Posts by jelcat8224

34

Archangel Michael ...

by jelcat8224 in

does anyone know if the wts is still teaching that jesus is/was the archangel michael?

i think i remember hearing that they were trying to phase this teaching out.

i can't remember why.

ok ... so once again they start changing from definite terms like: "Jesus IS Michael", to more vague terms like This scripture therefore suggests that Jesus himself is the archangel Michael. and it is logical to conclude !!!!

So what will happen is the average JW will read right over these words like it's the same old teaching and not even notice the difference. Then the terms will continue to get even more and more vague, until finally the teaching is done away with completely. But by that time they will have been using these ambiguous terms for so long that the average JW will say, "but they never said FOR SURE that Jesus was Michael, only that it SEEMED to be that way".

UGH!!!! It's so frustrating! I want to know how to beat them!!!!!

34

Archangel Michael ...

by jelcat8224 in

does anyone know if the wts is still teaching that jesus is/was the archangel michael?

i think i remember hearing that they were trying to phase this teaching out.

i can't remember why.

jelcat8224

thanks blondie!!! I haven't read your whole response yet but I knew you would come through for me!

34

Archangel Michael ...

by jelcat8224 in

does anyone know if the wts is still teaching that jesus is/was the archangel michael?

i think i remember hearing that they were trying to phase this teaching out.

i can't remember why.

jelcat8224

Does anyone know if the WTS is still teaching that Jesus is/was the Archangel Michael? I think I remember hearing that they were trying to phase this teaching out. I can't remember why. Sorry this is such a vague question. I've been trying to find something on the subject but have failed miserably. Probably because I don't really know what I'm looking for.

So if anyone has any information regarding the latest teachings about Jesus and Michael, (if there are indeed any), it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! jelcat

15

Who and what would you have been if not for the JWs..............

by fifi40 in

jw
friends

abandoned got me thinking about this is an earlier post, when he said along the lines of 'he wished he had never had thw whole jw experience'.

i also remember reading recently on another thread how one poster said their creative talents were stifled.. so now i am pondering what life woulda/coulda been like...............had i not had jw parents................in my own case i was very bright at school and excelled in maths and english subjects, but i remember zero encouragement from my parents for all that i was acheiving, or to pursue any type of career.............so maybe i was destined to be a journalist, an accountant (or maybe not)........i always liked the thought of acting, but guess that is most kids dream and i was also drawn to my fathers vocation, that of training racehorses but being the fourth child and having three older brothers my dad didnt take this very seriously.

i also love doing old houses up and interior design, which whilst i have done for my own personal use never considered as a career...................and then there is the latent writer in me just bursting with a bestseller.. oh my!!

jelcat8224

I always wanted , and STILL want to be a teacher. (literature and grammar to be exact) As it is, I was judged enough for the career that I DID choose. I was judged because it involved me moving away from my parents house to a whole new state in order to go to school. It involved a secondary education, although it was a relatively short program. I had elders and ministerial servants talking to me about going into a "more sensible career". We all know what they meant.

84

Sincere Question to Anyone who Believes in God

by Big Tex in

lately it's occurred to me that one day i will die.

being raised in a cult that teaches you, you will live forever without dying will warp perspectives.

and i've been working hard on coming to terms with that realization, and it's becoming more and more okay.

jelcat8224

I believe God alredy takes this into account and consideration. I don't believe that God would be so unjust as to ignore the struggles and confusions that people have here on this earth. It is a difficult life we have to live (more so for some than for others). God knows this. I don't believe a person would have to even present this question on judgement day, since it is already factored in.

There is a story: A man was a murderer. He had killed 100 people. One day he asked what was required of him to get into paradise. When he didn't like the answer, he killed that man too. Later on, he realized that the man was right and he needed to repent. While on his way to the house of worship to repent, he fell along the road and died. When the angels asked God if this man should be forgiven or not God told them to measure two distances: (1) the distance between where the man died and his home, and (2) the didstance between where the man died and the house of worship. If distance 2 was shorter than distance 1 then he would be forgiven. Now in acutality the man had died MUCH closer to his home than to the house of worship but when they angels measured the distances they found it to be the other way around. Why? Because God himself had shotrened the distance between the man and the house of worship so that he would be forgiven.

The point of this story is that God considers INTENTIONS. Now, Big Tex, I highly doubt you are a murderer , so just imagine the mercy and forgivness you can recieve for whatever misdeeds you have done.

84

Sincere Question to Anyone who Believes in God

by Big Tex in

lately it's occurred to me that one day i will die.

being raised in a cult that teaches you, you will live forever without dying will warp perspectives.

and i've been working hard on coming to terms with that realization, and it's becoming more and more okay.

jelcat8224

But really this thread isn't about this life, I'm more interested in what happens afterward. Based on what I've experienced and known, why should I believe or accept or even hope that what happens after death will be any better?

It kind of is about this life because, you are BASING your belief or disbelief in an afterlife or a benevolent creator, ON this life. So until you are able to see this life, and yourself in a more positive (and deserving) manner, you will always struggle with this concept.

God's kindness is such that we cannot fathom. The blessings that are in store for us are such that we cannot fathom. You cannot compare it to anything we know now on this Earth. We could try, but we would fall desperately short.

16

Tampa, Florida

by Glissando in

hi everyone.

just wondering - is anyone in the tampa, florida area?

jelcat8224

woah! Wanderer and Karnage: I'm right next door to both of you!

kinda far from Tampa

84

Sincere Question to Anyone who Believes in God

by Big Tex in

lately it's occurred to me that one day i will die.

being raised in a cult that teaches you, you will live forever without dying will warp perspectives.

and i've been working hard on coming to terms with that realization, and it's becoming more and more okay.

jelcat8224

I am terribly sorry that you had such a horrific childhood. Both of my parents share that with you. I grew up with two sets of grandparents who were essentially monsters, and worthless humans. I know only a fraction of the things my parents went through. My heart goes out to you truly. I know from watching my parents struggle with the permanent emotional scars that it is the hardest thing in the world to overcome.

I do believe Big Tex that your reward will be much greater than those of us who have not had to struggle with and survive such things. The fact that you have come out of this even CURIOUS to know if there is a God who cares shows that you have a good heart and an honest one too!

84

Sincere Question to Anyone who Believes in God

by Big Tex in

lately it's occurred to me that one day i will die.

being raised in a cult that teaches you, you will live forever without dying will warp perspectives.

and i've been working hard on coming to terms with that realization, and it's becoming more and more okay.

jelcat8224

Maybe because I was born in Missouri?

hehe ... well I've never been to Missouri, and I don't know much about it but it can't be that bad can it?

I have nothing in my nearly 45 years on this little mudball to lead me to think otherwise.

I think it's really a matter of perspective. You must have some blessings in your life. Are you married? Do you love your wife? Do you have children? They are wonderful blessings. Do you have health? I don't know much about your personal situation since I am fairly new here, and I hope I don't step on any sensitive areas. What I am trying to say is that the way you see your life depends on how you LOOK at your life. I believe that what you want in your life and what you believe you deserve will happen. Take my mother for example: she is not the most positive person that's for sure. She lives her life afraid that her past will repeat itself. She is always waiting for people to betray her or stab her in the back or hurt her emotionally. Therefore, EVERY single person in her life (other than my father) has done just that. This may or may not apply to you. The point is that we all have energy that we put out. If you were to try to live with a more positive energy, I truy believe your life would take a more positive turn. This doesn't mean nothing bad would ever again happen, but you would be better able to move past those moments and take your place in the positive again. Does that make sense? (nothing really to do with God there but I thought it applied )

Or I'll be reincarnated as Eeyore.

Now that's funny! I love Eeyore!! A little gloomy but he has a GREAT heart!!!

84

Sincere Question to Anyone who Believes in God

by Big Tex in

lately it's occurred to me that one day i will die.

being raised in a cult that teaches you, you will live forever without dying will warp perspectives.

and i've been working hard on coming to terms with that realization, and it's becoming more and more okay.

jelcat8224

(1) He/She is the ultimate accountant/lawyer who has kept track of every misdeed, every misstep, every error, every "incorrect" thought I've ever had in my miserable and pointless life;

Well for me personally, I have recently come to know and believe that God keeps track of the GOOD deeds you do. I believe that he forgives the bad and multiplies the good. (of course this is contingent on your intentions and attitude toward each)

I've shared some rather personal, and intense details about an abusive childhood here, and frankly coupled with a cruel cult my life, so far, sucks. And what I'm dealing with currently isn't much better

With regard to this statement, I firmly believe that those who suffer in this life and seemingly have nothing to show for all their hard work, good deeds, and faith, can look forward to a far greater reward in a place where it will be for all eternity.

Either way I see the afterlife, if there is one, as being even more grim than this life.

I am curious to know why you feel this way. If there is an afterlife, why would it be grim? What exactly do you see it as? Do you feel that you are unworthy of a good afterlife?

It is hard for me to answer EXACTLY with how I feel since I don't want to impose MY beliefs upon you. All I can say is that I believe that God cares about each and every one of us and that our experiences in this life are not ignored. Hope this helps if even just a little. jelcat