i just want to know how friends feel about the word "apostate" when being used to refer to them?, do you feel relegated?..
Not at all. The Greek root word from which the English word "apostate" simply convey the idea of "standing away", i.e. to distance yourself from something. Does the current GB "stand away" from previous WT teachings?
Did Jesus "stand away" from the teachings of the Pharisees?
If so, is "apostasy" ALWAYS necessarily a bad thing?
In purely semantic terms... WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
The difference is, the GB calls their apostasy "new light" and everyone else's apostasy "apostasy".
for fifteen hundred years, the only christian church officially vested with authenticity was the catholic church.. at least, this was their claim.. authority, so they said, was passed on to them by jesus himself when he established peter as "upon this rock" (peter=petra_).
peter was the church's first "father" or papa=pope.. additionally, the entire tradition of teachings from jesus forward gave them magesterium.
when official pronouncements were made about faith and morals these teachings were binding on earth and in heaven.
The fact that Rutherford was a former door-to-door encyclopedia salesman wouldn't have any bearing on his... er... "unique" approach to religion... would it? ;-P
And he accused folks who wore beards of "creature worship" because of Chuckie's facial hair...
there are times when i hate the borg.
when i think about my lost childhood in it, the draconian level of authority and all the idiots i had to put up with over the years, i get very bitter, angry and resentful.. i went through a stage of turning the other cheek and praying for thine enemies but that didn't really work for me.
i remained on boiling point, simmering under the surface.. i now have reached a more pragmatic viewpoint.
Did the speaker happen to mention what exactly a JW is supposed to do should they be cut off from the sacred utterances of the slaveful ones?
Honestly, I think half of them would secretly rejoice. The other half probably would be suicidal.
in the latest kool-aid edition (november 15th), there's an insert on page 22 entitled "ways in which some choose to give".
in this short (less than 2 page) article, the word "death" appears no less than 3, count 'em, 3 times.
"payable on death", "transfer on death", and "bequest at death" are all mentioned.. .
Again I'm reminded of the scene in Schindler's List where the Nazi patrol car drives over a makeshift road paved with Jewish gravestones.
Even in death, they just won't leave these poor people alone.
trying to work with jw's and their cd i notice that the harder i push their beliefs the more likely they are to hit back with some werid version of jw belives that exsists only in their own head.. its almost like they listen to the bs from the platform, run it through their head and then process it through their own filter and end up with a bastardised version of "the truth" that they feel comfortable with.. .
anyone else encountered this?
and whats your theory about it?.
I agree with Donuthole. A great deal of WT doctrine has become so labyrinthine (*cough* abstain from blood *cough*) that the majority of JWs are probably unfamiliar with half of what they're supposed to believe/remember. Why else would we have studied that 360+ page abortion, the Revelation book - what, 3 times? 4 times? inside of a period of less than 3 decades, the last one with new-light-related "revisions" no less?
and may you all have peace!
this is another general question for the board and i ask your indulgence because i am trying to understand how others think.
if there truly is no god/god... what is wrong with the existence of religion?
I'd join the First Church Triumphant of James Woods.
i picked what i thought were highlights of the article.
harsh words used to describe jehu's actions ... likened to how elders should be in eliminating threats in the congregation and how all should treat the disfellowshipped.. jehu champions pure worship - watchtower 11/15/2011.
jehu was a champion of pure worship.
Ignoring hypocrisy in leadership, running from tough issues and avoiding any contact with those who no longer believe as you... yep, that's the height of bravery right there.
i picked what i thought were highlights of the article.
harsh words used to describe jehu's actions ... likened to how elders should be in eliminating threats in the congregation and how all should treat the disfellowshipped.. jehu champions pure worship - watchtower 11/15/2011.
jehu was a champion of pure worship.
Never questioning what you've been taught... such courage!
in the latest kool-aid edition (november 15th), there's an insert on page 22 entitled "ways in which some choose to give".
in this short (less than 2 page) article, the word "death" appears no less than 3, count 'em, 3 times.
"payable on death", "transfer on death", and "bequest at death" are all mentioned.. .
Didn't Pastor Russell say something about it being time to close up shop if and when it became necessary for the WT to solicit funds?
simple question: pastor russell must have accomplished as least on practical thing in his life.
pyramidology?
divine plan of the ages chart?
Well, at least we can learn something from their colossal and prodigious wrong-headedness and jerktitude, no?
They're fine examples of what NOT to do...
