Posts by Splash

44

Maybe I'm the bad guy after all

by braincleaned in

maybe i'm the bad guy after all.

my mom and sis love me and still talk to me, although i'm clearly an apostate.

their loophole?

Splash

The grieving process, all over again.

Splash.

16

Witnesses going rogue - trying to blend in with the world

by BluePill2 in

it's been a couple of years now since i left the pink-pony-world of the watchtower real estate & money laundering inc.. out of curiosity i researched a couple of "brothers" to see if they are still in, what they are up these days, etc.

using linkedin, facebook, and other online research i come up with this:.

1. branch committee member lothar mihank (formerly in nicaragua, now branch committee in indonesia) presents himself in linkedin as "ceo of ssyi" and tries to pass the borg as some kind of corporation (which is what they are).

Splash

Nice research BP2.

I'm simultaneously amazed and yet not suprised. There's an ego at a certain level of the Soc, and that can now be fed using social networks.

The continuous counsel is to not strive for a career, but these 'humble' men crave recognition and so doctor their experience to try to look like successful career men.

It's a shame there's no mention of secular qualifications, since just about every other CEO out there would have papers to prove their hard work and worth, and not just 20 years of pushing doorbells full time. It would be good to use the position descriptions these men advertise as goals for the up and coming publishers in the congregations.

Despite this self-aggrandising deception, be certain that if they ever were to be interviewed for an equivalent position outside the Soc, they would be laughed out of town. In fact we had a thread on something similar earlier this year, here on jw.net.

Let them have their glory before men if they feel they need it, underneath they know they're stuck in a hopeless life of servitude to another man who is probably even less qualified than they are. I bet they don't like to consider their retirement provisions in comparison to those who actually work for a living.

Splash.

35

Are JW's scared of visiting apostate websites?

by yadda yadda 2 in

jw
friends

i believe they are.

i think it's their biggest fear besides dying at armageddon.. there's a saying that anyone who reads ray franz's books is never the same again.

i think many jw's secretly know that there is information out there that would almost certaintly seriously damage their truth in their religion, and they are terrified of it.. they would rather keep their heads firmly stuck in the sand than even take a peek at critical information that might begin a slippery slope leading to the collapse of their unique worldview.. jw doing their version of the islam prayer:.

Splash

SFPW: "Why do ex-JWs resort to insults and condescending posts whenever a believer states his or her stance?"

Come now SFPW, insults and condescending posts? Have you read some of your comments on here????
I'm sure you wouldn't like me to go back through them and remind you.

Splash

26

For those who are still IN and attending meetings, do you still study the WT & other books?

by ohnightdivine in

for those of you who are still attending meetings due to various reasons, how do you prepare yourself for each program?.

do you still read and study the wt?.

do you still read and study the okm, jeremiah, etc?.

Splash

I never prepare for meetings unless I have a part, it takes too much of my valuable time.

I've always viewed the underlining of the WT as nothing more than a public display of self-righteousness. It certainly doesn't help you learn or memorise more.

Makes me laugh when I see one of those multi-coloured underlined WT's. Happy are those with a multi-coloured, highlighted WT, since the feeling of smug self satisfaction belongs to them.

Splash.

29

Participating on Assembly Programs and meetings... the hypocritical things that go on

by confusedandalone in

i was thinking the other day about how i use to marvel at the idea of being on a ca or do program!

when i was starting to get myself together so to speak i wanted to be one of those guys always giving the powerful talk to shut the assembly down.

the one talk every spoke about in the car ride home.

Splash

On another occasion the CO was waiting for me 'out back' as I finished and left the platform. He told me I was a minute overtime, so why was that?

I explained that my talk was exactly the right length but I was late getting on because the previous speaker had gone over by one minute.

He accepted this reason, then looked at me daggers as he realized that he was the speaker on before me!!

Ah, what fun!!

Splash

29

Participating on Assembly Programs and meetings... the hypocritical things that go on

by confusedandalone in

i was thinking the other day about how i use to marvel at the idea of being on a ca or do program!

when i was starting to get myself together so to speak i wanted to be one of those guys always giving the powerful talk to shut the assembly down.

the one talk every spoke about in the car ride home.

Splash

For one CA talk I had to interview some publishers. One nervous brother being interviewed complained to me that the item was close to the dinner break so he had a long time to wait until it was all over.

I explained that was the best timeslot since it would be fresh in peoples minds so he would get lots of glory over lunch.

He looked at me horrified for saying such a thing!

I saw him again at the end of the day. He smiled and winked - I guess he got his glory lol.

Splash

35

Are JW's scared of visiting apostate websites?

by yadda yadda 2 in

jw
friends

i believe they are.

i think it's their biggest fear besides dying at armageddon.. there's a saying that anyone who reads ray franz's books is never the same again.

i think many jw's secretly know that there is information out there that would almost certaintly seriously damage their truth in their religion, and they are terrified of it.. they would rather keep their heads firmly stuck in the sand than even take a peek at critical information that might begin a slippery slope leading to the collapse of their unique worldview.. jw doing their version of the islam prayer:.

Splash

Hi Emeth,

It's a little unkind to describe everybody here as having problems - you scoop up your colleagues like SFPW in comments like that, and he scoops you up in his similar posts.

There are those who see the good in the JW religion, those who see the bad, and those who see both.
You're obviously in the first camp and that serves you well.

You say you don't want to hang around a website for years, but also say you've been aware of this site for more than 5.5 years, and have recently joined to contribute your thoughts to it. Ok.

Please don't view everything as a 'challenge'. That's the way it is in the congregation - to drift from the official line is 'challenging the F&DS', but here it's also known as 'discussion'.

It seems you feel that you are being disloyal when you find something different is true, compared to what you were taught, but that's not being disloyal it's being true to Christ. Look at the scriptural instructions telling us not to hand over our thinking abilities to others:

"Do not put YOUR trust in nobles" - Psalm 146:3
"when he entered the house Jesus got ahead of him by saying: “What do you think, Simon?" -Mt 17:25
Jesus asking "What do YOU think?" - Matthew 18:12; 21:28
"keep testing whether you are in the faith " 2Co 13:5
"present your bodies...a sacred service with your power of reason" Ro 12:1
"think so as to have a sound mind" - Romans 12:3
"go on perceiving what the will of Jehovah is" Eph 5:17
"make sure of the more important things" Php 1:10
"make sure of all things" 1Thes 5:21
"we request of YOU not to be quickly shaken from YOUR reason nor to be excited either through an inspired expression or through a verbal message or through a letter as though from us" 2Th 2:1, 2
"God gave us not a spirit of cowardice, but that of power and of love and of soundness of mind." 2Tim 1:7
"I am arousing YOUR clear thinking faculties by way of a reminder" 2Pe 3:1
"test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God" 1Jo 4:1
"he has given us intellectual capacity that we may gain the knowledge of the true one" 1Jo 5:20

Not to mention the Beroeans who were commended as noble minded for checking things were so.

You have found youself among people who have done just as the Bible recommends, and although you don't like it, they have found that the JW teachings are not so rock solid that you should put your life on the line for them.

BTW, Welcome! It's good to have you here!

Splash

81

What are you NOT allowed to say as a Jehovahs Witness?

by The Quiet One in

"one of the bible study was listening and singing the song by jason mraz titled lucky with the chorus going like this;.

quote.

'i'm lucky i'm in love with my best friend.. lucky to have been where i have been.. lucky to be coming home again.. lucky we're in love in every way.. lucky to have stayed where we have stayed.. lucky to be coming home someday..'.

Splash

@KiddingMe - Or with horseshoes on the front.

Can't clink glasses with friends when you meet up for a drink.
Can't say "to us!" or anything similar.

Can't have a party, has to be a get-together.

Some are as sensitive about 'fortunately' as they are about 'luckily'. In this case use 'happily'.

Euphemisms such as Gee! Jeepers Creepers! Crumbs! Gosh! can all get a raised eyebrow.

You're sailing close to the wind if you use the word Bloody in context.

Splash

18

Historical evidence for Christmas and Christs birthday

by DS211 in

i just read this feom 4jehovah.org.

there is a historical basis for the december 25th date of christs birth.

justin martyr (100-165 a.d.) wrote marcus aurelius that jesus was born at bethlehem as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing.

Splash

William Penwell "The two indivuals you are quoting from as your proof material lived over a hundred years after Jesus was born."

So you're saying they were from the same 'generation' as Jesus then.

Splash

21

JW apologist Emeth dismisses teachings of Russell as irrelevant, uninspired and even funny.. Maybe in the future jw's will say the same about todays Governing Body?

by The Quiet One in

emeth said: "russell never claimed to be a inspired prophet or without any failures or mistakes.

he was just a human as much as i and you are.

he is just a person who started a process of digging and searching for bible truths.

Splash

JW's AS PROPHETS

WT 1919 Oct 1 p.297 - CT Russell was a prophet

"This was the test - the coming down of fire; and the fulfilment exactly on time has proved that Pastor Russell was one of God's great reformers and prophets."

Watchtower 1931 Nov 1 p.327 - "The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in The Watchtower."

Watchtower, 1950, 8/15 p. 263 - JW's are not prophets

"However, The Watchtower does not claim to be inspired in its utterances, nor is it dogmatic. It invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures."

May 15, 1955 Watchtower (pages 305 and 308) - JW's are 'inspired' prophets:

16 ...we next observe that the official "Word" transmits the message either by means of an angelic messenger who appears face to face or by the use of God’s holy spirit to inspire the next agent in the line of communication... The earthly channel is either a prophet or a collective prophet-like organization.

Page 308: From the prophetic shadows to the actual realities we observe that this God-provided channel for Christians is the collective congregation of anointed ones who serve as a prophet-like organization under the leadership of its communicating head, Christ Jesus. –Eph 5:23

w72 4/1 p.197 - JW's are prophets

"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative... This 'prophet' was not one man, but was a body of men and women... known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian Witnesses... Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a "prophet" of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record. What does it show?"

w73 3/1 p. 150 Heeding Divine Warning Is Wisdom - JW's are prophets

What is to be gained by hesitating and doubting to the end that Jehovah can raise up and has raised up a genuine “prophet” within our generation?

Reasoning From the Scriptures (1985) - JW's are not prophets

"Jehovah's Witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets."

Awake 6/8/1986 p.9 - JW's are prophets

"You will be interested to learn that God has on earth a people, all of whom are prophets, or witnesses for God. In fact, they are known throughout the world as Jehovah's Witnesses."

Reasoning From the Scriptures (1989) - JW's are not prophets

"Jehovah's Witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets."

Reasoning From the Scriptures (1989) p.133 - JW's are prophets

"If any individual claim to represent God but decline to use god's personal name, and make it a practice to express their own opinions on matters, are they measuring up to this important qualification of a true prophet?"

w91 9/1 p. 29 par. 20- JW's are prophets

Still, our efforts are never in vain. Why not? Because we are advertising Jehovah’s name and Kingdom. By our preaching and by our very presence, we are warning the wicked. (Ezekiel 33:33) ["And when it comes true—look! it must come true—they will also have to know that a prophet himself had proved to be in the midst of them."]

w94 1/15 p. 16 par. 5 - JW's are not prophets

"Today, that is no longer the case; there are no inspired prophets or apostles."

w98 7/15 p.12 Beware of a Lack of Faith par. 15 - JW's are prophets

"Paul started his warning with the provisional clause "if you people listen to his own voice." God spoke to his people through Moses and other prophets. Then, Jehovah spoke to them through his Son, Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1, 2) Today, we have God’s complete inspired Word, the Holy Bible. We also have "the faithful and discreet slave," appointed by Jesus to provide spiritual "food at the proper time." (Matthew 24:45-47) Thus, God is still speaking."

w99 10/1 5 "For Everything There Is an Appointed Time" - The FDS are prophets
“For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7) ... For that purpose God has authorized a “faithful and discreet slave” to provide his people with “their [spiritual] food at the proper time.”

w11 3/15 p. 30 par. 10 - JW's are prophets

"Like the prophet of old, the Jeremiah class has been given an assignment from the Sovereign of the universe. God’s anointed servants are thus duly authorized to make pronouncements worldwide..."