JWD

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Posts by JWD

• 
  19

  Question from a newly DF'd chick...

  by praying_mantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello again...now that i am officially a horrible, unrepentant sinner (in the eyes of a polyester slack wearing, mini van driving, anal retentive man whore), i have a question (actually several, but i will start with one!

  ) brace yourselves: it is about 1975!.

  where in the wt was the "prophecy" made?

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  JWD

  The 1975 `prophecy` was mentioned in many places.The more dramatic
  statements were made by COs or at conventions.There were also some
  very leading statements in the KMs.The WT and Awake also included
  several articles about it.One of the more blatant statements,however,
  was at the beginning of the 1966 book entitled `Life Everlasting in
  Freedom of the Sons of God`. On page 29 it states `According to this
  trustworthy Bible Chronology six thousand years from man`s creation
  will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human
  history will begin in the Fall of 1975 C.E.` Two pages later the book
  has a `dateline` of human history which ends with the dates 1975 and
  2975.It lists them as the end of the 6th and 7th one thousnad year
  `days`. In other words, the beginning and the end of the millenium.
  There are many, many more such statements in WT literature which no
  doubt others will bring to your attention. As you search and look back
  at older WT publications, you will see that the society has basically
  re-written their own history. In other words,what they are now saying
  they taught and what they actually taught at the time are very different. The 1914 thing is a classic case. The WTS taught that by
  1914 Armageddon would END, that the annointed would be taken to heaven, that Babylon would be destroyed, that Isreal would be restored
  and that the 1000 yr.reign would began. Obviously, not a shread of the
  original prophecy came to pass, so they re-wrote the contents.Since
  very few Witnesses have the means to research the past they assume that the WTS is telling the truth.Thus history is re-written. A recent
  classic example of this is the 2000 yearbook.When talking about the
  history of the bros. in ,I believe, Czeckoslavokia the yearbook states
  that AT NO TIME DID THEY SAY THE END WOULD COME IN 1975.In the real
  world it`s called lying. In the society it`s ...`theocratic warfare`?
  Do lot`s of searching into the facts.There are tons of actual copies
  of older material on the net. Try freeminds.com. JWD
• 
  36

  The Pope a JW...!!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the relatives on my father`s side were catholic.

  i still remember the first time i went to a high mass.

  it was a shock to my.

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  JWD

  Let me throw a thought in about the place of forms and ceremonies in
  the OT vs. the NT.Many of the images which we read about in the OT,
  if actually carried out today (i.e.sacrifice,robes,candles,temples, etc.) would make Christian worship look very similar to many other
  religions. Yet,when the NT era comes along,almost all type of `form`
  seems to disappear.Why? What has changed? Reading the book of Hebrews
  seems to be saying that external forms have been fulfilled in the person of Christ and been replaced by internal reality. I sometimes
  think of it as the difference between having a picture of my wife in
  her absence, verses having her with me everyday.When she is with me,
  I don`t look at pictures of her. I believe that the invisible presence of the person of Christ is like that. The very concept of
  FAITH demands invisibleness, otherwise it would not be faith, but
  rather sight.It seems to me that whenever a religion places great
  emphasis on CORRECT clothes,songs,methods of service,etc. it has
  moved out of the realm of faith and into religion(a man made concept).
  Does nayone remember the 1979 WT article titled, `Put Your Faith In
  God`s Visible Organization`? What a contradiction of terms! Faith and
  visible. Has the GB never read Heb.11 or II Cor.4&5 ? JWD
• 
  36

  The Pope a JW...!!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the relatives on my father`s side were catholic.

  i still remember the first time i went to a high mass.

  it was a shock to my.

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  3. 
• 

  JWD

  When it comes to the role of organizations and the Bible,orgs. are
  like paper cups,nothing more than disposable containers.The container
  is only as good as the contents.The whole business of finding the right organization always seems pointless to me.There is NO right
  organization.They are all paper cups.Some are older some are newer,
  some are bigger some are smaller,some are prettier some are uglier,
  some are cleaner and some are dirtier.But, when it comes to wanting
  to believe in the Bible,it`s the contents that matter.I seriously
  doubt that the God of the Bible has ever had or does have ONE true
  organization.Instead he has a lot of paper cups.Some are usuable and
  others are worthless.Sure the Bible has a lot of good things to say
  and we would do well to read it.But the real value comes when it
  begins to change our lives.That`s not the work of some organization,
  but of God.If you love the Bible and let it began to change your
  life you will naturally find others of the same mind.Your relationship
  with them won`t be theocratic,but rather relational. I think we`d all
  profit by not focusing on the right `paper cup`,but rather the contents.
  Organizations are groups of people.Good people with good principles
  will make good organizations.Good people with bad principles will
  turn a good group into a bad one.And bad people with bad principles
  will make horrible organizations....like perhaps...? JWD
• 
  17

  What makes us religious?

  by bigboi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  has anyone out there ever pondered that question?

  i remember when i was a little boy i always seemed to feel so close to god.

  my family was not and still isn't very religious, so why did i turn out to be that way at such a young age?

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  JWD

  Guess I might as well share my two cents worth.As far as wanting to do
  what`s right as a child,I felt exactly the same way and believe many
  kids do.You rarely see children who are just down right nasty from a
  small age.I still remember the weight I felt as a child the first time
  I told a lie or stole my cousin`s top.I wanted like everything to get
  back a clean heart.Then when I was 9 a tornado struck our family`s
  vacation spot and in an instant seven people I knew were killed.I can
  still vividly remember looking into the face of my dead sister as she
  flooted in the water and wondering where she had gone? The thought of
  going into non-existence never crossed my mind.It was that day that I
  seriously began my quest for God.I wanted a clean heart and someone
  who would be with me at all times.I found my heart being particularily
  drawn to Jesus Christ. Since then I have given much thought to the
  reality of religion,belief and God.Living in Japan I find many people
  with a different background and culture who have the same yearning.
  So,it doesn`t seem that everything can be summed up as simply being environmental conditioning. But,what is it that draws people to want
  to believe in God? A desire for meaning in life? A desire for some
  final sorting out of right and wrong in a very un-fair world? An
  urge to have a relationship with someone who can `get right inside`
  you? A desire to find forgiveness for some grievious wrong? Whatever it is, it is very widespread and doesn`t seem to diminish with wealth
  or education. It seems that there is an `appetite` for worship much
  in the same way that there is an appetite for sex or food. You rarely
  see animals building shrines for no purpose but to worship.Nor do you
  see them praying before a meal.So, there must be something that sets
  humans apart from animals. Perhaps it`s the existence of something
  called `spirit`? JWD
• 
  36

  The Pope a JW...!!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the relatives on my father`s side were catholic.

  i still remember the first time i went to a high mass.

  it was a shock to my.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JWD

  Regarding the matter of images of God in the WT.First of all, it`s
  hypocrisy.That is particularily evident when viewing the WT from a
  country,in my case Japan,where idolatry is a big issue.Japan is filled
  with all manner of images which have religious meaning.Everything from
  odd shaped rocks,to old trees, to statues of men`s organs.Thus the WT
  in Japan is very, very critical of all manner of religious `objects`.
  In some cases it borders on the ridiculus.For example,Japanese JWs are
  forbidden to wear black clothing to a funeral.Because it might lead
  someone to think they lit incense at the alter.Ironically, the gold
  drawing of Jehovah in the Revelation book looks very similar to the
  one of the most popular Japanese dieties,the goddess of mercy.So,
  when they regularily criticize Japanese religions as well as churches
  with regards to `idolatry` it tends to ring hollow.Naturally,JWs try
  to make the same distinction which was brought forth saying they don`t
  `worship` the images.The average Japanese would say the same thing
  about photos of dead relatives,amulets, and various religious objects.
  The WT ,however, takes a very hard line on those things and forces them to be burned or thrown away.
  The second matter would be the issue of whether or not any representation of God is appropriate.That issue became a heated one
  early on in church history.In some countries like Japan due to the culture and religious orientation it still is a major issue.In Brazil
  as well,even some churches recommend destroying all religious objects since they have taken on almost a animistic meaning.
  It seems that regardless of a person`s religion there is a strong tendancy to gravitate towards something visible. Could it not be said that the WTs `idols` are the many photos of `God`s Visible Organization`?
  If so,then does it differ from other forms of idolatry? JWD
• 
  49

  murder letter

  by silentlambs in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  lets dance, we have added "wt letters" section to the website.

  it will offer a new letter each week added to a list with an introduction.

  read the introduction, click to view the letter and see if it answers the questions.

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• 

  JWD

  Pork Chop,
  Am I paranoid, or why is it that I get the feeling that you are
  a member of the WTS legal department who`s job includes discouraging
  `apostates` from taking action which might not be good for the org.
  Am I being hypersensative? Mind sharing a bit about yourself? JWD
• 
  42

  WB&TS of Pennsylvania financial figures

  by expatbrit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a few financial figures that happen to have fallen into my sweaty palms.

  while only a small piece of the wt's financial jigsaw puzzle, they effectively illustrate the level of $ under the society's control.

  watchtower bible and tract society of pennsylvania.

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  JWD

  Please e-mail it to me at ` [email protected]`
• 
  36

  The Pope a JW...!!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the relatives on my father`s side were catholic.

  i still remember the first time i went to a high mass.

  it was a shock to my.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JWD

  As far as lack of global unity.That could be said for the WTS as well.
  Here in Japan, there are many aspects of JW life which are unique to
  the society here.It`s not uncommon for bros. to go to the US and visit
  congregations there only to come back and say...brace yourself for
  this...the JWs are SO MUCH FREER in the US. Can you believe that!
  That should give you an idea of the rigidness of life for bros. here
  in the land of the rising sun.
  It`s probably unrealistic for any religion to expect or claim `unity`
  on an international basis. JWD
• 
  36

  The Pope a JW...!!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the relatives on my father`s side were catholic.

  i still remember the first time i went to a high mass.

  it was a shock to my.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JWD

  Thanx for conceding, Julie. My sister-in-law`s name is Julie.
  `Julie`s must be nice people. JWD
• 
  21

  Disfellowshipping Doesn't Sever Family Ties?

  by tergiversator in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "disfellowshipping does not sever family ties.".

  or so claims the watchtower's official faq.

  so, i would like to take an informal poll: how has being disfellowshippid/ disassociated/ inactive/ just having doubts affected relations with your family?

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  JWD

  Here`s a couple of cases which show how the `LOVING` discipline of
  disfellowshipping encourages family unity! (These are the experiences
  of two sisters in Japan )
  Sister `D` sent in a letter of disassociation to the WT.She then talked to her oldest daughter (16 yrs. at the time).The daughter
  thought the mother had been deceived by the non-JW father.Never-the-
  less,since she viewed her mother as an apostate, she refused to eat
  with her,refused to talk to her and refused to let her mother even
  wash her clothes. The mother became desparate and tried to tell the
  daughter why she had chosen to leave the WT.After several months the
  daughter finally turned to the mother and said,and I quote `I`ll
  laugh when Jehovah destroys you at Armageddon !` The daughter then ran away from home.That was 6 years ago.She hasn`t come home since and only sent an occasional post-card so the WT couldn`t be accused of kidnapping.The post-cards stopped after she became 20 and was no longer a `minor`.
  One other sister`s three children all left home after the mother
  sent in a letter of disassociation.They refuse to tell her their new
  address.They said any necessary communication should go thru the elder
  and he will in turn notify them.
  It`s interesting to note that Christ`s words to Judas when he came to
  betray him were `Friend,what have you come to do?`. Christ also said
  that there is nothing special about greeting our brothers,rather in
  order to be truly perfect we must love our enemies. To say that
  shunning is an expression of love is to re-define the meaning of the
  very word love and thus render it meaningless. Re-defining terms is
  a specialty of cults... JWD