If you've been an elder all this time, can you copy and paste your last talk... please?
Posts by Maze
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50
Resigned
by Franklin Massey ini finally resigned as an elder.
my conscience wouldn't allow me to continue.
i've battled for years trying to reconcile the fallacies of the wt society with my own personal beliefs.
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162
PROTESTS AT WATCHTOWER CONVENTIONS
by Lawrence Hughes indear friends,.
as you may know, the watchtower society takes great pride in its district conventions.
please contact me if you can attend any of these protests.. there is no reason why every district convention in the world could not have a protest and receive media coverage to expose the watchtower society.
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Maze
Thank you, Mary, for saying this so clearly and eloquently! That is exactly why I, among many others, take care to protect my anonymity here. It would be wonderful if I didn't have to do that, but it is not the case now, nor is it likely to be any time soon.
I can understand this GLTirebiter.
g92 10/22 pp. 20-21 What if My Parent Has Disgraced Us?
Like Josiah, Hezekiah, and the sons of Korah, many Christian youths today have proved to be different from wayward parents. Consider a teenager we will call Maxwell. His parents were once faithful Witnesses of Jehovah but became apostate opposers of Christianity. On one occasion his parents carried banners and demonstrated outside the grounds of a Christian convention that Maxwell was attending. “It was very embarrassing,” he explains. “Some who didn’t know that they were my parents said to me, ‘Have you seen those stupid apostates outside?’” However, Maxwell did not follow his parents’ rebellious course. And with the support of faithful family members and other Christian associates, he has been able to cope with feelings of embarrassment and shame. -
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Blood
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i have been doing a lot of mind searching on the issue of blood.
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Maze
You can Google several phrases and there are thousands of articles that carry the implicit meaning of avoiding the intake of these substances into the human body by any means.
“Abstain from tobacco” 36,100 results
“Abstain from alcohol” 1,190,000 results
“Abstain from drugs” 127,000 results
“Abstain from sugar” 20,500
http://www.ccsb.org/Patients_Family/Cancer_Prevention/Healthy_Eating_Lifestyle_Tips/Abstain_from_Tobacco_Use/Abstain from Tobacco Use
By abstaining from tobacco use, you dramatically lower your risk of developing one of the deadliest cancers - lung cancer.
Cancers of the lips, tongue, mouth and throat, as well as the colon, are also caused by tobacco use. Not only smoking cigarettes, but also cigars and pipes, as well as the use of smokeless tobacco, can cause these cancers.Whether they said, "abstaining from tobacco use" or "abstaining from tobacco," there are various means to induce nicotine into the brain and central nervous system and “abstaining” from tobacco in this article includes all of these delivery systems. Even if you insist that this is the improper use of the English language, it doesn't necessarily imply any undisclosed meaning in Acts 15:29 like strictly [eating or drinking]. Abstaining from blood or "blood use" can imply any form of intake.
The prohibition on blood in the Old and New Testament is for two reasons:
1. Health considerations
2. The sanctity of blood
Neither of these reasons change with the intravenous intake of blood. -
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Blood
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i have been doing a lot of mind searching on the issue of blood.
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Maze
Don't use logic or bible texts on Maze or he will stop responding to the thread (I have 2 outstanding threads Maze). As usual, Maze quotes out of context bible scriptures and uses Watchtower publications to support his viewpoint.
First of all buck-o, this is what you did, not me. I don't have time to address every post someone directs at me unless you want to pay me more than my secular work does. I have another life that takes priority.
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Blood
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i have been doing a lot of mind searching on the issue of blood.
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Maze
The fundamental meaning of the word, "Abstain" and its synonyms according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is to "...keep or prevent oneself from doing or saying something.." "Abstain" negates action. "Doing" and "Saying" are acts.
"Abstain" does not negate objects. There is no such thing as negation of an object in grammar. What would it mean to abstain from sky? What would it mean to abstain from shrubbery? What would it mean to abstain from train? If you can't associate an action with the object, the phrase is meaningless.
TD, you're overcomplicating a very simple directive from the Bible.
“What would it mean to abstain from train?”
This is clearly the improper use of English and makes little sense. What we're dealing with are not objects that can't be taken into the human body, like a "train." We're dealing with substances that can be taken into the physical body either by ingestion or injection and thus implies an implicit meaning. Abstaining from blood is a valid use of the English language as “abstaining from alcohol” from the article I posted is grammatically correct. You can dissect grammar to distort an author's intended meaning in a number of instances.
"Fornication" unlike the first three abstentions is the name of a finite act. (i.e. The act of illicit sex) and therefore has a verb form. I can easily state what it means to "Abstain from...fornication" as a finite negative simply by switching to the verb form of the word:
"Do not fornicate."
Without inserting any new words, can you express what it means to "Abstain from...blood" as a finite negative?
"Do not ______"
If you can't do it, then my observation stands. The other three abstentions are the names of physical objects and don't have verb forms that have anything to do with their noun form in context.
Changing fornication to fornicate changes a noun to a verb. Both fornication and the taking other people's blood into the body denotes an action. Just because the latter (abstaining from blood) requires a few more words to describe the action doesn't mean anything.
WRONG - "Intravenous blood use" does not have contextual justification. The backdrop of the Decree and question under discussion was the extent to which Gentile converts needed to submit to the Law. Therefore the eating of blood as forbidden in the Law has explicit contextual support.
You keep objecting to this as if I'm making up something out of thin air that any student of the Bible should already know. Notice how the following translators completed the thought via interpolation:
"abstain from food that has been offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual vice." Moffat
"eat no food that has been offered to idols; eat no blood; eat no animal that has been strangled; and keep yourselves from immorality." TEV
"avoid what has been sacrificed to idols, tasting blood, eating the meat of what has been strangled and sexual immorality." Phillips
"You must not eat food that has been given to idols. You must not eat the meat of animals that are killed by choking. You must not tast blood. You must not commit adultery." The Bible in Worldwide English
The justification for the renderings above is openly stated even in JW literature. I'll quote a current (recent) source and an older source to show that this is nothing new:
"The decision then made was that circumcision was not required for Gentile believers but that they should keep free from idolatry, from eating and drinking of blood, and from sexual immorality. " Insight On The Scriptures Volume II p. 587.
"Each time the prohibition of blood is mentioned in the Scriptures, it is in connection with taking it as food and so it is as a nutrient that we are concerned with in its being forbidden." The Watchtower September 15th 1958 p. 575
Blood transfusions were not a part of contemporary society when the Bible was written.
rs p. 106 Drugs
Does the Bible actually forbid the use of drugs for pleasure?
It does not name such substances as heroin, cocaine, LSD, PCP (angel dust), marijuana, and tobacco. But it does provide needed guidelines so that we can know what to do and what to avoid in order to please God. Similarly, the Bible does not say that it is wrong to use a gun to kill someone, but it does forbid murder.
The guidelines are crystal clear regarding the proper use of blood.Finally, I'm going to point out (again) that a comparison with alcohol is a false analogy. Blood is living tissue, not a simple compound that crosses any epethelial membrane. A transfusion of blood is for all intents and purposes, an organ transplant and this too has been openly acknowledged in JW literature.
The point of that analogy was to demonstrate that a directive to abstain from alcohol is no different than abstaining from blood. The author’s intended meaning doesn't allow for the substance to be injected into a person's veins in either instance.
Organ transplants and blood transfusions are not natural procedures accepted by the human body. Those who receive blood from another person face risks essentially similar to those undergoing an organ transplant. Immune responses tend to reject foreign tissue. In some cases, blood transfusions can actually prevent the activation of natural immune responses. Such immunosuppression leaves the patient vulnerable to postoperative infections and to viruses that had previously been inactive. -
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Blood
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i have been doing a lot of mind searching on the issue of blood.
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Maze
I also would like to point out that thos "The god playing pretentious assholes in Brooklyn" (love that btw) are in fact BLOOD GUILTY themselves. Their switching sides on the subject of blood and organ transplants over the years have caused the death of countless thousands of JW's and their innocent children.
The decision to abstain from blood is a Bible based, voluntary decision based on a Christian conscience. It has little to do with the administrative position of Jehovah's Organization. If you want to burn down someones bridge, take aim at the pro-choice abortion advocates in this country that approve of carelessly disposing of millions of human lives annually. In comparison, the blood issue is a drop in the bucket.
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Blood
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i have been doing a lot of mind searching on the issue of blood.
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Maze
Probably the fundamental grammatical consideration vis a vis Acts 15:29 is that there is no such thing as abstinence from a physical object like "Blood."
When "Abstain" is used in connection with a physical object like blood there is a finite action implicit in the context.
In other words, although it doesn't actually say "Keep abstaining....from [eating or drinking] blood, you have to have a finite verb before you even have a complete sentence.
In the context of a discussion over whether Gentile converts to Christianity should be circumcised and follow the Law, those are the only two interpolations that are justified.
I think speculation over what else besides a simple prohibition against eating blood the injunction might mean has as its basis the semantic legerdemain Jehovah's Witnesses commit with this passage.
Invoking an incomplete predicate apart from the context that completes as a stand alone construction conveys the idea of a simple and direct command, but it is ungrammatical at its core.
For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!” Acts 15:28-29
It also states to abstain from things sacrificed to idols (noun) from things strangled (noun) and from fornication (noun) and to keep yourself from these things. If you're going to add verbs or adjectives to Acts 15:29 you could just as well fill in the blanks with “to keep abstaining from intravenous blood use.”
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/DrinkTooMuch.html
Here are practical suggestions for either cutting down or abstaining from alcohol along with tips for helping loved ones who have a drinking problem.
A practical suggestion wouldn't be to inject alcohol into your veins even though alcohol enters the bloodstream upon consumption.
The Bible's prohibition on blood has more to do with the sanctity of blood, not the health issues involved.
Pursue peace with all people, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord, carefully watching that no one may be deprived of the undeserved kindness of God; that no poisonous root may spring up and cause trouble and that many may not be defiled by it; that there may be no fornicator nor anyone not appreciating sacred things, like E′sau, who in exchange for one meal gave away his rights as firstborn. Hebrews 12:14-16
No one here has appreciation for such things so you're not expected to understand. -
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Closing a number of Branches is an EXCITING Development???
by Rank&FileGuy inthis is an exerpt from the aug. 15, 2011 wt p.18:.
why is down-sizing an "exciting development"?
amazing how they spin it..
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Maze
One would have to look at the overall demographics to an get accurate picture of an organization's growth rate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses
In 2010, these reports indicated a total of more than 1.6 billion hours of preaching, resulting in an increase of approximately 300,000 baptized members.
According to ABC News, Jehovah's Witnesses were the fastest growing religion in 2010 (up by 4.4%).
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/americas-religious-marketplace-congregant-competition-pentecostal-chruch-religion-politics-12935825 -
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Real Jehovah's Witnesses (djeggnog, StandFirm, etc), I'm trying to understand you.
by pirata ini'm an active jehovah's witness.
i've obviously lost my faith, that's why i don't feel bad posting here anymore.
i'd probably be disfellowshipped as a division causing, teaching, apostate, faster than you can say "maher-shalal-hash-baz" (isaiah 8:1), should it be found out that i was posting here and did not repent of the things i've said and stop participating in this forum.
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Maze
Thought reform is a synonym to brainwashing.
Romans 12:2 - This does not mean that brainwashing or thought reform by an external organization is required or approved off. Most will agree that this is changing our minds over in coordination with God and Jesus, not for the purpose of getting us to think and act against our will.
Thought reform in the context Romans 12:2 means displaying the fruitage of God's spirit and putting away the works of the flesh; a personality change.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. As to these things I am forewarning you, the same way as I did forewarn you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.
On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus impaled the flesh together with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:19-24Strip off the old personality with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new [personality], which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all things and in all. Colossians 3:9-11
The fruitage of God's spirit and a Christ-like personality does not operate against free will.
No, I perceive what is stated by the faithful and discreet slave that is not backed up by the original biblical text as manipulation of the bible text to fit their needs.
Jehovah's Witnesses do adhere to the original Bible renderings. The Bible contains a perfect message from God. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures conveys this message as close to perfection as any Bible rendering.
What you just stated is a dichotomy. If they agree with what the self-appointed slave class teaches and interprets for them, then they are being controlled by a human agency. If they agree with what the biblical text says and interpret it for themselves, then they leave the Jehovah's Witnesses as the articles I quoted clearly show you.
All of Jehovah's Witnesses receive God's spirit when interpreting God's word. This is why the agree with the faithful and discreet slave's interpretation.
w57 6/1 p. 328 Do You Understand the Bible?
Of paramount importance in understanding God’s Word is God’s holy spirit, his invisible active force. By it the Bible was written: “You know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private release. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.” Since the Bible was written under God’s spirit, only his spirit can bring about understanding: “No one has come to know the things of God, except the spirit of God. Now we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been kindly given us by God. But a physical man does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them.”—2 Pet. 1:20, 21; 1 Cor. 2:11, 12, 14, NW.
Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10
Christendom’s churches are not agreement with each other, nor is their membership in agreement within subdivisions of the same denomination.Straw man argument typically used to defend shunning. Many organizations have a code of conduct which can get you expelled, most organizations do not have a set of punishments when somebody breaks the code of conduct. Very few organizations (actually only cults) use shunning as a deterrent to leaving their organization or breaking their codes of conduct.
Didn't you just claim Jehovah's Witnesses misinterpret the Bible? How do you interpret 1 Corinthians 5:9-13?
http://niv.scripturetext.com/1_corinthians/5.htm
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”And I quote KM Aug 2002: Hence, we also avoid social fellowship with such a [non-witness] person. This would rule out joining him in a picnic, party, ball game, or trip to the mall or theater or sitting down to a meal with him either in the home or at a restaurant ... The bond between family members can be very strong. This brings a test upon a Christian when a marriage mate, a child, a parent, or another close relative is [not one of Jehovah's Witnesses]
From the articles you quoted it is very clear that the ulterior motive of contact with the family is to talk about the faith and extending it.
You completely took what was stated in the August Kingdom Ministry out of context. This information is referring to a person who is disfellowshipped, not simply an unbelieving family member.
km 8/02 p. 3 par. 3 Display Christian Loyalty When a Relative Is DisfellowshippedThis means that loyal Christians do not have spiritual fellowship with anyone who has been expelled from the congregation. But more is involved. God’s Word states that we should ‘not even eat with such a man.’ (1 Cor. 5:11) Hence, we also avoid social fellowship with an expelled person. This would rule out joining him in a picnic, party, ball game, or trip to the mall or theater or sitting down to a meal with him either in the home or at a restaurant.
Prove from the Bible that Jehovah's Witnesses are the only organization accepted by God. One of the proofs would be that none of their doctrines, prophecies and actions are neither wrong, false nor change.
And what would a scripture like this say? The Bible identifies Jehovah's servants by name.
“You are my witnesses,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “even my servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and have faith in me, and that you may understand that I am the same One. Isaiah 43:10
Jehovah's Organization is the only organization that teaches the truth about the Bible as Jesus instructed.
And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
Jehovah's Organization is the only international global community with love among themselves.
By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” John 13:35
Both science and religion, in their noblest forms, involve the search for truth. True religion has a consistent pattern of corresponding to universal truth. Some opposers tend to cherry pick through older publications for a mistaken viewpoint they try and exploit for self-serving purposes while ignoring core Bible truths the Watchtower Society has taught for many decades. A prior mistaken viewpoint that has been corrected doesn't change the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses teach the truth about the Bible nor does it mean a person doesn't have an accounting before God.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle also [his] whole body. James 3:1-2
Jehovah can instill evidence that Jehovah's Witnesses belong to the organization approved by him if given the opportunity. The input of apostates doesn't penetrate this evidence. Opposers get hung up on the most nonsensical issues and fail to understand or have lost sight of what the Bible teaches.
Keep on teaching these things and giving these exhortations. If any man teaches other doctrine and does not assent to healthful words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the teaching that accords with godly devotion, he is puffed up [with pride], not understanding anything, but being mentally diseased over questionings and debates about words. 1 Timothy 6:2-4 -
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Has anyone gotten a jw convention tract yet?
by mrsjones5 ina jw man just stopped by about an hour ago and offer me a convention tract which i respectfully declined.
i just went to take some trash out and found a tract on my neighbor's door and i promtly took it.
i think i remember some folks on the board have already received a tract from drop in jws.
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Maze
Your presence at this years district convention is not needed. Rotten attitudes can stay home and complain about their miserable lot in life on JWN.