Posts by NanaR

29

Do You Think Jehovah's Witnesses Are Truly Happy?

by StAnn in

i've been wondering about this a lot lately.

when i was a jw, i was always miserable because i was so busy trying to keep up with everyone else, i.e., field service hours, dressing appropriately, having the right attitude, feeling guilty about desiring things not approved by the wts, such as an education.

my own experience as a jw was so filled with unhappiness that it never occurred to me that anybody in the wts could actually be happy and have a joyful life.

NanaR

Do you believe there are genuinely happy JWs who don't need to be rescued?

St. Ann:

This an excellent question.

I spent almost a decade as an agnostic. During that time, I did not try to "rescue" anyone else from the Watchtower. I knew the Watchtower did not have the answers, but I didn't have any answers either.

For many years before that, I was a "happy" Witness. That is, I would have told anyone that asked that I was happy, and I really believed that I was. I was (am) married to a man that I was (am) crazy about, I had (have) three beautiful daughters, my dad was my best friend (he died in 1991), my mom was my "hero" (she died in 2005). Thing is, when certain things in this "wonderful life" started to fall apart, I discovered that my "faith" was no help at all.

Now that I am Catholic, I find myself much more able to deal with everything that life throws at me, and I really want for other people to find the REAL happiness and faith that I now have. I don't so much feel that is my job to convince people to leave the Witnesses as it is my job to let them know, mostly through the way I live my life, that there is SO MUCH MORE to being a Christian than what the Witnesses offer -- so much more reverence, so much more history, so much more beauty, so much more prayer, so much more EVERYTHING! And then, for those who find their way out, I want to be able (in the words of a friend of mine) to give them a hug, pat them on the back, and point them in the RIGHT direction.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that happiness is relative to the standard that you have for it in your life. I was once very happy by Witness standards; I now have happiness greater than Witness standards because I have a peace of mind that I never had before.

Great question!!

Pax,

Ruth

http://nanaruthann.blogspot.com

7

A Judge For 4 Days

by Farkel in

i found this pdf scan on barbara anderson's site:.

http://watchtowerdocuments.com.

it's a great read even though it was written by a card-carrying member of babylon the grape:.

NanaR

Thanks Farkel!!

Ruth

72

Apostolic Succession ?

by a Christian in

james c,.

you wrote: the belief of apostolic succession is not a distinctly roman one.

the orthodox as well as the anglicans hold to it.

NanaR

Mr. Malik:

You said:

Why should I do otherwise? Look at what has resulted to the Faith as a consequence of their doctrinal views.

The splintering of Christianity must be laid at the feet of the Reformers. What the Fathers of the Church established and preserved for 1500 years has now been divided into thousands of sects in 500 years.

You have a right to your opinions, but I disagree with your conclusions.

Pax,

Ruth

72

Apostolic Succession ?

by a Christian in

james c,.

you wrote: the belief of apostolic succession is not a distinctly roman one.

the orthodox as well as the anglicans hold to it.

NanaR

a Christian wrote:

Ruth refers to the laying on of hands by the apostles. By doing so does she mean to say that she believes that Peter gave his own authority to another by laying his hands on a chosen successor prior to his death? I don't belief that is what is said by the Catholic Church to have occurred. Popes certainly do not choose their own successors today. Rather, following a Pope's death, a gathering of Bishops elect a new Pope by popular vote.
How do Catholics explain this? If indeed Peter had the power to give his own Christ given authority to another man, which the Scriptures do not indicate is the case, how is it that after Peter's death a group of men, whom Christ had never directly given any authority, had the power to give the authority which Christ gave to Peter to another man?

Jesus changed the Apostle Simon's name to Peter, gave Peter the Keys of the Kingdom, gave him the authority to bind and to loose, and instructed him (three times in succession) to "feed my sheep". As the Lord would have sheep on this earth long after the Apostle Peter had died, someone coming after him would have to assume responsibility for feeding the Lord's sheep.

Laying on of hands is a vital part of the ordination of a minister -- whether deacon, priest, or Bishop. The means by which a Bishop is selected is not relevant; that a Bishop, priest, or deacon is ordained by someone who is themselves validly ordained is what is vital in terms of the doctrine of apostolic succession.

This particular discussion did not begin specifically about the Catholic Church. As justhuman has pointed out, the Orthodox Churches also hold the doctrine of apostolic succession. James C's point was that the doctrine of apostolic succession was not challenged for the first 1500 years of Christianity. That point has not been disproven by any of the posts here. That the doctrine was challenged by the Reformers is clear, but I do not happen to agree with them. You may choose to believe them, of course, or to hold whatever opinion you feel is valid. But the ancient record is clear. One cannot deny the ancient record unless one chooses, as our Mr. Malik apparently does, to discard the words of 1500 years of Saints and Martyrs.

In order to find out how apostolic succession, the appointing of shepherds over the Sheep of God, occured, one has to read the writings of the Early Church fathers. The New Testament presents us with Christianity in its infancy. It is impossible for the New Testament to provide a complete picture of how the early Church operated after the death of the apostles.

A wonderful nonCatholic resource for reading the Fathers online is:

http://www.ccel.org/

Membership is free and allows one to download various *.pdf documents so that they can be read, printed, or searched electronically.

For a discussion of the Catholic doctrine of apostolic succession, there is an article here:

http://www.catholic.com/library/Apostolic_Succession.asp

I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I work in a college, and have been struggling with the never-never land of closing out the Spring Semester and the fiscal year while simultaneously starting up the Summer Semester.

Yours in Christ,

Ruth

http://nanaruthann.blogspot.com

72

Apostolic Succession ?

by a Christian in

james c,.

you wrote: the belief of apostolic succession is not a distinctly roman one.

the orthodox as well as the anglicans hold to it.

NanaR

In was in the hands of disciples as our Lord taught. It is still in the hands of disciples today. For some reason you think it started and stopped. You may also think that it is dependent upon membership to some denomination. But that is not what our Lord said as each disciple that was taught to: "observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" individually and/or collectively is the Church and a member of the body of Christ.

Joseph:

You misunderstood me. I did not allege that the Church started and stopped. Since you seem to dismiss the Early Church Fathers out of hand (as in your previous post), I thought that was what you were saying.

I made no comment about membership in any denomination, so I am not sure exactly how you derived that from my post.

I am on my way out right now, but I will reply to the remainder of your post and that of Christian at a later time.

Pax,

Ruth

106

MOUTHY'S 81st Birthday

by BenV in

jw
friends

mouthy, is today your 81st birthday?

i saw on a post you wrote -- and it said birthday!

(don't know how these things work?).

NanaR

Happy Birthday Grace!!!

Wishing you the BEST of everything!

Ruth

72

Apostolic Succession ?

by a Christian in

james c,.

you wrote: the belief of apostolic succession is not a distinctly roman one.

the orthodox as well as the anglicans hold to it.

NanaR

Church fathers that were not part of the 12 or appointed by any Apostle that had personal views that did not become part of the inspired record.

Who then decided, by the Holy Spirit, which books would become the inspired record, particularly who decided which writings would become the New Testament? When did this occur?

If Apostolic Succession did not occur, how then was the faith passed on to future generations of Christians? If you say by means of Holy Scripture only, then how was it passed before the canon of Holy Scripture was set (see above)? How was it spread throughout the entire earth before the death of the Apostles (as recorded in Scripture) and before the New Testament was completed? How was it passed on through the millenium or so thereafter that passed before the invention of the printing press, and during a time when few people could read?

If Apostolic Succession was not to happen, what was the use of Our Lord Jesus Christ imparting to St. Peter the power to bind and to loose, and imparting to the Apostles the power to forgive sins?

If Apostolic Succession did not happen, what was the purpose of the "laying on of the hands"?

Where was the Christian Church for the time between the death of the 12 original apostles and the beginning of whatever you believe to be the Christian Church now? In what group did the Holy Spirit abide for all that time, since Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be the Helper of Christians?

Pax,

Ruth

72

Apostolic Succession ?

by a Christian in

james c,.

you wrote: the belief of apostolic succession is not a distinctly roman one.

the orthodox as well as the anglicans hold to it.

NanaR

Great post, JustHuman!!

Pax,

Ruth

32

Ex-Jehovah's Witness on Catholic TV May 19th

by jschwehm in

jw
friends

tom cabeen, former jehovah's witness bethel elder and pioneer will be interviewed on ewtn's "the journey home" on his conversion to the catholic church on may 19th.

you can read tom's story at:

http://www.catholicxjw.com/