Posts by passwordprotected

11

Do all GB members claim to be anointed?

by passwordprotected in

does anyone have documented 'evidence' that all of the gb members are anointed, included those appointed to the body in 2005/6?

as some of the newest members were formally 'nethinim', are we to believe that these men, some of whom are in their 50s, are of the remnant of 144,000, and if so, could this be the reason behind the dropping of 1935?

passwordprotected

Does anyone have documented 'evidence' that ALL of the GB members are anointed, included those appointed to the body in 2005/6? As some of the newest members were formally 'Nethinim', are we to believe that these men, some of whom are in their 50s, are of the remnant of 144,000, and if so, could this be the reason behind the dropping of 1935?

20

How much control does the WTS really have?

by dozy in

a theme regularly running through ex-jw / apostate posts is their conviction that the worship of jws is at best of a high control basis or at worst exhibits cult-like tendencies , so they often delight in the freedom that they now enjoy.. but in reality , how much control is exhibited on the average witness?

to take one example , at least 40k are dfd in an average year , and one would assume 3 - 5x this figure are reproved privately or publicly.

that means that over a 10 year period 20% - 25% of jws are seriously flouting the strongest moral code of jws , usually for immorality , emphasized in wt after wt , meeting after meeting.

passwordprotected

I think the release of the new commandment book at the DC answers this question! ;-)

23

New meeting arrangement - just over 5 months to go

by passwordprotected in

at the recent dc the new meeting arrangement was mentioned just once, but not to give us further details on how the new meeting will be structured or how the r&f will be cared for.. .

instead the audience was urged not the second guess the gb, being advised to look at how well the spirit has directed the org up until now, so therefore it will do so into the future.. .

but the reality is the congregations are only just over 5 months away from this new meeting arrangement, yet they know little about how it'll actually affect them.. .

passwordprotected

We were told for years that the BSG arrangement was to be our life raft when persecution came.

"Why is it so important to have a BSG arrangement and an OVERSEER (not conductor) looking after these small pockets of the flock? Because when the persecution starts you RUN to your BSG!"

The only way I can describe the action the Governing Body took - because, let's remember, the letter came directly from them (not something that happens every day) - is that they went around with a big knife and punctured all of the life rafts.

But 6 months to the week before they did that they instructed us via the Sept 2007 KM QB not to build our own life rafts.

This, for me, was when my eyes were opened.

73

What was the most laughable JW teaching??

by chuckyy in

hi all.

in your opinion, what was the silliest , most laughable watchtower teaching/doctrine, since its beginning until now???.

chukyy.

passwordprotected

The Greek Scriptures were written for 144,000 people only.

The ransom sacrifice was for 144,000 only.

The 144,000 are also the 24 elders, the kings of the earth, the New Jerusalem, the two witnesses, the bride of Christ, the brothers of Christ, the trees planted near the rivers of waters of life, sole participants in the New Covenant, sole participants in the 'covenant for the Kingdom', the seed of Abraham, the Israel of God and spiritual Israel.

The WTS teachings elevate the 144,000 anointed class of Christians to more positions within God's purpose than Jesus Christ himself.

I suppose that's why the WTS now teach the the remnant of the 144,000 on earth act as the mediator between mankind and Christ and that, while the congregation was bought by the blood of Christ's sacrifice, since 1919 Christ has voluntarily turned that congregation over to the control of...the 144,000 remnant on earth, AKA the Faithful and Discreet Slave, AKA the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.

23

New meeting arrangement - just over 5 months to go

by passwordprotected in

at the recent dc the new meeting arrangement was mentioned just once, but not to give us further details on how the new meeting will be structured or how the r&f will be cared for.. .

instead the audience was urged not the second guess the gb, being advised to look at how well the spirit has directed the org up until now, so therefore it will do so into the future.. .

but the reality is the congregations are only just over 5 months away from this new meeting arrangement, yet they know little about how it'll actually affect them.. .

passwordprotected

At the recent DC the new meeting arrangement was mentioned just once, but not to give us further details on how the new meeting will be structured or how the R&F will be cared for.

Instead the audience was urged not the second guess the GB, being advised to look at how well the spirit has directed the Org up until now, so therefore it will do so into the future.

But the reality is the congregations are only just over 5 months away from this new meeting arrangement, yet they know little about how it'll actually affect them.

How will they meet for service?

How will they be shepherded?

What format will the new mid-week meeting take?

And even bigger than that, the multi-language field, which relied heavily on the BSG arrangement for its very existence, is still in the dark about their future.

Those in the deaf field do not know whether they will still have meetings in 2009.

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard the R&F speculate on the reasons for the change (including a new law being passed in the US banning religious meetings in private homes) when the GB made the reasons for the change perfectly clear in their letter to the congregations;
Satan is putting us all under more pressure
Gas prices (an incredibly myopic point of view)

And here's a question - Is this new meeting arrangement a world-wide thing?

36

How would the Society give up 1914?

by donny in

during the 1930's when the society was quietly moving jesus' presence from 1874 to 1914, it only seemed to ruffle a few feathers and most accepted this "brighter light.

" how could the society abandon 1914 and still keep most of its followers?

passwordprotected

At our recent DC 1914 was not mentioned. At all. Now, for such a crucial date for all things WTS, isn't it amazing that at their annual district gathering the R&F were not reminded of 1914? The move away from the date is well underway, IMHO.

Regarding other dates, they dropped 1935 last May and in the January 2007 WT stated that there is no direct scriptural reference to support 1918 (the start of the resurrection of the 144,000).

Did anyone bat an eyelid?

Page 633 or the Proclaimers book, paragraph one makes for interesting reading for no reason other than the mention of any scriptural citation to support 1914.

59

My first post

by BonaFide in

jw
friends

i prayed before i came on here.

i know that it weird.

i have been reading here for a long time.

passwordprotected

Hi, welcome. I posted my first comment here around 6 weeks ago. I too have "privileges", I serve as an elder. ALL of my family are Witnesses. I'm 3rd gen. myself. What you're feeling is natural. Some days you'll feel great that you've found the truth, others you'll feel sick that you could be completely wrong for doubting the Witnesses. Simply check everything according to Scripture. Read the Bible without the WTS filter/funnel. Don't make excuses or apologize for their teachings. You'll get through it.

13

I NEED YOUR HELP !!

by thebigdebate in

here is my story:.

i was born and raised a jw.

i aux pioneered (60 hours) in the summers when school was out.

passwordprotected

If you DO decide to talk to her, keep it very simple. Thank her for her concern and her research in trying to help you. However, point out Acts 1:7 and Luke 21:8 and ask her if it was a command of Jesus to follow people claiming to have knowledge of when his return would be. Ask her if it was in the domain of humans to have knowledge of this information in the first place (Acts 1:7). Ask her if the good news of the kingdom should contain information and speculation of the date of Christ's return when he clearly says in Luke 21:8 not to go after anyone claiming to have such knowledge. The society has had since 1879 to perfect their end-time prophecies and doctrine. It can be tough to go up against it. But with those two verses - Acts 1:7 and Luke 21:8 - you can take the legs away from any long thought out and reasoned doctrine.

14

Bible studies with baptized publishers?

by wha happened? in

my wife went to a meeting today.

1st one in 3 months.

i never fight it and she never invites me.

passwordprotected

it's common practice for elders to offer Bible studies to 'lost sheep'. The elder will have arranged for his wife to conduct the study. This is, afterall, what leaving the 99 and going after the 1 means. Ahem.

4

Not actually using the Bible at the WT study

by passwordprotected in

has anyone else noticed the trend for the r&f to use printed sheets with each de-contextualized verse for each wt paragraph printed on it?

i've noticed in several congregations that many of the r&f - including the shepherds - don't even have their bible opened during the wt study and do not refer to it.

there are a few obvious issues with this; any interested persons in attendance at the meeting will quickly see that the jws do not rely heavily on the bible - they just have little verses printed out at home.

passwordprotected

Has anyone else noticed the trend for the R&F to use printed sheets with each de-contextualized verse for each WT paragraph printed on it? I've noticed in several congregations that many of the R&F - including the shepherds - don't even have their Bible opened during the WT study and do not refer to it. There are a few obvious issues with this; any interested persons in attendance at the meeting will quickly see that the JWs do not rely heavily on the Bible - they just have little verses printed out at home. The other, bigger issue is that the JWs can't check the context of the verses the WT cites. So it's easier for them to drink down the milk being served without even touching the solid food of the Bible. Also, notice how in the study edition of the WT that many paragraphs cite one or two words from a verse, putting those words in parenthesis, often taking, not just the verse, but those one or two words out of context! That paragraph then becomes 'Bible-based'. ---------- What have you guys noticed at the WT study?