nugget

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Posts by nugget

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  64

  Julia gets hit with the Shun Gun for the first time...and it really hurts.

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my jw friend of 20 years, the first one i ever met, the one who got me into jwism in the first place, unfriended me from facebook without explanation.

  other jws who have unfriended me at least called me names (apostate) and told me they were unfriending me, but they were no loss.

  but someone who's been your friend since you were 13...and no explanation...i'd think 20 years- 20 years!

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  nugget

  So sorry we always hope those we care about will be different and yet they so often disappoint.
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  13

  Something better than Xmas

  by zound in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  saw the title of this recent watchtower and it reminded me of the standard response to b'days and xmas celebrations:.

  "we don't limit giftgiving to a specific day, we give gifts all year round!".

  did anyone growing up a jw get gifts all year round?.

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  nugget

  I can remember being given gifts very rarely as I was growing up. Certainly in comparison to my schoolmates we did not get regular presents. Everything was very low key and sporadic at best. We had no special present days.

  In comparison our children received wrapped gifts on our wedding anniversary and we did look for opportunities to reward them, certainly they did not lack for things they wanted. However now we have Christmas and Birthdays and I try to make them special and memorable with our own family traditions so that when they grow up their childhood memories are rich and colourful.
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  21

  Is Blind Obedience to group of men supported by Scripture?

  by nugget in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have been pondering over the demands made by the governing body for absolute loyalty and unquestioning obedience to their interpretation of scripture.

  is this a reasonable request and is it in line with scripture?

  alternatively is there in fact a scriptural defence for taking personal responsibility for beliefs and having a questioning attitude when being told what is to be believed.. there are ample scriptural warnings about trusting in men psalm 146 v 3 warns us not to put our trust in nobles or earthly men and galatians 1 v 8 goes even further stating that even if an angel were to preach to us something contrary to the teachings of christ it should be ignored.

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  nugget

  Many of us were the same. I would look for any weakness in the argument or contradiction and focus on that one area whilst ignoring all the valid points they made. Now I love debate and the flow of ideas. I have learnt to respect other people and listen to their point of view properly.
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  11

  I have a answer to those on why we are no longer part of the Cult.

  by TotallyADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since our episode with our oldest son and his wife we know the word is out that we no longer want to be jw.

  the other day an elder from fl tried to call us but our fax machine was on during his attempt.

  i quess when he heard the fax noise he thought he may have had the wrong number.

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  nugget

  I would say to him that the call seems like entrapment and he would do well to consider Mat 18v6 since it would appear that his own eternal salvation is in danger. He knows that no sin has been committed otherwise he would not be fishing for evidence and stumbling one of 'the sheep is a serious sin. I would say to him I feel deeply sorry for you since my relationship with Jehovah is as solid as ever whilst yours may need some serious repair. Goodbye.
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  21

  Is Blind Obedience to group of men supported by Scripture?

  by nugget in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have been pondering over the demands made by the governing body for absolute loyalty and unquestioning obedience to their interpretation of scripture.

  is this a reasonable request and is it in line with scripture?

  alternatively is there in fact a scriptural defence for taking personal responsibility for beliefs and having a questioning attitude when being told what is to be believed.. there are ample scriptural warnings about trusting in men psalm 146 v 3 warns us not to put our trust in nobles or earthly men and galatians 1 v 8 goes even further stating that even if an angel were to preach to us something contrary to the teachings of christ it should be ignored.

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  nugget

  Punk of nice it is true that JWs do not listen they merely wait for a gap in the conversation to leap in. Only those who have active doubts will be willing to process the thoughts stated in my post. Itis truly sad that you can only see the religion for what it is when you are outside.
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  21

  Is Blind Obedience to group of men supported by Scripture?

  by nugget in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have been pondering over the demands made by the governing body for absolute loyalty and unquestioning obedience to their interpretation of scripture.

  is this a reasonable request and is it in line with scripture?

  alternatively is there in fact a scriptural defence for taking personal responsibility for beliefs and having a questioning attitude when being told what is to be believed.. there are ample scriptural warnings about trusting in men psalm 146 v 3 warns us not to put our trust in nobles or earthly men and galatians 1 v 8 goes even further stating that even if an angel were to preach to us something contrary to the teachings of christ it should be ignored.

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  nugget

  amos I fully relate to your experience. When I told my mother that the new member of the GB was the same age as me she turned round and told me he couldn't truly be annointed. I said but mum this man helps make the decisions about what you believe and is your faithful and discreet slave. If you do not follow the doctrine he feels is correct you will be deemed an apostate. Her response was "that's ok Jehovah will sort matters out in his own time."

  Arguing with witnesses is mental torture.
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  21

  Is Blind Obedience to group of men supported by Scripture?

  by nugget in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have been pondering over the demands made by the governing body for absolute loyalty and unquestioning obedience to their interpretation of scripture.

  is this a reasonable request and is it in line with scripture?

  alternatively is there in fact a scriptural defence for taking personal responsibility for beliefs and having a questioning attitude when being told what is to be believed.. there are ample scriptural warnings about trusting in men psalm 146 v 3 warns us not to put our trust in nobles or earthly men and galatians 1 v 8 goes even further stating that even if an angel were to preach to us something contrary to the teachings of christ it should be ignored.

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  nugget

  5go nice and sucinct love it.
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  42

  Can you help me encourage Reopened mind.

  by TotallyADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as most of you know we got a very angry letter from our oldest son.

  it hurt her very much.

  i feel so bad for her because he attacked her for what i feel was very unfair.

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  nugget

  When people are dealing with difficult times in their lives they can lash out. Sometimes we lash out at those we love the most because we feel safe doing so knowing that they will love us unconditionally and forgive us when the tantrum is over. It can be easier to look for people to blame rather than make peace with the past and move forward.

  You know that you did the best you could. This is an outpouring from your child who is struggling to come to terms with the past but you do not need to be defined by them. Time is a great healer and can lend perspective. When I first met my husband he had a great hatred for his father who had divorced his mother. He was extremely bitter about how his father had behaved. However we did get in touch with him and realised that the past had been distorted and that what my husband believed was not based on truth. They were able to make peace and gain an appreciation and true affection for one another.

  Your son will come to his senses and then he will appreciate how lucky he is to have loving parents.
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  21

  Is Blind Obedience to group of men supported by Scripture?

  by nugget in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have been pondering over the demands made by the governing body for absolute loyalty and unquestioning obedience to their interpretation of scripture.

  is this a reasonable request and is it in line with scripture?

  alternatively is there in fact a scriptural defence for taking personal responsibility for beliefs and having a questioning attitude when being told what is to be believed.. there are ample scriptural warnings about trusting in men psalm 146 v 3 warns us not to put our trust in nobles or earthly men and galatians 1 v 8 goes even further stating that even if an angel were to preach to us something contrary to the teachings of christ it should be ignored.

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  nugget

  I have been pondering over the demands made by the Governing body for absolute loyalty and unquestioning obedience to their interpretation of scripture. Is this a reasonable request and is it in line with scripture? Alternatively is there in fact a scriptural defence for taking personal responsibility for beliefs and having a questioning attitude when being told what is to be believed.

  There are ample scriptural warnings about trusting in men Psalm 146 v 3 warns us not to put our trust in nobles or earthly men and Galatians 1 v 8 goes even further stating that even if an angel were to preach to us something contrary to the teachings of Christ it should be ignored. These scriptures show that people can be in error and not everything preached is to be followed unquestioningly regardless of the source.

  In fact it would appear that the Bible does not encourage passivity either in the old or new testament. What can we learn from the example of the Israelites? The Bible talks of a nation chosen by God with a form of religion laid down by him and yet they frequently went astray. The religious leaders tasked with interpreting God’s will for the nation and acting as mediators often abused the people whilst they themselves followed corrupt practices. This inevitably led to religious corruption at all levels . If the Bible is to be believed were the people judged as less guilty than their leaders because they passively followed them without question? No they were not, the whole nation was punished with exile or defeat in battle and the whole nation was considered worthy of punishment. Only individuals that took a stand were separated and given any form of divine protection. Those individuals singled out for praise were often the lone voices described as cting with courage of conviction.

  Phinehas in Numbers 25 v 8 took affirmative action against Zimri and Cozbi who had brought foreign women into the Isrealite camp whilst the rest of the people stood by. His aggressive and violent response is applauded as a sign of faith and zeal for what is right. In addition prophets such as Elijah, Jeremiah and Malachi highlighted corruption and preached warnings and were applauded as fine examples of faithful men but were not universally popular at the time or heads of large factions within the nation. The majority of the nation followed the prevailing majority viewpoint.

  The New Testament is even clearer about the responsibility of the Christian to follow the examples of men of faith and that Christian have to take personal responsibility for their beliefs. Romans 14 v 12 talks about how each one will render an account of themselves to God. There is no suggestion that this can be delegated to another person or group. The Bereans were applauded as people who took this to heart constantly checking whether what they were being told was correct. Acts 17 v 11 talks about them as a fine example to be imitated. To suggest that it is unnecessary to check because “We have the truth” is not supported by the Bible. To suggest that men are imperfect and make mistakes but should be followed without question until God sorts things out is also not a view supported in the Bible accounts above. You cannot abdicate your faith to another and you cannot sign over your integrity to a group whoever they claim to be. If someone is critical of your faith then they may be the Jeremiah who is warning of the corruption within it. How will you know if you are not diligent?

  Gal 2 v 11 & 12 shows that even the men of faith such as Peter were not immune from making mistakes. But did this mean that the early Christians should not correct him or point out his error? Paul saw an issue and was forthright in his criticism. Once again this is cited as a fine example. Without checks and balances and scrutiny corruption is inevitable and then a religion becomes about control . Christianity is a dynamic faith that does not fear scrutiny but supports and encourages it. Truth does not become a lie because we look at it closely only liars fear exposure.

  So there is no scriptural basis for blind obedience if we accept that religion has representatives who are imperfect they need to be humble enough to accept that they will make mistakes and will need to be accountable to their followers for their interpretation. They should invite and expect Christians to check the validity of their claims and they should have complete transparency after all each Christian has a personal responsibility for their conduct and beliefs and this should be appreciated and accepted.
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  21

  We Are Disgusting!

  by LouBelle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so this is a follow up to the thread started regarding the contact that some jw family members made through my aunt.

  they wanted funds to put my grandmother (phylis) into an all inclusive old age home.

  they wanted contributions from my aunt and mother.

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  nugget

  The religion has created this mess. When it states that it is more important than family and teaches members to hate relatives who don't believe then it creates these issues. Whilst I am sorry for your aunt and the abuse she has suffered I am glad that she has seen Phylis's true colours. In this instance she would be used for her money but treated with contempt.

  It is good that you are there to support one another and appreciate each other for who you are not what you believe.