Posts by pale.emperor

20

What exactly is grieving gods Holy Spirit?

by Chook in

i had an elder tell me once i was grieving holy spirit but i’m not sure how this dickhead knew..

pale.emperor

I was told in simpler terms its "knowing it's "the truth™", but willingly going out of your way to fight against it".

Interestingly, only the 144,000 actually are sealed with the holy spirit, so us mere earth dwellers cant possibly grieve it in the first place!

Watchtower May 15th, 2010
What Paul Meant
3 First of all, note Paul’s words recorded at Ephesians 4:30. He wrote: “Do not be grieving God’s holy spirit, with which you have been sealed for a day of releasing by ransom.” Paul did not want his beloved fellow believers to endanger their spirituality. It was with Jehovah’s spirit that they had been “sealed for a day of releasing by ransom.” God’s holy spirit was and still is a seal, or an advance “token of what is to come” for anointed integrity keepers. (2 Cor. 1:22) The seal signifies that they are God’s possession and are in line for heavenly life. Those finally sealed number 144,000.—Rev. 7:2-4.
4 Grieving the spirit can be the first step leading to the total loss of the influence of God’s active force in a Christian’s life. That this is possible is evident from what David said after he had sinned in connection with Bath-sheba. David repentantly begged Jehovah: “Do not throw me away from before your face; and your holy spirit O do not take away from me.” (Ps. 51:11) Only those anointed ones who prove “faithful even to death” will receive the “crown” of immortal life in heaven. (Rev. 2:10; 1 Cor. 15:53) Christians with an earthly hope also need holy spirit if they are to maintain integrity to God and receive his gift of life on the basis of faith in Christ’s ransom sacrifice. (John 3:36; Rom. 5:8; 6:23) Hence, all of us must guard against grieving Jehovah’s holy spirit.
How Could a Christian Grieve the Spirit?
5 As dedicated Christians, we can avoid grieving the spirit. This is possible if we ‘keep on walking and living by spirit,’ for then we will not be overcome by wrong fleshly desires and will not manifest ungodly traits. (Gal. 5:16, 25, 26) But that could change. We could grieve God’s spirit to a degree by allowing ourselves to drift slowly, perhaps almost imperceptibly, toward conduct condemned in God’s spirit-inspired Word.
6 If we continually went contrary to the direction of holy spirit, we would be grieving it and Jehovah, the Source of that spirit. An examination of Ephesians 4:25-32 will show us how we should conduct ourselves, and it can help us to avoid grieving God’s spirit.

29

Do they take the GB seriously?

by Tech49 in

jw
friends

so this is an honest question that i have been thinking about for some time.. do regular jehovahś witnesses in other countries (other than the usa) take the governing body in new york seriously?.

i mean, i cant help but wonder about the publishers in japan, or south africa, or mexico, or new zealand, or even the uk, or spain, or italy...... or russia?.

not you and i (we know what you think of them), but the regular jwś...... do they take these american buffoons seriously?

pale.emperor

My family take them seriously 100% absolutely.

Even to the point of defended them to the hilt when I've proven to them the lies and twisted words at the ARC and producing the UN letter and Gerrit Lösch claiming in writing that he's "not part of Watchtower".

"They're imperfect men" is their get out of jail free card.

37

Protect Your Family??

by Tech49 in

here is an article in the current study copy of the wt.

tell me your thoughts and i will tell you mine.!

this is a topic that i am very sensitive about, as i could never see not protecting my family, even if that meant using whatever means at hand to do so!

pale.emperor

In Jehovah’s eyes, life—especially human life—is sacred. The psalmist David knew that Jehovah “is the source of life.” (Psalm 36:9) Hence, if a Christian chooses to take reasonable measures to defend himself or his property, he would do everything in his power to avoid taking a human life and becoming bloodguilty.—Deuteronomy 22:8; Psalm 51:14.

Yet you should reject a blood transfusion, because the symbol of life is more important than the actual life right?

[Footnote.] * A Christian might decide to own a firearm (such as a rifle or a shotgun) for hunting animals for food or for protection against wild animals. When not in use, though, such weapons are best kept unloaded, perhaps even disassembled, and safely locked away. Where gun ownership is illegal, restricted, or regulated in some other way, Christians obey the law.—Romans 13:1. [End of Footnote.]

Very patronizing tone don't you think? Like we needed permission first to these things? Like a previous poster said, if your home is being invaded by rapists and thieves your gun isn't gonna be much help disassembled in the garage is it?

When Jesus told his followers to equip themselves with swords on the final night of his life on earth, he did not have protection in mind. (Luke 22:36, 38) Rather, Jesus had them bring a sword for an object lesson to teach them not to resort to violence, even when confronted by an armed crowd. (Luke 22:52) After Peter wielded one of the swords against the high priest’s slave, Jesus commanded Peter: “Return your sword to its place.” Then Jesus stated a fundamental truth, a principle that guides his followers to this day: “All those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.”—Matthew 26:51, 52.

No evidence for this at all. Jesus tells them to take a sword with them. And if they dont have one to sell their cloak and buy one. If i were alive in Judea in AD30 you can be your life i'll be carrying a sword at all times. Especially in a garden at night. Wild animals my ass, robbers and murderers galore back then.

Christians consider life to be far more valuable than material things. “Life does not result from the things [a man] possesses.” (Luke 12:15) Thus, if a mild tongue fails to stop an armed robber, wise Christians heed the principle embodied in Jesus’ words: “Do not resist the one who is wicked.” It may even require that we give up our inner and outer garments, so to speak. (Matthew 5:39, 40; Luke 6:29) *

Yes, if a rapist wants to take your wife or daughter, and he doesnt stop when you ask him nicely - you should just let him. Heaven forbid you might be bloodguilty for caving his head in. I'd have zero guilt on my conscience for putting a rapist 10 feet under.

[Footnote.] * Regarding the matter of defending oneself against rape, see the article “How to Prevent Rape” in the March 8, 1993, issue of Awake! [End of Footnote.]

The best strategy, of course, is prevention. If we shun “the showy display of [our] means of life” and are known by our neighbors as peace-loving Witnesses of Jehovah, we may avoid being targeted by violent criminals.—1 John 2:16; Proverbs 18:10.

Yes, it's your fault for having nice things in the first place brothers! No wonder they wanted to rob you. If only you'd live simply and sent all your cash to us this wouldnt have happened.

Christians respect others’ consciences. (Romans 14:21) If it became known that a member of the congregation kept a gun for protection against humans, some fellow believers might be shocked, even stumbled. Love moves us to put others’ interests ahead of our own, even when that means putting aside what we may feel is a legal right.—1 Corinthians 10:32, 33; 13:4, 5.

In other words, if some interfering busybody in the congregation doesn't like you owning a gun you should get rid of it. Put others interests ahead of our own? What sort of life is that?

Christians strive to be exemplary. (2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 5:2, 3) After receiving Scriptural counsel, a Christian who continues to keep a gun for protection against other humans could not be considered exemplary. He would therefore not qualify for responsibilities or special privileges in the congregation. The same applies to a Christian who continues to carry a firearm as part of his secular work. How much better to seek other employment! *

Same for sporting a beard. Its your choice, but just so you know, you wont be considered to be an exemplary christian even though you may be the most loving, giving, kind person on the planet.

IDIOTS!!

18

The Challenges and Benefits of Home-Schooling

by pale.emperor in

a pro jw forum.

interesting reading, very one sided of course:.

https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/23726-the-challenges-and-benefits-of-home-schooling/.

pale.emperor

I think the majority of JW's attempting to home school their kids dont have a clue what they're doing. If done correctly it can work, sure, but why do it unless you absolutely have to?

The social skills one learns in school are very important as far as im concerned. In my JW days two of my ex-girlfriends were home schooled and both had no idea how the real world worked and had this annoying sense of entitlement.

Unless you're living in a secluded location i'd choose a qualified teacher any day of the week.

45

Special Talks now via video

by AverageJoe1 in

tired of listening to your local elders giving the "special" talk ever year after the memorial?

well don't worry, as of next year we will be spicing things up for your enjoyment.. not only will we be having the talk before the memorial (i know, wild huh), but we will be treating you to the talk via video starring our famous speakers from bethel so you can see how a talk should be given (after all bethel does boast the best speakers in any country, right?!).

here's a copy of the text from our latest letter as i'm sure that with so much excitement you won't believe it at first!.

pale.emperor

Imagine, though, what the newly interested one will think. Turning up to "the most special night" and watching a talk being given via video on a screen. It's very culty.

It's like the Mormons stream the General Conference via the internet. Although, in the Mormons case you can actually turn up to watch it in their huge conference center if you have a ticket.

18

The Challenges and Benefits of Home-Schooling

by pale.emperor in

a pro jw forum.

interesting reading, very one sided of course:.

https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/23726-the-challenges-and-benefits-of-home-schooling/.

pale.emperor

I was asked for an explanation of the lesson in John 8:44 "in my own words".

Asked what the name of the book we study prior to baptism.

Asked what question #16 is in the 2nd part of the appendix of that book.

I answered them all, but im still awaiting my verification.

18

The Challenges and Benefits of Home-Schooling

by pale.emperor in

a pro jw forum.

interesting reading, very one sided of course:.

https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/23726-the-challenges-and-benefits-of-home-schooling/.

pale.emperor

A pro JW forum. Interesting reading, very one sided of course:

https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/23726-the-challenges-and-benefits-of-home-schooling/

This is my fave comment:

Well I got taken to court about homeschooling my children and the court ruled that since I didn't go to college to be a teacher then I didn't qualify to teach my children at home.

This was in the early 90's. But the problem too was that apostate literature was presented in the court to make me look very bad. So I had many things going against me, it was a 5yr battle.

I've tried to get an account on this site, but they make you answer JW questions as part of the sign up process. THEN it has to be manually approved. I indeed to pretend to be a zealous JW on there while slowly dripping questions that are just "stumbling me".

15

Just a story to share

by sinboi in

guy a and guy b were in bondage for a long time.

during this period, they have endured a lot of suffering and hardship.. somehow, they managed to escape from their captors.. guy a was very happy that he regained his freedom.

he put everything behind him, work hard and succeeded in building up a career.. 10 years later, he met guy b. he asked guy b what he has been doing for the past 10 years.. guy b replied :" i can't forget how we suffered while in bondage.

pale.emperor

If my little girl wasnt being dragged to the meetings by her mother i wouldnt bother keeping up to date with Watchtower nonesense. Unfortunately, until she's older and can decide for herself, i read every elders letter, announcement and convention outline.

I've moved on in many ways from the indoctrination, but unable to just let Watchtower be.

17

JWs Reveling In The News Of Hurricanes And Earthquakes

by pale.emperor in

as you know, this week the human race has been hit with hurricanes and earthquakes.

natural disasters which happen almost everyday, but this month we've seen them cause massive damage and a huge loss of lives.. as you can imagine, theres a whole host of jws positively wetting themselves with anticipation over this.link here: https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/25884-earthquakes-in-one-place-after-another/.

pale.emperor

Remember when aids first come out they trumpeted that gods people were protected due to not having transfusions, they love to take advantage of disasters. Brothers didn't die of aids just died of a lack of red fluid. Sell fear it has a garentee

I remember that Chook.

The brothers dont die of AIDS, yet in 1994 there was an Awake! featuring JW kids that died for want of a blood transfusion.

I remember this magazine being out, my mum and my aunt crying reading it but so proud of those kids. One kid (im not sure if it's in the magazine or was mentioned on the platform) apparently turned off the blood drip-tap thing and was held up as a great example.

28

What is Nature's most perfect food?

by compound complex in

greetings, gourmands of the forum!.

i agree with garfield, but mayo comes in a close second.

slathering my pasta with an inch of best foods real mayonnaise (hellman's, east of the rockies) is close to heaven for me.

pale.emperor

I really like salads. Olive oil. Balsamic vinegar.