election year is approaching.
are we ready for the political campaigns?
for those who vote, does it really matter whether we vote democrat or republican?.
Election year is approaching. Are we ready for the political campaigns?
For those who vote, does it really matter whether we vote Democrat or Republican?
Corruption is so rampant... should we engage in politics and still be Christian? What is your take?
here's an excerpt from this weeks watchtower study in 1950: .
*** w50 6/15 p. 180 a victory dedicated to jehovahs honor ***.
the strategy, and the attack.
Thanks Lore for the excerpt.
I am one of those who thinks that earlier WT writers had a bit more leeway than writers today. Earlier writers were allowed writing articles which displayed more depth and imagination, at least perceptibly more than today.
Some of WT writers are obviously potentially capable enough to write well. But they are so restricted by the controlling-prone Governing Body. It must not be easy being a WT writer, and having this ability to write ideas well, but not allowed to do so. They write withing very rigid guidelines, thus are hampered by WT theological agenda. WT study articles of the last few decades show this restrictive tendencies very well.
On the positive side, I have seen a polishing of some of their articles, where they seem more refined than earlier articles... less depth, and more tendentious, but more polished.
I was a Watchtower study conductor for some time, and I became increasinglly annoyed at the WT tactics of indoctrination. I remember that for some articles, I would ask another elder to conduct the WT meeting, because I could not conscientiously do so, until I decided to resign as an elder.
i received this email from a friend of a friend:.
'comments made by brother lett at morning worship today.. the comments were about the work we have of bearing witness of the truth.
" again, the angels make note of it.. we knock at the fifth house and again no one is home.
I too like the newer more realistic versions.
Notwithstanding, Mr. Lett and his buddies at Brooklyn know too well that most people at the doors don't answer the door, but the cycle of money turning doesn't stop. We know that publishers have to contribute for the literature whether they collect for it or not. It's a senseless treadmill for most everybody except for the WT bank accounts. This system has sustained the WT for what, twenty years or so? Boy, I am glad I don't have to put up with that scheme any longer.
another ex-dub was talking to me about nutrition and healthy lifestyle, natural remedies, etc.
i've been getting into it.. i came across dr. fuhrman.
he's an authority (board certified family physician).
ziddina:
Didn't realize I was following a diet, per se. You may be right. Anyways, I feel comfortable to the point that it does not feel like one advertised diet.
Oh, I enjoy moderate drinking... beer and wine, mostly.
another ex-dub was talking to me about nutrition and healthy lifestyle, natural remedies, etc.
i've been getting into it.. i came across dr. fuhrman.
he's an authority (board certified family physician).
I suggest caution to anyone going vegan 100%. I know of cases where vegans ended up with cancer and/or death prematurely. Close to me had two co-workers die prematurely and one could say they were fanatic vegans. Another had her tongue removed because of cancer. She kept up with everything healthwise.She avoided meats altogether.
My father hardly ever ate veggies, didn't exercise, was overweight, ate lots of meats, (pork, etc), and still lived to a "normal" 82. He died of a stroke, due to high blood pressure, because he didn't keep up with medication. He outlived some of the vegans I know by decades of lifetime. He was still strong and active when he had the stroke. Perhaps, my Dad lived a normal life because he ate homemade meals, though he had bad practices.
Like others stated here, balance is the key. I like my wine with meals, love x-virgin olive oil, and I eat my veggies. My wife is a SDA, so she does not cook pork, so I eat pork less than before. I don't take any diets, because they are for me an irritation. I avoid sodas and try to eat homemade meals. I cannot emphasize that enough. HOMEMADE meals. Avoid anything processed, at least, keep it to a minimum. Just the basics. I don't follow warnings that I should not use salt, or eat eggs. No, I enjoy the salt moderately. I love eggs a few times a week. Nutritionists change their theories every few years, a few decades at most. So what they preach today as true nutrition may be wrong science 10 years from now. It reminds me of WT doctrines where they change at whim.
i didn't want it to get buried and i'd really like to know.. so i knew pretty much what he was saying was true, but what i don't get is how the creative accounting works.. i mean you have to show expenses on the ledger - and i mean real expenses, like the co/do expenses along with receipts.. you have actual costs for the power coming into the building.
the paper supplies and cleaning supplies.
the vacuum cleaners and mops and other sundry items, and you have to have receipts for all that.. i also know that when you made a "donation" it was off the books at the circuit level as far as accounts were concerned.. but how is money not being accounted for?.
I don't trust their accounting methods anymore than I do of their application of scriptures such as Acts 20:20 (house-to-house) and Matthew 24:45 (faithful and discreet slave).
did anyone else catch this in the talk at the convention 'are you behaving as kingdom citizen?'.
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godrulz said: "Stats and accountability may have a place in sales, etc., but to make it a tool for assessing character, loyalty to God/org., salvation stick, etc. is wrong and unprecedented for true Christians who freely share their faith without record keeping for men that can be used against you."
How true!
though i have never been a pentecostal, i remember well the frequent stories i heard of this religious movement while going from house-to-house in the past.
i wonder if you guys heard similar stories.
one story i heard a few times was about the confession of some males going to pentecostal churches to peek at girls throwing themselves all over the floor in epileptic movements, and some mention the word "panties" being exposed as an attraction to them.
dgp: You are entitled to your opinion, i.e. that I feel the Watchtower is better. Though I have never said that, but I tend to react depending on the audience. Don't we all do that at times?
If I see a lot of folks attacking the WTS here like if it was the worst evil imaginable... like if there is not anything good to be found there, I may react by pointing out something good about them to even things out, or something equally bad of other religions. But when I talk to JW's inside the Borg, I focus on the problems there. My brother for instance, don't want to see me at all, or hear from me. He thinks the opposite of you. And he certainly knows me better than you do. One of my daughters did not address a word to me for over 7 years. Ouch! In fact, I don't even know where she lives. Why?
Because I said some things which made her feel like I was attacking Jehovah's Organization. And the rest of my family avoid me like I had leprosy. Watchtower better? I don't think so. However hurt I feel about the way I have been treated for nearly 20 years since I left the WTS, I make an effort not to dwell on hate, since I realize I have no right to do any judging (though I fail more than I would like). I also remember James words (2:13): "Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." Thus, we need to be merciful to everyone. Easier said than done.
Though I have brought out some mishaps with my experiences with Pentecostals, I too have seen many Witnesses act very non-Christian toward others. In business dealings, I don't see how others could be worse than Witnesses taking advantage of their brothers, with fraud, non-payment of debts, etc. Sex wise, I have seen homosexuals in various congregations acting out. One sister, wife of an elder was having sex with another woman when her husband caught them in action. And how many times did I experience a sister trying to "cock-tease" me even though they were married. One time, as a traveling salesperson, I was passing by this street where an elder lived and his wife waved at me and asked me to come in. I did. I know it was wrong, but I did it anyway. Well, this elder's wife made sure to bend over with no bra and played with a kitten for a while, exposing her "soul" and during that time she kept looking at my crotch. Christian spirit? Not while I was there. But though I was turned on, I went away without touching or insinuating any sexual intention on my part, Yes, I did wrong by watching the scene, but in time corrected my sinful tendency.
I could cite many other experiences. I have seen JW's pick up a total stranger at the Mall and have sex with the stranger ending in pregnancy, without ever knowing the other person's name. I have heard similar stories all around. Pentecostals may be more aggressive in some areas, but JW's are more secretive in their sinful ways.
How true the bible statement: "[We] all have sinned and fall short of God's glory." (Romans 3:23)
though i have never been a pentecostal, i remember well the frequent stories i heard of this religious movement while going from house-to-house in the past.
i wonder if you guys heard similar stories.
one story i heard a few times was about the confession of some males going to pentecostal churches to peek at girls throwing themselves all over the floor in epileptic movements, and some mention the word "panties" being exposed as an attraction to them.
For those who think that I think the Watchtower folks are much better than Pentecostals or other, let me just say that I am against organized religion. Period! Whether its the WT or Pentecostal, Baptist or other, I see flaws in all of them because they are all human.
The only thing I am pointing out is that for some reason, I had more access to Pentecostal experiences from "door-to-door" service than from other groups. Here in USA, I have had more experience with Evangelical Protestants, (Baptists, etc). From my exposure of three main groups, Pentecostals, Baptists, and JW's, the Pentecostals get more easily fired up from bible discussion. But JW's are just as self-righteous, and closed up, if not more, than other religious groups, but they are usually more cunning with their approach.
For instance, the Pentecostals and Baptists attack JW's in derogatory language, plenty of books out there are found focusing on "cults," and I have read many of them. The language is not pretty. It is insulting to not only JW's, but also insulting to the intelligence of evangelicals as well, by heavy twisting of facts and half-truths. On the other hand, the JW's do not write any books focusing on just one group, they usually attack the Catholics and Protestants in blanket fashion. And the tone of language is more subtle, "smoothed out" compared to the tone exhibited by cultist books. The end result is the same. One is not justified over the other. Both camps fail miserably at portraying Scripture. I see good and bad in both. And I for one, admit candidly that the "shunning" of JW's is as evil as anything evil of Catholics and Protestants. In the shunning department, the JW's win... they take it to the extreme and make the Pentecostals look tame. But the JW's do not kill directly in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan, but indirectly they "kill" as well. Just different methods, but the end result is not so different between the groups. Both camps have a lot of accounting to do before the Father and the Son. I also believe that INDIVIDUALS from any of these groups, if sincere, can find truth and wisdom in God's Word.
though i have never been a pentecostal, i remember well the frequent stories i heard of this religious movement while going from house-to-house in the past.
i wonder if you guys heard similar stories.
one story i heard a few times was about the confession of some males going to pentecostal churches to peek at girls throwing themselves all over the floor in epileptic movements, and some mention the word "panties" being exposed as an attraction to them.
Perhpas we all have seen strange things happen in the JW's religious movement as well. But generally speaking, JW's come across as milder than Pentecostals. Pentecostals for some reason, can become nasty and mean. I will give you an example.
While I stayed in the Caribbean for a few years, I used to go this Kingdom Hall which incidentally had a Pentecostal Church right next to the KH's backyard, and distance wise, very close. Back then, air conditioning was not common in the island among Church buildings. So, it was almost impossible to enjoy our meetings because all the noise they would make. This went on for months, until one of the elders, which I remember was a very nice mild-mannered man, went over to the Pastor of their Church to bring it to their attention. He got very reactive, even threatening the elder, and told him that it was not going to change one bit. The pastor told the JW elder to seal up the Kingdom Hall if it bothered them.
Guess what, after that confrontation, Pentecostals got louder. Yes, they raised the volume of their amplifier to annoy us further. Then they started throwing their garbage over our fences. This went on for months, and I came to admire the "Christian" spirit manifested by the JW elders in this case, in constrast with the evil inclinations of the other religious party. We just kept picking up the garbage week after week, month after month. As regards to the noise, the congregation had to save some money before they had air conditioning installed in the KH. Even so, we could hear their noise. I was there for about five years and in most of that time, there was not one sign from any of the Pentecostals to seek communication with us, to calm things down.
With this experience, I am not implying that all Pentecostals are bad and that all JW's are as good behaving. Like I said before, I have met some Pentecostals which seemed more "Christian" than the average Witness.
