i must admit, i feel rather like winston smith from orwell's 1984. i sit here in front of the image of a blank piece of paper on my computer screen.
i am alone in my study, alone, but like winston, i am hesitant to write on this blank piece of paper, fearful that i am under the watchful eye of the telescreen.
it is a form of paranoia, i guess, a paranoia that is synonymous with being in the organization; an organization that worries more about perception than substance.
I remember.
I keep running across unfinished letters to the elders, Bethel, myself. The alone-ness. Because they also have moved us farther and farther away from God..Hang on though, keep pushin'--that baby's gonna get born soon!
A better day's a-comin'
when i read the gospels, i don't find a bunch of numbers.
i loved that jesus talked in a way that left me wide open to respond to god.
"love god with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself".
Ding,do you think chronologies helped or hurt us in the JDubs?
when i read the gospels, i don't find a bunch of numbers.
i loved that jesus talked in a way that left me wide open to respond to god.
"love god with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself".
Dear mP,
Actually I find it more compelling when someone writes what another person said. We are such egomaniacs in the main. I would think less of Jesus if he HAD written anything down--our human vocabulary for spiritual things is pretty crappy. In fact he was called the Logos not the graphicos. Maybe a distinction that matters. One word indicating an idea of God's rather than the written words that everybody picks, parses and wrangles over--like I have the time to study Hebrew!
Even so--you and I DO read, mP. And even if we take each other with a grain of salt, I do trust a bit what you write. And you maybe trust a bit what I write....
when i read the gospels, i don't find a bunch of numbers.
i loved that jesus talked in a way that left me wide open to respond to god.
"love god with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself".
When I read the gospels, I don't find a bunch of numbers. I loved that Jesus talked in a way that left me wide open to respond to God. "Love God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself"
The Witnesses came along with all that bible knowledge and convinced me that they were into that loving God-and-neighbor BIGTIME. But before long I realized that I was on a perpetual treadmill of "taking in knowledge of the only true god" but knowledge of God's love was long gone for the most part.
Why do you think so many ex-dubs stay hung up on the numbers thing?
i had an accident wed. night and dislocated my knee while walking the woods.
took the paramedics 45 minutes to find me in the bush.
friggin' hurt but i learned morphine is your friend.
"Love your neighbor as yourself" was linked to the love of God by Jesus. (Matt.22:37-40)
all these people brimmed with that beautiful kindness toward you.
Damn doctrine and enjoy love where you find it, New22day.
Thanks for the post
Dear TA,
The danger of staying in too long as your children are growing is that they do feel the influence of those around them. Even more so if you believe that the JWs that "love" them are important to them.
But there is this: you can as a believer give greater weight in their minds to the integrity and love that the WT says it gives to the teachings of Jesus--BUT DOES NOT. When you do that then your eventual break out will make complete sense to them. In fact, they will almost certainly develop a disgust for what they hear and see in the Organization and chaff at the bit.
Getting thrown out of the religious circle, i.e. the synagogue, is in the finest traditions of personal faith. Just look at Jesus.
All the best dear sister,
Maeve
PS I am the mother of seven grown children NONE of whom are JWs. I am sorry for the wounds they carry related to my JW affilliation.
would you guys be able to help me.
i want to get my head around this change in teaching that i have been seeing going round.. id like to know is it true that the gb are now saying jesus sacrifice isn't for the rank and file?.
if that is so what bloody use is it for everyone to go to the memorial for??.
Bingo, Ding!
That scripture nailed it.
would you guys be able to help me.
i want to get my head around this change in teaching that i have been seeing going round.. id like to know is it true that the gb are now saying jesus sacrifice isn't for the rank and file?.
if that is so what bloody use is it for everyone to go to the memorial for??.
Good morning!
No doctrinal worry here---
All who survive Arrmedegon will die a slow suffocating death when the GB arrives to preside once more. They will suck all the air out of the room.
Maeve
theres a clear difference between prophecies (predictions of future events) and laws(stuff you should and shouldnt do).. now since xians always says jesus fullfilled the law, how does one fullfill a bunch of requirements like dont murder, dont worship idols, shave your beard like this etc.. there are 613 laws in the torah, jewish rabbis have done all the hard work and we have a nice list on wiki.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_mitzvot.
im confused which of those some how select a unique individual to be the unique messiah ?
then again there were many messiahs, every king and priest of israel and judea was a messiah.
This may or may not be of interest to mP or anyone else who has followed this discussion--The recently published book by Danel Boyarin is called "The Jewish Gospels". Even a reading the reviews on Amazon will help the discussion along by showing that the Jews were expecting someone to come (even John the Baptist sent off from prison asking to know if Jesus was the one expected). The prophet Daniel at 7:13--and on alludes to the Son of Man's coming. Of course Jesus often refered to himself as the son of man.
Anyhow......I thought it might be of interest. It is not a long book and written very well by a scholar of the Talmud.
my vision before the surgery was 20/60 in the eye that has had the surgery.
i saw my eye dr today and it has moved up to 20/30.
this is way beyond what i expected.
Lady Lee,
Seeing is relieving.
It's good to hear that some of what wears out can be fixed!
Maeve
