennis since the late '70s, and i remember when billie jean king was a star, when jimmy connors was a hot new thing, and when "virginia slims" matches were shown on wtbs.
Go Kim! Unseeded and a mother of a two-year old. Go Kim!
the "priscilla" deliberations.. gb subcommittees now re-considering role of women in the organization.. example of phoebe as "diakonos" revisited.. could women be appointed to ministerial servant positions in view of the need in congregations?.
what's your take on latest rumors?
http://www.extjforo.com/foro/showthread.php?t=14821.
Cool!
i live near sacramento, ca and earlier this week the local convention authority held a big deal press conference announcing a "deal" with jehovah's witnesses (see clip below).
based on comments to local news media on their websites, more than a few people are not too crazy about the idea..... i heard an interview on a local station where the head guy [of the convention authority] was defending (sounded very defensive) the city's deal with the dubs, by saying "well, they'll bring hotel dollars, food dollars, and they'll be visiting all of our local museums, evening life, and entertainment attractions.....so the monetary impact will be huge for us...".
specifically discouraged from doing any of those "extra" things..... hope those attractions aren't hiring more employees to handle the witness "crowds"........ also, during the interview, he said that the convention authority would be able to select the dates for the various conventions.
Open mind,
Downtown and Midtown Sacto will surprise you. Since the Capital is so close and the lobbyists in California are so numerous the restaurants in the area are outstanding. The park around the Capital is nice. And if you want a really long walk (20 blocks), you can go from the Convention Center toward Midtown and all the way to McKinley Park, which is very nice. Along the way you will see many Victorian homes, many of which are fully restored. Past McKinley Park is the fabulous 40s – a wonderful area with beautiful homes and small shops.
zarco
i live near sacramento, ca and earlier this week the local convention authority held a big deal press conference announcing a "deal" with jehovah's witnesses (see clip below).
based on comments to local news media on their websites, more than a few people are not too crazy about the idea..... i heard an interview on a local station where the head guy [of the convention authority] was defending (sounded very defensive) the city's deal with the dubs, by saying "well, they'll bring hotel dollars, food dollars, and they'll be visiting all of our local museums, evening life, and entertainment attractions.....so the monetary impact will be huge for us...".
specifically discouraged from doing any of those "extra" things..... hope those attractions aren't hiring more employees to handle the witness "crowds"........ also, during the interview, he said that the convention authority would be able to select the dates for the various conventions.
There is not free parking anywhere close to the Convention Center. It is surprising to me that the WTBTS would do this. Parking is very expensive in the area, ranging from about $12 to $30/day. They do have light rail that runs about a block away, so maybe the Witnesses will park elsewhere and ride the light rail in. If the WTBTS can negotiate decent rates at the Hyatt, Sheraton and Marriott - all within a block of the Convention Center - the Witnesses will still have to pay for parking. And if they do not use the downtown hotels and negotiate deals with the hotels out in Rancho then most will use Hotwire or Priceline and stay in the downtown hotels which messes up the "comp room" numbers.
It indeed will be interesting......
zarco
list some thoughts and suggestions for anyone thinking about fading from the organization..
from today's sfgate.
the witness reference is from when he appealed his previous sentence.
it does not mention if he currently is a witness.. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/02/mnns19gu6d.dtl.
From today's SFGate. The Witness reference is from when he appealed his previous sentence. It does not mention if he currently is a Witness.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/02/MNNS19GU6D.DTL
(ohio app.
1061, not reported in p.3d, 2000 wl 1879053 (wash.app.
1085, not reported in p.2d, 1999 wl 58767 (wash.app.
Jeff,
I am only a guy with an internet connection, but I don’t think there is a legal case to be established. However, there is a human rights case that can be made. If ones rights are abused by the interrogation techniques in a judicial committee (I wonder if some could claim a harassing or threatening environment) or by the shunning that happens thereafter (if one is disfellowshipped). A government would have every right to establish guidelines to protect human rights for any organization receiving tax-exempt status or even operating within a country or jurisdiction.
The legal approach makes some sense, but it might be the human rights angle that "brings down JWs".
zarco
I originally posted what is written below on Jeff's discussion on shunning. This topic is a bit broader, so I started a new thread. It seems to me that the organization is completely designed to force behaviors that they want by introducing negative consequences if you do not do them.
1. Field service is an activity that no one wants to do – at least the door to door part – but they have a time counting process to enforce the behavior.
2. Few want to attend all the endless meetings – but if you don’t you are viewed as weak and some in the congregation stop socializing because the WTBS encourages association with only spiritual people.
3. If you question the “slave” – you are labeled an apostate and the organization mandates a judicial committee, which is a pretty severe consequence to what many times, are sincere questions.
4. Few want to spend their resources sitting for 3 days at a convention listening to someone read from a manuscript – again the consequences of not going are informal shunning.
5. Many would like to leave and go their own way, but the prospect of being officially shunned makes them stay.
If the negative consequences were to be removed and if members could practice free will the Witnesses would be far different and only the hard core believers would stay or at least do the "witness things" like door to door preaching, attending all the meetings, wasting three days at a conventions ..........
Interestingly, if what the Bible says about the Christ is true. He used positive reinforcement to attract people. He refreshed, healed, fed and taught. He didn’t seem to have any problem with meeting attendance – he met and exceeded the needs of those he served. I think any religion must pass the “Christ test” to be sustainable long term.
The Witness religion is a new religion that will not be around long term in any meaningful way unless they begin to provide positive things to people who do the things they want done.
zarco