dssynergy

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Posts by dssynergy

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  112

  what is your job ?i was wondering how varied our different jobs are !

  by looloo in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i am a support worker for adults with profound disabilities and some with autism and i love caring for people ..

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  dssynergy

  I own a small company that provides communication access for people with disabilities. We hire real time captioners, sign language interpreters, and transcriptionists. I see a few people on here work with people with disabilities. It is rewarding and stimulating work. There is always more to learn!
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  25

  Feeling Unfit, Fat and Unhealthy

  by cantleave in

  1. social
  2. physical

  a semi-serious request.. i hate exercise (yes i am an indolent slob), i sit in an office or a car most of the time and eat and drink too much.

  so my new year's resolution is to lose weight (about 3 stone would be good) to try and prolong my life a little since i ain't got eternity in mind anymore.

  i am looking for fun ways to get fit, or an effective home based diet programme that has worked for other people.

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  dssynergy

  I felt like that at the start of this year, so I started on Medifast. It is working for me. PM if you want to talk about it more.
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  13

  Gideon--He Questioned Jehovah

  by sd-7 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it is common, as a thought-stopping mechanism amongst jehovah's witnesses, to use phrases like "don't question jehovah" or "don't question the organization".

  often, as evidenced in a recent watchtower study article, biblical examples are given like that of diotrephes, who opposed john in the first century, or korah, dathan, and abiram, who questioned moses' authority and were barbecued in the wilderness.

  these are pointed to as examples of those who questioned jehovah and suffered condemnation or even death as a result.

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  dssynergy

  I whole heartedly agree!

  I didn't know the story of Gideon, so thank you for presenting it. The example I always think about is Abraham pleading with Jehovah over Sodom & Gommorah. He is basically questioning the appropriateness of the action, and negotiating with God! I find it a precious example because, Abraham is referred to later as "Jehovah's Friend." And, like any good friendship, Jehovah's communication with Abraham was open, honest, sincere. He allowed himself to be examined, even by a human. And he did not scold, punish or react in any negative way to the questioning. He realized that Abraham's motives were sincere and that he was doing it out of concern, or anxiety, etc.

  Depending on the motive of the person, intellectual questioning is no different. I for one, do not question in order to blame, manipulate or simply prove the organization wrong. In fact, I think they have a lot of things right. At this point for me, I question the hei rarchy and bureaucracy that is increasingly in place.

  I understand the need to organize, and the bigger the group, the more organization is required. But, the way things are at this point are so far off from the house churches that existed up until the 4th century (lead mostly by women, by the way) and the tolerance shown by Jesus for others, that I am very concerned that JW are not ending up to be a false prophet.

  I have been thinking much about this, and weighing the cost of staying in verses going out. It has brought to mind the parable about the Wheat and the Weeds. I think JWs always have applied those to churches, or religious organizations. But what if it was really discussing individuals, like the Sheep and Goats parable? Does that mean that God will sift us individually, so that a "true" christian could be catholic, jw, or some other label??

  My rumblings for the morning. Thanks for listening.

  DS
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  18

  George Benson & Friends - Sing Praises to Jehovah

  by possible-san in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  george benson & friends - sing praises to jehovah .

  rar file, 97.5mb (320kbps, mp3).

  http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4856838/george_benson__amp__friends_-_sing_praises_to_jehovah.

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  dssynergy

  I listened to some of these, and they are very good arrangements. I wonder if part of them (GB) not being able to reach a unanimous vote is because some of the R & F would shit a brick. Sometimes, I do believe that what holds back progression are not the leaders, but the followers who are not ready to take the next logical step.

  The fact that there is nothing unscriptural about being a musician or even being famous does not step in the way of some who I have heard make very judgemental comments about JWs who happen to be famous. I remember talking to someone about Prince once, and for one, they did not believe he was a JW (my mom had just heard him talking about during a concert he gave) and two, thought that if he was a JW he should stop making money from his old music and should stop giving concerts.

  Uh, excuse me, but just because you are a JW does not mean you stop being an artist and a human being. hello? If anyone was paying even the least bit of attention, they would know that many artists don't have control over what happens to their music/songs after they are released. So, it was not like Prince was going to put them in a box, lock them up and throw away the key. Hello!

  anyway, my 2 cent rant for the evening. carry on. :-)
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  21

  Is the Governing Body really Jehovah's mouthpiece?

  by dgp in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  on another thread, african gb member wondered whether the members of the governing body really believe what they preach.

  and that led me to this thought:.

  unless i misunderstood what i have read, the governing body claims that jehovah communicates with them and tells them what to do.

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  dssynergy

  So, how come the governing body itself recognizes that its members are not always of the same mind about issues, to the extent that they make decisions by a majority of two thirds?

  How come the 1/3 that is not in agreement doesn't get DF'd for having a different opinion?? And, if the GB are not always of one mind and they are run by holy spirit, how come questions, and differences of opinion are not tolerated by those of us who are not run by holy spirit??

  Things that make you go, huh?

  DS

  PS. my font is messed up. Any advice?
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  17

  Are you a Christian? How often do you challenge your beliefs?

  by cyberjesus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  until 6 months ago, i had faith in jehovah, jesus and the bible.

  i was not a jw ( i had been dfd 15 years ago) but i was planning on going back.

  i questioned some basic beliefs on the wts and discovered i had been lied to for over 35 years.

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  dssynergy

  Hyper Analysis is simply how my brain works. So, even if I take something at face value for a time, eventually everything gets questioned, sifted, taken apart. I had a period of time where I was not sure about the existence of God, but the more I explore science, the more pattern I see, the more structure ~ the less I think it came out of no where. That is not to say that I don't believe in adaptation, or that things change and evolve over time. But I do believe that there is evidence for design and thoughtful creativity in all of nature.

  As far as my spiritual beliefs, I have been a seeker my entire life. I would have catagorized myself as a "doubter", but in a conversation today, someone reframed it as being a seeker. I like that. I am looking for what is real and good. I hate the man made rules that are imposed by organized religion and yet, mankind has the propensity to organize everything.

  I am currently taking a class at a Catholic University ~ Mary Magdelene that is challenging everything I have ever thought, and caused me to examine all of my prior biblical learning. For example, I am currently questioning how we can accept the Bible cannon that is used for the NWT when it was decided by the same counsel at Nicea that accepted the teaching of the Trinity and was ordered by Constantine who was not even a Christian until his deathbed conversion.

  When the bible says, "all scripture is inspired of God", and we know that there were numerous letters and sacred writings being circulated among christians, does this saying apply to those that were not included in the cannon but only later found in the desert or some cave??

  These are my current ruminations. So, yes. I challenge nearly everything all the time. And, I don't recommend it. I often wished that I could just be stupid and innocent and accept on faith everything that has been taught me. It is a much easier existence. Happy, carefree, without angst.

  That would be my vote every time.

  DS
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  15

  Did you start out as a "Reformer"?

  by lepermessiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many of you started out down this road as someone who knew there were lots of problems and holes in the doctrine of the religion but wanted to be "part of the solution" as what i would call a "reformer"?.

  for a long time, i wanted to be an outstanding elder since i thought so many of them were @$$holes, but i found out after a while the majority of the good ones are chewed up and spitten out in the organization.the others who start out with the right motives either fall in line or get run over.. unfortunately, i kept that delusion up for many years - and just about killed myself doing it.

  thats when the light went on and i finally figured out why i was so miserable doing it - it was all for naught - you cant change it.

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  dssynergy

  I was just thinking about this today. I have started to question, how could the WTBS be God's channel, and make so many mistakes, revisions, and errors in judgement? And then I thought of the Israelites who had not just one, but several Kings that lead them astray. Perhaps this is a time for sifting, and Jehovah is allowing this room for error to display what people's true heart conditions are. A strange way of testing, I know.

  I wonder if the angst that we feel, those of us who are "out/in" might be what the Israelites felt like when they had a King who lead them to abandon their covenent with Jehovah. Technically, they were still his chosen people, yet the leadership was going down a bad path. There have always been pockets of Israelites who kept to what they knew was right. How do you think they felt about it? They had to do what they thought was right for themselves and their families, while at the same time being witness to leadership that clearly did not have their best interests foremost in mind.

  I had a conversation with a catholic theologian today about my struggle to balance my mental and emotional well being with being in a spiritually restrictive environment. She said, "maybe you are the teacher. maybe you are the reformer." My response was: "reform comes from the top down, not the bottom up in this group."

  I have to admit, that I have been much more prayerful these last few months than I have in many years. At the same time, I realize, that it was a big mistake for me to be baptized at the age of 16 under such duress. I am sure now, that my struggles with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation all have their roots right there. If I had it to do over again, I would choose not to be baptized, but to be an interested observer of the faith. Simply admitting this, has really allowed me the breathing room to see, how I can manage to figure out my own theology and how to interact with my faith without causing alarm to my friends and family by abruptly disassociating myself altogether.

  Maybe, the place of those of us who struggle, is to come through the other side and comfort others who struggle and help them find the good ~ display our christ-like personality as we have come to know him: compassionate, generous, kind, forgiving, nurturing, supportive.

  DS
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  12

  Is WT Violating International Law?

  by cameo-d in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  apostasy in law.

  international law.

  article 18.2 bars coersion that would impair the right to have or adopt a belief...including use of threat, physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers to adhere to religious beliefs.... .

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  dssynergy

  Its completely voluntary. No one can force you to go out in service. Nothing will be done if you decline to participate. There are probably tens or hundred of thousand "inactive" JWs.

  Further, being a JW is completely voluntary. Anyone can leave at any time.

  How's that for Devil's advocate? But the sad part is its all true. Jws are basically in their own self-contained prison, they can get out of this prison at any time, they just don't realize it.

  oh, come on. If that were completely true, there would be no "faders", just "lapsed Witnesses" who could still see their families and socialize with friends without issue.
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  15

  Cost of regular pioneering?

  by hoser in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was wondering if anybody had any figure$ on what it costs for a couple to regular pioneer if you would include the vehicle expense and the value of their time?.

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  dssynergy

  what about the cost of their clothes? boots, umbrellas, rain coats...most pioneers I knew (women) had "service" clothes, and "meeting" clothes. When the meeting clothes weren't as sharp, they rotated them to service clothes until they were thread bare.

  How much for one thread bare wardrobe?
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  44

  Would YOU Stop Wearing Cologne Or Perfume At A KH If Someone Had Allergies?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we had a few that would start coughing if someone wore a fragrance.

  they would make a big deal about anyone wearing cologne and say such ones were not loving and considerate.

  some elders would recommend that witnesses should not wear any cologne or perfume, if they loved their brother or sister.

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  dssynergy

  A lot of it is for attention, I think. Witnesses typically have some strange disorders like this.

  Agreed. Witnesses have more than their fair share of psychosomatic disorders. Mostly, they just need to get out into the real world and breathe. Drink some beers, have some real sex, see a good movie. That would solve a lot of their health problems.

  DS