ONLY THROUGH AN ACTUAL PERSON (Messiah, king, military leader who actually does something) would the Jews be able to acquire blessings of freedom and prosperity.
Could Mohammed be one of these actual persons who initially tried to achieve a 'Kingdom of God on earth' by peaceful means, but then realised that oppression and persecution is worse than death, and realised that human intervention was needed to create a society that was based on justice.
Halya
JoinedPosts by Halya
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16
Are you a victim of the ROYAL SCAM?
by Terry inwe begin with the tension between the law of moses and the paul the apostle version.. .
the law of moses was a law that required physical compliance in order for physical enforcement to follow.
circumcision was physical.
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Halya
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JW survey
by Halya ini'm writiing a thesis on jws and am wondering if people with any connection with jws - underground jws, former jws / 'apostates', inactive jws etc would be willing to give me some feedback on these questions.
no need for any personal details, but if you want to add some information about your experiences with jws that would be appreciated.
if am interested in your answers to these questions:.
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Halya
I am interested in all responses whether that person is a JW, ex-JW, underground JW etc.
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13
JW survey
by Halya ini'm writiing a thesis on jws and am wondering if people with any connection with jws - underground jws, former jws / 'apostates', inactive jws etc would be willing to give me some feedback on these questions.
no need for any personal details, but if you want to add some information about your experiences with jws that would be appreciated.
if am interested in your answers to these questions:.
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Halya
Thanks Sweet for your response. I am sure many JWs feel the same way. I hope others will post their perspectives too.
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13
JW survey
by Halya ini'm writiing a thesis on jws and am wondering if people with any connection with jws - underground jws, former jws / 'apostates', inactive jws etc would be willing to give me some feedback on these questions.
no need for any personal details, but if you want to add some information about your experiences with jws that would be appreciated.
if am interested in your answers to these questions:.
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Halya
I'm writiing a thesis on JWs and am wondering if people with any connection with JWs - underground JWs, former JWs / 'apostates', inactive JWs etc would be willing to give me some feedback on these questions. No need for any personal details, but if you want to add some information about your experiences with JWs that would be appreciated.
If am interested in your answers to these questions:
- What determines how you live your life?
- If your personal interpretation on a particular Bible teaching differs to how others in the congregation understand it, what is the correct procedure to resolve the issue?
- What kinds of qualities does a faithful Jehovah’s Witness have?
- What kinds of things does a person need to do to become this kind of faithful Jehovah’s Witness?
- What kinds of things would a faithful Jehovah’s Witness NOT do that people in other religions do?
- How much time do you consider a faithful Jehovah’s Witness needs to spend in studying the Bible and Bible literature each week to develop the abilities that help them stay faithful?
- How and why is Witnessing important in being a faithful Jehovah’s Witness and why do Jehovah’s Witnesses usually go witnessing in pairs?
- What do you think is the greatest danger to the spiritual life of a Jehovah’s Witness?
- How do you use literature to engage the interest and reach the hearts of the people you witness to?
- How do you handle opposition in your witnessing work?
- What is your greatest fear as a Jehovah’s Witness?
- Why do you think Jehovah’s Witnesses are growing so fast?
- What appeals to you most about being a Jehovah’s Witness?
- What do you think are the reasons for people not choosing to join the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ organisation?
- The Russian government authorities are trying to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses. Why do you think they are doing this?
- The Russian authorities have listed 34 Watchtower publications as ‘extremist’. Which Jehovah’s Witness teachings do you think they are objecting to?
- Many Jehovah’s Witnesses are currently suffering discrimination and persecution in Russia, China and Arabic speaking countries. What do you think the persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses should do about this?
- Some people think that science has the potential to solve many of the world’s problems but scientists do not agree on scientific theories or research conclusions. Where do you think we can find scientific truth?
- Some people think the world is getting better – people are living longer; cures are being discovered for various diseases; we can travel further and faster, and communicate instantly all over the world. How do you respond to people who say there has never been a better time to be alive, despite the problems and challenges?
- Some people think that humanity should work to make life better for everyone by people learning to share, cooperate and make room for different lifestyles and beliefs. How would a world based on these principles compare with the paradise earth preached by Jehovah’s Witnesses?
- What do you think Jesus meant by his statement ‘you will know the truth and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:32)?
- How would knowing the truth help those whose lives are characterised by poverty, sickness, living in countries where there are wars, corruption, injustice, and oppression?
- How has your membership in the Jehovah’s Witness organisation affected your life in this world? If you are a convert, how does your life compare to what it was before you became a Jehovah’s Witness?
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A Response to a JW Sister's question to me
by Halya indear _____________.
all scriptures and interpretations of scriptures (as in wt publications) are a supermarket where you can select how you will conceptualise god, and jws are no exception.
there are some aspects of jehovah in the wt publications that are more totalitarian than any secular government and some that are kinder than anything that exists in most societies today.
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Halya
Thank you for the welcome and yes, 'Heaven', I too am learning to answer questions with questions. It is annoying being constantly asked whether I really know and serve Jehovah and being told I am being disobedient to Jehovah because I don't see things like she does. But, I am hoping that with our continued discussions, she will accept that there are other legitimate opinions apart from hers and the FDS.
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Insane Email From My JW Mother
by daniel-p inshe starts out with some banal stuff about where they want to move, etc, then, she launches into this:.
that brings up something i wanted to tell you in person but itseems that i am not going to be able to do that very soon.
i amhoping to throw some light on what has happened within our familyesp during the time we were over there.. it has become very apparent to us now that during that time period from early spring on, in 200[x], satan launched an all-out attack on our family, son.
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Halya
I'm used to these kinds of letters too from someone who genuinely cares and really believes what she says is the 'truth'. It can be heart wrenching, knowing the pain that they are going through because of their own beliefs, yet not wanting to reinforce them in these beliefs. I am amazed that so many of us escape these kinds of beliefs - and I am not surprised that some who do, take years to adjust to a different way of thinking and living.
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A Response to a JW Sister's question to me
by Halya indear _____________.
all scriptures and interpretations of scriptures (as in wt publications) are a supermarket where you can select how you will conceptualise god, and jws are no exception.
there are some aspects of jehovah in the wt publications that are more totalitarian than any secular government and some that are kinder than anything that exists in most societies today.
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Halya
Dear _____________
ALL scriptures and interpretations of scriptures (as in WT publications) are a supermarket where you can select how you will conceptualise God, and JWs are no exception. There are some aspects of Jehovah in the WT publications that are more totalitarian than any secular government and some that are kinder than anything that exists in most societies today. We choose the kind of God we want from the sources we have available to us. Your version is not the only one among JWs. Because of the tight control on free speech wihin the JW congregations, it is something that people don't get to know readily unless they access JW opinions more widely. But I still love you, the organisation and its people. I would not have stuck around for 4 decades if I didn't see something good in it. But not a construction of Jehovah that is as totalitarian as secular dictators, and not one that collapses the distinction between the FDS and God.
I think the JW religion at its best is helping the marginalised to develop the skills they need to live in peace in society, and if they can come to the place where they can see that some might be able to serve God even more fully by going on to higher education and becoming doctors, lawyers, politicians etc, they might be able to help transform society into the kingdom of God we have all been waiting for. Society cannot be transformed into a place of peace by an Armageddon - violence breeds violence. And it is usually the meek and powerless that are eradicated, which means the survivors are the ones who carry on the oppressive traditions. But people who are prepared to die rather than be violent, like Jesus, Ghandi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Junior, sets into motion a transformation that like leven grows into something different. That lump of leven consisting of all who choose death rather than violence, is the kingdom of God growing imperceptively in the world. JWs are part of this, as are many others, including Muslims who want the same non-violence. And this 'love must be for those who are 'other' than yourself. Even Jesus said, of what good is it if you love only your own, even the taxcollectors do that. The love that transforms is the love that extends to those who are not 'us'.
And people are leaving the JW organisation. I have heard JW DOs nd COs say that they are losing 60% of their youth. In some congregations, 100% of youth who have gone on to higher education, have left (is it any wonder there is counsel to avoid higher education). There are whole families leaving the JW org all over the place, and the FDS is concerned. I have read two of the 2009 new releases and I can see the concern in one of them by what is highlighted in it. And the fear of the FDS of losing control is becoming very obvious to many JWs and ex JWs. Many of them predict changes to stop the decline. The internet has made what is secret public and this knowledge cannot be stopped. People can be frightened into not accessing the knowledge, but eventually people find out what organisations have tried to keep from them. It is like an inheritor wandering around as a pauper because he/she has been prohibited from accessing the will. But, when the will is made known to him/her, nothing can stop the change. They realise they do not have to live in fear and poverty any more, dependent on the crumbs someone is prepared to give them. But as children of God, they can use their new freedom to serve others. And this is where the problem often is. People learn about their freedom, but not how to use it wisely, and they often shipwreck the process. I think this is what the FDS is afraid of. This is what I am afraid of too - that instead of using the new freedom to do what they now do out of fear, they will just leave the JW organisation altogether. I want the JW org to continue, but in a more egalitarian and loving way.
I hope that when people can appreciate the wonderful things that living in peace allows, they can combine this freedom with the same kind of motivation to live in peace and love that fear inspires in JWs. I would love to be able to go with you door to door to bring a message of a loving God who wants us all to live in non-violence and peace to create a kingdom of God on earth, with no Armageddon slaughtering the billions. How can you expect people to live non-violence when the current basic message is one of violence! Violence breeds violence. The message for living non-violence must come from a God of non-violence - someone like the non-violent Jesus who would rather die than kill. A God who plans to kill 99.9% of the population cannot inspire non-violent subjects - only ones who enjoy violence vicariously through their God and who perpetrate it through their discourses if not their actions.
So in answer to your question, do I know Jehovah? Not the kind that kills billions of innocent ones because they don't subscribe to a particular interpretation of scripture, but one who loves beyond what is even possible to conceive and asks us to take the best models of non-violent love (like Jesus) and try to copy that pattern. That is what I want to do. And that inspires me to want to be your sister, even though you infer that I don't know God or 'truth'. No matter what our differences of belief, you are a child of God to me, and my sister.