@stuckinarut2 Remember - if it doesn't hurt, it can't be good. Good feelings come from Satan. Pain, persecution and discomfort are the markings of a TRUE Christian.
Remember that pioneer couple in the bunker who proved their loyalty after realizing that, despite putting in 70 hours a month EACH in service, they were still living....[dramatic pause]:
"...a comfortable life."
Cue image of Lloyd slapping himself with sandals and chanting, "MUST. NOT. BE. COMFORTABLE!"
My old man got bitten in the calf by a dog while out in service and kept trudging on. The brother he was out in service with told my father to go home because he was bleeding into his socks and it didn't look good going from door to door. Not the first time one of my folks has put their physical health on hold because the preaching work takes precedence. My mother once went from house to house with a bag draining the fluids from her partial mastectomy hidden and disguised in an extra handbag. Seriously. By the end of each day in service, my parents are like:
i recently had to accompany an older family member out of state to a family reunion.
it was a big reunion and not much was overtly made of the fact that i am "misguided" and not attending meetings (lost soul that i am) which was nice.
the thing i noticed that i was most struck by was all the dietary quirks in evidence during our 3 days together.
@smiddy3 Picturing him like this guy:
i recently had to accompany an older family member out of state to a family reunion.
it was a big reunion and not much was overtly made of the fact that i am "misguided" and not attending meetings (lost soul that i am) which was nice.
the thing i noticed that i was most struck by was all the dietary quirks in evidence during our 3 days together.
"the way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own, but as the rain enters the soil, the river enters the sea, so tears run to a predestined end.
now you will have peace for eternity.
" -- maleva, the wolf man.
@ironsnake656 Adding onto your quote from V for Vandetta:
"We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world. I've witnessed first hand the power of ideas, I've seen people kill in the name of them, and die defending them... but you cannot kiss an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it... ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love..."
Over a century ago, a businessman from Pennsylvania had an idea that evolved into one that could not love, let alone be touched. An idea that has killed people due to stubborn doctrines, caused others to die defending these ideas in certain countries, and an idea that has molded and shaped us, sometimes from our most formative years. Without this idea, many of our parents would have never met and conceived us, and this commentary would not be in existence because there would be no forum for former Witnesses. This fantastically improbable series of events that brings us here today can be traced back to a mere idea that got printed and distributed in the late 1800s.
Never underestimate the intangible.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0b2s6sigyikwhlxpkvtdhbmxmrvu/view?usp=sharing.
if you like it print and give to a jehovah's witness..
Thank you.
in my reading on this site ive read ppl in org were afraid of losing salvation if they had a blood transfusion.
like its the unpardonable sin or something (of course it is not, the bible never says not to have a blood transfusion).
ive read all i could find on jw.org but nothing about what would happen if you had one.
seeing the existence of an organization of god (appointed to dispense spiritual food at the proper time) in the parable of mathew 24:45-51 is like trying to discern who the good samaritan is!
parable of good samaritan is all about how to be loving toward our neighbors whereas parable of mathew 24:45-51 is all about alertness as bringing good returns and carelessness as bringing bitter returns [which means everyone should learn from experience].
god’s ways are not like the ways of humans (unlike humans who responds to honor and dishonor, god is least bothered when he is honored or dishonored by humans).
@WTWizard You know your "spiritual food" is garbage when not even the malnourished kid in @venus' comment wants to go near it.
i found a very convincing youtube video showing that jehovah of the old testament is satan and the god of the new testament is god the father.. https://youtu.be/-eyp4n0xkxk.
Me going back and forth between @VW.org's videos and @David_Jay's comments:
@David_Jay I don't have a horse in the race when it comes to theism and the lesson's taught in the Bible. But seriously, I do enjoy the different takes on the scriptures that sometimes pop up in Youtube videos, and even your own comments have been really informative. I appreciate you taking the time out to explain some of Judaism for us on here. I'm fascinated by the insights you've shared in your comments. Thank you.
i asked the question on quora "how do jehovah's witnesses feel about the announcement that the public edition of the watchtower and awake!
magazine is being reduced to just 3 issues a year and the number of books, tracts, and online content are being discontinued?".
https://www.quora.com/how-do-jehovahs-witnesses-feel-about-the-announcement-that-the-public-edition-of-the-watchtower-and-awake-magazine-is-being-reduced-to-just-3-issues-a-year-and-the-number-of-books-tracts-and-online-content-are-being-discontinued.
@pale.emperor Sheryl Taylor's comment: "...Interesting that you have a letter from the Governing Body. Because you are not active as a Jehovah’s Witness. You obviously have friends that have access."
Yes, it's so interesting that an inactive Witness can still be friends with active Jehovah's Witnesses. I'm glad those asshats, Rodney Spinks and Terrence O'Brien, were unable to fool the Royal Commission when they tried to assert that inactive Witnesses maintain their social structure and network within the organization.
