have you answered the knock on your door?.
[b]e like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.luke 12:36.. .
behold, i stand at the door and [song 5:2 ] knock.
Inkie said: I opened the peep hole (3” x 3”) and saw no one at all, but asked: “Is that you, Lord?” to which he again said and I heard, “Yes.”
Babyruth has no trouble reading whatsoever. It is you Inkie who has trouble remembering what you just posted.
a jw (who i have discussed the generation of 1914 with in previous discussions) asks me, "did you see in the news this group of people that say the end is coming in may?
me: "yea, i saw that.." before i can go on, they respond, "i can't believe people fall for such nonsense".
me: "what's the difference in saying 'the end is coming in may' as opposed to saying, 'the end is coming before the generation of 1914 dies off'?
Thank you, jamiebowers, for the hardy welcome. As well, as the heads up on SD-7.
His post was word-for-word a typical JW response, and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
Well played SD-7.
Hope the New Year is treating you all well, because the "End of the World" is coming in May... or so I've heard.
a jw (who i have discussed the generation of 1914 with in previous discussions) asks me, "did you see in the news this group of people that say the end is coming in may?
me: "yea, i saw that.." before i can go on, they respond, "i can't believe people fall for such nonsense".
me: "what's the difference in saying 'the end is coming in may' as opposed to saying, 'the end is coming before the generation of 1914 dies off'?
SD 7 said:
"Even prophets of old made mistakes at times or had wrong expectations. Yet this did not stop them from declaring the truth about God."
Thanks for reinforcing the concept that mistakes and wrong expectations make up your "truth about God."
there's a wide cross section of thinkers on this board, representing christian belief and non-belief and points in between, the agnostics.
there is most definitely a minority, mostly silent, of devoted jehovah's witnesses present, too, but their contribution to the dialogue and dynamic of the board is minimal.
that small minority aside, it can be said the people who venture into here to communicate with one another share a common paradigm, and that is the watchtower is built on a foundation of clay.
Nickolas,
My heart goes out to you. I totally understand your situation. My family is divided, and there's not much I can do about it. Those still in refuse to listen to any deviation from the "truth" as told to them by their "book publishing company".
I just wanted to give out a few thoughts, don't know if they'll help. I have to agree with everyone that says to take it slow and be covert (OUTLAW). When you confront them with logic and reasoning, the devout ones have been conditioned to mentaly shutdown and run to their "book publishing company's" literature for answers, if not directly, then with the aid of an elder. So you must be covert, and allow them to do most of your work, as Wobble most wisely suggested in his last post.
Their own tendancies to be human and not divine will aid immensely.
I may be crude in my delivery, and I may be totally mistaken, but I've always wondered why people allow themselves to be so taken in by cults. What do they offer? I believe mostly what they offer is uniqueness, and supposed superiority to the masses of mankind, a "we know and have something that you don't, and you can't get unless you become like me" attitude. And for JW's it's knowledge of the most important kind to them. "Everlasting life!" Unlike most Christian religions that teach life after death, these people actually believe they are never going to die and will continue to live here on earth! How powerful of a motivator is that?!?! It's a very strong narcissistic motivation that you must overcome. All fed, supported, and very organized by a book publishing company and their narcissistic followers. End of RANT!
All the best to your efforts, Nickolas.
can you guys tell me what was said at the last circut assembley about jw's not having anything to do with family who have faded or d/f d/a.. my jw dad was cool prior to october 2010 but has just fell off the planet in the last 2 months.
no phone calls / emails etc... what's been said to the jw's to just cut family off so suddenly ?.
hairyhegoat.
I have no idea what the JW's are currently preaching, as I don't keep up with it.
But it seems to me over the years, when I was associated and having some relatives that still are, that the GB are always dropping little things in their publications, that suggest your conscience should be bothered if you are associating with anyone that used to be a JW and are no longer or even just inactive.
My devout mother is constantly jumping back and forth between speaking/not speaking to me and my unassociated sister, depending on how confused she is between her devotion to that book publishing company and her feelings of love for us.
Who knows if someone showed your father a older/newer publication that bothered his conscience in the same manner or it was more "new light." But one thing is for sure, be ready for a rollercoaster ride if you are starting to stray from them.
been about 20 yrs since i've been a jw, still have relatives who are.
anyway... i found myself amused one day when during a conversation, whose topic i can't recall, i referred to jehovah's witnesses as jehovah witnesses, without the apostrophe s, just as all my "worldly aquaintances" did when i was growing up.
i remember being distinctly annoyed and self-righteous when they left out the possessive in jehovah, and i'm sure i said something to them about it.
I hear you there, Broken. Kinda nice to be so far removed from all that nonsense, to be able to attach so little importance to something that meant so much way back when.
But, like you, I watch what I say around my mother and younger sister; not to mention three aunts and several cousins. Just don't see any reason to unnecessarily rock the boat. They know where I stand, and, as long as they respect it, we can pretend to be a family. lol
On the other hand, there is my other sister (also no longer associated with that book publishing company). I love her to death! Kindest, most giving person in the world. We went through the same hell together and we are always there for each other. I have one cousin that comes in from out of state twice a year, just to escape her JW sisters and hang with us. She says it restores her sanity.
All in all, though, as complex as life is... it's so much simpler now.
Congrats on a whole new generation of non-JW relatives, Broken. Gotta put a smile on your face!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxh7jr9okve&feature=player_embedded.
ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR!!!
Brought a tear to my eye as well.
been about 20 yrs since i've been a jw, still have relatives who are.
anyway... i found myself amused one day when during a conversation, whose topic i can't recall, i referred to jehovah's witnesses as jehovah witnesses, without the apostrophe s, just as all my "worldly aquaintances" did when i was growing up.
i remember being distinctly annoyed and self-righteous when they left out the possessive in jehovah, and i'm sure i said something to them about it.
Thank you for the welcome, Broken. Amazing, how well conditioned we were and still are to a small extent.
@ Wobble: I'll have to agree on the unusualness of the word 'Jehovah.' But I know, and I think others who do the same thing can back me up, it's not the unusualness of the word that makes it spring out at me. Rather than any mystical relevance, I believe that it is the years of conditioning, from the age of 7 to the 27, that are responsible for this occurance. Other words really don't spring out at me like 'Jehovah' does.
Funny, too, how your wife, though an ex-JW, still doesn't take kindly to jesting about the name Jehovah. It took me a while to assign unvalidity to the whole concept of God.
Occasionally, during my family get-togethers of those who used to be JW's and those who never were, the ex-JW's will refer to the those still in as J-Ho's, which I find amusing. Which is not to say that we spend a lot time at our get-together to bash JW's. Just a small occurance, whose relevance, I think, is appropriate for this board.
been about 20 yrs since i've been a jw, still have relatives who are.
anyway... i found myself amused one day when during a conversation, whose topic i can't recall, i referred to jehovah's witnesses as jehovah witnesses, without the apostrophe s, just as all my "worldly aquaintances" did when i was growing up.
i remember being distinctly annoyed and self-righteous when they left out the possessive in jehovah, and i'm sure i said something to them about it.
Been about 20 yrs since I've been a JW, still have relatives who are.
Anyway... I found myself amused one day when during a conversation, whose topic I can't recall, I referred to Jehovah's Witnesses as Jehovah Witnesses, without the apostrophe s, just as all my "worldly aquaintances" did when I was growing up. I remember being distinctly annoyed and self-righteous when they left out the possessive in Jehovah, and I'm sure I said something to them about it. But now I was doing the same thing and thinking, "Wow, that came off so naturally." It made me snicker silently, because the person I was talking to was a friend with no idea what JW's are about. We continued to talking and he also pronounced Jehovah's Witnesses without the apostrophe s. I made no effort to correct him, and in fact, I indulged in pronouncing it as "Jehovah Witness."
One thing, though, that still is with me that bugs the hell outta me: Is my tendancy to have my attention immediately drawn to the word 'Jehovah' in print. I spend very little of my time reflecting on JW's, and, in fact, joining and posting this is probably the most I've spent doing so in a while. But it still riles me to no end to be reading something, and no matter where on the page, if it is on the page, to have my eyes immediately flash and single out the word "Jehovah."
Ah! Such is this peculiar life.
My heart does go out to a lot of the pain I see here, but my smile goes out to the brave ones who come through it better than before.
Much love...
