Posts by Splash

71

My JW best friend is bringing a 'heavy' around to my house to talk some sense into me.

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

i agreed, if only because i want to see my friend of many years.

the 'heavy' is a large, imposing man with a booming voice and is a creature of the gb through and thru (eg only visited his dfd dad on his death bed because it was a 'good witness' to the hospital staff) and i'm feeling stressed about seeing him.

i so badly wanted to see my friend though, i agreed without thinking and now wish i hadn't have.

Splash

Thanks for sharing Julia.

I don't think there is a 'correct' way of handling these discussions, but the more I read these experiences, the more I feel it should always be reasoning from the WT.

The WT mags are so full of errors, contradictions and changes that I think I would take one point at a time and raise it. You don't even need to get an answer from them, just move from one to the next to the next, in the end it will be blindingly obvious that placing your trust in the WT is akin to building on sand.

Then you could drop in something like "where do these untruths come from that we have been teaching",
or "where in the Bible did the apostles teach wrong things, then change to more wrong things, then back to the original things?",
or w12 6/15 p.28 "Human advice is constantly revised and updated",
or w76 5/15 p.298 "What confidence can we put in the sincerity of or judgment of such [vacillating] persons?",
or Gal 2:18 "If the very things I once threw down I build up again, I demonstrate myself to be a transgressor",
or what did Jesus mean in Matt 12:37 "by your words you will be declared righteous or will be condemned"?,
or what constitutes the indecisive man in James 1:7-8 which says they will receive nothing from Jehovah?
or "how can I trust that what I'm being taught today, is actually 'truth', since I have been taught falshoods all my life?"
or, of course, Deut 18:20-22.

For each of these, do not allow yourself to be fobbed off or the topic redirected - keep returning to it, keep asking until they squirm.
If they dismiss it as being 'old', as in this case, remind them it was from Jehovah's channel - do they believe the FDS are Jehovah's channel? If so why would they dismiss something as old? The Bible is old, do we dismiss that?
One day in the future, todays teachings will be old. Will they dismiss these the same way as they are dismissing the other 'old' teachings? If so, why not just dismiss them right now?

There will be the inevitable statements like "even the apostles made mistakes", "the Truth doesn't change, only our understanding of it does", "it's better to make mistakes and stay on the watch, than fall asleep", "we need to follow the lead of the FDS", but knowing these are coming gives you time to prepare for them.

I think it's all about controlling the meeting - you deciding what topics are raised, dismissing anything else that is spoken about, and keeping to your agenda.

It sounds like it was very tough Julia - you did what you could in a difficult position - well done.

Splash.

71

My JW best friend is bringing a 'heavy' around to my house to talk some sense into me.

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

i agreed, if only because i want to see my friend of many years.

the 'heavy' is a large, imposing man with a booming voice and is a creature of the gb through and thru (eg only visited his dfd dad on his death bed because it was a 'good witness' to the hospital staff) and i'm feeling stressed about seeing him.

i so badly wanted to see my friend though, i agreed without thinking and now wish i hadn't have.

Splash

Thanks for sharing Julia.

16

Is anyone attending a District Convention this weekend?

by Oubliette in

.

is anyone here attending a district convention this coming weekend, june 14-16, 2013?

.

Splash

Thanks Oubliette,

My question was more about if they were avaialble at the DC's though - I already have a PDF.

I'm wondering if the Soc are scaling down their printing operations for assemblies in general.

Splash.

25

IS YOUR TEACHING UP-TO-DATE? - (WT Study Article for June 3-9, 2013)

by Oubliette in

in the watchtower study article for last week, june 3rd - 9th, 2013, the congregation was asked the question, "is your teaching up-to-date?".

there was a box on the top of page 9 that asked three questions allowing everyone to test themselves and find out if they had "up-to-date" and "accurate knowledge" in keeping with the "the ever-increasing light" as revealed through the pages of the watchtower magazine and related publications.

now at first blush this all sounds really good, but is it?

Splash

@Oubliette

Thanks - that was a genuine misunderstanding on my part - I didn't pick up on the 'breaks out' relevance when I read it.
How embarrasing .

Splash.

16

Is anyone attending a District Convention this weekend?

by Oubliette in

.

is anyone here attending a district convention this coming weekend, june 14-16, 2013?

.

Splash

So are there programmes available to pick up at these DC's?

I recall last year there were comments that the Soc had not printed as many, so not everyone in attendance got a programme?

I don't remember an instruction to print your own off yet though.

Splash

25

IS YOUR TEACHING UP-TO-DATE? - (WT Study Article for June 3-9, 2013)

by Oubliette in

in the watchtower study article for last week, june 3rd - 9th, 2013, the congregation was asked the question, "is your teaching up-to-date?".

there was a box on the top of page 9 that asked three questions allowing everyone to test themselves and find out if they had "up-to-date" and "accurate knowledge" in keeping with the "the ever-increasing light" as revealed through the pages of the watchtower magazine and related publications.

now at first blush this all sounds really good, but is it?

Splash

What is especially funny about this, is the '95 'Sheep and Goats' watchtower used as a reference for what is up-to-date, is actually out of date!!

*** w95 10/15 p. 23 par. 26 How Will You Stand Before the Judgment Seat? ***

Understanding the parable of the sheep and the goats in this way indicates that the rendering of judgment on the sheep and the goats is future. It will take place after “the tribulation

*** w13 7/15 p. 6 par. 13 Tell Us, When Will These Things Be? ***

So, then, what can we conclude? Jesus will judge people of all nations as sheep or goats when he comes during the great tribulation.

The teachings change so often, even they can't keep up when they are trying to!

Splash

50

My Story - a (kinda) newbie from the UK

by wizzstick in

jw
friends

after lurking for 7 and half years (is that a record?!

) its time for me to say hello.. so who am i, and whats my story?.

im a born in jw, with all my siblings, mother, wife and children in.

Splash

Hi wizzstick,

So pleased to hear your story, thanks for breaking cover and sharing that with us.

Welcome!

Splash.

1

Faithful and Discreet... Slave or Manager?

by Splash in

there are two parallel verses, of which we are very familiar with one in particular:.

(mt 24:45) who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?.

(lu 12:42) and the lord said: "who really is the faithful steward, the discreet one, whom his master will appoint over his body of attendants to keep giving them their measure of food supplies at the proper time?".

Splash

There are two parallel verses, of which we are very familiar with one in particular:

(Mt 24:45) Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?

(Lu 12:42) And the Lord said: "Who really is the faithful steward, the discreet one, whom his master will appoint over his body of attendants to keep giving them their measure of food supplies at the proper time?"

The words used, however are quite different.

Mt 24 'slave':

Strongs G1401 δου?λος ( doulos)

From G1210; a slave (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily; frequently therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency): - bond (-man), servant.

Lu 12 'steward':

Strongs G3623 οι?κονο´μος ( oikonomos)

From G3624 and the base of G3551; a housedistributor (that is, manager), or overseer, that is, an employee in that capacity; by extension a fiscal agent (treasurer); figuratively

In one instance we have a slave and in the other a steward or manager. Which is correct?

Both are correct, depending on the viewpoint used.

We can say that this is a slave if they are slaving for a master, Christ in this instance.

We can say they are a manager or overseer if they are managing the household.

To get a scriptural equivalent of this we need to look at an account of Abraham:

(Ge 24:2) Hence Abraham said to his servant, the oldest one of his household, who was managing all he had...

Here, Abraham mentions a servant/manager which closely corresponds to the Gospel slave/steward.

So as a slave/overseer, how should they refer to themselves, as the slave or as the overseer?

Splash

15

simple question: if the GB of 1919 vintage is the only and true F&DS, and ---

by prologos in

it is only the "duely appointed" presently 8=1 slave, or their overlapping successors that get the reward, according to scripture, after their rapture,.

how about the other 139 992 non-slaves, are they disqualified from the reward since they were never recognized as the f&ds?.

.

Splash

You are missing a key point.

The GB are not the FDS, but 'brothers taking the lead at HQ' are the FDS.

Today that equates to the GB but historically it was just as described. It therefore doesn't matter when the GB was officially formed.

Clever hey!

Splash

9

Bethel doesn't look after it's own

by ekruks in

it's not only springsteen's latest song that is inaccurate, but bethel certainly doesn't look after it's own.. i know it's very easy for us to what to criticise bethel after our experiences, but if we are reasonable with the wbts and approach this with an open mind, can we conlude it's fair how bethelites are treated?.

i know with any company if an employee breaks the rules, they have to leave.

being fair, i can't wave a finger at bethel for telling those who break rules, sin, etc., to leave.

Splash

(1Ti 5:8) Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith.