WinstonSmith

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Posts by WinstonSmith

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  68

  Raphael Aron in The Age newspaper: Jehovah's Witnesses 'a cruel cult'

  by WinstonSmith in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this popped up on the age website today, might have to buy the paper tomorrow..... http://www.theage.com.au/national/jehovahs-witnesses-a-cruel-cult-20130315-2g5x3.html.

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  WinstonSmith

  This popped up on The Age website today, might have to buy the paper tomorrow....

  http://www.theage.com.au/national/jehovahs-witnesses-a-cruel-cult-20130315-2g5x3.html
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  24

  An elder called me.

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  an elder who handled the minor matter with my husband a few weeks ago called to see how we were doing.

  this guy genuinely is a gentle, kind, man whom the congregation loves.

  he's the one everyone approaches because he never judges or condescends.

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  WinstonSmith

  Hello Julia,

  Sorry to hear you have not been the best since you got ambushed the other week. These guys have no idea what kind of effect they have on people. Shame on them.

  That was very nice of that elder to call you and check in on you. This is what shepherding should be all about - checking up on the health of the flock. If they were all like this, and motivated by love, and a genuine care for the people, the organisation would not be haemoragging followers. Brothers like this can indeed be like a crag for shelter.

  Telling him how you feel as a result of those other two morons is the right thing to do. If the subject of missing meetings comes up always fall back on being stumbled by these brothersas a reason.

  It's a tough road, but we are all here supporting you.

  Take care :-)
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  95

  The ten most embarrassing scriptures for Jehovah's Witnesses

  by slimboyfat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  1. mark 7:15 "there is nothing from outside a man that passes into him that can defile him; but the things that issue forth out of a man are the things that defile a man.. so how can eating black pudding or having a blood transfusion be a sin?.

  2. roman 14:5 one [man] judges one day as above another; another [man] judges one day as others; let each one be convinced in his own mind.

  so how come they say birthdays and festivals are a sin?.

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  WinstonSmith

  I don't get what you mean MP. Luke 21:8 and my comment have nothing to do with Paul.

  Perhaps you mean that Jesus words only applied to the 'then and there', the people of his time with the destruction of Jerusalem in mind? Like when Jesus said 'this generation' he meant the destruction of Jerusalem would come in the lifetime of those alive at that time. I agree with that. I think it is highly likely that any prophetic words Jesus used about 'destruction' related to the fall of Jerusalem.

  Jehovah's Witnesses however apply Luke 21 and Matthew as having a major fulfillment in our modern day (despite there being no precedent in the scriptures for minor / major fulfillments of prophecy). From this JW view, in amongst Jesus' warnings about the time of the end, he said not to follow after people going around saying "I am Jesus, I am his representative, I come in his name, I speak for him, the end is coming!" JWs of course apply this to other religions and small time groups who tout the end times. They seem oblivious to the fact that for more than 100 years they themselves have been going around saying that they speak on behalf of Jesus as his representative, and have been throwing out dates for the end, or constantly harp on about it being 'soon' thus proving themselves to be exactly the people Jesus warned his disciples not to follow.
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  95

  The ten most embarrassing scriptures for Jehovah's Witnesses

  by slimboyfat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  1. mark 7:15 "there is nothing from outside a man that passes into him that can defile him; but the things that issue forth out of a man are the things that defile a man.. so how can eating black pudding or having a blood transfusion be a sin?.

  2. roman 14:5 one [man] judges one day as above another; another [man] judges one day as others; let each one be convinced in his own mind.

  so how come they say birthdays and festivals are a sin?.

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  WinstonSmith

  There is so much win here in this thread!

  Others have mentioned it, but Luke 21:8 is the one for me. One short scripture all on its own with Jeseus own words show that you should not be one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
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  130

  How many former Jehovah's Witnesses bury their head in the sand when it comes to reasoning about the NGO "conspiracy"?

  by Change Name in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  hi all - sure sure, you can call me a troll or brainwashed cult member.

  i am totally interested in how your answers to these questions.. .

  do you find yourself ignoring anything that jehovah's witnesses bring out in regards to their former status as an ngo?.

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  WinstonSmith

  RRRRRRRRRRRRRRecovery is back!

  I wondered how long it would take!
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  72

  THIS NEEDS ITS OWN THREAD:: TODAY's WT Paragraph 16

  by Lied2NoMore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here is what got my spidey senses tingling: paragraph 16, reference to daniel p mannix book, was wondering if his statement was mis-quoted so i did my research.......but was even more shocked when i saw this: .

  from amazon dot com reviews................ probably the most provocative work of historical fiction published this century,"those who are about to die" is pure mannix at his best.

  a uncensured exploration of what likely took place in the circuses of ancient rome.

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  WinstonSmith

  I've heard The Da Vinci Code called historical fiction, I can't wait to see some WT quotes from that!
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  81

  Julia's Inquisition - Two elders, the full version! I want you all to see this.

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry it's gonna be long winded.

  i've done my best to reconstruct from memory.

  my husband was next to me the whole time.

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  WinstonSmith

  Julia,

  Thanks very much for sharing your experience, and good on you for holding your own against them. Sadly I see very little shepherding from them, rather they seem to be trying to catch you out on something. How very far from the spirit and love of Jesus.

  Instead of seeking to apply Jude 22, they are as others have said, decided to act like the evil and beating up their fellows. Shame on them for being guided by the Book of Elders and not the scriptures.

  As a former elder I must be honest and say that they will be back, one way or another, and they will hound you for clarification on what you have with a view to pinning you on something. They will most definitely report back to the body, and they will be asked "Did she clearly state that she does not believe the GB is God's channel?" They can't say for certain, so they will be asked to get clarification and confirmation. This may be by way of formal meeting, phonecall, or allegedly 'casual' conversation. Be on your toes, and as wise as a serpent.

  My advice would be avoid further meetings with them. You owe them nothing. They will take whatever power they can from you. Do whatever you can to not meet with them. Use you PTSD as a reason. Use their rules sgainst them by getting hubby to stand (physically or verbally) between you and them as the 'head of the house' and say that they are not allowed to see you. He / you don't have to give a reason. They have no right to demand one.

  They will keep at it, but if you both stick to your guns, stick to the plan, eventually you will be written off as too much hard work, and they will move on to easier prey. Commence a nice slow fade away and out of their sight.

  There is a storm coming, but it is a very survivable storm.

  Mrs Smith and I wish you and your hubby the very best.

  WS
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  21

  Have Jehovah`s Witnesses Really Complied With The Law In The State Of Victoria Aust.?With Regard to "Working With Children Checks."?

  by smiddy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i have my doubts that they have.my understanding is that only a select few such as elders have got wwcc after years of non compliance.i dont think the rank and file , the majority of jehovahs witnesses going from door to door have obtained one , and if that is indeed the case , then they are still breaking the law.

  i would appreciate it if their is anyone in victoria who still attends meetings or knows anybody who does to either confirm or deny my claim.. last year on regional radio abc gippsland talkback radio host celine foenander dealt with the subject who has to obtain "working with children checks" and many callers responded.one in particular stood out to me ,a self employed carpet cleaner had to obtain one before he could continue in his business simply because their could be children at home when he called.their were many similar stories like that.i phoned up and explained to the switch girl about jw`s non compliance.they were very interested in what i had to say but sadly ran out of time and it didn`t go to air.. i`m sure that if the government knew that every baptized jehovah`s witness was considered a minister of religion ,and are required to go door to door to spread their message , then every adult would be required to obtain a wwc check.. i look forward to your comments.

  smiddy.

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  WinstonSmith

  Hello Smiddy,

  I wonder if they are cagey because one of the angles being taken in the legal cases is that the state governement has been slack in ensuring compliance? They might think you're fishing for a statement that might come back to bite them later.

  Could it also be a classic case of bored and uninterested government departments relying on a lazy catch-all copy and paste type reply?
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  336

  The New Diary of Winston Smith

  by WinstonSmith in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  we had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.

  fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.

  i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.

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  WinstonSmith

  Simple Truths - Part One

  Galatians 2:21 -

  "I do not shove aside the undeserved kindnes of God; for if righteousness is through law, Christ actually died for nothing."

  Jesus didn't give his followers lots of laws, and did away with the Mosaic Law. Christian life should be based on love and not hundreds of rules.

  The WTS has proven through it's history that it does not align with what Jesus taught via his word and example. Jesus taught that love should be the motivating factor in all we do, and will lead to our salvation. The WTS teaches that compliance with their myriad of ever-changing rules is what leads to salvation.

  2 Corinthians 3:6 - "....the written code condemns to death, but the spirit makes alive"
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  42

  DUI Defendant Tries to Place Awake With My Prosecutor Daughter

  by Justitia Themis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yep.

  you read the title correctly.. my daughter is a prosecutor who right this moment is prosecuting a dui crash with major injuries.

  the defendant--the drunk driver--just tried to place an awake magazine with her while both of them were in the courtroom.. .

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  WinstonSmith

  Is Andre in court again?