hi guys,.
i was asked to give final prayer today after the field service meeting.
i asked for jah to bless and comfort the families of the newtown, ct massacre.
El_Guapo wrote:
He said that JW's don't do that
I would like to ask the elder why JW's don't do that? What reason could they possibly have for not doing that? BTW, I'm an atheist, but I still am curious why a supposedly Christian group would behave that way. If you find an answer please share it.
going for a word by word bible reading/study with a jw, no literature involved and maybe using more than one versions.
is that a wise move and is there any advantage?.
FingersCrossed wrote:
1) No WTS literature 2) Reading the Bible words by words 3) ??
For #3, I suggest you both agree to leave your doctrines/theology/preconceived notions at the door as best you can. Don't try to prove your own doctrine under the guise of an innocent/objective study.
Also, here is a problem that may arise: What do you do when you don't understand something in this "Bible only" study? What if you need to look up a word in a "Bible dictionary" or "Bible encyclopedia?" Plenty of organizations publish this kind of so-called "study aid" material, including the Watchtower Society. So whose Bible dictionary or encyclopedia do you use? As you might expect, the Watchtower's dictionaries and encyclopedias are written to support their doctrine - I have some on my bookshelf and sometimes laugh out loud at how obviously biased they are, but other groups are biased as well. I don't have an answer for where you should turn for study assistance except to say that, whatever extra study material you use, whether religious or secular, remember that the author always has a bias.
going for a word by word bible reading/study with a jw, no literature involved and maybe using more than one versions.
is that a wise move and is there any advantage?.
FingersCrossed wrote:
My goal is to let him see what the Bible really says
FYI: The JW's heavily use a little booklet called "What Does The Bible Really Teach?" which I mention partially because its content is probably etched in his mind and partially because I noticed how similar your wording is to theirs.
going for a word by word bible reading/study with a jw, no literature involved and maybe using more than one versions.
is that a wise move and is there any advantage?.
FingersCrossed wrote:
is there any advantage?
What's your goal?
The JW's most likely goal is to recruit you into the JW religion, or to move on to someone else if you don't lean in that direction. Then again, maybe he/she just wants to count you as a "study" and report the time spent. Or, maybe there's a remote chance he/she actually wants to study the Bible for real, but I doubt it. He/she probably has Watchtower ideas programmed in his/her mind, so he/she will interpret whatever you read in the Bible according to the Watchtower paradigm. He/she might start jumping around the Bible in attempt to prove some Watchtower idea. Maybe try not to do a "topical" study where the JW artificially controls the "topic." Try just reading the stories as they are, if you can stomach it - personally I don't enjoy the Bible.
When I did a JW study, I found, at the end of the day, that even if I showed the JW how a scripture could be understood differently from the Watchtower way, he would say, "well this is how -we- see it." Being a JW includes loyalty to the group understanding.
i was curious to hear what other believers understand about dinosaurs.
i know we have a few young earth creationists here.
i wondered what you understand about dinosaurs and when they existed, as well as hear from those that believe dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and how it fits into the bible..
tornapart wrote:
It's obvious that the account of creation is not to be taken literally but merely to give us an 'idea' of how it came about.
What -idea- of how it came about does the account even give us? Other than to say God did it, which can be conveyed in three words, why would you even suggest that the account gives us any additional information whatsoever with which to construct a valid -idea- of -how- it came about?
jw states: since the apostles made mistakes, it is okay for us to make mistakes as well".
is it the logical fallacy of "two wrongs make a right"?
the apostles were directed by god, the governing body is not.
Ask the JW: What mistakes are the GB currently making?
I would be shocked if he/she answered you.
i have learned a lot about cults on this site and cannot thank you all enough for helping me get a sense of what is going on with my jw acquaintance.
as it turns out, another friend of mine told me she goes to the hare krishna temple.
she is a wonderful person, and we have been spending time together having long conversations.
rip van winkle - LOL no I doubt I would do another JW study-the-booklet. I was sincerely interested in getting to know the person I now refer to as a JW acquaintance. I can't say she is even my friend now that I know what she believes because Jehovah's Witnesses are not friends with the world. I stick around this forum because I have learned a lot here about cults, and I find some of the general religious discussions interesting. I guess I still feel some attachment to her even though she will not speak with me, so I check in on JWN to see what is going on in Jehovah's Witness land.
i have learned a lot about cults on this site and cannot thank you all enough for helping me get a sense of what is going on with my jw acquaintance.
as it turns out, another friend of mine told me she goes to the hare krishna temple.
she is a wonderful person, and we have been spending time together having long conversations.
RayPublisher - Yes I agree about being accepting, not judging prematurely, and being open-minded. Regarding the Bhagavad Gita they gave you, notice they gave you their version called The Bhagavad Gita As It Is by the guy who started the Hare Krishnas in the 1960's. I am getting the impression that this version is like the New World Translation is to Jehovah's Witnesses. Just like Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be a Bible education work, Hare Krishnas claim to be educating people about Indian culture and Hinduism. Somehow though, just as Jehovah's Witnesses' so-called education all leads back to the Watchtower, the Hare Krishnas' education keeps pointing to their group called ISKCON and the guy who started it - his picture is found throughout their literature, and they even make little shrines that include his picture and a clay cast of his footprints.
i have learned a lot about cults on this site and cannot thank you all enough for helping me get a sense of what is going on with my jw acquaintance.
as it turns out, another friend of mine told me she goes to the hare krishna temple.
she is a wonderful person, and we have been spending time together having long conversations.
rip van winkle - Actually, my JW acquaintance will no longer speak with me. I learned the hard way what happens when you challenge someone's religion - of course nevermind that they go around criticizing everyone else's beliefs, religious or secular, and -initiate- the conversation! They can dish it out but can't take it. When I pushed back and analyzed the very things that -she- was preaching, I became bad association. I did the little JW study-the-booklet-with-a-brother at -her- prompting, yet I am the bad one.
i have learned a lot about cults on this site and cannot thank you all enough for helping me get a sense of what is going on with my jw acquaintance.
as it turns out, another friend of mine told me she goes to the hare krishna temple.
she is a wonderful person, and we have been spending time together having long conversations.
EE - Yeah my gut reaction is similar to what I felt upon encountering Watchtower-ism. It looks like another kooky high-control group. Some might advise to run for the hills, but the truth is that I myself was in with a bunch of kooks too when I was into the born-again Christian BS. I don't want to give up just yet until I see where she is coming from and how the peculiarities of this cult are affecting her. She may be too fargone like my JW acquaintance - ugh! That experience was just awful, but I won't know until I learn a little more.
doofdaddy - Thank you for your insights from personal experience. I will ask her if she likes spicy food. She's cooked dinner for me a couple of times, and in both instances, the food was distinctly un-spicy. I didn't think anything of it because I enjoy the natural taste of vegetables. At the same time, I also appreciate when spices are done well to add another taste experience. Nobody is giving me a rule saying no spices to avoid stirring up an animal urge! I did ask her about the pedo scandal, but she brought up Penn State and the Roman Catholic Church. ISKON was sued and has supposedly instituted some preventative measures. She said a pedo coverup would not necessarily stop someone from wanting to go to Penn State or play football there.
nugget - I will read some more about the child abuse problem in the group.
stilll thinking - I agree that groups forbidding natural behaviors invite problems.
