Faith is what you use when you don't have any facts, or there are facts that contradict your point of view, but you still want to stubbornly believe something. It's the last resort religious people turn to when all else fails them. It's like a get out of jail card.
shepherd
JoinedPosts by shepherd
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13
Is FAITH not just learning to double-down on your mistakes?
by Terry ina person of faith is loyal.. a person of faith will not give up.. a person of faith considers it an act of love to refuse to let go.. and yet, the definition of insanity is refusing to change when confronted with disproof!.
jehovah's witnesses are taught loyalty to the organization.. jehovah's witnesses are confronted with propects of persecution by odd doctrinal views that set them at odds with others.. being obstinate about quirky views is a badge of their faith.. from 1968 through 1975 the test of faith was telling the world about a momentous fiction described as the end of 6,000 years of human existence.. it was, of course, utterly silly and a non-event which totally back-fired.
because it was superficially linked to armageddon.
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Letter of DA from attorney to Elders becomes gossip fodder -- Society, Elders culpable?
by FatFreek 2005 inon a recent thread, i posted a question there but was too late.
it had fallen off the radar.
that thread was about someone who had an attorney mail notice to their local congregation that they had terminated membership.
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shepherd
@fearlessfreedom84 - You do not need to put a reason in the letter. Just say you are no longer a Jehovah's Witness and sign it. I understand why they may want it in writing, and I understand that you don't want all the gossip so keep the message short and to the point. Even that one sentence is enough.
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Letter of DA from attorney to Elders becomes gossip fodder -- Society, Elders culpable?
by FatFreek 2005 inon a recent thread, i posted a question there but was too late.
it had fallen off the radar.
that thread was about someone who had an attorney mail notice to their local congregation that they had terminated membership.
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shepherd
"Perhaps someone needs to turn on the "BOT"(R) searchlight... Peace! SA, on her own... searching the skies... in preparation to ward off any [potential] swooping by BOT(R)s... or their related sidekicks (i.e., the sundry ones, q's, whathaveyou...)"
AGuest, although I agree with you that BOTR can be annoying (as can you be) and I know you both have issues with each other, but your comments above were not 'peace' inspiring, a word you publish ad nausium on all your posts. Rather, you were just baiting her. Shame on you.
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What are the best Bible Translations?
by Londo111 ingrowing up in a jw family, my parents and my grandparents had many versions of the bible...not just the new world translation.
sometimes i read these.
but i always bought the hype that the new world translation was the most unbiased and most consistent in rendering hebrew and greek into the modern language.
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shepherd
" Some translations I have picked up have obviously come from a translator with a doctrinal bias…maybe that is just my years of WTS programming."
No, you are not a victim of 'programming' in this case, you are right. All Bible translations have some doctrinal or personal bias. The NWT is no better and no worse at doing the same thing - in JW land it is only the most 'unbiased' for them because it was tailored to match their bias, therefore unbiased takes on the meaning of having the same bias to begin with.
Therefore it is not possible to say one or another is the 'best'. They are all flawed in one way or another. The original languages used wording that could be interpreted in numerous ways, and this is the problem. It is not possible to know with absolute certainty what the original manuscripts said or meant.
Which is another reason for rejecting it as the sole guide in your life.
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Who Do You Say Will Be The Republican Nominee For President & Will Obama Lose?
by minimus inyour opinion please:.
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shepherd
I have watched a few of the debates and I have to say the Republican nominees are all a hopeless bunch of morons. One of them may beat Obama because the economy is in such bad shape but it will not be because of any talents they have.
Finally, "There is a high likelihood of a serious terror attack before the next election. It will be the Jihadist revenge on Obama for killing Ben Laden and use of drones. If that happens the Republican candidate will win for sure." - I don't agree at all - Obama has not shown himself weak to respond (did Bush get Bin Laden?) and his response would be appropriate. I understand that the American people would be angry and baying for blood and the Republican party is more closely associated with attacking other nations but whether the public really want another Iraq is another thing (especially since Iraq was not even involved in 9/11 and the declared motive for the invasion was based on lies).
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How did Jesus and his apostles make money?
by sabastious injesus and his apostles were once found eating other people's wheat yield.
however the law in question was reported to be the sabbath; so it must not have been considered stealing?.
regardless, how did they earn money?
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shepherd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene explains all the various traditions, specifically, Catholic, relating to Mary Magdalene. As usual the Bible can be interpreted and understood in many ways and this is no exception.
My comment was tongue in cheek, of course, and unlikely to be accepted by anyone who actually believes Jesus was in any way more than human.
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How did Jesus and his apostles make money?
by sabastious injesus and his apostles were once found eating other people's wheat yield.
however the law in question was reported to be the sabbath; so it must not have been considered stealing?.
regardless, how did they earn money?
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shepherd
"Women helped support them out of their own means"
This may have included whores, according to tradition, so I guess that made Jesus a pimp too.
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Some love for Band on the Run
by sabastious injust wanted to say you provide a unique voice on this forum.
i don't always agree with you, but i'd like you to stay here for as long as you can stand it.. .
-sab.
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shepherd
Glad you are staying. Sometimes I have no idea what you are talking about from one sentence to the next, but the forum should be open to all.
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shepherd
I got reported by my son. The irony was he was stealing from the congregation contribution boxes yet for some reason felt pure enough to report me to them.
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"Extreme physical abuse" only grounds for separation, NOT divorce.
by cedars inforgive me if i'm a bit slow with the title to this thread.
the true absurdity of the cult that robbed me of my intellect for so long is still beginning to dawn on me.. i'm doing more research into domestic violence as part of a response to the notorious "wife beating" article in the feb 2012 watchtower.. i was shocked to find a question from readers in the w75 5/1 p286-288 which basically said that a battered wife would not be scripturally free to divorce her husband.
my first reaction was that this stance must have changed since 1975, but then i dipped into my own memory from serving as an elder, and of course, adultery (including porneia) is given as the only scriptural grounds for divorce down to this day.. please can somebody correct me if i'm wrong, preferably with a reference?
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shepherd
"I was shocked to find a Question From Readers in the w75 5/1 p286-288 which basically said that a battered wife would not be scripturally free to divorce her husband."
Don't beat up the JW's over this, blame the Bible writers that made up this rule in the first place. The JW religion does allow a divorce (legally) in certain circumstances but the marriage remains valid in God's eyes until one partner is either unfaithful or dies (proof of this is provided above by other posters).
If you really were an elder I am surprised at your ignorance. This is basic stuff.
As an athiest I have no interest in the what the Bible says, but I accept that you cannot blame the JW religion for following biblical rules in this particular case.