donuthole

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Posts by donuthole

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  26

  E-Watchman? Thoughts?

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i stumbled upon the website e-watchman today and while i didn't have time to read over everything i found this thoughts so far quite interesting.

  recently when reading matthew i can't help but feel that jesus warnings about the pharisees also applied to the gb and elders.

  actually everytime jesus brought them up i realized how similar they are.

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  donuthole

  His name is Robert King. He was disfellowshipped as an apostate. He believes that Jehovah's Witnesses are God’s chosen people, but in error. He wrote a book, Jehovah has Become King, which re-interprets Bible prophecy casting Jehovah's Witnesses (not Christendom, as per the Watchtower) as an anti-typical wayward Israel. His exegesis bore similarities to the Report by ex-CO/cultist Donald Burney, leading some to suggest plagiarism. He styles himself as the true successor to the lineage of Russell, Rutherford, and Knorr, with the suggestion that his early use of podcasts has a kinship with early Watchtower efforts in new technology like “talking” motion pictures. Like Jehovah's Witnesses King's slant is very apocalyptic, leaning heavily on controversial-activist, Lyndon Larouche. King often relies on Larouche in his prophetic interpretation, as well. At various times King has gained a small following of ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. His message is particularly attractive to ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses who are aware of the Watchtower’s controversies, but still believe that the religion is basically the truth. He has held few followers as recently disfellowshipped individuals gravitate further away from a Watchtower-centric worldview. Nevertheless, King remains vigilent on the Internet, most recently as a YouTube prophet, decrying the abuses and failures of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. In doing so he has insinuated that he is Ezekiel, Jah's modern day watchman.

  … Robert I’m available to write your biography. That’s a free taste. I'm thinking the title could be, "Robert Has Become King!" What do you think? That's a freebie too.
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  13

  Singing, dancing, etc at Int. Conv's, pushed by top leadership?

  by WingCommander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  over the past several months, we've seen a flood of youtube video's showing not just the advertising of the cities for the international conventions, but also of the "entertainment" happening at various convention halls and congregations.

  examples would be the line-dancing, worldly music, dancing outside the conventions, etc.

  many of us who grew up in this ultra-strict, thou-shalt-not cult are left with our jaws on the floor at this seemingly "worldly" display of showy, excessive, mainstream behaviour.. progress is happening.

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  donuthole

  Story #1

  When I was a teenager in the early 90's, a married sister in the congregation was having a party for young people at a local park. Teenagers prepared Saturnal Night Live style sketches and afterward there was dancing to pop music. There was cake and punch. It was more wholesome than American Bandstand. My father was a Presiding Overseer and thought that it would set a bad example for the congregation if I attended such a gathering. He finally relented when he it turned out that I was the only one not going.

  Story #2

  Around the same time our congregation was getting ready to pour concrete in our gravel parking lot. A few of us stayed overnight to watch the tools and materials and that were stored onsite. My father was outside roasting a whole pig on a spit to feed the friends the next afternoon. Meanwhile I was inside with my buddy and we were bored. He had the key to the sound system and I got the great idea that we would play some music. We popped in a cassette and I went so far as to dance on the stage before we were busted by an elder. To say that I got "in trouble" would be an understatement. I felt awful and for years after believed that if I didn't make it through Armaggedon it was because I had defied Jehovah's house with worldly music.

  I'm dumfounded to see these very things happening in sactioned Kingdom Hall events today.
  
  I bet single, elderly Bethelites may have felt the same way when Knorr suddenly returned to Bethel a married man, after it had been condemned for so long.
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  11

  A question about the change from qualities to works

  by alfredjones100 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i remember reading a comment here that bro.

  russell emphasized the developement of christian qualities, where are bro rutherford changed the focus to christan works.

  the question i have is, is this change dirrectly commented on in print or is it seen in more anecdotal evidence?.

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  donuthole

  Here is a decent write up that includes a download of an old Watchtower:

  http://www.friendsofjehovahswitnesses.com/2012/09/03/j-f-rutherford-believed-that-the-idea-of-christian-character-development-was-a-delusion-from-satan/
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  34

  The GB gives awakened JW's 2 choices.

  by BU2B in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is classic damned if you do, damned if you dont.. the choice is.

  1. be a hypocrite.

  i just came to the realization that those of us still in and who know ttatt have only 2choices.

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  donuthole

  That was the decision I faced. I tried to telling that to an elder when I was going through my apostacy judicial investigation. He wanted to know if I could continue to go out in service and study "the truth" with householders. I told him that I couldn't in good conscious teach someone something as truth that I didn't believe in, or knew to be false. The same went for giving talks and reading the publications at the meetings. Of course, a JW isn't allowed to have variant ideas that they could simply keep to themselves while "waiting on Jehovah". They must actively engage in spreadying untruths.
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  26

  The JW.ORG craziness has begun....

  by cultBgone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i guess it was bound to happen..... just saw a facebook post where the user updated their profile picture to be the blue square jw.org logo.. .

  don't know whether to laugh or cry.

  worship the borg, you people!!!

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  donuthole

  The irony of the idolotary is breathtaking. At least the cross is supposed to be a symbol for Christ. This is a logo for an organization.
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  4

  Help. I need to know how Hebrews 12:6 reads in the old NWT.

  by donuthole in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm working on a rewrite of happiness: how to find it.

  the book is set in the 1990's so i need quotes from the old new world translation.

  can anyone help me out with hebrews 12:6?

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  donuthole

  Thank you.
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  4

  Help. I need to know how Hebrews 12:6 reads in the old NWT.

  by donuthole in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm working on a rewrite of happiness: how to find it.

  the book is set in the 1990's so i need quotes from the old new world translation.

  can anyone help me out with hebrews 12:6?

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  donuthole

  I'm working on a rewrite of Happiness: How to Find it. The book is set in the 1990's so I need quotes from the old New World Translation. Only the new one is available on JW.ORG.
  
  Can anyone help me out with Hebrews 12:6? (Apologies for anyone who has a bad memory of hearing those callow words in a judicial hearing.)
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  152

  Something Big is Coming...

  by notsurewheretogo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the annual meeting of the governing body of jehovah's witnesses will be in october 2014.. .. in november 2013, just after the last one they published this now famous statement in the 15th of november 2013 watchtower page 16 paragraph 17 says:.

  "at that time, the lifesaving direction that we receive from jehovahs organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint.

  all of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not.".

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  donuthole

  My vote is a field service modification, with downsizing, toward eliminating the door-to-door work. The liability of sending a "large army" of publishers out door-to-door is not worth the return without literature sales.
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  18

  New Light from 2014 Convenetion re Dancing

  by Haupi33 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  now it's okay for the rank & file to dance and do the twist before the program starts.

  check out the video.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzaw1xe8q70.

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  donuthole

  Sorry guys. I'm going back. I hate missing out on the fun.
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  1

  How Rutherford used Bible Prophecy to Legitimize the Watchtower

  by donuthole in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when rutheford took over the presidency he was faced with several schisms.

  one on side you had bible students loyal to charles russell and his teachings.

  on the judge's side, you had those bible students loyal to the watchtower and rutherrford as president.

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  donuthole

  When Rutheford took over the presidency he was faced with several schisms. One on side you had Bible Students loyal to Charles Russell and his teachings. On the Judge's side, you had those Bible Students loyal to the Watchtower and Rutherrford as president. Both Bible Students groups claimed the Trtuh and God's backing and were in many ways indistinguishable.

  I believe this was a motivating factor which lead to the Judge rebranding the religion as "Jehovah's Witnesses". It wasn't a mere name change, but a huge doctrinal change. In doing so Rutherford began to apply Bible prophecy that was previously understood as applying to Israel, to the group of Watchtower loyal Bible Students.
  
  The book "The Finished Mystery" was the first released under Rutherford and you can already begin to see this method at work. In the book the 1600 furlongs of Revelation 14:20 are understood to mean the distance from Scranton, Pennsylvania (where the book was written) to the Watchtower Headquarters in Brooklyn. Here the activities of the Society and Watchtower Headquarters are written into Bible prophecy, albeit in a crude, fanciful manner. ("The Finished Mystery" predates most of the schisms and is more generous to Charles Russell then later books would be. )

  Rutherford's later books followed this tactic of applying Bible prophecy to the Watchtower. For example the "seven bowls of anger" and "seven trumpets" from Revelation are applied to Watchtower tracts and conventions in the early 1900's. Similarly organization changes in the early 1940's were understood to be the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy about the Holy Place (Watchtower HQ) being restored. Here By applying prophecy to the Watchtower, he was making his religion the only truth amid various Bible student groups operating in that time. Only the Judge's Watchtower had the backing of God and was being used to fulfill Bible prophecy.

  However as this time period fades into history, these teaching become less impactful. Even 1914, the pivotal date used by the Watchtower, is past its sell by. The Organization is not afraid to adjust its understanding of prophecy, but the task of unchaining it from Rutheford's troubled reign might not be an easy one. It would require huge adjustments to their understanding of Bible books like Revelation and Daniel.