Joseph Joachim

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Posts by Joseph Joachim

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  9

  JWS - the Self-Referenced Organization

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in media presentations and defenses made in court, witnesses are.

  portrayed as having all beliefs and practises derived strictly.

  from the bible.. many of us here painfully realize this is a fiction.

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  Joseph Joachim

  I wonder what scripture this is based on taken from the Pay Attention to the Flock book?
  Quote:
  Strong circumstantial evidence, such as pregnancy or evi-
  dence (testified to by at least two witnesses) that the
  accused stayed all night in the same house with a person of
  the opposite sex (or in the same house with a known
  homosexual ) under improper circumstances, is acceptable.

  Blondie my darling, I don't know about scriptural support, but this is one of the very rare occasions of sheer common sense in WT-land.

  Think about the beard issue. Growing a beard is the issue that got me started; it was the "straw" of final fame.

  Francoise, that was also the last straw for me. When I finally decided that I was definitely not going back after some months of being in and out, I grew my beard as way of "letter of disassociation". It caused the same effect in some brothers, who started shunning me after that. But those who were closer to me and/or not so braindead don't shun me (and it's been 5 years since). So I guess it's a good way to say good-bye without formally DA-ing. I don't know what sisters could do, though.

  JJ
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  23

  What church should I go to now?

  by serenaj92 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they all have the american flag, crosses, and symbols.

  if i go to the kingdom hall i will just get shunned and i do need association.

  my husband won't let me take my son to a church.

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  Joseph Joachim

  If I go to the kingdom hall I will just get shunned and I do need association.

  What about making friends among your co-workers or something like that? I don't understand why going to church is so important for Americans.
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  12

  Awakening of a JW/new book/Wilson,Bergman

  by Tina in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just received the new prometheus books catalog.. ' awakening of a jehovah's witness-escape from the watchtower society diane wilson, forward and appendix by jerry bergman,ph.d'.

  the catalog gave it some major space.. i'll convey the blurb as written.. 'this tale of mind control,the use of fear to manipulate vulnerable people,and final escape from a suffocating cult enviornment is a revealing expose of a secretive contemporary sect,as well as a true psychological thriller.

  diane wilson spent 25 precious years of her life,first becoming indoctrinated by the dogma of the watchtower society,and then struggling to free herself from it's pervasive,intimidating clutches.. what she reveals about the goings on within the closed watchtower society will shock the average person who assumes the polite,well-dressed people who pass out leaflets are much like any other conservative religious group.

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  Joseph Joachim

  This tale of mind control,the use of fear to manipulate vulnerable people,and final escape from a suffocating cult enviornment is a revealing expose of a secretive contemporary sect,as well as a true psychological thriller.

  It sounds like a new "30 years a Watchtower slave" forthcoming. We'll have to wait and see but I'm afraid this will be the tipical I'm-a-resented-apostate type of book. Paul Kurtz's lapsuses are rare but have happened in the past (like publishing a book by one of those "Primal Scream" crackpot theorists).

  JJ
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  9

  Did the entire first century congregation preach?

  by Leander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been wondering about that question for the past few weeks.

  in my recollection it seems that the disciples were the primary ones engaged in the preaching work.

  where the other members of the 1st congregation involved in that preaching work as well?

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  Joseph Joachim

  Leander,

  I think your question is pointless, since we're not living in the first century. Metatron is right, first-century Christians were very zealous because: 1) they thought Christ's Second Coming was imminent and 2) Christianity was a new religion in a mostly Jewish and pagan environment. Now tell me, who would you preach to in the XXIst century, in countries that are mostly Christian? Unless you have your own sectarian version that you want to propagate for non-christian motives, which is precisely what JW do.

  JJ
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  14

  What is the most UNFULFILLED prophecy inthe bible

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the" creator book "helps us to see how many of the bibles predictions came true.. for instance on pg 106 we find,.

  "consider this point.

  isaiah wrote about babylons final situation:babylon the decoration of kingdoms, the beauty of the pride of the chaldeans, must become as when god overthrew sodom and gomorrah.she will never be inhabited, nor will she reside for generation after generation".

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  Joseph Joachim

  Also it is said that often you cannot understand prophecy untill after the event.

  That's my father's line. When I ask him "Whatever happened with the King of the North after the collapse of the Soviet Union? Wasn't he supposed to last until Armaggedon?", he says that the King will change his identity but we have to wait for future developments.

  Again what purpose does that serve?

  The Society can always claim that that they got it wrong the first time because they were running ahead of time.
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  14

  What is the most UNFULFILLED prophecy inthe bible

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the" creator book "helps us to see how many of the bibles predictions came true.. for instance on pg 106 we find,.

  "consider this point.

  isaiah wrote about babylons final situation:babylon the decoration of kingdoms, the beauty of the pride of the chaldeans, must become as when god overthrew sodom and gomorrah.she will never be inhabited, nor will she reside for generation after generation".

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  Joseph Joachim

  Evidently the most unfulfilled prophecy was the coming of the Messiah for Israel. It took the book of Hebrews to try to convince the Jewish that the "Messiah" they got was actually what Jeho-bah had promised in the Old Testament.

  The second most unfulfilled prophecy is the Second Coming of Christ. Many ex-JW scorn the WT teaching that the "last days" started counting in 1914. Apparently it makes more sense to them that the "last days" have been running for 2000 years ...

  JJ
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  4

  Teachings of WT have to be examined.

  by avengers in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "higher" education not needed in god's new order.

  in the june 8, 1967 issue, the awake!

  magazine printed an article on pages 3-8 entitled "second thoughts about a college education.

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  Joseph Joachim

  That was my point. What the average JW considers "the Truth" is whatever appears in the latest magazine. You should know this if you had ever been a Witness.
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  4

  Teachings of WT have to be examined.

  by avengers in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "higher" education not needed in god's new order.

  in the june 8, 1967 issue, the awake!

  magazine printed an article on pages 3-8 entitled "second thoughts about a college education.

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  Joseph Joachim

  Avengers,

  The WTS has changed its attitud towards high education, at least in print. I went to college while I was still a JW in the 90's and no one could openly object to this. There was gossip, of course, but they had no support from the Society's publications and I could easily shut them up. So who are you trying to persuade by quoting magazines from the 60's? Any JW who reads your post will say "You see, apostates are always using old publications to misrepresent 'the truth'"

  You sound as if you have never been a JW. If that's the case and you're one of those born-againers looking for souls to save, I'd kindly suggest going to preach somewhere else.
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  38

  Help!! I am extremely confused.

  by Leander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm at a definite crossroad in my life right now and i don't know which direction to turn.. for my entire life i've been taught to believe in one thing but now i'm seeing things that i never knew where there before.

  i find it very disturbing that there has been so many predictions the wts has made in the past that failed to come true.

  also the bouncing back and forth on certain doctrines make me question my beliefs.. but on the other hand i can't ignore things like the fact the organization is growing while other religions are on the decline.

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  Joseph Joachim

  Leander,

  There's little I can add to the other answers. What I can see as your biggest problem is what Biblexaminer said: you're still seeing the world you with JW eyes. If you go on that way, the next wrong question you're going to ask is: "OK, if the JW aren't the true religion, then which one is it?" And you will end up in some fundamentalist born-again christian group.

  So my advice is: take it easy, take your time, read, and learn how to think logically. We've all been there. There's no need to rush, because Armaggedon is not coming.

  Best wishes,

  J.J.
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  7

  Does God Make Mistakes?

  by Undecided in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was thinking about some of the comments in the bible where god had regrets.

  gen. 6:6 does this mean he felt it was a mistake to make humans?.

  when he decreed that nineveh would be destroyed and then changed his mind after they repented, would it have been a mistake if he had destroyed them before they had time to repent?.

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  Joseph Joachim

  It seems the bible makes God almost human at times.

  Exactly, this is always the case with "J", one of the five writers (or schools of writers) of the Penthateuch. Gen 6:6 was written by J, as chapter 2 of Gen was (where you can see Yahweh walking in the Garden of Eden). J makes God much more anthropomorphic than the other writers.

  I'd suggest you take a look at the book "Who wrote the Bible" by Friedman.

  JJ