HereIam60

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Posts by HereIam60

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  9

  1 Thessalonians 5:3....Prophecy ?

  by HereIam60 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've always had difficulty understanding how watch tower interprets 1 thessalonians 5:3 as prophetic of a future event - that the nations will unite in a (false) cry that they have achieved 'peace and security' which will signal the start of the great tribulation.

  whenever i've read that passage i got the sense that it is simply stating a general principle... that when people are complacent and off-guard, thinking everything is o.k., peaceful and secure then sudden unexpected events hit them harder and they don't know what to do.

  when i was first coming in (1980s) i well recall the "true peace and security" book that made a big deal about the un having declared 1986 'the international year of peace'.

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  HereIam60

  I've always had difficulty understanding how Watch Tower interprets 1 Thessalonians 5:3 as prophetic of a future event - that the nations will unite in a (false) cry that they have achieved 'peace and security' which will signal the start of the Great Tribulation. Whenever I've read that passage I got the sense that it is simply stating a general principle... that when people are complacent and off-guard, thinking everything is o.k., peaceful and secure then sudden unexpected events hit them harder and they don't know what to do. When I was first coming in (1980s) I well recall the "True Peace and Security" book that made a big deal about the UN having declared 1986 'The International Year of Peace'. I'm sure it was heavily implied that that might be the fufillment of the "cry", but when I mentioned this years later to a brother he shut me down saying No they never said that.. Of course at the moment (or ever ?) it does not seem like the nations will unite in anything...
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  4

  JWs in the news: "Must the Norwegian state protect the children of Jehovah’s Witnesses?" CNE news.

  by Balaamsass2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  must the norwegian state protect the children of jehovah’s witnesses?.

  21-02-2025. northern europe.

  evert van vlastuin, cne.news.

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  HereIam60

  An interesting article. Question...during the court proceedings were the recent so-called changes to the disfellowshipping/removal policy brought up or discussed?
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  4

  The Pella Deception: Watchtower May 2025

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  https://youtu.be/4otnshkqdbi?si=5ilzez_lxqscp1ww.

  so, in the latest may 2025 study watchtower, the writers of this magazine, they have another go at revising church history for their own ends.

  they take a well-documented historical event—the flight of christians from jerusalem before its destruction in 70 ad - and twisting it into a convenient narrative to reinforce blind obedience to organizational leadership.

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  HereIam60

  It may be entirely coincidental, as Watchtower articles are often prepared long in advance, but on December 25, 2024 a poster on the e-jehovahs-witnesses.com website, in the Bible Questions forum began a thread on 'The Flight to Pella" in which they cited the same passage by Eusebius that was used in the recently published study Watchtower. There may be no connection whatever, but in the past couple years I've more and more been getting the feeling that Watchtower writers are looking at 'outside' religious literature for direction..
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  25

  Her Handbag Told Her to Stop Preaching

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://youtu.be/qzpj3kzgidi?si=x1xazpqmed1zq5h2.

  ah, yes, another shining example of the watchtower’s *unmatched* commitment to rational thought.

  forget logic, science, or even basic common sense—just blame that suspiciously cursed handbag for all your troubles!

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  HereIam60

  Once, when talk of that type started, a (wise) elder shut it down by saying "Funny how people never think the money in their wallet is demonized and they don't know where that has been ..."
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  80

  Flee to the Mountains......What Mountains?

  by liam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  may 2025 study article 21 seek the city that will remain.

  what i remember was, when you see the romans, flee to the mountains.

  now the wt is saying that's not enough.

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  HereIam60

  Since there was no Biblical support for this "further instructions revealed to, and by qualified men" stuff. They've resorted to partially quoting 'Church Father' Eusebius. If you look up past mentions of Eusebius in Watchtower publications, you find he was described as someone who did not stand firm in his faith and compromised with Constantine the great. Also they've only used a portion of his writing that seems to confirm their own idea. As said by someone else, no scholars among them, and the "leaders" no longer even seem spiritually minded.
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  21

  When JW's say they are 'In the truth'...

  by Ron.W. in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  where did this phrase 'in the truth' come from?.

  it's been around as long as i can remember.

  is it from the time they were promoting 'the truth shall make you free' book back in 1943?

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  HereIam60

  "The Way" would certainly be a scripturally correct term, but possibly they've avoided using it because there is a similar (though not so old) group known as 'The Way International'..
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  11

  Did you have a written schedule?

  by karter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the wts encouraged us to have one, i alway found it funny when people would desplay it where everyone could see it to show how busy they are in the lords work.. karter..

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  HereIam60

  No, I was never good at setting goals or making schedules. Always seemed, and seems , as soon as I plan something, something unexpected comes up and I have to change it. An elder I admired once made out a schedule for me. As he suggested how I should arrange my time I tolerated it but wanted to say "This could only work if I were some kind of mechanical clockwork wind up machine.Instead, I have feelings, moods, family needing my material and emotional support, and physical limits." This brother seemed able to do it all. In addition to being an elder, he sometimes pioneered and had an executive position at a large company. I figured he just didn't worry about being tired and did it all by prayer and willlpower, so I attempted to follow his example and pushed myself to keep going and do everything, until one night, as I was preparing to leave for my night job, I had an emotional crash and found myself screaming so loud that neighbors called the police, who came to our door to see what was wrong. I was embarrassed and assured them I wasn't going to hurt myself or anyone else. After that I decided I had to use my time, my way with sufficient rest and recreation to keep myself mentally stable. I think now, that elder was able to do it because all he did was his stuff while his wife shouldered the burden of everything else in their lives...
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  8

  JW Lawyer in Norway uses "theocratic warfare" to conceal the org's controlling language!

  by BoogerMan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the org's vocabulary, the term "independent thinking" is applied pejoratively to any jw who thinks & reasons for themselves.

  the org's lawyer knew exactly what he was doing in court when he voiced his carefully prepared words:.

  "watchtowers lawyer anders ryssdal compares jehovah’s witnesses’ baptism to the norwegian state church’s confirmation of 15-year-olds, arguing that their baptism is no different.

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  HereIam60

  Yes, the elders who review the 'Questions for Those Desiring to be Baptized " certainly should be held accountable With reports of children as young as 8 being approved, I wonder how this questioning process is being done, considering that several of the questions are on topics beyond their comprehensiion or usually considered inappropriate to discuss with children...marriage, divorce, sanctity of life, sexual immorality, neutrality etc. The Organized book [at least the one on their website] does state that if the canditate is a minor "his believing parent(s) should be present..." or if they cannot be, two elders, or an elder and ministerial servant. This latter statement is possibly now up for revision...
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  8

  JW Lawyer in Norway uses "theocratic warfare" to conceal the org's controlling language!

  by BoogerMan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the org's vocabulary, the term "independent thinking" is applied pejoratively to any jw who thinks & reasons for themselves.

  the org's lawyer knew exactly what he was doing in court when he voiced his carefully prepared words:.

  "watchtowers lawyer anders ryssdal compares jehovah’s witnesses’ baptism to the norwegian state church’s confirmation of 15-year-olds, arguing that their baptism is no different.

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  HereIam60

  I told the story here once before...how the brother who conducted my home bible study years ago was shocked and suspicious when I once said I was considering moving out of my (non-witness) parents house, because it would help me be more independent. All I meant was that I would have to take on more adult responsibilities. I did not know how much the Organization had spoken against 'independent thinking' and just my use of the word independent appalled him. Much of what that lawyer said is quite telling..."If children are baptized too early it is the parent's fault, not Jehovah's Witnesses...". Yes but JW parents frequently make their decisions based on what is said in JW literature and talks, and young baptism has even recently been praised......"It is not the organization's fault if some are overly zealous..." For decades we were told to BE zealous, to have zeal...though I have not noticed this said in recent years.....'Children must learn to think independently (Yes, they do!) before they are baptized..."
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  3

  JW version of Airbnb?

  by FFGhost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey, has anybody else noticed this?.

  https://brotravels.com.

  seems to be, as my title indicates, an “airbnb” service for active jws.. nothing on the site explicitly limits users or listers to being active jws but given the name of the website and the high number of listings proclaiming their proximity to “bethel” and/or “world headquarters” it certainly seems all but certain.. the number of basic typos, misspellings, and just general awkwardness of phrasing makes me wonder if it is run by non-us jws or at least jws for whom english is not their first language.. the dates in the reviews seem to indicate the website has been around for the past couple of years, though today is the first i heard of it.. they also have a couple of tours listed, for paris and “bible lands”.. maybe it’s just me, but i get a kind of icky, weird vibe from the website.

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  HereIam60

  A sister showed it to my wife last year when we were considering visiting Warwick, but we have not gone...Something else that I found weird was the website the organization has set up about their Special and International Conventions. jwevent.org It offers information about the cities in which they are held. Much of it reads like travel brochures, suggesting things the "delegates" can see or do while there, which makes me wonder if they are getting some recognition or compensation from the host cities. These conventions are not just open for anyone to attend. They have to apply and be approved. There are health restrictions and those attending are required to stay for a specified time.