I agree with Billy, try to keep up communications with him. Let him know that you're there to give him any advice about the goings on within Bethel or any support that he might need.
Listener
JoinedPosts by Listener
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29
Nephew going to bethel - seeking seed planting ideas
by azor ini have posted a handful of times so far.
i am seeking some ideas to plant some seeds with my nephew before he goes to patterson.. a little about me and the going away party where i will have an opportunity to plant these seeds.
i have a little freedom since i am the only relative that he is in communication with that spent some time at bethel.
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50
What were the calculations used to arrive at the 1874 date of Christ's return?
by Zoos inwe all know the calculations used by the wt to arrive at 1914. fall of babylon in 607 (false year), gentile times, no zero year, ta-da, 1914.. what did they use before that?
i know it wasn't russell who came up with it - he just adopted it.
i'm just curious what they had to explain away when they made the transition.. .
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Listener
I believe they used the same idea's that were behind the 1975 date, they just adjusted their figures by 101 years. The 1975 date was based on 6,000 years into the 7th day.
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11
The Watchtower explains the sheep and the goats
by runForever inthe march 2015 study watchtower finally solves the mystery of the sheep and the goats:.
" first, note that jesus is teaching bymeans of an illustration.
obviously, he isnot talking about separating literal sheepfrom literal goats.".
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Listener
The statement is probably written with the idea of making a diversion. Reading the parable without WT's opinion one would conclude that the sheep were both the 'little flock' and 'other sheep'.
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40
After all, JWs were RIGHT!
by abiather in1) science and technology appeared as a savior to mankind, yet the overall result points to the opposite direction.. http://aeon.co/magazine/science/why-has-human-progress-ground-to-a-halt/.
2) john kerry warns of catastrophe if climate change is not tackled.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article4295230.ece (times, saturday 13, 2014).
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Listener
Let's carry on with that thought Abiather.
Not only have the JWs been declaring what you say, they have themselves contributed vastly to global pollution by -
Printing millions upon millions of books, magazines and pamphlets, requiring the destruction of millions of trees and all sorts of chemicals. These chemicals, including ink and other waste products have been ploughed back into the earth and finding it's way into water systems. They have been doing this for well over 100 years, the old publications are considered basically worthless even by JWs.
Billions of litres of petrol and oil required for the preaching work even though there are cheaper and more effective methods of preaching
The continual refurbishing of Kingdom Halls even though it is not necessary
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40
After all, JWs were RIGHT!
by abiather in1) science and technology appeared as a savior to mankind, yet the overall result points to the opposite direction.. http://aeon.co/magazine/science/why-has-human-progress-ground-to-a-halt/.
2) john kerry warns of catastrophe if climate change is not tackled.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article4295230.ece (times, saturday 13, 2014).
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Listener
I don't know if you were commenting on my post Smiddy. I thought it might get a reaction from anyone who is an atheist and that's okay.
I didn't mention God's name because that isn't the point of what I was saying. As a believer, it's not about the JW relgion and whether they are right or not because it is obvious that they aren't right. They do have some things correct but so does many religions. The sanctification is about God, he is the one that will save mankind. Knowing his name is not important otherwise Jesus would have made that clear to us, but it is about identifying him personally, we don't need a name as such, which is just a label after all.
Smiddy isn't your name (or maybe it is?) and Listener isn't my name, but on this forum we are identified by that label.
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40
After all, JWs were RIGHT!
by abiather in1) science and technology appeared as a savior to mankind, yet the overall result points to the opposite direction.. http://aeon.co/magazine/science/why-has-human-progress-ground-to-a-halt/.
2) john kerry warns of catastrophe if climate change is not tackled.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article4295230.ece (times, saturday 13, 2014).
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Listener
Let's be even clearer, it isn't about JWs being vindicated for being right, it will all be about God and his vindication. Any suggestion otherwise is a slur on God's name.
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40
After all, JWs were RIGHT!
by abiather in1) science and technology appeared as a savior to mankind, yet the overall result points to the opposite direction.. http://aeon.co/magazine/science/why-has-human-progress-ground-to-a-halt/.
2) john kerry warns of catastrophe if climate change is not tackled.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article4295230.ece (times, saturday 13, 2014).
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Listener
How were the JWs right about climate change?
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46
Illegal immigrants in the organization?
by silent ini had a thought today that might prove interesting.
i'm wondering if there are any illegal immigrants who are witnesses?
surely it would be a great position to be in as an illegal immigrant because you could play up your plight and prey on the sympathies of others within the congregation.
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Listener
I've found one article on the JW library discussing the issue. It's in the Awake 2002 1/22, although it identifies it as being illegal or 'dishonest' it does not deal with it from a congregational point of view.
Count the Cost Before Migrating for Economic Reasons
In view of the many criminal gangs involved in trafficking migrants and the difficulty of immigrating legally to countries of the developed world, husbands and fathers should carefully consider the following questions before making a decision.
1. Is our economic situation really so desperate that one or all of the family must move to a country where wages are higher?
2. How much debt would we incur to finance the trip, and how will the debt be repaid?
3. Is it worth breaking up the family for economic advantages that may prove unrealistic? Many illegal migrants find it practically impossible to obtain regular employment in developed countries.
4. Should I believe the stories about high wages and social benefits? The Bible says that “anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.”—Proverbs 14:15.
5. What guarantee do I have that we would not be putting ourselves in the hands of a criminal organization?
6. If such a criminal group did organize the journey, do I understand that my wife—or my daughter—might well find herself forced to work as a prostitute?
7. Do I realize that if I enter a country as an illegal immigrant, I may be unable to obtain fixed employment and could be repatriated, losing all the money I have invested in the journey?
8. Do I want to consider becoming an illegal immigrant or resorting to dishonest measures in order to gain admittance to a wealthier country?—Matthew 22:21; Hebrews 13:18.
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46
Illegal immigrants in the organization?
by silent ini had a thought today that might prove interesting.
i'm wondering if there are any illegal immigrants who are witnesses?
surely it would be a great position to be in as an illegal immigrant because you could play up your plight and prey on the sympathies of others within the congregation.
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Listener
I agree with you Silent and I do wonder what the org's. position is on this.
There was a fairly recent article regarding family members working overseas and they were straongly against this, they stated a number of reasons, including the problems associated with the family being seperated. Earning money and supporting your family was specifically excluded as being a good reason for needing to do this. However, there was no discussion about the legality of it. Even though the bible makes it clear that a man must provide for his family, they chose to whitewash this.
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46
Illegal immigrants in the organization?
by silent ini had a thought today that might prove interesting.
i'm wondering if there are any illegal immigrants who are witnesses?
surely it would be a great position to be in as an illegal immigrant because you could play up your plight and prey on the sympathies of others within the congregation.
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Listener
Silent, you raise a really good issue. This is just information that i've picked up, I can't remember where from or even how accurate it is. What I've heard is that illegal immigrants are accepted as part of the congregation and the elders do not impose any requirements on these people to abide by the law of man. The only imposition is that the men will not be appointed to any positions.
As to whether these people are breaking the law or not is dependant on the laws in each particular country. For instance, here in Australia someone could be considered an illegal immigrant but if they were to apply for refugee status then they would not be breaking the law, however they would be kept in a detention centre until such time as they were allowed to reside here or had to return home.
It is possible that as the organization believes that God's laws are above man's, they conclude that they should not hinder a persons ability to worship God and be part of the congregation. We've seen how they treat pedo's and it doesn't appear to be a requirement that an offender hands themselves into the higher authorities.