Posts by Awen

30

Please help re:objections to Thanksgiving?

by M.J. in

what are the standard jw objections to thanksgiving?

do they claim there is any kind of a scriptural basis for condemning it?

i plan on asking someone about this and i'm curious what types of reasoning they might try to throw at me.

Awen

Seems to me there was a WT article last year saying that Thanksgiving has now become a conscience matter, but I have yet to find it online.

Some say Thanksgiving was a pagan holy day, which is absurd. It was a day that two sets of cultures came together to celebrate the peace that existed between them. The First Nations saw it as a strengthening of the bond with their Puritan neighbors and the Puritans obviously saw it as proof of God's blessing that they survived (with the Indians' help) the past year.

I don't recall any mention of pagan gods or such in the celebration.

15

Is the book of Job anti-humanist? Zizek's alternative reading.

by slimboyfat in

the book of job has sometimes been read as an anti-humanist reply to the notion that the creator is a god who takes a personal interest in humanity.. job was stricken with illness and various trials.

his three "friends" suggested that he must have done something to offend god for these terrible tribulations to have befallen him.

job protested his innocence.

Awen

I think What God was saying to Job boils down to this:

"If you cannot comprehend or understand how the world works, (it's creation and why everything stays in it's assigned place and order) then my explaining to you the mechanics of why all this has happened to you will be incomprehensible."

Try to explain the workings of a laptop computer to someone who lives 1,000 years ago and you will get a blank stare in return. It's totally out of their sphere of understanding. God was illustrating this very point by explaining the laws of creation to Job. Job couldn't comprehend it nor understand it, unless it was simplified, even then he couldn't grasp it's entirety.

So yes, there is a huge gap between man and God, like there is between man and the ant. We can look at the ant and discern what it does and why, but if the ant were to look at us and all our cultures and many things we pursue, (be it recreation or work), it would be infathomable.

The whole point of the Book of Job is that we must have faith in God even when we do not understand why things are they way they are. We must have faith that He is with us the entire time and will be with us at the end of our troubles. Despite the huge gulf of wisdom and knowledge that separates us, God can easily look down upon us (like we would an ant) and either allow obstacles to be put in our path or to remove said obstacles, so that we might grow spiritually.

The Book's point was also to prove that people who really love God do so when they have it good and when things aren't so good. That this love isn't dependent upon how blessed we are and getting things from God but simply because we love God for who he is.

So Job did prove Satan a liar who implied that Job only served God because of the good things he got from God and not because his love was unconditional. Which it was.

Which is also how Jesus taught us that we are supposed to love, to Love one another without any thought of reward.- James1:7

81

Are there ANY Bible prophecies that indisputably came true?

by nicolaou in

.

i mean a prophecy made before the event, with specific detail that can be verified in history books.

nothing vague like 'reports of wars'.. .

Awen

IMO, ONE particular is being fulfilled right now.

Now you must understand that since JW's identify themselves as YHWH's only true worshippers, this lines them up to be part of prophecy. They become accountable to GOD for their actions or inactions. All the prophecies in the OT which refers to judgement on a wayward people, which JW's apply to Christendom, actually apply to JW's, this being because of their habit of identifying themselves the same way the ancient Israelites did.

Since only the GB lays claim to being part of the 144k annointed ones and most JW's being "Other Sheep", the following prophecy most clearly pertains to JW's (although others could be guilty of this as well). Mind you, no scripture in the Bible speaks of there being an earthly representative on earth who speaks in GOD's name in the last days. Yet Jesus spoke on the presumptousness of these ones and how they should govern his flock, but what many do instead and why. Keep in mind JW's falsely prophesied the Lord's return in 1914 and since then have changed doctrine to support the apparent delay in the Kingdom being established.

Matthew 24:45-51

"Who then is the faithful and sensible slave who his master put in charge of his household to give then their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds doing so when he comes. "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if ever that evil slave should say in his heart "My master is not coming for a long time", and begins to beat his fellowe slaves and begins to eat and drink with the drunkards", the master of the slave will come on a day the slave does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth".

In recent years the WT falsely proclaimed that the Lord inspected his belongings and found them in good steed and then placed them over all his belongings. History proves this as incorrect as the 1k reign has not yet begun nor did Jesus return, because if he had, then all the events that immediately follow that return, (such as described in Revelation) would have occurred, which obviously they haven't.

Whether JW's are or are not YHWH's true servants is quite relavant, in that the Israelites were unfaithful as well and were disciplined many times for their wayward course. The WT somehow thinks they are exempt from any reproof and demonizes Christendom for it's many crimes throughout history, yet during the past century the WT has duplicated many of those crimes, yet unlike Christendom who has admitted fault and made some reparation, the WT covers evertything up.

Hence the fulfillment of the "beating their fellow slaves". Also since their dating system is flawed, Jesus plainly says that his slave would not know when he would return and his slave's actgions toward fellow believers would be because according to the slave's reckoning, Jesus was delaying.

In previous verses, Matthew 24:15-28 Jesus commands his servants to flee from the apostasy of Jerusalem, unless they want to share in her sins also. Jerusalem being the Governing Body and those Annointed who support them thru direct action or inaction.

Online discussion groups (such as this one) that speak out against the WT atrocities and the many lawsuits leveled towards them, show without a doubt the ongoing fulfillment of this prophecy.

"Let the reader use discernment"

17

A few items of business

by Heartbreaker in

jw
friends

i ordered both of franz books, and have received just by dumb luck the coc first, and will start reading it tonight.

my husband hates to read, and i could spend every waking moment doing so, so i have committed to reading the book aloud to him, and we will do so in the evenings for as long as it takes to go through the whole thing, and then start on the 2nd.

also, i've decided to start looking into getting my rn degree, i've always thought i'd be good at it, and it should follow me if i decide to move, nurses are needed everywhere.

Awen

You can dooo eeeet!!

As far as the whole date thing goes, I suspect she'll try figuring it out first and then when she cannot make sense of it, will either A) Conveniently forget about it or B) copy down word for word the whole WTS teaching (as confusing and misleading as it is) and say "there ya go"

13

Advice...should I say something?

by AwSnap in

jw
friends

i need advice...one of my best friends is having a big ol' problem & i don't know what to say (well, i know what i'd like to say...but i need to be careful).

her husband has cut off all emotions towards her (but not with people he's not close to).

he's bored with his life, including her.

Awen

The worst thing you could say is nothing. Friends are people we trust and whose advice we listen to when we might ignore our own feelings. I find that relating a fictitious story about someone in a similar situations often helps me to speak to my friend, without actually offering intruding upon their personal life. Most people will see thru this and recognize it as a loving gesture in that you are allowing them to keep their dignity and not reveal matters of a personal nature. You might both even be able to refer to this other "person" and their fictitious situation and ask and answer questions about how they might best resolve "their" issue.

35

what is the best state in the usa to live in / visit?

by highdose in

jw
friends

am thinking of doing some globe trotting soon, would like some insider info/ opinions please.

Awen

I would say anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. I myself lived in Portland, Oregon for a time and absolutely loved it, but my family lives here in South Carolina and I missed them so I moved back. But you can see Mt. Hood from almost anywhere in Portland, it's a bicycling city, very open-minded, plenty of coffee shops, lots of commerce, it's public transportation system has higher ratings than NYC and Boston. They do however have Blue-Laws in effect, meaning everything shuts down at 5pm and I mean everything. Never quite understood that. Gets mostly rain, some snow. You can drive 50 miles to Astoria and see the ocean and surf or drive 50 miles the other way and ski on Mt Hood. Kindergarten Cop and The Goonies were both filmed in Astoria, great lil community.

Washington State is great, stay away from Seattle, perhaps try Olympia. Right across the border is Bristich Columbia. Whistler is right there for all you mountain biking enthusiasts, they hold big get togethers for that very thing. B.C. is called the Sunshine Coast. It has very temparent weather, usually mid 70's in the Summer and 50's F in the Winter.

48

Disfellowshipped and Armageddon

by IMHO in

will a disfellowshipped person survive armageddon?.

will a disassociated person......?.

will an inactive person.....?.

Awen

It's anyone's guess. I figure YHWH will handle the matter in a just and merciful way, taking all events and circumstances into consideration.

So, with that being said, I don't worry about it too much.

27

The Spirit of The Congregation

by minimus in

jw
friends

each hall has their own "spirit'.

some congregations are very strict.

others more liberal and still others, a little in between.

Awen

My first KH, in Myrtle Beach, SC was very rule-oriented. If the WT said it, it was LAW.

I recall a fellow brother who made a good life for himself, he had a Lexus, (his wife had a Jeep Wagoneer), owned his own home, had his own business, was a former Bethelite, his wife didn't work, but was a regular auxiliary pioneer and he was aMinisterial Servant. They dressed to the nines everytime they came to the KH and were both quite friendly with everyone. The Brother's wife cheated on him and left him (he was hardly ever home because he worked so much trying to fulfill his husbandly responsibilities) and because of that he slipped into a depression which finally ended in his suicide. The day he died, as the story goes, he served breakfast to some brothers who dropped by (non-elders) to check on him and then when they left, hung himself in his garage. His JW/Elder father found him. Because of the circumstances of his death, we were told from the platform that there would be no memorial service for him and it would be unseemly for anyone to attend his funeral. Nearly the entire congregation showed up anyway, to which we were all reproved for our showing love and support for this fine brother's family and paying tribute to his memory.

I have never read anywhere in the Bible where suicide is a sin. It may indeed be there, but I have never read it. I think YHWH, in his infinite kindness and understanding would forgive Errol and and show him the mercy and love the Elders failed to show him.

I knew another Brother in the same congregation who was a regular pioneer along with his wife. They struggled for a while financially but eventually made a life for themselves working for the local paper. They had an apartment that was given to them by the Brother's parents. He was also a Ministerial Servant. When Errol died (they were good friends), he began to question WT teachings, which ultimately led to him reading Crisis of Conscience and he became lax in field service and meeting attendance. He discussed his findings with his wife, who went to the Elders and was granted a divorce. There was no adultery on the Brother's part, yet the divorce was allowed and she was allowed to remarry. I had a discussion with an annointed brother concerning this and he felt as I did that she should have been disfellowshipped for her unscriptural divorce and the Elders either reproved and or removed from their positions for allowing such a blatant disregard for YHWH's Law.

Here's the weird part. If a married woman becomes a JW or a Sister marries a non-JW, they are told they should try to win the person over, to "win without a word" as it were. Or if a spouse is disfellowshipped for adultery, they should try to stick it out. BUT if it's apostasy, then they can have the divorce. NO WHERE have I read in the Bible that such a thing is permissable. In fact it says that the spouse would have to remain unmarried (if he/she leaves) until the other person commited adultery. As ONLY death or adultery breaks the marriage bonds. NOT apostasy.

59

Do you regret confessing your sins to the elders?

by asilentone in

yes, i do!

i did it 20 years ago, but the elders still remember what i did, sometimes i wish they never knew about it.

.

Awen

I don't regret it, because it was my first step away from the Organization. I even told the Elders to disfellowship me as I felt it was correct since I no longer believed JW's had or ever had the Truth. I pointed out to them how their judicial committe wasn't in line with scripture, because King David confessed his sins to God on more than one occasion and Paul says that matters of this nature are to be brought to the attention of the entire congregation IF the first and second set of witnesses doesn't bring the person to his senses and he/she is unrepentent. So they were adding to the Bible, something condemned in the scriptures.

2

Christian matyres not faithfull?

by Luo bou to in

i remember reading a wt where they quoted a source that said 300.000 christians died in the first century as martyrs.

the obvious conclusion was that the 144,000 number was filled back then.

no doubt many witnesses thought this for a question from readers was later published addressing it.

Awen

According to Revelation, the number is symbolic, not literal as the WT teaches. This is stated in the first chapter and verse of the Book. What the number actually means is anyone's guess. Why they always miss this, I'll never know. Well actually, I do know, They're false prophets. Interestingly enough a "false prophet" is hurled into Gehenna along with the Wild beast and all those proven unworthy to Jesus.

When you consider that JW's are well known for predicting the End Times and being consistently wrong this could be an indication that the WT is THE false prophet mentioned in Revelation.