someone asked in another topic essentially what is your purpose in being here?
what do you plan to accomplish?
i thought i would start this topic as a result of that one.. i personally don't think i can 'change' anybody by being here...but the way i see it, this forum gives me a place to vent.
I appreciate it because it offers public debate, common sense, and allows for differences between its members, from the very devoted believer to the staunch atheist. I also have found a stark difference between the "wonderful spiritual food" at the meetings of JW's and the much more intelligent, common sensical comments in here. This place has also been a great learning experience in the few months that I have been here.
Thank you Simon
ok is it just me or does there seem to be a surge of new brothers and sisters on this site?
do tell where are you from?
i am from northern california anyone from around here?
Burbank, CA
i see it posted that many are 'waking up' etc.
but the religion is still growing!
many enjoy the kool-aid.
I think the full impact of the internet is still to be felt by the WTS in the near future. Take me for example, I had known of JW's for over 20 years and thought that they were just another goofy religion. It was just four months ago that I decided to type the words Jehova's Witnesses in the Google search engine. Fast forward to taday and you will find that I am an expert in the history of JW's and I am becoming an expert in their theology. You can bet your butt I am going to use this expertise for many years to come to dissuade people from ever stepping in a kingdom hell. I am sure I will be responsible for taking away few prospective members and helping others out.
The WTS's peak may still be in the future but their decline is sure to follow soon after. Both, peak and decline, are going to happen within a decade.
here is my sweet survival plan, post jw life!
...yet another part of my healing process...yes healing is g o o d.... .
btw, it feels so great to not have to hide and to able to put my picture up anywhere i feel like!.
Excellent Eric! I am ver y happy for you, just slow down from this point on.
this is information gained from carl olof jonsson's book entitled "the gentile times reconsidered".
it's an extremely valuable piece of proof that utterly demolishes the watchtower claim of "extra kings" and "extra time" being inserted into the discussion!.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53_076v7a5s.
Leolaia,
Objectively looking at the preponderance of the evidence together, one can readily conclude decisively that 607 BC cannot be right; there's just too much evidence. You can't cherry-pick the things you like that support your chronology and then dismiss the rest for no other reason than it conflicts with your chronology. That's not how history works. The Society claims that it's just a coincidence and secular records are unreliable. These are records that reflect contemporaneous daily life, from many different quarters (not just the Egibi family), and they all agree on the same "errors". History is about assessing probabilities, and it is the height of bias to prefer an analysis that produces such an implausible mass of coincidental errors to one that makes perfect sense of the preponderance of the evidence.
I could use the next thirty years of my life researching in your field of study and sharpenning my writing skills, but I could never match the substance and the form of your writing. Thanks. Can I use this paragraph in a letter to some prominents "friends" of a congregation and make it look as my own paragraph by replacing a word with a synonym here and there.
the growing ranks of the anointed are a threat to their power.
today's watchtower made it clear that jehovah uses the governing body, no mention of the faithful & discreet slave.. i think they need new light on this in the next year or two..
Moshe,
Your analogy won't be forgotten.
i don't post here much, but read often.
seen quite a few jw apologists and trolls come and go.
they are almost always successful at getting a good number of people here upset and riled up, leading to personal attacks.
Fencing. Totally agree. Lots of wisdom packed in your comment. I hope others see what you see, and used their talents to refute the apologists without insults and condescending tones. I may not be the best person to suggest "being nice" because I admit to being vicious sometimes, but I am learning.
jwfacts has an article that explains why the great crowd must be in heaven.
i am also aware that many of these are the same arguments that stemmed from the 'awakenings at bethel' so my statements are not simply attacks of jwfact's character (since these arguments are probably not original) but rather his copy and paste of what others have said instead of verifying it as 'fact' for himself.. so here are jwfacts arguments:.
1. he shows that russell and rutherford (at some point) believed that the great crowd were in heaven.. 2. each term that describes the great crowd of revelation 7 is else used to described the anointed by the wt.
Does anyone believe,as I do, that Recovery is not a guy acting independently, but actually acting for the WTS and sanctioned by the WTS. He definitely is not your average dub. A person of his intelligence would have been out of the bOrg a long time ago. So my conclusion is that he is part of the system that wants to retain power and control through lies and manipulation. I think he is close to the GO or the writing department. Maybe he is sort of a Roy Furulli, smart enough to present well written, but fallacious or false arguments.
cedars is taking a break from jwn, but he's still posting youtube videos.
i hope he doesn't mind me posting it here.
if he already did....sorry dude!
“Who needs Jesus anymore, we have the example of angels”, brother Stephen Lett might as well have said. Lectures like his in the 129 th Gilead Graduation made me change my mind about defending the idea that JW’s are Christians. They, JW’s, also bumped Jesus out of his rightful place as intended by the writers of the Greek scriptures by replacing “Lord” by “Jehovah”.
“Imitate the Faithful Angels”
That was the subject of a talk by Governing Body member Stephen Lett. The angels provide a wonderful example for us. “Everything the Bible reveals about them is worthy of imitation,” Brother Lett said. He then identified four traits of the faithful angels that we would do well to imitate—their endurance, their humility, their helpfulness, and their integrity. The Bible reports that one angel resisted ‘the prince of Persia’—a powerful demon— for 21 days. (Daniel 10:13) That angel
displayed endurance. Christians too “have a wrestling . . . against the wicked spirit forces,” Brother Lett pointed out. (Ephesians 6:12) “Fight hard to continue carrying out your assignment,” he told the students. When Manoah, the father of Samson, asked an angel for his name, the angel refused
to give it. That angel displayed humility. (Judges 13:17, 18) Brother Lett told the students: “When someone tries to praise you or rave about your abilities, humbly direct attention away from yourself and toward Jehovah and his organization.”—1 Corinthians 4:7.
When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane shortly before his death, “an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” (Luke 22:43) That angel showed helpfulness. “Prayerfully try to determine what the real needs are in your missionary assignment,” Brother Lett said, “and then with Jehovah’s help, try to fill those needs.” Since only a minority of angels joined Satan in his rebellion, we can say that the vast majority of these heavenly creatures are marvelous examples of integrity.—Revelation 12:4. “Like those faithful angels, resist the Devil,” Brother Lett urged the students. “Oppose him, and he will flee.”—James 4:7.
129TH GILEAD GRADUATION
“This Is Your Day”
“When someone tries to praise
you . . . , direct attention away from yourself”
Watchtower Feb 1, 2011 pp.28-29
i have a question for the author of the website jwfacts.
as i was reading the sparlock article, i couldn't help but notice something seriously wrong:.
"the bible abounds in vivid fantasy, such as its many celestial descriptions, or the portrayal of warring kingdoms with imaginary beasts.. the sparlock message is confusing, as much for an adult as for a child, as the bible shows that god's followers practice magic, even if they are usually referred to as miracles.
Recovery,
Of all the articles in JW Facts, why is the "magic versus miracle" problem the one you chose to attack??? It seems that the more important articles in JW facts, which demonstrate by quoting directly from the WTS publications the arrogance, deception, inconsistency, hypocrisy and manipulative tactics of the WTS, are too strong for you to attack. Am I wrong? Despite the weakness of your argumentation, and the overwhelming stregth of the counterarguments, I will be extremely generous and give you this as your victory. Can you defend the WTS in the rest of the articles in JW Facts. I am anxious to see those threads.
