So often I find that when discussing Jehovah's Witness beliefs with others, I am having to re-define words and terminology. It brings home to me that the 'theocratic language' is full of subliminal messages.
Cheers,
Ozzie
this week's watchtower study article (feb 15 p23) should be re-named "the remnant manifesto"!.
a subliminal message centered on the use of the word "remnant" runs right through the article.. para 5: "a faithful remnant in ancient judah were to benefit.".
para 6: "so jehovah prospered the faithful remnant...".
So often I find that when discussing Jehovah's Witness beliefs with others, I am having to re-define words and terminology. It brings home to me that the 'theocratic language' is full of subliminal messages.
Cheers,
Ozzie
one of the things that used to annoy me in the new testament was the "believe in jesus" message.
any explainations seemed fuzzy at best so i decided to take a run at it from behind and find the definintion of an un-believer.here is what i came up with and i welcome other opinions.
many of the people around jesus were jews, they walked with him, talked with him, listened to his teachings and witnessed his miracles.
What does it mean, to be "divine"?
Does it mean that he was a spirit creature? If so, why doesn't the Bible say so?
the definition given in the Insight book is:"That which belongs to God or pertains to him. that which is godlike or heavenly."
On face value, this seems to be skirting around the inevitable big "T' to me.
On the other hand, the Insight book points out 2 Peter 1:3,4 in regard to anointed Christians (what other sort are there?) they "may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust."
Could this latter text refer to having Jesus in our hearts, rather than humans going to heaven, as the Insight book states?
On balance, then, I go for the orthodox Christian view. It takes less explaining than the W/T view!
Cheers,
Ozzie
whether i am a lutheran, catholic, jehovahs witness, mormon jew or any other religion i can play the part quite well.
as a matter of fact most of us can.
i can be regular at my places of worship, give generously , teach sunday school, read my.
Say Mens, this intro sounds like you might be the Greater Cassius Clay (aka Mohammad Ali).
Aren't you the lucky one!
Sorry, old son, but it doesn't quite gel with all the pain that other posters have had before getting here.
BTW Christ came to save sinners. How come you know Him?
Ozzie
i'm curious: how many years were you in before you left?
by left, i mean either df'd and decided not to go back, or da'd, or faded, or even just realized it was a crock but stuck around anyway for family reasons?.
we're told in la-la-land that it's the newly baptized, those who are "spiritually immature" that mostly leave.
OK, so it was the subject title that made me look! But at least I admit it!!
I was raised in "it", and stayed for 50 years, serving as an elder for 35 years, including congregation servant under the pre-elder arrangement.
I remain in 'good standing', whatever that means, but have been inactive for 4 years when I also ceased to be an elder.
Probably took a couple of years before I quit. It was the harsh actions of the elders and the politics involved both serving at Bethel and in the local congs that finished me, or made me see the real light.
And ain't it good with the proper light on!
Cheers,
ozzie
just looking at the chat room at the moment, i counted 16 in the chat room!!.
can we fit anymore in???
.
Truly a Great Crowd!
Simon, you must be preparing for the post-1935 increase!
You sure you're not the Greater Rutherford?
Cheers,
Ozzie
i received this in an email... interesting.
rcat.
opportunity to ruin government statistics.
That's the type of lark that a Bethelite would do!
Ozzie (of the serious minded class)
this is for all of you who have left god's spiritual garden(wt), there is not hope without the organization.. all of you are going to be destroyed, including your kids.. so repent in the name of the organization and come back to us.
why would you like to die and be like manure in the soil.. don't you know that the organization is the only channel of comunication with god.. don't you know that the faithful and discreet slave is inspired by angels.
yes you are out of the organization because the angels have seen how weaked your hearts has become.. glory to the watch tower.
Coco the clown?
how many jw do you think are on the same ship?
the captain on the titanic told everyone to abandon ship,watctower leaders tell ones to remain loyal to the end never abandon the org, just how many see it sinking, you see the the unhappy looks on their faces on train stations, street coners, even going and coming out of their meetings, the zeal is gone.
one guess that reading so many posts of ones leaving, who wants to sit on a sinking and tilting ship, it makes one a bit sick in the tummy.
G'day Mommy,
It is sad isn't it when we can see that there is a sure hope that she could have. Paul wrote: "For there are many,....they have their minds upon things on the earth. As for us, our citizenship exists in the heavens, from which place also we are eagerly waiting for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will refashion our humiliated body to be conformed to his glorious body according to the operation of the power that he has, even to subject all things to himself."(Phil. 3:18-21)
He was able to say "The Lord is near."(Phil 4:5) Sadly Witnesses miss out on a relationship with Jesus. It's only permitted to have a relationship with Jehovah with the organisation as their mediator (Watchtower Feb 15, 2001 page 18, para 5) How sad.
Ozzie
just like the urban legends that we all heard at assemblies, we also read questions from readers in the wts rags...did you guys ever read those while you were still jws and think "oh my god...there is no way that some 8 year old wrote or even said any of this.
" or when you heard at assemblies that we should be soooo thankful because the brothers in africa are walking through gator infested, malarial waters with their children on their backs and their book bags and meeting clothes on their heads, through monsoon rains 74 miles each way to attend their assemblies.
my mother used to say the same thing about cleaning my plate because there were kids in whoknowswhere starving to death.
Some of you older dubs may remember the time when the QFR showed the name and country of the reader who had sent in the question.
After that changed, it became more and more apparent that the use of the term 'Questions from Readers' was deceptive. Clearly the question is simply a device used to 'clarify' a current contentious issue and announce a modification in teaching.
BTW the use of questions with answers is also used in a part at each year's District Convention. It's never, to my recollection, been explained why we have the questions, nor where the questions come from.
Cheers,
ozzie
this week's watchtower study article (feb 15 p23) should be re-named "the remnant manifesto"!.
a subliminal message centered on the use of the word "remnant" runs right through the article.. para 5: "a faithful remnant in ancient judah were to benefit.".
para 6: "so jehovah prospered the faithful remnant...".
This week's Watchtower Study article (Feb 15 p23) should be re-named "The Remnant Manifesto"!
A subliminal message centered on the use of the word "remnant" runs right through the article.
para 5: "A faithful remnant in ancient Judah were to benefit."
para 6: "So Jehovah prospered the faithful remnant..."
para 8: "Those prophetic words referred to the remnant gathered out of Babylonian captivity..."
para 9 "What a name Jehovah made for himself by bringing back that faithful remnant!"
para 10 "Another restoration took place in the first century of the Common Era, when Jesus Christ gathered a remnant of Israel to true worship."
para 13 "History shows that Jehovah began gathering to true worship a faithful remnant of anointed ones..."
para 15 "In 537 BCE, "all" included the remnant of Jews..."
This recurrent use of the word "remnant" prepares the way for the article's climax when Witnesses are exhorted to remain faithful, sure in the knowledge that they are witnessing great things, increases in abundance, only they are led by anointed Christians who have seen to it that "the lofty true worship of Jehovah has been restored".