Posts by Abraham1

34

Watchtower Study on 5th December.

by Lost in the fog in

the wt study for this week is all about disfellowshipping.

in an early paragraph it said "think how heartbroken jehovah must have been when members of his own angelic family turned their back on him!".

however when you think about it, when this happened according to the wt teaching, jehovah still engaged with satan in the heavens (book of job) and had conversations with him about what was going on in the earth.. so why do the wt org practice shunning when jehovah god obviously didn't?.

Abraham1

smiddy3,2

"Even casting Satan down to earth" is no comparison to Disfellowship because "earth is the footstool of Jehovah." (Isaiah 66:1; Mathew 5:35)

And also, since Jesus traced all evil's source to the human's heart (Mark 7:21-23) Satan should be understood figuratively (can't be a literal person) as old Bible Translations (such as KJV) puts "the whole world lieth in wickedness." (1/1JN.5.19.KJV) The same word is used for "bad fruits" (Mathew 7:17) and for eyes that are distracted (Mathew 6:22, 23)

34

Watchtower Study on 5th December.

by Lost in the fog in

the wt study for this week is all about disfellowshipping.

in an early paragraph it said "think how heartbroken jehovah must have been when members of his own angelic family turned their back on him!".

however when you think about it, when this happened according to the wt teaching, jehovah still engaged with satan in the heavens (book of job) and had conversations with him about what was going on in the earth.. so why do the wt org practice shunning when jehovah god obviously didn't?.

Abraham1

WT left Jehovah when they presented Jehovah as answerable to Satan through their most celebrated teaching of Issue of Sovereignty. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6251536349921280/isnt-jws-teaching-abomination-that-causes-desolation-wrong thus became an abomination in His eyes.

34

Watchtower Study on 5th December.

by Lost in the fog in

the wt study for this week is all about disfellowshipping.

in an early paragraph it said "think how heartbroken jehovah must have been when members of his own angelic family turned their back on him!".

however when you think about it, when this happened according to the wt teaching, jehovah still engaged with satan in the heavens (book of job) and had conversations with him about what was going on in the earth.. so why do the wt org practice shunning when jehovah god obviously didn't?.

Abraham1

They shun those turning inimical towards them because they have not given serious thought to what identifies "pagans," as described by Jesus in Mathew 5:53-48. Jesus said it is pagans who stop greeting others. Shunning and disfellowshipping is pagan practice.

"The history of the practice of excommunication may be traced through (1) pagan analogues, (2) Hebrew custom, (3) primitive Christian practice, (4) medieval and monastic usage, (5) modern survivals in existing Christian churches." (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Excommunication)

Disfellowshipping involves rejection of what Jesus taught in Mathew 5:43-48, and Jesus was "taught by God." (John 8:28) Thus it involves denial of God too.

15

Missed opportunity of Jehovah’s Witnesses

by Abraham1 in

jesus had foretold that people of "last days" would “faint out of fear” because of things such as “sea-level rise’ as part of “signs of last days” in luke 21:25. bible translators—including new world translation of jehovah’s witnesses—missed the real meaning as they translated it as “roaring of the sea and its agitation.” (https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/nwt/books/luke/21/).

more careful translations such as niv put it: “roaring and tossing of the sea.” (https://biblehub.com/luke/21-25.htm) word for “tossing” is σάλου (salou), from saino; i.e., billow,” (swell outwards).

thus underlying thought is like balloon swelling, or water flowing outwards, as though ready to roll over, thus points to the modern terminology “sea-level rise.” biblos interlinear translation (int:) translates it as “of [the] sea and rolling surge.” “rolling sea.” (a greek lexicon to the new testament, edward robinson (d.d., page 416) (a greek lexicon to the new testament on the basis of dr. robinson ... by c. robson).. jesus’ original use of the wording “tossing of the sea” is another way of saying “sea-level would rise” as a result of pollution of air.

Abraham1

Climate Emergency came too early that many people are yet to make up their mind to accept it as a reality. (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/02/weatherwatch-why-do-some-still-think-climate-change-isnt-real)

10

Unitarian Universalist: Anyone Familiar?

by Darkknight757 in

i hope you are all doing well.. has anyone had an encounter with a unitarian universalist?

my wife has a friend who invited us to their church a few years ago.

we never went lol.

Abraham1

What one should be doing is given in Mathew 5:13-16; 25:31-40; 1 Thessalonians 2:10 + 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Romans 12:15 which say ‘Lead a quiet life, mind your own business, and rejoice at the joys of others, be compassionate to the needy, thus be like salt and light with your life.’ Such a living is called “pure religion.” (james/1-27.htm) In all these, association with any Church is not mentioned. Changing another’s belief is not anybody’s business. θρησκεία (thrēskeia), the word James used for religion is also translated as “worship” in colossians/2-18.

31

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of JWs don't care if the end is near.

by mickbobcat in

i was in the cult for years about 40. fourth gen born in cult member or for me ex cult member.

i have seen so many cult members who don't seem to really care if the end is near or not.

they are much more concerned with the idea that this is their social network and they need and or want it just the way it is.

Abraham1

Disillusioned JW,

Answers to all your questions is available in that Lancet study I provided. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00648-4/fulltext) I go by what Governments say. They made it mandatory, hence I took two doses of vaccinations.

31

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of JWs don't care if the end is near.

by mickbobcat in

i was in the cult for years about 40. fourth gen born in cult member or for me ex cult member.

i have seen so many cult members who don't seem to really care if the end is near or not.

they are much more concerned with the idea that this is their social network and they need and or want it just the way it is.

Abraham1

This is true of most organizations. For example, every priest in Christendom knows all of Jesus’ apostles and his half-brother James were all married. (1-corinthians/9/5) Yet priests or young ones offering themselves for priesthood have no problem with enforced celibacy on them. They like such a way of life and belief systems. So are Pentacostals—in their reading of the Bible, they come across many verses that refute their core teaching of Trinity—yet their militant zeal for this Trinity Teaching never diminishes. Doctors and Governments know that vaccination serves no useful purpose other than a mental satisfaction, yet they treat it as of death & life importance. (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00648-4/fulltext) Hence Jesus made this important observation about belief system—people believe certain things not because they are true but because it appeals to their likes and dislikes. (luke/6/43-45)

That means Preaching activity too is not going to help, yet Preaching goes on.

10

Disfellowship-arrangement of JWs is not from God, but from uninspired writers.

by Abraham1 in

1) jesus set the absolute standard on how to deal with the disagreeable or even with those becoming inimical in matthew/5/43-48.

there he said: ‘don’t behave like pagans who love/greet only those loving/greeting them.

but be like our heavenly father who loves everyone without differentiating whether one is friendly or inimical towards him.’ this is his eternal standard.

Abraham1

"The history of the practice of excommunication may be traced through (1) pagan analogues, (2) Hebrew custom, (3) primitive Christian practice, (4) medieval and monastic usage, (5) modern survivals in existing Christian churches." (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Excommunication)

Disfellowshipping involves rejection of what Jesus taught in Mathew 5:43-48, and Jesus was "taught by God." (John 8:28) Thus it involves denial of God too.

31

The Watchtower—Study Edition | December 2021

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

study article 50. listen to the voice of the fine shepherd.

9 consider an experience that illustrates how jehovah can care for our material needs.

a couple in full-time service drove over an hour in their old car to pick up some sisters living at a refugee center and take them to a christian meeting.

Abraham1

RULES & REGULATIONS,

Proverbs 6:6-8 says ants know how to find out its food and how to save even for future. It can also separate sweet from sand even if they are mixed. Jesus knew verses attributed to God suggesting HE ordered genocide, sanctioned divorce for all petty reasons etc but he simply said they are all from human sources, not from God. (Mathew 5:43-48; 19:4-8)

Similarly, when you see absolutely true statement such as ‘God is impartial to all of His children’ (Deuteronomy 10:17; Romans 2:11) you should know that all verses contradicting this truth [i.e. God shows partiality to prayers of some] are all from human source. After saying ‘God made mankind in His image’ in Genesis 5:1, in the very next chapter when you read ‘God repented of making mankind as their tendency is towards evil, hence I am going to wipe out them from earth except one family’ (Genesis 6) you should know that this account is God-dishonoring and dismiss it. Contradictory verses would creep in–this has been foretold (Mathew 13:24-30; Acts 20:28-30) Such contradictory verses are to be treated like verses such as 1 John 5:7; Mark 16:9-20; John 8:2-11 (My Favorite Passage that’s Not in the Bible) Another example, DISFELLOWSHIP ARRANGEMENT is not from God. (Mathew 5:43-48; 1 Thessalonians 5:14, 15) And when you find verses contradicting them, you should list them as anti-Christ, anti-God, and anti-Paul verses. (https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5707938705440768/disfellowship-arrangement-jws-from-god-but-from-uninspired-writers)

10

Disfellowship-arrangement of JWs is not from God, but from uninspired writers.

by Abraham1 in

1) jesus set the absolute standard on how to deal with the disagreeable or even with those becoming inimical in matthew/5/43-48.

there he said: ‘don’t behave like pagans who love/greet only those loving/greeting them.

but be like our heavenly father who loves everyone without differentiating whether one is friendly or inimical towards him.’ this is his eternal standard.

Abraham1

Punkofnice,

Excellent inputs. What a pathetic situation JWs themselves find in!