Posts by john.prestor

19

Unbelievable

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

just received this on a very excited note from someone who is pimi.this is how some people start their year 2019.. very happy to say that the year 2019 marks for us 100 years out of darkness from babylon the great!.

additionally, it marks the 105th year of christ's rule in heaven (1914 a.d.), 2,021st year since jesus was born on earth (2 b.c.e.

), 4,391st year since the deluge (2370 b.c.e.

john.prestor

Nathan Natas, seriously man, keep telling it like it is. That's bold.

19

Unbelievable

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

just received this on a very excited note from someone who is pimi.this is how some people start their year 2019.. very happy to say that the year 2019 marks for us 100 years out of darkness from babylon the great!.

additionally, it marks the 105th year of christ's rule in heaven (1914 a.d.), 2,021st year since jesus was born on earth (2 b.c.e.

), 4,391st year since the deluge (2370 b.c.e.

john.prestor

How sad, that that's how this person measures their life: some corporation telling them things happened invisibly somewhere in the sky, and printed "them" (8,000,000 people) some Bible in grey monochrome... and ain't that color scheme just so ironically fitting.

13

Current Faithful Slave

by Vanderhoven7 in

does anyone have a photo of the current faithful slave...or a doctored pic that includes ken cook jr. replacing brother pierce?.

.

john.prestor

Look at those smug, knowing, condescending eyes on Mark Sanderson, Geoffrey Jackson, Gerritt Losch, Samuel Herd, and David Splane. Just look into their eyes. I'll lay it on the line: they know what they are.

12

More Developments In Australia

by jonahstourguide in

some results of the royal commission in australia.

catholic church ellis defence scrapped in 'momentous day' for abuse survivorsby michelle brownposted about 2 hours ago john ellis speaks to the media outside the nsw supreme court.photo: john ellis, a former lawyer, tried to sue the catholic church for negligence (aap: paul miller)related story: nsw child abuse survivors to be allowed to sue churchesafter an 11-year battle, survivors of institutional child abuse locked out of suing for compensation will be able to launch civil claims from today.key points:the ellis defence prevented abuse survivors from suing unincorporated organisations including churches and other institutionsthe move to scrap it came after recommendations from the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.from today, an institution must nominate a defendant with sufficient assets to pay a survivor's claim.the so-called "ellis defence", which prevented abuse survivors from suing unincorporated organisations including churches and other institutions, is today abolished after the nsw government removed a legal road block.the move came after recommendations from the royal commission into institutional child sex abuse.john ellis, whose failed court of appeal case against the catholic church in 2007 gave rise to the defence, has praised the government's action.

"it's fantastic news," he told the abc.

john.prestor

Finally. That's all I have to say, finally. It's time to make these people pay, literally, for their crimes.

The commercialism of early Christianity and Jehovah's Witnesses

by john.prestor in

i'm noticing something that scares me but also... interests me.

here's what i found.. many, not all, but many early christians believed they would enjoy paradise on this earth, like jehovah's witnesses talk about today.

in the (lost, so conveniently) writings of the church father papias who lived in late 1st and early 2nd century turkey he records traditions he heard from people who knew "elders," early church leaders about the eschaton, that's the term they used, the eschaton, paradise, the world to come in and on this earth, in the body, of the body.

john.prestor

I'm noticing something that scares me but also... interests me. Here's what I found.

Many, not all, but many early Christians believed they would enjoy paradise on this earth, like Jehovah's Witnesses talk about today. In the (lost, so conveniently) writings of the church father Papias who lived in late 1st and early 2nd century Turkey he records traditions he heard from people who knew "elders," early church leaders about the eschaton, that's the term they used, the eschaton, paradise, the world to come in and on this earth, in the body, of the body. Papias said that these elders said that Jesus used to say, The day will come when every vine will grow a thousand clusters and things like it, the wheat would multiply, the animals would do what we wanted them to do, a lot of people herded back then for a living, that kind of thing appealed to people where they were, in the living they made. As much wine and wheat as they wanted, that's what John the Elder and some other elder named Aristion we know next to nothing about promised people. Not every Christian group thought like that, believed like that, but many early Chrsitian elders preached this kind of thing to their communities. That's why in 2 Peter and in other early Christian texts the authors make remarks about people saying, When is the kingdom coming, you promised us a kingdom, when is it coming? And then the writers always give some nonsense explanation like A day with the Lord is a thousand years, it's all nonsense, that's all it is. It's nonsense. Empty promises and empty lies, the kingdom never came, they promised a kingdom, what kingdom? Where is it?

It's the same thing today with Jehovah's Witnesses. Their leaders promise them a kingdom. They say do what we want, live your life how we want you to live your life, be who we want you to be, fuck how we want you to fuck (or not fuck), go where we want you to go say what we want you to say so on and so forth and if, if, and only if you do what we want, you'll get paradise, because we got the keys to paradise, do what we tell you and we'll let you in, you'll own mansions in the mountains and your own vineyards with fields and sculptured patios and waterfalls, you'll travel internationally, you'll enjoy free time and leisure and relaxation like you've never known in this life, it's in the old magazines and literature from the 1980s, that Revelation book they no longer print, and they still print it today, they pay people to draw their promises and they print it in their literature, it's in Listen to God and Live Forever, it's in the Bible Teach book, it's everywhere. They make those promises, Russell, Rutherford, Knorr, Fred Franz, the Governing Body, all of them, they make these empty promises to people and they never come true and they just pretend they didn't say those things, it's so cold and clinical and vile. It's naked commercialism. How can they stand up there on that stage and confidently tell an audience that Armageddon is right around the corner, how long can they say it before people stop believing it? But they keep saying it and they keep printing it and people keep believing it.

So here's the question: how long can they do it?

Here's the answer: this is the history of Christianity. This is where it came from, the same naked lies, generation unto generation, maybe it didn't start that way, maybe there was a Jesus figure I don't know but these elders hijacked his message fast if there was and they packaged it and sold it to people to get them to do what they wanted, to feed them and clothe them and respect them.

We won't let them get away with it any more. That's what we're doing on this forum, we're not letting them get away with it anymore. We're staying strong, together, united, exposing them for what they are. We are strong together. We are so strong. We make each other strong.

This is to the New Year, to 2019. This is to me, this is to us. Don't give them another second of your time, don't waste another minute on people who will drop you like a hot potato the moment you live your life for you. Those people aren't your friends, they're not my friends either, I'm not a Jehovah's Witness but I've had people in my life like that, I dropped them. I'm done with that. Anybody out there, any PIMOs, get out while you can. Get out now while you have so much of life ahead of you, however long that is, a year, a decade, it doesn't matter. Get out and live this life for you.

Here's to me. Here's to us. Here's to the future. Cheers.

18

I told my parents I no longer believe any teachings of JWs

by Fognomore in

since my last post i have spoke with my parents and told them i am no longer a believer.

i told them i just can't anymore.

here is my short story.

john.prestor

Nathan Natas, I couldn't agree more. You're incredibly strong to leave a faith that puts up so many roadblocks between you and the world beyond, the world they're always condemning and attacking. You'll discover the world isn't really the scary place they said it is. It's... really nice in fact. It holds a lot of opportunities, a lot of struggles too, but a lot of opportunities for growth and discovery and adventure and connection with others.

You're taking the first step to getting what you really want in life. To being who you really want to be. You're breaking a cycle repeated for over a century or more, three generations, that's decades upon decades of time. I also broke a cycle like that, I was the third generation in my family raised in a fundamentalist Baptist church. It was so hard breaking away from that, and it's taken years even after I left the faith to fully heal from what they did to me in that church, but I can't tell you how happy I am today that I left, that I broke that cycle, my life is so much better than it used to be, so much better. You can do this. You're so strong. Don't ever give up until you're living your own life for yourself and whoever else you choose on your own terms.

How did your parents take it, by the way? Did they react worse, better, or about like you expected? I want to tell you too like Nathan Natas said you have every right to be angry at the people who misled you and misled your family. I'm furious, absolutely furious, at the pastor of the church I went to as a kid who threatened us with hell every Sunday, I am so angry at him for traumatizing me as a child like that, for shaming me and frightening me. Do whatever you need to do to accept and experience and eventually, not today, not tomorrow, but on your own time table, get rid of that anger so you can live in the moment and enjoy every second you're alive.

2

Active JW's - Some Bible direction for you in 2019......

by The Fall Guy in

....if you seriously sin.. w85 12/1 p. 7 - "the intercession of a human......at any stage of “justification” has no foundation in the bible....the way in which a human can be granted a righteous standing before god.

the org & elders denounce what jesus said at matthew 18:15-17 - that a sin should dealt with by the repentant sinner and witness alone.. ask yourself why you are compelled to obey the anti-scriptural "confessional" process which the wtbts has invented, through which you must seek the forgiveness of three elders.

which scripture tells you that they can decide if you're repentant enough, and why would you want to collaborate in such a dehumanizing and vicious ritual?.

john.prestor

Waton, that's lovely. Seriously.

11

Another silly Bible story...brought to you by the ''old and tired Moses''

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

exodus 17:8-16 new international version (niv)the amalekites defeated8 the amalekites came and attacked the israelites at rephidim.

9 moses said to joshua, “choose some of our men and go out to fight the amalekites.

tomorrow i will stand on top of the hill with the staff of god in my hands.”10 so joshua fought the amalekites as moses had ordered, and moses, aaron and hur went to the top of the hill.

john.prestor

The story smacks of magic, earlier in Exodus Moses performs magic tricks in pharaoh's {which pharaoh's?) court, his magicians throw down their staffs and they turn into snakes and then Moses throws down his staff and it turns into a snake which eats the other snakes. So this isn't the first time Moses' magic wand ("the staff of God") appears or commands magic powers. The whole thing is very... old, very archaic religious thinking that doesn't make much sense to us now.

14

The Society even admitted they had a problem with their pedophile leaders.

by new boy in

jw
friends

oh, yes, the society even admitted they had a problem with their leaders.

a january 1, 1986 watch tower article (p. 13) stated: “shocking as it is, some who have been prominent in jehovah’s organization have succumbed to homosexuality and child molesting.” .

in the watchtower article, they didn’t disclose the rest.

john.prestor

I think it was Greenless who was suspected of pedophilia and demoted quietly Finkelstein, and then a different GB member, an Edward Chitty, who was gay and got demoted for that in the late 70s I want to say, right around the time Ray Franz got chased out.

26

Was disfellowshipping really sanctioned by God? Please share your honest views according to your Bible views

by Strugglingrsa in

what were the writers of the bible telling christians when they wrote : “stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man.” (1 corinthians 5:11) regarding everyone who “does not remain in the teaching of the christ,” we read: “do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.

for the one who says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.” (2 john 9-11.

john.prestor

Strugglingrsa, I think your interpretation of the verses is valid, Paul and "[John] the Elder" are certainly warning Christians about those who may present a threat to them, take extortioners for instance, you probably don't want to be around people like that like snugglebunny said. This was a common problem in the early church (early Christians were pretty gullible, no surprise there), the Didache, a late 1st to early 2nd century kinda instruction manual for (maybe) Syrian churches, warns about "prophets" who would show up, prophecy "in the spirit" that people should feed them or clothe them or give them money, and then leave; they were charlatans in other words who preyed on people's good intentions and took advantage of them.

Paul and "[John] the Elder" had specific circumstances in mind, contemporary to the time they were writing. Neither one had any idea a religious group called Jehovah's Witnesses nearly two millennia later would be using their writings as justification for carte blanche shunning ex-members or those who question the Governing Body.