I know JWs who have done this for years. It's a great way for pioneers to "start their time." Simply write a short letter in the morning before leaving the house for service. Then drop the letter off at the post office on the way home from service. This techinque easily adds an hour of service time per day.
Olin Moyles Ghost
JoinedPosts by Olin Moyles Ghost
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Are Jehovah Witness Members Trolling Obituaries For New Recruits?
by Bangalore inare jehovah witness members trolling obituaries for new recruits?.
http://dullardmush.blogspot.com/2009/02/are-jehovah-witness-members-trolling.html.
bangalore.
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What accusations do you have about us JWs? AND what group are YOU a part of?
by theMadJW in.
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i'm one of the few jws that freely admit our faults and mistakes.. let's compare notes!.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
MadJW, if you're going to respond to my posts, please read them first. I will address your points because I thought you and I were capable of having civil discourse on this board, as we did on the other thread.
MadJW: Wrong, Casper! Genesis opens stating that the Earth already existed as a formless waste BEFORE the Creative "Days" began, and the second chapter opens referring to the Earth being made in A "Day".
My response: I agree with this statement, and if you would actually read my previous post you would recognize that you are attacking a strawman. Nowhere do I contend that the Bible says the Earth was not a formless waste before the creative days. I'm well-aware of the so-called "gap theory" that creationists such as the WTS and other fundamentalists use. That's why I said "the Genesis creation account clearly states that the earth was formed and populated over the course of six literal days." I anticipated your gap-theory rebuttal. Genesis says the earth was form-less before the first creative day, then starting on day 1, it began to be formed (separating oceans from dry ground, etc.) and populated (plants, animals).
So, that should dispose of that little diversion.
MadJW: And who says clergy, or WTBS? Can't you think without mindless attack?
My response: Looks like I struck a nerve here. I certainly didn't mean to hurt your feelings by discussing clergy. You of all people should appreciate a little criticism of the clergy, right? But let's not get distracted from my point that fundamentalists, including WTS/JW followers take the word of clergy over the word of scientists in matters of science.
MadJW: How about Facts- NOT Theory! Science doesn't even know what "Life" is- yet pretends to know how it developed into such amazing mechanisms...on its OWN! THAT is what takes the church's version of 'Faith'- believing in such nonsense.
My response: So is this your reason for believing your clergy in matters of science? Sounds like you're being a bit defensive here. I guess I could play the same game. For example, you fundamentalists believe that all the problems in the world are the result of two naked people and a talking snake. Talk about nonsense!
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Help deconstructing argument :)
by leo999 inhi , this is a part of an email sent by my bro to a 'friend ' the ' friend ' needs some help in pulling his arguments apart .
any takers ?
:)) btw , the 'friend' is a pretend bible study , ex catholic :)).
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Olin Moyles Ghost
To piggy-back on Black Sheep's comment about seeming contradictions about who goes to heaven, take a look at Matthew 8:11, where Jesus is quoted as saying "I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven."
As you know, the JWs teach that the Old Testament folks didn't (and won't) go to heaven. Kinda makes this verse stick out like a sore thumb, eh?
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What accusations do you have about us JWs? AND what group are YOU a part of?
by theMadJW in.
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i'm one of the few jws that freely admit our faults and mistakes.. let's compare notes!.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
Looks like I'm a bit late to this thread. And it looks like this thread has evolved (pun intended) into a discussion about evolution/creationism.
I find it fascinating that now, in the year 2010, large portions of the population will believe the word of clergy over the word of scientists...on matters of science! And that's exactly what the creationists (such as JWs) do.
Oh, they claim that they're taking God's word over the word of godless scientists. But when you dig deeper, that's not exactly the case. For example, the Genesis creation account clearly states that the earth was formed and populated over the course of six literal days. This can be seen in the mention of "evening and morning" associated with each day.
Also, when he gave the command to observe the Sabbath, God said "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." (Exodus 20:11).
So, it's clear from the plain text of the Bible that the writers meant that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days. Anything else is simply ignoring the plain language of scripture.
But many modern religions, such as the WT/JW faith, teach that the "days" were symbolic--I believe the WTS refers to them as "creative days." When I was raised a JW, I was taught from the publications that each "creative day" is 7,000 years long (and I have no clue where that comes from).
So, back to my point, this is an example of creationists taking the word of their clergy over the word of the Bible...and over the word of science.
Personally, as a non-scientist, I'm going to give science the benefit of the doubt when compared to the clergy. Clergy (such as the WTS leaders and others) have a strong incentive to discredit evolution/natural selection. If their flock adopts evolution/natural selection, then the clergy is out of a job!
Of course, this doesn't mean that I have "faith" that the currently accepted theories of mainstream biology are the end-all, be-all gospel truth. Reputable biologists wouldn't even say such a thing. That's one of the great properties of the scientific method--when performed properly, it is constantly re-evaluating existing understandings. Not to say it's infallible, but I think it's a much better way to approach things than by "faith."
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Anyone know Anthony Morris?
by Eiben Scrood ini listened to this district overseer's talk here:.
http://www.archive.org/details/specialassemblyday-thetimeleftisreduced.
i had never heard of the guy and was curious if perhaps he was decent.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
I don't know the guy, but as I recall, he's the one of the youngest GB members (if not the youngest). I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, because I listened to that talk. Now that's an hour of my life I'm never getting back!
My impression of him from the talk: I agree with JWFreak that he sounds like quite a hard-liner. He tries to come off as a regular guy, and not a particularly polished speaker. If I didn't already know who he was, I would not think he's a GB member. It was a formulaic talk, similar to what you'd hear from any run-of-the-mill travelling overseer.
The talk was basically a beat-down of the friends: (1) you need to do more service; (2) keep your sense of urgency; and (3) if you know someone who sinned, you need to turn them in. He makes a passing reference to apostates when discussing those who've left the organization. He says that most who leave or are DF'd still believe it's The Truth, except for a few "mentally-diseased" apostates.
His contempt for those who are not "whole-souled" really shone through in the talk. He mentioned folks who drifted away, describing some as "75-ers" because they were disappointed The End didn't come in 1975. He hammered the verse from 2 Peter 3 about ridiculers saying "where is this promised presence of his..." He said that they'll find out soon enough. Seems like he's looking forward to being proven right.
He also spent some time talking about the carnage at Armageddon. He said it's going to be numbing and likened it to his experience in Viet Nam. Again, he seems to be looking forward to God's great day of genocide.
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Do you remember the moment that you stopped believing that it was "The Truth"?
by freeflyingfaerie inwas there one incident or epiphany that struck you hard?
or was it a slow...gradual awakening (no pun)?.
my coming out of the jw coma (as i like to call it) began at a family rendezvous in the beautiful florida gulf coast.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
Like most of us, mine was a gradual awakening, over a period of years. Certain events, showing the legalistic nature of the organization, hastened its progress. But the thing that forced me to realize that the WT organization was not "The Truth" was the Society's press release regarding the child abuse settlements in late 2007.
I'm sure many of you have seen it; for those that have not, it is here: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Nightly%20News/2007/11-Nov/statement.pdf .
The deception in that statement appalled me. In particular, the Society seemed to be minimizing the problem of child sex abuse in the congregations by only mentioning *civil* lawsuits (as opposed to criminal charges) against *elders,* not MS, pioneers, and the like. Child sex abuse is a *criminal* matter, and most victims don't even report the crime to the police, and of those that do, most don't file civil lawsuits. Further, as a lifelong JW, I realize that the culture of not wanting to "drag Jehovah's name through the mud" and fear of being DF'd for slander or immorality has silenced many victims. Thus, the Society was taking advantage of the results of its explicit and/or implicit policies to make itself look good. This is not what "true religion" does.
I could not fathom how God's One True Organization could be so coldly and calculatingly deceptive. And, of course, the press release had its intended effect. The few witnesses that even know about the settlements use the press release and the October 2007 Awake to reassure themselves that the Society and Organization are "clean." -
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In view of the short time left ....
by wannabefree in*** w69 5/15 p. 312 have you been studying for six months?
in view of the short time left in which to do their work, jehovah's witnesses do not continue to study the bible with any who fail to respond to its.
urgent message within six months.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
Great find. I guess The End isn't as close as it once was...
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Do JW's cherry-pick what to find offensive? Is it hypocricy?
by Terry into take a stand for true worship, we need to have a viewpoint like that of the prophet isaiah, who told true worshipers: touch nothing unclean.isaiah 52:11.. .
jehovah's witnesses are preoccupied with religious "cleanliness" and "purity" of worship.
at least, that's what they say.. for example, jw's aren't permitted to engage in many commonly observed holidays because of connections to pagan false worship.. christmas, easter, thanksgiving are no-no's!
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Olin Moyles Ghost
Yes, "The Calendar of Jehovah God" was published in the Golden Age. Check it out here: http://www.archive.org/stream/theCalendarOfJehovahGod/1935_Calendar_of_Jehovah_God#page/n1/mode/2up
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Any person without the mark will be executed?
by ldrnomo inthe daily text for today is a good way to show dubs that you talk to that everyone except jehovah's witnesses will be destroyed.
i have found that when i do get a chance to say something to a dub about this they usually say "we don't judge so we can't say who will be destroyed" the borg was kind enough to put it in writing for me:.
today's text:saturday may 1 2010(put a mark on the foreheads of the men that are sighing and groaning over all the detestables things that are being done.ezekial.9:4. .
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Olin Moyles Ghost
I'm going to bump this under-appreciated thread. The Ezekiel 9 doctrine is clear proof that, according to the WTS, you must be a JW in order to have a chance at surviving Armageddon.
As others have pointed out, many JWs do not believe that you must be a JW to survive Armageddon. I never believed that. It is incompatible with the JW teaching that The End is right around the corner (what about the 2-3 BILLION people who have had no shot at the WTS message?!). If The End really is imminent, and you must be a baptized JW to survive Armageddon, then God is partial. Under this doctrine, the WTS must think God HATES Chinese, Arabs, Hindu Indians, and North Koreans!
Really, the whole idea of The End being imminent throws a wrench into JW theology. It requires the JW to hold incompatible beliefs, no matter what the WTS doctrine on salvation is.
- If you must be a JW to survive Armageddon, which is imminent, then (as noted above) God is incredibly partial and arbitrary. This is contrary to WTS and Bible teachings that "God is not partial" and "God is love."
- If you don't have to be a JW to survive Armageddon (b/c God and Jesus can read hearts), then the JW "preaching work" is a waste of time and busywork. If this is the case, then who cares whether someone converts; the thing that matters is heart condition.
Of course, if the WTS stopped beating the End Times drum, then this problem would go away. Of course, if the WTS stops beating the End Times drum, there will be less growth and less (fear-based) motivation to engage in the proselytizing work. So the WTS has painted itself into a theological corner. Fortunately for the WTS, most JWs don't think about such things. And those that do rationalize it using "wait on Jehovah" and similar thought-stopping techniques.
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Seeing JWs in settings that one would normally not see JWs...
by undercover inthe topic "no shorts, no t-shirts, no paradise", er, i mean "no shirts or t-shirts after the convention" had a post that reminded me of an experience i had that didn't really fit the subject of the thread, so i'll start my own thread and maybe we can share stories about how we have spotted jws in unique or strange settings.. this is the exchange on the other thread that sparked my memory:.
my absolute favorite (not) was when i went to the international convention in moscow.
i got switzerland as the side tour, and even though the convention was over and we were in another country, the females all had to be in skirts or dresses wherever we went.
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Olin Moyles Ghost
UC, so you didn't take the chance to introduce yourself to your spiritual sister? For shame!
This isn't nearly as unusual as a Chinese Buddhist temple, but I recently saw a group of JW women doing "street witnessing" outside a metro station in a city I was visiting. They were just standing there, holding copies of the WT magazine. It kinda made me feel sad for them. I walked past them without engaging them in conversation...just like everyone else was doing.