Cold Steel

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Posts by Cold Steel

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  14

  What Is "Counsel" and How Does It Work?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  yes, i know what "counsel" means, but it clearly has an esoteric meaning.

  in the academy award winning bunker video series, the noble brother brown admits he didn't handle it well when elder ben (who was a junior elder...uh, yes, that's right) gave him counsel about a talk he'd given.

  not enough use of scriptures.

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  Cold Steel

  LongHairedGal » any idiot there feels they are entitled to give you their "counsel". This is no exaggeration. This can take the form of polite advice in conversation, a phone call OR it can come in the form of remarks. This can happen any time because some Witness either saw or heard you saying, doing, wearing, attending, associating or working wherever, etc...Witnesses are also notorious for gossip and tend to envy, so if you have education or a decent job, you are more likely to be scrutinized.

  Well, in the case of Bro. Brown, he felt bad because he didn't take the less senior elder's counsel about using more scriptures in his talks. He thanked “Ben” for his counsel, but inwardly he resented it. But what if he had, at the time, said: “Look, Ben, when you give your talks, you can use as many scriptures as your heart desires. But when I give my talks, I'll use however many scriptures as the Spirit guides me to use.”

  Would this be considered out of line? Sinful, even?

  Also, do they call people by their titles? Since Brown said he'd been an elder “longer” than Ben, he obviously felt (at the time) that the counsel was unjustified. It made me wonder if Brown was still an elder since they called him “brother.”

  FedUpJW > You must run around looking for any and all excuses to jump down the throat of your fellow "brother" or "sister" with unsolicited, unwarranted, unwanted, needless advice in the ever present agenda of control.

  When someone offers this advice, how do they do it? “Hi, brother Brown...great talk, but if I may offer you a little counsel, you'd make your points better if you used a few more scriptures.”

  If everone does it, I reckon meetings would be somewhat stressful. But is the rule that you can counsel down, but not up? And I suppose counseling a member of the GB would be out of the question.

  Now what if I fancied myself one of the Anointed Class and partook of the Memorial every year? Would I still expect to be counseled? Being a former member of the faithful slave class, why should I listen to the great crowders?
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  14

  What Is "Counsel" and How Does It Work?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  yes, i know what "counsel" means, but it clearly has an esoteric meaning.

  in the academy award winning bunker video series, the noble brother brown admits he didn't handle it well when elder ben (who was a junior elder...uh, yes, that's right) gave him counsel about a talk he'd given.

  not enough use of scriptures.

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  Cold Steel

  I've never actually been to a Kingdom Hall, but I've heard the term "counseled" used here repeatedly. Even when it hasn't, I've heard stories where JW members have had other members give advice that, had it happened in my church, would have resulted in some quick counter counsel.

  But when you say a JW rep is the "final word," do you mean no one would dare counsel him (but that he is free to counsel others)? What about women who poke their noses into the affairs of other women? Is that called "counsel"? Can a woman counsel a man?

  Paul said let women keep silent in the churches, but quoting that particular passage can result in grave physical and psychological...distress. But given the Society's penchant for literal exegesis (like the blood thing), I'm surprised women don't have to cover themselves and confine their questions to their husbands.
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  21

  The Evils of Aluminum

  by NeonMadman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  aluminum was an issue that became a real “tempest in a teapot” for the watchtower.

  it influenced their teaching for almost 50 years and, frankly, created an impression among observers that their members were off-the-wall fanatics.

  for all those years, the golden age and other watchtower publications took the position that aluminum cookware and utensils were one of the great health hazards of the 20th century.

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  Cold Steel

  I'm not aware of any recent studies indicating that aluminum is a health hazard. It's still one of the active ingredients in antiperspirants and if there was any evidence to show that it was a link between it and Alzheimer's, you'd be hearing about it.

  I'm not sold on the idea that aluminum is entirely safe, but if so, it certainly hasn't been proven. Pertaining as to any vindication of the Society, even if it was right, it would be no more or less significant than if it had been published in the Christian Science Monitor. Ultimately it's the instinct of the editor, the research of its reporters and the confirmation of data and scientific results that result in the accuracy of its publication. Finally, it's the freedom to publish (governmental and corporate) that gives the publication its drive and interspection.
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  14

  What Is "Counsel" and How Does It Work?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  yes, i know what "counsel" means, but it clearly has an esoteric meaning.

  in the academy award winning bunker video series, the noble brother brown admits he didn't handle it well when elder ben (who was a junior elder...uh, yes, that's right) gave him counsel about a talk he'd given.

  not enough use of scriptures.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Cold Steel

  Yes, I know what "counsel" means, but it clearly has an esoteric meaning.

  In the Academy Award winning bunker video series, the noble Brother Brown admits he didn't handle it well when Elder Ben (who was a junior elder...uh, yes, that's right) gave him counsel about a talk he'd given. Not enough use of scriptures.

  Is this a common practice -- giving unsolicited advice to people? Is it something only elders do or can anyone just barge in at a Kingdom Hall? Can regular members give elders counsel? Or can an elder give a circuit overseer counsel?

  How does this work?
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  18

  OT - Pork was unclean... NT Now it's not?

  by pleaseresearch in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this always baffled me.

  either pork is unclean and wrong to eat forever, or it was a load of bull to begin with..

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  Cold Steel

  I'm not agreeing with this guy but I found his views fascinating. Very close to Seventh Day Adventists. Frankly, he looks like Steve Rogers before they slipped him that super soldier serum. A 12 ounce rare New York strip with some french fries 🍟 wouldn't hurt him too much.

  https://youtube.com/watch?v=GBX46GVZEyY
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  39

  Where Does It Say JWs Can't Read Pubs By Other Churches?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  can jws read publications by other churches?

  or by atheists?

  i've always heard these are apostate materials.

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  Cold Steel

  Cofty » Please fuck off. We have all had more than enough of ridiculous cults.

  Ummmm...no.

  I'll lay off religion if you leave off your stupid evolution pontifications.

  And I'm unimpressed with your feeble mastery of Google Search.

  https://youtube.com/?#/watch?v=YL-NXToiksQ

  https://youtube.com/?#/watch?v=V38jsyMnyIs

  https://youtube.com/watch?v=MRU6-vAQ4LA

  
  

  
  
  
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  14

  If Abraham had gone to Kingdom of Heaven, why not John the Baptist?

  by anointed1 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jesus rated john the baptist as the greatest “among those born of women” (luke 7:28) hence after his death he should naturally go to heaven—especially so lesser ones like enoch, abraham are already in the kingdom of heaven.

  (hebrews 11: 5, 6; 13-16).

  in view of the direct statement of jesus: “i say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with abraham, isaac, and jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (mathew 8:11), people like abraham are definitely in heaven.

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  Cold Steel

  According to the WTBTS, John died before Jesus was crucified and resurrected; thus, he belonged to the class of prophets who came before Jesus and who were heirs of the Paradise Earth great crowd. Those who were alive at Jesus' resurrection and were saved became Jehovah's faithful heavenly heirs.

  Many Christians believe that because Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world that he had, therefore, the least claim upon the Kingdom of God. Yet because of his sinless nature, he was also the greatest. Thus it was that Jesus was speaking of himself.
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  39

  Where Does It Say JWs Can't Read Pubs By Other Churches?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  can jws read publications by other churches?

  or by atheists?

  i've always heard these are apostate materials.

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  Cold Steel

  Heaven » My Father looked very suspiciously at my Hobby Farms Home magazine....

  As he should have, you demonic apostate!

  You need inspirational works like Watchtower, Awake and Guns & Ammo.

  
  

  
  
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  39

  Where Does It Say JWs Can't Read Pubs By Other Churches?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  can jws read publications by other churches?

  or by atheists?

  i've always heard these are apostate materials.

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  Cold Steel

  Vidiot » ...he said, without a trace of irony.

  Yes, and with good reason. The evidence of the first century church is in its witnesses. People saw Jesus' miracles such as his healing of the sick and raising the dead. Peter, James and John witnessed the events on the mount of transfiguration, setting Moses and Elijah; and the scriptures themselves say that in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

  The same is true of the latter-day saints. Many people witnessed the modern day miracles such as the healing of the sick and the raising of the dead, just as in ancient times. We also have witnesses of the Book of Mormon and the ministry of angels and many of our early apostles had visions. Many witnessed the landing of the quail and the appearance of honeydew, which fed the early latter-day saints, as well as the miracle of the seagulls in Utah. And these accounts are in their journals.

  But the JWs have no such claims. No angelic visitations, no revelations, no prophecies, nor miracles and, of course, no witnesses. How could they then claim the keys of authority given to Peter?

  Had Charles T. Russell seen visions, entertained angels, been given given authority by those with authority and in the presence of witnesses, they would have a far greater case. But none of these exist. So how could they know of the invisible return of Jesus or his inspection of the churches of Christendom in 1918-19?

  That's my point.

  
  
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  15

  Where Can One Get Answers To Questions From JWs?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  there's also a fellow who calls himself the "watchman," but he seems as critical as many of the so-called "apostates.

  " is there a place where one can ask questions from knowledgeable believers or "a" believer?

  i really don't want to take the bible lessons.

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  Cold Steel