just consider some of the questions i found, not worrying about the responses:.
***w50 12/1 p.496 questions from readers***.
in view of what deuteronomy 4:15-23 has to say about the making of any graven image, would it be considered scripturally correct.
Oh, pirata you have to tell me more. What kind of fuss could there be about caffeine?
I was told (a while before the article came out) that in one asian country that some were asking why it is okay to drink caffeinated beverages to the point that your dependent on them (since caffeine is a highly addictive substance, somewhat like alcohol); and that this discussion had spread to quite a few congregations.
one of the questions i ask jws before discussing anything with them is:.
"what facts, evidence or otherwise would you consider as proof that jehovah's witnesses are not the true religion?".
i thought it was unfair to simply ask that of them so i figured i'd answer a similar question:.
Claims = Facts
just consider some of the questions i found, not worrying about the responses:.
***w50 12/1 p.496 questions from readers***.
in view of what deuteronomy 4:15-23 has to say about the making of any graven image, would it be considered scripturally correct.
According to a recent talk given by a member of the writing committee, Questions from Readers are no longer questions directly from readers. He stated something to the effect of 'The Governing Body, who are also readers of the Watchtower magazine, decide on what questions to raise'.
It would probably be more honest to call the QFR "Reminders from the Governing Body".
A lot of the recent "is it okay to..." questions seem to come after some JWs raise enough of a fuss about a matter that it needs to be addressed in print. The Caffeine question above arose from one such a fuss (as I heard about the fuss quite a while before the question came out in QFR). I wouldn't be suprised if the same thing happened with toasting, some got offended/stumbled and made an issue of it.
pledge of allegiance in schools ruled constitutional (update1)by joel rosenblatt and karen gullo.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=avwtvb7pg9g0.
march 11 (bloomberg) -- reciting the pledge of allegiance with its reference to god in public schools doesnt violate the u.s. constitutions separation of church and state, a federal appeals court ruled.. the u.s. court of appeals in san francisco disagreed with michael newdow, an atheist who sued a school district near sacramento, california, challenging the use of the phrase under god in the pledge.. we hold that the pledge of allegiance does not violate the establishment clause because congress ostensible and predominant purpose was to inspire patriotism, the court said it todays decision.
Most JW kids skip school nowadays anyway, don't they? Patriotism is not in the homeschooling venue, I hear.
Most JW kids I know go to public school.
it's amazing what you notice when you go through the bible again with a changed worldview.
this week's watchtower-assigned bible reading is the opening chapters of 1 samuel.
this little gem just jumped off the page at me:.
Remember that when Thomas said to Jesus "My God and My Lord" he was really saying "Oh my God!".
Thus when Eli said that "Jehovah is a Killer" he was really saying "Jehovah is Killer" (ie. Wicked, awesome).
i was reading some older posts on a thread about beating your children.
i noticed some on there commented that the witnesses no longer teach that.. they did however say that the fact to not "spare the rod" is handed down to the next generation.. anyone have the current teaching of the witnesses on this?.
a funny thing i read in the thread was an example the wtbts gave of how animals discipline their kids..they spank them..for thier own good!.
When I was a kid, kids in the hall used to get spanked all the time for making sounds or being naughty. I see much less of that now.
The phrase "use the rod" for years was taken to be giving your kid a good whack when he or she "misbehaves". Now it more popular to think of the "rod" as a "staff" that the shepherd uses to guide the sheep by gently tapping them so that they don't stray from the flock.
It's interesting how the current view of discipline in society can affect how one reads the scriptures.
my manager expects (never directly ordered me), but expects me to have my work laptop booted up at home every evening after work, all weekend long and every holiday so i can monitor my email and promptly respond to emails.. .
am i wrong for being pissed off about this?.
the company i work for is always talking about their "work life balance" program for employees.
Ask them to buy you a blackberry and pay the monthly bill. No reasonable company expectes their employee to sit around their computer 24/7.
were any of you really bothered/still bothered by the practice of field service reporting?.
there was an old post on here that got me thinking how the practice got started.. instead of simply being a tool to monitor the progress of the faith, or to see if the work was done "throughout the earth", it appears to me that it was just a tool used to keep the presses rolling and to see how much literature to produce - along with controlling the rank and file.
the average jw gives it no thought, its just another "blessing" from the organization when you hear the monthly reports, etc.. the organization is so statistics-driven that they make jesus out to be a ceo with people who need to meet their sales quotas.i'm sure he really wouldnt care if peter and andrew got 20 hours one month and john got 25. wait, maybe thats why john was "beloved" .
MS' and Elder's typically need to meet or exceed the national average or congregation average (whichever is higher) to be considered for appointment. In some congregations in Asia all of the MS' & Elders pioneer, so you also have to be a pioneer in order to qualify. Rationale is that you need to set an example relative to your local congregation to be appointed.
One elder I knew used to get his wife to go out in service for him at the end of the month so that he could fill out her hours on his report.
my wife wants me to get a nice family bible for us.. i have interlinears and study bibles but she wants a "simple one", lol !.
i know which types she wants - harcover, with a lacth, beautiful old drawings, the kind that i h ave to sell a kidney to get !.
i think that i would like a nice hardcover, leather one, i don't know the difference between genuine and bonded leather.. i would like some nice illustrations, i always find those old time black and white drawings in some older bible so beautiful.. i think a niv verison is good for the whole family ( easy to read and understand) and those with a thumb index would be great too !.
When you say family bible, do you mean a version with all the Nudity, Violence, Sex and Spiritism removed?
1914 is a very significant date for true believers.
faithful and eager students of the scriptures figured out (and "proved") jesus would return to kill the wicked and reward the meek in 1874. the signs were obvious.
(but, it didn't happen.
My money's on 2034 as the next big date prediction:
1) 1914+120 (Just as the days of Noah, so will the presence of the son of man be)
2) 1914+60+60 (Two overlapping "contemporary" generations)
3) 33CE+2001 (Jesus Resurrection on the 3rd day (a day with God the same as a thousand years))
