Posts by tula

64

The Bible - God's Word or Man's? - What Convinces You?

by sweet pea in

having believed the whole bible, hook, line and sinker all these years i get the impression many of you have come to the conclusion that we should take it with a pinch of salt and not hold to it so dogmatically.

and some possibly believe in it just as much as you did when you were a witness.

to save me some time please, lovely people, as i am very lazy - could you share with me why you do or don't believe in it - what evidence there is either way and if there are any particular books that you found helpful in coming to your conclusions?

tula

It starts with Faith, then daily prayer for His Holy Spirit, then daily Bible study.

Daily prayer to ask for understanding of what you read and wisdom to know how to use it. That's key.

When you pray, the Holy Spirit will lead you to the scriptures you need and thus you will find "food at the proper time."

It does not come from some governing board or committee, but true spiritual food is given directly by the Holy Spirit to those seekers who sincerely pray for guidance. The condition of heart must be humble and open to receiving instruction rather than being contentious and challenging.

11

I Come Bearing Gifts! Part 2 of 3

by Shepherd Book in

after finding out the truth about noahs flood (and many other things), there seemed little point in actively pursuing the witness lifestyle.

one thing we were finally able to do was openly celebrate our sons birthday.

we had celebrated his first birthday, but we did so secretly.

tula

Can't wait for part 3 installment.

I read all of part 1 and listened to all of part 2.

You were a ~~real pain in the a~~ thorn in their sides with your Noah's ark revelations. I thought it was so excellent!

It must have taken quite a few committee meetings to be able to produce those comeback letters to you. Finally realizing that you stumped the panel, all they could offer were those 6th grade level magazines. So lame. Basically, their answer was no answer.

Your writings on the ark are quite an accomplishment. You certainly put a lot of time and thought and effort into it. It's worthy of submission---I think you should try to have it published.

In the meantime......waiting with bated breath for part 3.

Will you be allowed legal counsel at your JC? Will you be DF'd in absentia? What happens next?

18

Which Bible to start instead of NWT?

by yknot in

jw
friends

dear jwders,.

i would like yalls opinions on which other bible translation is a good to start for reading when weaning off the nwt?

thank you in advance for your suggestions!.

tula

I would suggest that you to go www.BibleGateway.com and look over all the translations there. It gives the same verse translated from probably dozens of bible versions. That way you can decide which is easiest to read for you and also which version you think is closer to being realistic. I would opt for a concordance book by itself. I find that I am always writing notes and adding to the concordance in my bible.

21

NEVER LICK AN EVELOPE!

by Dansk in

jw
friends

a woman was working in a post office in california.. .

one day she licked the envelopes and postage stamps instead of using a. .

sponge.

tula

don't forget the DNA factor you might leave behind.

32

Did You Feel That Jehovah Blessed or Punished You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

were you one of those witnesses that believed anything good that happened was because jehovah god was blessing you and when something bad happened, it was evidence of "no blessings"??

?

tula

If a million dollars should materialize on my kitchen table tomorrow morning I'll say it was a blessing from Jehovah, but I won't hold my breath.

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people think God is supposed to send money.

Obviously, folks like this have paid little attention if they have indeed read the scriptures at all.

If you had read and prayed for wisdom (which is to be desired above all things) then maybe god would have blessed you with some talent and common sense so you could make your way in the world without having to sit on your ass and wait for someone to hand you money on a silver platter.

"prosperity ministers" also prey on people who think like that. That is why their following ends up duped with their advocations "give more so you can GET more." These dumb folks actually think that whatever they give, God owes it back to them with interest.

Many folks out there actually think god OWES them. Just like a lot of JWs (whether they admit or not) do think they DESERVE something from Jehovah for all their "time in service". Does Jah owe you a living? Is he supposed to meet all your financial needs when you didn't work to support yourself and family because someone told you jah wanted you to go out and knock on doors and yak?

2 Thessolonians 3:6-12

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching [ a ] you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.

41

Hmmmmm... I wonder...

by AGuest in

jw
friends

if i opened/ended my exchances with "assalamu alaikum," would so many be so offended?

i personally don't think so.

in fact, i think there would be some who would think, "hey, cool!

tula

Bi-khair, al-Hamdu li-l-ah. Though I will respectfully point out that the correct way to ask me how I am is "Kaif haal-ak" as I am a male (Arabic, just like Hebrew, requires that the gender of the one being addressed be acknowledged by the inflection of the words, with a few exceptions). I will also mention for our readers that the difference in my transliteration of the Arabic is due to the text I study. Different texts use different equivalents.

Good advice above if you can read between the lines. "Better keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you are saying".

This pseudo-intellectual approach is ALSO EMPTY WORDS because you don't even know what you are saying nor the context in which the words are and should be used. I am glad someone here (above) had the knowledge to point it out to you.

Learn a lesson from this example: This is what happens when you open your mouth and don't know what you are talking about:

Judges 12:6

they said, "All right, say 'Shibboleth.' " He said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

41

Hmmmmm... I wonder...

by AGuest in

jw
friends

if i opened/ended my exchances with "assalamu alaikum," would so many be so offended?

i personally don't think so.

in fact, i think there would be some who would think, "hey, cool!

tula

hmmm...la la dee dee dah....la la give peace a chance......

um...catchy tune...people love mindless dribble.....repeat ten times, give it a beat....easy to remember the words when you're stoned.

Yeah, that'll work. Wraps up the album for me.

In the words of the infamous Mr. Flipper, who always uses it sincerely (you can tell by his word actions in board talk)

PEACE OUT.

16

NEW USE FOR THE WATCHTOWER!!!

by uwishufish in

jw
friends

in the mail today i received 5 solicitations for a new credit cards.

i saw them as a plea for guidance from god.

so i rounded up all my old watchtowers and placed them in theprovided postage paid envelopes, hoping that the credit card company employees would find direction within their pages.. i encourage everyone to spread jehovah's word, using the same postage paid envelopes.

tula

That trick can burn you. While it does add to their cost of doing business, there is the danger that someone will take it, read it, and fall for what it says. Always provide a link to an apostate Web site on the litter-ature before sending it to anyone that might actually read it. The last thing we want is to have us reach 7 million by the one person that was sent a piece of litter-ature as a prank or protest to their endless mailings.
One thing you could do is send them along with an anti-witness tract. That would increase postage due even more, plus if they read the anti-witness material, they are so much less likely to be scammed. Or, send the litter-ature shredded and the anti-witness material intact.

Now they will really be screwed up if they read the wactower first.

Their heads will be in a spin wondering which one is really true. So now, you no longer have a potential convert, but the beginning of a neurotic peon stuffing envelopes at the other end.

And the cc co. still exists and knows nothing of it. They just buy more stamps and send 'em out.

So will that make you blood guilty by causing the little people to develop sociopathic tics by this prank?

Ps. I think its the funniest stuff I have heard all day!!! Cant wait to get rid of mine like that.

41

"Who Killed the Electric Car?"

by whyamihere in

jw
friends

just recommending this video.. .

tula

Watch for IPO on this one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMrRKFETsbo

9

Letter from (and to) a disillusioned young Witness

by Hiddenwindow in

i am sending this letter to another website, but would like to have you guys comment on it first.

all suggestions and comments are welcome.. .

letter from (and to) a disillusioned young witness.

tula

Does your friend have any qualms about the blood issue? If not, then you really need to find another point. Someone here said awhile back...forget the dogma and state facts that are undisputable (the failed prophecies, the pedophile issues, the financial extravagances, etc). You need to find the subject you know for sure will appeal to her sense of intellect and emotion.

Maybe the blood issue is your thing. But if it's no dispute to her, you will not reach her, and it will only hurt yourself.