it didnt take a lot of independant research, along with a life full of ridiculous experiences in the religion, to realize that the organization and its gb are just another religion focused on control and conformity.
so why do i keep digging into the insanity and contradictions that they're based on.
i think i know why, just want to hear how others feel..
Ranmac.....you dig to see just how deep the BS goes.
We dig because there is a difference between hearing and seeing it's wrong, and being able to logically prove it's wrong.
We dig because everytime we hit paydirt, there's a certain satisfaction.
Right now, I can't stop either!
clarity
i attended the todays wt study and got notice of the illustration of jesus doing away capitol hill and barack obama.. i think the illustration passed the juridical advisors of the wts, having a blackout!
of are they trying to reach the anti government people like the tea party idiots with this kind of propaganda illustrations?.
is this a signal that the wts is anti democrats, anti obama?.
"Jesus sure didn't age well in heaven wating to have his second coming, didn't he?"
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Leolaia, don't you mean,.. third coming? - 33 bce, 1914 & 1925 1975 20?? lol
Love your comments and 'pictures' as always - thanks.
clarity
i have heard that the watchtower had built several "places of refuge" in the united states during world war 2.. there is very little information about this activity, as if the watchtower does not want people to know what they did.. one place of refuge later became the location of the watchtower farms, and the another became the gilead school.. still another was the house beth shan, located in san diego.. these places of refuge were mentioned during a public talk given around 1947, and recorded in a watchtower issue.
there was applause from the audience when it was mentioned that these places (along with rutherford's house, beth sarim) were being sold off, or otherwise disposed of.. does anyone have further information about these places?
it seems like this is a topic no one who was alive at the time wanted to talk about or mention so that future generations would know about it.
If you monkey around on goggle, you could find Beth Shan pictures that show the underground bunkers. Some of the supplies are still sitting on the shelves.
So who would get in there if the war got bad, not Mrs Rutherford for sure. You'd probably find all the staff from Beth Sarim, his girlfriend secretary/dietition, freeloading 'friends', the guards of course must stay posted outside and oh, Rutherfords Lawyer friends, if they bring a truck load of bootleg booze that is!
c
when i was ex-communicated by the jw s a couple of years ago one thought ran through my mind.
had i commited the unforgivable sin?.
i have willingly divorced my wife without a scriptual reason for it.
The watchtower loves the unforgiveable sin. Gives them one more thing to hang over the head of the masses. Don't believe in the governing body?..... omg watchout you're gonna get it! They are counting on you not being able to figure it out! Here's a some ammunition for you:
Mark comments "because they said, 'He has an unclean spirit'" (Mark 3:29-30). This shows that the sin in question is related to saying that Jesus has an unclean spirit. The people in question had seen the miraculous works of Jesus with their own eyes. Any reasonable person would have concluded that God had to be working through Jesus. Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders of Israel, affirmed that very point in John 3:2, "No one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him." The evidence was unmistakable. This suggests that to commit the blasphemy against the Spirit a person must do four things:
1) be aware of the miraculous works of Jesus,
2) consciously reject the logical conclusion that those works are from God,
3) believe those works are actually from the devil, and
4) tell others that Jesus' works are from the devil.
There is no clear indication by the Lord Jesus in any of the passages that anyone in His day had already committed this sin which would never be forgiven. Jesus didn't say, "You are eternally condemned because you have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit."
Jesus may well have been giving a warning and not a pronouncement of sentence. It is quite possible, therefore, that this sin is not a one-time act. Jesus could be referring to those who reject him their entire lives and die in unbelief.
Wessel comments,
"Surely what Jesus is speaking of here [Mark 3:22-30] is not an isolated act but a settled condition of the soul-the result of a long history of repeated and willful acts of sin through hardness of heart (cf. 3:5)" (NIV Bible Commentary, Mark, p. 151).
Jesus is talking about a specific type of sin, saying that He did His works under the power of the devil and not the power of the Holy Spirit. It must be admitted that it is possible that the unpardoned sin is a one-time act. After all, for a person to see the works of Jesus and have the audacity to say that these miraculous works are the works of the devil suggests a hardness of heart of amazing proportions. Is it not possible that Jesus is saying that a person can become so hardened of heart that he or she will never come to faith and be forgiven? He would not be warning against saying some magical incantation that guarantees damnation. Rather, He would be warning against so hardening one's heart against Jesus that he or she crosses the point of no return.
C) CAN THIS SIN BE COMMITTED TODAY?
The fact that this sin is not mentioned in the NT epistles might suggest that it couldn't have been committed after Jesus left the earth. Maybe a person had to actually see His miracles and then attribute them to Satan to commit this sin. Of course, this can't be proved. This is merely a possible conclusion. I am inclined to the view that the unpardoned sin is cosmic unbelief, calculated wholehearted rejection of Jesus and His message, culminating in a vitriolic declaration that Jesus is from the devil. I don't know whether this sin only occurs over the course of a life or if it could be committed at a point in time.
D) CAN CHRISTIANS COMMIT THIS SIN?
1) ANSWER: NO BECAUSE THE CHRISTIAN'S SALVATION IS BASED SOLELY ON THE WORK OF CHRIST ALONE
Finally a question we can answer with absolute certainty! The answer is No. No Christian can commit a sin for which there will never be forgiveness. Other Scriptures make this crystal clear.
a) [Compare Jn 5:24]:
"[Jesus said], 'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life' "]
If a believer ever came into the judgment of eternal condemnation, Jesus would be proved a liar. Of course, He never lies. Thus no.
c
a massive storm from alaska knocked the hell out of northern california , giving us a foot and a half of snow , snapping trees like matchsticks , crashing multiple electrical lines in the sierra mountains where we live.
knocking electric out for 6 days ( thus my dissapearing act from jwn for 6 days ) - we had a 90 ft. ponderosa pine tree ( 3ft, around ) crash on the lower end of our acre we live on .
it's still leaning on oak trees suspended in time.
Dear Flipper... Did we miss you? Why would we miss a guy who contributes so much to this blog? Why miss someone who is kind, interested in others and always responds with thanks to those who've bothered to write something?
Why.... because buddy, without you on here, the silence would be deafening.
So glad you & Mrs flipper weren't hurt in the storm. The feeling of self sufficiency and cooking with wood, is great for about 3 days but after that, not so much!
clarity
having read up on rutherford, but certainly not all that is out there by any means,[ so if it has been discussed point me in the right direction] one thought keeps coming to mind.
when he brought himself to the 'top of the ladder' as ray franz brought out he had a chronological nightmare, 'he was faced with two choices: rectifying by.
frank admission of error, or trying to justify the predictions of his.
www.freeminds.org/.../rutherford/did-j.-f.-rutherford-lie-about-being- exonerated.html
having read up on rutherford, but certainly not all that is out there by any means,[ so if it has been discussed point me in the right direction] one thought keeps coming to mind.
when he brought himself to the 'top of the ladder' as ray franz brought out he had a chronological nightmare, 'he was faced with two choices: rectifying by.
frank admission of error, or trying to justify the predictions of his.
Rutherford was in trouble with the Law, mainly because he was a loud mouth idiot! Then he twisted and used scripture to explain being sentenced as though God was doing a cleansing for 3 1/2 yrs. Dig into his court case and you'll see that he didn't actually spend much time in jail at all. Mostly out on bail if I remember right. That guy sure knew how to work it!
have you noticed that the recent trolls are now claiming that if anybody drew conclusions or made decisions based on what the society was printing, it was their own fault?.
kind of "we didn't force you to believe what we said or adjust your life because of it.
you chose to think we were teaching the end would come in <insert time range>".
Wow great post, & best responses ever!
Whenever I've discussed the beliefs with some family members, in a sort of teasing way, like "don't check you brain at the door" etc ... their reponse is, with a bit of a snicker, and a virtuous..."Well, we must trust gods organization, be careful, your gonna sin against the HS you know."
I guess ignorance has become a virtue now!
As quoted from Terry:
"Jehovah's Witnesses do not trust their own hearts or minds. They have been taught (biblically) to believe they are wretched sinners under a satanic assault and their only safe recourse is to explicitly follow orders without question. This is socially reinforced to seem like a virtue".
>
Doesn't this seem so masochistic, in a way... here's what an encyclopidia says about it:
"Some, however, are natural masochists and continue to inflict pain on themselves by going to jobs in cubicles writing memos for bosses, returning to their apartments at night and paying bills."
(rinse & repeat!)
Year after year. No matter what. Even if it's wrong. Yup, just keep going!
clarity
my name is gordon smith, (aka douglas lee) and i've just completed and published my latest book.
it's getting some great reviews and i thought you might like to see a video of what it's about on my blog page.
i'd also really appreciate your comments, too.
my name is gordon smith, (aka douglas lee) and i've just completed and published my latest book.
it's getting some great reviews and i thought you might like to see a video of what it's about on my blog page.
i'd also really appreciate your comments, too.
Gordon it just hit me...when I hear you read I think - Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Hope you saw it ... do you remember when he was reading to little kids on his Tv 'show' ..... enthralling. That's you!
I'm not trying to blow smoke up your patooty here. We are interested in finding ways to open ears and eyes and hearts. That could be a direct hit! pun intended.
I do not think for a moment this is about making money for you. You want to break the chains that are holding so many in slavery and I think that you are loving every word and every minute of it. Here's to you finding all the right paths that will lead to it.
clarity
