Is there free will? I have no choice but to believe.
bats in the belfry
JoinedPosts by bats in the belfry
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140
Blame the designer and not the product: God and the lame Free Will argument
by Terry inthis is the one thing nobody is ever able to explain to me!.
if a genius designs something to operate in a specific way in order to obtain a precise outcome and it doesn't work---tell me again why we don't blame the genius designer/manufacturer??.
oh--that free will maguffin!.
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Attention Governing Body: October 2, 2014 is only 940 days away...
by Alfred inin 1823, john aquila brown (a man who is not mentioned in any wt publication) came up with a bizarre mathematical calculation which totalled 2,520 years (in an unauthorized attempt to predict the end of the gentile times).... several religions recycled this bizarre calculation, including the adventists and the bible students... when armageddon didn't come on the variety of early 20th century dates predicted by several "dooms-day" religions of that time (including charles taze russell's bible students who predicted that the big a would start in 1914), they all finally realized that this 2,520-year calculation was nothing more than arbitrary mathematical speculation derived from erratic biblical extrapolation.... except for the bible students who continued to move up the date for armageddon 2 more times (1918, 1925) and then decided to use wwi as the starting point for the "last days".. all the while, one thing that seems to remain intact is the october 2, 1914 date.
oddly, for the watchtower bible & tract publishing cult, this particular date still marks the end of the 2,520-year period (that john aquila brown referred to in his bizarre 1823 book "the even tide")... again, no mention of this in any watchtower publication.
but, for jws, that date still remains the starting point for the period of time often referred to as the "last days" or even "the generation that shall not pass".. because of this, the governing body has been forced to change the definition of "the generation that shall not pass" countless times since the early 1970's.
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bats in the belfry
Alfred >> ... in all fairness, they mention John Aquila Brown in their publications, albeit just once.
As early as 1823, John A. Brown, whose work was published in London, England, calculated the “seven times” of Daniel chapter 4 to be 2,520 years in length. But he did not clearly discern the date with which the prophetic time period began or when it would end. He did, however, connect these “seven times” with the Gentile Times of Luke 21:24.
jv chap. 10 p. 134 / Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the Truth
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36
Memorial Partakers guesses?
by AK - Jeff inthe last four years:.
with all the changes in the 'generation', 'sealing', doctines, etc.
- there have been unexpected [i imagine] jumps in this number.
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bats in the belfry
... xactly -- just dickin' around.
Since approx. 2007 their doctrines around the FDS/GB are so FUBAR. It's hard to endure through all that nonsence with a straight face, let alone, not poking fun it.
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Memorial Partakers guesses?
by AK - Jeff inthe last four years:.
with all the changes in the 'generation', 'sealing', doctines, etc.
- there have been unexpected [i imagine] jumps in this number.
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bats in the belfry
TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS IN THE UNITED STATES BRANCH TERRITORY
Re: Memorial partakers 2012
The latest scripture based research evidently points to the fact that when Jesus spoke about the "faithful and discreet slave" appearing in our twentieth century, he had in mind a 'theological concept' of worldwide proportions. We, therefore, as the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not keep a list of all partakers, for we do not maintain a global network of anointed ones. Thus, meticulously counting all emblem partakers is not necessary as this does not represent the number of anointed ones on earth. Our upcoming 2013 Yearbook will reflect these changes in understanding and cease publishing the number of partakers.
What we do know is that there will be some of the anointed “slaves of our God” on earth when the destructive winds of the great tribulation are released. (Rev. 7:1-3) Until then, the anointed will take the lead in something that is well-documented by our annual service report—the greatest preaching and teaching work in human history. As part of the King’s belongings, they are happy to cooperate fully with the arrangements made by the Governing Body, which represents “the faithful and discreet slave.”
cc: Travelling overseers
PS to secretary:
This letter should be retained in the congregation file along with other material related to the jw.org Web site.
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Weird Pic in Awake - Jesus Looks Very Pleased About Something.
by cofty ina new member of the jws forum has posted this scan of a picture in the french edition the april 2011 awake.. i have never believed the subversive wt artist stories but this one is funny.. .
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bats in the belfry
St George of England >> Is's the issue in April 2011, not 2012!
... and the U.S. version of that mag has the same weird image.
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48
Have You Ever Walked Out Of a KH "Meeting"?
by african GB Member indid you have enough of boasting, and decided to walk out?.
that's what happened to me during this week's bs about how to "treat the disfellowshipped"?.
i just picked up my bag and stormed out...... will i get called into the back room?.
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bats in the belfry
The hall I attend at times has a brother that, after song and prayer are done, switches habitually both of his hearing aids off and enjoys the meeting.
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Fakeness of the Elders When CO Visits Video
by TOTH ini just ran across this video and enjoyed it a lot.
i hope you guys do too..... i can still remember the fake-ass elders scrambling trying to get everyone to show up for service and put on a big face...lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=royjqnqrcc0&feature=related.
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bats in the belfry
Bubblegum Apotheosis >> The C.O. needs to be encouraged - by YOU
A primary purpose of the circuit overseer’s visit is to give personal encouragement and training in the field ministry.
The Circuit Overseer: The apostle Paul was no different from the brothers he served in that he experienced challenges and anxieties and he appreciated encouragement.
You can likewise encourage your circuit overseer. Show him “double honor” by your enthusiastic support of his visit. (1 Tim. 5:17) Express and demonstrate your sincere appreciation for his efforts in your behalf. He and his wife will rejoice as they observe your faith, love, and endurance.—2 Thess. 1:3, 4.
km 10/07 p. 8 par. 3,4 / An Interchange of Encouragement for AllThe three prefab talks the C.O. delivers are really something. The effort going into those talks is repeated over and over for one season (six months). He spends more time looking over sales figures and performance charts than having an interest in the f&f. He and his wife get gained weight since their last wisit, once again. - - - Go, and encourage them to keep it up.
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How Come I Rarely See People In Field Service, Vs The 1980-1990s Doing House2House?
by Bubblegum Apotheosis infield service hours have hit new records each year, but i am seeing less people working the territory.
where is all the time spent, that people are putting in the field ministry?
it's been close to ten years, since i have seen people working certain territories.
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bats in the belfry
Field service it is going the way of prophetic fulfillments in general: More and more invisible.
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What Scriptural Support Is There For Believing in Second/Greater Fulfillments of Bible Prophecy?
by JWB inwhat scriptural support is there for believing in second/greater fulfillments of bible prophecy?.
this is a genuine equiry into where the idea of second/greater fulfillments of bible prophecy originated.
does it have definite scriptural support or is it simply an extra-biblical religious device thought up to try to make prophecies appear relevant to the modern age?
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bats in the belfry
Vanderhoven7 >> Thank you for your swift research.
So, no invisible parousia of Jesus. Just a coming and setting things straight. Period.
The rest of it, being type / antitype explanations of a "great tribulation" before the end comes, as propagated by the WTBTS, is just 'fluff' for the masses. Great WT'99 find - I bookmarked it for further examination of mine. -
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Who were the anointed between 100 and 1879 AD?
by blondie inwho were the anointed between 100 and 1879 ad?
*** kingdom approached chap.
17 p. 344 par.
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bats in the belfry
Phizzy >>
Exactly - all those aforementioned individuals are revered be the WTBTS for standing up against the establishment of their time. Now then, let a humble member of the FDS class try to make a differing stance to what the GB class has decreed:
Burning then, excommunication now!