I'm sure there is an offical JW answer to this and why it is "bible-based."
-Sab
LOL, they have an answer for everything. Thats part of their problem.
miseryloveselders
JoinedPosts by miseryloveselders
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6
Why JW Baptism is done as a "public declaration"
by Mad Sweeney inhave you ever wondered why jehovah's witnesses can't get baptized by their bible study conductor in their private pool?
or why they don't get baptized at their local kingdom halls?
why do they "make a public declaration" before thousands?.
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Why JW Baptism is done as a "public declaration"
by Mad Sweeney inhave you ever wondered why jehovah's witnesses can't get baptized by their bible study conductor in their private pool?
or why they don't get baptized at their local kingdom halls?
why do they "make a public declaration" before thousands?.
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miseryloveselders
Hey Mad, this is a good topic. I never really considered it before but what your saying I agree with. When Jesus got baptized, other than John who else was there besides the two of them? I can't recall but is there any biblicle record of His disciples getting baptized? If so, what were the circumstances? The Ethiopian Eunuch that got baptized, if I recall correctly only Phillip and maybe the Eunuch's attendant or attendants were there right? At Pentecost a few thousand got baptized, but that was a major event with a purpose behind it that had nothing to do with people doing it publically for the sake of having witnesses.
The only reason I could see other than what you've stated already Mad, is maybe the convenience of doing it at an assembly or a convention. Plus being that we have conventions and assemblies every so many months, maybe it gives studies time to think things over before taking that dip. Me personally, I'm a private person, and have never been fond of assemblies, conventions, and lately I'm disgusted at meetings. If I had the chance of doing it over I would rather have my baptism be a private, solemn affair. The same as my prayers.
I guess what else can we expect from a religion that is all about appearances. This religion under Rutherford had the sole purpose of irritating people for publicity, and since then its been an organization thats all about patting itself on the back, criticizing any other belief systems, and worshipping the GB. To choose worship in a quiet, dignifying manner would bring suspicion upon that individual. You can't leave the religion quietly, the same as you can't join quietly. Its like a prison gang almost. Blood in, blood out.
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miseryloveselders
I love Outlaw too. Here's my dedication to Outlaw......... For you buddy, some eye candy.
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miseryloveselders
We all do it. But why? The reason is that stereotyping is a basic cognitive strategy of simplifying what really is enormously complex (variability in human society) into simple, neat ideological categories. Once we think of people in terms of basic categories (men, women, whites, blacks, teens, hicks, window-washers, JWs), then it is a simple step to attribute to any individual any traits or practices or attitudes that pertain to the category. This is particularly useful when the group is one which one has little contact or interaction with; such a person would then depend more on stereotypes or presuppositions about the social category to build expectations (from whence comes prejudgement, i.e. prejudice). We all do it because we desperately needed to do this when we were children. Children are less able to comprehend and navigate the enormous complexity there is in society. Hence kids gravitate strongly to stereotypes in order to predict the world (which reduces anxiety about unfamiliar people and situations). As adults, we should be more aware of the times when we lapse back into this kind of thinking, or at least prod ourselves to view people as individuals and not members of pre-defined categories, and to view the categories themselves as socially constructed and heterogenous (rather than as monolithic and homogenous).
I'm cured!
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Further Education and the Special Assembly Day
by eyesthatsee ini had the misery recently of attending the sad.. the bethel speaker looked and sounded like the usual corporate businessman after your money.. during his main talk, he praised a recent bethel member who left his college (aka university) course early to pioneer and join bethel.. that followed experiences from window cleaners, unemployed, parents home-schooling (aka child abuse - it is a basic human right to be educated) their kids and those baptised as children (youngest was 10).. the brainwashed dubs applauded every ruined life paraded on the platform.. these bethel speakers have been around long enough to know exactly what they're doing - they are evil men, ruining peoples' lives, breaking up families and masquerading as holy men.. their time will come when they face god - too late for the many ruined by their filthy lies and false hopes.. sorry to sound bitter, but to my shame i had a part in this cult as an elder.
what part of my brain did i lose to not see through this rubbish?.
better late then never though.
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miseryloveselders
Looking at this nowadays, what they're promoting from the platform is dangerous. Its one thing to highlight the decision of some to pioneer, or apply for Bethel, etc.. Its another thing entirely to promote those goals, and at the same time enforce a negative view towards those not pursuing the same goals. They put tremendous pressure on young people via their literature thats reviewed quite regularly at meetings. They also do this crap from the assemblies. Some of these wacky parents hear this stuff from the platform and think God has spoken. Its not right to dictate that kind of authority over people's lives. I've said it in the past but for some die hard believers I think its child abuse for them to be able to raise children.
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Weezer's new album cover - a WT picture?!?
by weezer1 ini'm a long-time lurker (and hopefully successful fader) who finally took the jump and registered on jwd.
thank you all for the great information over the years!.
as you can tell by my username, i'm a big weezer fan.
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miseryloveselders
Weezer may have covered themselves, as it looks like the black gentleman has a beard around the lips, or whatever you call that kind of beard. Edit post. The white dude has a beard too I think.
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Just look at how they changed these lyrics in the new song book
by WingCommander inthis is disgusting!!!
we've all heard that the new song book is really, really, really bad......but i didn't see many examples cited of just how they changed some of the wording.
oh sure, we all know by now how incredibly hard it is to sing along with the garbage they wrote, tempo, lack of beat, odd rythm, timing, etc, etc.
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miseryloveselders
We should have never been singing about a faithful slave in 1984, and we shouldn't be doing it today. For you Catholics out there, do you guys sing songs about the Pope?
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miseryloveselders
I stereotype people, and I view it like six in one hand and a half dozen in the other. It is what it is. I feel similar to Jaguarbass, and I don't have any background in law enforcement. However speaking from the perspective of growing up within the city, your not only taught stereotypes, but often enough your experiences reinforce your stereotypes. This morning for instance, I was stuck behind a bad driver. My first thought was its either an old man or an Asian, or some other foreigner. It turned out to be not only an Asian, but an Asian woman at that. Thats two stereotypes reinforced in one day. Here's the ironic part to me though. In my A-list of stereotypical bad drivers, women didn't make the list. Women are usually on my B-list of stereotypical bad drivers, particulary all black women, and young college aged white women. Today's candidate for worst driver of the year however, was Asian. Now I have to throw all women on the A-list of stereotypical bad drivers because of this lone Asian woman. Is it a legitimate reason to stereotype female drivers? Or even Asian drivers? Probably not to both questions.
A black female coworker tells me regularly that, "I aint shit", and she's probably right too. The reason why, is there's a ton of good female drivers of all ethnicities that don't make it on my radar because they're excellant drivers, so I never notice them. Considering that, its wrong of me to stereotype, but at the same time I believe I have legitimate reasons to continue to doing so, as exemplified by the sorry Asian female driver that ticked me off early this morning. Granted, the chances of me running into the same specific stereotype that she satisfied this morning, are slim, but it still left an impression.
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Weezer's new album cover - a WT picture?!?
by weezer1 ini'm a long-time lurker (and hopefully successful fader) who finally took the jump and registered on jwd.
thank you all for the great information over the years!.
as you can tell by my username, i'm a big weezer fan.
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miseryloveselders
Ya know something....does this mean the WT and JWs have become caricatures of themselves? When the literature that the WT prints and holds in high esteem becomes the cover art for an album by a geek/stoner band, what does that say about the perception of WT literature and JWs as whole?
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ks10-e NEWS Additional LTR notation:...PLEASE READ!!!!
by yknot inevidently the 'boys' haven't gotten all their ducks in a row before printing the book!.
they have issued another boe ltr (will have late sunday or early monday) regarding wedding procedure and scriptural freedom to remarry!.
the ltr is dated oct 12, 2010 (so if anybody has a copy already post it or send it to me and i will post it).
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miseryloveselders
Much fine direction on the subject of wedding procedures and Scriptural freedom to remarry has been included in chapter 12, paragraphs 4-17 of the Shepherding textbook. Thus the letter dated May 15. 1988. to all bodies of elders should be removed from the congregation permanent file of policy letters and be destroyed. However. please note the following additional points that are not included in the Shepherding textbook .
They just can't help patting themselves on the back at any oppurtunity they see fit, can they?
