Posts by pirata

20

Clarifications on the 2010 Generation Overlap

by pirata in

yet another generation thread... but this clears up quite a bit of the ambiguity in the watchtower/outline explanations.

in "remain in the secret place of the most high", the closing talk of the 2010 district convention, the following clarifications were made on the 2010 generation overlap:.

the generation spoken of in exodus 1:6 includes all those mentioned whose lives overlapped (joseph, brothers, children, grandchildren).

pirata

Yet another generation thread... But this clears up quite a bit of the ambiguity in the watchtower/outline explanations

In "Remain in the Secret Place of the Most High", the closing talk of the 2010 District Convention, the following clarifications were made on the 2010 generation overlap:

The generation spoken of in Exodus 1:6 includes all those mentioned whose lives overlapped (Joseph, brothers, children, grandchildren). If a grandchild was born after Joseph died, he would not have been considered part of that generation.
The generation is said to be anointed ones because in 1914 the only hope was the heavenly hope
There are two overlapping groups of anointed ones.
The first group are the anointed ones who saw understood the significance of the events in 1914.
The time during which the person is anointed (not their lifespan) is relevant to the overlap [ I am assuming that to be anointed means that one is baptized AND has the heavenly calling. In this case Brother Barr would not have been counted in the first group since, although he was born before 1914, he was not yet anointed. This is further suggested by the illustration given in the outline of Frederick Franz who was baptized before 1914. ]
The second group are anointed ones who see the great tribulation, whose lives [as anointed ones] overlap with the first group.
We don't know how many are around from the first group
There is only ONE overlap

7

Funny book about JW's about to be published.

by TheEndIsNigh in

jw
friends

hi gang, i would really appreciate if you could take a look at my blog about the book i've written re the witnesses.

i've aimed to have a laugh at all the madness that i experienced in the 20 years i spent in the 'truth'.. i'm using the blog to get some positive comments so i can get the book published.

i've already had lot's of help.

pirata

LOL. Great Stuff!

Only one minor point of feedback:

2. The Bible Students were invented by Pastor Russell, as too was the Jehovah’s Witness sect.

May be more accurate as:

2. The Watchtower Society was invented by Pastor Russell, which directed the International Bible Students and, their relaunched brand, the Jehovah's Witnesses.

10

9/15/2010 WT- Our Active Leader Today

by serenitynow! in

yes, another 9/15/ study article thread.

the more i read this stuff the worse it gets.

page 27, paragraph 9- "today, he likewise approves of those, young or old, who refrain from delving into the "deep things of satan" by means of the internet or violent video games or by indulging in permissive human reasonings.".

pirata

"deep things of Satan" : indulging in permissive human reasonings.

"deep things of Jevovah" : accepting only the Governing Body's human reasonings.

9

Your "Authentic Self"

by pirata in

jw
friends

as i was reading a book "living the 80/20 way: work less, worry less, succeed more, enjoy more".

this section really jumped out at me:.

we're not blank slates.

pirata

hamburger?

20

What question would you ask a visiting Governing Body Member?

by pirata in

jw
friends

so if a governing body member was visiting your local district convention, and you had the opportunity to ask them a single question, what would it be?.

assume that you are still an active jw and are not looking to get df'd..

pirata

So if a governing body member was visiting your local District Convention, and you had the opportunity to ask them a single question, what would it be?

Assume that you are still an active JW and are not looking to get DF'd.

10

Not preaching semi okay?

by techdotcom in

so i havn't gone out in field service in something like 10 years.

doesn't it seem wierd that for a religion and organization that stresses the importance of 'preaching the good news', that not doing so seems so low on the discipline list?

seriously you can miss a couple of meetings and someone will probably feel you out to see if something (spirital or physical) is wrong.

pirata

Only the "Do not's" seem to be punished. Not doing the "Do's" usually just get you labelled spiritually weak.

33

I'd like to know who you were before you were baptized a JW? Were you raised a JW? What religion or denomination of Christianity did you profess before you became a JW.

by SAHARA in

if you were raised a jw, how well did you research the history of the org.

before you were baptized?

if you were a convert to the watchtower society , how well did you know the doctrines of the faith before your conversion?

pirata

I was raised, I did zero research beyond meeting preparation. I used to underline my bookstudy preparation as fast as I could so I could go play. My family encouraging me to get baptized, finally I memorized the questions in the book, passed them, and got baptized when I was a teenager because it felt like the right thing to do.

Recently, after deciding to "make the truth my own" and verify JW teachings from the scriptures, I realized that getting baptized before researching the JW history and our doctrines wasn't the best decision I've ever made.

26

Happy, Well-Adjusted JW. However... Pet Peeve. Please Sound Off Yours.

by Doubtfully Yours in

why the heck does the society have to publish more of the same stuff every single farging assembly???!!!.

as if we don't already have tons of literature already!!!

boring to keep reading the same stuff over and over and over again!!!.

pirata

99% of the applications of talks/articles is "Go in service. Study. Go to the meetings.. Comment. Pray". Repeat Ad Nauseum

ie. Publisher: Good application at the meeting today: "Go in service. Study. Go to the meetings. Comment. Pray".

Elder: Yes, the faithful slave realizes that we need those reminders day after day, week after week, month after month. It is obvious that we are not very good listeners.

Publisher: It's true, I always feel like I'm not doing enough

Elder. Going in service, study, commenting, being at the meetings and praying will help you combat those negative feelings.

9

Your "Authentic Self"

by pirata in

jw
friends

as i was reading a book "living the 80/20 way: work less, worry less, succeed more, enjoy more".

this section really jumped out at me:.

we're not blank slates.

pirata

As I was reading a book "Living the 80/20 Way: Work Less, Worry Less, Succeed More, Enjoy More". this section really jumped out at me:

we're not blank slates. Our genes determine our appearance and have a big say in other matters. As we grow up, our parents and family influence how we behave, think, and think of ourselves. Our teachers, friends, priests, bosses, and mentors mold us. The ideas and norms of our society, and the groups with whom we hang out, strongly sway us.

Yet subtract all these influences and there's still something left: the precious and strange thing called our self, our unique identity and autonomy. However pronounced the pressures on us, we have our own personality. Nobody else on the planet is the same. In a big or small way, we are bound to influence the world, maknig it different than it would be without us.

We become individuals through subtraction. Less is more.

We have the wonderful opportunity to let go of the bits of ourselves that are not authentic, not "really us" - the parts imposed by background, parents, and environment. The authentic self is a small part of our total self, yet it's the vital self. We all have special gifts, unique imaginations, our little bit of genius: the spark of life that's wholly ours.

...Developing one's authentic self, the vital and best part of oneself, is not difficult or unnatural. In being true to your self, you give up the parts of you that are not genuine or natural. You stop acting. You stop pretending to be interested or excited in things that bore you. You stop worrying about what other people think of you. What could be easier? More rewarding? What could electrify your life more?

- Living the 80/20 Way: Work Less, Worry Less, Succeed More, Enjoy More. Richard Koch. 2004. 48-49

Of course, this is in direct contrast with the JWs discouragement of independent thinking and "selfish pursuits" of one's interests. Many put on the 'new personality' to the extreme when they become JWs. Cutting off friends, cutting off hobbies that are a "waste of time", not questioning things that bother the "authentic selves", basically burying everything that defined them as a person and fitting into the new JW mold.

I think this also ties in quite nicely with Steve Hassen's "Releasing the Bonds", which I've just started reading, which describes a process to reach a cult member's "authentic identity" in order for them to realize for themselves that they are in a cult.

-------------------------

I would be interested in hearing the difference that being your "authentic self" has made in your life since exiting the JWs. Do those who fade find that they still have to hide some of their selves? How about those who have DA'd or where DF'd?

1

"you do not know the day nor the hour"

by pirata in

concerning armageddon, did jw's know:.

the hour?

no.. the day?

pirata

Concerning Armageddon, did Jw's know:

The hour? No.

The day? No.

The week? No.

So maybe the "day for a year" principle applies here?

The year? No.

The decade? No.

The century? No.

Hmmm.. maybe the "with God one day is as a thousand years" principle applies here?

In that case, there's no way to pin-point it to even the closest 1000 years...