are we playing there game, by having to justify ourselves, why we don't go to meetings anymore, or why we left the org?.
No, I avoid that topic, even with my family. To my new Christian friends, if they happen to know that I was a Witness for years, I say simply that I left the JW religion some time ago (which is true) and I do not elaborate. If they push (and most do not), I will say that I was raised as a JW but am no longer a member of that religion. If that doesn't stop the questions, then I walk away.
I prefer to share my newfound Christianity instead.
NanaR
hey all,
hubby is right this minute bagging up all the wt and awake bound volumes that have been languishing in the back room and putting them in garbage bags.
this is the same hubby who swears he is "going back" to the kh "some day".
Gill,
I know the books could be sold, but I'm not going to stop him and suggest it. What he's pitching are the bound volumes; the older books are on bookshelves elsewhere.
I'm just happy that he's doing it.
Auld Soul, mia_b, and jgnat,
Thanks :-)
Rruth
hey all,
hubby is right this minute bagging up all the wt and awake bound volumes that have been languishing in the back room and putting them in garbage bags.
this is the same hubby who swears he is "going back" to the kh "some day".
Hey all, Hubby is right this minute bagging up all the WT and Awake bound volumes that have been languishing in the back room and putting them in garbage bags. This is the same hubby who swears he is "going back" to the KH "some day". Not sure what this means, but I'm not going to stop him... Ruth
comments you will not hear at the 02-04-07 wt study (december 15, 2006, pages 25-29)(justice be done).
when in particular will god "cause justice to be done"?.
(luke 18:1; 2 thessalonians 3:13) granted, the coming of "the great day of jehovah" does not depend on our prayers--it will come whether we pray for it or not.
Blondie,
Thank you for your commentary. I don't know how you manage to get all the way through those articles without throwing up.
Ruth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avc_96uf9yy.
i was watching this pro- wt video.
it showed the "real" gravestone of russell that was definately not a pyramid.
I believe that the site where Russell is buried has both a regular stone ON his grave and the pyramid structure near his grave. The pyramid was constructed at his request and to his specifications. Someone has simply left it out of the video. NanaR
this is a touchy topic for some because of strong beliefs about god's nature.
many believe that the nt bible is a law book, designed to give us exacting instructions and formula on what to do and not to do.
on prayer to the holy ghost (holy spirit), the new advent says:.
Jim,
Thank you for this beautiful article, and for the ones preceding it.
This statement especially resonates with me:
"The first and powerful change was that He gave me peace - unexpected peace with myself, with God the Father, with Him, with Christ, with the Christian faith. The kind of peace that we feel sometimes when we have a brief moment of freedom from stress ... like when we were children, just sitting in the yard, enjoying a bright sunny day, and not having a care in the world. Eacept, the peace lasts!"
I feel that peace now every time I attend Mass (and I am not even able to take communion yet). I am reminded especially of John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." That statement directly followed Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit to be with the Church.
The other scripture that came to mind was Matthew 11:29 (here I will cite the NWT reading because I like the wording): "Take my yoke upon YOU and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and YOU will find refreshment for YOUR souls." I never felt that "refreshment" at the Kingdom Hall, but now I know what that scripture means. When I go to Mass, it is food for my soul. I leave feeling peaceful, rested, with the burdens of the week lifted. I carry the peace with me into my everyday life. It has made me a happy person again. Also, I am longing for the time when I can be baptized and take communion.
I believe it is entirely appropriate to pray to any one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity according to the nature of my petition, and I do so.
NanaR
ok, some of you may be sick of these personality type issues but here goes.. i've noticed that whenever these topics come up, nf's and nt's come out of the woodwork.
in case you didn't know, these are the minority of the geneal population.
in a random setting you will have only 2 to 5% of n's (infp, infj,enfp,enfj,intp,intj,entp,entj).
ENFP here :-) As I have taken the tests at various times over the years, I always come up overwhelmingly ENF. The "P" at the end sometimes morfs to "X" (evenly divided), and one time came up as just barely "J".
I love working in higher education. The percentage of "N" (particularly NT) personalities in the higher ed community is much higher than that in the regular population.
When I got my job here in Jan. 2003, I remarked that it was nice for once to not be the "weirdest" person in the building (my building mates are mathematicians and computer scientists).
Ruth
yes, no or maybe....and why?
Nope.
They had me for about 50 years. I'm laying claim to whatever years are left.
NanaR
<!-- .style1 { font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .style3 { font-family: arial; font-size: 20px; color: #000066; } .style4 { font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; color: #000066; } --> the mystery behind the conventions and assembliesin the organization, the idea behind the conventions was to unite gods people under one roof.. .
looking back and knowing it is not gods organization raises.
a few questions about the conventions and assemblies.. what was the real motivation behind the conventions?did the watchtower hold conventions to show the world god has a united people?.
What was the Real Motivation behind the Conventions?
As to the WTS motivation in HAVING them, who knows? (but the reasons already mentioned sound reasonable)
As to GOING to them -- well, if you were a single witness above the age of 13, I believe the main motivation was meeting the opposite sex :-) I mean, how were we EVER supposed to get married if we didn't have these large "mixers" so we could find a JW partner who lived on the other side of the country and then marry them the day we turned 18...
Without conventions, I'm thinking there would have been a great many more marriages "out of the organization".
So, keeping the young ones corralled to breed with "their own" maybe?
NanaR
this thread was going to be about the true church.
but i simply changed the title.
okay ... so my experience thread set the stage for what seems to be a need to debate catholicism ... maybe because in the minds of many, there is a comparison to the watchtower ... a comparison which i believe is false.
I have a question for all of you who contend that it is absolutely necessary for every believer to verify every teaching of the church with which they associate in their own personal copy of the Bible:
Are there true Christians now or have there been true Christians (meaning individuals who have been annointed by God's Holy Spirit to serve him) who either cannot read or have no access to the Holy Scriptures in written form?
And if there are such (and I believe there are -- both now and in the past), then how were they taught and by whom? And how would they carry on without an organized Body of Christ to worship with?
NanaR
