respectful_observer

Joined

• started 28 topics
• posted 1,004 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by respectful_observer

• 
  3

  The Devil Made Me do it!

  by criticalwitness in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just my thoughts on the orgs consistent beating of the proverbial drum of satan the devil - first off i have never once met a person who has had such an encounter with devil or any of his demon cohorts and stories told me by word of mouth the person who said saw such things always had some mental issue.

  if this devil where in fact real to reveal himself to anyone would prove there is a god for if there is evil there is good and whatever temp suffering this devil could conjure up would be worth enduring because one would know beyond a shadow of a doubt there is a god!

  thats logical.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  I recently had a discussion on the "devil [or demons] made me do it" recently with a family member. I asked...

  ................................

  "HOW did the demons influence her to do wrong?"

  "Well she was tempted by that man."

  "Okay, so was the man being directed by the demons?"

  "Yes."

  "So you're saying he was possessed?"

  "Well no, but the demons can make people do things."

  "Okay, how? What's the actual action the demon takes to force a person to do something? If they can't read our minds, how can they influence our thoughts?"

  "Well Satan and the demons pollute our minds with things that we see, like through movies."

  "Oh, so you're saying that if a movie has unclean elements, it means that it's been made by someone possessed by a demon?"

  "No, of course not!"

  "I guess I must be stupid for not getting this. If we agree that Satan and the demons cannot read our minds, and therefore can't control our thoughts, then any demonic influence must makes it's way into humankind through demon possession, right? I mean, at SOME POINT there has to be a demon/human interaction to make the 'transfer' of demonic influence, right?"

  "Right."

  "So then all those movie directors and advertising executives are possessed?!"

  "No, of course not."

  "Well then, HOW do Satan and the demons make people do things?"

  "Nevermind, you clearly don't get it."

  ..............................

  Clearly I don't.
• 
  42

  Nephew Readying for Harvard

  by snowbird in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since he disregarded the elders' "encouragement" to turn down the fellowship offer from harvard, he's being deleted as a ministerial servant.. he leaves in august.. i'm so happy for and proud of him!.

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  Replied.
• 
  42

  Nephew Readying for Harvard

  by snowbird in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since he disregarded the elders' "encouragement" to turn down the fellowship offer from harvard, he's being deleted as a ministerial servant.. he leaves in august.. i'm so happy for and proud of him!.

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  snowbird, you have a PM.
• 
  26

  After twenty four years of loyal service, I am about to commit treason...

  by CaptainSchmideo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  of a sort.. i have been with the same company for 24 years, and the last 5 have not been very enjoyable for me.

  i like the owner of the company, but the management team is terrible, and the dept.

  i work in (tech service) is demoralized.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  I faced a similar situation myself once. While interviewing for another position, I was venting my guilt about leaving to a mentor within the company. His response was, "Never feel bad about leaving for a better opportunity. Who do you owe more responsibility to, your family and yourself or this company? R_O, this is a JOB, not your life. If we didn't pay you each week, you wouldn't show up here. You're only here because we pay you. If another company can pay you more, you'd be stupid not take it. The only thing you owe us is your hard work while you're here-- that's it."

  He also reminded me that EVERYONE is replaceable. We may think of ourselves as exceptions to that rule, but in reality EVERYONE is replaceable.

  The only other advice I'd give, is that if you do interview and get an offer...but still really love your current job/boss that much, go to your boss and give him the opportunity to counter-offer. Who knows, he might surprise you!
• 
  25

  Dumbest crazy YEARBOOK experience ever...talking demonic snake silenced by Witness!!

  by Witness 007 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i loved reading the yearbook each year as soon as it came out....lots of encouraging experiences and they were all true of course, like this one from africa..... yearbook 1967 p.105 "a large crowd was following a man who had a talking serpent {like the muppets}...the serpent gave greetings and spoke in foreign tongues {college educated maybe}....a brother passing by went into the house, as soon as he did the serpent stopped talking.

  the man cried out "a magican has entered the room.

  " the brother asked the man "is that a serpent or a demon that has spoken to you?...not one serpent has ever spoken except the one in the garden of eden"...seeing that the serpent remained silent the man left the house....he was anxious later to get some literature....".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  Of course, this is coming from the same Org that spent last Spring amping up millions of people around the world with the DC invite.

  "'New Light'! Come, find out what prophetic meaning the toes on the statue mean!!"

  "Okay I'm here, what's the big surprise?"

  "The toes mean NOTHING! No significance at all! Yay 'New Light!'"
• 
  25

  Dumbest crazy YEARBOOK experience ever...talking demonic snake silenced by Witness!!

  by Witness 007 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i loved reading the yearbook each year as soon as it came out....lots of encouraging experiences and they were all true of course, like this one from africa..... yearbook 1967 p.105 "a large crowd was following a man who had a talking serpent {like the muppets}...the serpent gave greetings and spoke in foreign tongues {college educated maybe}....a brother passing by went into the house, as soon as he did the serpent stopped talking.

  the man cried out "a magican has entered the room.

  " the brother asked the man "is that a serpent or a demon that has spoken to you?...not one serpent has ever spoken except the one in the garden of eden"...seeing that the serpent remained silent the man left the house....he was anxious later to get some literature....".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  Wait, wait...without being able to read the experience in context, if I'm understanding it correctly:

  · man (supposedly) has a talking snake

  · JW goes to his house to see it (which is odd to me anyway. Isn't that sort of like a J-dub intentionally going to check out a "haunted house" or palm reader, just to see what would happen???)

  · JW walks in and the snake.....doesn't talk. (Surprise!!)

  So why is that worthy of a Yearbook experience? Maybe the guy just realized his ventriloquist act wasn't going to work on this guy...

  R_O
• 
  18

  Are the Witnesses opposing God with their twisted view of "higher education"?

  by matt2414 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  msnbc is reporting that "the government reported friday that the unemployment rate for college graduates fell slightly in may, to 3.9 percent from 4 percent a month earlier.

  for people with just a high school degree, the unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent, from 7.9 percent a month earlier.".

  the bible says at 1 tim.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  JWOP Maybe the Watchtower Society should create a Jehovah's Witness college.....

  ........................

  Forgetting the fact that the WTS would never put several thousand hormone infused 18-21 y.o. together in a dorm environment (DF-ings every week!), can you even imagine what a “Watchtower College” would be like? I imagine something along these lines….

  Co-ed dorms? Not a chance.

  Dorm rooms? No locks. And the RA (aka “The Inspector”) has free reign to root through your stuff.

  Sports teams? No way. This avoids “bad association” with the other team on the field/court and avoids a competitive spirit.

  Student Government? Don’t even ask the question.

  Days off for holidays? Of course…the Memorial (and “Spring Break” would become “Spring ‘Pioneer during Memorial season’ Break”). No other holidays.

  Alcohol on campus? Verboten!

  Philosophy classes? Nope.

  World Religions classes? Yep. And the textbook will be “Mankind’s Search for God”

  Biology classes? Sort of. The reading materials would the Creator book and every Awake! article written on ants, whales, polar bears, etc….EVOLUTION IS A THEORY.

  Music classes? Sure, but no rap or hard rock, no music that has religious roots, no music that is too sexual or mentions violence (good thing the “bees molested” line is gone out of the songbook!)

  Constitutional Law? Definitely. Learn all about Minersville v. Gobitis, WT v. Village of Stratton, and every other JW US Supreme Court case. (Jimmy Swaggart Ministries v. Board of Equalization of CA will NOT be studied.) Level II classes learn how to fight blood transfusions in court.

  GPA? Your service time would actually be factored into the equation. If it remains too low, you flunk out of school.

  Commencement Speaker? A different member of the GB each year.

  That’s off the top of my head. I’m sure you all have many more ideas…

  R_O
• 
  22

  so much for the new jw.org web site being up and running in June

  by therevealer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we are working on a new design for jw.org and expect it to be available around september 1, 2012.. this is on the web site, so even with free labor and jah's spirit they couldn't make the june timeline.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  "As Jehovah’s faithful servants, we patiently await the outworking of His organization’s efforts. For a time some Christians were eager expectation of a ‘New Website’ being firmly established in June, 2012. It is important to note, that although statements may have been made in reference to June, 2012, the faithful and discreet slave’s Governing Body never stated that such a date was definite, only that Christians should ‘keep on the watch’ (Matthew 25:13) during this exciting time.

  Knowing the light of Truth continues to grow ever brighter (Proverbs 4:18), the Governing Body and all faithful Christians, continues to be in eager expectation of the New Website knowing that ‘no one knows the day or the hour.’ (Matthew 24:36) Imagine the joy upon waking to discover the New Website has become a reality! In the meantime, we follow the example of the faithful and discreet slave class and eagerly taking advantage of this time when websites that may appear separate from a human perspective in fact overlap in purpose—offering a single, unified fountain providing waters of truth.

  Let us all loyally take advantage of this never to be repeated time period of overlap, knowing that the time left is reduced! (1 Cor 7:29)”
• 
  46

  Any reaction from active JW's about the Sparlock training video?

  by UnConfused in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  are jw's all abuzz about the "blessing" the gb has given them in the form of this new training video?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  But I do think they will try to cover their asses once again by spewing some crap about how apostates are twisting things around, just like their father the Devil, to make the vid and the oh so beloved, God appointed GB look bad.

  ....................................

  I found this reference from the March 15, 2013 WT, page 11:

  14 As an outward sign of their diseased mental state, apostates look for every opportunity to mock Jehovah and his organization's teaching efforts. How does the “faithful and discreet slave” and its Governing Body react to such ridicule? Note the example set long ago by Jehovah’s faithful prophet Elisha. (Read 2 Kings 2:23-25) As “small boys,” apostates demonstrate their total lack of respect for those that Jehovah’s holy spirit has appointed to watch over his sheep. Like the prophet Elisha, the Governing Body do not respond to apostates’ taunts and ridicule and instead patiently rely on “the name of Jehovah,” knowing that at his appointed time He will go “tearing to pieces [all] their number.” (Romans 12:19)
• 
  18

  Are the Witnesses opposing God with their twisted view of "higher education"?

  by matt2414 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  msnbc is reporting that "the government reported friday that the unemployment rate for college graduates fell slightly in may, to 3.9 percent from 4 percent a month earlier.

  for people with just a high school degree, the unemployment rate increased to 8.1 percent, from 7.9 percent a month earlier.".

  the bible says at 1 tim.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  respectful_observer

  "One noted scholar recently wrote in a well-respected journal that 'the focus put on critical thinking skills by universities is equaled only by their fundamental requirement that any quotes or statistics used in students' written assignments be cited in a bibliography, thereby allowing the reader to confirm the factual accuracy of the writer and to assure the reader that the writer has not used the material out of context or in a misleading way.'"