my grandmother, an immigrant from austria, was.
two of my aunts, their husbands, both elders, various cousins and two of my sisters are witnesses.
so is my grand uncle.
According to Raymond Franz, in Crisis of Conscience, the then president of the Watchtower Society once even volunteered that the JWs do not care for the welfare of their rank and file members. Furthermore, he (Nathan Knorr) then went on to admit that such groups as the LDS do a much better job of that than the Witnesses.
What else is there to say?
can i call you friends, i think so after 23 years posting here.
i am dismayed how jwn is being "dominated" or taken over by a few posters, peppering the comments.
in the past, the admin did not approve of this and did remove some posters from jwn.
But the decisions ultimately were mine.
Maybe not nearly as much as you might think!
This concept of a "Free Will" is a myth which was actually generated by Christian theologians.
Humans certainly have a will - but it isn't always free. Humans do make choices, but these are by no means always independent choices. Nearly every choice depends on a lot of biological, social (including religious) and personal conditions which you cannot determine for yourself. These conditioned are determined in part by such things as ones gender, biochemistry, genetic makeup, family background and national culture.
Christian theologians would have us believe that we all have a "Free Will", but the Advertising Industry has always known otherwise!
for jws who believe that jehovah had a hand in reviving the truth in the nineteenth century this is enough explanation for how jws managed to achieve a closer approximation to early christian beliefs and practices than other groups.
but is there an explanation for this phenomenon that doesn’t rely on supernatural intervention?
new testament scholar james dunn explains the difficulty of interpreting the biblical texts in this way:.
When I first became a JW, I recall hearing a lot said about "Constatine the Great" - most of which proved to be quite inaccurate (to put things diplomatically!)
For example:
What was that about a "Clearer Understanding"?
for jws who believe that jehovah had a hand in reviving the truth in the nineteenth century this is enough explanation for how jws managed to achieve a closer approximation to early christian beliefs and practices than other groups.
but is there an explanation for this phenomenon that doesn’t rely on supernatural intervention?
new testament scholar james dunn explains the difficulty of interpreting the biblical texts in this way:.
Your appeal to Alexander Hislop’s The Two Babylons as a source for claiming that the Trinity is rooted in paganism has been thoroughly debunked by modern scholarship.
Hislop was also roundly debunked even back in his own time, which was over 160 years ago. (Not in any way surprising - Alexander Hislop was a clergyman, not an historian. He also had a rabid dislike for the Catholic church).
anybody heard of this?
a lot on social media are saying she was jw.. https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213113850013380&id=1007975796&set=p.10213113850013380.
http://leftmeltdowns.blogspot.com/2018/11/missing-teen-linda-marie-sex-trafficking.html?m=1.
Rule No.1 - Don't feed the troll.
anybody heard of this?
a lot on social media are saying she was jw.. https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213113850013380&id=1007975796&set=p.10213113850013380.
http://leftmeltdowns.blogspot.com/2018/11/missing-teen-linda-marie-sex-trafficking.html?m=1.
Bloody Hell!
She’s broken out in a fresh place.
(Or as the Australian comedian Kevin Bloody Wilson described it “That £#cking cat’s back”)
thinking back when i was a true believer these are probably the top ten reasons why i believed jws are the true religion.
1. they show love among themselves by not going to war.
not killing your fellow believers in any circumstances, including war, would seem to be a very basic requirement for true christianity.
“It’s a fantasy of the future”
Is that the same thing as a “Pie in the Sky”?
That about domes the whole JW business up.
for jws who believe that jehovah had a hand in reviving the truth in the nineteenth century this is enough explanation for how jws managed to achieve a closer approximation to early christian beliefs and practices than other groups.
but is there an explanation for this phenomenon that doesn’t rely on supernatural intervention?
new testament scholar james dunn explains the difficulty of interpreting the biblical texts in this way:.
OnTheWayOut,
You just hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head!
Thanks for bringing the discussion back on topic.
thinking back when i was a true believer these are probably the top ten reasons why i believed jws are the true religion.
1. they show love among themselves by not going to war.
not killing your fellow believers in any circumstances, including war, would seem to be a very basic requirement for true christianity.
Their founder, Russell
The various Bible Student groups would vehemently dispute that statement. According to them, CT Russell did not found the Jehovahs Witnesses. Rather, this was the work of a thug by the name of Joseph Rutherford, who had earlier seized control of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Very little of Charles Russell’s ideas are still taught by the JWs. Little wonder that the copious written works of Russell ceased publication a long, long time ago!
i've been meaning to share some recent experiences that defy the usual tropes about the 'world gone to hell' or 'people now days".. as some of you may remember i was seriously ill for a while and had to close my business and shop.
now, as it seems i have beaten it, i put up a sign again advertising that in a limited way i'm back.. what amazes me is how many times over the past 2 years customers and even competition have written and called to express their concern and best wishes.
just last week i had a personal visit of someone who i thought of as a rival, come in and shake my hand sincerely happy to see me up and around.
“the world is irredeemably bad and love and decency are things of the past”.
There is a religious group who has been spruiking that one just about forever!
