So, FTF... if you're really a Witness, why are you directly disobeying the Slave Class' warnings and directions by engaging in discussion with apostates?
Fencing
JoinedPosts by Fencing
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46
JUST finished The Gentile Times Reconsidered!
by FaceTheFacts inhaving just finished reading the gtr (4th edition), i've compiled my notes and observations and am composing a comprehensive review/analysis of many sections.
so my question: would anyone be interested in reading and/or participating in a discussion about a number of jonnson's viewpoint?
be assured, it will be of substantial merit and not the typical superficial and remiss arguments you perhaps expect from someone who is a jw.. .
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58
School Shooting - God
by elder-schmelder ingod = loving.
god = all powerfull.
god didn't stop this from happing?.
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Fencing
Religion is, at its core, the grout that fills in the spaces in our understanding of the physical world and a psychological survival mechanism that reduces that discomfort we feel when something we can't comprehend happens.
Thousands of years ago, the sun was a god riding across the sky, and that was an ummutable fact. It had to be, because we had no frame of reference to even begin to comprehend was the sun actually is. But, eventually man's knowledge of the world grew through science and observation, and god retreated.
Just a few centuries ago, sickness was caused by evil sprits, and some people were cured by god through ritual and prayer. Then, we learned about microbes, bacteria and infection and god retreated again.
A side effect of our unique intelligence is that our brains try to find logical patterns in everything we observe. Pattern recognition is how our brains operate every day, from recognizing faces of people we know, to making scientific discoveries. It is the key component in our intelligence. Because of this, we don't like chaos. We don't like randomness. So, when something tragic happens that has no logical reason, no meaning, we try to comprehend it by applying comfortable patterns to it. 20 children shot dead in a random act of violence. Something that is incomprehensible to us. Rather than accept that it just happened for no greater reason than one person's mental instability, we have to try and comfort ourselves by saying that there must be some greater purpose, some higher reason.
God allowed it to happen because...
God needed more little angels...
God is punishing us because...
These beliefs, as flawed as they are, are a salve which soothes our brains, which are working overtime trying to fit an incomprensible event into a pattern we can recognize.
Not everyone needs these beliefs to make sense of things. There are people who can deal with an event like this for what it is. But for those who still can't, it helps to understand why. It's not their fault, its how the brain works. The more understanding we have of the world around us, the more we grow out of it, but we're not quite there yet.
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119
My country is sick
by sabastious inthis is a melancholy day for me.
over the past few years i have been studying american politics and have enjoyed learning perspectives from different ideologies.
i personally lean towards conservative values when it comes to creating legislature, however i am socially liberal.
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Fencing
A good education is always the enemy of groups whose power is based on convincing people to ignore reality.
I'd like to think that all of us, being ex-JWs, would understand that above anything else. Any time you have someone, whether a politician or religious leader, trying to make education more difficult, that should be an immediate red flag that something is not right.
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19
Is Acts 6:9 speaking about freemasons?
by EndofMysteries inacts 6:9 "but certain men rose up of those from the so-called synagogue of the freedman"..
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Fencing
In all seriousness, EndOfMysteries... get some professional help, man. Mental illness is no thing to play around with.
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Okay, I admit it. Mormons are WAY weirder than we were
by Fencing inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6udew9axmdm.
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75
The Society debunked the rumored new light on the F&DS in 1973
by Leolaia inthis is the summary of the rumored new light from the 2012 annual meeting, as posted by cedars.. the faithful and discreet slave was not appointed at pentecost 33ce, meaning that there has not been a continuous line of members of the slave class on the earth down through the ages.
the slave class was only appointed for the first time by christ in 1919.the faithful and discreet slave is a small group of anointed brothers during jesus presence serving at watchtower headquarters who are directly involved in the preparing and dispensing of spiritual food.
the individual members of the governing body are not the faithful and discreet slave.
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Fencing
I honestly think that all the changes over the past 5-6 years are part of a plan that ultimately ends up in the 144,000 being made figurative. The Society realized they had a problem: The partaker numbers weren't going down anymore. They had maintained a very steady level for a long time. So I think they came up with a multi-part plan to arrive at that final destination, but a little at a time so as to try and avoid a schizm.
First step was the change in 2006 (2007?) to declare that the sealing wasn't completed in 1935. This was intended to lessen the pressure caused by the 1935 teaching. Because if new partakers were only replacing old ones who died unfaithful, it would mean Jehovah is the worst character judge of all time. This change, of course, caused the partaker number to rise, but I think they were anticipating that to some degree.
Second step was the de-mystifying and delegitimization of the anointed out in the various congregations. This is necessary, because if the 144,000 becomes figurative, it would open a massive floodgate of people who are convinced they are going to heaven. You'd quite possibly end up in a "more cheifs than Indians" situation. Better to start preemptively undercutting any illusion of authority and cut the partakers' importance down a few notches in the minds of the R&F. So, a statement was made in a study article 2-3 years back that the anointed not in Bethel don't have any special insight or communication with God, and are basically nothing special at all. More recently, I think the statements indicating a good number of partakers are likely mentally unbalanced was meant to calm people's confusion about the quickly rising partaker numbers.
Third, and latest, step was cutting the general anointed out of the F&DS altogether. Now, all the pieces are set. The anointed no longer have any position of importance or authority (not that they ever had much, but mentally they were still held in high regard). All "theocratic" authority has been consolidated directly to the GB. So, when they finally make the 144k figurative and the tide of new "anointed" starts coming through, there's no potential authority challenge.
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THE GOOD NEWS WILL BE POSTED LATER TODAY!!!!!
by EndofMysteries ina video will be posted later today where all the mysteries of god, the disgusting thing causing desolation, all the contradictions in the bible, why god in the old testament seemed so cruel, why was satan created if god is good, how is god love?
all of the prophecies jesus had foretold which were hidden and lost yet being fullfilled the entire time.
this is the good news that will then spread worldwide, and then the end will come.
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Fencing
Sounds like someone is off their meds again.
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What the Domestics part of the "new light" can / will create
by Gorbatchov inthinking a lot last days about the new light about the fds, today i got an idea about the following.. - both the 1) annointed and 2) the rank and file witness aka great crowd are now part of the domestics.. so, in practice, it doesn't matter you have a heavenly or and earthly hope for the future.. because, the domestics can have a heavenly or an earthly hope.. what i think is that this part of the new light sets open the gates for jehovahs witnesses with a heavenly hope.. and more in future: how longer the "new systems of things" will stay away, the watchtower can switch to a doctrine with only a heavenly hope, "living for ever in a paradise in heaven".. what do you think about this?!?.
gorby.
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Fencing
A step towards making the 144,000 figurative is exactly what this is. The question is, how long before they do it? I'd say within 5 years. Especially if the partakers numbers keep increasing.
Although, telling partakers that they are no longer anything special might have a chilling effect on rising numbers. With this change, I'd expect to see this year's numbers increase again, with next year's memorial leveling out or declining. Don't underestimate the number of newer partakers who, at least in the back of their minds, really dug the idea of being part of distributing the "food at the proper time". Now that's been taken away, some might just rethink their "anointed-ness".
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Fencing
I just had a totally "in" relative excitedly call me and tell me all about it. They visited with someone who attended the annual meeting and got the scoop.
So, yes. It's confirmed.
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239
A big shift in the world is about to happen......
by EndofMysteries ini don't want to deceive anyone and i have to clarify a few things so i'm sorry this is going to be a lot more vague then you want.
infact if you do not already realize or also feel something is about to happen as in the title, then move along, it will be a month or 2 before i update this.
it's not my intention to annoy anybody, i am too uncomfortable to post any details because it's too new and i need to verify things, and i am also feeling responsible to give a subtle warning, that it might be something somebody needs to see.
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Fencing
So, the real question is: did the Society make people like this insane, or were they drawn to the WT because they were already insane?