this entire article by dr. ehrman is worth a read.
here are a few selections from it.
im not opposed to religion and i dont think that all religion is oppressivefar from it.
LeavingWT" Have you read any of the works by Daniel Wallace and his spirited debate with Dr. Bart D. Erhman? I enjoy reading Erhman and Wallace! John Lennox, Ravvi Zach but I do enjoy when John Lennox speaks up with those of the genious in debate forums.
http://www.bethinking.org/events/out-of-the-silent-church-conference
there is a sister in our hall who has made it clear why her "jehovah" does not like weak ones.
her husband the po, will refuse to work with those who are not getting ten hours or more a month.
the weak ones "are spiritually dangerous and will bring you down.
Blondie, the Pharisee attitude is right on! To those who disagree with this, you are part of the one percent, who might have elite elders who care about people, instead of following the rules and burdening the flock. This problem is getting worse, and with the economic constraints and time constraints, this will morph into something uglier. This website is loaded with people lurking, searching for answers, comfort they are not getting at the Halls. I have to be careful what I write, I feel obligated to Jehovah and Jesus to tell the truth to you. This crap is too crazy to make up, and most of us know some whacked out people drinking the Grape Flavorade that engergizes their Pious nature.
that's my wife's canned "encouragement" for me lately.
odd, i haven't named any people that have caused me any distress lately.
if anything, it's the organization itself, specifically the business end of it, that bothers me.. the legal posturing as concerns individual congregations actions in matters that could escalate into courtroom matters,.
Stillin, don't expect the elders to come and help you. They are not trained to help weak ones, and don't be surprised if months go by and you don't see them. This theme is becoming endemic throughout the USA, elders are too inept to help the sheep. Read this please, in Ezk, and ask yourself who the ancient Jewish Shepherds remind you of?
"Whathap" the CO talk is a joke and very commical, because he never mentions the friends coming to give you a hand, to help you back up. The focus is only on guilt and how we need to get over it! He never mentions elders coming out to pick somone up, so this must mean they can drive their car groups over the person on the ground. This all done, because the spirit annointed are imperfect men, who should be perfectly obeyed.
MrsJones, It is not great how Aunts can be so wicked and show their true colors when money is involved. Why are family in the WTS so wicked and evil to their family but kiss the asses of DannyTheDrunk, WheelChairEd, ElderJiffy? Do family think Jesus said to "hate each other in the faith?" I think they read the Gospels incorrectly as usual.
Read Ezk 34
New Living Translation (NLT)
1 Then this message came to me from the L ord : 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign L ord : What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? 3 You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.
7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the L ord : 8 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign L ord , you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. 9 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the L ord . 10 This is what the Sovereign L ord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey.
11 “For this is what the Sovereign L ord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12 I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. 14 Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign L ord . 16 I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!
17 “And as for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign L ord says to his people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats. 18 Isn’t it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn’t it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Why must my flock eat what you have trampled down and drink water you have fouled?
20 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign L ord says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. 21 For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands. 22 So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another. 23 And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them. 24 And I, the L ord , will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the L ord , have spoken!
gluttony is listed among the bible's "shunnable" crimes in the christian congregation.. greed is a dandy one, too.. .
1 cor 5:11-13 says,(nwt).
for what do i have to do with judging those outside?
Terry, being a drunk, is no longer unfashionable now, we have elders get together for "wine tasting matches" drink a case, get drunk and eat like pigs getting fatten up for the slaughter. (five or six elders with elderettes listening in.). Discuss and gossip about judicial matters from all over the circuit share talk about sex acts they got to hear about. These brother know the intimate details of sins of everyone, could they have a message board, where they post the acts of the sinners, so all elders can see, circuit wide?
How many 300lb elders have you seen who will bash those who work out and have tone bodies? The fat slobs will hound those who work out, with snobish remarks. Eating disorders are common in the Org, and not frowned upon. There are new stats that say, over fifty percent in the upper mid-west are obese, so how many DFs would this create? The cold Mid West States are not easy to live in, depressing and food does release those drug like chemicals in the brain, only to produce guilt. If the GB went on the war path on Gluttoney, we would lose fifty percent of the Flock!
With those power scooters, I do see how they can be blessed by being overweight. Inability to work, would be able to produce more field service. The problem is most householders might judge them as "If they are this screwed up, what are they going to offer me? Look at the sorry shape these clowns are in now!" People are mean and we both know, first impressions can mean the difference between taking a magazine and tell someone to "beat it!".
........... holy spirit or any " fruitages of the spirit " like love, kindness, mildness, meekness , etc.
shown by men considered for elder or ms positions.
qualities or true positive character traits are not that important to the wt society in appointments of these men in jw congregations.. no, the real " qualifications " that a jw man needs to exhibit is being able to report 10 hours a month in knocking on people's doors offering wt and awake magazines !
We had a elder finally appointed after battling a severe mental problem (Hoarding). He is the second person I have seen appointed with this disorder (In the last couple of years.) , which you will only understand, if you watch the show "Hoarders" on Cable TV. It is a sickness, and a hard one to break, wish these two men success leading the flock to clean waters and fields that are not littered with junk! Hoarding is a real mental disorder, that can be treated improperly by, giving the hoarder responsiblity, having him teach others organizational skills and clean habits. How ironic!
taken from a closed jw facebook group:.
"the kingdom hall is my university, jehovah is my professor, jesus is my instructor, the holy spirit is my protector, the angels are my support system, the worldwide brotherhood are my class mates, the bible is my text book, trials & temptations are my exams, finding lost sheep is my assignment, prayer is my attendance, life in paradise is my future degree, and doing jehovah's will is my motto.
enroll today!!!
The comment on "Finding The Lost Sheep." is based on a contingency, if the sheep has lots of wool that can be shorn, try to look for them. The Lost Sheep and Orphans and Widows and Elderly are trampled on a day to day basis, what a sad state. What a brainwashed clown, no wonder the GB says to avoid "Facebook" like the plague.
Current Pay Rate for a four year Awake degree is $7.00 an hour with a free application for Food Stamps, and Government Aid phone numbers.
Does JW mean Janitorial Worker? Just a question I have wondered, since the vast multi-dudes of the other sheep work in this field.
imagine you are here in the year 2030 and nothing has happened?
how will field service be carried out?
will meetings still be at kingdom halls or will halls be used via skype?
Imagine you are here in the year 2030 and nothing has happened? How will Field Service be carried out? Will meetings still be at Kingdom Halls or will Halls be used via SKYPE? Now is the time to specuate how life will be for those still in the Organization in 2030. I thought Newton said the end would come in 2050 or 2060 using his math models with Bible prophecy. Remember the song "In the Year 2525, if man is still alive?"
boy, mine did.
leave it to beaver, donna reid, ossie and harriet made them squirm.
any show that depicted kind fathers, happy nurturing mothers, and normal kids getting to do normal kid things made them cranky and me sad.
There has been so much research on how these shows screwed up the American teenager's mindset. The Brady Bunch, Father Knows Best, Leave It To Beaver, and all the fake family shows. What a disservice they did to the mind of all the kids in the 1960s and 1970s and what a lie told to all of us.
the best bible scholars have been women in my realm of this religious world.
the women study their husbands watchtowers, prepare the parts, write their talks, put their ties on, get the shave cream out of their ears.
it must be hard and you must have the patiences of job, to be able to listen to, the many arrogant men and how you will (if you are a female annointed.
The best Bible scholars have been women in my realm of this religious world. The women study their husbands Watchtowers, prepare the parts, write their talks, put their ties on, get the shave cream out of their ears. It must be hard and you must have the patiences of Job, to be able to listen to, the many arrogant men and how you will (If you are a female annointed.) ruling only over women in Heaven. How are you able to not laugh, when you hear things like "The Sun Never Set On The Babylonian Empire?" "When In Babylon, Due As the Babylonians Do?" "Simple Cell Orgasms are not so simple!" Brothers who are not able to read, yet they are elders. Sisters who could have a degree from Moody's Bible School (their knowledge is deep.), yet listen without mocking or laughing at the proud bumpkins.
[...] however sincere the vice president [fred franz} was, it is an undeniable fact that his rather cloistered life at the headquarters from his early twenties onward had largely isolated him from life as lived by ordinary people 'on the outside' (a term used frequently by staff workers at the watch tower headquarters with reference to life outside their select community).
the things being experienced by those who were engaged in secular employment, who had homes and families, knew what it was to be married or to be parents, had to face the problems and difficulties of day-to-day living as most people face them, formed little or no part of his experience.
from my own personal association with him over many years, it was evident that he was quite detached---or perhaps the expression could be "insulated"---from the reality of life as lived by the average person.
Nothing has changed with regard to funerals, why did these men become so robotic and scribal and pharisee like? I heard rumors about Ray when I was a child, had a friend who was at Bethel who said "Ray was at an gathering in Atlanta, and the plug was pulled on him due to mental problems." Lies spread so quick, and truth is slow to chase it down. What a story, I am going to buy this book.
