While we have seen steady increase there was a huge jump the year the Society adjusted their view of 1935. This surge in partakers was not the result of confused converts but rather from Jehovah's Witnesses who had felt the need to partake for untold years but held back until they received permission from the Governing Body.
donuthole
JoinedPosts by donuthole
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18
Since the numbers of those partaking are increasing......
by justmom in........and not decreasing, and 1935 hasn't shut up the heavenly hope..... then maybe folks are hearing the invitation at john 6:35-59....... "i am the bread of life!
he that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood (communion) has everlasting life, and a resurrection.
unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.
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Another religion using Watchtower judicial methods?
by donuthole ini saw this on reddit this morning.
not sure who the religious group is but if you change just a couple of words (church to congregation) it reads like a jw letter - the kind you get when they are wanting to get you into a jc or disfellowship you absentia.
it's weird how similar these high-control/judgment groups really are.
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donuthole
I saw this on reddit this morning. Not sure who the religious group is but if you change just a couple of words (church to congregation) it reads like a JW letter - the kind you get when they are wanting to get you into a JC or disfellowship you absentia. It's weird how similar these high-control/judgment groups really are. They must get their advice from the same source ...
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When the Reptillian Anti-Christ is unmasked, what is your firearm of choice to kill our invaders?
by WingCommander inthis subject thread has been on my mind for a while, especially after seeing "zombieland" and foodall's thread about our possible ufo/reptilian over lords/realion/alien invaders.
when the great day of reckoning comes, whether it be from ufo alien invaders, realian reptilian over lords, demons in human-hybrid form, or just plain old virus-infected zombies, what will you be carrying to defend yourself from the hostile forces of e-vile?
please, no one say a "bible" or i'm going to just laugh my ass off.
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donuthole
red dust
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Johnny the mysterious bethelite .. Six Screens conference call tonight Sat.Jan 15, 2011
by koolaid-man inannouncement........ http://sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/upcoming.html.
we are all anticipating the return of the active bethelite ,johnny, who was hiding in a closet talking to us from the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses.
link to jan.1,2011 call.... http://www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/conferencecall-1-1-11.html .
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donuthole
@Leolaia -->
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Johnny the mysterious bethelite .. Six Screens conference call tonight Sat.Jan 15, 2011
by koolaid-man inannouncement........ http://sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/upcoming.html.
we are all anticipating the return of the active bethelite ,johnny, who was hiding in a closet talking to us from the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses.
link to jan.1,2011 call.... http://www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/conferencecall-1-1-11.html .
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Johnny the mysterious bethelite .. Six Screens conference call tonight Sat.Jan 15, 2011
by koolaid-man inannouncement........ http://sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/upcoming.html.
we are all anticipating the return of the active bethelite ,johnny, who was hiding in a closet talking to us from the world headquarters of jehovah's witnesses.
link to jan.1,2011 call.... http://www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com/conferencecall-1-1-11.html .
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donuthole
SixScreens needs to drop the ominous, foreboding slasher music and go with something more appropriate to the tone of the website/program. Here is a suggestion -
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J-dub elders throwing a wrench in funeral services for my nephew
by mimimimi inas i said in my earlier post, my nephew took his own life yesterday evening.
my sister is a die-hard jw and this religion is her comfort more than ever right now, so she accepts everything they throw at her.
the elders will meet this evening and decide whether they will allow a memorial service at the kh.
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donuthole
@Snakes
We attended this morning. We were largely ignored, except for some sideways glances, so no complications there - of course it is so weird when you have former A-Class icons who are disfellowshipped themselves - they dynamic there now is totally different - alien. T.G. (former elder) did greet Rebekah, which was nice. It was good to see some old/familiar faces.
We sat there and listened to the group in front of chatting about the paradise. One lady was talking about how she going to have a pet tiger. (A little bit different from the normal lion.) Another said she was going to raise chickens for eggs. A small debate started about whether or not eggs could be consumed in the paradise or if they were off-limits. It all sounds so very silly to me now - their "hope" is nice, but very shallow.
During the visitation they were playing some non-JW tunes, radio rock songs. The volume was low - it was just background music. Just before service started they played one of those new Kingdom Melodies - I think the one for funerals. A lady behind me snidely quipped, "finally a Kingdom Melody!" and she proceeded to sing along.
Rich (the dad) started the service by reading the obituary. I thought it was admirable that he was permitted to do so since he has been DF'd for years and has very different religious persuasion. Ryan's uncle gave the talk which was short and pretty by the books using the JW outline. He did share a few starting words about Ryan which were nice - but otherwise the service was very dry, the same ones we have always heard.
We didn't attend the luncheon but my understanding is that DF'd family did attend, though they sat by themselves. This is pretty decent since I know of other funerals where DF'd family were asked to leave.
The dad had his own non-JW memorial service afterward which was very nice. Friends and loved ones were able to stand up and share stories about Ryan. It was nice to hear about how he touched lives. I was quite surprised how many friends outside the religion he had. They provided a side of him that I wasn't privileged to hear about - just knowing him from the meetings. Lots of laughs. Lots of tears. I wish JW's services could be more about the individual - it is pretty cathartic to share like this.
We got to have a meal tonight with mimimimi and another of Ryan's aunts and it was good to have an opportunity to chat about Ryan, the family, the congregation, and other things.
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What "scripture is inspired of God?"
by Mad Sweeney inthis has been discussed before in other threads and probably in threads of its own, but it is probably time to re-hash the topic.. when paul told timothy that "all scripture is inspired of god..." what "scripture" was he talking about?
did he have the ego to include his own personal letters to the congregations?
did he also mean to include the books and letters not written at the time that the catholic church would choose for its canon a couple hundred years later?
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donuthole
@leavingWT wrote "I could author a book with glimpses of truth. So could you. Is the Bible special or not? If so, how?"
(I forgot how to do the quote-box thing.)
In my comment I put "the Truth". As a Christian I believe that the Truth is Jesus. A true God-breathed, spirt inspired expression will reflect or point toward him. I agree with what is written in the Revelation, "the witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Yes, you very well could author a book with glimpses of truth. Many have. Truth is truth, no matter whose mouth or pen it is coming from.
You asked, "Is the Bible special or not?" That's an interesting question. I believe that writings contained in the Bible are valuable as have many before me. Much of what is written is inspired and does bear witness to Jesus. Does it uniquely do this among other books? Certainly this collection is the most widely known and read. So I guess it is special in that respect. It isn't perfect and complete in itself though. There are other letters and writings, some known, some lost to time, which may equally provide testimony to the Truth.
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What "scripture is inspired of God?"
by Mad Sweeney inthis has been discussed before in other threads and probably in threads of its own, but it is probably time to re-hash the topic.. when paul told timothy that "all scripture is inspired of god..." what "scripture" was he talking about?
did he have the ego to include his own personal letters to the congregations?
did he also mean to include the books and letters not written at the time that the catholic church would choose for its canon a couple hundred years later?
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donuthole
I would say the writer had in mind the collection of books that we know as the Old Testament with maybe some other books (Wisdom, Enoch, etc.) that were held in high esteem by early Christians.
One of the tendencies I have seen is to read more into the word "inspired" than may be warranted. Many who read "inspired", think "inerrent", "perfect", from God's mouth directly to the page via the writer without any coloration. But inspiration does not entirely remove the human element of the writer nor does it guard the text from errors.
I can read the letters attributed to Paul and see that they show inspiration (motivation) of the Holy Spirit at the same time I think the human (fleshly) element also shows through from time to time. John the elder gave good advice to test "inspired expresions" to see where they originate from. In a letter Paul readily admitted that he only had partial knowledge - all things had not been revealed to him and he only had limited understanding. So while an inspired writing may have glimpses of the Truth it may not provide the whole picture - it is limited by what has been revealed to the writer and what knowledge has been given them.
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J-dub elders throwing a wrench in funeral services for my nephew
by mimimimi inas i said in my earlier post, my nephew took his own life yesterday evening.
my sister is a die-hard jw and this religion is her comfort more than ever right now, so she accepts everything they throw at her.
the elders will meet this evening and decide whether they will allow a memorial service at the kh.
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donuthole
I hate that on top of the heavy burden the tragedy brings, your family has to deal with navigating through WT style legalism. Within the congregation, Ryan was truly one of the "least of these", the ones Jesus says that we must absolutely care for.
I want to share with the ones reading here how wonderful he was. I loved him for all his social awkwardness and quirks. He had a gentle spirit about him. At the Kingdom Hall and the Book Study he would always come up and smile at me - though rarely said much - he was quiet like that. I laughed with a friend today as I remembered his rather unorthodox approach to field service. I accompanied him on a RV and he walked up to the door and rang the door bell. When the householder came to the door, Ryan bowed his head and thrust the latest issues of the WT/Awake! magazine forward to them, not saying a word. The householder took the magazines and before I knew it Ryan was halfway back toward the sidewalk leaving me standing at the door with the householder alone. He placed the magazines without even saying a word.
My final year as a JW wasn't always easy - I was going through quite a bit at the time. We enjoyed going out for pizza after the meeting and on one occasion Ryan was there. As I remember it he handed me a piece of paper with a Bible book/chapter/verse written on it - not saying anything as he did so. When I got home I looked it up and it gave me encouragement, dealing directly with the situation I was in. I was so beside myself to how this young man, who rarely had much to say, would just happen to give me this to look up - particularly as few really new what was going on. I called him up and asked and he didn't really have an answer so I just felt it was one of those "God things" I was beginning to see more and more. I just think in amazement at that - how God used this quiet, awkward young man to be an "angel" (messenger) to me.
I just wanted to share those things. I hate that this has happened and I'm sad about it - but I'm comforted that Ryan is at peace now in Heaven's hands.
-Anthony
