Posts by Flowerpetal

73

THE END IS NEAR

by Mary in

jw
friends

with all the ridiculous hype amongst the dubs about how this new tract is going to help bring about "the end", i thought it would be beneficial to highlight how often they've been crying that the sky is falling in the last 1/2 century:.

***w50 2/15 p. 54" stick to your work"*** now is the time to live and work as christians, especially now, for the final end is near.

*** the time of the end is near!

Flowerpetal

Just something to be aware of, the extreme Islamists (of which the president of Iran is a member of)also want the end to come so their 12th mullah will appear and bring peace, but before that violence:

http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/04/12/how-quickly-can-iran-get-the-bomb/#comments

This comment is about the 3rd one down:

I think one has to assume that a lot of the engineering one typically needs has been supplied to them via Pakistani scientists and engineers. If not the Russians. (Not a lot of pay for physics in Russia) I’m sure both Pakistan and the US is trying to prevent this. But there’s only so much one can do.
So it’s all about the processing. And a small bomb is still a significant weapon. Especially when the President of Iran apparently really likes the idea of bringing back the 12th Mullah in an Islamic version of the apocalypse. I only know about him what I’ve read in Time, Newsweek and so forth. But it’s pretty scary. I’ve met some fundamentalist Christians who get excited by the notion of the apocalypse. It’s a mindset I just can’t fathom. But from that mindset, I’m tremendously scared that its in their best interest to use such a weapon (or at least supply those who would). Especially if Bush or Israel launches, as expected, some kind of attack the next few months.

41

Is it possible for someone to "Love being a JW"?

by JH in

jw
friends

a few days ago, i met an old lady that has a jw as neighbour.

she knows that jw couple since years, although she isn't a jw.

so, i asked that old lady, "do you still see that jw couple once in a while", hoping for some kind of juicy news..... so, my question is, "how can a person love to be a jw" when so many others just "hate" being in that religion?.

Flowerpetal

Some people need structure and the society provides that in one way by suggesting everybody making a schedule and sticking to it. Those who are successful at it, thrive and might think they love being a JW.

Then there are those whose lives spill out over the edges of a schedule (you can call it dysfunction or maybe they are just bohemian types at heart) and end up becoming unhappy. The bohemian types are unhappy because they don't have time to express themselves, maybe thru writing or art, or something like that.

19

Who is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?

by sanjanicole in

jw
friends

i am studying about jw, and as i understand it you do not believe in the trinity, how can you not belive in something that the bible says is real, i understand that the word trinity itself is not in the bible, but that does not mean that it does not exist especially since the triune god is talked about in the bible...

Flowerpetal

You can find just as many arguments in the Bible to prove the trinity doctrine as you can to disprove it--so I have to agree with Honesty in asking the question,

Is belief in the Trinity necessary for salvation? If it is, then I guess I;m doomed as I never believed in it.

13

Comments You Will Not Hear at the10-1-06 WT Study (Job Endurance)

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 10-01-06 wt study (august 15, 2006, pages 25-29)(job endurance).

review comments will be in red.

wt material from today's wt will be in black.

Flowerpetal

Hi Blondie!

Very interesting esp. the comments from Robert Sutherland's book regarding Elihu. I have ALWAYS had a difficult time trying to understand the WT explanations and/or interpretations in connection with the book of Job and finally came to the conclusion on my own (right before stopping my association with the WT) that it is an allegory for the human condition.

Just have a few remarks:

From WT article:

3) Suffering evil is by no means easy, as many Witnesses can testify. For this reason, the Bible counsels all Christians: "Take as a pattern of the suffering of evil and the exercising of patience the prophets, who spoke in the name of Jehovah." (James 5:10) Over the centuries, many servants of God were persecuted without cause. The examples provided by this great "cloud of witnesses" can encourage us to keep running with endurance our Christian race.-Hebrews 11: 32-38; 12:1.

Since the WTS claims to be speaking in the name of Jehovah might they view people who are speaking against it (i.e. evil apostates, etc.) to be persecuting them without cause? And perhaps the more they are being exposed the more they might be viewing themselves as suffering evil.

Your concluding comments:

Pumpkins, indian corn, mums, asters, concord grapes, canning. The trees are turning very early this fall. Maybe it’s a sign of the end, haha.

Well the society does teach that a lot of serious stuff happens in October!

36

Big Announcementitis - JWs and 'Postates

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

what is it with jehovah's witnesses and apostates and "big announcements" - they are as bad as each other.

witnesses are always on about big announcements in the pipeline - just to end up being disappointed.

like the time they reduced the pioneers hours - big wow.

Flowerpetal

SirNose:

Yeah, ok, maybe I'm impatiently waiting on something that might never materialize. I just want something...interesting....to happen every so often. I've already figured out that I probably won't be able to "exit stage left" until something polarizing comes along.

Nothing even interesting isn't going to happen because when Fred Franz died, the WTS lost their "visionary." I think that's why The Revelation book is being studied again.....there is just nobody up there in Bethel who can come up with anything better or even more exciting....

87

How many 'real" friends did you ever really have in ther "truth'

by The Lone Ranger in

jw
friends

sure we got to know a lot of people, we knew a lot more people then the average person, but how many real friends did we ever have?

a friend that we could trust, that we could confine in.

i can say i had just one, bro x and even then i still had to be careful, bro x is an elder now and he tells me that im the only real friend hes ever had, he cant freely talk to anyone.

Flowerpetal

I thought I had at least one, but now I know I had NONE.....

41

The End is coming Pretty Soon, Folks

by Flowerpetal in

jw
friends

i have been inactive from jws since 2003. i don't post here very much -- do more reading than posting.

but i just had to tell y'all that i got a one-page tract this evening which is an invitation to attend the deliverance at hand convention.. yes...the end is coming pretty soon because never before in jw history has an invitation or tract been distributed to a city not designated a convention city.. the end is also coming pretty soon because i was told at the convention there will be a lot of talks about noah and what he faced.. in addition, the end is very near because later on this year there will be several announcements coming from the society.

wow!

Flowerpetal

DR:

If I had a penny for every time I heard the end was 'near,' I could have bought ;a Porsche years ago..

Me too, probably many Porsche's, because my mom became a witness in the 40's and she raised me to believe in the JW faith. I was baptized in 1959 at the age of 11 1/2 yrs. old....and thinking back on it, as I seem to be doing quite a bit lately.....what does a child at that age know what they're doing?

Anyway, growing up, Armageddon was always looming -- it was always "right around the corner."

I agree with Gary..they can do anything they want or say anything they want.

41

The End is coming Pretty Soon, Folks

by Flowerpetal in

jw
friends

i have been inactive from jws since 2003. i don't post here very much -- do more reading than posting.

but i just had to tell y'all that i got a one-page tract this evening which is an invitation to attend the deliverance at hand convention.. yes...the end is coming pretty soon because never before in jw history has an invitation or tract been distributed to a city not designated a convention city.. the end is also coming pretty soon because i was told at the convention there will be a lot of talks about noah and what he faced.. in addition, the end is very near because later on this year there will be several announcements coming from the society.

wow!

Flowerpetal

Maybe I shouldn't have put an exclamation point after the word "Wow"?

41

The End is coming Pretty Soon, Folks

by Flowerpetal in

jw
friends

i have been inactive from jws since 2003. i don't post here very much -- do more reading than posting.

but i just had to tell y'all that i got a one-page tract this evening which is an invitation to attend the deliverance at hand convention.. yes...the end is coming pretty soon because never before in jw history has an invitation or tract been distributed to a city not designated a convention city.. the end is also coming pretty soon because i was told at the convention there will be a lot of talks about noah and what he faced.. in addition, the end is very near because later on this year there will be several announcements coming from the society.

wow!

Flowerpetal

I have been inactive from JWs since 2003. I don't post here very much -- do more reading than posting. But I just had to tell y'all that I got a one-page tract this evening which is an invitation to attend the Deliverance at Hand Convention.

Yes...the end is coming pretty soon because never before in JW history has an invitation or tract been distributed to a city not designated a convention city.

The end is also coming pretty soon because I was told at the convention there will be a lot of talks about Noah and what he faced.

In addition, the end is very near because later on this year there will be several announcements coming from the society. Wow!

20

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 7-9-06 WT Study (TELL FINALE)

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 7-9-06 wt study (june 1, 2006 issue date, pages 21-25)(tells finale).

review comments will be in red.

wt material from today's wt will be in black.

Flowerpetal

Hi Blondie!

17) Jehovah apparently chose not to foresee what Adam--and Eve--would do, even though He has the ability to know everything in advance. It is therefore a question, not of whether Jehovah can foresee the future, but of whether he chooses to do so. Furthermore, we can reason that Jehovah, being a God of love, would not knowingly and cruelly predetermine that rebellion--with all its sad consequences--should take place. (Matthew 7:11; 1 John 4:8) Thus, as far as Jehovah's exercise of foreknowledge is concerned, it is selective.

Isn't there a difference between forseeing something and predetermining something?

Dictionary.com: Main Entry: fore·seeFunction: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: fore·saw; fore·seen; fore·see·ing
: to be aware of the reasonable possibility of (as an occurrence or development) beforehand

Dictionary.com: pre·de·ter·mine Pronunciation Key (pr
v. pre·de·ter·mined, pre·de·ter·min·ing, pre·de·ter·mines
v. tr.

To determine, decide, or establish in advance: “These factors predetermine to a large extent the outcome” (Jessica Mitford).
To influence or sway toward an action or opinion; predispose.

v. intr.

To determine or decide something in advance.

God can foresee something without having to predetermine what will happen. But this is what the society does, takes words of different meaning and apply them to the same thought so people don't see the difference.