Still in. Previously had this idea that I would help all my family see the "truth", but have now come to accept the fact that they may never see it. Now I just try the drip method of feeding little bits of information, showing as much love to them as I can, and hoping everything will click one day. By focusing the family worship on Bible reading, once in a while we have a good scriptural discussions that bring out points that the Society often doesn't. We've also incorporated the history of the organization into the family study (until the family got tired of it) which has brought out a lot of good points as well. In the meantime I'm relatively active as a JW, but not well enough so as to bring anyone new into this religion. I'm in this for the long haul. If/when it is found out that I no longer believe in this religion and I admit it's been like this for X amount of years, I want them to be able to look back and see that even without belief in this religion, I was a decent person showing love and kindness and other fruits of the spirit. Hopefully that in itself will speak volumes to those I love.
Posts by pirata
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86Are you a fader, Df'd, DA'd, or Still In?
by brotherdan ini thought this would be an interesting poll that would show everyone the backgrounds of all of us when we left, if we have.. for myself, i am not df'd, but i am attempting a fade.
i still go to some meetings with the wife to help with kids, but that's it.
no commenting or field service.. what about everyone else?.
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My wife wants to plan an anniversary party but we have different social circles...
by garyneal inperhaps some of you who are unbelieving spouses married to witnesses have had to deal with this at one point of another.
this is the first time for me and my wife and it has her concerned.
my wife wants to plan an anniversary party for us and she wants to invite everyone that she and i know.
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pirata
2 Parties!
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2011 Yearbook: Singing Praise to Jehovah
by pirata in2011 yearbook, singing praise to jehovah, p.17-21:.
singing songs of praise to jehovah is an integral part of our worship.
at the 2009 conventions, therefore, god's servants were overjoyed when they were told of a new songbook, sing to jehovah.
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pirata
bobId, other than that ONE change regarding the end coming before the end of the 20th century, which they caught after printing the magazine, no one has found any other differences between the bound volume and the WT magazine. Did you find others?
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Testimony of a JW elder and pioneer
by Hairyhegoat inthis post is from another ex jw site but the info is such a good read !
hhg.
testimony of a jw elder and pioneermy youthful exposure to religious services was limited.
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pirata
HHG, where is this other ex-jw site? Would be interesting to take a look.
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Attended The Watchtower Study Today (GAG ALERT)
by im stuck in inwent to the meeting today.
what a ra ra to be zealous in preaching sales meeting.
i was totally disgusted at the outright deception that they are spewing out.. .
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pirata
It was interesting that in today's study they presented the time element (urgency) as the secondary element in the preaching work:
(par 11) "Jesus exerted himself not simply because he had a deadline but because he was zealous - or jealous - for his Father's name and for pure worship."
(par 16) "We work hard in the ministry not only because we know we are living in the last days but also because we realize that it is God's will. He wants people to come to a knowledge of the truth so that they too can learn to worship serve him and be blessed. We are impelled to exert ourselves in the ministry, not primarily because of a time limit, but because we want to honor God's name and help people to come to know his will. We are zealous for true worship."
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2011 Yearkbook - Provisions through the Governing Body
by pirata inexcerpts from the 2011 yearbook highlights of the past year:.
tracing all things with accuracy.
(p.9) jesus said that the faithful slave would be discreet in giving the domestics "their food at the proper time".
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pirata
More details on "Singing Praise to Jehovah" excerpt here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/205739/1/2011-Yearbook-Singing-Praise-to-Jehovah
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2011 Yearkbook - Provisions through the Governing Body
by pirata inexcerpts from the 2011 yearbook highlights of the past year:.
tracing all things with accuracy.
(p.9) jesus said that the faithful slave would be discreet in giving the domestics "their food at the proper time".
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pirata
Here's another:
BROTHERLY LOVE IN ACTION IN HAITI: PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SPIRITUAL HEALING
(p.35) Shortly after the quake, David Splane of the Governing Body travelled to Haiti to provide comfort and encouragament. Brother Splane, who speaks French, addressed the brothers at a circuit assembly and met with the Bethel family, missionaries, and circuit overseers. All deeply appreciated his loving concern and the tender care of the Governing Body.
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2011 Yearbook: Singing Praise to Jehovah
by pirata in2011 yearbook, singing praise to jehovah, p.17-21:.
singing songs of praise to jehovah is an integral part of our worship.
at the 2009 conventions, therefore, god's servants were overjoyed when they were told of a new songbook, sing to jehovah.
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pirata
2011 Yearbook, Singing Praise to Jehovah, p.17-21:
Singing songs of praise to Jehovah is an integral part of our worship. At the 2009 conventions, therefore, God's servants were overjoyed when they were told of a new songbook, Sing to Jehovah. But why was a new songbook needed?
From time to time, we have revised our songbooks to keep them in line with increased spiritual light. (Prov 4:18) Preparation of a new songbook thus provides an opportunity for needed adjustments to be made to the lyrics of our songs. Wording has been selected that makes it easier to absorb the meaning of the song while it is being sung and to make the words easier to remember. To help further with memorization, many of the songs have been shortened. Where appropriate choruses have been added to provide meaningful repetition of key thoughts. In addition, an effort was made to assign each syllable of each word to a single note, rather than to place more than one syllable on a note.
A careful analysis of our previous songbook, Sing Praises to Jehovah, revealed that some of the melodies needed adjustments to make them easier to sing. As a result, some of the songs have now been lowered in pitch so that the higher notes are easier to sing. Also, not all songs were being sung exactly as they were written in the book. So in some cases the melody itself has been adjusted to match the more natural manner in which the songs were actually being sung by our brothers internationally.
Details, such as how the music is printed on the page, were given special consideration. While longer songs have been spread across two pages to accommodate the longer text of translated languages, songs have been placed so that there is no need to turn a page during a song. No songs are longer than three verses.
How was the mammoth task of preparing the new songbook accomplished? In August 2007, a team of experienced composes and lyricists were invited to assist the Governing Body with the project. All of the songs in the previous songbook were examined meticulously to identify problems with doctrinal content, word emphasis, and melodic issues. It was apparent that some of the older melodies were fine but that they required new lyrics. Other songs that required little adjustment to lyrics needed substantial changes to their melodies. Then, the Teaching Committee of the Governing Body approved a list of topics to be considered in songs for Christian meetings, assemblies, conventions and dedication programs.
In addition, the composers took time to reexamine the style of music used by our brothers at our meetings. To produce reverent yet appealing songs, they avoided music that sounded like hymns used in Christendom's churches. At the same time, they did not want songs of praise to Jehovah to lean toward styles that have become popular in many charismatic churches.
Throughout the project, the Governing Body carefully monitored the composition and words of each song. Groups of new songs that the Governing Body was not familiar with were recorded by singers for the Governing Body to listen to and review. As soon as these songs were approved, they were sent to translating branches for translation of the lyrics so that vernacular songbooks could be released at the same time as the English songbook.
Additionally, in 2007, the Governing Body arranged for a chorus of singers to produce recordings that would help the congregation members to learn the songs. For many years a volunteer orchestra from 14 branches has assembled about twice a year at Patterson, New York, to record music for educational programs produced by Jehovah's Witnesses, including dramas, video productions, and musical accompaniment for conventions and assemblies. These dedicated brothers and sisters, many of them full-time ministers, use their time and resources to travel and record music for the benefit of the international brotherhood. All are skilled musicians. The orchestral recordings are then shared with branches around the world to provide background music for their conventions and for the production of vocal renditions in dozens of local languages. Many of the vocal recordings made at the branches are now available for download from our Web site www.jw.org.
What has been the reaction to the new songbook, Sing to Jehovah? This letter from a sister is typical of hundreds of letters of appreciation that have been received: “Please allow me to begin this letter by thanking you for the beautiful new songs in our new songbook. They are moving, faith-strengthening, and comforting – a delightful gift from Jehovah.”
It is our desire that the songbook Sing to Jehovah will be a source of comfort and encouragement to our worldwide brotherhood. Whether we are alone or gathered together with our fellow worshipers, may we use it to express our love for our heavenly father, Jehovah!
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2011 Yearkbook - Provisions through the Governing Body
by pirata inexcerpts from the 2011 yearbook highlights of the past year:.
tracing all things with accuracy.
(p.9) jesus said that the faithful slave would be discreet in giving the domestics "their food at the proper time".
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pirata
More details on the "Tracing All Things with Accuracy" section here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/205732/1/2011-Yearbook-Tracing-All-Things-with-Accuracy
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2011 Yearbook - "Tracing All Things with Accuracy"
by pirata in2011 yearbook - "tracing all things with accuracy", p.9-13.
jesus said that the faithful slave would be discreet in giving the domestics "their food at the proper time.
" christ thus indicated that those who dispense this "food" would be conscientious, prudent, and discerning in providing spiritual food for the household of faith.-matt.
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pirata
2011 Yearbook - "Tracing All Things with Accuracy", p.9-13
Jesus said that the faithful slave would be discreet in giving the domestics "their food at the proper time." Christ thus indicated that those who dispense this "food" would be conscientious, prudent, and discerning in providing spiritual food for the household of faith.-Matt. 24:45-47.
In our time, Christ's anointed brothers use the Writing Department in Brooklyn, New York, to provide spiritual information in the form of magazines, brochures, books, and other printed and electronic material. This spiritual food, like physical food, has to be well prepared. Even Bible writers, who were directed by holy spirit, made sure that they recorded information that was thoroughly researched and accurate. Luke, for example, spoke to many eyewitnesses and "traced all things from the start with accuracy."-Luke 1:1-4.
The Writing Department follows the pattern of 'tracing all things with accuracy'. But where can reliable information be found? While the Internet is a convenient and quick source of vast amounts of information, our researchers do not rely on blogs or poorly documented Web entries written by unidentified or unqualified persons. For example, Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, warns that some articles on its own site "contain significant misinformation, unencyclopedic content, or vandalism," adding that "users need to be aware of this." Thus, the Writing Department looks to standard reference woks, articles written by recognized experts, and books produced by respected publishers.
The Writing Department itself has a comprehensive library with thousands of books. Additionally, our researchers make use of nearby public and academic libraries. They can also obtain specialized material from other sources by means of interlibrary loans. One of the large university libraries that our researchers use has some five million books, 58,000 periodicals, 5.4 million microforms, and thousands of electronic databases. The Writing Department also maintains a large archive of clippings, experiences, and historical information that is constantly being updated with material from local sources as well as from our branch offices around the world.
Of course, it is as Ecclesiastes 12:12 reminds us: "To the making of many books there is no end." Even reputable sources may contain false information. So how do we check for quality, accuracy, and reliability?
Take, for example, the following statement in the brochure Was Life Created? about spider silk being one of the strongest materials on earth: "If enlarged to the size of a football field, a web of dragline silk 0.4 inch thick with strands 1.6 inches apart could stop a jumbo jet in flight!" Although the source for this statement was a reputable science magazine, it was not the original source, and the original source was ambiguous. Therefore, it became necessary to contact the researcher who made the original statement and check how he reached this conclusion. Our researchers also had to find the formula and the information needed to calculate for themselves what impact a jumbo jet may have on a spiderweb the size of a football field. Many hours of research and meticulous calculations eventually confirmed the accuracy of this astounding piece of information.
At times, though, even a seemingly reputable source may fail to corroborate details adequately. For example: Gandhi has been quoted as saying at his ashram (religious retreat) to Lord Irwin: "When your country and mine shall get together on the teachings laid down by Christ in this Sermon on the Mount, we shall have solved the problems not only of our country but those of the whole world." However, a thorough investigation of this statement revealed that there is no evidence that Lord Irwin ever visited Gandhi at his ashram, raising unanswered questions about where, when, and whether Gandhi made this statement. Hence, our publications do not use this particular quote anymore.
Or you may have read about the incident involving Sir Isaac Newton and a model of the solar system. Reportedly, a visiting atheist asked: "Who made it?" When Newton answered, "Nobody!" the atheist replied, "You must think I am a fool!" Newton is then said to have told the atheist that his puny imitation of the much grander solar system proves there there has to be a designer or a maker. As appealing as this account may be, historical sources, as well as Newton scholards and biographers, cannot provide evidence that this conversation really occurred. Interestingly, the earliest reference to this incident appeared in the early 1800's using, not Newton's name, but the name of German scholar Athanasius Kircher. Consequently, our Writing Department no longer uses this account in our publications.
Sometimes even minor statements require additional research to confirm their accuracy. For instance, a brother may say in his life story that he was born in Czechoslovakia in 1915. But Czechoslovakia did not come into existence until 1918. So, where was he born? Settling the question might require examining old maps or historical records.
Then, too, a brother may state in his experience that he was baptized in San Francisco on a specific date. Careful scrutiny, however, might reveal that there was no convention or assembly on that date in that city. How can such a discrepancy be reconciled? Individual memories can at times be fragile. While the brother would probably not get confused about the place of his baptism, he might not accurately recall the date of the event. It is usually possible to confirm the accuracy of the details by cross-checking various sources of information.
In summary, the Writing Department insists on using only material that is accurate and truthful, even regarding seemingly insignificant details. As a result, "the faithful and discreet slave" can consistently supply spiritual food that brings honor to "The God of truth," Jehovah.-Ps. 31:5