here's my story:.
i am the oldest of 5 children.
my parents and grandparents ( on my dad's side ) are all jw's.
What an encouraging testimony, Palmtree. Such resilience you possess. I can truly relate to having a dysfunctional family. I was raised in a very unstable home environment myself. I believe that was probably one of the reasons I joined the JWs, thinking that it was a safe haven.
I am happy that you have managed to find a measure of peace and happiness out of the chaos and may you continue to abound in such peace and happiness. Congrats to you and M and may the party be a success.
i always wondered why jw's were always so afraid of ouija(pronounced as "wee-yaw" not "wee-gee") boards.
does anyone have any speculation about who started these jw myths?.
anyone who has actually tried the board and would like to give their opinions are welcome.
Well let's see. I tried the Quija board and the spirit threatened to kill me. My 1st and last time messing with a Quija board.
Edited: Of course, calling it names while poking it in the eye could have been the probable cause of why it threatened me. lol
i ask because in wt literatrash ,and other christian writings,we often read that we need to be doing god's will now.. what exactly does he expect of me ?
i am willing, so to pinch a phrase "here i am,send me ".
love.
No I haven't. I have much to learn in this journey. Not wanting to hijack the board, but if possible, I would like for some here to pm me some suggested reading materials. Would help much.
i ask because in wt literatrash ,and other christian writings,we often read that we need to be doing god's will now.. what exactly does he expect of me ?
i am willing, so to pinch a phrase "here i am,send me ".
love.
Honestly, I don't have a clue what God's will is for me. I have been very disappointed in him and his manner of handling affairs. A part of me still wants to believe and accept him in my life, yet another is saying why bother? More likely, the confusion comes from the new fading/questioning of the WT and trying to figure out where to go from there.
there is no truth...i know that.
to please my mum while she's alive and wife i go to meetings and the 3 day convention coming up.
i would rather go to the dentist.
"Raises hand". However, I don't go to much meetings. I just tell people I go to so and so meeting, when in reality, I just stay at home or do other things. I can't stand being around such fake, self-centered people.
it has always bothered my how witnesses are discouraged from doing volunteer work because "preaching to them about the truth is the best thing we can do!
" ok, yeah, whatever.
it's true that the bible talks about preaching as being important for christians, but that's far from being the only thing that christians are encouraged to do for their fellow humans.
I do volunteer work. It is very rich and rewarding. Not to mention the possibility of meeting some very good people. I say do it and don't give it a second thought. It is truly a "spiritual" experience.
before i was severed from the borg, i noticed that they did seem to change their minds about suidice not being worthy of a resserrection.. mind you it was very very vague in an article... and everyone was saying " do they mean this?
" or "do they mean that?".
is anyone aware of the current stance?.
Edited: There was a watchtower or an awake article that spoke about suicide and how only Jehovah is the one who has the final judgement on rather he deems the person worthy of a resurrection or not as only he knows the pain and suffering the individual was undergoing that lead to it. Not sure of how you feel about the website, but if you go to there and look under their current events section, I believe there is an article they have on it that you can download from the site.
this is regarding the change in the wording of the awake!
masthead regarding "the creator's promise" to restore paradise.
i believe the change happened between the octbober 22 and november 8 issues.
Thanks BS (no pun intended). Had to change and reformat my post.
this is regarding the change in the wording of the awake!
masthead regarding "the creator's promise" to restore paradise.
i believe the change happened between the octbober 22 and november 8 issues.
Edited: Lord, it doesn't end. Now here is another "new light" on this generation. This is taken from the Feb. 15, 2008 Watchtower, pp 23-24, paragraphs 10 -15. No wonder I decided to fade:
The Generation Seeing the Sign
10 Previously, this journal has explained that in the first century, “this generation” mentioned at Matthew 24:34 meant “the contemporaneous generation of unbelieving Jews.” That explanation seemed reasonable because all other recorded uses that Jesus made of the term “generation” had a negative connotation, and in most cases, Jesus used a negative adjective, such as “wicked,” to describe the generation. (Matt. 12:39; 17:17; Mark 8:38) Thus, it was felt that in the modern-day fulfillment, Jesus was referring to the wicked “generation” of unbelievers who would see both the features that would characterize “the conclusion of the system of things” (syn·te′lei·a) and the system’s end (te′los).
11 It is true that when Jesus used the word “generation” negatively, he was speaking to or about the wicked people of his day. But was that necessarily true of his statement recorded at Matthew 24:34? Recall that four of Jesus’ disciples had approached him “privately.” (Matt. 24:3) Since Jesus did not use negative qualifiers when speaking to them about “this generation,” the apostles would no doubt have understood that they and their fellow disciples were to be part of the “generation” that would not pass away “until all these things [would] occur.”
12 On what basis may we draw that conclusion? By carefully considering the context. As recorded at Matthew 24:32, 33, Jesus said: “Now learn from the fig tree as an illustration this point: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and it puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. Likewise also you, when you see allthesethings, know that he is near at the doors.” (Compare Mark 13:28-30; Luke 21:30-32.) Then, at Matthew 24:34, we read: “Truly I say to you that thisgeneration will by no means pass away until allthesethings occur.”
13 Jesus said that it was his disciples, soon to be anointed with holy spirit, who should be able to draw certain conclusions when they saw “all these things” occur. So Jesus must have been referring to his disciples when he made the statement: “This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.”
14 Unlike unbelievers, Jesus’ disciples would not only see the sign but also understand its significance. They would “learn” from the features of that sign and “know” their true meaning. They would fully appreciate that “he is near at the doors.” While it is true that both unbelieving Jews and faithful anointed Christians saw a limited fulfillment of Jesus’ words in the first century, only his anointed followers back then could learn from these events—could understand the true meaning of what they saw.
15Those without spiritual understanding today have felt that there has been no “striking observableness” with regard to the sign of Jesus’ presence. They reason that everything is continuing on as it did in the past. (2 Pet. 3:4) On the other hand, Christ’s faithful anointed brothers, the modern-day John class, have recognized this sign as if it were a flash of lightning and have understood its true meaning. As a class, these anointed ones make up the modern-day “generation” of contemporaries that will not pass away “until all these things occur.” This suggests that some who are Christ’s anointed brothers will still be alive on earth when the foretold great tribulation begins.
Now I am confused here. Wasn't this the original understanding of WTSB prior to November 1, 1995? Why change and go back? Again, no wonder why I am fading.
this is regarding the change in the wording of the awake!
masthead regarding "the creator's promise" to restore paradise.
i believe the change happened between the octbober 22 and november 8 issues.
Here is some information that will explain why the 1914 generation was dropped from the Awake masthead. This is from the Watchtower article, "Questions From Our Readers" dated June 1, 1997, pg. 28:
Questions From Our Readers
“The Watchtower" of November 1, 1995, focused on what Jesus said about "this generation" as we read Matthew 24:34. Does this mean that there is some question about whether God's kingdom was set up in heaven in 1914?
That discussion in TheWatchtower offered no change at all in our fundamental teaching about 1914. Jesus set out the sign to mark his presence in Kingdom power. We have ample evidence that this sign has been in course of fulfillment since 1914. The facts about wars, famines, plagues, earthquakes, and other evidences bear out that since 1914, Jesus has been active as King of God’s Kingdom. This indicates that since then we have been in the conclusion of the system of things.
What, then, was TheWatchtower clarifying? Well, the key was the sense in which Jesus used the word “generation” at Matthew 24:34. That passage reads: “Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” What did Jesus mean by “generation,” both in his day and in ours?
Many scriptures confirm that Jesus did not use “generation” with regard to some small or distinct group, meaning only the Jewish leaders or only his loyal disciples. Rather, he used “generation” in condemning the masses of Jews who rejected him. Happily, though, individuals could do what the apostle Peter urged on the day of Pentecost, repent and “get saved from this crooked generation.”—Acts 2:40.
In that statement, Peter was clearly not being precise as to any fixed age or length of time, nor was he tying the “generation” to any certain date. He did not say that people should get saved from the generation that was born in the same year Jesus was or the generation that was born in 29 C.E. Peter was speaking about the unbelieving Jews of that period—some perhaps being rather young, others being older—who had been exposed to Jesus’ teaching, had seen or heard of his miracles, and had not accepted him as Messiah.
That evidently is how Peter understood Jesus’ use of “generation” when he and three other apostles were with Jesus on the Mount of Olives. According to Jesus’ prophetic statement, Jews of that period—basically, Jesus’ contemporaries—were going to experience or hear of wars, earthquakes, famines, and other evidences that the end of the Jewish system was near. In fact, that generation did not pass before the end came in 70 C.E.—Matthew 24:3-14, 34.
It must be acknowledged that we have not always taken Jesus’ words in that sense. There is a tendency for imperfect humans to want to be specific about the date when the end will come. Recall that even the apostles sought more specifics, asking: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel atthistime?”—Acts 1:6.
With similar sincere intentions, God’s servants in modern times have tried to derive from what Jesus said about “generation” some clear time element calculated from 1914. For instance, one line of reasoning has been that a generation can be 70 or 80 years, made up of people old enough to grasp the significance of the first world war and other developments; thus we can calculate more or less how near the end is.
However well-meaning such thinking was, did it comply with the advice Jesus went on to give? Jesus said: “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. . . . Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”—Matthew 24:36-42.
So the recent information in TheWatchtower about “this generation” did not change our understanding of what occurred in 1914. But it did give us a clearer grasp of Jesus’ use of the term “generation,” helping us to see that his usage was no basis for calculating—counting from 1914—how close to the end we are."
