waiting...
Excellent bulletpoints! Thanks for the assist.
Funch
this is long but i hope it is well worth the read.
for those of you who are still active as jws (be it due to your own will or because you are trapped), please consider the october 15, 2003 wt entitled, 'how can i make wise decisions?
consider these points that come straight from the 'faithful & discrete' mouth:
waiting...
Excellent bulletpoints! Thanks for the assist.
Funch
this is long but i hope it is well worth the read.
for those of you who are still active as jws (be it due to your own will or because you are trapped), please consider the october 15, 2003 wt entitled, 'how can i make wise decisions?
consider these points that come straight from the 'faithful & discrete' mouth:
This is long but I hope it is well worth the read.
For those of you who are still active as JWs (be it due to your own will or because you are trapped), please consider the October 15, 2003 WT entitled, 'How Can I Make Wise Decisions?'.
Consider these points that come straight from the 'faithful & discrete' mouth:
First, they quote Napoleon Bonaparte: "Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious than to be able to decide." Then, the WT says:
You may agree on both counts, since people generally treasure being in control of their own lives.
If the WTS trully believes their OWN words, then there is nothing wrong with taking control of your OWN life. In other words, perhaps now is the time for you to determine WHO is really controlling your life: Is it you? Or, is the the 'faithful and discrete' slave?
Next, the article says:
In matters of major importance, it is vital to make wise decisions, since happiness is largely dependent on our doing so. Some people may feel that they are quite capable of making such decisions and may reject help when it is offered. Is that wise? Let us see.
What is more vital than to be in control of our own lives? As the article states, happiness depends on OUR making wise decisions. SO, I wonder why the article is beginning to hint that we will need OTHER peoples' input in order to make wise decisions. Hmm...
The next article is entitled, 'How Can You Make Wise Decisions?' First, it quotes Solomon: "A wise person will listen and take in more instruction," Then, the article states:
Most of us have at times made unwise decisions simply because we neglected to listen to the advice of others.
Continuing, the article says that Solomon and others wrote 3,000 proverbs. The article asks, "Can we benefit from knowing and heeding his wise sayings?" The WT reasons that, YES, we can benefit because they help us to "know wisdom and discipline..."
If you are in the "truth" but you have your doubts or if you are 'on the fence', why not try to follow the advice that the article next gives:
It may be helpful to put down on paper what the short-term and the long-term consequences will be.
Personally, I feel that the short-term consequences of becoming a JW is that you give up some good, non-JW friends and you stop celebrating the holidays. The long-term consequences are shunning relatives and also not giving anything back to the community. I'm sure everyone has their own opinions and experiences regarding the consequences.
The short-term results of choosing a certain job may be good pay and enjoyable work. But could the long-term consequences include having a job without a real future? Might it eventually require that you move elsewhere, perhaps away from friends or family? Might it subject you to an unhealthy environment or be so uniniteresting as to leave you profoundly frustrated? Weigh the pros and cons, and then decide what should have priority.
Please substitute the word 'RELIGION' for the word 'job'. Then, think ESPECIALLY about the JW religion. Might being a JW require that you move elsewhere (to serve where the need is great or to join the circuit work), away from friends or family? Might it subject you to an unhealthy environment (like, serving in disease-ridden area of Africa or in a congregation where a molestor dwells or in a religion that doesnt allow you to express your personal view or seek professional help) or be so uninteresting (the meetings, conventions, and assemblies) as to leave you profoundly frustrated (see the everyday life of a typical married JW).
The article goes on by saying something that ultimately takes the WTS off of the hook when it comes to decisions about taking a blood transfusion or going out in field service or shunning a loved one:
Of course, when seeking counsel and learning from the experience of others, we ought to do so in FULL RECOGINTION and also BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY for doing so.
There you have it. The choice is YOURS. Which road will you decide on which to travel?
PS...The article went on to talk about how we need to make the wisest decision by studying with JWs and getting baptized. Believe me, there is a lot of pressure being put on the reader to get baptized. Phrases like "don't delay", "action is required", "what prevents you from getting baptized?" and "decide to study God's Word."
And I thought the decision was ours.
.
in case anyone would like to know, dim and dim's wife's baby girl was born today.. i have pictures.
hehehehe.
Jason and Michalena....
Congratulations and warm wishes.
Brian
some highlights...
' there are two photos: 1) a silhouette of a soldier laying flat on his stomach pointing an automatic weapon and 2) a colorless photo of at least 17 children pressed up against barbed-wire in (i assume) a nazi concentration camp.
this cover would lead a person to conclude that god really does not care.
Latin assassin asks:
Would a JW tell one of these victims that they survived by chance, and not by God's hand?
They wouldn't say ANYTHING. They would react something like this: "Oh. WOW! Okay." Then, the JWs would start talking about something else.
Latin ass (LOL!) also asks:
If a JW were to knock on the door of a 9/11 widow or orphan, and he/she asked if they would see their loved one again - what would a JW say?
The Dubby would say YES. However, they wouldn't admit that you'd have to be a JW. They would point to the usual resurrection scriptures and offer a Free Home Bible Study (TM).
some highlights...
' there are two photos: 1) a silhouette of a soldier laying flat on his stomach pointing an automatic weapon and 2) a colorless photo of at least 17 children pressed up against barbed-wire in (i assume) a nazi concentration camp.
this cover would lead a person to conclude that god really does not care.
Thanks, detective!
and
LOL@ robhic
some highlights...
' there are two photos: 1) a silhouette of a soldier laying flat on his stomach pointing an automatic weapon and 2) a colorless photo of at least 17 children pressed up against barbed-wire in (i assume) a nazi concentration camp.
this cover would lead a person to conclude that god really does not care.
Hey, Sis!
How did you guess the correct answer???
some highlights...
' there are two photos: 1) a silhouette of a soldier laying flat on his stomach pointing an automatic weapon and 2) a colorless photo of at least 17 children pressed up against barbed-wire in (i assume) a nazi concentration camp.
this cover would lead a person to conclude that god really does not care.
Some Highlights...
On the cover, the title is 'Does God Really Care?' There are two photos: 1) A silhouette of a soldier laying flat on his stomach pointing an automatic weapon and 2) A colorless photo of at least 17 children pressed up against barbed-wire in (I assume) a Nazi concentration camp.
This cover would lead a person to conclude that God really does NOT care. (Note: a cover depicting war and the abuse/mistreatment of children at least made me feel that God doesn't really care). This tactic is a good way to stir up someones emotions and to cause one to read the article. But, will there really be a definitive answer in this magazine? Let us see.
'Many Questions, Few Satisfying Answers' is the first article. It talks about an earthquake in 1755 in the city of Libson and a French writer wrote that the earthquake was the result of divine retribution. Then the WT article mentions the Job story and says "many wonder how a good and loving God can seemingly remain passive in the face of so much suffering and injustice." Then, the WT quotes an athiest:
Nothing can excuse God for allowing the suffering of a child, ... unless, of course, he does not exist.
Next, the WT talks about the Holocaust and World War II. Then, it tries to make the Catholics seem like they don't have any answers, as though they don't have faith in God:
According to a 1997 survey conducted in France, a predominantly Catholic country, some 40 percent of the people doubt the existence of God because of genocides, such as the one that took place in Rwanda in 1994.
and
Why does God not prevent bad things from happening? One Catholic chronicler contends that this question is "a serious obstacle of faith" for many. He asks: "Indeed, is it possible to believe in a God who stands by helplessly while millions of innocent people die and whole populations in the world are massacred and who does nothing to prevent it?"
and
An editorial in the Catholic newspaper La Croix likewise comments: "Whether it be tragedies from history, technological dramas, natural disasters, organized crimes, or the death of a loved one, in each case, horrified eyes look up to the sky. Where is God? They demand an answer. Is he not the Great Indifferent One, the Great Absent One?"
and
Pope John-Paul II dealt with this issue in his 1984 apostolic letter Salvifici Doloris. He wrote: "Whereas the existenceof the world opens the eyes, as it were, of the human soul to the existence of God, to his wisdom, power and greatness, evil and suffering seem to obscure this image, sometimes in a radical way, especially in the daily drama of so many cases of undeserved suffering and so many faults without proper punishment."
Sounds as if the WTS is trying hard to plant seeds of doubt into the Catholics in order to reap them into the JW religion.
Next, under the heading, 'Divine Intervention - WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?', the WT article talks about how God healed a terminally ill King Hezekiah of Judah. The bible shows how the king prayed to God to be healed. God then added 15 years to his life. Usually, God won't grant such requests but since God promised that the Messiah would be born in David's line, he yielded this time. Why? Because Hezekiah didn't have a son yet. (Funchback question: What if Hezekiah said, "To hell with it. I lived a good life and I'm ready to die." Would God have granted him the extra years of life? This makes NO sense. Since it was already predetermined that Hezekiah would have to have a son, why did he even pray to be healed? God would have done it anyway, right?)
The article then cites examples of others who God "intervened" (Moses' deliverance of Israel from slavery, Saul on the road to Damascus, Daniel from the lion's pit, and the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace) and others who God let die (James being killed, Zechariah getting stoned, the massacre of innocents by Herod, and the persecution against Christinas by Roman Emperor Nero).
The WT article then says conclusively that TODAY God is certainly able to deliver his SERVANTS from dangerous situations, and those who feel that they have benefited from his protection ARE NOT TO BE CRITICIZED.
However, it is difficult to say conclusively whether God did or did not intervene in such cases.
Funchback question: What about those who AREN'T JWs? If they claim that they were delivered by God from a dangerous situation are THEY exempt from JW criticism?
Moving on, the article cites exapmles of JWs who survived a tragedy and JWs who didn't. The answer? "Time and unforseen occurence."
Next, totally contradicting their own statement that those who claim divine interventionshould not be criticized, they say this:
Finally, God helps his servants today, NOT by delivering them miraculously, but by giving them his holy spirit and "the power beyond what is normal" to COPE with whatever situation they may face.
So, after all is said and done, God DOES intervene BUT sometimes He doesn't. People (only JWs) have been rescued by God in modern times BUT they also haven't. My conclusion? Luck and being at the right place at the right time (or at the right place at the WRONG time). The solution by this WT article? Take a guess. Is it...
A) "Continue to read God's word daily and pray incessantly. With God's holy spirit, you can learn how God will comfort you and how, in the near future, the years of your life will be extended to time indefinite."
B) "God's word, the bible, is beneficial for mankind, not only for today, but for the future as well. It teaches us how to live and can protect us from many of the perils that we face each day. By reading His word and meditating on it on a daily basis, will give us hope and deliver us from this wicked system of things."
or
C) "Regularly reading this magazine will help you to understand what God has done, is doing, and will yet do that can bring you happiness now and a solid hope for the future."
hi guys!
i've been trying to keep up with all of your lives, but i've been so busy lately.
i just wanted to share my good news .i'm sure most of you have been married for a lot more than 5 years, so it might not be that big of a deal for you...but read on.. i wanted to hold out some hope for non-jws who are married to a jw (whether active or passive.
Congratulations, Lisa!
Also, thanks for the wise words.
PS...Let me know if you ever decide to get a divorce!
is any one else getting pissed of at subway lately?
with their latest tv ad that stereotypes artists, anbd their wanna be r&b radio commercial, im tempted to blow all of them up!
i cant stand stereotypes, and the artist one hits clsoe to home for me.
Funchback here.
Forget about Subway.
I'm from Philly where REAL "subs" HOAGIES are made.
Philly...home of the best hoagies, cheesesteaks and soft pretzels.
don't know if this was posted or not but after reading this story the moral is that we should always have a chaperone with us wherever we go!
http://www.trib.com/ap/wire_detail.php?wire_num=176272 and.
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,drmn_15_2226589,00.html.
heathen said:
"It sounds to me like a couple of sex crazed people trying to avoid suspicion at the local cong .and fabricating a story."
MY thoughts EXACTLY!