Ah, but to the Witnesses going out in service is showing love, kindness etc. What's more loving than saving someone from their impending doom and sharing "the gospel" with them?
wearewatchingyouman
JoinedPosts by wearewatchingyouman
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30
John 3:16 - "believe" or "exercise faith?" Same thing?
by Faithful Witness ini recently asked my jw mother, if she believed that jesus died for her sins.
(john 3:16).
she agreed, but then added the jw party line, "you have to exercise faith also.
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Faith.
by wearewatchingyouman inso, i usually describe myself as an agnostic theist with fideist tendencies.
what this boils down to is that, for me, faith and reason are independent of eachother.
i believe in god even though it makes no rational sense to me.
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wearewatchingyouman
LMAO.
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John 3:16 - "believe" or "exercise faith?" Same thing?
by Faithful Witness ini recently asked my jw mother, if she believed that jesus died for her sins.
(john 3:16).
she agreed, but then added the jw party line, "you have to exercise faith also.
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wearewatchingyouman
Love your neighbor - I just started a Topic on this exact point. It's entitled "Faith."
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Faith.
by wearewatchingyouman inso, i usually describe myself as an agnostic theist with fideist tendencies.
what this boils down to is that, for me, faith and reason are independent of eachother.
i believe in god even though it makes no rational sense to me.
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wearewatchingyouman
I see nobody wants to touch this with a ten foot pole... lol
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John 3:16 - "believe" or "exercise faith?" Same thing?
by Faithful Witness ini recently asked my jw mother, if she believed that jesus died for her sins.
(john 3:16).
she agreed, but then added the jw party line, "you have to exercise faith also.
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wearewatchingyouman
Jeffro - I don't think a facepalm would quite do that quote justice. I think something like this is more appropriate
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Faith.
by wearewatchingyouman inso, i usually describe myself as an agnostic theist with fideist tendencies.
what this boils down to is that, for me, faith and reason are independent of eachother.
i believe in god even though it makes no rational sense to me.
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wearewatchingyouman
So, I usually describe myself as an Agnostic Theist with Fideist tendencies. What this boils down to is that, for me, faith and reason are independent of eachother. I believe in God even though It makes no rational sense to me. I don't claim to know that God exists. I just believe, have faith, that God exists. I also think, reason, that this is the way God, if He truly exists, wanted the whole arrangement. If God wanted us to know who "He" is, and how he was going to carry out his plan, I think He, as an all knowing all powerful force, would have made it all a little clearer and simpler. But what if I had faith that he has indeed, but somehow I'm blinded to it?
So, purely hypothetically, how do you think such a philisophical viewpoint would be accepted by Jehovah's Witnesses if I applied it to their faith. If I was to seperate the knowledge that I have of all of the misgivings of the Organization, and said "While from a reasonable standpoint I don't possibly see how this could be God's active channel, I have faith and believe that the Organization is the FDS giving food in due time."
What if I, a fourth generation born in who was never baptised, has accumulated all this knowledge and still chose to be baptized? I mean let's be completely honest here. There is absoloutely no way any reasoning person can look at what was being taught between 1914 and 1919 and say, "Oh yeah, it makes total sense that Jesus would have looked at every single Christian religion and picked this one.", or, "Yeah, I've looked at secular and biblical history, and 607 makes perfect sense to me."
However, how would the brother's react if I were to say, "Well, I know this statement in the current Watchtower to contradict the knowledge that I have. See so and so Watchtower from so and so time.", or, "Well this quoted source, when read in context, is actually saying the opposite of what the WTS is claiming." etc. etc. etc. "However, even though in my own reasoning, and anyone else's who looks at things objectively, that these statements can't be construed as anything else but dishonest I have faith that Jehovah has a reason for this."
My question is basically this: I can't unlearn all of this stuff. I was never baptised. I have an extensive library starting with Russell's "Studies from the Scriptures" and going forward. There is no possible way I can unlearn what I know. What if I still decided I want to be a Witness? Purely on faith. What if I was straight forward and honest from the very beginning of starting to study agin about what I know to be TTATT. What if I were to show the brother's from their own older publications the knowledge that I have about certain things, but still believe and have faith in the things that the Orginization teaches? What do you think the reaction would be? Would I still be able to be baptised? Could I become a MS or Elder?
Just to be clear this is purely hypothetical. I'm not looking for questions as to why I would do this. Or criticisms as to how stupid or ignorant this path would be. I was just thinking last night about how my personal philosophy could be applied to being a Witness, so I figured I'd throw it out here and get people's opinions as to how this would be handled by the Elders on up.
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Satan thrown to earth "about" 1914?
by wearewatchingyouman inso i'm thumbing through the new "silver sword" and i notice that in the appendix under "message of the bible" that it says, "about 1914 jesus hurls the serpent satan to the earth...." i can't remeber ever hearing the word "about" and 1914 placed together before in regards to this event.
are there any jwapologists, or anyone else for that matter, who have an explanation for this?.
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/nwt/appendix-b/message-of-the-bible/.
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wearewatchingyouman
nooooooooo liiiiiggghhht. Oh how we are blessed to live in a time when things are becoming sooooooo clear. God is most certainly working through the organization.
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Are YOU Paying More or Less or the Same $$$ For Insurance Since Obamacare?
by minimus injust curious.
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wearewatchingyouman
More. Just because i don't have insurance, and I don't plan on getting any. I looked into it and i'd be paying about $300 a month with a $30,000 deductable. I'll just pay the fine and keep going to my doctor who doesn't except insurance and has a set cost for all procedures. If I need a major surgery i'll just go the medical tourism route and head down to South America.
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Does anyone know what is happening with Italy's (Rome) Bethel???
by LoisLane looking for Superman inthere are rumors out, that the italy (rome) bethel is being shut down and putting out to pasture a large portion of the bethel staff.. has anyone heard anything... ?.
the word is that everyone but the most senior members will be let go.
the senior bethel family members will be reassigned.
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wearewatchingyouman
LaFrancia - It's just so Topics are easier to find under"Topics I have posted on" when you want to see how things have progressed.
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Were You Tough On Your Fellow Witnesses?
by minimus inwhen i was younger, i saw things as a young, inexperienced man.
i thought i knew it all, but time would prove otherwise.
i believed that as long as you accepted "mother's" counsel, then everyone should just follow jehovah's organization's guidance.. i realized some witnesses actually loved that thought, that it's either black or white.
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wearewatchingyouman
I was pretty tough on some of my fellow witnesses growing up, though not in the classical sense. In my teenage years i watched my friends get baptized off one by one. I was always a good kid. My dad was an elder. My mom was DF'd when I was young, and I had the unique opportunity to distance myself from the teachings, but still stay close to the congregation, and openly expressing my doubts to my family. I knew all the dirt on everybody. I guess all the fellow Witness kids felt safe confiding all their misgivings due to my unique position. I saw their hypocrisy. Smoking, having sex, doing drugs etc. etc. etc. Then next thing you know they were getting baptized. I'd confront the ones I was close to. The coverstion usually went something like, "Dude, what the hell are you doing? I know you don't believe this stuff. You were just telling me about screwing Suzie Q worldly girl last weekend. Are you stupid?"
I kind of feel guilty today about not being more supportive and understanding of their position. Them not having any outlet to be honest with someone who could understand them, or at least feeling that way.
