John Aquila

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Posts by John Aquila

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  15

  Boyfriend and dating news - Any advice

  by KateWild in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  so i started dating on the internet in june and have met some nice guys.

  i have put in a few recent posts that i have a boyfriend and wanted to give an update.

  things haven't worked out sadly.. i was seeing him for a couple of months we were having fun and then things tailed off after christmas.

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  John Aquila

  One person had a 12 paragraph essay on the brain disorder he has

  Now that's funny- Diana.
  
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  39

  Horrible Bosses

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i just heard this a few minutes ago by a jw friend who is still an elder in my old hall.

  the kingdom hall i used to attend and my mom still attends was paid off many years ago and serves about 6 congregations.

  one of the english congregations has a lot of financially well of members.

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  John Aquila

  The Searcher

  Lovely, and heart-warming to read. I just wish that one, just one body of elders - and the congregation - would unanimously stand together against the Org in something like this. Show unity against the bully, they can't demand private funds!

  
  

  I wonder what would have happened if they would have stand against the Org? I believe the name of the account in the bank was not the Kingdom Hall. Maybe they were threaten with disfellowshiping, I'm not sure. As it is, the family's of the two elders are now split because the wives want to be loyal to the organization and the former elder husbands want nothing to do with the Org anymore. Either way the Watchtower has again damaged another two families with children. Plus all the members who contributed to that fund are split. Some are mad at the Watchtower and some are still loyal because they think God is behind them and not the elders. It's never easy.
  
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  17

  Would the discovery of EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE completely debunk the bible and religion?

  by Black Man in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think it would.

  instantly.

  in fact, i hope one day soon that we somehow encounter extraterrestrial life because i think there would be a wholesale rejection of the bible and any/all religious institutions.

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  John Aquila

  humblepotato

  I know some witnesses who ALREADY believe that there are other planets with intelligent life on them that Jehovah is working with. I hear people say, "What if there is another planet out there, where they didn't disobey, and they are living in paradise?" "Wow, cool!", is usually the response.

  Wow, Just when I thought those inside the WT couldn't get any crazier.

  
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  39

  Horrible Bosses

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i just heard this a few minutes ago by a jw friend who is still an elder in my old hall.

  the kingdom hall i used to attend and my mom still attends was paid off many years ago and serves about 6 congregations.

  one of the english congregations has a lot of financially well of members.

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  John Aquila

  Magnum

  It's like the org is getting blatant now - like it doesn't even care that it might alienate some (many?).

  You know I really believe they don't care who leaves or who gets mad. They demoted DOs, old elders and COs, removed elders, kicked out many serving in Branches and Bethel for years. They don't seem to care how many leave as long as they can get as much money as possible in this short term. They are not thinking or caring about long term anymore.
  
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  39

  Horrible Bosses

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i just heard this a few minutes ago by a jw friend who is still an elder in my old hall.

  the kingdom hall i used to attend and my mom still attends was paid off many years ago and serves about 6 congregations.

  one of the english congregations has a lot of financially well of members.

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  John Aquila

  Village Idiot

  “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.

  Lol! I never thought of that. On the other hand, didn't the Nation rebelled and leave Egypt because of that? The Exodus has begun!
  
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  39

  Horrible Bosses

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i just heard this a few minutes ago by a jw friend who is still an elder in my old hall.

  the kingdom hall i used to attend and my mom still attends was paid off many years ago and serves about 6 congregations.

  one of the english congregations has a lot of financially well of members.

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  John Aquila

  CalebInFloroda

  Marvelous, John, just marvelous! If only more had access to you in situations like these!

  
  

  That's why I faded Caleb. And I don't try to wake anyone up anymore unless they take the imitative first and do their own research and then come to me with questions, but that rarely happens. So I'm not seen as a threat or apostate, just a weak spiritual brother.
  
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  189

  How much was Christ's ransom sacrifice? Equal to Adam?

  by jonathan dough in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how much was the ransom?

  gods justice did not require an exact equivalent man-for-man sacrifice between the first adam and jesus, the second adam.

  gods gift required more.

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  John Aquila

  If memory serve me right wasn't Jesus pretty much beaten to a pulp by the Romans before being crucified? How can Jesus be a sacrifice in such a condition in light of Deuteronomy 17.1:

  You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect of a serious kind, for that is abhorrent to the Lord your God.

  
  

  OMG Caleb, You just keep coming. If the governing body ever saw you, they would run, run, run.
  
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  39

  Horrible Bosses

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i just heard this a few minutes ago by a jw friend who is still an elder in my old hall.

  the kingdom hall i used to attend and my mom still attends was paid off many years ago and serves about 6 congregations.

  one of the english congregations has a lot of financially well of members.

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  John Aquila

  I just heard this a few minutes ago by a JW friend who is still an elder in my old hall.

  The Kingdom Hall I used to attend and my mom still attends was paid off many years ago and serves about 6 congregations. One of the English congregations has a lot of financially well of members. Right before the WT asked all the congregations to hand over all the money, the well -off congregation had over $100,000 in their savings account and the other English congregation had $40,000 in their savings.The others are Spanish and they also had a substantial amount but I’m not privy to how much each congregation had.

  They already had the plans and approval of the former RBC to remodel the Kingdom Hall, parking lot, and remote control fence. Needless to say they were upset when the WT asked for all the money to be sent to them. The CO assured them that since they have saved more than enough for a remodeling, all they had to do is ask Headquarters for a loan and it would not be a problem. Well it was a problem, they were denied.

  So the elders of one English congregation took it upon themselves to open a secret savings account at the bank and save to remodel their own hall. They view it, not as being rebellious but as something personal they wanted to do on their own. And there was no instructions saying they couldn’t do that. So they saved up to $70,000.

  When the Circuit overseer visited the Kingdom Hall, one of the Elders is exactly like that character played by Charlie Day, in the movie Horrible Bosses who always spills the beans. He just can’t keep his mouth shut. So when everyone was at coffee break with the CO, he blurts out something like, “Were gonna have a New Hall”

  Everyone just shuts up. The CO starts asking him, “What are you talking about” the elder tries to evade the question but the CO keeps drilling him and drilling him until finally the elder breaks and tells the CO they’ve been saving money to remodel the Hall. The CO has a fit and starts to investigate and discovers the elders set up a separate account to remodel the hall and they argue all week long. The elders feel this has nothing to do with the Society since it is a personal account they set up on their own and the CO feels they can’t do that since it is for God’s Organization and some of the sheep contributed to the fund and they are working apart from it. They call the Watchtower for direction and the direction comes back which says;

  “Send all the Money to the Watchtower”

  As a result of this two elders have stepped down and not returned to the meetings but the wives and children are still attending. So now those families are being broken up and the congregation still can’t remodel the Kingdom hall.

  To add insult to injury the CO recommended that since the congregation could afford to save $70,000 so quickly, then it would only be appropriate to raise the monthly contribution that is sent to the Society by another $1000 a month.

  The problem is that since that happened a few months ago the congregation has not been able to collect even the previous amount before the $1000 was added by the CO. I believe the members are very upset and many are not contributing anymore. The elders and MS are being asked every month to dig deep into their pockets to make up for the deficit.

  Which is why the elder called me, he was thinking of stepping down as an elder because the stress is too much and he wanted to know what it was like when you step down.

  I told him what it was like. No elder’s meetings, no judicial meetings at night that last till midnight, no elders meeting after the conventions, no CO meetings, no shepherding calls to worry about, no Sunday talks to prepare, no out of town elder’s schools to prepare. No special meetings to go to. No getting chewed out by the CO. No having to deal with stupid elders.

  And I went on and on till his face started turning red with anger. I thought for a while he was getting mad at me, but then he said, “That’s it, I'm turning in my resignation this Thursday”
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  189

  How much was Christ's ransom sacrifice? Equal to Adam?

  by jonathan dough in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how much was the ransom?

  gods justice did not require an exact equivalent man-for-man sacrifice between the first adam and jesus, the second adam.

  gods gift required more.

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  John Aquila

  Either the concept of Original Sin or inheriting sin from Adam (or Eve) is true or the words of Ezekiel are true, but not both. Either G-d visits the sins of parents upon their children, contradicting the words of Ezekiel, or the story of Adam and Eve have to be interpreted in the light of Ezekiel 18.

  
  

  Good point Caleb!

  Something is just not right with the idea of some man having to die a horrendous death for billions and billions of men, women and children to be forgiven. If that was really the case then Jesus could just have died in his sleep and the ransom would have been paid.
  
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  62

  Basic Bible and Religious Vocabulary the Watchtower Never Teaches

  by CalebInFloroda in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  when i began formal study of religion and biblical analysis it was like peeling off layer after layer of dark matter, sticky and putrid that had stuck over my eyes and ears and mouth.

  i learned that under the watchtower one only builds a widening gap between yourself and the world of biblical academia and scholars.

  i used to think i knew a lot because i learned to quote a few scholars or lexicons as a witness.

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  John Aquila

  Thanks Caleb. This post is really interesting. Everything I wanted to know, but was never told.