i'm confused at the huge variance in these percentages - where can i find exactly what % of a red blood cell is made up of hemoglobin?.
km 11/06 says its 33%.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/medical/123261/1/km-insert-how-do-i-view-blood-fractions-complete-scan-and-pdf.
I'm confused at the huge variance in these percentages - where can I find exactly what % of a red blood cell is made up of Hemoglobin?
KM 11/06 says its 33%
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/medical/123261/1/KM-Insert-How-Do-I-View-Blood-Fractions-Complete-Scan-and-PDF
AJWRB says its 97%
http://www.ajwrb.org/
.
this is one subject that really annoyed me when i was a jehovah's witness - and i find it still annoys me after being out 7 years from the jw's.
the title of this jw only wt study article is " have regard for those who are working hard among you ".
in my opinion there always seemed to be a double standard in which rank and file publishers were always told to be patient with elders shortcomings - however if rank and file publishers slipped up - elders would be into admonishing and disciplining them like flies attracted to dung with no delay.
"Likewise, do not allow the way you are admonished to prevent you from listening to those whom Jehovah and Jesus MAY be using to let you know how you can help protect yourself spiritually."
So listen to everything the elders say but there is a possibility Jah may not be using them!
What a joke this religion is!
as time goes on i find it a real challenge to keep my sanity while still in "the truth" especially after considering all the rsearch i have been doing about the org.
that i have been very active in for almost 4 decades.
i have managed to be removed as an elder while staying in good standing (prayers-reading,mic carring etc.
Just keep progressing at your own pace, and don't think of yourself as a hypocrite - its called the theocratic war strategy!
You can do much good working from the inside. Just find ways to fake service (like doing return visits driving around and conversating with the 'friends' is a great way to waste time) and to miss more meetings...
Look for opportunities to plant seeds discreetly.
In my opinion, in order to get your family and friends out with you, you have to be the LAST one out.
I applaud anyone who can stomach it, and if they can leave gracefully and retain their family, all the better.
Hang in there - when it's time to move, one way or another, you'll know.
.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/former-witness-taking-on-watch-tower/story-fn6bfmgc-1226036543156.
former witness taking on watch tower graeme hammond from: sunday herald sun april 10, 201112:00ama former jehovah's witness is to launch a private criminal prosecution against the religion's world headquarters.
his action is in protest at its refusal to require church elders to submit to working with children police checks in victoria.
Picture of little boy is at the base of this page
thought this will be of interest at this time of year..... .
dear daniel,.
i appreciated your latest letter.
Mary - Well said. Traditions of men being palmed off as "truth" without basis in the scriptures
OnTheWayOut - yes the humility and honesty really stand out in the way he writes
Quendi - glad you found this article useful on your journey!
willyloman - thank you for posting that info. I agree - what an opportunity was missed to reform and change the organization into something worthwhile when they kicked him out!
To any lurkers out there, Ray Franz was a governing body member for over nine years. He was a very sincere and humble man as well as a devout Christian until he passed away last year. Do yourselves a favour and read his two outstanding books:
(1) Crisis of Conscience, and
(2) In Search of Christian Freedom
Both can be purchased in book form or downloaded as PDF's (for privacy) here:
http://www.commentarypress.com/Publication/English.html
His insights are simply invaluable for anybody wanting to examine the JW religion in an honest and complete light.
.
thought this will be of interest at this time of year..... .
dear daniel,.
i appreciated your latest letter.
.
Thought this will be of interest at this time of year....
Dear Daniel,I appreciated your latest letter. As you have found, the Memorial, as celebrated by Witnesses, converts an expression of faith (in Christ's ransom sacrifice on the part of all Christians) into a means primarily for advancing an organization's teaching and restricting Jesus' words, "Do this [that is, take of the wine and unleavened bread] in remembrance of me" to a comparatively tiny group of persons.If one reads John 6:32-59 it seems quite clear that bread and wine are used Biblically to symbolize things in which everyone hoping to gain life must share, that both emblems refer to the ransom sacrifice, God's provision through Christ for attaining life everlasting made available for all persons. By his later use of these emblems at the final supper, God's Son established a means for expressing through figurative emblems the faith each of us has in the ransom sacrifice he provided, as well making acknowledgment of the community of brotherhood we hold with all others having that faith.So, in our discussions we focus on the fact that Christ instituted the occasion as a means for remembering him and for expressing faith in his ransom sacrifice. He said nothing about two classes, one class partaking and the other not. (Compare 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 6:47-58) Paul's words about partaking "unworthily" had to do with the manner and attitude some in Corinth were showing on the occasion and did not in anyway indicate that participation was restricted to a particular "class" of Christians. (1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 27-34) Recognizing that eating the bread and drinking the wine simply represents faith in the ransom sacrifice Christ provided, from which all Christians benefit, almost all in attendance at our gatherings usually partake. It is so much more meaningful than the rather empty ceremony typical of Kingdom Hall celebrations.In our celebration, we gather in the evening for a regular meal and then follow this with a commemorating of the Lord's evening meal, which we generally do while still sitting around the dinner table. It is informal but enjoyable and meaningful. I think of the fact that even the Passover was not celebrated at the temple (though each family's lamb was sacrificed there) but was held in homes, something that was true of early Christian's commemorating of the Lord's evening meal. The simplicity, accessibility, and every-day nature of the emblems Christ employed also seem notable. They had nothing of the unusual or exotic or "special," since they were common items on the daily table, not some kind of special "sabbath" food. Similarly Christ's ransom sacrifice is open to all, and our partaking of his "body" and "blood" is not something done on Sundays but an everyday, all-day matter, carried out by showing faith in our ordinary, daily affairs of life.As regards the time for celebrating the Lord's evening meal, we have customarily celebrated the meal on the date of the Jewish passover, but not as viewing that as a require date. It would seem that the important thing is the celebrating of the meal, not the precise day. We really have no way of knowing what day Jesus would recognize today as the "correct" date corresponding to Passover.Actually, there really is not much Biblical proof that Christians celebrated it only on a yearly basis. The apostle Paul quotes Jesus as saying, "Keep doing this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." (1 Corinthians 11:25) As a Witness, I used to try to explain away the expression "often" by referring to Hebrews 9:25, where the word "often" appears again in the English New World Translation, used there in connection with the high priest's entry into the Most Holy, which took place once a year on atonement day. But a person familiar with Greek pointed out to me that in the Greek original two different words are used for the "often" in 1 Corinthians and that at Hebrews 9. The one in Hebrews 9 means essentially "a number of times" but that in 1 Corinthians is much more indefinite (or broader and looser), and has the sense of "whenever." He also pointed out that it is generally believed that Paul arrived first in Corinth about 50 A.D. and the account in Acts shows he spent a minimum of eighteen months there (Acts 18:11), possibly longer (Acts 18:18), so he left there in late 51 or early 52 A.D. His first letter to Corinthians is believed to have been written about the spring of 55 A.D. In that letter he rebukes them for their conduct in connection with the Lord's evening meal (chapter 11:17-22), showing that some were viewing it as if it were an ordinary meal and giving no true significance to the emblems. If the celebration of the meal was done only once a year it seems incredible that, after having celebrated it only four or five times at the most (from 50 to 55 A.D.), and perhaps only three times since Paul's departure, they could possibly slip so quickly into such an attitude. A once-a-year celebration would have made the event an unusual, uncommon one. On the other hand if they were celebrating it not on an annual basis but more often, they might have celebrated it dozens or scores of times in those few years. That would more reasonably explain how some had come to take the attitude that Paul rebukes. Some suggest that when Christians had their agapes or gatherings of fellowship that they kept the Lord's evening meal along with their regular meal. Nothing dogmatic can be stated.I can see why persons who are gathering together at some other time of the year and who may not be seeing each other for some time (perhaps coming from different, even distant, locations) might wish to celebrate the meal at such occasion. (When I was in Germany two years ago, three brothers were there from Sweden (including Carl Olof Jonsson) and they expressed the wish to share in the Lord's evening meal with me. We did that in my hotel room.I do think there is some validity at least to a view expressed that for a time after a major event takes place, the memory of the event itself is vivid. As time goes on, it is the effect of the event that is more enduring. I am sure that in the years following Jesus' crucifixion and death the celebrating of the Lord's evening meal had a special poignancy, the memory of what had transpired being yet fresh in their minds, the intense attitudes that produced the execution of their Lord still surrounding them and felt very acutely. Though those basic attitudes exist today, and the gravity of the historical act has never diminished, I think that it is true that today we think more of the effects of what he accomplished by his death. It is true that the Memorial celebration focuses on those effects. But I can see that people back then might feel a greater or more intense motivation for holding that celebration with perhaps some degree of frequency than might be true now. Those are just thoughts, for whatever they are worth.I am sure you appreciate the need for patience during a time of transition. I feel that there is no experience that cannot bring some benefit, if we're willing to work to that end. Some of those experiences we characterize as negative and unpleasant can often teach more than those we view as pleasurable. At the same time that does not excuse from responsibility those who contributed to our making decisions that we would probably not have made had we not been misinformed. It was probably the rather cavalier, insensitive spirit so often manifest in Governing Body discussions that most disturbed me.Life inevitably has its negative aspects, but we can deal with these as they require and then put them behind us. The past may be beyond our changing, but the present and the future are things we can work with, focus on. If we let resentment or bitterness control us then we are, as one scholar put it, "prisoners of the past." When we find the power to put the past to rest, we set a prisoner free-and we have been that prisoner. To do otherwise is to live with frustration and reminds one of Paul's statement about "beating the air." (1 Corinthians 9:26) There is a great source of happiness and peace in putting our focus on positive matters. As the apostle puts it: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy or praise, think about these things.-Phillipians 4:8.
Life has its seasons and each difficult season that we weather strengthens us for the future. Life is also a journey and we cannot make progress in it if our focus is mainly on where we have been; that could lead to emotional inertia or even entropy. What is done is done. The journey inevitably contains challenge, but we can find encouragement in knowing that we are moving on, making at least some progress, and can feel confident that what is ahead can be fulfilling.Hope that things may go well for you.Best wishes,RaySource: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/195919/1/Ray-Franz-Emails-Part-3-Final
cope with discouragement.
when holy spirit.
(b) what can power from jehovah help.
Do not let fatigue cause you to miss out on eternal blessings.
How arrogant to presume that peoples lives are at stake if they cannot keep up with the impossible demands of these Pharisees!
ahh low and behold!.
it turns out those bethelites were being bold!.
brazen is what many with login privileges can be called.... ....... knowing that such an important talk outline shouldn't be stalled!.
"Self-help guides may offer some good ideas, but they can also give harmful advice that leads to disappointment and serious problems."
What about:
"Self-help guidesThe Watchtower Society may offer some good ideas, but they can also give harmful advice that leads to disappointment and serious problems."
there is a "special talk" happening on the 16th where cities will be linked together.. has anybody else had this already?
was it another snoozefest?.
hb.
Here is the link to the outline for the 2011 'special' talk
so i don't understand it seems to me from the posts that i have read just about everyone is disassociated.. just wondering if that's true or if i am not the only one on here still within the organization..
Welcome happi2b!
In my opinion, one of the problems with the Watchtower Society is they:
(1) never elaborate on what exactly people that leave disagree with
(2) actively discourage independent investigation of what they teach, and
(3) demonise any alternative views.
I never gave this much thought as I thought that the "truth" can stand up to anything thrown up against it.
On another note I haven't really had much time to spend checking out this site to the full as I work full time.
If you are serious about investigating, then please download the PDF on the below link and post here what you think after reading it.
http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/bible/mary-s-project-an-analysis-of-jehovah-s-witness-doctrine.html
Please continue to keep an open mind and I look forward to your response to the above analysis.
Best wishes
Lukewarm
