Chalam

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Posts by Chalam

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  12

  Birthday Time (Not So Crappy Birthday)

  by jayhawk1 in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  (forgive me, i need to swim in "lake me" for a minute.).

  well, happy birthday to me!

  unlike last year, this one seems to be looking up.. (last year).

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  Chalam

  Happy Birthday!
  
  All the best,
  Stephen
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  24

  You know it's the Truth though right?

  by freedomfighter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since i have been out i have bumped into witnesses at the supermarket where i work, as you do.

  some have the balls to say "hi" and "hang in".

  others have bigger kahunas and actually talk to me - this doesn't go unappreciated by me.

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  Chalam

  Hi FF,
  "Well, no. I KNOW it is not the"Truth". I don't think there is a "True" religion out there."
  
  I agree. Funny how 'religious" people talk about religion all the time (such as JWs) but the word is mentioned only 6 times in my bible.
  
  Faith is mentioned 422 times though. There is even a whole chapter on it, Hebrews 11. So what is important to God, religion or faith?
  
  
  "The Truth doesn't change. The WTS does, when it suits them."
  
  I agree, totally. God is truth and he doesn't change his mind, otherwise that would mean that the things He spoke earlier weren't true after all.
  
  
  
  
  
  Galatians 2 (New International Version)
  
  15"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
  
  
  Shame the WTO are busy making up more laws and rules to live buy rather than living by faith in Jesus.
  
  All the best,
  Stephen
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  48

  Bible Study Student With A Ton of Questions

  by AddaGirl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am both new to this forum and new to the jehovah's witness organization.

  i am currently about half way through the 'what does the bible really teach?

  " and have been attending both sunday services and ministerial school for 3 months.. my biggest problem is that, being a researcher by nature, "verifying that all things are true," i have also been researching the organization which has stumbled me greatly.

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  Chalam

  Welcome AddaGirl,
  Make sure you check this post and download the book.
  
  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/150277/1.ashx
  
  http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=f9951760cfc22b2cf70dda67dbf24054
  
  Looks like essential reading if you want to understand why the JWs really aren't going to show you any truths from the Bible or about God.
  
  All the best,
  Stephen
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  6

  Book: The Gospel According to Jehovah's Witnesses--in PDF

  by cabasilas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  tomorrow begins the next term at school and i've spent some spare time at break scanning.

  here is a pdf of the book the gospel according to jehovah's witnesses by john francis coffey.

  it was published in 1979 in australia and had a limited circulation and has been out of print for many years.

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  Chalam

  Hi cabasilas,
  Awesome! Many thanks for posting.
  
  Just had a look at a few pages. Looks like essential reading for all ex-JWs who are interested in the truth in the Bible.
  
  All the best.
  
  Regards,
  Stephen
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  66

  The Gift of Speaking in Tongues?

  by Maddie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with the increase in evangelical churches there seems to be a lot more emphasis on the practise of "speaking in tongues".

  i quite like the way these churches conduct services, with live music and great singing.

  it is so different to the kh meetings and like fresh air.

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  Chalam

  Hi hmike,
  Yes about the apostles have a look here for starters.
  
  http://www.newfrontiers.xtn.org/about-us/faqs/apostolic-ministry/
  
  Regards,
  Stephen
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  53

  God is patient

  by freedomfighter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a hell of alot more patient than me.

  if only i had his power balanced with justice, wisdom and above all else love.. no more rapes, no more murder, no more suffering.

  no more child abuse.. but who do i think i am to question him.. ff.

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  Chalam

  Hi freedomfighter,
  Can I be so bold as to answer the questions in you bio?
  
  OK being presumptuous, here goes!
  
  1/ If God is Love then why won't He DO SOMETHING.
  
  You have part of the answer in my previous post. He has and He is doing something. However, it is not what most people expect who do not know Him or have any idea who He really is.
  
  2/ Why should i shun somebody because they have made a mistake?
  
  You shouldn't! The WTO takes 1 Corinthians 5 to the nth degree is shunning people left, right and center. The verses that balance these are those such as Mark 2:16-18 (New International Version)
  
  16When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
  
  17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
  
  3/ The Governing Body has made many False prophesies, can i now believe them or are they still wrong?
  
  No, of course not! In the Old Testament false prophets were stoned. These are prophetic for the WTO
  
  Ezekiel 13:9
  My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.
  
  Matthew 7 (New International Version)
  
  A Tree and Its Fruit
  
  15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
  21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
  
  2 Peter 2:1
  [ False Teachers and Their Destruction ] But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves
  
  This is important.
  
  1 John 4:1
  [ Test the Spirits ] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
  
  Looks like the WTO has failed the test many times.
  
  4/ If BIG mistakes have been made, why not appologise? I am 35yrs old and feel like i'm only 20yrs old emotionally because of the BullSh*t i was fed. However, i now have a new life, a real one and i like listening to peoples differing points of view. FF
  
  The WTO won't admit mistakes, just use more lies to cover them.
  
  Cool! That is why I am here too, to discuss and listen to difference points of view.
  
  All the best,
  Stephen
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  53

  God is patient

  by freedomfighter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a hell of alot more patient than me.

  if only i had his power balanced with justice, wisdom and above all else love.. no more rapes, no more murder, no more suffering.

  no more child abuse.. but who do i think i am to question him.. ff.

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  Chalam

  Hi,
  Interesting thread. Here are a couple of short passages to throw in the mix which are relevant as to why God allows evil for the time being and why His way's is far better than ours. If you believe He created the whole universe and everything in it, including us, then it stands to reason that He has a much better solution than we do.
  
  2 Peter 3 (New International Version)
  
  The Day of the Lord
  
  8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
  
  
  Isaiah 55 (New International Version)
  
  Invitation to the Thirsty
  
  6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
  call on him while he is near.
  
  7 Let the wicked forsake his way
  and the evil man his thoughts.
  Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
  and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
  
  8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
  neither are your ways my ways,"
  declares the LORD.
  
  9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
  so are my ways higher than your ways
  and my thoughts than your thoughts.
  
  Regards,
  Stephen
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  2

  Emotional Pain

  by freedomfighter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here is a quote i would like to share - nothing new yet a good reminder.. " pain causes us to contemplate: to change direction.

  it prompts us to look at things differently.

  with emotional pain as with physical pain, if we keep doing something stupid, we keep getting hurt.

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  Chalam

  Hi,
  Excellent quote!
  
  Remember to not only get your hand off the stove but that it needs healing too.
  
  Each of these parts of us can be hurt in life and we need the corresponding healing-spirit (spiritual), soul (emotional) and body (physical).
  
  All the best,
  Stephen
• 
  66

  The Gift of Speaking in Tongues?

  by Maddie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with the increase in evangelical churches there seems to be a lot more emphasis on the practise of "speaking in tongues".

  i quite like the way these churches conduct services, with live music and great singing.

  it is so different to the kh meetings and like fresh air.

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  Chalam

  Hi maddie,
  No problems!
  
  There is much that can seem confusing if one is only studying. Take driving for example, you could read all day about how to operate the clutch, gears, accelerator and brakes but it is only when you sit in a car that all will become clear.
  
  You need the key to turn the car on first or you are going nowhere. That is Jesus. John 14:5-7 (New International Version)
  
  Jesus the Way to the Father
  
  5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
  6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
  
  Here is how.
  
  You need an awareness of sin (that is the Holy Spirit's job and He will lead you to understand you have done things wrong).
  You need to be repent (be prepared to leave those wrong things behind)
  You need to be born again (spiritually, not physically)
  You need to eat of Jesus' flesh and drink his blood (spiritually also-the bread and wine represents this)
  You need to believe and confess that Jesus is Lord, he came in the flesh, was crucified and was raised from the dead to pay for your sin and so you can be reconciled with God.
  
  If you need any verses on these then feel free to ask.
  
  The thing is that the gifts of the Spirit, Spirit baptism and the like are more advanced. You don't need them but would you want to drive a car in first gear for the rest of your life?
  
  All the best,
  Stephen
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  40

  For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead...

  by Chalam in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this one bugged me for a while.

  i will quote the nwt for all the ex jws here ;) .

  ecclesiastes 9 nwt .

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  Chalam

  Hi Zico,
  "The text in Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6 is a Sadducean view that not only contradicts Jesus' own viewpoint, but is even mocked by him. Ecclesiastes 9:6 clearly says there will never be a resurrection, a scripture JWs ignore, the scripture right after the one that the dead are conscious of nothing. It's a classic example of how the Society pick and choose what scriptures they like and form their doctrines around it no matter how clear the bias."
  
  I agree about picking scripture. The WTO has clearly picked on this one. However, Ecc 9:5 it is still true but there is more to the story, see the end of Job 14
  
  Those who leave the earth are not conscious of anything going on on it "21 If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he does not see it." but however, he continues to exist "22 He feels but the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself."
  
  It is quite clear that this individual is in Hades or Sheol (see the footnote vs.13), the first death and awaiting the resurrection and judgement.
  
  There are countless other, including Abraham, Elijah, the criminal crucified who are with the Lord, as Jesus and Paul described
  
  Luke 23:43
  Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
  
  2 Corinthians 5:8 (New International Version)
  8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
  
  
  "One of the songs in the Jehovah's Witness song book is actually based on Matthew 10:28, with the chorus 'Fear not those who kill the body, but cannot destroy the soul' It's an odd song to have in their book, as it highlights an obvious contradiction, and often leads to questioning after it's sung at meetings. The explanation I've usually heard, is that the soul here refers to Jehovah's memory of each person. Don't fear the person who can kill you, as Jehovah will remember you, and resurrect you in Paradise Earth. Like many of their explanations, it's not really adequate, the obvious question this would lead to is, how can Jehovah destroy his memory of you? "
  
  Good, sound like the Holy Spirit was talking to you. Neither does it tie up with this.
  
  2 Peter 2
  
  False Teachers and Their Destruction
  
  1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
  4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them into gloomy dungeons[b] to be held for judgment; 5if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.[c] 10This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature[d] and despise authority.
  
  "I'd expect the Society have tried to explain this scripture in their literature, though I don't have access to a WT library CD where I could check."
  
  No need!
  
  All the best.
  
  Stephen