Posts by inkling

Now, ask the JW why, if CT Russell and the early Bible Students were definitely anointed, which the Watchtower asserts, and their beliefs were good enough for Jesus to uniquely select them back in 1919, why would they not be good enough for Jesus today?

Well, you could always claim Jesus saw them as a good "fixer-upper" religion, and the group who became the current "Bible Students" were too stubborn to be "fixed".

[inkling]

19

What makes the 144,000 heavenly class stand out from the average person?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the jehovahs witnesses claim that the 144,000 is a limit to the number of people who will reign with christ in heaven and spend eternity with god.

the 144,000 have the heavenly hope.

those who are not born again will enjoy the earthly hopea paradise on earth ruled by christ and the 144,000. today,the wts claim that there are less than 9,000 heavenly class left on earth.. .

inkling

INKLING- We will leave you to your illusions of grandeur for the 144,000.

Flipper: I assume you must have simply misunderstood my posts. The original question was "How does the WTS explain".

I was simply trying to explain some of nuances of witness belief as to who ends up professing to be "anointed". I was in no way offering my support to the validity of the those beliefs. The current WT idea of the literal number of 144,000 is silly and indefensible. I do not believe anyone is actually "witnessed to" by the holy spirit, and so becomes one of the anointed... What I am saying is that I think that many professing ones sincerely FEEL that they have been touched by the holy spirit. I do not think they are choosing to partake out of a feeling of self-importance. You may think they are selfish, but we can't prove this either way, and I don't think sincerity is so far fetched. I'm confused how my comments could be taken as MY beliefs on the issue. I don't even think I was playing devils advocate so much as simply trying to describe (objectively) what is going on inside the head of a believing witness, as I thought that was the point of the original post. [inkling]

13

Could the widespread belief in God be evidence that he doesn't exist?

by DT in

jw
friends

first of all, i'm an agnostic and don't know if there is a god or not.

however, i do think it possible to intelligently review the evidence and come to some reasonable conclusions, even if we can't have absolute certainty.

it's a big topic, so i'll just discuss the main reason that many people believe in god.

inkling

I think our eye is very complicated and have a hard time believing it evolved.

I'm assuming you have read the many plausible explanations offered by evolutionists,
detailing the possible step-by-step progression from a light-sensitive cell all the
way to the current camera-like model?

It's not like "they" don't HAVE an answer to your issue. What about the evolutionary
model of the eye is not convincing to you?

[inkling]

59

What Did Noah Do With All The Animal manure Piling Up In the Ark?

by frankiespeakin in

they were in the ark for such a long time, must have been pretty messy not to mention unhealthy, must have been a high mortality rate, causeing wide spead disease, and death due to the very unsanitary condition in that ark?

imagine being locked up in that mess for a moment..

inkling

But we must remember that, throughout most of human history, humans lived together with their farm animals. Barns, separate from human living quarters, are a relatively recent development.

Ah, right- so they WERE knee deep in shit, but they didn't MIND. Becuase people were diffrent back then. I see.

[inkling]

59

What Did Noah Do With All The Animal manure Piling Up In the Ark?

by frankiespeakin in

they were in the ark for such a long time, must have been pretty messy not to mention unhealthy, must have been a high mortality rate, causeing wide spead disease, and death due to the very unsanitary condition in that ark?

imagine being locked up in that mess for a moment..

inkling

But we must remember that, throughout most of human history, humans lived together with their farm animals. Barns, separate from human living quarters, are a relatively recent development.

Ah, right- so they WERE knee deep in shit, but they didn't MIND. Becuase people were diffrent back then. I see.

[inkling]

59

What Did Noah Do With All The Animal manure Piling Up In the Ark?

by frankiespeakin in

they were in the ark for such a long time, must have been pretty messy not to mention unhealthy, must have been a high mortality rate, causeing wide spead disease, and death due to the very unsanitary condition in that ark?

imagine being locked up in that mess for a moment..

inkling

He used it to fertilize his hydroponic

oooo... that WOULD make the journey alot more fun. And help the sea-sickness i hear.

[inkling

3

Satanic Subliminal Imagery Steinsaltz Talmud

by Pete Sempras in

jw
friends

notice the name satan in the orange image?.

.

inkling

No. I do not.

Oh, and can I have a hit?

[inkling]

19

What makes the 144,000 heavenly class stand out from the average person?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the jehovahs witnesses claim that the 144,000 is a limit to the number of people who will reign with christ in heaven and spend eternity with god.

the 144,000 have the heavenly hope.

those who are not born again will enjoy the earthly hopea paradise on earth ruled by christ and the 144,000. today,the wts claim that there are less than 9,000 heavenly class left on earth.. .

inkling

Now I would say that they are just full of self importance and make a claim that they are special and more imprtant than the rest.

I don't think this is fair... I know several who profess to be Anointed (including some relatively younger ones) who in no way seem to be looking for any self importance. They will often be deeply sincere and humble. Now occasionally you may be correct, but I think there is also the possibility that it is a genuine expression of their faith, and how they view their relationship with God. [inkling]

19

What makes the 144,000 heavenly class stand out from the average person?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the jehovahs witnesses claim that the 144,000 is a limit to the number of people who will reign with christ in heaven and spend eternity with god.

the 144,000 have the heavenly hope.

those who are not born again will enjoy the earthly hopea paradise on earth ruled by christ and the 144,000. today,the wts claim that there are less than 9,000 heavenly class left on earth.. .

inkling

How are they chosen? Is it ......Length of service to Jehovah......intelligence.....knowledge.....they read the whole Bible numerous times.......their lifestyle.....help others in congregations......lots and lots of Bible Studies.....minimal sins..........?

None of these things, in any way.

They are "Chosen by holy spirit". What this means is that when they read the scriptures
about the 144,000 living in heaven, it "feels like" the scriptures are talking to them
directly.

That's it. It is totally subjective. If there is no such thing as "Holy Spirit," then you are left
with them choosing themselves.

Now, it is not QUITE this simple, because there is a strong congregation pressure to NOT
be one of the 144,000, because they are supposed to be RARE. So if someone (especially if
they were very new, or clearly at an emotional time in their life) professes to be Anointed
and everyone is doubtful, there might be whispers of them being delusional...

The Elders might even have a nice little chat with you to question your stand.

Also talks are given that are designed to make you DOUBT if you are, and then they say that
the BEST test is that you must be absolutely sure. The effect of the holy spirit is so powerful,
they say, that if you have ANY doubt about it whatsoever, then you are not Anointed.

Once, an (unfortunate and embarrassing) analogy from an elder was "It's like knowing that you are in love. You just know.

This wave of rhetoric tends to discourage many from "professing", but when in comes down to
it, there is nothing anyone can do if you decide to take the emblems, no matter what is
actually going on inside your head.

[inkling]