Posts by Brother Jeramy

61

God loves Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered People

by FusionTheism in

god's view of gays and lesbians.

why should anyone care what i have to say on this topic?

i am not a priest.

Brother Jeramy

The Bible says nothing about homosexuality, which is an orientation. Though it does say plenty about homosexual intercourse. If we're to have an honest conversation on the matter, it must start with this critical fact.

There is nothing in Scripture, be it the Hebrew Scriptures or the Greek Scriptures, that condones the insertion of a penis into a male anus in mimicking heterosexual intercourse. Let's please be frank about this. It's a distortion of how humans were designed to function sexually, be it for procreation or marital recreation.

In Eden, God created woman out of man. That's why in Genesis 2:24 it states that because of this, a man and woman will reunite to again become "one flesh."

But this post's title is correct: Jehovah loves gay, lesbian, and transgender people.

He loves all his children.

The question is, how are those of us who continue to profess to be followers of Christ to respond to gay men and women, or transgender people?

With great respect, considering that we are all still broken offspring of Adam and therefore distorted images of God, at least until the Restoration happens at Christ's return.

Homosexuality is not an inconsequential orientation in human society. And the men and women who are born with this orientation are no less "normal" than anyone else. They each want what every human being wants: companionship, love, acceptance, joy, wholeness, and so on. And for gay men and women, it is in most cases impossible for them to experience those things in an intimate relationship with anyone other than the same gender and orientation.

I struggle with this. I know what Scripture says about homosexual intercourse, yet I also know the holy spirit moves me to radical compassion. The kind of radical compassion Jesus lived out (and sometimes in violation of the Law).

And so ultimately I strive to err on the side of compassion. Because in the end, Jehovah wants "mercy not sacrifice." And I refuse to sacrifice gay men and women on the altar of Scriptural literalism and overrighteous myopia if doing so results in the forsaking of mercy. On this, I will not strain the gnat and swallow the camel. Because mercy is the weightier issue at the end of the day, over and against the legal details.

75

What was your eye opening moment?

by WasOnceBlind in

if you had to pinpoint the time or experience that finally made you open your eyes, what would it be?.

i think for me it was the time i saw my dad shun his brother who he had not seen in decades just because he was a da'ed jw.

i thought to my self "no way jesus would do that.

Brother Jeramy

The single biggest thing that I discovered shook the faith of more Witnesses than any other event since the 1975 debacle was the November 1, 1995 Watchtower article, which gave an entirely new interpretation of the "this generation" teaching that the Society had advanced for decades (and which was the key draw that brought in new Witnesses). Not only did the change confuse a huge number of Witnesses, but it also angered many when the Society seemed to play off the previous decades' teaching of "this generation" to mere speculation on the part of Witnesses, when the Society had published numerous magazines and books claiming that "this generation" absolutely referred to the actual generation of people born/alive in 1914.

From there it was a downward spiral. The biggest crash for the WTS was, by far, the May 1, 2007 Watchtower article changing the teaching that the sealing of the "anointed" ceased in 1935. The Watchtower Society now claimed that the time of sealing remains open. Witnesses weren't blind to the implications: it is all tied to the "this generation" teaching, which has been the Watchtower Society's "hook, line and sinker" for nearly a century. All Witnesses since 1935 were taught, and believed, that Armageddon would come within the lifetime of those born/alive in 1914. Essentially this meant the end of the world would come in the lifetime of every Witness alive in the latter half of the twentieth century. It was the "sizzle" to the Watchtower Society's "steak."

And then the sizzle fizzled. Another WTS prophetic road paved into yet another dead end.

And since 2007, with Memorial partakers increasing significantly each year since, the WTS has been in constant damage control.

30

Had to have a chuckle today when I saw this photo. it just sums everything up.

by joe134cd in

forum
links

http://www.watchtower.exposed/?p=658

Brother Jeramy

Thanks to OrphanCrow for showing that the image was indeed Photoshopped. While there are certainly valid criticisms to level at the Watchtower Society, it amazes me the extent to which some will go to advance a disproportionately hateful anti-JW agenda.

33

This is a topic I am going to kill with my opening post.Why haven`t the Major religions of Christendom exposed J.W.`s as the true Apostates

by smiddy in

i am initially thinking of the major religious institutions of christianity , catholic ,many branches , church of england , and the major protestant religions , too numerous to mention here.. after all their is 40,000 plus christian religions in the world today ?so obviously j.w.`s are not the only false religion .. so my real question is really , to do with the mainstream christian religions , why are`nt they more aggressive in their condemnation of the jehovah witness religion for their obvious failings ,flip backs ,contradictions ,prophecy`s that never eventuated , end of the world predictions ,re-inventing their past history , even distancing themselves from their past history , and their founding members , such as c.t.russell and j.f.rutherford whose policies they now reject... they need to get on board and bleed it for all it`s worth .. smiddy .

Brother Jeramy

The Watchtower Society (WTS) does not have the monopoly on religious control over many adherents' minds and lives. There are countless "mainline" Protestant groups, mostly independent "non-denominational" churches, whose dynamic is just as cult-like as the WTS. I know plenty of such folks who have belonged to such churches -- Trinity-believing, "spirit-filled," Bible toting, evangelistic, moralistic churches -- and whose lives were turned upside down due to the persuasive power of indoctrination programs and the control of its leaders. I personally know a couple who were intensely devoted to such a church and raised their kids in this church, only later to be forced to leave because they began questioning the leadership's methods of control. This couple, who are dear friends, remain scarred to this day, even after many years. And they continue to reflect on how their experience deeply shook their own faith and destroyed the faith of their children, all of whom are now vehement atheists, citing their experience growing up in this church as the cause of their atheism. (The group they had been part of was a "People of Destiny International" church, which later became Covenant Life Church, which then became Sovereign Grace Ministries.)

Such experiences in Christendom are far more common than people realize. In fact, given the general definition of "cult," I would argue that most churches would qualify as cults. Specific indoctrination programs, membership requirements, a certain level of necessarily expressed obedience to a leader (such as a bishop, or a pastor, or a body of church leaders, elders, etc.), manipulation of financial obligation, and even the imposition of disciplinary conditions.

Now, of course there are varying degrees of intensity as to how the above factors are applied in any given church or group. The Watchtower Society has disfellowshipping, the Amish have shunning, the Roman Catholics have refusal of sacraments as one means of excommunicating a parishoner (which to Roman Catholics is as impacting as disfellowshipping is to JWs), many Protestant "non-denominational" groups have forms of acute ostracism akin to shunning, and so on. But what each such group has in common is the drive to maintain core authority, all of which is grounded in some kind of key doctrine and/or marketing program (read: "evangelism") particular to each group's leadership (e.g., the "prosperity gospel," probably the biggest money-making scheme seen in Christendom in the past twenty years and which has been a huge stumbling block to countless thousands, if not millions worldwide). In the early 2000's I ran into a number of folks from the International Churches of Christ, which by then had been highlighted as being not only the fastest growing church at the time in the U.S. (a short-lived distinction), but also a cult. Its members (at least the many I encountered) were fervent and aggressive. You think the WTS is bad? The ICOC outran it by miles. As I recall it burned out some years ago.

Again, the WTS does not have a monopoly on religious manipulation and control of adherents, or on false doctrine. I would even go so far as to say that, compared to the countless harmful groups that exist within Christendom and which are in large supply, the WTS is remarkably tame.

And so this goes to the question of the originating post: "why haven't the major religions of Christendom exposed JWs as the true apostates"? I suspect it is very likely due to the fact that there are far more dangerous groups within Christendom that the WTS cannot even hold a candle to, and which are therefore of greater concern to the major religions of Christendom.

42

I need help with this one. What do you think I should do?

by Quarterback in

jw
friends

my wife is pleasant and easy to get along with.

she is also helpful to many.

lately, however, there is a jw sister who some are curious about has befreinded my wife.

Brother Jeramy

For starters you could try jettisoning your homophobia. Secondly, you could actually talk to the sister (you know, the one you so delicately referred to as "the lesbian") if for no other reason than to determine if your preconceptions about her and her intentions have any basis in fact. At the very least, having such an upfront conversation with the sister will afford her a fair opportunity to reconsider associating with folks like you.

60

Does The Governing Body Have Enemies At Bethel?

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i would think that a lot of resentment is building up for these for these guys at bethel even though it may not be discussed openly for fear of being abused by the gb in some way.. any way looking at their personality and the extreme phoniness of rubber mouth/face lett, and am#3, and the chicken shit coward leosch who won't even show up in court when subpoena'd to defend his faith or policies, and i'm sure they have many more undesirable traits that repel people instead of attract and that has to work its toll on relationships they have at bethel.. and this shunning thing i'm sure must really erk some at god's house and while they may not be free to voice their discontent i feel it must be building because these guys are complete nincompoops when it come to reality and the only way they know how to give direction is with fear and guilt which i'm sure is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way.. and let not forget the issues that are raise when they stole all the congregations savings and the pledge drive for more cash, ban on higher education, lawsuit pay out and etc.... what is this doing to the relation ship they have with legal and accounting i see trouble brewing right thier in the spiritual pair of dice..

Brother Jeramy

Brokeback Watchtower,

A more apt analogy would be the GB is the British monarch and the corporate executives of the WTS and other corporations are the Parliament. The monarchy is an integral part of the cultural, political, and social identity of the society, but the real policy and operational power is in the Parliament.

The fabric of the GB's cloak of control is wearing very thin thanks to the numerous ongoing revisions of its key doctrines. Executive officers at WTS corporations, the vast majority of whom are of the so-called "other sheep," are not blind to this. There are only so many more times the Writing Department can author a revision of the "this generation" teaching (along with more doctrine revisions enforcing the GB's centrality of authority over all Witnesses) before the GB's remaining facade of credibility completely implodes. When that happens (and it will happen), the GB will have to necessarily be dissolved and someone will have to take its place in order to viably manage the foreseeably tremendous fallout.

It's only a matter of time.

But yes. For the most part the GB is just a figurehead. Has been for years, actually, though now so even more than ever.

60

Does The Governing Body Have Enemies At Bethel?

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i would think that a lot of resentment is building up for these for these guys at bethel even though it may not be discussed openly for fear of being abused by the gb in some way.. any way looking at their personality and the extreme phoniness of rubber mouth/face lett, and am#3, and the chicken shit coward leosch who won't even show up in court when subpoena'd to defend his faith or policies, and i'm sure they have many more undesirable traits that repel people instead of attract and that has to work its toll on relationships they have at bethel.. and this shunning thing i'm sure must really erk some at god's house and while they may not be free to voice their discontent i feel it must be building because these guys are complete nincompoops when it come to reality and the only way they know how to give direction is with fear and guilt which i'm sure is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way.. and let not forget the issues that are raise when they stole all the congregations savings and the pledge drive for more cash, ban on higher education, lawsuit pay out and etc.... what is this doing to the relation ship they have with legal and accounting i see trouble brewing right thier in the spiritual pair of dice..

Brother Jeramy

Bethel is very much like most congregations. It's mostly populated with WTS/GB loyalists, but has its small share of lukewarms and a healthy share of dissidents (who become dissidents after getting to Bethel). The issue at WT headquarters is in the various upper echelons of corporate management. While the GB has an ecclesiastical grip on the theological underpinnings of the WTS, the actual operational control is far more out of their hands now than most realize. The actual power brokerage (from which stems many of the doctrinal changes, both recent and upcoming) happens outside the GB weekly conferences and at the hands of "other sheep."

28

Preparing for Governing Body 3.0? Making older GB step down? (New September Watchtower)

by FusionTheism in

watchtower, study edition, september 2015, "are you reaching the stature that belongs to christ?":.

paragraph 6: the mature christian shows humility in that he recognizes that jehovahs ways and standards are always better than his own.

[footnote: for example, older, experienced brothers may be asked to step aside from certain responsibilities and to lend support to younger brothers as they take on those responsibilities.].

Brother Jeramy

There's a huge shift happening right now with the GB, WTS, and the other related corporations. Minus the corporate and legal issues (which are significant), the theological/theocratic matters are of very high consequence. Keep an eye out for future Watchtower "type/anti-type"-ish articles highlighting changes in leadership in the Hebrew Scriptures and how those are akin to what's happening at WTS right now.

19

Ideas how to answer a jw friend

by Daniel1555 in

jw
friends

i faded completely (no kh visits or field service).. just recently a close friend from the kh wrote:.

"dear daniel.

it's a pity that we don't see you anymore at the kingdom hall.

Brother Jeramy

I would recommend a simple reply expressing gratitude for the email and for her thinking of you, and that you hope all is well with her. Keep it simple and charitable, without opening the door to a conversation that you'd clearly prefer not to have.

7

The Other Sheep and the Little Flock -- Simplified Suggestion

by FusionTheism in

if you look at the context of the scriptures, you'll see that the "little flock" jesus was going to give the kingdom to (luke 12:32) are the leaders in the congregations, the ones who faithfully serve his sheep, beginning with the apostles and original jewish believers.. in addition, the "other sheep" who would be brought into the congregation later, given the context in the gospel of john, would be the gentile (non-jewish) christians.

(see john 12:20-32).

nothing in these scriptures says anything about an earthly hope for the other sheep and a heavenly hope for the little flock.. that is going beyond what is written..

Brother Jeramy

The "little flock" illustration is part of a large sermon Jesus gave to "a crowd of so many thousands." (Luke 12:1) It covers the entirety of Luke chapter 12.

In verses 1 to 21 Jesus addresses the crowd.

In verses 22 to 40 he addresses his disciples (whom we can assume are the twelve, though it could have included others).

In verse 32 Jesus says, "Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has approved of giving you the Kingdom." He then continues the illustration by emphasizing the need for readiness in anticipation of the Master's return.

At verse 41 Peter asks Jesus, "Lord, are you telling this illustration to us or also to everyone?"

This is an interesting question for Peter to ask, because it suggests that Peter felt Jesus' audience may not have been limited to just the twelve, and that those among the "crowd of so many thousands" may have also been Jesus' intended audience for the "little flock" illustration.

Instead of giving a direct answer to Peter, Jesus' response in verses 42-53 is broad and very telling: "Who really is the faithful steward, the discreet one, whom his master will appoint over his body of attendants to keep giving them their measure of food supplies at the proper time?"

Then at verse 54 Jesus addresses "the crowds" again. What he tells them directly correlates with what he had just said to the disciples moments earlier about the necessity of diligence and readiness, and the cost of negligence and unreadiness. See verses 45-46 where he tells his disciples the illustration of the consequences of bad stewardship, and then compare verses 54-59 where he likewise tells the crowds another illustration about the consequences of bad stewardship.

The answer to Peter's question seems to be clear: Jesus' "little flock" illustration was meant for, and applicable to, the disciples as well as the crowds.

This ultimately suggests that anyone who "takes the lead" by undertaking the responsibility to shepherd God's people is a "faithful steward, the discreet one." And with that responsibility comes tremendous accountability.