Posts by tenyearsafter

13

Heavenly Hope

by Quendi in

here are some questions i want to pose to our friends here.

does a person have to be baptized to go to heaven and if one must get baptized, how is this to be arranged and by whom?.

the reason i ask this is many here have professed their belief that they are part of the body of christ, should partake of the emblems whenever they celebrate the lord's supper, and will go to heaven after they die if they have been faithful.

tenyearsafter

I think Vanderhoven has stated what the "correct" Christian viewpoint is of being "born again" versus water baptism. The baptism is just an outward expression of commitment to a new life in Christ.

The subject of heaven is quite difficult for many to grasp...me among them. I believe that the explanation I have come to accept is that heaven is not necessarily a specific place in depths of the universe, but rather a way for those who die and give up their earthly bodies to use their "new bodies" that are capable of straddling the physical and spirit worlds. Even Satan and the demons had free access in roaming heaven and earth until they were cast down to earth. This has precedent in the Bible based on the angels materializing and Jesus taking human form after the resurrection. There would be no point in having a "new earth" if there was no one to be able to enjoy it.

I realize that to those that no longer have a belief in the Bible or God, this is just more superstitious bunk. I don't post this to change minds, but rather clarify a couple of points that Quendi brought up. As an escapee from the WTS, I can understand the many points of view that are held by the posters here. It is one of the things that keeps me thinking and constantly examing what makes sense and what doesn't, and I thank everyone for that.

49

Inactive (i.e. not reporting) witnesses won't survive armageddon

by Mickey mouse in

did anyone else catch this in the talk at the convention 'are you behaving as kingdom citizen?'.

.

tenyearsafter

Chariklo,

Excellent point about only applying to 50%!...I should have qualified that (and it is probably more like 60% that aren't elgible!)

17

Lakers Kobe Bryant -- blood procedure puts him at DF risk?

by FatFreek 2005 in

it may be a month old news but we're just hearing it.

citing four unidentified sources familiar with the situation, the los angeles times on friday reported that the lakers superstar had a procedure about a month ago that is a derivation of platelet-rich plasma therapy.

prp procedures are less invasive than many surgeries involving the knee.

tenyearsafter

He would be subject to a JC since the PRP proceedure requires that he donate a unit of his blood before the proceedure so that it can be "spun" down to isolate and concentrate the platlets from the whole blood. He might be ok under the fraction rule, but he is toast for donating autologous blood!!

I think he needs to be shunned immediately...

100

Need Opinions -- Engaged to a JW!!

by junebug_11 in

ok, quick run down of my situation.. .

1. i am not religious.

my now-fiance was raised jw but left the religion about 10 years ago.. 2. we started dating last march, i got pregnant within two weeks.

tenyearsafter

Welcome JB!

There has been alot of excellent advice offered here so far. I agree that you need to be very well informed about the JW religion. One of the earmarks of the JW's is to "love bomb" new ones to show how special they are and to show how much more loving the Jw's are over other religions. This will end once you accept their religion and then you will be expected to STRICTLY adhere to the rules that the JW's lay out for their members.

If you do not get involved with the religion, it will put a strain on your marriage. I can guarantee that your husband will insist that your child (and future children) be raised as JW's and everything that goes with that...no holidays, abstain from any patriotic displays including flag salute, no blood transfusions if they become seriously ill (up to and including letting them die instead of receiving a transfusion), view all other religions as evil, teach your children that everyone but JW's will be destroyed by God at Armageddon (including YOU if you don't accept the religion!)...these are just a few of the things you will be faced with. That is not to say that "JW mixed marriages" can't work, but they are generally very difficult...especially when a direct conflict with the religion comes up.

Good luck in your decision...get as knowledgeable about the religion as you possibly can. I wish you well in whatever you ultimately choose!

49

Inactive (i.e. not reporting) witnesses won't survive armageddon

by Mickey mouse in

did anyone else catch this in the talk at the convention 'are you behaving as kingdom citizen?'.

.

tenyearsafter

Chariklo...unfortunately, it is not about how effective the "preaching" work is, but rather it becomes a yard stick to determine how spiritual an individual JW is. If you don't make your hours, it is assumed you are spiritually weak. It is very unlikely you will be appointed an MS or Elder if you don't maintain a minimum number of hours. I guarantee that is a hot topic when the CO visits and evaluates current and future servants.

So much for tracking effectiveness...

10

Watchtower Publications for iPad

by dontplaceliterature in

jw
friends

i discovered today that the september magazines and the nwt are available as epub files on the jw.org website.

that's pretty handy for those of you with ipads that have the interest in reading them (especially those still "in").

i'm guessing this works with e-readers and other tablets.. what is particularly noteworthy is that when opened in ibooks, the articles have links to all the scriptures, footnotes, etc, and links back to the paragraph.

tenyearsafter

For those with Macs, you can download Adobe Digital Editions for free...it will read EPUB files.

49

Inactive (i.e. not reporting) witnesses won't survive armageddon

by Mickey mouse in

did anyone else catch this in the talk at the convention 'are you behaving as kingdom citizen?'.

.

tenyearsafter

Godrulz...I appreciate you are trying to express your opinion and "defend" your faith, but you do so with a double standard. You feel completely qualified to comment on and criticize all things JW, while on a previous thread criticizing Pentecostals, you took umbrage at the thought of "non-qualified" people commenting on those beliefs and practices. I would think you could see how the many ex-JW's on this board would feel you are being a bit of an interloper when you speak to practices you have little or no experience with or exposure to. I am a Bible believing person, but I feel that you cannot be credible if you speak as an authority on every subject. If you want to be a true defender of the faith, you need to do so without alienating the listener of your message. Going negative rarely opens minds to what message you are delivering.

TYA

29

How Do You Respond To: Like Early Christians, JWs Go "House-To-House"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i read the ray franz book but witnesses just see the scripture about going "house to house".

how would you help a witness understand the reality?.

tenyearsafter

Well Mary, both you and Blondie have blonde avatars :)

...and you both post outstanding comments!

5

Hi NW Ga GUY HERE

by mwild20 in

i am looking for a like minded female jw for friendship and more..

tenyearsafter

I think the best you will find on here is an Ex-JW girl for friendship or more...

53

Terrible Analogy at a Convention

by ApostateDance in

jw
friends

i'd love to know what you guys think of this.

brother jackson (from the governing body) had this "neat" analogy at the very end of the convention.

he said; "what if you were watching a football game on tv, and it was the trojans against the fighting irish, and it's been a good game.

tenyearsafter

The bottom line is, stupid or not, this is actually an effective analogy because it has created discussion and burned the subject of the analogy in to each poster's subconcious. The purpose of an analogy is to make people remember the subject or open discussion of same. I think Jackson was successful in doing just that with many people on JWN...imagine the impact with JW's at the conventions he speaks at!!