Rivergang

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Posts by Rivergang

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  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

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  Rivergang

  When it is all said and done, for most people in this part of the world, Christmas is just another excuse to get on the booze.

  ie. Engage in practices which predate Christianity by a long shot.
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  19

  Holy barbasol Batman! Beards are now allowed!

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  latest gb update.

  only took them 20 years to see beards are acceptable in society.

  .

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  Rivergang

  Talk about man-made rules.

  Even in countries such as Papua New Guinea, in which beards are completely acceptable, the JWs maintained this prohibition.
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  32

  Life in a spiritual (UN)-paradise

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a long, long time ago, when i was young, i became a 'special' pioneer.

  it meant that i had to spend 150 hours a month, and i received a small allowance.

  i was then assigned to a small country congregation, in western nsw (australia).

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  Rivergang

  It wasn’t the JWs who invented the idea of a “spiritual paradise” (if not it’s actual wording). Some of the more austere of the “mainstream” churches are quick to cite the “spiritual” benefits - particularly when the material (and other) “blessings” become rather scarce!(This matter is well described by the New Zealand author John A Lee, in his autobiography Children of the Poor. In the southern city of Dunedin, which was established by puritanical Scottish settlers, the Presbyterian Church provided at best miserly material aid to the poor. However, they were always quick to emphasise the “spiritual” benefits that their church provided.)
  
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  32

  Life in a spiritual (UN)-paradise

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a long, long time ago, when i was young, i became a 'special' pioneer.

  it meant that i had to spend 150 hours a month, and i received a small allowance.

  i was then assigned to a small country congregation, in western nsw (australia).

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  Rivergang

  Hey! J, is your mate M. still %&#king the XXXX girl???

  And back in the day, I used to actually believe that "Our church don't do that sort of thing" - and that it was only hypocrites such as Catholic priests who got up to those sorts of capers.

  (Bloody hell, little did I know!)

  
  
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  45

  How Do Jehovah's Witnesses View Education?

  by southyukon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a question about this article.. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jw-education-school/.

  higher education can lead to moral and spiritual dangers.

  a bible proverb says: "the shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself.

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  Rivergang

  Notformer:

  Yeah - nothing like expecting to be able to have it both ways!
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  45

  How Do Jehovah's Witnesses View Education?

  by southyukon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a question about this article.. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jw-education-school/.

  higher education can lead to moral and spiritual dangers.

  a bible proverb says: "the shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself.

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  Rivergang

  Jehovah's Witnesses feel that the environment in some universities or similar centers of higher learning can pose moral and spiritual dangers.

  While remaining oblivious to the fact that - in this manner, at least - the workplace can be just as hazardous!
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  23

  JW Restrictions on Children

  by NotFormer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  issues raised in this thread:.

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6496820625145856/non-jw-parent-dating-jw-who-wants-children.

  i'm trying to list all the things jw children are not allowed to do, or are discouraged from doing.

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  Rivergang

  It would be perhaps easier to list the things which JW kids are permitted to - a list which would be very brief in size.

  • Meetings, meetings and more bloody meetings.
  • Preparation for the same said meetings
  • "Bible Study"
  • Field circus service.
  • The very minimum amount of education which is required by law.
  • AND...... as highlight of the year, attend the assemblies!

  Little wonder the JWs manage to retain only one third of their young people!
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  124

  JWLITE

  by Teddnzo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  even elders can be part of the new jw lite brigade these days.

  they don’t need to go on door to door anymore and there is no requirement for anything really.. taking meeting parts is all dead easy you could turn up on the day with zero preparation because it’s all in the meeting workbook.. quarterly elders meetings are just old men having a good old natter just like old men do down the pub.. congregations could be likened to pubs or bars these days just without the drinks, those come at other times.. no need for territory maps, these almost went away with covid letter writing now they are extremely slow getting finished as those who still go door to door only do ten mins.. you could even voice your questions these days about things the gb say and then just say “we can’t be dogmatic we just don’t know”.

  i predict they will say this about 1914 soon..

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  Rivergang

  Maybe a little off-topic, but it is noticeable that those who have kept with the JW religion seem to share a common characteristic:

  i.e. They pay lip-service to every utterance issued by the GB (and prior to that, “The Society”), but in practice, quietly ignore the more extreme demands of their religion. In that way, they are little different from the so-called “Mainstream Churches”. (This certainly applies to the members of my family who have remained with the JWs).
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  14

  Blasts at assembly in India

  by InquiryMan in

  1. social
  2. current

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/29/explosion-hits-jehovahs-witnesses-prayer-meeting-in-indias-kerala.

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  Rivergang

  From an Indian work colleague (of the Christian pursuasion), India is rapidly becoming a Hindu state.
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  27

  TODAY is my 56th anniversary of GOING TO PRISON as a Jehovah's Witness Conscientious Objector

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what happened to jehovah’s witness young men and why did it happen?______in the 1960s men of draft age were called upon to either serve in the military (during the vietnam war) or to comply with the alternate service option: serving in a hospital or community in need.. non-jehovah’s witnesses were faced with only one refusal: military service.jw boys and young men were instructed (in private) to refuse the alternate civilian service as well.

  the superior authorities had made this exemption for people of conscience.the law was clear on this.

  if we worked in a hospital community we would be free to go about our witnessing ministry - if we double-refused: we would languish in prison.a no-brainer to them.

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  Rivergang

  The only thing he got from Ali was an old clock.

  Very considerate of the boxer, Muhammad Ali. I would have thought an empty whiskey bottle more appropriate!