AuntBee

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Posts by AuntBee

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  28

  Disfellowshipped for reading "apostate literature"?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  is reading apostate literature a disfellowshipping offense?.

  do you know of people being disfellowshipped for this or for receiving apostate literature?.

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  AuntBee

  My daughter and i tried to give one page of apostate ( aka "We don't want you to see this") literature to her friend, and i thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown!
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  10

  A closer look at the origins and times of Pastor C.T.Russell

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  charles taze russell was born into a time and place in history when america was rife with failed ideas, movements and philosophies about mankind's destiny.

  america had been founded by mostly puritan perfectionists and other zealots chased out of europe for troublemaking and fanatical hard-headedness about god's purposes for them.. the first effort of puritan colonists was to bring about god's kingdom through hard work, self-improvement and human institutions which would raise mankind up little by little to perfection in jesus christ.. this was seen to have failed by the middle 1800's and a new approach was needed.. a rural, self-taught farmer from a baptist heritage named william miller filled the need.

  using just his wits, sincerety and a bible and concordance, miller searched the scriptures and his neighbor's libraries for the answer.. miller's research led him to the unshakeable conclusion that jesus christ would return sometime in 1843. miller polished his arguments and began a preaching circuit to churches around america's most fervent centers of christian enthusiasm.

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  AuntBee

  Terry, do you think the Finney revivalism set the stage for Miller as well? I noticed in ISaac Welcome's book, that an oft repeated justification for The Midnight Cry, dates, even failed ones, was -- look at the glorious result - people were "electrified", they were moved, they were crying, they became interested in the BIble for the first time, etc. Many of Finney's contemporaries wrote against his use of "means" to achieve what he termed revival, as merely human/emotional manipulation - like the use of music, fear, coming forward to the "anxious bench", etc. Was the preaching of dates or just the "imminent" Advent, just another type of "means"?
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  630

  SAD news about OOMPA......

  by redredrose in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  our friend, oompa, has passed away.

  just recieved the news a couple of hours ago, and have almost no details.

  it happened today or yesterday, he took his own life.

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  AuntBee

  I know Troubled mind on FB, and wrote her a message about this, which she suggested i post here:

  WOw, this is so unbelievably sad about Eric. I saw one poster said, well why do you blame it on JW, etc? Well, i can tell you one thing i know for sure as an outsider! When they have threads on ....how many do you know who committed suicide? You guys seems to know MANY more than the average person. I am 52, have many friends ,family, etc, and i have known NO ONE who has. I have known OF, acquaintances of friends, maybe two i can think of?
  
  I even talked to eric personally once, because when i was first reading JWN, i was in so much intense grief because my oldest daughter died suddenly and unexpectedly at 25 in '08. So i just wrote him a note sympathizing in general with pain and suffering. The really awful thing is, even such a death in the family cannot compare to shunning. Because you know the person didn't do it to you on purpose. Because time heals and helps. The event is "over" and does lessen in intensity in its effects. Whereas shunning is never over, it never heals for so many, it keeps festering, etc. SOOO painful unlike anything, because they are doing it to you consciously. It's worse than the grief of death.

  I told Eric that what he was writing on JWN was very valuable because it takes reading a detailed account for outsiders to get some kind of take on this issue. You can read somewhere - WT practices severe shunning, but in your mind, you don't really get this, or have a clue about what it means in people's lives.
  Do they really think God wants people supposedly serving Him, because they are forced, blackmailed to it?
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  32

  Stories you've heard from what makes one believe they are 'anointed'.

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it's funny, how the bible describes it is far different from those i had spoken with or heard about.

  let's all start listing the many different stories.

  i'll start.

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  AuntBee

  Two pioneer ladies were at my house for an extended convo. I asked this very question. One of them went into this long story about beavers finding their mates by various ways, including scent, etc, and how they "just Know." And how it's kind of like that.

  The other pioneer, the smart one, looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole!
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  13

  One Random Dude's Conclusion about the WTBTS based on an Awake he Got

  by AuntBee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we just chat occasionally through my blog.

  i've tried several times to tell him stuff about the wt, but he's in that know-it-all stage, and prefers talking to listening.

  oh well... here's his take on it, after receiving an awake.

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  AuntBee

  Kurtbethel - I'm kind of out of the loop on Awake magazine - around here they just give out WTs. Are all those images real? Even the one of the guy on his laptop in the igloo? Or are they just designed as part of the guy's parody?
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  13

  One Random Dude's Conclusion about the WTBTS based on an Awake he Got

  by AuntBee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we just chat occasionally through my blog.

  i've tried several times to tell him stuff about the wt, but he's in that know-it-all stage, and prefers talking to listening.

  oh well... here's his take on it, after receiving an awake.

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  AuntBee

  We just chat occasionally through my blog. He's a twenty-something. I've tried several times to tell him stuff about the WT, but he's in that know-it-all stage, and prefers talking to listening. Oh well... Here's his take on it, after receiving an Awake. I guess it shows the purpose the "Awake" serves; it's so low-key it can disarm people?

  "That reminds me, I was handed an issue of "awake" magazine, the companion mag to the watchtower and I skimmed it - it's practically a secular magazine, they just give a scripture verse every now and then and talk about things barely related to the bible. The cover story is "Is your food safe?" They go on for pages then talk a little about hygene in the bible. I tell ya they're going the way of the church of england and getting all mellow and secular. I think this is a good thing because christianity does much better as a philosophy than a "religion" imo."

  "all mellow and secular".....
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  83

  Relationship Issues: Boundaries, Freedom of Choice and Codependency

  by 00DAD in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  relationship issues: boundaries, freedom of choice and codependency .

  i just read a very interesting thought in the book, "boundaries" by cloud & townsend.

  the basic problem in human relationship is that of freedom.

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  AuntBee

  000DAD: I'm SO glad you mentioned that book! It's an awesome book for anyone, and i can see how it applies to people who grew up JW in particular. As an 'outsider", this issue was something that i found just heart breaking in young JWs i and my kids have known fairly well in real life. The complete enmeshment is unbelievable. They are so smothered and controlled. Now they are in their twenties, and seem like little boys still in many ways. The CONTROL thing does NOT Work anyway, these guys have done "stuff" just like other teenagers, it's just that the parents don't know much about it. There are four of them, and last i heard, they all still live at home, aren't married or even close to it, none could support a family financially, not even close. :( For me as a parent, one of the most satisfying things is when kids MOVE OUT, and DO STUFF in life! These parents are missing out on one of the greatest pleasures and rewards, and what should be our GOAL - for them to make their own decisions, grow up, move out, move on, etc.

  Quendi: Thanks for those additional titles, they sound really interesting. I love this topic!
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  5

  Some JWs this morning told me a "heart warming" story about a child baptism!

  by AuntBee in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  apparently this gal was a relative, and was baptized at the ripe old age of 10!

  i let them tell the story, after i had begun talking about how wt splits up families.

  i responded that i did not agree with this at all, that this girl could not possibly have the mental capacity, the research/analytical ability, (or even the freedom, considering the info control!

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  AuntBee

  Yes, PTN, they didn't say too much to that. Just kept insisting that this young girl was so zealous, and really ready, and understood. A relative suggested that maybe she was too young, but the girl was so insistent.
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  5

  Some JWs this morning told me a "heart warming" story about a child baptism!

  by AuntBee in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  apparently this gal was a relative, and was baptized at the ripe old age of 10!

  i let them tell the story, after i had begun talking about how wt splits up families.

  i responded that i did not agree with this at all, that this girl could not possibly have the mental capacity, the research/analytical ability, (or even the freedom, considering the info control!

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  AuntBee

  Apparently this gal was a relative, and was baptized at the ripe old age of 10! I let them tell the story, after i had begun talking about how WT splits up families. I responded that i did not agree with this at all, that this girl could not possibly have the mental capacity, the research/analytical ability, (or even the freedom, considering the info controL!) to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit-directed organization! I shared that i have eight children myself, so am familiar with child development. I know how much kids want the love and approval of those around them. And in the case of JW children, they are so isolated many times, that the only other people really in their sphere are other JWs.

  There were 2 women; the younger one , about 30 , completely understood the point i was making, and even clarified to the older one.

  They wanted to rant about infant baptism in some churches, but i turned it on them, and said this baptism was more like infant baptism than they are admitting. Plus, those mainline churches that infant baptize, they know those kids might leave as adults, and don't practice severe shunning because the kid was baptized!

  Talked about many other things as well outside at their literature table.
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  67

  Is their a slackening off / lack of zeal in the witnessing work that I am observing or is it just the area I`m living in

  by smiddy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  last saturday i was home with my wife,having a leisurely brekky pottering around in the kitchen ,then i noticed her standing still pondering ,what`s up i asked , wife :i thought i heard someone knocking ,i looked out the window to see two middle aged guys exciting my front drive.why didn`t you tell me they were their,i didn`t hear them.

  i would have engaged them in conversation , but my wife doesn`t think i ought to,just let it go ,is her motto.. but my point is : i`m not deaf , and i didn`t hear them at the door , we were both in the front room ,my wife only thought she heard someone at the door only to be proved right observing them leaving i was in my pj`s and dressing gown so was not going to pursue them.

  we have been living here nearly 5 years now and i can honestly say they have never been on our doorstep more than 4 times if that , i personally have only encountered them 3 times at the most.

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  AuntBee

  Smiddy: To answer your question...YES! I'm just a never beenJW, but i'm a Protestant who likes to talk with Witnesses. I've seen a difference in the last 2 years or so in zeal, in even being willing to "argue", play Bible ping-pong, answer questions, etc.

  I was talking with 2 guys that had a lit table outside about 2 months ago, and through them met a sister who asked me if i wanted a Bible study, and i said yes, gave her my info, etc. She only phoned me back once, to say that she was having trouble finding another sister to come with her, but she hadn't forgotten me, but has never called me back since then.

  Also recently a guy came to the door with a Convention invite. I invited him in, but he said he didn't have time, so i said, can you call me , so we can make an appointment to talk later when you have time? And he never called back either. (now i may have missed the call, but he definitely didn't leave a message, which everyone does if you're really trying to get in touch...)

  I'd say that many years ago, JWs that would come around seemed much more like they really believed in it, and were more well-versed in how to use the Bible. At least that's my observation in my area.