Posts by Pubsinger

39

I need HELP and INPUT!!!!!

by webmustang in

i need to know something and i need help finding out the truth:.

if i retired from military as pharmacist, before becoming a witness and receive pension every month + benefits, is it contradictory with witnesses not being part of military?.

should i give up my pension to be in tune and harmony with our beliefs?.

Pubsinger

Welcome to the Board. I am a former Elder and worked 10 years at Bethel Headquarters. I now realize that the Wactchtower does not represent the truth. If you got questions PM me.
DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR PENSIONS!!! DO NOT CONTRIBUTE $$$ TO THE WT.
http://www.amazon.com/Combatting-Cult-Mind-Control-Best-selling/dp/0892813113

Please, do not try to combat my Faith, I am NOT brainwashed, I am not under some spell or what not and if I am, well I really LOVE it, so do not trash this thread with self promotion, thank U :)

Charming! A newbie who's an active JW, comes to an openly "apostate" site ASKING FOR HELP, and is snotty to the first poster who offers them decent advice. Can anyone picture a role reversal where an ex JW turns up on a JW forum asking for advice? what a joker. Go ask an elder.

10

"A Tremendous Teaching Tool!"

by under_believer in

jw
friends

the above is the title of the "article" on the back of the april 2007 awake!

magazine.

what follows is the body of the "article.

Pubsinger

When did they every publish an unfavorable critique!

Can you imagine - I much prefered the 'Live Forever Book', it was so much more attractive than the "Knowledge" book.

Editors Note: Thank you brother for that honest appraisal of our new book. We'll be sure to bear you're constructive comments in mind. Here at Brooklyn Bethel we WELCOME your viewpoints. Thank you - your humble servants, The Writing Committee.

NOT.

61

Christians could and did. Can JWs? Do they?

by ANewLeif in

there are many things the bible says christians could do and things the bible describes christians doing that, according to their doctrine, jws can't do.. christians could talk directly to jesus.

(acts 7:54-60; acts 9:3-16) can you?

christians could decide for themselves which days they chose to observe without any fear of religious retribution.

Pubsinger

My contention is that the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses disallows JWs from being Christian;

My contention is that Jesus doesn't give a monkeys about "JW Doctrine"

Jesus decides what disallows you from being a Christian.

As he can see what each individual actually believes regardless of "official" beliefs and who is worshipping in spirit and truth, I believe that many are acceted by Christ.

61

Christians could and did. Can JWs? Do they?

by ANewLeif in

there are many things the bible says christians could do and things the bible describes christians doing that, according to their doctrine, jws can't do.. christians could talk directly to jesus.

(acts 7:54-60; acts 9:3-16) can you?

christians could decide for themselves which days they chose to observe without any fear of religious retribution.

Pubsinger

I think Gamaliel was one!!!!

By secret I mean that they don't understand the nuances of their own dogma/doctrine.

I guarantee that if you walk up to any JW in the street and ask "who is your mediator?" 99% will answer "Jesus" Less than 1% understand that according to official WT interpretation Jesus is only mediator to the 144000.

I only found out after I left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So if you take that as a reflection of what they actually believe then you can see why i feel that they can be Christians.

Interestingly if you ask any JW who they believe is their saviour they will again unflinchingly answer "Jesus" . If you ask them why they will say "because he died for me". If you ask them what they have to do to avail themselves of that sacrifice they will say "exercise faith in Jesus' ransom sacrifice"

Now we know that the WT adds lots of riders to those answers, but based on individual beliefs and answers to the preceding questions I would venture that a vast amount of JWs are Christians and saved, but are caught in WT rules which govern the way they act.

I believe that Jesus sees straight through all of this and his grace covers their actions and errors

61

Christians could and did. Can JWs? Do they?

by ANewLeif in

there are many things the bible says christians could do and things the bible describes christians doing that, according to their doctrine, jws can't do.. christians could talk directly to jesus.

(acts 7:54-60; acts 9:3-16) can you?

christians could decide for themselves which days they chose to observe without any fear of religious retribution.

Pubsinger

I don't believe any JW believes that Jesus is NOT their mediator despite what the WT says. Secretly they believe that he is.

Actually as 90%+ of JWs are unaware of this official teaching and hence don't know what they are supposed to believe; I submit that most of them actually are not JWs although are enslaved by it's rules as opposed to it's doctrine

61

Christians could and did. Can JWs? Do they?

by ANewLeif in

there are many things the bible says christians could do and things the bible describes christians doing that, according to their doctrine, jws can't do.. christians could talk directly to jesus.

(acts 7:54-60; acts 9:3-16) can you?

christians could decide for themselves which days they chose to observe without any fear of religious retribution.

Pubsinger

ANL

Just read your profile and gather that you're not an ex-JW ( I take it you are a Christian!)

I agree with your last post.

How much of the JW doctrine and interpretations though would you have to adhere to to be a real JW? I don't know anyone who does/did. Secretly nobody believed that the 7 trumpet blasts of Revelation were talks at 1930's conventions. Or that a beard made you unacceptable to God. But officially they believed.

I don't believe any JW believes that Jesus is NOT their mediator despite what the WT says. Secretly they believe that he is.

As for denomination, I believe that that is becoming more and more indistinct. It is becoming more and more common for Christians who move from one district to another to visit several churches of different denomination before deciding where to make there "home church" They are looking for Christian fellowship as opposed to a denomination they are comfortable with.

I find that less and less do people identify themselves as Baptists, Methodists, Anglicans etc but just as believers or Christians

61

Christians could and did. Can JWs? Do they?

by ANewLeif in

there are many things the bible says christians could do and things the bible describes christians doing that, according to their doctrine, jws can't do.. christians could talk directly to jesus.

(acts 7:54-60; acts 9:3-16) can you?

christians could decide for themselves which days they chose to observe without any fear of religious retribution.

Pubsinger

Corporate salvation is impossible. I agree with you there. However, that isn't what JWs teach.

Re-reading your post this is my point.

I don't believe it's what "JWs teach" that matters. Obviously it's the WT that "teaches" and sets doctrine not individual JWs

However what the individual Jw believes is a different matter. And I believe plenty go straight to God and worship in spirit and truth.

I know I did.

I believe I was saved while still a JW. I was enlightened and left.

But I left because I was a Christian not to become one.

61

Christians could and did. Can JWs? Do they?

by ANewLeif in

there are many things the bible says christians could do and things the bible describes christians doing that, according to their doctrine, jws can't do.. christians could talk directly to jesus.

(acts 7:54-60; acts 9:3-16) can you?

christians could decide for themselves which days they chose to observe without any fear of religious retribution.

Pubsinger

Hi ANL

What I was trying to say is that I believe that an individual can be a Christian (and be saved) despite formally belonging to a group with flawed doctrine.

I'm fairly certain that there's "flawed doctrine" within most Christian churches but there are Christians there and some professed Christians who are not.

Zack.

Sorry but I can't agree with your post as a blanket statement. At what point does the "untruth" or error in church doctrine or tenets render it's associates non-Christians? Are there "grades" of Christians - below 65% becomes non-Christian?

I believe that it's totally posible to worship in spirit and truth and yet still be holding fast to some error.

JW's, therefore, cannot and do not

worhsip God with Spirit and Truth and therefore cannot be Christians.

I understand the logic in what you're saying it's just the way you say "JWs". It implies that everyone is the same and I don't believe that they all.

The society would love there to be uniformity among them but there isn't. I believe that Jesus judges them all individually and by his rules noe the WTs

61

Christians could and did. Can JWs? Do they?

by ANewLeif in

there are many things the bible says christians could do and things the bible describes christians doing that, according to their doctrine, jws can't do.. christians could talk directly to jesus.

(acts 7:54-60; acts 9:3-16) can you?

christians could decide for themselves which days they chose to observe without any fear of religious retribution.

Pubsinger

I can see where both sides are coming from here.

But I believe that the question is unhelpful.

I don't believe in corporate salvation. (anymore)

So to say JWs are Christians or not is to say that salvation is a corporate thing.

I believe that you could be a JW and a Christian. It depends on your personal relationship with God. That doesn't mean that JW doctrine is correct.

So I would have the same problem with saying Baptists are Christians. Some are.

I also don't believe in corporate condemnation. As far as I can see salvation is all about individual relationship.

13

WT NEW LIGHT

by logic in

new light hidden under basket?

put new light in questions from readers...... watchtower may 1, 07.....questions from readers... when does the calling of christians to heavenly hope cease?.....this article does with away with the harvesting of the 144,ooo ending in 1935 that the society has more than insinuated for years.

now they have left it open ended, same as a generation.

Pubsinger

Not been on the board since before Easter but the threads which have appeared in the last week do seem to confirm that the WT did indeed hold back the May 1 WT until after the memorial.

That gives them a year to try and keep partakers from sky rocketing.

I predict that they will stop counting as a poster suggested 3 or 4 weeks ago.