Posts by RayPublisher

Thanks for this thread Bubblegum man. He is a good man (I know him), and he may not realize how lucky he is to not be "a judge" over his brothers anymore. It was a huge relief for me after I stepped down.

My understanding is that he is still asleep to TTATT so I have not contacted him over than to let him know that he is in my prayers.

63

Prelude to a disfellowshipping

by rory-ks in

jw
friends

i was 25 years a congregation member; ten years an elder; all told, up to 18 years an appointed man; a decade or so as a full-time minister; assembly speaker, with the pinnacle giving the public discourse at a district convention.. .

i stopped being an active member of the congregation in november 2010, but it had been brewing for several years, with the customary gradual drifting away - all the necessary mental gymnastics as my spiritual views changed and doubts set in; quitting the theocratic ministry school; ceasing to answer; sitting quietly off to the side.

i think the straw that broke the camels back was when family worship inevitably became family worship.

RayPublisher

Great blog Rory. Thanks for sharing! Several interesting articles I've already read- very philosophical I like it.

Especially learning about " Litost"!

...Please Sir...may I have some more????

11

Letter Regarding Michael Jackson

by Bangalore in

jw
friends

.

bangalore.

RayPublisher

It would be interesting to know if he in fact did submit a letter to his cong in Hollywood, or if he simply released a statement, knowing that the Org would learn of it and then take the action. Either way, he got out.

I actually used this with one of my younger children that likes his music, subtly mentioning he used to be a Witness but had wrote a letter saying he didn't want to be one anymore.

19

Lack faith in a creator? Watch this!

by Greybeard in

jw
friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq0pk8d0ofg&feature=related.

.

watch all of it, don't miss the miracle....

RayPublisher

Here's the description of the video from youtube:

The film opens with caterpillars munching milkweed in southern Canada in late summer. Soon each caterpillar transforms itself into a silky chrysalis. Roughly 10 days later, a delicate four-winged monarch emerges.

Then, at some unknown signal, the monarchs take to the air on a two-month, 2,000-mile flight over fields, forests, cities, plains, open water, deserts, and finally mountains to congregate in a tiny, high-altitude region of central Mexico where they've never been before. Incredibly, they arrive by the millions at the same time each year.

Shedding light on this natural wonder are some of the world's leading monarch researchers, including Lincoln Brower of Sweet Briar College, independent biologist Bill Calvert, and Orley "Chip" Taylor of the University of Kansas.

Putting the monarch phenomenon into perspective, Taylor says, "You've got a butterfly that's originating in Toronto, or it's originating in Detroit, Michigan, or it's coming down from St. Paul or maybe even Winnipeg, and it's moving south. Somehow it finds its way to Mexico. Could you do that?"

No one yet knows how the butterflies do it, but Taylor's research reveals that they are expert navigators. In one experiment, he transported Mexico-bound monarchs from Kansas to Washington, DC, and then set them loose. At first, they flew south as if they were still in Kansas—a course that from Washington would miss Mexico entirely. But after a few days, they corrected their flight path, as if some inborn GPS unit had alerted them to the true direction of their destination.

In another sequence, NOVA accompanies celebrated monarch watcher Bill Calvert around backcountry Texas as he looks for signs of the monarch migration. Sure enough, they show up en masse and on time, heading toward the Sierra Madre mountains across the border—the last leg of their flight.

And in the Mexican state of Michoacán, NOVA joins mountain villagers as they celebrate the arrival of the monarchs in the first week of November. The butterflies' arrival marks the start of a celebration called the Day of the Dead, since the local people have traditionally associated the monarchs with the returning souls of their departed ancestors.

Unfortunately, illegal logging in the Mexican butterfly sanctuaries threatens the unique habitat that monarchs depend on for their survival. Monarchs may not yet be an endangered species, but their annual migration is an endangered phenomenon that could dwindle to insignificance if the giant firs that they cling to during the winter disappear.

Gone also would be the colorful festival that closes the program—a fireworks display welcoming the hardy fliers to Mexico, with orange bursts against the black sky, looking almost like the beautiful cloaks of the monarchs.

Please see PBS Website for a full list of credits and to purchase this DVD

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/butterflies/about.html

One of the most amazing things in God's Creation is the everyday miracle of the metamorphosis of insects. The word metamorphosis simply means great change and great change is indeed what happens as caterpillars change into butterflies.

Monarch butterflies are one of the best examples of design in God's Creation, for none of the stages of caterpillar/butterfly development occur by chance, the central principle of the religion of evolutionism. The facts show that God programmed every stage of the caterpillar/butterfly life cycle. If there were no other evidence of design in God's Creation than caterpillars and butterflies, this alone would be enough to show the fact of His design in His Creation.

9

Ray Franz book's available in audio format! Crisis of Consciencs / Christian Freedom

by Indian Larry in

everybody may already know this but i just happened to discover that crisis of conscience and in search of christian freedom are now available as audio books.

they are not legal copies as commentary press did not make a audio version, however someone took the time to read every page of both books into a good mike.

the sound quality is good and they are organized well for a iphone or ipod.

RayPublisher

Searched P.B. it wasn't there in audio form...

5

Would anyone still 'in' be kind enough to access a WT Library Cd for me plz?

by Lozhasleft in

jw
friends

if anyone could access one for me i would pay postage charges to uk...i'm not sure how else i can access it...all download links have been blocked it seems.

i need it for referencing for my uni project on the holocaust.. loz x.

RayPublisher

Aaron you have another PM!

4

FALSE REASONING ON ROMANS 6:7

by The Searcher in

interpreting romans 6:7 as literal instead of figurative, makes adamic death equal to christ's ransom, thus negating his death.. devil's advocate:.

how is reconciliation with god made possible?by having a clean standing due to one's sins being wiped out.

adamic death wipes out sins, therefore adamic death is the means by which reconciliation with god is made possible!!

RayPublisher

There 's a great breakdown on this passage/verse in Romans here:

http://reasoningwithjws.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html

18

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM AT BROOKLYN

by The Searcher in

the 2012 calendar encourages all to examine "for family discussion" aspects of the covenants.

do that - but base your study on the bible only, and then you will form a true understanding of the covenants, especially the new covenant.

on the january/february page, this question is asked, "would abraham's seed prove to be just one individual, or would it be a composite seed?".

RayPublisher

@Londo111 - Fascinating thought.

The book The Four Presidents of the WT Society speaks of this "Mystery Doctrine" and how it was Freddy's magnum opus but he never "finished it" because it was too hard of a nut to crack.

Reportedly, a brother asked what the Mystery doctrine was and he said how did you hear about that? When pressed he wouldn't answer and then finally said well if you are not of the annointed then I can't discuss it with you.