sd-7

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Posts by sd-7

• 
  154

  Is unhappiness a reason for divorce ?

  by caliber in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here are some sample expressions i found on-line.

  my spouse is not abusive, mean, a bad person, an adulterer or any of those other labels.

  my spouse refuses to grow up.

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  sd-7

  It really depends on exactly what is causing the unhappiness. Because it may not necessarily be the spouse. (Not that I'm defending crap spouses out there.) But it reminds me of something Clive Owen's character in 'Closer' said about his wife, that she wanted to be unhappy, because if she were happy, then she'd have to go places and do things that happy people do. And some people may very well want to be unhappy, and if that's so, divorce won't help them.

  If it's a case of physical or emotional abuse or cheating or substance abuse, that's unhappiness coming from the spouse, so...you should probably transform and roll out. If it's just you don't like the way they fold their socks, I can't help you on that one. I can't really help you anyway, unless you need someplace to wipe your shoes. So it works out.

  --sd-7
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  259

  The Gentile Times Reconsidered (607 B.C.E.) -Part A1 - Jeremiah 25:10-12 Reviewed

  by FaceTheFacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  during the last three to four months, i have spent a great deal of time sinking my teeth into various critical biblical commentaries and lexicons.

  naturally, after beginning to research "the truth about the truth" one of the most commonplace yet controversial arguments revolve around the "gentile times" doctrine (i.e.

  the application of the seven times of daniel 4 from 607 b.c.e.

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  sd-7

  If one passage alone shows the interpretation Carl Jonnson makes to be incorrect there is no need to even look at all the archaelogical evidence.

  Having read just about all of 'The Gentile Times Reconsidered', I think you're mistaken in portraying C.O. Jonsson as trying to put forth 609-539 B.C. as an absolute chronology for the 70 years. If I recall correctly, he puts it forth as one possibility. The fact is, there's a lot of uncertainty in trying to piece all of this stuff together precisely in terms of the dates. If anything, one of the first points he brings out is that anything written in the Bible is a relative chronology, that needs secular history to be able to relate any date to our calendar.

  I can't honestly speak of any proof of vassalage starting in 609 B.C.; seems more like that sort of thing started more around 605 B.C., with Nebuchadnezzar's first year. But I'm no expert on the history. My understanding was that 609 was when Babylon defeated Assyria with finality, so as the big power in the area, everybody was now vulnerable to Babylon as a result.

  I think considering Jeremiah 25 without considering other verses to put the pieces together (which, by the way, you brought in other verses in your argument, thus doing the very thing you didn't want others to do in rebuttal) is only going to result in an incomplete argument with an insufficient conclusion. Let's suppose you have proven there was no vassalage of any nation in 609 B.C. What now? I don't know what that would prove or disprove beyond itself. Is there a specific conclusion you would like to put forth other than 'Carl Jonsson is wrong'?

  --sd-7
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  50

  New Here! So many questions! :)

  by TeenageInsider in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everyone!

  i'm so happy that i finnally joined i just turned 17 and i have so many questions about the org.. i've been lurking around the site for months, and love reading experiences about bethel, and all the hypocricy that the wtbts spews out.. so i finally joined in and hope to make some great friends.. a little about me:.

  im male, 17, and i am a born-in, so this is all i know... i was baptised at age 13 i beleive.... my gramma, and grampa and mom , and sisters and brothers, are all jw's.

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  sd-7

  Welcome! And what a great age to be having these thoughts! If I'd opened that door just 10 years ago, while I was still in college, man, would my life be 100% different right now, in a good way.

  I'll pass on the advice I was given by a wise man who calls himself 'kurtbethel' on here, when I first joined this site: Stay away from those melodramatic women and those whose lives are a train wreck. They will only bring you way down.

  Apart from that, keep reading, ask the basic questions that are probably already floating around in your head right now. Start on the Internet, but if you can, get to a library, too. (I'm only 30 and I already feel old-fashioned for saying that.) You'd be amazed at the academic dishonesty going on in Watchtower literature, when they quote from outside sources, I mean. (It's not every single quote, but there are some real whoppers in there.) I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't done the research myself and seen it in the library in black-and-white.

  But from the way you're talking, I have a feeling you'll be just fine. Thus, I feel no great need to give you further advice at this point, apart from kurtbethel's wise words above. Believe me, ignore them at your own deadly peril. Otherwise, try to have safe, teenage-friendly fun! See a movie. Read a comic book. Play a massive multiplayer online role-playing game. Then repeat.

  

  --sd-7
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  45

  Some funny/curious quotes from the 2013 Yearbook (part 1)

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just thought i'd amuse myself by seeing what madness awaits in the new 2013 yearbook.. you might like to read some of the gems i've uncovered.... .

  "true christians are soon to cross into the promised new world, so they need to be courageous and strong.

  how soon are we talking about?

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  sd-7

  Happily, Jehovah does not force us to serve him. He is not a dictator.

  Ah. So that would explain the whole Armageddon thing. It's just a loving readjustment of mankind's population!

  --sd-7
• 
  14

  On the Governing Body -- Then and Now

  by sd-7 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  january 1, 1929 watchtower:.

  "no one knew more about the church than its great teacher paul.

  it may be said that no man ever exercised so much authority in the church as he.

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  sd-7

  I have to add that the counterargument Apognophos is making here really highlights just how precarious a position the Governing Body is putting itself in by making the 'faithful slave' exclusive to them. They are now completely unlinked to any Biblical authority other than themselves. The first century apostles are now just dangling out there, apparently, not giving food at the proper time in the time of the end, despite all their talk about how the end of all things had drawn close and all that...The closest the GB can get is saying they are somehow similar to others that came before, but now there's no link at all to the apostles. On one hand that fits with their rejection of apostolic succession, but on the other hand, it still puts them in the position of claiming equal or greater authority than that of the apostles.

  --sd-7
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  11

  The history of The Devil - Extremely informative

  by cantleave in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a5myfj4irxm#!.

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  sd-7

  Marking...in a public talk warning people to avoid it!

  --sd-7
• 
  14

  On the Governing Body -- Then and Now

  by sd-7 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  january 1, 1929 watchtower:.

  "no one knew more about the church than its great teacher paul.

  it may be said that no man ever exercised so much authority in the church as he.

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  sd-7

  Yes, but you see, Paul wasn't one of the F&DS.

  Nice try. You are correct! Paul wasn't, according to the new teaching. But he was on the 'governing body' back then, and said body is still nonetheless a precursor of the 'responsible ones at headquarters' today. So if Paul, who wrote Bible books and had visions and all that, didn't sit in council to make rules and "had no authority to do so", is there some reason why people who have none of those qualifications can do so today? If he couldn't, but the Governing Body today can, then the Governing Body is saying it has greater authority than the apostle Paul and indeed all of the apostles put together. Such authority cannot be merely stated; there has to be proof other than having a really good printing press and an advertising campaign.

  Hey, if you're arguing the JW perspective and want to admit to that point, and you kinda have to, really, then there's really no point in continuing the debate.

  --sd-7
• 
  25

  'No Announcements' - Big Mistake!

  by The Searcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  we are only a few short months into the "no more announcements - let them read the notice board" at the meetings, and now the effects of that new directive are beginning to reveal themselves: no information being given out regarding someone's loss of a relative, no information about someone who is ill or been admitted to hospital, and definitely no information about families moving out of the area and going to other congregations!!.

  however, announcements about "special" christmas day field service must be made!!.

  the import of the apostle paul's words really seem to have gone over the "decision-makers'" heads - (galatians 6:10) really, then, as long as we have time favorable for it, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to [us] in the faith.. coupled with the removal of the weekly group book study, the detrimental consequences of eliminating fellow-feeling and closer contact with one another can only lead to one eventuality - alienating one another!.

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  sd-7

  As if it wasn't confusing enough even when they had announcements, somebody'd read it wrong and you'd be all confused and somebody else would have to come up and correct 'em...

  Well, so I would assume that doesn't include the expulsion announcements. Gee, that's got to be depressing. Then you know for sure that the only announcements are really crappy ones.

  --sd-7
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  18

  Who wants to take bets that this "end of the world" scenario pops up in a WT

  by wha happened? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  describing how the so called "pagens", got it wrong..

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  sd-7

  there was even a crazy JW named calendar made up.

  I used to have the correct day covered--is it Lifeday or Mansday today?

  They've already mentioned Harold Camping and the 12-21-12 date, I think somebody mentioned it on another thread. Somehow predicting the 'generation' when the end will come is more appropriate than a specific date... Yes, it's all very confusing to me as well.

  --sd-7
• 
  27

  You can get disfellowshipped for attempted suicide

  by solomon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yep, you can face a judicial committee if you try to kill yourself.

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  sd-7

  There just aren't any words for this sort of thing. Elders are best at making people feel worse. They have no concept of human feeling, it's in their demeanor, the way they talk, the look in their eyes. It seems that the least compassionate people are best equipped for the position.

  It's that sort of stuff that makes it so hard to even try to forgive the ordinary JWs. Because nothing clicks on a basic, human level with these people. Just glad I'm out, you know? Wish I could get away from all of them, really.

  --sd-7