Sea Breeze

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Posts by Sea Breeze

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  8

  Slavery - ancient

  by joey jojo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have been listening to podcasts by dan carlin and his excellent series on persia and the spartans, called king of kings.. its a refreshing way to hear unbiased accounts of history, untainted by religious beliefs.. a part of the podcast dealt with the jews but it put into perspective their place in world history and events.

  pretty much just another tribe- sometimes rebellious, allowed to exist under the rule of a major power, allowed to worship their own gods exactly like the other tribes around them.. another part that caught my interest was the account of slavery and it made me think about the way wt and other christian religions have tried to reconcile the idea that it was ok in those days for jews to own slaves because they had laws to protect the slaves.. the podcast made me realise a lot of apologists of slavery obviously forget how a person becomes a slave in the first place.

  apologists like wt say it was ok because it was part of the economy and the way life was, which totally skips over the important part.. after a war, when most of the men were killed or wounded on the battlefield by the winning side, whoever was left, men, women and preferably young virgins, were taken back to the homeland of the victors and sold at the slave markets.

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  Sea Breeze

  In the Ancient Near East a lot of slaves sought the arrangement for relief out of poverty. In modern times we have a hard time conceiving this because in most countries, even the poorest among us can usually find a way to eat.
  
  If you had debt and no friends, relatives or money, the most basic commodity you could barter with was your labor to avoid starvation and death.
  
  There were also a wide variety of relationships in the ANE that we characterize under the term slavery.
  
  This is a pretty even-handed discussion on the subject: Does God condone slavery in the Bible?
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  35

  Poop 💩 Patrol Map in San Francisco To Help People Avoid Poop On The Streets

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what a shame that the streets of san francisco has turned into a s hole.

  i wonder why this is happening.

  any ideas?

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  Sea Breeze

  The Watchtower has now made cart placements easier than ever in San Francisco.

  
  
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  22

  Jehovah provides guidance in the publications and in programs from the faithful slave!

  by stumbledbyothers in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  this past weeks watchtower study, reminds us that jehovah provides guidance in the publications and in programs from faithful slave!

  now you hear from the platform that god has given us jw broadcasting and jw.org.

  lets see: thought wt says they have no special connection to god, nor special knowledge, they get no extra holy spirit, gods thoughts higher than mans???

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  Sea Breeze

  Jehovah provides that guidance in the Bible and in publications * and through programs produced by “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45-47) We must do our part by humbly acknowledging that we need help, by studying the material Jehovah supplies

  So even though the bible commands just the opposite, the WT can nevertheless assure you that Jehovah speaks through:

  A. Our Publications

  B. Our Programs

  C. Our Study Materials

  In other words.... Trust Us

  Those that actually take the bible's advice, keep themselves and their families from being suckers.

  Psalms 118:8 - [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
  
  Micah 7:5 - Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide:
  
  Jeremiah 17:5 - Thus saith the LORD; Cursed is the man that trusts in man,

  
  Psalms 118:8-9 - [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Read More...)
  
  Galatians 6:3 - For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
  
  Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
  
  Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Read More...)
  
  John 15:4 - Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me, ...I am the vine.... without me you can do nothing.
  
  
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  17

  Observed at the Memorial

  by john.prestor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i went to the memorial the other night, there's a kingdom hall on the bus route back from a local college where i was doing some research and admiring the architecture.

  i'm in my street clothes, i look nice but i stood out like a sore thumb.

  i went in as it started and got a seat in the back.

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  Sea Breeze

  This lady next to me tried to show me scriptures, I kinda blew her off enough that she stopped and left me to myself. I got the vibe they do that knowingly or not to see if you'll obey them: Look at the scripture, listen to me read or explain it, do as I say. I'd welcome other posters thoughts on that.

  I think it has to do with roles. Jehovah's Witnesses are not like the former Bible Students that my great-grand mother joined in the early '20s. They are no longer "students" in their mind. They can only be teachers. They only relate to non-JW's in a superior teacher role.

  This was one of the things that really irked me as a kid. Even when members didn't have a clue, they still considered themselves as your teacher.
  
  
  
  
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  12

  Wishing You All Happiness This Evening!

  by InjusticeSystem in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i just wanted to share my excitement.

  for the first time in almost 30 years, i am not attending the memorial tonight.

  instead, i am spending the evening at home, celebrating with a glass of scotch.

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  Sea Breeze

  Congratulations!
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  16

  I informed my family that the reason I will not be attending the memorial is because I believe Jesus is my mediator..

  by joe134cd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  anyway i got kind of cornered this morning about why i wouldn’t be attending the memorial.

  i said i’m sorry i just can’t go because i believe that jesus is my mediator.

  i guess you can imagine the conversation that ensued.

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  Sea Breeze

  It is really weird how at one time, we were all in lock step in our rejection of JESUS without even giving it a second thought. It's almost like we were all under some sort of spell. Reminds me of the Galatians.

  Ch. 3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you
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  9

  I got my Memorial invitation today but I just couldn't

  by Tenacious in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  some days ago i posted on another thread that if i ever did get a memorial invitation i would ask for more to give to friends and family but in reality i was going to use it as toilet paper.

  the old lady was just too nice.. i honestly thought she was selling something but nope lo and behold she was a jw giving out memorial invitations.. as soon as i opened the door she hand it to me all the while saying i was invited as well as anyone else in my home to this "very special event" which was the celebration of christ's death.. so i played the role.

  i looked over the invitation like a curious first timer and as i flipped to read the back i paused, looked up at her and said surprisingly "oh, you are those ... um, .... witnesses, jehovah's witnesses!

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  Sea Breeze

  Well done Tenacious!
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  15

  free-will in paradise?

  by nowawake14 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is your opinion?

  do you think we would be perfect robots if there was a 'paradise?

  '.

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  Sea Breeze

  The earthly ones go to meetings and make sure that all of the resurrected shave their beards and wear what everyone else is wearing.

  Funny! An interesting side note is that there is no resurrection during the millennium. The 1st Resurrection has already occurred by this time at various points starting at the Rapture and throughout the Great Tribulation as the Tribulation saints are martyred.

  But the rest of the dead are not resurrected until the thousand years have ended. The purpose of the second resurrection is strictly so that they can stand trial at the Great White Throne Judgment.

  Rev. 20 they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years..... This is the first resurrection.
  5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power..........

  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them....And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

  Those resurrected in the 1st resurrected are judged vicariously by the work Jesus did at the Cross. Those resurrected in the 2nd resurrection, having rejected the work of Christ on their behalf, are then judged by their own works. It doesn't end well for those that end up at the GWT judgment.
  
  Amazingly, JW's are not looking forward to the 1st resurrection since that is reserved for OT faithful and church-age saints (annointed). They are banking on the 2nd resurrection. However, instead of finding panda bears in a garden, they must be judged by their own works since they have been deceived into rejecting the new covenant of Christ where Jesus offers to become a curse in their stead:

  Galatians 3 - O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ... has been...set forth? ....Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us
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  15

  free-will in paradise?

  by nowawake14 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is your opinion?

  do you think we would be perfect robots if there was a 'paradise?

  '.

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  Sea Breeze

  In the bible "Paradise" was part of Sheol. However, if you are referring to the Millennium Reign, it is clear that sin and death will still be there because the sin nature of man is still present; even though its expression will be dramatically suppressed through righteous rule by King Jesus himself.

  Isaiah 65

  But be glad and rejoice forever
  in what I will create,
  for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
  and its people a joy.

  
  
  19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
  and take delight in my people;
  the sound of weeping and of crying
  will be heard in it no more.

  20 “Never again will there be in it
  an infant who lives but a few days,
  or an old man who does not live out his years;
  the one who dies at a hundred
  will be thought a mere child;
  the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
  will be considered accursed.

  
  

  But, for all the OT righteous and the NT believers, they will have glorified bodies with the sin nature removed. Their citizenship is New Jerusalem - heaven (with access to earth)

  
  

  I personally believe that giving up the free will to sin is part of the New Testament transaction offered by Jesus. That is why they are clothed with immortality. Eventually, all those living will be in this state after the final judgment at the end of the thousand years.

  This is the mainline historical Christian view.
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  19

  What Does the WTS say is the mark for survival of Armaggeddon--Baptism

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1974604?q=mark+baptism&p=par.

  if you have not yet come to know and to accept as a way of life the righteous decrees of jehovah, you have no time to lose.

  you must act quickly if you are to stand before jehovah’s executional forces with the mark of true christian identification.

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  Sea Breeze

  Jehovah examines all the billions of human hearts and knows how rare such individuals are.
  1. This makes a JW feel special.

  Exactly. It plays to peoples' pride and sense of entitlement. I have long thought that JW theology appeals to people already nursing a lot of hurts and hangups.
  
  Scripture, on the other hand deals with such illusions head on with statements like:

  There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. - Romans 3:10-12

  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. - Eph. 2:8

  for without me ye can do nothing. - John 15: 5