Posts by messenger

1

These God Will Destroy

by messenger in

jw
friends

*** it-1 726 enemy ***.

on the other hand, there are many who become gods hard-set enemies, including satan and the wicked demons, who gather the nations in opposition to god (re 16:13-16); the apostate man of lawlessness, who sets himself in opposition to god (2th 2:3, 4); babylon the great, whose sins have massed together clear up to heaven (re 17:5; 18:5); the wild beast out of the sea, which gets its power and authority from satan the dragon (re 13:1, 2, 6); the two-horned wild beast, which promotes worship of that sea beast (re 13:11, 12); the scarlet-colored wild beast that is full of blasphemous names (re 17:3); and those who persist in supporting them (re 19:17-21).

these god will destroy.de 32:41; isa 59:18; re 20:10.. .

messenger

In the course of researching another topic I found the information above to be quite condeming of WT stance on the UN issue. I then began to think, what hypocrites!

What is a hypocrite? Perhaps the WT definition would help you understand acutely how rotten they are.

*** it-1 1164-5 Hypocrite ***
HYPOCRITE
A person who pretends to be what he is not; a person whose actions are out of harmony with his words.
Although words from the Hebrew root cha·neph' are rendered “hypocrite” or “hypocrisy” in some translations, such as the King James Version, Douay, and Leeser, other translators have variously rendered these words “profane” (Yg), “impious” (Ro), “godless” (RS), and “apostate” (NW). According to A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Brown, Driver, and Briggs (1980, pp. 337, 338), cha·neph', when used as an adjective, may be defined as “profane, irreligious . . . , godless”; or, as a verb, “be polluted, profane . . . , inclining away from right.” In the Scriptures cha·neph' appears in parallel with those forgetting God (Job 8:13), the wicked (Job 20:5), evildoers (Isa 9:17), and it is used in contrast with the upright and innocent ones.—Job 17:8; see APOSTASY.
The Greek word rendered “hypocrite” (hy·po·kri·tes') means “one who answers,” as well as meaning a stage actor. Greek and Roman actors employed large masks with mechanical devices for amplifying the voice. Hence, the Greek word hy·po·kri·tes' came to be used in a metaphoric sense to apply to one playing false, or one putting on a pretense. The same word appears in the Greek Septuagint at Job 34:30; 36:13. Hypocrites are “unfaithful ones” (compare Lu 12:46 with Mt 24:51), and “hypocrisy” (hy·po'kri·sis), as used in the Scriptures, may also denote “wickedness” and “cunning.”—Compare Mt 22:18; Mr 12:15; Lu 20:23; see also Ga 2:13, where hy·po'kri·sis is rendered “pretense.”
Jesus Christ identified as hypocrites persons who make gifts of mercy with showy display, who pray and fast to be seen of men, and who pick on the strawlike faults of their brothers but do nothing about removing their own rafterlike faults. Christ classified as such those who claimed to be God’s servants but who failed to discern the significance of the time in which they were living and the events that were occurring, while readily drawing conclusions from the appearance of earth and sky as to what the weather would be like.—Mt 6:2, 5, 16; 7:1-5; Lu 6:42; 12:54-56.
Not only did the Son of God while on earth denounce the religious leaders of Israel as hypocrites but he also stated his reasons for doing so. They rendered mere lip service to the Creator, making the word of God invalid because of their traditions. (Mt 15:1, 6-9; Mr 7:6, 7) Their actions were out of harmony with their words. (Mt 23:1-3) The scribes and Pharisees not only deliberately refused to avail themselves of the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of the heavens, but they added to their sin by trying to hinder others from doing so. They put forth every effort to convert someone, only to make him twice as much a subject for Gehenna as they were. They were sticklers for the little things of the Law but disregarded the weightier matters of it—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. As hypocrites, they possessed only a seemingly clean outward appearance; inside they were full of immoderateness. Like whitewashed graves, outwardly beautiful, they appeared righteous to men, but inside they were “full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” They built the graves of the prophets and decorated the memorial tombs of the righteous ones, claiming that they would not have shed the blood of such ones. However, their course of action proved them to be just like their murderous forefathers. (Mt 23:13-36) The teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees was actually hypocrisy.—Mt 16:6, 12; Lu 12:1; see also Lu 13:11-17.
A striking example of a hypocritical course was that followed by the disciples of the Pharisees and the party followers of Herod when approaching Jesus on the tax question. First they resorted to flattery, saying: “Teacher, we know you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth.” Then they posed the catch question: “Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not?” Appropriately Jesus referred to them as hypocrites, since they were not really desirous of getting an answer to their question but merely raised it with a view to trapping Jesus in his speech.—Mt 22:15-22; Lu 20:19-26; PICTURE, Vol. 2, p. 544.
A hypocritical course cannot be concealed indefinitely. (Lu 12:1-3) Hypocrites are condemned by God as unworthy of life everlasting. (Mt 24:48-51) Therefore, a Christian’s love and faith must be without hypocrisy. (Ro 12:9; 2Co 6:4, 6; 1Ti 1:5) The wisdom from above is not hypocritical.—Jas 3:17.

1

These God Will Destroy

by messenger in

jw
friends

*** it-1 726 enemy ***.

on the other hand, there are many who become gods hard-set enemies, including satan and the wicked demons, who gather the nations in opposition to god (re 16:13-16); the apostate man of lawlessness, who sets himself in opposition to god (2th 2:3, 4); babylon the great, whose sins have massed together clear up to heaven (re 17:5; 18:5); the wild beast out of the sea, which gets its power and authority from satan the dragon (re 13:1, 2, 6); the two-horned wild beast, which promotes worship of that sea beast (re 13:11, 12); the scarlet-colored wild beast that is full of blasphemous names (re 17:3); and those who persist in supporting them (re 19:17-21).

these god will destroy.de 32:41; isa 59:18; re 20:10.. .

messenger

*** it-1 726 Enemy ***
On the other hand, there are many who become God’s hard-set enemies, including Satan and the wicked demons, who gather the nations in opposition to God (Re 16:13-16); the apostate “man of lawlessness,” who sets himself in opposition to God (2Th 2:3, 4); “Babylon the Great,” whose “sins have massed together clear up to heaven” (Re 17:5; 18:5); “the wild beast” out of the sea, which gets its power and authority from Satan the dragon (Re 13:1, 2, 6); the two-horned “wild beast,” which promotes worship of that sea “beast” (Re 13:11, 12); the “scarlet-colored wild beast” that is “full of blasphemous names” (Re 17:3); and those who persist in supporting them (Re 19:17-21). These God will destroy.—De 32:41; Isa 59:18; Re 20:10.

I rest my case your honor.....

2

A UN Link?

by messenger in

jw
friends

i wonder if this is linked to un?

http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/10/georgia1002-ltr.htm.

hrw letter to u.s. president george bush:.

messenger

up

2

A UN Link?

by messenger in

jw
friends

i wonder if this is linked to un?

http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/10/georgia1002-ltr.htm.

hrw letter to u.s. president george bush:.

messenger

I wonder if this is linked to UN?

. http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/10/georgia1002-ltr.htm

HRW Letter to U.S. President George Bush:
Challenge Georgian President on Religious Violence
October 1, 2001

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Material
Georgia: Challenge Shevardnadze on religious violence
Press Release, October 2, 2001
Georgia: Mobs Terrorize Non-Orthodox Christians
Press Release, August 29, 2001

Memorandum to the U.S. Government on Religious Violence in the Republic of Georgia
HRW Backgrounder, August 2001

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are writing to ask that in your forthcoming meeting with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, you emphasize human rights as a cornerstone of Georgia’s partnership with the United States. Now more than ever, the Georgian leadership needs to know that religious intolerance and police torture are incompatible with the rule of law, and that America’s interest in these issues has not been diminished by the new global fight against terrorism.
Religious violence
In August, Human Rights Watch published a memorandum documenting violent attacks on worshippers of non-Orthodox faiths, and urging the Administration to challenge the Georgian government's failure to address the violence. More than 40 attacks have taken place this year; more than 80 violent incidents have been reported since 1999. The assailants, civilian militants who are sometimes led by Orthodox priests, have meted out beatings, ransacked homes, and destroyed religious literature. The mobs target Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentacostalists, Baptists, and followers of other Christian faiths non-native to Georgia, attempting to intimidate them into abandoning their faith.

Encouraged by government and police inaction, the frequency of attacks is on the rise; three took place during the past week alone. On September 28 a group of militants attacked Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tbilisi and in the Marneuli district, causing serious injuries to about fifteen people; the attackers were attempting to prevent the Jehovah’s Witnesses from staging an annual assembly. There was plenty of warning and precedent for the police to have protected the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but according to most accounts they took no measures to do so. Two days later militants attacked Jehovah’s Witnesses just outside Tbilisi. The authors of these attacks, and their supporters, are well known to Georgian law enforcement agencies and to the Georgian public.

While President Shevardnadze has spoken out against the attacks and ordered police and prosecutors to "identify and punish" perpetrators, the authorities have failed to investigate seriously or make arrests. The leader of the majority of the attacks, Vasili Mkalavishvili, a defrocked Orthodox priest, openly claims to receive help from the police and security services. Police officers have failed to intervene to protect the victims and in some cases the police themselves have violently broken up prayer gatherings. We hope you will remind President Shevardnadze that particularly in the wake of the September 11 attacks, all governments need to step up the fight against religious intolerance. We hope you will ask him for vigorous efforts to investigate and prosecute attackers, and to make publicly available a case-by-case description of actions taken to this end.

Legal Reform /Torture
Legal reform is necessary to combat torture and corruption, both of which are long-standing, endemic problems in Georgia. To date, the Georgian government has not implemented reforms that would prevent torture and provide redress to torture victims. Last year Human Rights Watch published a report detailing how current law severely restricts access to the courts prior to trial to hear complaints from victims of torture and other blatant procedural violations committed by the procuracy, police and other security forces. While the Georgian parliament in 1998 adopted a new code of criminal procedure that would have allowed greater access to the courts, this reform was repealed in 1999, with the support of the Procuracy General and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In June, the Georgian parliament enacted an amendment reinstating the right of witnesses to consult with a lawyer, which if implemented would mark progress. But other measures need to be adopted as well. Those under criminal investigation must have the right to submit a complaint of abuse directly to the court. Detainees must have prompt access to a lawyer of their own choosing, and anyone who has been mistreated by police or other security forces must have unimpeded access to impartial forensic medical examinations. We hope you will impress upon President Shevardnadze the need to implement these reforms.

We thank you for your attention to the concerns in this letter.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Andersen
Executive Director
Europe and Central Asia division

Tom Malinowski
Washington Advocacy Director

cc:
The Hon. Colin Powell
Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Amb. Daniel Fried
Amb. Elizabeth Jones
Mr. Lorne Craner

14

WT PR At It Again

by messenger in

jw
friends

for immediate release .

october 16, 2001. jehovah's witnesses seek to protect fundamental freedom in the supreme court.

the first amendment right to free speech has been challenged for some time now in the village of stratton, ohio.

messenger

For Immediate Release
October 16, 2001

Jehovah's Witnesses seek to protect fundamental freedom in the Supreme Court

The First Amendment right to free speech has been challenged for some time now in the village of Stratton, Ohio. In the early 1980s, a village policeman chased a group of Jehovah's Witnesses out of town when they were performing their hallmark door-to-door ministry, telling them, "I could care less about your rights."

Early in 1998, three women who were Jehovah's Witnesses were in the village to continue discussions with individuals who had previously shown an interest in their Bible message. When they had completed their visits and were driving away from the village, the local mayor stopped them and told them that they were not allowed to be in the village and that if they had been men, he would have taken them and put them in jail. He said that people had moved to the village with the understanding that they would not be bothered by Jehovah's Witnesses. The congregation and the legal representatives of Watchtower saw the implications of these actions and filed suit against the village contesting the requirement that individuals need a permit to engage in door-to-door activity. Both the District Court and the Court of Appeals upheld the village requirement. On Monday, October 15, 2001, the United States Supreme Court granted Watchtower's request for review.

The events in Stratton might raise some concern to any who recall the harsher denials of civil liberties and the persecution against some Christians that occurred in the midst of wartime fever decades ago in this country. Then, in some places opposition to the work of Jehovah's Witnesses escalated, and they were run out of town, sometimes after being beaten, tarred and feathered. It took court cases in one place after another to define, clarify and protect the freedom of speech that the Bill of Rights assured.

"Freedom of speech is a fundamental right that every citizen of the United States should cherish," commented Paul Polidoro, legal representative for Jehovah's Witnesses. "When you don't have the freedom to knock on your neighbors' door to talk about a matter without the permission of the town, then everyone should worry."

Last year Shawn Francis Peters was interviewed on the topic of his book Judging Jehovah's Witnesses, which outlines specifics of many of the cases and surrounding events. In one response he stated, "What struck me about the story of the Witnesses was that these 'outsiders' had such a positive impact on how the Constitution has been interpreted over the past half-century."

Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses make up a significant portion of U.S. and Canadian law relating to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. These cases have done much to preserve the liberties of people in general. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Jehovah's Witnesses in 47 cases.

"Like it or not," observed American author and editor Irving Dillard, "Jehovah's Witnesses have done more to help preserve our freedoms than any other religious group."

Contact J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600

18

Am I crazy or what!

by Ranchette in

jw
friends

most of you are are aware that i sent out a letter to friends and family exposing the organizations association with the un.. since that time there have been several very important developments including wtbs dissacociating themselves from the un.. because of this i felt i had to get this new information out to everyone i had writen the origional letter to.. i sent this update to out of town friends and family.i encluded a copy of the un letter announcing wt's dissacociation and the two guardian articles.. my plan met with a problem.i knew my local po had warned everyone not to read anything else from me.i knew he would do this so i even sent him a letter along with the rest to show that i stand behind what i wrote and i'm not afraid of him.. today i did the only thing i could think of,i wrote a new letter to the po.. here it is,.

dear po 10-16-01. circumstances have changed since my last letter to you and others.. i am honor bound to update you and them of these changes.

im sure that youve told everyone not to open anything from me so thats why i am writing to you only.. the information i sent earlier was accurate and true at the time but as i stated earlier things have changed.. enclosed please find an official copy of the october 11th 2001 letter announcing the termination of the wtbs association with the united nations.

messenger

up

20

My past weekend

by Leander in

jw
friends

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.

messenger

I understand your dilemma regarding all your friends and family. I would like to offer a word of caution you need to stop talking to anyone. The elders already have more than enough to df you and will do so without you even showing up for a judicial meeting. Why do I say this? You mentioned you have spoken to the elders on three occasions expressing doubts about the organization. There are your two witnesses against you. If more are needed they will call in your wife’s friend for further collaboration and then maybe your wife also if they need it.

The only reason this has not happened yet is because you have agreed to give it another try. The moment you stop attending meetings or say you are not going to continue it will be over, chop-chop.

I hate to be pessimistic but if you were really going to stay within you would not be posting on this board. This is the wild west with open thought and all ideas welcome. Some you may agree or disagree with but that is the cost of freedom. I would get ready for difficult times ahead. The minute you stop offering magazines all your “friends” will evaporate and betray you in any way possible. It is a sad truth so many have experienced on this board.

So again lay low keep you mouth shut to JW’s about any doubts you may have. Continue to do private research the internet is a excellent resource. Find the truth! You might try reading Steve Hassan’s Book, “Combating cult mind control.” It does not mention one word about JW’s so you wife should not be upset to know you are reading it. Yet it will open your mind to the “reality.” Many have often called finding the truth “the journey”, like a journey into the unknown you do not know what the end result will be yet you have to have the courage to embark.

This seems to be your decision, if so I wish you God’s speed and fair winds on your quest.

20

If Andy Griffith Was an Elder....

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

....he'd be saying "waaaeeell, boutros boutros ghali.

i'll say; don't this ngo thang jist take the cake?!

!

messenger

ole' Otis is always gettin us into trouble. Ats why we let him write fer the Awake to keep him out of the way. Barney better get your bullet out, somebody might have to take a fall for this one......

9

The GB is viewed as disfellowshipped!

by Kent in

jw
friends

concerning those who renounced their christian faith in his day, the apostle john wrote: they went out from among us, they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us.

(1 john 2:19) also, a person might renounce his place in the christian congregation by his actions, such as by becoming part of a secular organization the objective of which is contrary to the bible and, hence, is under judgment by jehovah god.

(compare re.

messenger

OM Bk pg 151

32

May I have some comments, please?

by Kent in

jw
friends

i did get an interesting mail from "mommy" - and i think this might be interesting to dig into.. please, let me have some comments!.

http://watchtower.observer.org/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?nocache=1&dato=20011015&kategori=news&lopenr=110150008&ref=ar.

yakki da.

messenger

ttp://watchtower.observer.org/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?NoCache=1&Dato=20011015&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=110150008&Ref=AR

"invalid article key"

What can it mean? Is this some type of metaphor to life or the coded secret to hidden bank accounts Wt maintains? Perhaps this is apostate subterfuge to draw us away from spiritual things. Is the word "dato" a code name for a wt mole who is going to reveal deep dark secrets on an upcoming television program? Could the word lopenr stand for Jennifer Lopez as the new secret weapon for WT to use to bring in new converts. Is she really studying?

As we know the word invalid can refer to a person who is handicapped mentally or physically could this be referring to the authorship of WT and Awake articles? What is the real key to invalid articles? Could it be senile old men?

No Kent, please stop, this has to many deep meanings and raises too many questions as to the purpose of life and why we are here. When Kent goes this deep I have to wonder if he secretly subconsciously believes in GOD!

KENT PLEASE GET BACK IN THE SHALLOW WATER BEFORE YOU GET TO DEEP!