Posts by FadeToBlack

52

Billy's Comments You Won't Hear at the 01-26-2014 WT Study (Obey Jehovah's Shepherds))

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

fine.

holy spirit appointed overseers to shepherd?

6:1, 2; jude 22) are these not good reasons for being obedient to those who are taking the lead?read hebrews 13:17.. .

FadeToBlack

Billy, I think the last part of pragraph 8 could use some editing too:

As mature Christian men, they have experience in life. Further, before being appointed, they demonstrated that they had a clear understanding of the Scriptures and that they were qualified to teach what is healthful. (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9) Their maturity, balance, and Bible-based wisdom enable them to give skillful direction to the flock.

Experience in life - after living in WT cocoon? Clear understanding of the sciptures or current WT dogma? Skillful direction like - don't waste your time getting advanced worldy education. If even half of what was claimed as true about 'undersheperds' in this article was true, the KH would indeed be a spiritual paradise and a place of refuge.

21

So Who Would Win In A Fight, and Why?

by Apognophos in

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: apologies if this has been done before.. (if the link ever breaks, i'll try to post a new one in a future post, but it's a pic of the current governing body.

FadeToBlack

Are we talking 'Last man standing' or GB2 vs GB1?

29

Noah - the Movie

by Simon Morley in

went to the movie theatre over the weekend to take in jack ryan (not bad) and saw the trailer for "noah" (russell crowe and a solid cast) whats the bet the dubs will be given a rule encouraged to examine their own consciences when attending this movie.

from what i hear its fairly true to the genesis account, but hey its hollywood with cgi at their disposal.. .

my guess is they will not be allowed to go until the gb 2.0 attend a screening at loews cineplex, grab some popcorn and pop and give it their blessing..

FadeToBlack

Trailer looks pretty damn awesome. I will for sure see it some day. I am 10-20 years behind schedule for movies that I would like to see. Just curious, who is Hopkins supposed to be?

50

OMFG Dinosaurs and Noah

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

just fell off my chair whilst listening to the bible "highlights".

someone has actually just said that the flood account actually helps inform scientists on matters that perplex them.

for example for decades they have wondered how the dinosaurs all disappeared but if they looked at the account of the flood then they would see the answer.

FadeToBlack

I tend to go with the retelling of the Sumerian story with a bit of hyperbole mixed in. Hey, who doesn't like a good story? And I agree, if you just use land for 'erets' instead of earth it makes the local flood thing more likely. Not that the Sumerian myth is any more believable. But still, an interesting story. The gods were not happy with the noisy humans, so they decided to destroy them. But one of them intervened and gave the Sumerian Noah advance warning. Really interesting to read the Sumerian account.

Of course the WT would have you believe that they are both based on an earlier original account but the Hebrew version is the true version. How can there be an earlier common account if the Sumerian version was produced several centuries before the flood occured (according to the WT in 2370 BCE)?

47

How Many Remember the Mass Skating Rink Parties of the Late 70's ?

by Perry in

jw
friends

they were a hoot weren't they?.

FadeToBlack

How much immoral activity can go on at a skating rink or a picnic? So it seem the best WT advice is to stay at home and study the WT unless you are going out in service? Otherwise, you might get involved in some type of immoral activity. What about grocery shopping? Getting a haircut from some young, worldly girl? I never thought about it before, but evidently there is danger everywhere for a JW. They might give some though to starting there own monastery/convent system. But I guess that would cut into contributions...

39

My favourite JW books when I was a delusional.convert. Did you have any ?

by smiddy in

did you have any favourite books by the society when you were in ?not that this book was my fav.

yet it was the first book i read learning about jw`s.

" from paradise lost to paradise regained " i know , it was designed for the young , however my mentor thought that since i had no understaning of the bible it was what i needed.

FadeToBlack

I knew I should have kept some of those old books! Would love to take a look at Commentary on James. I don't suppose it is available online in the library at jw.org? What are the odds? I think I will have to check it out... I'm betting, not there....

58

What do you say if you get asked "Are you an Apostate?"

by KateWild in

i am reuniting with past students and return visits.. i met up with a young lad i used to call on.

he is not baptised, but at university in his 20's and living away from home.

his mother is a jw and his father is not.

FadeToBlack

In our little discussion the other day, my wife asked me this question. I told her according to the latest understanding/explanation of the word by the GB, I must be. I highlighted the fact that anyone who even thinks different ideas is now an apostate. Then I got on my soapbox and started talking about the importance of honesty. The conversation actually ended pretty well. I reassured her that I would rather have this type of honest open conversation than not. Prior to that we just avoided it like the plague. Not sure what happens next...

37

I think my fade has hit a rut. Do I need to grow a pair?

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

so here i am after about 18 months of wake up.

the first 6 months were a rollercoster of feelings as my whole belief system unravelled.

the last year has been more stable but things seem like they are just stalling now.. my wife is aware of many of my feelings although i have held back the fact that i am pretty close to denying all belief in any kind of god.

FadeToBlack

Tough position to be in especially with the children. I took the approach Besty suggested above and basically said I can't do it anymore. If you aren't honest about this, it is going to eat you alive. You will hate/loathe yourself for being intellectually dishonest. Take a long look at youself in the mirror and ask yourself if you are going to try and be brave and courageous and do the right thing or not?

I haven't been to a meeting or service in several months. Service went first, then fewer and fewer meetings.

31

Will Moses have time for you in the New World?

by bats in the belfry in

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2014 the watchtower, april 15, page 6.

FadeToBlack

Probably they will need some PR agents to act as frontmen. If you make a nice contribution , you get to see him earlier. Not sure why contributions/donations will still be needed in new system, but if we still have to have meetings, then for sure we will have contributions. Could be very competive. Would you rather be agent for Moses or Noah? Lesser skilled agents will get to handle the likes of Josiah and Zedekiah.

12

Tower of Babel and the Bible's language

by jws in

so *if* god wrote the bible (or directed people on what to write), he must have wanted people to read it and follow it.. so why did he confuse the languages at the tower of babel and then have his ot books written in only one of the languages?.

if people couldn't read it, they couldn't follow it.

if they had nothing else to follow, the people inclined to believe in higher powers would have to try to figure that out for themselves and end up with various beliefs.. so god is to blame for any false religion and worship of false gods.

FadeToBlack

@Smiddy: if Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, what writing system did he use? Egyptian hieroglyphics? Sumerian cunieform? From what I've read the Hebrew alphabet didn't come into existence until around 1000 BCE and was borrowed from their neighbors. According to the table in back of oldNWT, Moses 'wrote' Genesis in the year 1513(B.C.E). I wonder what system Yahweh used when he 'wrote' the commandments on the stone tablets....