What strikes me is that Christ said "I am the way". Not any religion, not any organization, he alone. It's good to worship together and build one another up, but care should be taken that in time people do not start following men. The controversy of Paul vs. Apollos makes it clear how quickly that can happen, how we tend to put people on a pedestal and forget about who we must really focus on.
Sauerkraut
JoinedPosts by Sauerkraut
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Our most Holy Faith.( God works through individuals)
by philmurray inhelo.straight from the start i am a christian begotten of the father jehovah gods holy spirit.can i take the time to extend christian greetings to all.i know that i along with all of the offspring of adam have inherited original sin.that without faith in the antilutron ( in this age) i can not approach the mercy seat, holy throne of jehovah god the almighty.so many christian faiths.all use the bible.all quote from it.all pray to the same god.all fallible humans convinced that their method/way/faith is right.the only way to please the father and his beloved son.some cling to a teaching/teacher.some cling to a tradition.all accept a particular mindset.
so all christadelphians are wrong(including their off shoots,ie ecclesia of christ etc).ditto ditto etc etc-mormons,their off shoots,catholic its off shoots(ancient catholic re mel gibson etc)anglican ( not if we accept women !
) ad infidium.. so what are we left with.a history of the j.w.
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Welcome Newbies & New Posters ! How has this Board Assisted You ?
by flipper init's nice to have you here !
i found that this board was very supportive when i first got on it over 4 years ago .
i still find it supportive !
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Sauerkraut
Missed this thread. I registered about a week ago and forgot to introduce myself. While still "in" I started researching about "the truth" a while ago. I can't say when and what exactly caused it but I started having this intuitive feeling that something was wrong. The more and more blatant emphasis on unconditional obedience to the GB was what bothered me most. So I started doing the unthinkable- reading on the Internet, and I don't mean the Org's website. That was shocking. Was also the first time ever I heard of all the cases of child abuse among Witnesses. On and off I would read a bit more on the net. One thing that I found very interesting is that J.F. Rutherford was a drunkard, supposedly. Also how fixated on Pyramids C.T. Russell was. About a week ago I started researching about the heavenly vs. earthly hope for Christians doctrine. That settled things for me and I completely realized that our "Truth" is not what we're told and that not this or any GB before has had Jehovah's Spirit as guidance. It had bothered me before that we're told to follow men, not Christ. Now I'm not only bothered but done with paying attention to what they have to say, they no longer have any authority over me. Can't say where my life will lead me from now on. Due to family ties I can't just quit right now, I wish I could, but especially my Mother would be extremely shattered. We've had some discussions about some of my thoughts and she started becoming very accusatory, saying I was placing my own wisdom over that of seven million and how Jehovah would not permit them all to be so wrong... Better not to argue, at least for the time being. I prefer to be upfront about my thoughts and don't want to pretend. It's sad to see how many are unconditional in their obedience and how they have given up all inclination for free thought.
Btw, I'm thirty and third generation Witness. Never been a Pioneer and have always had something against the "carreer Witness type".
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No more 3-day DCs starting in 2013?
by respectful_observer inapologies if there is another recent thread on this, but i have heard from 4 different people in 3 different geographic areas (including someone who does advance work for the dcs), that beginning in 2013 the three day dc program will be replaced by a second two-day circuit assembly.
some people were passing the info along like a secret, others seemed to think that everyone already knew.. if everyone in j-dub land is already talking about this, how is it not all over this forum??.
anyway, can anyone confirm or deny?.
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Sauerkraut
District Conventions, I've never liked them much. The best day was Sunday at around 4 PM.
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The Pharisaical Laws of JW's
by Emery ini remember hearing from a former elder of a situation he found himself in while conducting the old weekly bible study.
that morning only one male was present during the morning study, however that brother forgot his tie.
under instruction from the slave, any brother not properly dressed for a meeting is not to have any congregation priviledges (hold mics, talk, attendent, magazines, reading).
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Sauerkraut
Thanks Emery. Interesting how very serious some can take an unwritten rule.
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The Pharisaical Laws of JW's
by Emery ini remember hearing from a former elder of a situation he found himself in while conducting the old weekly bible study.
that morning only one male was present during the morning study, however that brother forgot his tie.
under instruction from the slave, any brother not properly dressed for a meeting is not to have any congregation priviledges (hold mics, talk, attendent, magazines, reading).
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Sauerkraut
I was just searching the library but can't find anything. Isn't there this "guideline" that was started a few years ago that if two Witnesses are dating that they should each get information about the other's standing from overseers?
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archive of letters to body of elders
by metaspy inis there a documentation of every letter to all body of elders in the united states?.
if so, where could i find it?.
i am looking for one dated march 14, 1997, to all bodies of elders..
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Sauerkraut
Blindnomore, I'm sorry to hear that. It's very disturbing. In theory Elders are supposed to be loving, kind, understanding and merciful too often it's the opposite. I wish I knew what to say, Blindnomore, words can't take away, what you and your family had to and still have to deal with. I wish you peace.
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OSCE (JW NGO) Who We Are - (Are They No Part Of The World?) You Decide..
by BroMac inhttp://www.osce.org/whowho we arewith 56 states from europe, central asia and north america, the osce is the world's largest regional security organization.
it offers a forum for political negotiations and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, and puts the political will of its participating states into practice through its unique network of field missions.. the osce has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects.
it therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities.. all 56 participating states enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.. .
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Sauerkraut
The crazy thing is that those who strictly adhere to advice given in publications of the Society try not to even have an opinion about Politics. The publications show that even favoring one party over another, or one politician over another goes against neutrality. And then some get to be on friendly terms?
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archive of letters to body of elders
by metaspy inis there a documentation of every letter to all body of elders in the united states?.
if so, where could i find it?.
i am looking for one dated march 14, 1997, to all bodies of elders..
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Sauerkraut
Wow, the 2012 letter regarding higher education surprised me. So someone might loose certain privileges if he or a family member pursue higher education? Funny how we're told things are a matter of conscience and then they seemingly are not. Isn't higher education a good thing? You'll be able to donate more to the Society if you get a better paying job. And what's it with privileges in the first place? So many seem to think they're badge to pin to your lapel...
Edit: it's interesting to read about judicial committees in cases of attempted or threatened suicides. "... In such cases it may be best for the committee to suspend the hearing and focus on helping the person to regain his balance. In any event, the elders should treat the person with extreme thoughtfulness and kindness..." Thoughtfulness and kindness is great, but why would you potentially want to disfellowship someone who's obviously not doing well in the first place?
Another subject: NONNEUTRAL ACTIVITY
28. When reporting to the branch office that an individual has disassociated himself by en- gaging in nonneutral activity, the wording on the report should be in harmony with Scriptural guide- lines. Please use such expressions as “violated neutrality” or “took a nonneutral course.” Isaiah 2:4 and John 15:17-19 support these descriptions. Other expressions should not be used. The same caution is to be exercised in all correspondence with the branch office or with other congregations.—Each elder should make the following notation next to the last bullet in paragraph 3 of chapter 9 in the Shep- herding textbook: “See letter dated April 9, 2012, regarding procedures when legal issues are in- volved.”" (From the 2012-04-09 letter.) We need a Body that governs the Governing Body, so we can report that they have dissasociated themselves.
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Hierarchy in a bubble
by irondork inwt doctrine can only go out to the public from the governing body.
there is no way to for the public to get information back to the governing body - at least not in a public venue.. .
their web site dispenses information only.
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Sauerkraut
What it tells me is that they don't have an interest in shepherding the flock, only in maintaining things the way they are. If you really care about what people think, what's on their minds and what they worry about, then you'll do whatever you can to give them a chance to let you know and exchange information and encouragement. But if you're not willing, you'll put up all these barriers and hide behind them. At the same time you'll give an impression of aloofness and control so one one suspects. Problem is in this age of free and ever present information that can only work so long. I see the same tendencies in Politics, you have all these people who don't understand how life has changed and is changing, how people's way of lives differ from the past, they can't keep up with things so they want to block this out mentally. I'm hoping a critical mass will be reached and these tendencies in the Society will have to be addressed and can no longer be swept under the rug.
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The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses - Explained
by cedars ini've just finished putting together a fairly exhaustive article that summarizes a number of key details about the governing body that most jehovah's witnesses are completely unaware of.
a link to the article is below:.
http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/the-governing-body-of-jehovahs-witnesses-explained.
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Sauerkraut
@ 00DAD: read about the book yesterday, it's on my list and I'll get it next month. It's sad, we believe that we've been liberated as Christians but the Watchtower Society has constructed a system that is just as focused on laws, regulations and policies as the Jewish we're supposed to leave behind. And it keeps getting worse. The weird things is: we're told to read the bible daily all the time, but only with our minds turned off. We talk about truth all the time but we don't search for it, we sit back and believe we know it all and like mocking all the "unbelievers". Oh, speaking of which, that term "unbelievers" really bothers me, usually religous fundamentalists use that. I'm aware that Paul used it, but his openess towards others makes it different, nowadays it's annoying. We're supposed to preach to unbelievers and respect them and at the same time look down upon them... Okay, gotta stop using the "we" form now. Lots of Witnesses are really good people, with good hearts. Hopefully more will wake up and see reality.
@ Cedars: PM on the way.
