I understand that the new building committees have the mandate to install a hydraulic For Sale sign that pops out of the front lawn and is triggered by an internet connection to Warwick.
lastmanstanding
JoinedPosts by lastmanstanding
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58
Beautiful New "Kingdom Hall"
by Sea Breeze inthese images were posted on one of my fb news feeds.
they are legit.
looks like an upscale commercial bldg.
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79
JWs Changing "Baptism Questions" Effective May 13?
by Room 215 in.
ja2 replies4 retweets12 likes.
reply.
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lastmanstanding
I just updated my ap. The questions have not changed in the electronic version of the organized book.
I must say though that getting to page 209 where the questions are found is next to impossible. You cannot scroll to them, but have to hit the one and only link to the page as it is found buried at the very bottom of page 165 where it says that
[Note to congregation elders: Instructions for handling discussions with baptism candidates appear on pages 211-214.]
It’s like... they don’t want you to be able to read them in the electronic version.
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JWs Changing "Baptism Questions" Effective May 13?
by Room 215 in.
ja2 replies4 retweets12 likes.
reply.
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lastmanstanding
belo
No, I don’t think it’s fake news, it smells about right. In any case we will know for sure shortly as the convention season gets underway.
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JWs Changing "Baptism Questions" Effective May 13?
by Room 215 in.
ja2 replies4 retweets12 likes.
reply.
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lastmanstanding
I looked at the Watchtower ap. and I post below what it says. I don’t think the “change” is fake news, but it is not changed in the ap. This leads me to believe that the change was made in haste as they have not had time to update the ap. That said, I have not updated my own ap in a while.
CONCLUDING DISCUSSION WITH BAPTISM CANDIDATESBaptisms are usually held at assemblies and conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses. At the conclusion of the baptism talk, the speaker will ask the baptism candidates to stand and answer the following two questions in a loud voice:1. On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?2. Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?Affirmative answers to these questions constitute a “public declaration” by the baptism candidates that they have put faith in the ransom and have unreservedly dedicated themselves to Jehovah. (Rom. 10:9, 10) Baptism candidates will want to give prayerful thought to these questions in advance so that they can answer in harmony with their personal convictions.What is appropriate attire for baptism? (John 15:19
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JWs Changing "Baptism Questions" Effective May 13?
by Room 215 in.
ja2 replies4 retweets12 likes.
reply.
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lastmanstanding
A chink in the amour.
I made my earlier post because I looked at the change in baptism questions through new eyes. My new eyes are the result of establishing a US patent.
In a US patent, there are several sections and it is very legalistic. The most important section is called the CLAIMS section. In this section, you must be extremely cautious in what you claim and the exact manner in which you claim it. There must be “limitations”in your Claims.
The Watchtower Society, as you all know, has made claims. They have claimed to be directed by the “spirit”, understood by JWs to mean the Holy Spirit of God Almighty.
Now, the next most important section of a US patent is the SPECIFICATION. In this section, much more detail is provided that backs up the Claims. As you know, watchtower has the equivalent of a Specification section, the rest of their literature.
Claims get challenged. I just read the details of a Microsoft patent challenge against an individual. Quite interesting actually.
Claims must be carefully written so as to “anticipate” (USPTO wording) and their “teaching” (also a USPTO wording) must be”examined carefully”.
“Anticipation” is the art of writing patent claims such that you “anticipate” the challenges others will launch at your Claims, in court.
They will look for a chink in your Armour. You must anticipate every thrust of their sword when you write your Claims. Leave no holes.
Obviously, Watchtower has has a challenge against its Claims.
From where did this challenge hail? Was it nothing more than that which I described in my earlier post?
Or was there some kind of legal challenge, “in court”.
Time will tell.
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JWs Changing "Baptism Questions" Effective May 13?
by Room 215 in.
ja2 replies4 retweets12 likes.
reply.
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lastmanstanding
Has anyone noticed the inherent plurality of “spirit” in the outbound baptism question?
To clarify, put yourself in the position of a non-JW who is attending the convention.
When you hear “spirit-directed organization” as an outsider, you quickly surmise that the word “spirit” refers not to the “Holy Spirit” (singular) of the biblical context, but rather to ‘spirits’ in general.
The organization never said “Holy Spirit-directed”, just an unidentifiable “spirit”, thus making the “spirit” plural in nature as it could be any “spirit”, thus all ’spirits’.
Further, if an organization forthrightly claimed that it was in communication with and guided by “spirits” (plural) in nature, not precluding any spirit or spirits, even evil ‘spirits’, or demonic ‘spirits’, then it would word it’s claim similarly to the outbound question.
For example, the ‘high church of the devil’ teaches that it is guided by the demons (plural). Thus, it would claim that it is “spirit-directed”. It would not say that it is “spirits directed” as the plurality of the word “spirit” would be assumed, it would refer to not one spirit in particular, but many spirits (plural).
So, as an outsider, listening to the questions for baptism, but not exposed to clarifying information that defined the “spirit” in “spirit-directed” as the “Holy Spirit” of Christianity, it could, and I further would, be assumed that the JW organization is practicing divination.
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Australian ABC News article on JW incest victim
by shepherdless ini am surprised nobody else has posted this yet.
a lot of people in aust will read this.. “incest victim turned lawyer speaks out on reporting violence and sexual abuse”.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-08/incest-victim-to-honours-law-graduate-shelly-triumph-over-abuse/10978530.
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lastmanstanding
Comment on the journalist’s twitter.
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Tony Morris buying Scotch.
by Lost in the fog inby now we have all seen the video of tony morris iii buying his scotch and recommending his wife's choice of irish whiskey to the other man.
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which is why i thought this meme was hilarious when i stumbled upon it on an entertainment facebook page.
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lastmanstanding
The Holy Spirit(s) LOL
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Why the BIG 4.5 day elder "school"?
by eyeuse2badub injust wonderin' if anyone has heard of anything about something big going down in the borg?
good friend of mine just told me today that he will be attending a 4.5 day elder "training school" all nest week!
the "special" elder "schools" are usually only 2-3 days.. lots of dumbing down coming?.
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lastmanstanding
If I was forced to go to that I would fall over dead n 5 minutes
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Are Christians to be Witnesses of Jesus or Jehovah?
by blondie ini was doing research on another topic and this question came to mind.
notice how the wts dances around the question below and then my comments about that and whether historically did the wts see isaiah as applying to all jws or only anointed members, spiritual israel (galatians 6:16)?.
are christians to be witnesses of jesus or jehovah?.
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lastmanstanding
A man is called to court. He is told to sit in the chair and swear in.
The judge asks, “are you a witness”.
The man says “yes”.
The judge asks, “what you see?”
The man says, “well... actually nothing.”
The judge says “but you said you were a witness!”
The man says “yes, and a very righteous one”.
The judge exclaims... “but you didn’t witness anything”
The judge says to the bailiff, “remove this fool from my courtroom.”
If there are any persons today that can swear they have witnessed the finger of God Almighty at work, or if there are any persons that will swear they have seen Jesus and witnessed His work, then I invite them to step forward and tell us what they have witnessed.
Else, you are NOT a “witness” of anything but rather a loudmouth fool.