I always found it interesting that in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus said, "you must pray, then, this way: Our Father in the Heavens, let your name be sanctified..." If we were to use HIS name, wouldn't he have said, "Jehovah in Heaven, let your name be sanctified..."? I always wondered about this...
tenyearsafter
JoinedPosts by tenyearsafter
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26
Did Jesus Use Gods Personal Name?
by Comatose inthe wt says yes.
i looked it up a few weeks ago and they said "we can be sure he used his fathers name".
for me the argument is more just interesting from a biblical and academic stand point.
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Who on here, are close to 60
by Quarterback inwow, where does the time go?
i'm scared of reaching this number, and yet i'm so close.. what is your health secrets?
what do you do for stress releif?
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tenyearsafter
61 here...Happy B-Day Blondie!
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How will the WT spin China???
by Freeof1914 ini read an article this morning on how china is quickly reaching even footing with the united states in all aspects; military, economic etc.
the article continued saying how it was imperative that the united states recognize that it would be forced to behave accordingly or risk ddestabilizing the world.
another interesting statement was made that sooner rather than later the u.s. would become the 2nd largest economy falling behind china.
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tenyearsafter
Freeof1914 and 5go, just curious...what are you basing your comment that the USA isn't #1 any longer?...the numbers don't appear to validate that.
USA GDP, $16 Trillion vs. China at $9 Trillion (Fortune)
According to military.com, USA Navy and Air Force #1, China's Navy and Air Force #3 (Russia is #2); USA Army #2, China Army #1 (Russia has the largest military reserve)
China has emerged as a Superpower, but it still lags behind the USA and Russia militarily and the USA economically. Things can certainly change quickly, but the USA GDP is projected to grow and remain the largest through 2025 according to Fortune. Military superiority is typically won in the air and at sea, so the edge goes to the USA.
I doubt we will see China hit #1 in my lifetime, so WT interpretation is safe for a while. If it were to happen, they will come up with an "over-lapping World Power" explanation!
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Looooooooooong Prayers...
by likeabird inlet's have a bit of a laugh.. .
who of you rolled your eyes when brother never ending prayers was called up to give the closing prayer?.
who of you then proceeded to tap your feet, fidget loudly or start doing balancing acts off the back of the chair in front of you while waiting for it to end?.
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tenyearsafter
This is one of my favorite cartoons from the Freeminds site...thanks Randy and Quak!
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Looooooooooong Prayers...
by likeabird inlet's have a bit of a laugh.. .
who of you rolled your eyes when brother never ending prayers was called up to give the closing prayer?.
who of you then proceeded to tap your feet, fidget loudly or start doing balancing acts off the back of the chair in front of you while waiting for it to end?.
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tenyearsafter
I agree with Blondie...Freddy's prayers were as long as his talks...and just as rambling and incoherent!
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What are your feelings about U S Supreme Court DNA ruling?
by Glander inwashington -- a narrowly divided supreme court ruled monday that police can collect dna from people arrested but not yet convicted of serious crimes, a tool that more than half the states already use to help crack unsolved crimes.. this dna sample will of course go into a huge database similar to fingerprints.. .
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tenyearsafter
People forget that DNA evidence has also freed a significant number of people wrongly incareted for crimes they didn't commit. I agree that it is no different than getting fingerprints taken...maybe less time consuming.
FHN...why would you think that police would try and "frame" someone with DNA? That is more the stuff of conspiracy theories, than reality.
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If money were no object where would you live?
by usualusername inmy money is on tuscany, italy at the moment..
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tenyearsafter
Monteceito, near Santa Barbara
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The self-made PARADOX of "witnessing" without Television or Radio
by Terry inwhat if i asserted the following as true?
the watchtower bible and tract society has no interest in an effective evangelical program of conversion.. .
would that sound silly?
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tenyearsafter
I wish I could remember who wrote this, but I thought it was fantastic...apologies for lack of attribution:
Hypothetical Scenario
You are a City Manager in a major metropolitan city with a population of 3,000,000.
One day when you come into work at 9:00 AM you are horrified to receive an anonymous message that a group of terrorists have put a poison into the City’s water supply located 10 miles from the City limits.
This chemical is extremely dangerous and will result in a painful death for any one that drinks the water. However rather than panic, you take some time and order your water treatment lab to test and confirm or deny that the system has been compromised. The tests come back positive. The tests show that you have somewhere between 6 and 20 hours before the poison reaches the City.
Immediately you realize that you have to warn the entire population of your City before it is too late and there are massive losses.
How do you inform the public? At your disposal are the entire City Staff numbering 3,000 which gives you a ratio of 1:1,000 people in the city. You also have the following ways of reaching people.
- Radio
- Television
- Telephone
- Internet
- Billboards
- Postal Service
- Door to Door
- PA systems on the Police Cars
Question: In view of the seriousness of the situation and the amount of time remaining, which methods of informing people will you use?
Your message is simple and to the point, “The water system has been compromised, to avoid death, please do not drink the water.”
A competent City Manager would assess the situation, and immediately mobilize his people. He would use all available methods of communication focusing on the ones that would be most effective with the goal of reaching as many as possible. He does this for the following reasons:
- He has a moral obligation to warn people to protect them from certain death
- He has knowledge that there is limited time to warn them
What would you think of a City Manager who had this knowledge of an imminent disaster and instead of focusing his efforts on broadcasting the warning through the television, internet, telephone etc. he instructs his 3,000 employees to each go to 1,000 doors to warn people? Even though he knows that most people are not at their houses but are instead at work, or shopping, or school? If each employee was able to knock on a door every 7 minutes, it will take him 116 hours to complete this door to door assignment once.
As Witnesses we are taught that we have life saving information and that the end is going to come at anytime. Adjectives that are used frequently when describing the nearness of the worldwide disaster are “imminent”, “shortly”, “soon”. The only hope that people have for salvation is through heeding the warnings that are given. We have divine knowledge that must reach the ears of everyone on earth.
If the Governing Body was truly convinced themselves of the impending disaster and the fact that the end is “imminent” would they not focus their efforts in spreading the message through effective means such as telephone, television, internet, social networks etc? Instead direction is given that the primary method of spreading the warning message is through calling at empty houses repeatedly.
The Apostles and Christians in the first century used the most effective methods possible to preach, including speaking in the synagogues, in the marketplaces, and in people’s homes. They also wrote letters and forwarded the letters on to others. That was the extent of technology at that time, and they used it effectively. However technology has dramatically changed in the last 100 years let alone the last 2000 years. Why is it that as Witnesses we are instructed not to use the Internet, or email, or social networks or the television to preach the warning? Telephone or letter witnessing is allowed but only as a small part of our ministry.
It is conservative to estimate that around 50% of the ones baptized are children who have been raised in the truth and do not require preaching to from door to door. It now takes almost 11,000 man hours of the house to house ministry to get an interested person to baptism. If “Joe” publisher went house to house on average 10 hrs a month, it will take him 91 years to get a student to the point of being baptized. Statistically it is impossible since we live to 70- or 80 years old.
This highlights how ineffective door to door is as a means of warning people about an impending disaster. Despite these odds why do we continue to maintain that the house to house ministry is the most effective method? The data does not support the claim.
Each Witness records his or her time and obediently submits it to the Branch every month. It is clear that the effort is what is valued, and not the results. An analogy that might be made is by imagining that you work at a gravel plant. Your job is to make gravel and the way that you do it and have always done it is by smashing rocks with a hammer. Even though machines have been invented to efficiently crush gravel by the ton at a high production rate, your boss tells you, “Ignore that machine”, “Keep using that hammer, it is the best way to make gravel.” Each time you go in service and call at an empty house, remember you are crushing rocks with a hammer.
My conclusion with these things in mind is I don’t feel that the Governing Body themselves are convinced that the end is imminent and that we as Witnesses carry a life saving message. If they were convinced that time is reduced and that people’s lives are on the line they would give direction that other methods be used to actually reach people with the warning.
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New Explanation On United Nations Membership From Circuit Overseer.
by ÁrbolesdeArabia ini had the chance to speak with a circuit overseer, he was not my circuit overseer and it was my chance to get the offical party line why the watchtower joined the united nations.. .
"are you a jehovah witness he asked me?
(theocratical warfare allows lies according to the gb!
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tenyearsafter
I guess using his rationale, all JW's should be able to vote, participate in political events and hold office since the government MIGHT be able to protect the Brothers and further Kingdom interests...I wonder how well that line of reasoning would hold up in a JC?
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tenyearsafter
Interesting and sad at the same time...a story oft repeated. The comments from viewers of the video are particularly telling...typical JW-speak from brainwashed followers.