I've been wondering about that question for the past few weeks. In my recollection it seems that the disciples were the primary ones engaged in the preaching work. Where the other members of the 1st congregation involved in that preaching work as well?
Leander
JoinedPosts by Leander
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Did the entire first century congregation preach?
by Leander ini've been wondering about that question for the past few weeks.
in my recollection it seems that the disciples were the primary ones engaged in the preaching work.
where the other members of the 1st congregation involved in that preaching work as well?
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Reasons why its so hard to break from the WTS
by Leander ini'm still sitting on the fence trying to figure out which direction to go in.
i think one of the reasons i have'nt left yet is because of the fact that i'm not entirely sure that the wts is really not god's organization.. some of the reasons why i feel that way is because of their insight on the scripture.
i've never heard of any other religion attempt to decipher the prophecies in the book of daniel and revelations.
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Leander
I'm still sitting on the fence trying to figure out which direction to go in. I think one of the reasons I have'nt left yet is because of the fact that I'm not entirely sure that the WTS is really not God's organization.
Some of the reasons why I feel that way is because of their insight on the scripture. I've never heard of any other religion attempt to decipher the prophecies in the book of Daniel and Revelations. Do other organizations discuss who the Wild Beast is, the difference between the great crowd and the other sheep?
The WTS seems to be unique in the sense that they attempt to discuss in detail all parts of the bible. Or maybe I'm just not knowledgable enough about other religions.
Why is it difficult for people to leave this organization
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Is there any recent news about the WTS and the UN?
by Leander ini know there have been a quite a few calls and letters sent to the society in connection with this un news.
the question however is "what is the society's response to their involvement with the un"?.
also if anyone has the number to the wts headquarters could you please post it?
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Leander
I know there have been a quite a few calls and letters sent to the society in connection with this UN news. The question however is "what is the society's response to their involvement with the UN"?
Also if anyone has the number to the WTS headquarters could you please post it? I would like to call their offices and ask about this situation.
One last question: Has anyone been able to find any specific articles where the society has promoted the UN and its charters, objectives, etc?
thanks for any info you can provide
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My past weekend
by Leander insaturday afternoon i made the decision to step down as a minsterial servant.
i had given it a lot of thought and i came to the conclusion that i would be doing the right thing.
i told my wife about the decision i had planned on making and that basically killed her mood for the rest of the day.
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Leander
Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate so many people taking the time to offer a few words of encouragement.
It seems to me that from some of the other experiences that I have read that guilt and fear are tactics that are employed on those with doubts as opposed to genuine concern or love. This is not to say that some don't have real concern for individuals who have doubts, but from my personal experience with the elders I've talked with this month they made it seem as if doubts were a evil thing. But when it really comes down to it who would'nt have doubts if they found out their religion had a history of missing predictions and mis-interperting scriptures.
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Making sense of sex and the bible
by Leander inthe bible clearly states that fornicators will not inherit god's kingdom, but the question is "what is a fornicator"?
if i remember correctly the word fornication is derived from the greek word "porneia".
the problem is there are different defintions of that word porneia.
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Leander
I guess the reason I bring all of this up is because we all know sex is an extremely powerful urge for most people. In fact I would venture to say that if sex was allowable between non-married people within the Society then there would far more witnesses presently in the organization. Also think about how many people who married simply because they could'nt go through life being celibate.
It always seemed odd to me that one of the most pleasurable activities that a person can engage in was also one of the more regulated activities as well.
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Making sense of sex and the bible
by Leander inthe bible clearly states that fornicators will not inherit god's kingdom, but the question is "what is a fornicator"?
if i remember correctly the word fornication is derived from the greek word "porneia".
the problem is there are different defintions of that word porneia.
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Leander
The bible clearly states that fornicators will not inherit God's Kingdom, but the question is "what is a fornicator"?
If I remember correctly the word fornication is derived from the greek word "porneia". The problem is there are different defintions of that word porneia. Some say that porneia would include any type of sexual activity outside of the marital arrangement and certain types of sexual activity within in the marital bond. (masturbation, sodomy, adultrey, bestiality, homosexuality, incest) However others say that porneia refers to sexual practices that are extreme, bizarre or harmful. The only way to know for sure is to closely examine the Greek terminology as it was used during that time.
Another interesting view about sex in the bible is that incest and adultrey are mentioned without any negative views. For example Abraham and other bibical figures were known to have sexual relations with their concubines despite the fact that they already had wives. It is said this was done so that the nation of Israel could multiply their numbers quickly, but this practice was continued even after the nation of Israel had numbered into the millions.
Then there is the issue of certain incestual relationships. Sarah was Abraham's half sister but yet they were married and even had offspring together. If I remember correctly Noahs daughters intoxicated him and then had relations with him, of course this was said to have occured so that their line would continue.
Another interesting aspect about sex in the bible is that angels at one point had materialized into fleshly bodies on earth so that they could have relations with the daughters of men. I find that account to be amazing, imagine an angel being so infatuated over a human female that they would leave heaven to pursue a physical relationship. If powerful and perfect angels can be tempted like that imagine what the lowly imperfect man must be going through.
Kinda interesting when you think about it
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My past weekend
by Leander insaturday afternoon i made the decision to step down as a minsterial servant.
i had given it a lot of thought and i came to the conclusion that i would be doing the right thing.
i told my wife about the decision i had planned on making and that basically killed her mood for the rest of the day.
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Leander
Saturday afternoon I made the decision to step down as a minsterial servant. I had given it a lot of thought and I came to the conclusion that I would be doing the right thing. I told my wife about the decision I had planned on making and that basically killed her mood for the rest of the day. Since she did'nt seem interested in talking to me much at that time I went to hang out with one of my friends for the remainder of the day. (he's an inactive witness)
Anyway I got back home later that day to find my wife sitting in our bedroom with all the lights out. She told me she had spoken with her sister about my decision, to make a long story short I ended talking to her sister that night for about 4 hours. We talked about why I felt the WTS was'nt really God's true organization and she basically countered with reasons why it is God's org.
I ended up hanging up the phone half believing and not believing I was in the right org. The next morning I told my wife I was'nt going to the Kingdom Hall. Instead I stayed home and prayed to God and asked him to show me the right direction to go into even if that direction was'nt the one I was expecting. I then thought about my situation some more and it occured to me that if was to really find the truth I would have to have a more unbiased opinion.
It really makes sense that when you're trying to decide what to do that you should'nt be to persuaded by one particular viewpoint. One the one hand the WTS does'nt really want you to read anything thats not published by them when it comes to studying the bible and the other hand you have some individuals who really hate JW's and they will say anything to convince people to leave.
So the question I'm still facing is what information can I refer to make a well informed decision?
Later that evening (Sunday) I received a call from my PO. I had earlier asked my wife to ask him to give me a call. I had originally intended on telling him that I was stepping down. Instead I was completely honest about the doubts I had been experiencing. I felt that I could trust him because his wife has always treated me like one of her sons and he himself is normally very warm to my wife and I.
Anyway we had a conversation about what I was going through and he gave some reasons as to why JW's was the true religion. This conversation would make the third one I had with elders. The thing that bothers me is that in each of these little talks the elders all questioned as to why I was having doubts. They all asked me what could I be possibly be doing to have these doubts. This really annoys me, a person sincerely is looking to know whats right but instead of getting reassurance I first had to be almost accused of doing wrong.
Like I mentioned before I usually get along with the PO but after that phone call I felt like I had done something wrong because I had doubts. I was actually criticized for wanting to be sure of what I was doing was the right thing. This is in addition to the other converstations that I had where they said I was hurting my wife (as if I intentionally was trying to have doubts). In fact I've already been looked at by her family suspiciously. Its almost if some of them believe I'm trying to do something evil.
At the moment I've decided to stay, which is basically moreso because of the peer pressure. But in the meantime I'm studying and trying to figure things out.
I just had to get that off my chest, thanks for listening (or reading in this case)
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Pros and Cons about Jehovah's Witnesses
by Leander inthe purpose of this post is to try take a close but un-biased look at whether or not jehovahs witnesses are the right religion.
in my few months of doing research about jw's outside of their own publications i've came across a wide variety of viewpoints.
some people are skeptical or unsure if the wts is really the right religion, some are certain that jw's are wrong but have no ill-feelings toward them, some individuals downright hate the organization and still others are certain that the wts is the real deal.
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Leander
In a effort to be objective I have to agree with some of the statements and viewpoints that have been made. But to flat out dismiss that the WTS has never done anything that was positive is untrue. So far I'm hearing a lot of negative views and there is nothing wrong with that since we are looking at all aspects of this religion. However if anyone truly believes that the Society has done nothing but wrong things during its existence then obviously their viewpoint will be so jaded that one must question whether they are truly being objective and openminded.
Don't take this statement as being an attack on anyone who has responded to this thread but consider it a plea from a person who wants to keep the argumentation as fair as possible.
Lets examine some of the viewpoints in light of the bible. I think one of the things that really disturbs people is the fact that JW's preach that unless you are with God's organization you will perish. Are there any scriptures to support or dismiss this particular belief?
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Pros and Cons about Jehovah's Witnesses
by Leander inthe purpose of this post is to try take a close but un-biased look at whether or not jehovahs witnesses are the right religion.
in my few months of doing research about jw's outside of their own publications i've came across a wide variety of viewpoints.
some people are skeptical or unsure if the wts is really the right religion, some are certain that jw's are wrong but have no ill-feelings toward them, some individuals downright hate the organization and still others are certain that the wts is the real deal.
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Leander
I really need to do a completely seperate topic on bible truth and doctrines. I'd like to have a completely objective look at the major teachings of JW's and how they compare with actual bible scriptures.
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Pros and Cons about Jehovah's Witnesses
by Leander inthe purpose of this post is to try take a close but un-biased look at whether or not jehovahs witnesses are the right religion.
in my few months of doing research about jw's outside of their own publications i've came across a wide variety of viewpoints.
some people are skeptical or unsure if the wts is really the right religion, some are certain that jw's are wrong but have no ill-feelings toward them, some individuals downright hate the organization and still others are certain that the wts is the real deal.
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Leander
PG - You might have a point there. I do know some JWs who are good with the bible but there are some are not.
JH - I think 1,2 and 4 are still good pros no matter who's standard you go by. The WTS is organized very well, they have managed to show consistent growth and JW's are known in many lands for their preaching methods. Some people may not like them knocking on their doors but its something they have become known for.
Yerusalyim - To compare the Catholics to JW's in terms of members is kind of an unfair comparison. Catholics have been around far longer than JW's so its obvious that they will have more members. Although it is a good observation that many of the middle eastern countries are not as well covered as they are in America.