Posts by Sapphy

25

So the Governing Body alone is now the Faithful and Discreet Slave?

by garyneal in

i'm just catching up on the latest buzz here and it appears that there is a lot of buzz on the 'new light' coming from the watchtower concerning the governing body and the faithful and discreet slave.

if true, i can really use this to trick my wife and in-laws (who are coming in this weekend) to contradict the new light.. at first i was going to say that this can answer moshe's question regarding who really is the fds but i understand that the change simply means when the body meets on doctrinal matters is when they are collectively the fds.

is that correct?.

Sapphy

Yep apparently the governing body is now the the FDS. Since the governing body wasn't actually formed until 1971 they were appointed as the FDS in 1919, 52 years before they existed.

It is important to note that the FDS didn't exist before the last days began in 1914.

It is also important in this new teaching to believe the governing body in 1st century Jerusalem (which didnt exist in reality) was not the FDS, since if the jerusalem GB was the FDS it would mean half the christian scriptures aka 'spiritual food' was written and dispensed by the jumped up domestic Apostle Paul who was not part of the GB.

I hope this is clear now.

630

SAD news about OOMPA......

by redredrose in

jw
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.

Sapphy

So sorry. Poor Eric.

It's uncharitable of me, but I hope those responsible for his pain realise their responsibility and make what amends they can.

13

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

by AuntBee in

jw
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.

Sapphy

AWAKE! is for mildly religious people who find Readers Digest articles too dificult to read.

70

Getting Back In (yes, its for family) What do I Say on 3rd Try?

by Meadow36 in

jw
friends

in my last meeting to be re-instated they said for next time figure out which person from the bible i'm most like.

and be ready to tell them what i pray about and how i feel about what i did to jehovah.

being honest , speaking from the heart about jesus forgiving peter and having a hard time answering the prayer question didn't work getting hysterical and nervous-breakdownish at the end didn't help, nor did running out of the hall after saying i could never do any better.

Sapphy

Don’t state explicitly or imply ANY fault with the original committee’s decision.

Don’t state explicitly or imply ANY fault with the organisation or its stupid processes.

State that the disfellowshipping process has worked and has broken your prideful spirit.

Be humble to the point of complete self effacement.

You have no desires other than to do what they tell you to the letter.

You pray constantly and you feel Jehovah has forgiven you but you need re-instatement to serve him properly.

You miss going out on the ministry & feel like your heart is broken because you can’t express your faith formally with the brothers & sisters. Emphasize you'll never take the priveledge of preaching for granted again.

You still preach at work and try to show Jehovah’s organisations clean standards are to your benefit.

You are like Job, you 'repent in dust and ashes'. Cry.

You are like Jonah, you tried run away from your responsibilities by commiting sin & you have accepted "the 3 days in the fish" as discipline and are ready to do jahs will again.

Pretend you're an actress playing a part. Remind yourself constantly that you're only doing it for family & you don't mean anything you say in that committee room.

Good luck.

37

Did you know that God will terminate your supervisors employment, and give you their old job?

by Theocratic Sedition in

jw
friends

according to the wt study yesterday, that's what happened.. 16. by allowing jehovah to instruct us and lead us in the path of uprightness, we will have no cause for fear.

when a regular pioneer in the united states applied for a job that would help him to keep his entire family in full-time service, his supervisor told him that he would never get that position without a college degree.

had this happened to you, would you have regretted pursuing full-time service to the exclusion of seeking higher education?

Sapphy

Meanwhile, what actually happened...

A company is going through a tough time. They want to 'restructure'. A supervisor with a degree and a high wage gets laid off. The company decides the position can be filled by a cheaper non-graduate if they have experience. The 'brother' is in the right place at the right time, applies for the job & mentions they are a JW in the interview. JW gets the job. Praise Jah.

37

Did you know that God will terminate your supervisors employment, and give you their old job?

by Theocratic Sedition in

jw
friends

according to the wt study yesterday, that's what happened.. 16. by allowing jehovah to instruct us and lead us in the path of uprightness, we will have no cause for fear.

when a regular pioneer in the united states applied for a job that would help him to keep his entire family in full-time service, his supervisor told him that he would never get that position without a college degree.

had this happened to you, would you have regretted pursuing full-time service to the exclusion of seeking higher education?

Sapphy

VM44 Oh I love that one! A teenager gets offered a scholarship, turns it down & then gets offered a job paying about $46,000 USD and then turns that down! A teenager. In Ethiopia.

76

Atheist Book of Bible Stories

by crystlew123 in

jw
friends

ok so i dl'd this book.

and i immediatly began reading it.

i am about 50 pdf pages into it.

Sapphy

Sulla, if your aim is to demonstrate the superiorty / relevence of the Catholic/Orthodox interpretation of scripture fine. But you're not showing Christlike patience.

All JWs are taught the bible is the inspired word of God, and that there are no contradictions that cannot be sucessfully interpreted away.

The first step for many is the realisation that the bible is not literally true, since there are irreconcilable differences in some of the stories. After that, there may be a rejection of Christianity as a whole, an exploration of other faiths or interpretations or a complete rejection of religion.

You say: " It is apparently a great and underappreciated advantage to know that the OT is not 21st century history. "

Cutting through the contempt you feel for others, what you mean is the OT in not literal or accurate history. Fine, most scholars agree, but this is a huge step for awakening JWs to realise.

You also say "Ok. I can see now that asking people on this board to approach the OT with even the smallest amount of sophistication simply won't work. I blame the JW bias against education, on display here."

I would appreciate you cutting out the snark.

30

Quoting out of context - ever justified?

by cognisonance in

jw literature on subjects such as creation vs. evolution often quote out of context, with the most recent material (the newest brochures) acknowledging that often those quoted to support the jw viewpoint do believe in evolution nonetheless.

sometimes indeed quotes in jw literature are just outright misquotes, leaving off preceding or succeeding words (or sentences) that would completely alter the meaning of the source sited (i.e.

carl sagans quote, the fossil evidence could be consistent with the idea of a great designer is indeed a flat out misquote).. .

Sapphy

If there was a statement by Authority A :"The evidence does not support the suposition that a global flood engulfed the earth 4500 years ago. However we can prove localised flooding in the fertile crescent was a common occurence during that time period."

This is just about OK: Authority A states that evidence shows flooding happened in the Bible regions during the time period we estimate the global flood to have happened.

This is not: Authority A says "... a global flood engulfed the earth 4500 years ago... we can prove ... flooding in the fertile crescent"

Even though the second is an actual quote, it is dishonestly skewed to say the opposite of the original line.

58

New MS - Looking for the "better" job

by nochoice in

long, long time lurker and great fan of the site - first time poster.

i am not sure if i am truly a lurker since that implies i am apostate-curious.

in fact, i have been mentally out completely for a long time, but still physically in like many of you.

Sapphy

Half assed mini-serv & half assed elder probably have the same demands time-wise.

If you get one of the 5 elder positions though forget it, you'll be busy.

58

New MS - Looking for the "better" job

by nochoice in

long, long time lurker and great fan of the site - first time poster.

i am not sure if i am truly a lurker since that implies i am apostate-curious.

in fact, i have been mentally out completely for a long time, but still physically in like many of you.

Sapphy

Accounts is awful, it's usually given to the most senior MS, or at least the MS who is most numerate or has a numerate wife... Accounts servant is a stepping stone to elderdom too, if you do it well.

Map servant is OK, magazine servant is OK too. You should just aim at being happily incompetent at whatever assignment youre give so that youre not asked to take on extra. Appear to be happy & eager but useless.