the announcement, "john (or mary) doe is no longer one of jehovah's witnesses", is happening some 70,000 times each year.
the society wants its flock to believe that the member became so unrepentantly contaminated with evil that it became necessary to remove him from the faithful members.. i suggest that nothing can be further from the truth.. these members had lost their trancelike acceptance of watchtower interpretation long before that formal announcement.
while it's true that recent reminders to the flock that the governing body needs obeisance on a level virtually equal to that of christ, the root of the cooling down of a member to the point where an announcement is made is not necessarily a rejection of governing body power grabbing.
An interesting viewpoint, they are bringing it upon themselves and this is the payoff that should indicate to them that they are not being fruitful as the F&DS.
When a child is disfellowshipped it brings into question the special privelages of the parent. An elder may have his position questioned or he may himself feel he is not fit to hold that position. BUT the GB have no such mechanism in which they can inflict discipline or correct their own behaviour.
i wanted to call this thread 'share and share alike' but i didnt want to detract from the subject matter.... .
i read a post here yesterday about the watchtower rand shares, and decided to go on a little factfinding hunt myself... .
i couldn't find anything up to date regarding the rand shares, but about half an hour ago i found a post elsewhere talking about the .
Awake 200 10/8
A
In view of the risks associated with the stock market, is buying stock the same as gambling? A measure of risk is involved in nearly all financial investments. Some people buy real estate, not knowing if the value of a property will increase or decrease over time. Others deposit their money in a bank, trusting that their savings will be secure. While the stock market is more complicated, simply put, one who invests in stocks buys the shares of a company in the hope that the enterprise will prosper and the stocks will increase in value.
Such an investment differs from gambling because the stockholder has purchased part of a company. These shares may be sold to another person or saved in the hope of future growth. This cannot be said of a person who bets money at a casino or on a game of chance. Against the odds, the gambler seeks to predict an uncertain outcome and win the loser or losers’ stakes.
How much risk should an investor accept? That is up to each individual to decide. Of course, it is not prudent to risk more money on an investment than one is willing to lose.
It also states the following
By considering the background of a company, an investor can also ensure that his money will not be used to support an unethical enterprise.—See Awake!, February 8, 1962, pages 21-3.
Facts
You can lose all your money invested unlike banks where you will generally retain your initial investment. Also, investing in real estate means you have bought a physical asset which you rarely lose.
Gains are often made at the losses of someone else unless the shares have always increased in value
There are brokers fees involved (which is the 'houses' take)
In theory you may have purchased a share in part of a company but the irratic behoviour of shares demonstrates that there are times when it has little to do with the value of the company
As for researching a company, there is no way of controlling unethical behaviour or the use of monies for unchristian activities
feb 1, 2006 watchtower, page 25, para 14:.
"that issue of the watch tower further stated: "in 1920,...bible students came to a correct understanding of our lord's prophecy contained in matthew 24:14. they then realized that 'this gospel' which was to be preached in all the world for a testimony to the gentiles or all nations, was not a gospel of a kingdom yet to come but a gospel to the effect that the messianic king has begun his reign over the earth.
[emphasis mine].
Yet in they Lord's prayer they pray "let your kingdom come"
by opening this post, you are admitting that you are failures - well done!
lol.
i must say, i have had so much fun on this site - some real laugh out loud moments for my friends and i to enjoy.. no need to respond - i am busy pioneering from tomorrow, so will no longer have time on my hands to sit at my pc enjoying laughing at your pathetic comments.
So you're pioneering? LOL I bet you don't even know what that word means let alone doing it. Anyway, come back here and tell us which house you've picked out to reside in after Armageddon.
every once in a while there's a story so well told that it deserves lots and lots of kudos and plugs.
here's that 124-book length story which is the first one linked from "exclusive autobiographies" on the home page of www.watchtowerdocuments.com.
read it free!.
What stood out for me was the analogy of training an elephant and breaking ones spirit and this being a method they encourage.
in the supreme court of the united states, october tenth, 1988, case no.
88-1374, filed on june 22, 1988, clerk joseph f. spanol, jr.. on that date and file number, the attoreny james m. mccabe,and donald t. ridley, 25 colombia heights, brooklyn, ny 11251 (718)606-4993, attorneys for amicus curiae, watchtower bible and tract society of new york, inc. filed a "friends of the court" brief on the behalf of the famous preacher, jimmy swaggart and his ministries.. why would the watchtower society, direct channel for jehovah's holy spirt, which also godly hates babylon the great, which also christiandom is the largest part, go into the supreme court of the united states and file a legal brief to help jimmy swaggart's ministries in his trial which was case no.
88-1374: jimmy swaggart ministries, appelant vs. board of equalization of california, appeller?.
BOR said - Jimmy Swaggart, part of Bablon the Great, was the beneficiary as were the Witnesses and other groups listed.
Thanks for your legal insight. Filing as 'friends of the court' isn't as innocent as they portray it to be. Here is a definition
An amicus curiae (also spelled amicus curiæ; plural amici curiae) is someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information to assist a court in deciding a matter before it. The information provided may be a legal opinion in the form of a brief (which is called an amicus brief when offered by an amicus curiae), a testimony that has not been solicited by any of the parties, or a learned treatise on a matter that bears on the case. The decision on whether to admit the information lies at the discretion of the court. The phrase amicus curiae is legal Latin and literally means "friend of the court".
In looking out for their own interests their worst enemy also benefits, there is something fundamentaly wrong with this. They have made themselves directly responsible.
Is it possible that they are recieving their reward by a lack in funding?
my name is jaime and i'm here because my fiance recommended this site.
i am not, nor will i ever be, a jehovah's witness.
i strongly believe it is a cult, but i also am respectful of the choice people make to associate themselves within the witness "world.
But really what do you say?
We've been mostly talking about how to deal with your MIL but it sounds like you already have this side of it under control. You are saying that your main problem is to do with your husband and dealing with his feelings. You really do have a healthy relationship.
As you know it is very difficult for him and it is very hard to know how to deal with the pain he has. Encourage him to talk about it and this may help to get it off his chest. Just be there to cry with him and laugh with him. The healing process is long and hard, that is the power of the cult influence. Point out how you have the opportunity of protecting your son from going through what he went through.
hey everyone!.
i was looking on facebook and came across a page called facebook.com/wefoundthem and they were speaking about the 2 witnesses.
i have seen a little bit about a witness in the watchtower but not much.
Lassinger 58
I'll just say one more thing about drugs.
Won't you be in danger from both the UN and the WTBS for revealing these secrets?
my name is jaime and i'm here because my fiance recommended this site.
i am not, nor will i ever be, a jehovah's witness.
i strongly believe it is a cult, but i also am respectful of the choice people make to associate themselves within the witness "world.
Unfortunately, it's not up to you to maintain a relationship between your family and his that is because it is beyond your control. You may have read here how many feel it is a cult and as such it is very hard to have any affect on their behaviour.
It sounds like your MIL has moments where she is torn between her beliefs and having a relationship with you and your family but that is for her to deal with and come to terms of how she will deal with it. You are already doing the right thing by telling her when she is behaving in an unacceptable manner.
Think carefully as to how much influence you are prepared to give her.
hey everyone!.
i was looking on facebook and came across a page called facebook.com/wefoundthem and they were speaking about the 2 witnesses.
i have seen a little bit about a witness in the watchtower but not much.
Revelation Climax 25
From 1914 to 1918 the nations were occupied with the first world war. Nationalistic feelings ran high, and in the spring of 1918, the religious enemies of the two witnesses took advantage of the situation. They maneuvered the State’s legal apparatus so that responsible ministers of the Bible Students were imprisoned on false charges of sedition. Faithful coworkers were stunned. Kingdom activity almost ceased. It was as though the preaching work were dead. In Bible times it was a terrible indignity not to be interred in a memorial tomb. (Psalm 79:1-3; 1 Kings 13:21, 22) Therefore, great reproach would attach to leaving the two witnesses unburied. In the hot Palestinian climate, a corpse in the open street would really start to smell after three and a half literal days. (Compare John 11:39.) This detail in the prophecy thus indicates the shame that the two witnesses had to endure. Those mentioned above who were imprisoned were even denied bail while their cases were on appeal. They were exposed publicly long enough to become a stench to the inhabitants of “the great city.” But what was this “great city”?
According to the JWs the two witnesses were just one group - responsible ministers. Even though they were 'dead' it seems that some preaching still took place during 1914 to 1918 so there must have been just a little bit of life in them at that time. Also Revelation states that they died after they had completed their witnessing but in the history of JWs they just continued on as they did before their deaths. The good news is that these two witnesses must still be in existance.
Whilst looking up the JWs interpretation I came across this
W99 11/1
The book of Revelation was written “in signs.” According to Revelation 1:1, Jesus wanted to reveal to “his slaves” (not the world in general) what would shortly take place. To understand the book of Revelation, Christ’s slaves, or followers, would need God’s holy spirit, which Jehovah gives to those who please him. If the book of Revelation is to be understood literally, even faithless people could read it and understand it. Then there would be no need for Christians to pray for holy spirit in order to understand it.—Matthew 13:10-15.
It's a pity that they have already interpreted most of Revelation, including the two witnesses as it doesn't leave them much room to excuse away changed interpretations as new light. It would actually mean that they did not have the holy spirit at the time of the original interpretation.
