J. Hofer

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Posts by J. Hofer

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  11

  Is the NWT a translation or simply a rewording w/ edits ?

  by mP in

  1. social
  2. humour

  did they really start from teh greek, hebrew and aramaic texts and translate or did freddy and the friends simply take other bibles and reword each and every sentence.

  naturally during this exercise they would have altered the text to make it comptaible with their eschatology.

  i think this best explains what really happen during those sessions as they had no literary skills they honestly couldnt read the originals.. .

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  J. Hofer

  i'm not sure about the english version. all other languages were translated from the english version though. they say that they took the original languages as reference too, but even if that's the case - and i highly doubt it - all non-english translations are meta-translations.
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  40

  Another visit from the elders

  by jonno12225 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i have another visit from the elder this week.

  this time they want to speak with my wife, still a believer and myself.

  i think they want to know my position about my children attending the meetings and some other things.. while preparing myself for it i though of a challenge for the elders and my wife.

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  J. Hofer

  i'll say it again: don't meet with them.

  but in case you don't listen to us, there was some sound advice given already too: record it and don't expect them to answer your question. they will ask you the fundamental questions instead: do you think this is god's organization. if you say no, you're toast. if you say yes, you're toast as well, as they'll give you the guilt trip on what you're supposed to do (going to the meetings, taking spiritual responsibility for your household, all thos sweet things), until you'll eventually say no due to being fed up with all this.

  in case you don't listen to us and you're confronted with those questions and your goal is not to be disfellowshipped, don't answer those questions. i repeat: don't answer them. if that's too awkward for you (it's as awkward for the elders as for you, so no worries), respond with "that's a personal question".

  that's just in case you're one of those people who just don't want to listen ;) again: don't meed with them!
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  40

  Another visit from the elders

  by jonno12225 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i have another visit from the elder this week.

  this time they want to speak with my wife, still a believer and myself.

  i think they want to know my position about my children attending the meetings and some other things.. while preparing myself for it i though of a challenge for the elders and my wife.

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  J. Hofer

  in fact i had a conversation about that new light when casually talking to an old friend of mine who happens to be an elder now. he completely denied it. he said nothing has changed.
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  86

  2+2=5 cited this fact about the shrinking amount of elders. Perhaps the coming implosion?

  by wha happened? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  at the last elders school i heard from a few different attendees that the average age was easily 60+.

  there will be a lot of elders gone within the next 10yrs.

  there is nowhere near enough young brothers to replace these ageing elders.

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  J. Hofer

  this may hold true for most of the "western" countries with the exception of foreign language congregations. latin american congregations for example tend to be very young and they may start exporting elders to where the need is great...
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  40

  Another visit from the elders

  by jonno12225 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i have another visit from the elder this week.

  this time they want to speak with my wife, still a believer and myself.

  i think they want to know my position about my children attending the meetings and some other things.. while preparing myself for it i though of a challenge for the elders and my wife.

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  J. Hofer

  what OTWO said. the elders won't even think about your question any further than looking it up in the index and coming back with some canned answer about waiting on jehovah or something along the lines. and your wife will sit there crying her eyes out because it's so difficult to serve jehovah with an unbelieving mate.

  drop the meeting. have dinner with your wife instead and try to make her understand your point of view in a calm manner without trying to impose it on her.
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  86

  The Other Side of the Indian Rape Story

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  i'm posting this story, not to defend an indefensible act, but to try to provide some balance.

  the fact is that so many indians exist in a poverty so deep that it's difficult for westerners to even understand.

  the youngest of the rapists in the now world known rape story, according to this uk, independent newspaper story, grew up in that world that seems hopeless.

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  J. Hofer

  now lets just bomb india to the ground.
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  41

  How many went from christian to something else?

  by Satanus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i noticed some posters who used to argue along christian lines, but don't do so, anymore.

  granted, it's a tough line to keep to on this forum.

  i would be interested to hear (read) of people who came here as believers, and then transitioned to unbeliever, and the reasons for that.

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  J. Hofer

  pretty much same story as satanus. once you start researching you throw out all the crap over time.

  first i saw that JWs aren't really following what they are teaching, then i saw that their teachings are not what the bible says, then i saw that some parts of the bible are complete nonsense or downright cruel (mostly OT), so i tried to stick with the jesus part, then i saw that believing the jesus stories without believing the OT isn't honest, as jesus mentions a lot of it, including gems like the flood etc. so i dropped that book and kept looking for god for a while, haven't had any first hand experience with him/her/them though, so i dropped the belief in supernatural things alltogether. things started to make sense more and more along the journey. and now i don't have all the answers, but i also don't care about many of the questions - some of them are just plain silly. like asking for the purpose or things like that.
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  133

  GENESIS- Adam, Eve, Noah, etc. and Original Sin

  by Band on the Run in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  there was a distressing thread concerning this topic recently.

  there is no way i can believe these stories as literal truth or even use them as any signpost to the nt jesus/god.

  these scriptures make judaism and christianity look silly.

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  J. Hofer

  do you honestly believe that people are equal? in what sense?
• 
  133

  GENESIS- Adam, Eve, Noah, etc. and Original Sin

  by Band on the Run in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  there was a distressing thread concerning this topic recently.

  there is no way i can believe these stories as literal truth or even use them as any signpost to the nt jesus/god.

  these scriptures make judaism and christianity look silly.

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  J. Hofer

  nobody's equal in modern times, and yeah, that's how our society works. there is no such thing as equal opportunity, not for women not for men. equality is just some virtual empty feel good word, nothing more. and there's no way it could change, our society depends on this.
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  112

  Georgia mom shoots home intruder five times

  by Bonnie_Clyde in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/my-wife-is-a-hero-georgia-mother-shoots-home-intruder-five-times-after-being-cornered/ .

  i've been waiting for someone to post this story.

  five bullets almost weren't enough to save herself and her two children.

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  J. Hofer

  that "ask questions later" is a little problematic after the use of lethal ammunition. usually there's not much left to ask afterwards.