Posts by Quendi

31

Bizarre 'Spirit anointed' v. 'Spirit appointed' explanation in Dec 15th WT

by cedars in

hi everyone, i am going through the dec 15th study edition of the wt thanks to a tip-off that this issue is now available online at jw.org.. in the article "guided by god's spirit in the first century and today" on page 25 there is a bizarre argument put forward by the society about the difference between spirit-anointed and spirit-appointed.. this touches on a subject that i have often wondered about, which is this.

why are spirit anointed brothers and sisters (memorial partakers) not given positions of oversight in the congregation by default?

i know it sounds like a stupid question, but please think about it for a moment.

Quendi

Indeed, the 15 November 2009 issue of The Watchtower plainly spelled out the attitude the WTS hierarchy has toward these upstart "new" anointed ones. The study article "The 'Faithful Steward' and its Governing Body" made is as clear as glass that if these newly-minted anointed thought their status would give them input on what was published in WTS literature or access to the corridors of power in Brooklyn, they were sadly and seriously mistaken. The Governing Body put the kibosh on all such thinking and speculating in that study article. There they openly stated that the Body alone had the right and authority to make policy. The article compared the Body's position to that of the New Testament writers of the first century. Though they were few in number in comparison to the mass of Christians back then, that didn't mean they weren't given the special privilege of writing inspired books and letters. As it was in the first century, so it now is in the twenty-first. Only the Governing Body has the authority to dole out "spiritual food" and no others need apply.

So the number of partakers can keep on growing as far as the Governing Body is concerned. The seven men at the top have consolidated their hold on power and remain firmly in control. And while I don't doubt that eventually they will put more seats in their Wednesday morning meeting room, those filling them will be company men through and through, and not these Johnny-come-latelys. And, as has been noted elsewhere, those without penises need not even think of getting a seat at that table or any other power center in the organization regardless of their future hopes.

Quendi

7

National Anthem

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

i was reading an article about some guy who refused to stand for the national anthem on 911 at the jets cowboy game.

here is the question..... why can witness kids stand respectfully for the flag salute, but not the national anthem?

direction is given that for the national anthem you must remain seated unless you are already standing.

Quendi

What is interesting to me on this question is that the United States did not officially adopt a national anthem until 1931. Congress voted on it and "The Star Spangled Banner" beat out "America the Beautiful" by a single vote, much to the dismay of the Colorado delegation which had strongly pushed the latter. "America the Beautiful" was composed by a young woman on the summit of Colorado's Pike's Peak and its first stanza describes the view she enjoyed there.

So it has been only eighty years that the country has even had an anthem. Many people, not just Jehovah's Witnesses, don't like the custom of presenting the colors and playing the anthem at athletic events which have nothing to do with politics. I don't know how or why that custom arose. For my part, I stand quietly when the colors are presented and the anthem is sung. I will not, under any circumstances, sing any national anthem. My own personal belief is that nationalism and Christianity do not mix. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate being an American citizen. My father served honorably in the Army for twenty years, seeing duty in both Korea and Vietnam. My travels abroad have helped me to further appreciate what American citizenship means.

The fellow who talked on his cellphone while the anthem was played showed gross disrespect to not only the country but his countrymen. I don't blame them for being upset, and all the moreso since this disrespect took place in New York on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. He might as well flashed the finger while the colors were being presented, and I'm sure that is how his conduct was viewed.

As far as Jehovah's Witnesses and flags are concerned, they are inconsistent. You can't stand for the playing of an anthem, but should rise when a judge enters a courtroom and takes his seat on the bench. You can't salute the flag, but can sign a document swearing to defend the country's constitution if you want to secure a passport. Office holders are agents of Satan, but should be addressed by their proper titles upon meeting them. I don't pledge allegiance to national flags either and I agree that compulsory flag salutes are unconstitutional, but that doesn't mean that respect should not be paid to a nation's emblems, officers, and institutions. That's something the WTS can't seem to grasp.

Quendi

46

My father's funeral

by jwfacts in

last week i attended my father's funeral in hobart.

i was the first time i have been in a kingdom hall in several years, and many years since i had attended the hall of my childhood, but felt like it was just yesterday.

the funeral talk was quite a departure from normal, so worth writing about.

Quendi

I am appalled at what these "Christian" elders put Roski through, appalled but no longer surprised. I hope the best for you, Roski, and all whom you love. At least you are no longer part of this cult and can live your life in peace and freedom. Paul, you would have loved being a fly on the wall during my judicial committee meetings. I ripped them up one side and down the other whenever they tried JW ideology to make me grovel on the floor. They were always frustrated because I would answer them using the Bible to show their actions might be in line with the Society's thinking but certainly not with Christ's.

Quendi

69

Dec 15 2011 WT: We don't care if you have a f***ing BRAIN TUMOR get your a$$ out in service!!

by baltar447 in

jw
friends

oh dear sweet jeebus:.

i enjoy making return visits and helping out on bible studies.

on my better days, i like to witness from house to house.barbara, who has a brain tumor.. i carry only a very light magazine bag.

Quendi

These sad experiences remind me of a situation which involved me in my Boulder, Colorado congregation. One of the men (who also professed to be of the anointed) suffered from multiple sclerosis. When I first met him, the disease had a firm grip on him, but he could still walk without assistance and drive a motor vehicle. However, as the years passed, his illness progressively grew worse. All of us felt bad for him and assisted him and his family as much as we could.

Problems began when this man failed to recognize that MS meant accepting limitations on his abilities. So he insisted on auxiliary pioneering and Yours Truly had to work with him most of the time he went in the service. The elders, ministerial servants, and other men in the congregation couldn't be bothered. Since his mobility was impaired by then, this often meant he had to use a cane, and later a wheelchair when going out. Auxiliary pioneering in April created special problems due to the weather. April is the third-snowiest month of the year in Colorado, making the door-to-door work hard even for the able-bodied. So you can imagine what it was like working with someone who was physically disabled.

I was pioneering back then and working with this man meant that I was hard pressed to get my required 90 hours a month. I begged him to limit his hours and schedule his activities since I was the only one who worked with him. He refused, saying that he was going to give his very best to Jehovah. In the end I had to tell him I would no longer work with him in field service. That upset him, and he went to the elders. However, I made it clear to the elders and others that my decision was firm and would not be reversed.

Experiences like that and the ones baltar447 have shared illustrate not devotion but fanaticism. Fanaticism is one of the earmarks of a cult, and here, in the pages of The Watchtower, we see one more evidence of that. I'm glad I'm both out and free.

Quendi

33

Dec 15 2011 WT: playing school sports equated with cheating on taxes & lying - wtf?

by baltar447 in

jw
friends

here it is in p14 of the article "is he a good example for you or a warning?".

14 will we let solomons course be a warning example for us?

a sister might attempt to rationalize forming a romantic link that ignores gods directive to marry only in the lord.

Quendi

This article proves that the WTS is now suffering from the "China Syndrome". It long ago hit rock bottom and is now burrowing a hole all the way to China. I hope when it gets there it will fall off the Earth entirely. This xenophobic cult never ceases to amaze me. Ordinary human activities and desires are now equated to gross sin! And both Mad Sweeney and punkonice are right to say this is nothing less than an assault on free will and the power of reason. Or to put it in WTS parlance, this is a call to the membership to throw their consciences out and accept the dictates of an isolated, fear-mongering clique in Brooklyn!

Watching the WTS operate and the control it has over rank and file Witnesses is an object lesson in how absolute power corrupts absolutely. I can now understand how Hitler and Stalin gained and maintained power in the twentieth century. I now believe that I was lucky to get out of this cult at all, that my expulsion was a real blessing because it has enabled me to recover my soul. Yet I have to also remember that I once was one of those sycophants who marched in lockstep with everyone else, hanging on to every utterance the Governing Body made. "Thus saith The Watchtower" became the equivalent of "Thus saith Jehovah". Articles like this one make me realize that freedom is kept only through eternal vigilance, and that we must never grow dull in our powers of understanding.

Quendi

46

My father's funeral

by jwfacts in

last week i attended my father's funeral in hobart.

i was the first time i have been in a kingdom hall in several years, and many years since i had attended the hall of my childhood, but felt like it was just yesterday.

the funeral talk was quite a departure from normal, so worth writing about.

Quendi

I once gave a memorial service talk and it was a uniquel experience for me. A JW friend had lost her mother who was Jewish and also suffered from various mental illnesses, schizophrenia being among them. So when she died, Marcy asked me to give the talk which was held at a funeral home. She had issues with the elders at that time and so she asked none of them to speak. Instead, since I was an old friend, I was asked to say a few words.

I decided to make the theme of my talk the hope of the resurrection and all the scriptures I cited or read were from the Old Testament. I did not know Marcy's mother that well and so I had very little to say about her as a person. But I made my remarks as positive as I could, stressing the fact that the deceased was both a wife and a mother whose children had great affection for her. Now she had gone to her rest and we could look to a loving God to secure her future prospects for life.

There were quite a few non-Witnesses at the service and they all told me how much they appreciated my remarks. I made no references to Jehovah's Witnesses, the organization, or how people could learn more from a "free home Bible study". Reading about Paul's father's funeral has reminded me that the purpose of a funeral or memorial service is to comfort the living and share as many positive things about the deceased as we can. It is certainly not the time for cheap proselytizing.

I also want to touch on what Paul said about the deplorable shunning practice of Jehovah's Witnesses and how it is carried out 24/7. During one of my meetings with my judicial committee during the years I pursued reinstatement, I was asked by one of the elders if I loved the brothers. He was dumbfounded when I said, "NO." He couldn't understand this. Why did I feel that way, he asked me. I told him that when I came into the Hall I never heard so much as a "Good Morning" or "Good Evening" from anyone. Nobody would even say my name. Any personal relationship with another human being begins with an exchange of greetings and names. So I felt I no longer had any relationship with anyone in the congregation and so had no reason to love any of them. I remember that none of the elders could say a word in reply after that.

Quendi

19

WRM: Watchtower Resistance Movement

by ekruks in

jw
friends

when france was invaded by the nazis, they established what was called the french resistance, which attacked the nazis.

the cause was to fight evil, so it was called a guerilla movement.

in each town, rebels would meet together secretly and sabotage the nazis, doing things such as blowing up railway lines, though they didn't attack civilians who were oppressed.. i don't see for us to fight the individuals in the organisation, because many of them are just misled, confused, brainwashed.

Quendi

Even if the WTS were to implement all the reforms ekruks is calling for, I would still never return. As Mad Sweeney put it so succinctly, this religion is still a cult and I want nothing to do with it. Their reforms will not repair the wreck families, the broken friendships, the mental illness and anguish that have been visited on others. Their reforms will not bring back those who have died or completely heal the injuries suffered because they followed WTS policies on medical practice or political ideology. Their reforms will not get the rank and file to think for themselves. The best thing to do with respect to the WTS is to get out and put ever-widening distance between you and it. Also help any and all who also want to make good their escape. At least that's the way I see it.

Quendi

67

Victoria, Australia: FYI-Far reaching ramifications of the criminal indictment of the GB

by AndersonsInfo in

fyi: the following material that im providing comes from a source in australia, an xjw who is now monitoring the case and will provide feedback, comments, and opinions.

barbara.

the governing body of jehovah's witnesses was recently summoned to appear in the magistrates' court of victoria on september 13, 2011 in relation to a number of indictable criminal offences allegedly committed.

Quendi

Personally, despite all the talk that has been posted on this thread, I think Shakespeare said it best in that it all is "full of sound and fury signifying nothing." Mad Sweeney hit the nail on the head when he said that the net effect both on the Governing Body and the WTS will be nil. The Australian legal system can huff and puff but they won't be able to blow this house down.

That doesn't mean that pursuit of this case in Australian courts is entirely in vain. The bad publicity it will generate for the WTS in that country will have repurcussions there. But I very much doubt it will be felt elsewhere, especially given Australia's geographic isolation and sparse population. No, this will roll off the Governing Body and the WTS like water off a duck's back. And you can be sure that none of the WTS publications will mention this case at all, making sure that the rank and file will be ignorant of what is happening in Australia. Look how effectively the WTS has covered its tracks with respect to its NGO affliliation with the United Nations. How many Witnesses still don't know this ever happened? It will be the same with this Australian pedophile mess.

Quendi

46

My father's funeral

by jwfacts in

last week i attended my father's funeral in hobart.

i was the first time i have been in a kingdom hall in several years, and many years since i had attended the hall of my childhood, but felt like it was just yesterday.

the funeral talk was quite a departure from normal, so worth writing about.

Quendi

Thanks for sharing your experience, jwfacts, with us. I am glad you found the strength to attend your father's funeral but outraged at the treatment you received at the hands of most of the Witnesses there. Here was an opportunity to display genuine Christianity and these people failed completely. Kudos to those who did put their humanity ahead of their religion, though.

This episode has made me all the more determined never to enter a Kingdom Hall again for as long as I live. I would have only two reasons to do so in any case. An elderly aunt, who got baptized in 1956, won't be with us for too many more years; and the mother of a close friend who is also in her eighties, are the only reasons I would ever have for considering going to the Hall and attending their funerals/memorial services. But considering what happened to you, I am certain I would face the same if not harsher treatment. I will try to console my family and friends when the occasion arises, but I see now that going to the Hall to express sympathy and support won't do any good.

Your father was a good man and had a real love for others. I wonder what he would have felt had he known how you were treated. I'm sure he would have been far from happy about that. At least you and he had made peace over religious questions and had a good relationship. You have many good memories that will console and comfort you in the years ahead. I'm sorry that your mother has not yet found the wisdom your father had. Perhaps she will in time.

Quendi

55

VAT 4956 Astronomical Observations

by VM44 in

starting a new thread to discuss the astronomical observations recorded in vat 4956..

Quendi

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Quendi