hillary_step

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Posts by hillary_step

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  536

  LET'S MAKE A LITTLE WAGER

  by You Know in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  perhaps you recall the instance in the bible where samson made a wager with the philistines that they couldnt guess his riddle.

  as it turned out they wheedled the answer out of him by his fiancee, but the point is that they had a wager.

  since the underlying assumption of the apostasy is that we are not living in the last days of this system of things, and that this world is not facing anything remotely like the biblical apocalypse, at least not any time soon, in the spirit of such antagonism, i would like to propose a similar wager.

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  hillary_step

  Hi YK,

  Jehovah's judgments have always been ridiculed.

  It seems sir, that as ever, you are confusing Gods judgments with those of an ex Hells Angel.

  A weighty confusion indeed.

  HS
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  9

  What happens at the elder's school?

  by dmouse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my father-in-law and brother-in-law are both off to the elder's school in dudley, england this weekend.. can anyone enlighten me as to what they find to talk about for two days?

  what is special about this meeting that can't be handled thorough normal channels?.

  dean.

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  hillary_step

  Amazing,

  I attended was the one where we were told that an Elder does not have to be removed for serious sins IF the sin was committed two or three years prior, and the Elder still maintained the respect of the Congregation, and the sin was not generally known among the Congregation. They District Overseer cited a KM from 1974 that essentially stated the same thing in the Question Box, but then he elaborated on it by specifically mentioning that a serious sin could include adultery.

  Yes, I remember that one, I think that this was around '86.

  Apparently the KM used to support the ‘new’ view was actually supposed to help elders to deal with the more minor issues like smoking and the occasional paralytic drunk. . Some DO's & CO's obviously got hold of the wrong end of the stick; understandably, given the ambiguity in the way the KM handled the question, and began teaching what you outline above.

  I wrote to the Branch in the Country I was serving in at the time for clarification and they sent back a blistering letter dismantling the whole idea of what had been taught at the elders school.

  As if by example, the following week they removed one of the Branch Servants and booted him back into his 'civies, for a sin he had committed, are you listening, twenty five years previously.

  Best regards Amazing - HS
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  9

  Answers to all your questions.

  by dmouse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  check out this site:.

  http://hector3000.future.easyspace.com/50questions.htm.

  it author sets out many common questions that 'jw-haters'(his description) ask jws and attempts to answer them.

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  hillary_step

  Hmmm. I don't really agree that Hector does a fine job when it comes to dealing with specific questions about the organizations doctrines.

  I am sure that Cygnus is aware that the person involved is attempting to defend the indefensible over many issues that he outlines.

  I took Cygnus comment to mean, perhaps I misunderstood, that he does a good job of what he has tried to do, that is to defend the indefensible. In this, he displays a far superior attitude to many JW's who will not even discuss the issues that he attempts to deal with.

  Best regards -- HS
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  40

  WILL I BE DISFELLOWSHIPPED?

  by jazz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my wife went into my email and found out i have been looking at porn and chatting with other women she went to the elders and told them i go before them on sunday.

  what do you think my fate will be

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  hillary_step

  'Some very good advise as a friend'.

  Well said Amazing -- HS
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  9

  Answers to all your questions.

  by dmouse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  check out this site:.

  http://hector3000.future.easyspace.com/50questions.htm.

  it author sets out many common questions that 'jw-haters'(his description) ask jws and attempts to answer them.

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  hillary_step

  I agree with Cygnus,

  A spirited defense worthy of a good read.

  He does unfortunately fall into a similar trap that WTS researchers do, and that is that he often ignores the evidence of the majority opinion of scholars and dwells on the ‘quotable’ of minority opinions, without acknowledging this to the reader.

  For example he quotes C19th author Bullfinch in his defense of the literal number of the ‘144,000’ as described in the Revelation. Bullfinch is entirely in the minority over this issue, and apart from those theologically attached to ‘end-times’ hope, very few experts alive today, or his contemporaries, would agree with this view.

  An interesting recent faux-pas made by WTS Writing was contained in the recent ‘Daniel’ book, when evidence was presented to bolster this chronology. A quotation in support of WTS chronology was used from the book by John Walvoord - ‘Armaggedon, Oil And The Middle East Crisis’. I was amazed to see this in the book, as Valvoord is an amateur prophet who is even outclassed by YK, and his interpretations of current events which culminate in a rapture for the faithful while the earth is pounded to pieces by God, are plainly unhinged. When I bought this to the attention of an acquaintance in Writing, his eyes swung heavenward as if to say, ‘Oh God! We have done it again’.

  The moral of the tale is, if you want to prove something enough, there is always something written by somebody to help you. Flat earth, no problem. Barbara Streisand is an alien, look it up. The apostle Paul was a cigar salesman…you get my drift.

  Another failing of the WTS researcher is to appeal to outdated information. An example of this is in his defense of the ‘607’ chronology in which he quotes an Assyrian researcher who wrote in 1956. The past 45 years, much has been achieved in the way of research in this field and though not an exact science as yet, the weight of evidence seems to clearly undermine the ‘607’ theology of the WTS.

  That having been said, at least the person involved has offered some sort of evidence for his beliefs rather than take the usual JW stance of ‘We have the Truth whatever you might say’, and I salute him for that. He has certainly done more research to defend his views than many of us have that oppose them.

  Best regards - HS
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  8

  Canada Bethelites told not accepted if they marry

  by Pathofthorns in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since i'm out of the loop, this was told to me by a friend tonight that since the canadian bethel continues to downsize, any bethelites that are dating are informed they and their future wives will not be accepted if they marry.. it is well known here that the branch built for growth that never occurred and continues to not happen so it is likely there is some truth to this.

  this may be old news anyway, like i said, i'm out of the loop.. in the past (and correct me if i'm wrong) at least one could re-apply and have a reasonable good chance of being accepted.. these days a bethelite finds himself with difficult choices to marry and face the big scary real world or stick with the life he knows.

  one way or another, the wt makes it difficult for those who wish to live a normal life.

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  hillary_step

  Yes,

  They are battening down the hatches, but this is across the board. A downsizing and cost cutting scenario is being structured not just for Canada, but is being implemented in all Branches as a worldwide arrangement.

  Interestingly, simultaneously a widespread Kingdom Hall building and renovating work is being planned. This will be paid for locally but of course is 'owned' by Brooklyn.

  It is a very cunning plan with an eye on future lawsuits and Governmental intrusion.

  Best regards - HS
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  150

  Raymond Franz and UN

  by kpax in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  can anyone ask raymond franz what he knows about the un involvement?.

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  kpax

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  hillary_step

  Pope Joan, Lord?

  I wouldn't think of it Disciple Six. Let Joan Pope herself, you are made of better things.

  HS
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  24

  What is the narrow gate?

  by YoYoMama in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  matthew 7:13-14 .

  go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.

  "

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  hillary_step

  What is the narrow gate?

  The gate that the majority C1st Jews did not walk through, but that the minority; Jesus followers did. What is the purpose of your question?

  Here is one for you YYW. 'Broad and spacious, narrow and cramped', how would the C1st disciples have understood this statement?

  HS
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  21

  Daily text - Matt 26:41

  by YoYoMama in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  matt 26:41 keep on the watch and pray continually, that you may not enter into temptation.. commentary: .

  what would help us to keep on the watch?

  while in the garden of gethsemane shortly before his arrest, jesus told three of his apostles the above.

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  hillary_step

  YYW,

  Do you not see the proof in the world around us? Don't kid yourself, every day we have new proof, for the words of Jesus and the apostle Paul are being fulfilled.

  I see a world in peril, however, read your history books YYW. In fact read the last Awake magazine that contained information about the 'Black Death' that occurred in the C14th and which decimated, the population of Europe. It is estimated to have killed half of the population. If this happened today it would result in the death of around 800 million people. The times were more perilous then than now.

  For example, did you know that you stood three times the chance of being murdered in Dublin, London and Paris in the mid C18th than you do now. That until the C19th you stood a 28% chance of dying in childbirth in Europe.

  Did you know that approximately 1% of Americans are criminals and that this figure drops yearly? Go to your KH, tonight and give an answer to the effect that 99% of the citizens of the USA are law-abiding and see the looks you get. I will not even get into life expectancies and standard of living as Larc tackled the issue with YK.

  Imagine that you were living in the C14th YYW, and that you were a member of one of the 'cult', end-times religions that proliferated in those days also. Imagine if the Watchtower was being printed then what it would contain?

  Yes, these are dangerous times, pollution and economic instability are not issues to be trifled with. We do face ecological ruin if we as a worldwide village do not wake up and count the forests, but without doubt, times have been more difficult in the past.

  Research this for yourself YYW. Try reading a book written by a true historian as opposed to a group of sensationalists with an investment in a certain agenda. For example, the WTS quotes on occasion from Barbara W. Tuchman’s book, ‘A distant Mirror, The Calamitous 14th Century’, read it and then post your views to this Board.

  Unfortunately YYW, as JW’s we allowed the philosophies and traditions of men to devour our better judgment, the only way that a person can find the real truth is by hard and honest research of the facts.

  There is nothing that I would like more than that the WTS package, which I adhered to for decades, was the real truth. What I would say to you is that if you are happy that what you are being taught as ‘Truth’ is truth, then this Board is of no interest to you. Howvever, if you want to know the truth, start searching, and be prepared for some disquieting shocks.

  Kindest regards -- HS

  edited for grammatical chaos
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  21

  Daily text - Matt 26:41

  by YoYoMama in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  matt 26:41 keep on the watch and pray continually, that you may not enter into temptation.. commentary: .

  what would help us to keep on the watch?

  while in the garden of gethsemane shortly before his arrest, jesus told three of his apostles the above.

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  hillary_step

  YYK,

  We do not want just to look back at that time, however. For Jesus’ prophecy regarding “the conclusion of the system of things” has application today; in fact, its major application is now. And so, too, does Peter’s similar warning that “the end of all things has drawn close.” God’s purpose is to wipe out this entire wicked system and usher in his ‘new heavens and new earth’ in the immediate future.

  I asked for 'evidence', not chewing-gum in words. Learn to do your own research and not rely on a theologicaly compromised group of semi-educated men to do this for you.

  . For Jesus’ prophecy regarding “the conclusion of the system of things” has application today.

  Prove it. You may be correct, or you may be incorrect but you need to evidence this to maintain any sort of credibility, which I must add is filtering away with each post that you make!

  I might suggest that you start with 'The Last Days According To Jesus', by R.C. Sproul.

  HS