NikL

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Posts by NikL

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  26

  Russia and the letter writing

  by Listener in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is the whole of the instructions that the watchtower gave jws when writing to russian officials -.

  content • you are writing to the official to request his intervention.

  express the hope that the russian authorities will stop the legal action being taken against the branch office and the congregations in russia so that our brothers and sisters can continue to gather peacefully for christian meetings without interference.

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  NikL

  @Richard Oliver...

  If you look at the laws that Russia has put in place as to what is "hate speech" and "extremist". You will see that JWs do fit the criteria in essence, breaking the law.

  I concede your point as to Paul.
  
• 
  26

  Russia and the letter writing

  by Listener in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is the whole of the instructions that the watchtower gave jws when writing to russian officials -.

  content • you are writing to the official to request his intervention.

  express the hope that the russian authorities will stop the legal action being taken against the branch office and the congregations in russia so that our brothers and sisters can continue to gather peacefully for christian meetings without interference.

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  NikL

  I asked my wife yesterday, how is this remaining neutral?

  She of course had no answer for me.

  The other thing is,this may backfire.

  If those are the only instructions they are giving, imagine brother or sister "wrong in the head" writing Putin,..."you better not ban the witnesses or Jehovah is going to step in and destroy you and all of those that support you. Your carcasses will be left on the ground for birds to eat and me and mine will be living forever in a paradise while your bones decay under my front lawn".
  
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  8

  Pretend to honour principles, but make laws instead!

  by doubtfull1799 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this from the latest watchtower question from readers:.

  "how a christian chooses to protect him- self, his family, or his possessions is, of course, largely a personal matter, as is his choice of employment.

  that said, bible principles reflect god’s wisdom and his love for us.

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  NikL

  That's new to me.

  I know many JWs around here that own guns.

  Are they now going to crack down on that I wonder?
  
• 
  17

  So according to the bible, "believing" is enough to have everlasting life.

  by NikL in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am certain this has been brought up many times before.

  according to john 6.... 44 no man can come to me unless the father, who sent me, draws him,+ and i will resurrect him on the last day.+ 45 it is written in the prophets: ‘they will all be taught by jehovah.+ everyone who has listened to the father and has learned comes to me.

  46 not that any man has seen the father,+ except the one who is from god; this one has seen the father.+ 47 most truly i say to you, whoever believes has everlasting life.+.

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  NikL

  Never would have pegged the early Christian writers as Journey fans...

  LOL I am a Radio DJ Vidiot. I get your joke!
  
• 
  17

  So according to the bible, "believing" is enough to have everlasting life.

  by NikL in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am certain this has been brought up many times before.

  according to john 6.... 44 no man can come to me unless the father, who sent me, draws him,+ and i will resurrect him on the last day.+ 45 it is written in the prophets: ‘they will all be taught by jehovah.+ everyone who has listened to the father and has learned comes to me.

  46 not that any man has seen the father,+ except the one who is from god; this one has seen the father.+ 47 most truly i say to you, whoever believes has everlasting life.+.

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  NikL

  Great comments here. I love this sort of dialogue. So much more interesting than ANYTHING I've head at a kingdumb hall EVER.
  
• 
  17

  So according to the bible, "believing" is enough to have everlasting life.

  by NikL in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am certain this has been brought up many times before.

  according to john 6.... 44 no man can come to me unless the father, who sent me, draws him,+ and i will resurrect him on the last day.+ 45 it is written in the prophets: ‘they will all be taught by jehovah.+ everyone who has listened to the father and has learned comes to me.

  46 not that any man has seen the father,+ except the one who is from god; this one has seen the father.+ 47 most truly i say to you, whoever believes has everlasting life.+.

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  NikL

  The Bible also says that "Faith without works is dead"

  And those works are?
  
• 
  17

  So according to the bible, "believing" is enough to have everlasting life.

  by NikL in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am certain this has been brought up many times before.

  according to john 6.... 44 no man can come to me unless the father, who sent me, draws him,+ and i will resurrect him on the last day.+ 45 it is written in the prophets: ‘they will all be taught by jehovah.+ everyone who has listened to the father and has learned comes to me.

  46 not that any man has seen the father,+ except the one who is from god; this one has seen the father.+ 47 most truly i say to you, whoever believes has everlasting life.+.

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  NikL

  I am certain this has been brought up many times before.

  According to John 6...

  44 No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him,+ and I will resurrect him on the last day.+ 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by Jehovah.+ Everyone who has listened to the Father and has learned comes to me. 46 Not that any man has seen the Father,+ except the one who is from God; this one has seen the Father.+ 47 Most truly I say to you, whoever believes has everlasting life.+

  The word translated "believe" in verse 47 is πιστεύων

  • 47 ἀμὴν Amen ἀμὴν amen λέγω I am saying ὑμῖν, to YOU, ὁ the (one) πιστεύων believing ἔχει is having ζωὴν life αἰώνιον. everlasting.

  Yet the NWT translates the same word differently on a much more famous scripture which we all know...

  • 16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son,+ so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.+

  • 16 Οὕτως Thus γὰρ for ἠγάπησεν loved ὁ the θεὸς God τὸν the κόσμον world ὥστε as-and τὸν the υἱὸν Son τὸν the μονογενῆ only-begotten ἔδωκεν, he gave, ἵνα in order that πᾶς everyone ὁ the πιστεύων believing εἰς into αὐτὸν him μὴ not ἀπόληται might be destroyed ἀλλὰ but ἔχῃ may have ζωὴν life αἰώνιον. everlasting.

  Faith and believing are not the same thing and it's not even what they're own interlinear says!

  I am no student of Greek but the scriptures seem to be pretty clear.

  Whoever believes is eligible for everlasting life.
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  22

  Those married to "still in" JWs

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  kind of got into it with my jw wife last night for the first time in a long time.. i try to not engage in conversations about doctrinal matters unless she asks me which she did.. anyway, i wont go into details but of course i am "not going to change her mind" and "why is it that you can't see when very smart people can?

  " yada yada yada.

  you probably can imagine.. it makes me so depressed.

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  NikL

  @Ding

  It seems like there are two possibilities:

  1. You stop going to the meetings with her.

  2. You go to the meetings but don't say anything critical about them.

  Have you asked her (not in a sarcastic way) which she would prefer?

  If she'd rather you not go at all, then you won't have to go to any more meetings.

  Those very thoughts went through my head around 2:15 this morning
  
• 
  22

  Those married to "still in" JWs

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  kind of got into it with my jw wife last night for the first time in a long time.. i try to not engage in conversations about doctrinal matters unless she asks me which she did.. anyway, i wont go into details but of course i am "not going to change her mind" and "why is it that you can't see when very smart people can?

  " yada yada yada.

  you probably can imagine.. it makes me so depressed.

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• 

  NikL

  Thanks for all the kind words everyone.

  The thing is this isn't anything new. I've been inactive for over 25 years.

  I went for years not going to meetings but she had a nervous breakdown a few years ago and basically begged me to go with her.
  

  I did and it was fine. I even started to think they had changed the things I was against and were moving in a positive direction.

  I think she began to feel the change in me and was happy.
  

  First assembly I went to with her in years was the one on imitating Jesus a couple years ago. I kid of liked a lot of what they talked about. They stressed looking at Jesus and making "him" our focus.

  The following years assembly was like a complete reversal it seemed to me.
  

  Then came the Australian Royal commission. I happened to find it online by accident. Wasn't searching for "apostate" stuff.

  Geoffrey Jackson said it was "presumptuous" to say they were gods spokesperson on earth. I thought wow, cool.

  But then came articles and WT studies that proved he didn't mean what he said. making him a liar.

  Then I slipped back into the apostate world. I've been a member of this board since the 90s and I jumped right back in.

  Ironic thing is that I've been reading scripture much more then I ever did as a JW. I had previously just threw it all out of my life. Now I feel like a "christian" again.
  

  She noticed a difference when I stopped praying with her and reading daily text with her and stuff.

  I think she still wants me to do those things with her but I felt like a hypocrite not having her know my true feelings.

  Maybe now that she does we can get back to those things.

  I guess time will tell.
  
• 
  22

  Those married to "still in" JWs

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  kind of got into it with my jw wife last night for the first time in a long time.. i try to not engage in conversations about doctrinal matters unless she asks me which she did.. anyway, i wont go into details but of course i am "not going to change her mind" and "why is it that you can't see when very smart people can?

  " yada yada yada.

  you probably can imagine.. it makes me so depressed.

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• 

  NikL

  Kind of got into it with my JW wife last night for the first time in a long time.

  I try to not engage in conversations about doctrinal matters unless she asks me which she did.

  Anyway, I wont go into details but of course I am "not going to change her mind" and "why is it that you can't see when very smart people can?" Yada yada yada. You probably can imagine.

  It makes me so depressed. There is this huge wedge between us and we are supposed to be "one flesh".

  I go with her to meetings to be supportive and she made comments like "why do you go if you just look to criticize?"

  The worst part of it is that I felt totally fuzzy in my head. Like I couldn't argue my point well. I began to actually feel like "what is wrong with me?".

  She actually seems okay this morning but I am not. I am finding myself nervous and depressed. I had a nightmare last night and I am sure I was yelling in my sleep though my wife is a heavy sleeper and didn't notice.

  I am not sure what the point of this post is. Maybe hear from those that have still in spouses and how you deal with this vary dicey situation?