Posts by Greenpalmtreestillmine

52

To those with "ears" to "hear"...

by AGuest in

jw
friends

once again, the spirit of my lord is upon me to call to the household of god, israel, and all those that 'go with' them...

may you all have peace!

very soon now, another time of "offering" will be upon you.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

AGuest,

I agree with you. I am a follower of the teachings of Christ not Paul. Paul himself warned people not to become followers of him or anyone else. A Christian "belongs" to Christ and to follow anyone else means we "belong" to them also, in effect having two masters.

I believe Paul wrote what was good and right for his time, just as Moses wrote what was good and necessary for the people of Israel.

Jesus allowed women to ask him questions directly never did he command that they remain silent. The conversations Jesus had with Martha at the death of her brother and with the Samaritan woman at the well are among the most studied and wondered statements of his. Women traveled with him, aided him, loved him, stood by him. And in the end it was to a woman that Jesus gave the command to bring the greatest good news of all time, the greatest teaching of all time and the greatest blessing of all time: the good news of his resurrection to his male disciples and in turn to the world.

No wonder they loved him!

Paul though did not have the authority of Jesus and so could only act within the system he lived. Paul had enough problems with the Jewish conservative element of his time, to introduce women's liberation would have been impossible and a huge hinderance to his work. So first things first, he declared the good news to the nations. His letters are beautiful, instructive and even at times spirit directed but were not written in stone. Just as the Law of Moses was not written in stone, so also Paul's words were not written in stone. They both served a purpose for the time and people they were written for but not for all peoples and all times.

Only the Ten Commandments and the recorded teachings of Jesus are timeless and good for all peoples, if they want to hear them.

Well, that's my belief. Are we possibly somewhat on the same page?

Sabrina

48

Watchtower Fallout

by gitasatsangha in

i'm trying to come up with a list of various non-jw and russellite groups.

it's already pretty much established that the jw claim of being unified is hogwash, but this information should be itneresting.

if anyone has anything not here, or more information please post it.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Onacruse,

Thank you for the welcome.

I don't know if the Frank and Earnest radio programs are reruns or not but here is a list from the Dawn Bible Students site with the times and locations of the programs.

Sabrina

68

Bush Ads & 9-11

by ThiChi in

passing this on, i agree 100%:

can you imagine abraham lincoln running without mentioning his leadership during the civil war?

can you imagine fdr running without mentioning his accomplishments during world war ii?

Greenpalmtreestillmine

ThiChi,

I am not a member of either political party but I am considering registering to vote for the election this year. May I ask you a question that has been on my mind? You said, "Iraq is only a part of the overall plan to battle this attack on us."

This what I am unable to understand, according to the news reports Iraq before the war did not have close ties to Al Quaida (sp?) and had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks. Why then did we attack Iraq?

I understand that Saddam is a madman and a despicable person but there are many leaders who could be described the same way. So why were not most of our efforts concentrated in Afghanistan where Bin Laden and Al Quaida were concentrated? If the same military push and monetary expense in Iraq had been put to use in Afghanistan isn't it possible that Bin Laden might have been found already and Al Quaida mortally weakened?

Also, Afghanistan is being left behind it seems in the rebuilding efforts. War lords are still in control in many areas where again religion is being used to control people. Yet, President Bush speaks very little about Afghanistan and the U.S. efforts there to bring positive change to the very country that seeded and harbored Bin Laden and his army.

Why are we concentrating the war on terror more in Iraq than in Afghanistan where Bin Laden has been hiding for years? I don't understand this.

Sabrina

12

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 3-7-04 WT Study

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 3-7-04 wt study

review comments will be in black and parentheses ().

wt quotes will be in red and quotes "".

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Thank you Blondie for posting the Watchtower article and your comments.

I believe the Society has missed the whole point of Jesus' message and his reason for not using the name Jehovah. His Father had already "caused to become" everything that was needed, His Son.

The whole relationship between the Jewish disciples and their God Jehovah was no longer one in which they waited for God to "cause to become" because all his promises were fulfilled or were caused to become in his Son. They mistake the name Jehovah for a permanent personal name when really what it is, is a title, a promise to make things right. God made things right when he brought his Son to the earth, then it was also that the relationship between the Jewish disciples and Jehovah changed from one of Sons of Abraham to Sons of God. This is why in my opinion they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, they did not know how to address God in this new relationship that Jesus taught and brought about and neither did they understand what exactly they should ask for from their God who was now also their Father.

So Jesus taught them to address God as Father, as Abba, and no longer as he who "causes to become". That name or title was no longer applicable and too impersonal for Sons. And he taught them to pray for God's Kingdom along with a humble recognition that they while now Sons are still in the flesh needing sustenance and forgiveness. Well, that's what I believe. I hope you don't mind my thoughts on this.

The Governing Body has forgotten they too are flesh and they too need forgiveness and sustenance from God. The Governing Body is the only Evil Slave I know of.

Sabrina

48

Watchtower Fallout

by gitasatsangha in

i'm trying to come up with a list of various non-jw and russellite groups.

it's already pretty much established that the jw claim of being unified is hogwash, but this information should be itneresting.

if anyone has anything not here, or more information please post it.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Thank you Gita and Onacruse,

I too was surprised when I heard that the Bible Students were still active, the Society always left us with the impression they were long dead and disbanded.

RR, I've been to the site you linked to and it is very informative. The CD offer is fabulous and I've been thinking about ordering them.

It may have already been mentioned but just in case it hasn't, the "Frank and Earnest" radio program can be heard in many areas on Sunday mornings. The Society has kept us all blind and dumb for so long, they deceived us about the themselves, the Bible, and even about the Bible Students.

I am glad to be free and here.

Sabrina

37

Would You Stick Up For A Friend If They Were Being Dealt With Unjustly?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i knew many people in the congregation that were dealt with terribly.

but most times, people were afraid to talk to the elders or were afraid they might get shunned by the more prominent ones in the congregation.

so they closed their eyes to their own friends being treated poorly and carried on as if nothing really was happening.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

In the congregation there are different levels. If a sister defends another sister in front of her peers that is one thing but for her to defend her sister before a condemning elder or judicial committee is another.

Peers can defend peers but those in lesser positions rightly fear and risk censure.

So in the congregation it is the responsibility of elders to monitor one another and to censure one another when need be because they are the only ones who can really.

Sabrina

22

A sincere question about prayer for any kinds of Christians out there...

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

a few weeks ago, i received a mass e-mail from one of my mainstream christian friends requesting prayers for headaches she's been having.

i wrote back and told her i hoped she felt better (i'm personally not religious at all).

today, i got another mass e-mail thanking everyone for their prayers, and that her headaches were gone now through the grace of god.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Obviously, positive answers to prayers are few and far between. The why of that is for the most part unknown to us. But the basic purpose of prayer is not to give us something in return but to help us endure whatever trials we may be experiencing and also to draw us closer to God.

It's the enduring of trials that brings benefit and the drawing close to God that brings peace. No Christian has endured a trial that is not common to man but if we petition God we can overcome the trial. Not because it is taken away but because it is put in perspective and we by God's spirit are helped to have peace in spite of our trial. And in that peace we then can help others who are enduring the same as we are. In that way we stand in the Christ's place.

Sabrina

24

Anointed in JW's midst?

by Noumenon in

jw
friends

in your time with jw's did you meet any of the 'anointed' ?.

i have met a number over the years, and they all seemed very normal, intelligent, balanced, loving people.

i've met a few obviously 'bogus' ones too.. my question is (atheists, agnostics, and god/bible basher please ignore and move on to another thread): what if there are genuinely anointed christians in jw's midst?

Greenpalmtreestillmine

Noumenon,

I believe we can trust in God completely. God will set all matters straight and no matter if we believe in him or in religion or in Christianity etc., he will absolutely help all of us.

And if there are people in the Watchtower that are truly anointed with God's Spirit yet the Watchtower leadership has caused some of us or them to stumble and to doubt then it is they, the Watchtower leadership, who should fear and not us. If the Apostles Paul and Peter had misled and mistreated Christ's disciples to the point of causing many of his disciples to be discouraged and stumbled, God would hold responsible the ones who claimed to be shepherds yet proved to be false shepherds and he would call the lost sheep to himself.

It is paramount though to continue to have faith in God. Not for his sake but for ours. Faith in God helps us to continue on in that same road we started in, whether with or without the Watchtower. We personally are happier for it, that's why it's important to keep going as we started out. Either way though, God will help us to have faith when his time arrives to do so.

This board is a hard place for any who still believe in God or in Christ. I have been reluctant to post about my beliefs here as a result of that.

Sabrina

32

Are We Powerless To Beat The Watchtower At Its Own Game?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the watchtower tries to slander and abuse anyone not on their side.

anyone that disagrees with them, "runs ahead of jehovah".

we are called "apostates" because we dare prove why the society is wrong.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

I think the best way we can fight against the Watchtower is to encourage everyone in our "territory" to buy a computer (or go to their library) and go online.

Sabrina

63

Feb 15 Watchtower: Apostates - Guard Against Deception

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

feb 15 watchtower: apostates - guard against deception

don't you wish this were the real title of the 2nd study article?

well, it is, minus the word apostate.

Greenpalmtreestillmine

The Witness sheep are leaving in droves not because of apostates but because their Watchtower shepherd has proven to be more wolf in sheep's clothing than loving shepherd.

Ironically the very thing they pride themselves in, the worldwide publishing of the truth, is now coming back at them. Now the internet worldwide publishing of the real truth about the Watchtower is their biggest enemy.

They are getting what they gave out and what they deserve.

Sabrina