Fernando

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Posts by Fernando

• 
  33

  Fifteen years later, I went to the UN in person.

  by biblexaminer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  of all the things that the watchtower has done wrong, what would you say is the singular most powerful thing that you could point a jw to, to crack their eyes open?

  what is the singular thing that can be expressed bluntly and conclusively that might shock a jw to their senses?

  if you could only carry one arrow in your quiver on your way to war with watchtower, what would it be?.

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  Fernando

  (Galatians 2:16) . . .a man is declared righteous, not due to works of law, but only through faith toward Christ Jesus. . .
  

  (Galatians 2:21) . . .for if righteousness is through law, Christ actually died for nothing. . .
  

  (Galatians 3:11) . . .by law[keeping] no one is declared righteous with God. . .
  

  (Galatians 5:4) . . .YOU are parted from Christ, whoever YOU are that try to be declared righteous by means of law[keeping]; YOU have fallen away from his undeserved kindness. . .
  

  (Romans 3:28) . . .a man is declared righteous by faith apart from works of law. . .
  

  (Ephesians 2:8, 9) . . .By this undeserved kindness you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; rather, it is God’s gift. No, it is not a result of works, so that no one should have grounds for boasting.
  
• 
  33

  Fifteen years later, I went to the UN in person.

  by biblexaminer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  of all the things that the watchtower has done wrong, what would you say is the singular most powerful thing that you could point a jw to, to crack their eyes open?

  what is the singular thing that can be expressed bluntly and conclusively that might shock a jw to their senses?

  if you could only carry one arrow in your quiver on your way to war with watchtower, what would it be?.

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  Fernando

  Somehow for me personally, nothing ever penetrated fully, until the ruling religious clergy class in my "congregation" attacked me and my family.

  We were attacked and threatened for choosing to believe in the good news as defined and outlined in their own publications.

  They were also highly offended and alarmed because I once dared to ask a simple question: "what is the gospel in one word?"
  

  We were agreeing with the electronic Watchtower library and were attacked for this.

  The issue was the same as in the 1980 Bethel witch-hunt and purge: the liberating gospel of grace versus apostate legalism.

  Due to my experience, these are my favourite questions to help a JW, especially when they are doing the tolley-folley work:

  1. How long have you been a "publisher of the good news"?
  2. According to the good news, is a right and clean standing with God earned or imputed?
     

  #

  The response is a confused deer-in-the-headlights look as the cognitive dissonance kicks in overdrive.

  Then their answer "earned" demonstrates they have never heard nor published the good news.

  Then I give them a shocked look of disbelief, with a long pause: "no it is imputed as a free gift".
  

  If the person is honest-hearted and sincere I then recommend they search for and highlight the words righteous and righteousness in Paul's letters especially to the Galatians.
  
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  5

  A CHANGING WORLD-Q: Is the USA a Post-Christian Nation? A: At 45% white Christians are a minority.

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that is a proposition that a video in the atlantic magazine argues.

  i think there is a major flaw in the argument, as its possible to imagine that there is a large segment of non-white christians, that may mean that the usa is still a "christian" (whatever that means) nation.

  however, for supporters of christianity, the trend is in the wrong direction.. http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/504065/america-post-christianity/?utm_source=fbb.

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  Fernando

  I'd be keen to see stats on:

  % religious, % secular, % spiritual
  
• 
  40

  Can YOU identify this photo (1914 Rapture?)

  by AlphaOmega in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i need help identifying the source of this photo, which purports to show the watchtower crowd going up to the top of the mount of olives in 1914 awaiting the rapture.. .

  i would like to show this photo to several jws along with the article in the october 8 1968 awake, which says.... true, there have been those in times past who predicted an end to the world, even announcing a specific date.

  some have gathered groups of people with them and fled to the hills or withdrawn into their houses waiting for the end.yet nothing happened.

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  Fernando

  

  JPEG, 500x270, 104.3 KB

  Compare Match

  arthuride.wordpress.com

  Image: wtrapture1914.jpg

  Page: page/15/

  Crawled on 2015-01-11

  Page: tag/noah/

  Crawled on 2015-12-18

  view all 3 matches

  

  JPEG, 975x527, 291.7 KB

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  quotesgram.com

  Image: Rapture_Jerusalem_1914.jpg

  Page: charles-taze-russell-quotes/

  Crawled on 2016-01-06

  www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk

  Image: Rapture_Jerusalem_1914.jpg

  Page: 1914_rapture.html

  Crawled on 2013-12-11

  masonemerson.freeyellow.com

  Image: WTrapture1914.jpg

  Page: christianwitnessescom/id209.html

  Crawled on 2014-07-24

  Page: christianwitnessescom/id97.html

  Crawled on 2014-06-28

  view all 5 matches

  arthuride.wordpress.com

  Image: wtrapture1914.jpg

  Page: 2011/page/8/

  Crawled on 2016-04-24

  Page: page/15/

  Crawled on 2015-01-11

  view all 4 matches

  

  JPEG, 500x270, 130.4 KB

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  arthuride.wordpress.com

  Image: wtrapture1914.jpg

  Page: 2011/page/8/

  Crawled on 2016-04-24

  

  JPEG, 800x469, 63.0 KB

  Compare Match

  www.manfred-gebhard.de

  Image: Bittelaecheln.jpg

  Page: Parsimony.18949.htm

  Crawled on 2010-03-11

  

  JPEG, 800x469, 69.5 KB

  Compare Match

  harvestmessenger.com

  Image: group-of-brethren.jpg

  Page: ctrussell/

  Crawled on 2013-12-04
• 
  40

  Can YOU identify this photo (1914 Rapture?)

  by AlphaOmega in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i need help identifying the source of this photo, which purports to show the watchtower crowd going up to the top of the mount of olives in 1914 awaiting the rapture.. .

  i would like to show this photo to several jws along with the article in the october 8 1968 awake, which says.... true, there have been those in times past who predicted an end to the world, even announcing a specific date.

  some have gathered groups of people with them and fled to the hills or withdrawn into their houses waiting for the end.yet nothing happened.

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  Fernando

  Search on www.tineye.com for

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/img/image/415e4ed176af8edb22d630559af0e691?s=740
  
• 
  41

  I don't think I will be able to escape the JWs ...

  by nevaagain in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know i will get a lot of backslash on this forum for saying this, but as it looks like, i won't ever be able to escape the jws.

  i have been a born in, third generation jw and awoken in one way or another (i joined this forum 15 years ago) for a very long time.

  but i have adapted to the jw lifestyle to a point where it does not bother me anymore.

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  Fernando

  No judgement just an observation.

  When our behaviour and beliefs do not align this can be stressful.

  Psychologists call it cognitive dissonance.

  Apparently we are hardwired to change either our beliefs or our behaviour to achieve congruence and peace/ease.
  
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  16

  The Anointed Class: Do They Have Spirits?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i realize that the anointed class inherits heaven while the great crowd inherits a renewed planet earth, but how and when are the anointed chosen?

  are these people born with spirits or do they grow them as they live?

  when they die, they don't sleep but go right to heaven, right?

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  Fernando

  
  
• 
  16

  The Anointed Class: Do They Have Spirits?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i realize that the anointed class inherits heaven while the great crowd inherits a renewed planet earth, but how and when are the anointed chosen?

  are these people born with spirits or do they grow them as they live?

  when they die, they don't sleep but go right to heaven, right?

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  Fernando

  Google and Google Images search: quotes "human spirit"

  https://www.google.com.au/?gws_rd=ssl#q=quotes+%22human+spirit%22

  https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=659&q=quotes+"human+spirit"&oq=quotes+"human+spirit"
• 
  33

  Pyramid Schemes

  by schnell in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  several years ago, i was introduced to a "wonderful" company called fortune hi tech marketing by a brother and his wife.

  they had been introduced by a former sheriff who claims he had researched the company and found no leins or judgments, and that former sheriff had been brought in by a pastor.

  you can read what happened with fhtm on wikipedia if you so desire.. this whole new idea of multilevel marketing had my brain reeling, though, and soon enough, i actually signed up with none other than prepaid legal.

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  Fernando

  Hopefully next time someone wants to "lay a spiel" on me I remember to insist on full disclosure via an income distribution statement covering total membership and sales.

  My guess is that 99% of Scamway members would be better off if they'd never heard of the cult.
  
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  21

  2013 NWT - Conveniently Circular

  by theunbeliever in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is my first post.

  as i am currently disfellowshipped, i have no one else to discuss these things with.

  even if i was actively associated with the dubs, i suppose i'd still have no one else to discuss this with.

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  Fernando

  A warm welcome theunbeliever.

  This is the place to be, and thank you for sharing.