Posts by searcher

49

WT Comments (1/21 ARE YOU READY?) FEATURING NOSFERATU

by V in

searcher

Q15) What should be done if there are strained relations between you and a fellow believer?
15) Suppose that strained relations exist between you and a certain fellow believer . In that case, make every effort to repair the breach , thus promoting the peace and unity of the congregation. (Psalm 133:1-3) Apply the counsel of Jesus as recorded at Matthew 5:23, 24 or Matthew 18:15-17 . If you have been letting the sun set while you are still in a provoked state, be quick to correct matters. Often all that is needed is a willingness to forgive. Paul wrote: "Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you."- Ephesians 4:25, 26, 32.

Meaning,

DO NOT SUE THE WTBTS.

15

Wow, it was 586 BCE!

by Bryan in

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/satellite?cid=1200475897717&pagename=jpost%2fjparticle%2fshowfull.

a stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the first temple and then returned to jerusalem after being exiled to babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in jerusalem's city of david, a prominent israeli archeologist said wednesday.

the 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the name "temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside the old city walls near the dung gate, said archeologist dr. eilat mazar, who is leading the dig.

searcher

What is wrong with a king-based calendar? Like... We are living in the 8th year of King G.W. Bush :)

Try checking.

Basing the length of time America has been a country in its own right, just using presidents as a mesure seems a good idea, knowing that a Presidential term is 4 years and knowing the names of Presidents who have served..........right up until you find that not all Presidents served 4 year terms.

And this is based on a fixed term of office, ancient kings served for life, or until deposed, a much murkier record.

11

Passive-aggressive...Is it to be avoided?

by onacruse in

hs, in view of a recent post you made, and also (much more importantly) because i want to continue to learn about myself, i would appreciate your (and, of course, anyone else's) observations about the following (bolds added):.

dear cecil:.

i hear this term used frequently, usually with reference to a coworker, child, parent, etc, who is being a pain in the ass.

searcher

Passive-aggressive....ah yes, another one of those modern psychology buzz phrases.

It seems it is now entirely possible to label almost any form of human behaviour with a psychological term, all very well if a person wants to spend all their time analysing and labeling themselves (or others).

It is a good thing to look inward at ourselves at times, if we can honestly see ourselves then we see what others see and can understand (mostly) their reactions to us, but it is not a good thing to concentrate on the internal too much, that way almost garantees that we walk straight into the next light pole in our path.

Labels? I have a label for myself................Steve...........its my name and its me, its all I can be.

64

I Have a Commercial Janitorial Service - And Proud of It !

by flipper in

jw
friends

i hope well.

this is a subject i've been wanting to approach for awhile as i've noticed on the board at times there have been wisecracks about janitors who were jehovah's witnesses .

now , hey, i'm real, have a good sense of humor, and can take a joke like anyone, be the brunt of a good joke, hell, i laugh at myself when i work alone at nights- just to keep entertained !

searcher

SEARCHER- I agree with you. But not just " janitors " haven't had training to counsel others. Also, construction workers, roofers, gardeners, real estate agents, insurance agents, office workers. They too, would not be qualified to be good counselors without proper training as well.

Exactly so, this is my big problem with the JW’s, apart fro the Paedophile thing.

Untrained people giving life advice to persons with problems.

It even comes into the paedophile problem, a trained councillor would KNOW that councillors HAVE to report when a person comes to them and says “I have been abused”……..even in non-reporting states, the non –reporting is for a CONFESSION.

38

With every breath that I took, I wanted the JWs to be right...

by cognac in

jw
friends

i wish i could not think its so wrong when everyone i know and love thinks its so right.. i'm so mad... i wish i could run to my husband and tell him how angry i am.

tell him and my family that i don't ever want to go near a kh again.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

searcher

conac,

While I was never a JW (or anything else) I do have a very large family on both sides, I felt ‘uncomfortable’ with most of them for some reason.

So I sat back a while and observed them as if they were strangers I had just met for the first time and asked myself “would you really want this person as a friend?”.

Observing them this way gave me the opportunity to asses them as PEOPLE, not with any ‘family loyalty’ emotion.

It worked, I found that what was making me uncomfortable was the fact that, at base, they were not very nice people and I wouldn’t really want them in my life.

This made it easier for me to step back from most of them and life got much easier for me.

Maybe a similar strategy would work for you with your JW family and friends?

BTW, all this happened when I was 11 years old, I have never felt so free as after I made my decision.

64

I Have a Commercial Janitorial Service - And Proud of It !

by flipper in

jw
friends

i hope well.

this is a subject i've been wanting to approach for awhile as i've noticed on the board at times there have been wisecracks about janitors who were jehovah's witnesses .

now , hey, i'm real, have a good sense of humor, and can take a joke like anyone, be the brunt of a good joke, hell, i laugh at myself when i work alone at nights- just to keep entertained !

searcher

loosie wrote

I think what people are saying is that when elders who are janitors take on the role of marriage counseler or judge, its harmfull to the person being counseled. The people who are priests, pastors or counselers have had training to do that. Elders normally haven't that training.

That is how I have always taken the 'janitor' reference.

18

Watching my 4 year old JW nephew today.....

by whyamihere in

jw
friends

i have come to realize and thank whomever(maybe god...lol) for not raising my children into such a cult.. i'm sorry, he is a horrible, rotten brat from the dark pits of hell!

annoyingly screams all the time, his usual punishment is spanking(or beat as my sister calls it) - i avoid this because, 1) it's not my child.

2) spanking isn't the answer.

searcher

but I am thankful that he'll always have me. If he ever leaves the cult, or gets kicked out for not living up to God's standards, he'll have me - anytime.

True love.

13

Blood Transfusions - Eating blood???

by Aphrodite in

i don't understand how the wt links blood transfusion and eating blood?

http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/article_01.htm from their website, it is obvious that they can gain the conclusion from the bible that eating blood is wrong.. but from leviticus 17:1-16 10as for any man of the house of israel or some alien resident who is residing as an alien in your midst who eats any sort of blood, i shall certainly set my face against the soul that is eating the blood, and i shall indeed cut him off from among his people.11for the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and i myself have put it upon the altar for you to make atonement for your souls, because it is the blood that makes atonement by the soul [in it].12that is why i have said to the sons of israel: no soul of you must eat blood and no alien resident who is residing as an alien in your midst should eat blood.. i don't see how they can turn around and say that blood should not be used for its propper use which is to flow through your veins and sustain your life.

it even says: "for the life of the flesh is in the blood.

searcher

If having a blood transfusion is eating blood then smoking a cigarette is eating the tobacco plant.

The bible gives permission to eat plants.

24

Is it official policy that elders MUST advise the parent to report abuse?

by Must obey! in

notwithstanding the plain fact that the watchtower's heinous "two witness" rule is obviously flawed (scripturally and in terms of natural justice), it seems to me that as long as the elders are advising the parent/caregiver to go to the authorities in every case where an accusation of child abuse has occurred that this is sufficient for the elders to discharge their legal duty, shouldn't it?.

i have heard rumours that this is in fact the official current policy (since when i don't know) of the society: that they tell the elders to advise the parent/caregiver to inform the authorities of alleged child abuse.

but how firm is this policy?

searcher

What many miss seeing is that in non - reporting states, it is Priest/Minister - Penitent information that need not be reported.

Which means that, if someone approaches an Elder and says "I have abused a child" then the Elder need not report because he has been approached in his capacity as a Priest/Minister.(I have abused... is a confession)

HOWEVER

If someone approaches an Elder and says "I have been abused" then the Elder has been approached in his capacity as a COUNCELOR, and councilors HAVE to report, (I have been abused is NOT A CONFESSION, it is a plea for help).

32

Without using the Bible.........

by searcher in

.

.......prove that the bible is true.. .

searcher

I have no problem with the thought that there may be a creator, after all, if a creator cannot be proven to exist then he/she or it equally cannot be proven to not exist.

My problem is with the creators believers, many (most) of whom seem to have a mission to compel others to believe, and would kill or torture to acheive that, if given the power, this has been proven by history.

All based on a book that cannot be proven to be true.