reading idly through this magazine , i read the study article "rejoicing in our hope" which discusses the two "hopes" according to the wtbts ie heaven & earth.. a couple of points were of interest:.
(1) absolutely no mention at all of the 144,000 or rev 14. usually an article like this would be filled with references , but it isn't even mentioned.
it does discuss the "limited number" , but only in contrast with the "no man can number" great crowd.. (2) a much more laid back attitude towards the two hopes.
You may just be observing different factions within the Watchtower. The Service Dept. tends to be run by Nazis and the Writing Dept. by slightly more liberal, out-of-context-quoting, hacks.
This was made especially manifest during the Recovered Memory Controversy.
I am not familiar with this controversy. Could someone provide a link?
Thanks
another story of the love in the christian congregation of jehovah witnesses!.
elder squidbilly was gunning for a brother who screwed up with his real estate portfolio in a bad way.
squid-billy made the case this brother had managed his holding in a unchristian and greedy way, so he appealed to the body to remove him for theft!
I think losing your position over bankruptcy is a matter of the situation. I know a COBE who's "worldly"™ employee double-crossed him and caused him to lose his business while the "worldly"™ employee secured contracts for a competitor. He was ruined financially. He filed BK and maintained his position.
I've known others who were removed because they filed BK simply because they didn't manage their finances and got too far in debt. It was determined that it was their fault and that they were simply using BK to not pay their debts.
I had one elder tell me that a Witness could only file chapter 7 (I think that's the one) because it required them to pay their debts.
from the secret elders' book which states that the list "of course" is "not comprehensive".
nevertheless here are the acts that they deem worthy of specifying as being possible grounds for chucking people out:.
murdermanslaughter such as killing someone while breaking traffic lawsattempting suicidesexual intercourse with someone other than your spouseanal sex with someone other than your spouseoral sex with someone other than your spousesexual stimulation of the genitals of someone other than your spousedelay in reporting a rape?
Voting is a disfellowshipping offense? It used to be a conscience matter. Just in a fairly recent QFR it stated that what happens in a voting booth is between that person and Jehovah.
from the secret elders' book which states that the list "of course" is "not comprehensive".
nevertheless here are the acts that they deem worthy of specifying as being possible grounds for chucking people out:.
murdermanslaughter such as killing someone while breaking traffic lawsattempting suicidesexual intercourse with someone other than your spouseanal sex with someone other than your spouseoral sex with someone other than your spousesexual stimulation of the genitals of someone other than your spousedelay in reporting a rape?
Telephone sex???? Cybersex??? LOL So two young JW's are going to get married, and they're talking on the phone. He says how he is looking forward to their wedding night, and how he can't wait to finally see her naked. He's so worked up that......well, you know. He has to report it to the elders and could get disfellowshipped for being so turned on by his soon to be wife?????
I only know of one person who recited the limeric "The Man From Nantucket." He was a regular pioneer and someone ratted him out and he got removed from the pioneer list and privately reproved.
my question is it harder to be reinstated if you were disfellowshipped while at bethel.
i have someone who i worry about because of fear what he might do?
he has been denied at least twice even though he goes to all meeting and has tried so hard..
So, Watching porn is now a disfellowshipping offense? When did this happen?
some young witnesses having some fun. Harmless enough. I don't think anything would have happened to anyone doing this in my old congregations. Good for these guys for trying to break the monotony.
But, I agree it was wierd.
in case you have noticed, several websites that are managed and administered by me are down.
at this moment i do not know specifically why, but my hosting company (secureserver.net) tells me only that it is due to a "copyright infringement.
" i do not even know which of the 30 some sites might actually have the claimed infringement and so far all i've been told is that there is a claim and that i have to email a certain group and they will get back to me.. i have no idea when these sites will come back on line.
A copyright notice is not necessary, (although it's generally a good idea). Copyright laws concern intellectual properties.
I understand that it concerns intellectual properties, but what I am curious about is how you can claim copyright protection on something that doesn't have a copyright. And what makes it a good idea if its not necessary?
in case you have noticed, several websites that are managed and administered by me are down.
at this moment i do not know specifically why, but my hosting company (secureserver.net) tells me only that it is due to a "copyright infringement.
" i do not even know which of the 30 some sites might actually have the claimed infringement and so far all i've been told is that there is a claim and that i have to email a certain group and they will get back to me.. i have no idea when these sites will come back on line.
So, let me get this straight, they copyright their BOE letters? Do most corporations copyright their correspondence? My company's correspondence is pretty much always by email with a warning about unauthorized recipients at the bottom.
I'm just wondering if this is normal, or if the BOE letters are legally copyrighted. (I'm not sure if that's the right word or not)
what a wonderful holiday season!
time with family, time for fun, and in the midst of it all - we got married!
after christmas we were in palm springs for the weather and golf, but took off for nevada on thursday and tied the knot in a sweet, simple ceremony.
Congratulations!!!!! Here's to many happy years for you and your new husband!!
this might be an unfair question for those who have been out of the organization for decades, but i'm wondering if any of you remember your earliest doubt -- maybe something odd that occurred to you as a kid (if you were a jw then).
please try to limit to two doubts at the most :-).
i think my first "doubt" was simply realizing that at the time of the flood, every animal that wasn't in the ark died (well, besides the fish, supposedly).
My first doubts came in about 2000 when I couldn't figure out why they designated "Pioneers" and required everyone to turn in their time. There is nothing in the bible about doing any of these things. I thought it was "Going beyond what is written."
My next doubts came when I re-read part of the Revelation Climax book and it talked about the seven bowls being poured out and all 7 of them were poured out by 1928. I realized that couldn't be true because almost everyone who was alive then who could have recognized the fulfillment was dead.
There were a few more, but those were the two that stood out to me.
