jp1692

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Posts by jp1692

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  27

  Baptism during Covid - pool must tough the ground?

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the july 2020 announcements mentions that baptism can be held in an “inflatable pool” as long as it touches the ground.

  the pool must not be “on a terrace, flat roof, balcony, etc.”.

  has anyone ever noticed that as a requirement?.

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  jp1692

  RE BAPTISMS:
  

  I thought it was odd that, although they can "use an inflatable pool [for baptisms] . . . it should be installed on a surface that is in direct contact with the ground. It should not be installed on a terrace, flat roof, balcony, etc."

  For several years in the late '90s, I was in charge of the baptism pools at circuit assemblies. We used a portable spa which was on the ground, but I never heard that IT HAD TO BE on the ground. Anyone else heard of this unusual rule before?
  

  The pharisees would be so proud of the WTBTS for making up so many bullshit little rules and regulations - (Matthew 23:23-24).
  

  On a funny note, one time we tried to baptize a man that was about 6'5" tall (1.96m). To say he was a "big boy" was an understatement. The spa we used was only about 4' in diameter (1.25m), which was not a problem for most people. However, it was really difficult to get this huge man fully submerged. Every time the "brothers" tried, he'd have a knee or a shoulder pop up. And, as you may or may not know, according to "revealed JW wisdom" per the WTBTS, it doesn't count unless the individual is fully submerged.
  

  So, after about four or five unsuccessful attempts, the individuals doing the baptism had to get out of the spa, and with the assistance of a couple of others on every corner of the little pool they were finally able to get him fully dunked with no bits or pieces popping out!

  Let's review: It's a cult!
• 
  45

  Since We Are In 2020 What Do You Miss?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i miss listening and dancing to live music on a weekend night.. i miss going into a crowded mall store to window shop.. i miss going out into public and not having to wear a mask.. i miss seeing people freely mingle on a busy street or sidewalk.. what a difference a year makes!.

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  jp1692

  RubaDub: Is that thing you have in your hands made out of plastic or styrofoam?

  Wood. I have several bo (martial arts staffs). They are typically made of hardwoods like hickory or oak. I have a couple of training staffs made of pine.

  The bo is a basic weapon in many martial arts systems.
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  45

  Since We Are In 2020 What Do You Miss?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i miss listening and dancing to live music on a weekend night.. i miss going into a crowded mall store to window shop.. i miss going out into public and not having to wear a mask.. i miss seeing people freely mingle on a busy street or sidewalk.. what a difference a year makes!.

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  jp1692

  I miss practicing martial arts in my dojo. So in the meantime I’d do my bojutsu alone in the park!

  
  
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  24

  What Is The Position Of Witnesses For People Who Are Inactive And Don’t Want To Be Bothered By Anyone?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i used to have some close friends simply pay me a friendly visit or call to see how i was doing.. i am curious as to whether or not the society instructed witnesses to no longer check on inactive ones and treat them as marked or disfellowshipped..

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  jp1692

  Interestingly, there have been a few similar threads in the last week or so asking more-or-less this same question.
  

  I quit attending meetings seven and a half years ago. Since then I have only been contacted once by an elder; he wanted to have a “shepherding” call. I politely declined, but said I would appreciate if he would set up a meeting to help me reconcile with some JW family with whom I had been alienated by the religion when I was DF’d six years prior to that—I had been reinstated for two years at this point.
  

  He said he couldn’t do that because they weren’t in his congregation. (Both congregations are less than a 10 minute drive from my house.) I replied, “That’s funny, because that’s exactly what the elders in their congregation said to me—they couldn’t help because I’m not in their congregation!”

  So much for an “International Brotherhood”!

  That was more than five years ago.

  Let’s review: It’s a cult!
• 
  64

  Was Sin Inevitable?

  by Parker in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was wondering about this question and wanted to ask: was sin inevitable?

  also, i had thought about past watchtower articles or publications related to this topic and did some research and found this from our readers ask if adam was perfect, how was it possible for him to sin?.

  well, then, did god create adam with a moral weakness, so that he lacked the ability to make sound decisions or to withstand temptation?

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  jp1692

  "Sometimes life gives us these little gifts."- Theodore "Ted" Crawford (Fracture, 2007)
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKcTj5wDgzU
  
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  25

  Witness reaching out to me after 20+ years...

  by SouthCentral in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a few weeks ago; a witness couple from the midwest reached out to me after 25+ years.

  they said they were doing a letter writing campaign and decided to reach out to me… they called on my personal cell phone, which was a little surprising.

  a few days ago, a couple that i knew from over 40 years ago, sent me a text, again to my personal cell phone.. i assume that they just googled my name to get the personal info.

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  jp1692

  I quit attending meetings seven and a half years ago. Since then I have only been contacted once by an elder; he wanted to have a “shepherding” call. I politely declined, but said I would appreciate if he would set up a meeting to help me reconcile with some JW family with whom I had been alienated by the religion when I was DF’d six years prior to that—I had been reinstated for two years at this point.
  

  He said he couldn’t do that because they weren’t in his congregation. (Both congregations are less than a 10 minute drive from my house.) I replied, “That’s funny, because that’s exactly what the elders in their congregation said to me—they couldn’t help because I’m not in their congregation!”

  So much for an “International Brotherhood”!

  That was more than five years ago.

  Let’s review: It’s a cult!
• 
  64

  Was Sin Inevitable?

  by Parker in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was wondering about this question and wanted to ask: was sin inevitable?

  also, i had thought about past watchtower articles or publications related to this topic and did some research and found this from our readers ask if adam was perfect, how was it possible for him to sin?.

  well, then, did god create adam with a moral weakness, so that he lacked the ability to make sound decisions or to withstand temptation?

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  jp1692

  Whatever dude! Go talk to someone that cares.
• 
  64

  Was Sin Inevitable?

  by Parker in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was wondering about this question and wanted to ask: was sin inevitable?

  also, i had thought about past watchtower articles or publications related to this topic and did some research and found this from our readers ask if adam was perfect, how was it possible for him to sin?.

  well, then, did god create adam with a moral weakness, so that he lacked the ability to make sound decisions or to withstand temptation?

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  jp1692

  The definition of delusion is: a false belief that is based on an incorrect interpretation of reality (Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School).

  Or, alternately from Merriam-Webster: Delusion - a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary.
  

  It's what the word means. If you don't like it, then take it up with Harvard Medical School and Merriam-Webster.
  

  Next, you confuse religious beliefs with ethnicity and culture. They're different even if the same word is used to refer to both in some cases. I know many Jewish people who are atheists, but love their culture.
  

  Also next, George Carlin was raised as a Catholic. His comedic roasting of absurd religious beliefs primarily applied to Catholicism. That being said, if you find that it applies to other belief systems that would not be surprising.
  

  Finally, I am a scientist. I teach biology, chemistry, physics and psychology at the secondary level.

  jp
  
• 
  64

  Was Sin Inevitable?

  by Parker in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was wondering about this question and wanted to ask: was sin inevitable?

  also, i had thought about past watchtower articles or publications related to this topic and did some research and found this from our readers ask if adam was perfect, how was it possible for him to sin?.

  well, then, did god create adam with a moral weakness, so that he lacked the ability to make sound decisions or to withstand temptation?

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  jp1692

  Religion is a delusional person’s conception of what an imaginary “supreme being” thinks of him and everyone else. It’s oddly self-referential, and—when understood in that light—quite illuminating as to what it means to be human.

  Considering the plethora of religious beliefs we humans have and have had over our history, all with conflicting beliefs about both WHO and WHAT “god” is, is also quite revealing when contemplated dispassionately and absent the need to be right about improbable myths and superstitious beliefs.

  Let that sink in.

  The fact that humans so stubbornly cling to convoluted, internally incoherent and inherently contradictory narratives about our alleged origins—stories which in our modern scientific era have been utterly destroyed and proved false—demonstrates that the vast majority of people would rather believe nonsense than accept reality and facts as they actually are.

  There are billions of “True Believers” on this planet who can’t agree on pretty much anything important about “god” or religion, and yet everyone of them thinks they’re right and everyone else is wrong. Their arrogance and hubris is only exceeded by their ignorant refusal to face facts.

  You should let that sink in as well!

  Even a cursory study of history shows that the vast majority of human conflicts have been caused by false beliefs about god’s, other people and our place in the grand scheme of things.

  Or, as George Carlin so eloquently put it: “It’s all bullshit and it’s bad for you!”
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  21

  No, They Will Never Notice!

  by Atlantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since the watchtower has already made this bible public, i can put a link out here.. no, the rank & file will never notice the words "governing body" have been inserted into acts 15: 1-35 in the 2019 new world translation, matthew to acts.. click the image to make it larger if need be.. https://postimg.cc/sqvdl10w petra!

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  jp1692

  Does the NWT actually have the phrase “governing body” in the text of the Bible or is it just in that index?