leaving_quietly

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Posts by leaving_quietly

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  16

  I dont care if i Die at armageddon if.....

  by Jon Preston in

  1. social
  2. humour

  liverpool won the league!

  :-).

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  leaving_quietly
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  14

  The Scriptural Meeting JW's Don't Have

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you ever read in your bible about a "service meeting"?

  how about the "theocratic ministry school"?.

  the society has to reach back into the ot to justify its assemblies and conventions, as with national holidays in ancient israel.. yet, there is no official modern-day version of this:.

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  leaving_quietly

  Not Biblical, no, but then again, not not Biblical. There's no prohibition against such things.

  That said, Hebrews 10 is an interesting chapter. It continues from chapter 9 which talks about the new covenant, which we all know JWs believe that only the 144,000 are part of. In fact chapter 10:19 talks about having "boldness for the way of entry into the holy place by the blood of Jesus" which is most definitely only applied to the 144,000. If this is the case and the audience is really those left of the 144,000, then verses 24 and 25 also only have application to those of the 144,000. There is no change in audience in these verses.
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  8

  Interesting Choice of Words

  by piztjw in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i get into words, and why certain words are used, and the meaning of certain words as they are used, especially by the wt&t$.

  i noticed the way this statement about relief work in the phillipines news article on j.worg was written:.

  "an estimated 15 to 20 percent of those seeking refuge at the site are non-witnesses.".

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  leaving_quietly

  That is definition #2, according to your dictionary. Definition #1 (via the online Merriam-Webster dictionary) is: " not : other than : reverse of : absence of". There is nothing wrong with using "non-Witnesses" and most certainly was not intended to belittle them. Sometimes we get a little sensitive on stuff like this, reading into it things that most likely are not there.
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  6

  1st Century GB... Peter

  by leaving_quietly in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  was there a 1st century gb?

  jws say, it was centralized in jerusalem, and they use acts 15 to prove it.

  however, today's wt study shows something interesting.

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  leaving_quietly

  Was there a 1st century GB? JWs say, it was centralized in Jerusalem, and they use Acts 15 to prove it. However, today's WT study shows something interesting. Peter, a pillar, an apostle, MOVED TO BABYLON!(par. 9: "Some time after that meeting, Peter went to live in Babylon...")

  The book of 1 Peter is presumed to be written from there, according to the All Scriptures book, and likely because of the the closing at 1 Pet 5:13: "She who is in Babylon, a chosen one like you, sends you her greetings, and so does Mark, my son." Other sources agree (e.g. http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-1-peter/)

  If there was a 1st century GB, why would they not all stay in Jerusalem?

  EDIT: Bobcat has a thread on this already... moving my comments over there. (Didn't see it before I started this topic).

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/278549/1/Peter-in-Babylon-1-Peter-5-13
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  11

  "Scriptural" Baptism

  by NeverKnew in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was told that jws baptize in the name of the father, son and the holy spirit.

  i asked if it was done exactly as stated in the bible to be sure i was hearing the answer correctly.

  the response i got was "yes!

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  leaving_quietly

  I should rephrase this:

  There is no passage that even alludes to baptism being linked to Christ's sacrifice.

  There is a passage that discuss baptism into Christ's death. (Romans 6:3).

  "What are we to say then? Should we continue in sin so that undeserved kindness may increase? Certainly not! Seeing that we died with reference to sin, how can we keep living any longer in it? Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? So we were buried with him through our baptism into his death, in order that just as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in a newness of life. If we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection." - Rom 6:1-5.

  Again, JWs believe baptism into Christ and baptism into Christ's death are reserved only for the anointed. Christ's death WAS a sacrifice, so my original statement is not quite correct. So, let me amend that to say:

  There is no passage that alludes to baptism being on the basis of Christ's sacrifice. There is a passage that says baptism into Christ IS baptism into his death. However, this does not apply to the vast majority of JWs.
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  20

  Mud slide in WA state - sister at Assembly

  by leaving_quietly in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  look for it in the yearbook next year.

  there was an assembly the day of the big mudslide in washington last saturday.

  a sister's life was saved because she obediently attended the assembly and thus was not home when a huge mudslide hit her neighborhood and buried and killed lots of people.

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  leaving_quietly

  Look for it in the Yearbook next year. There was an assembly the day of the big mudslide in Washington last Saturday. A sister's life was saved because she obediently attended the assembly and thus was not home when a huge mudslide hit her neighborhood and buried and killed lots of people. Her house was destroyed. (I heard all this second-hand, but have no reason to doubt its validity.)

  If you haven't heard about this mudslide, it's pretty tragic. It was huge, one of the biggest ones I've ever heard of. CNN has some reporting on it.

  http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/26/us/washington-landslide-vignettes/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

  Personally, I'm thankful she was at the assembly and not at home when this happened. I'm saddened, though, that this will be an example of "Jehovah's hand" in things. I will tell anyone who says something like this, "Well, just remember what Ecclesiastes 9:11 says: 'time and unforeseen occurrences' (or as it now says, 'time and unexpected events') befall us all. Even Jesus did not attribute those being killed as being disobedient. Remember his comment about the 18 killed when the tower fell? He asked if they had greater guilt than the rest in Jerusalem, and he answered that they did not."
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  11

  "Draw Close To Jehovah" study - strange logic..

  by BluesBrother in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  what do you think of the reasoning in this paragraph from this week's meeting study?.

  draw close to jehovah - chapt 4 .

  21 consider jehovahs self-restraint from a different angle.

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  leaving_quietly

  This particular paragraph will be used when I "come out". I will say how much I appreciate that Jehovah allows us free will, and based on that free will and the research I've done, I choose not to be part of this religion.
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  11

  "Scriptural" Baptism

  by NeverKnew in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was told that jws baptize in the name of the father, son and the holy spirit.

  i asked if it was done exactly as stated in the bible to be sure i was hearing the answer correctly.

  the response i got was "yes!

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  leaving_quietly

  Searcher, thanks for that. Can you cite your source?

  Even so, JWs don't even baptize in Christ's name. They baptize "on the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ." (w10 1/15 p. 3 par. 1)

  There is no passage that even alludes to baptism being linked to Christ's sacrifice. People were baptized by John for repentence of their sins. That is the JW baptism. With Christ, however, people were baptized by holy spirit and into Christ. JWs say this is only reserved for the anointed.

  "Therefore, those who become joint heirs with him, with heavenly hopes, have to be “baptized into Christ Jesus,” that is, into the Anointed Jesus who, at the time of his anointing, was also begotten to be a spiritual son of God. They thereby become united to him, their Head, and they become members of the congregation that is the body of Christ." - it-1 p. 252

  Most JWs do not realize the difference between the way they are baptized now and being baptized into Christ. I certainly did not until I looked at all the verses that talked about baptism, then read various WT articles on the subject. Most think that the way they perform baptisms is perfectly legitimate, but have no clue they are being baptized in the baptism of John, and not of Christ. In addition, there is no such thing as a "personal dedication to Jehovah" in the scriptures followed by baptism. If you look up Dedication in the Insight book, you will not find a discussion of a personal dedication to God. I haven't done a lot of research on this subject, but from what I have done, many scriptures are used, but not a single one of them says "dedication" in the NWT.

  Here's the rub: if one does indeed dedicate themselves to God, it will forever be used as something against that one by man. I've heard many times, 'even disfellowshipped ones are under obligation since being disfellowshipped does not invalidate their personal dedication to God.'

  Depending on how that dedication is made, it could be going against what Christ said:

  “Again you heard that it was said to those of ancient times: ‘You must not swear without performing, but you must pay your vows to Jehovah.’ However, I say to you: Do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, since you cannot turn one hair white or black. Just let your word ‘Yes’ mean yes, your ‘No,’ no, for what goes beyond these is from the wicked one." - Matt 5:33-37

  I am not saying that one should not promise their life to God if they truly desire to do so. But, the idea of dedication, and that being symbolized by water baptism is not found in the scriptures. I have to do more research on this to see where this idea came from.
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  26

  Critical Thinking from the Wife !!

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the other day i had a couple of drinks and went off on the gb (again), about how they are just posturing and have no clue.

  i said if they knew what they were talking about we would already be in the new world, but we're not ..so they dont...the end.. well i got some push back as would be expected, but what surprised me was what she said a little later.

  firstly she didn't pay attention to the public talk this past sunday and instead read an article in a watchtower on stress.

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  leaving_quietly

  R_O: "So what happens if you're walking and a big branch breaks or a rock suddenly comes loose and falls on you?"

  "We'll be perfect, so we'll know not to walk that way at that time."

  R_O: "So you're saying we'll be able to see the future?"

  "Well no, but even if something did fall on us, we wouldn't get hurt."

  R_O: "So you're saying we'll be indestructable?"

  "Well no, but...."

  As I was reading this, I thought about Christ's experience at Matt 4:5,6:

  "Then the Devil took him along into the holy city, and he stationed him on the battlement of the temple and said to him: “If you are a son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written: ‘He will give his angels a command concerning you,’ and, ‘They will carry you on their hands, so that you may not strike your foot against a stone.’"
  
  Since JWs believe that Christ was perfect, and many believe he could not die unless God took away his holy spirit, then why did Satan even give this challenge? Why did he say he would be saved by angels? To me, this could be used as proof that a "perfect" person CAN get hurt.
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  11

  New Light to be released on the 100th anniversary of 1914

  by smiddy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  with further study and meditation , the holy spirit has guided the governing body to the evident reality that the year 1914 was a symbolic enthronement of jesus christ to his heavenly kingship .

  jehovahs witnesses worlwide rejoice at this new understanding , empowering them to be even more determined to spread these pearls of truth to those moaning and groaning in this wicked system of things.

  rom.8:22. some have wondered , even had doubts about the ever increasing numbers who now seem to be partaking of the wine and emblems at the lords evening meal ( memmorial ) celebration held annually .. we are pleased to announce that this too has been clarified by holy spirit , with study and meditation , and we can now announce that the 144000 is in fact a symbolic number and not to be taken as a literal number as previously thought .. we , the g.b.

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  leaving_quietly

  @Searcher, with the exception that THIS year, at the International District (er... I mean Regional) Conventions, GB members will be tied in by audio, and probably video to other conventions. The speakers are GB members and their helpers. There's a distinct possibility of "new light" with that sort of audience at this particular venue this year.