The odd thing is that WT will use any available legal means to advance their agenda, but when individual JW's or groups which include JW's do the same thing it's going against the will of Jehovah.
Posts by AnneB
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21Wait, Wait... WHAT?! Dec 15th, WT Study - This bugs me
by civicsi00 inok so i decided to just take a quick peek at the dec 15th study edition and i couldn't even get past the very first article!
it's a "personal" story of a jw who was born in 1928 and his experiences from that era.
what is the first thing printed on this page?
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55
As a JW - Did you See Meetings Continue in Spite of Medical Emergencies?
by flipper ini was talking the other day with a fellow board member about medical emergencies occuring at meetings and how we both agreed that we ( while jw's ) had never seen a meeting stop or be cancelled due to medical emergencies experienced by a fellow jw.
the wt society trains jw' s to lose their authentic human feelings or any empathy towards others physical or emotional sufferings many times.
so many times at meetings , in spite of someone suffering a serious medical emergency it was " the show must go on " type of attitude displayed by congregation elders.. my first experience at seeing a medical emergency at the kingdom hall was an older sister who had an epileptic attack.
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AnneB
The explanation I heard for why the meeting continues during emergencies of any sort (hurricanes, medical emergencies, whatever) is that when they open with prayer they come into Jehovah's presence, much like being granted an audience with a worldly ruler. Just as you wouldn't offend the worldly ruler by taking your attention away from him/her, you must also keep your attention focused on Jehovah, and allow his attendants (MS's, Elders, Emergency crews, etc.) to handle the distractions.
It makes sense, it just seems heartless at times. Even a worldly ruler would probably be kind enough to allow for illness or sudden emergency situations. Don't they think Jehovah would do the same (or more)?
AB
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32
The Watchtower slams the Catholics, why not Islam?
by punkofnice ingiven that the wbt$ is always ready to insult the catholics and other religions why don't they slam islam in the same way?.
is it because it's not considered 'christian' or do they know that muslims won't take their insults?.
or do they and i just missed it?.
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AnneB
No need for them to trash Islam. According to dub theology God already made it obvious which son was favored when Hagar and Ishmael got booted out.
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197
What is "truth" - COULD Einstein Have Been Wrong?
by AGuest inmay you all have peace!.
just came across this article:.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44629271/ns/technology_and_science-science/?gt1=43001.
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AnneB
The measuring is dead simple, you guys! You do it the same way as measuring anything else: clock the start, clock the stop, figure out the time it took, then check it against the speed of light. That's it.
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How many religions have been started by former JW's?
by Resistance is Futile inserious question.
this seems to be a myth that exists among jw's.
they claim apostates have left and started their own religions.
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23
The Watchtower's Delicate Mastery Of Deception
by metatron inyou gotta admire the skill manifest in the watchtower's deception skills.
don't kid yourself, even the gestapo, in internal documents found after the war, found the magazines to be well crafted in the field of propaganda.. the latest deceptions?
well, there's the nov. awake magazine with its cover asking, "is belief in a creator reasonable".
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AnneB
Braincleaned: you might not want to antagonize Greybeard, I hear he has a large and very supportive family. Besides, he only has 10 posts a day and it would be a shame to see them go to waste in a fruitless argument with you.
Blessings to all (and hoping there are leftovers from yesterday's love feast),
AB
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23
The Watchtower's Delicate Mastery Of Deception
by metatron inyou gotta admire the skill manifest in the watchtower's deception skills.
don't kid yourself, even the gestapo, in internal documents found after the war, found the magazines to be well crafted in the field of propaganda.. the latest deceptions?
well, there's the nov. awake magazine with its cover asking, "is belief in a creator reasonable".
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AnneB
The keyword for what WT produces in the Writing Department ought to be "rubric". Essentially it means "standard" or "template". One can "write to a rubric", "teach to a rubric", etc. In plain English that means if you have the standards at hand, you can form your publication to fit, or if you are a teacher you can teach your students exactly what they need to know to pass the test.
Remember all those "experiences" written in the Awake!? They all sounded alike: first a paragraph or two about the person's notable adventure, next a statement like "Before I tell you how I got to this pinnacle of excitement, let me tell you what led up to this point", and then there would be a page or more of mind-numbing details about frolicking in the mountains and noticing Creation or of being raised in terrible surroundings where food was foraged from someone else's trash while lying paralyzed on a skateboard at the same time trying to get an education in a place where the only school was on the other side of a raging river...and uphill both ways! The bio section would conclude with a swift summation of the Bible Study phase and the Baptism, a lengthy list of "privileges" that person had in Jehovah's Organization, then the final portion was dedicated to a description of the blessings only Jehovah's true worshippers would receive on Paradise Earth. That's a rubric. One template; just pour in each and every story. If you've read long enough online, you will have run into statements from people who had stories published and most say the same thing, they didn't print it the way it was handed in. The Writing Dept. is where it gets fitted to the rubric. All the WT publications follow a rubric: make a general statement, pick everyone else's rubrics apart, fill the torn out places with the WT version, then close with the nearness of the blessings to be gained by "doing Jehovah's will". Oops! Almost left out a part: right after the topic is introduced be sure to dwell on how every objection is motivated by evil forces bent on keeping the reader from learning "The Truth". That's the insurance clause, it keeps a person questioning the motives of anyone who doesn't agree.
Watchtower "writes to a rubric". Jehovah's Witnesses "teach to a rubric". That's what keeps them "united". It isn't because they have the True God's exclusive blessing, it's because most people go through their whole lives never knowing that since childhood all their education has been rubric-based, all the entertainment they've ever experienced has been template-based, every magazine, every book on every subject published, is all pushed, poked, prodded, and fitted into someone else's idea of a mold before it becomes available to the general public. Teachers learn about rubrics in college, journalists have their version, doctors call it "protocols". WT isn't so much devious as they are ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding how to get their message to the people.
As most here already know, the primary qualification for a higher position in WT is obedience; not skill, not experience, but a willingness to defer to the arrangement. That, too, is a sort of rubric. Once a person internalizes the rubric they are able to carry out all sorts of duties "whole-souled as to Jehovah and not to men". At least that's what they think it is! The unknowing sit back and wonder how "God's people" can be so deceptive! Well, now you know.
AB
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AnneB
I wouldn't say I'll fight for mine but I won't give up on them, that's for sure. I'll be holding down the fort until they're able to come out of their trance and remember the love we once shared. I haven't forgotten. They're still my family whether they acknowledge me or not.
AB
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AnneB
Worse than that, WT sets up a false dichotomy here: Bible versus Tradition. It's not about Bible-based teachings v. tradition-based teachings at all. It's about believing in God and following the leading of his Holy Spirit.
WT has a phrase they ought to copyright: "God'sWordTheBible". They link the two together when they ought to be separate. Until a person realizes that simple truth they'll be hoodwinked by specious arguments such as the one above.
God's Word isn't the Bible. The Bible and scripture are not the same thing. WT either doesn't know or doesn't care.
AB
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63
Are we all still FAMILY? Yes or No?
by Greybeard inhere is why, even though i no longer agree with most of what the gb/wt/jw's teach, i still feel especially close to all of us who were apart of this group.
born in or converted.
we all have had the same life experience of being raised in a over bearing mind controlling cult.
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AnneB
Lola-rabbit: it's not that I can't feel the love, it's that I don't call all love "family". (I call some of it "affinity"!)
Greybeard: Thank you for your kindness. I looooove meatloaf!
My cup runneth over. Oh, sorry, it's the gravy. It spilled on your clothes, Diest? Awwwwww.