I don't see much of a difference when it comes to "perish" vs. "destroyed." But I would agree about "believe" vs. "exercise faith in . . ." Koine Greek uses the word "πιστεύων" which means "to believe in" as in "to have confidence in something" or "to think something to be true." They changed it to "exercising faith in . . ." probably because of the disfellowshipping practice. If someone does not want to be a Jehovah's Witness anymore but still believes in God and Jesus, is s/he to be disfellowshipped and thus destroyed in the upcoming Armageddon? Or would s/he still be saved? Jehovah's Witnesses believe that such one would be destroyed, so I assume this is why they changed it.
Saename
JoinedPosts by Saename
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Just realized they changed maybe the most important scripture in the bible.
by Crazyguy ini just read the scripture then went and checked in thier older bible and it read the same so i check the greek interlinear and yes they changed john 3:16 .
the verse reads "all who believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life" the cult version says "exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life".. so not only do they say one must exercise faith meaning having to work for it but also they changed should not perish but having everlasting life to might not be destroyed again making a caveat where one does not exist.
just to add to the point verse 18 in both bibles says the one having faith is not judged, totally blowing up thier version of 16 but of course they change 18 to say exercising faith too but it makes little difference, since it says not judged.
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Do they prepare for preaching or do they socialize?
by never a jw inmy brother (a jw for 30 years) and i purchased a duplex.
he lives in one house, i live in the other, our common area separating both houses is the backyard.
we both can see each other's house across our common backyard.
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Saename
When I was still active in my congregation, we met on Saturdays for field service in groups. I noticed that it had always been this way as you describe it. We would socialise for most of the time. We'd talk for 10 minutes, then have the 5-minute meeting, and then socialise for 10 more minutes. I always hated it because when I moved to a new congregation, I didn't know that many people. I would usually be left alone, and they would talk about people that I have never met. It also bothered me because a few months ago, maybe even a year ago now, there was a part in the Kingdom Ministry which informed us of a new arrangement for Saturday field service meetings. The part also encouraged everyone not to spend time socialising, but I noticed that nobody cared about that. They'd still socialise. And socialise. And then preach. This was also true of the elders—quite hypocritical, eh?
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What the Org Teaches #7 Birthdays
by The Searcher in#7 birthdays.
what the org teaches: .
"the bible never refers to a servant of god celebrating a birthday.
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Saename
Finkelstein - The WTS. leaders/ GB associate the originating pagan practice of celebrating birthdays of pagan gods , which was true in ancient times as a form of imposing idolatry .
Now days in are modern times its a more of practice of love, appreciation and respect.
ie. a child's first birthday or a celebration of someone turning 100 years old.
This really isn't idolatry or idol worship in premise.
The problem with Jehovah's Witnesses—as with most Christian denominations—is that they think that the Bible is still applicable today. It's true that some teachings are; however, that is not true of most of what you can find in the Bible—or in the early Christianity, for that matter.
The authors of the Bible books were simply men who adhered to the cultural norms of their time. For instance, when Origen and Tertullian wrote against birthdays, it was because the early Christians (their culture) were scared—even terrified—of paganism. This goes back to the fourth, third, and second centuries BCE when the Jews began to see what influence the Greek culture had upon the Jewish customs. The Jews became scared of paganism—including the Hellenization—and that also affected the first Christians who were Jewish. And so the early Christians were afraid of anything even remotely pagan. This is why you have Paul saying that men should not have long hair: fear of paganism. It's simple culture affecting religion, and people can't see that.
Today our culture is not afraid of paganism. This is why churches that apply modern standards to their policies and rules are not scared of birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc. They don't read the Bible and see it as a guide for all eternity. Some Christians, though not many, have learned how to differentiate between God and culture. Jehovah's Witnesses still have a long way to go.
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Active JWs celebrating birthdays
by neat blue dog ini remember hearing parents say they're going out to eat for their child's birthday some years ago, and recently i see a lot of active jws wishing each other as well as worldly people on facebook a happy birthday, including emoticons related to partying.
is this a judicial offence, or have you seen anything similar?.
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Saename
Iown Mylife - That's the main thing you have to remember as a JW: You can do anything you want as long as nobody else knows about it!
Yeah, pretty much that's the case. I remember when the elders used to tell my congregation (still probably do), "If you do something wrong, and if you keep it secret, you're trying to fool Jehovah. Jehovah can't be fooled. Your sin will come out. Sooner or later, we'll find out."
It's interesting because that's one thing that got me feeling so guilty over my "sins." Whenever I "sinned" I felt embarrassed because of it, and so I didn't want to tell the elders. And then I'd feel guilty about that. And then it'd turn out that Jehovah doesn't reveal my "sins" to the elders after all...
They keep telling you that Jehovah will reveal the truth if you're not loyal to him. That the elders will know. But that never happens. And then you start to think, "What's going on...?"
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Rumor: Discouraging news from GB at upcoming CA?
by bohm inthis is on the reddit frontpage and sounds super weird.
can it be confirmed in any way by anyone here?.
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/4u72dk/what_kind_of_announcement_could_cause_jws_to/.
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Saename
Shifty shiftings? You mean shitty shiftings?
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JWs do Volunteer To Help Worldly Organizations Distribute Food to the Needy
by Athanasius insome months back i posted a topic asking if jws were now encouraged to volunteer their time for charitable organizations, as one of the volunteers who i work with was promoting jw.org to one of the spanish speaking workers.
because of that, i guessed that he was a jw.. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5708790489939968/jws-now-encouraged-volunteer.
well the other day as he and i were folding and stacking tables after distributing food to the needy, i mentioned that after i retired i got bored and decided to do volunteer work.
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Saename
Darryl - I remember when their idea of helping those who were downtrodden went a little something like this. Are you hungry? You are? Starving actually? That's too bad. how would you like to live in a world where you will never be hungry or thirsty again? And you can pet lions and tigers. And instead of barbequeing a pig you will feast on nuts and berries and various other fruits. Here take this watchtower ummm we normally get a donation for thi...oh you don't have any money? Well how about we set up a bible study I guess you will be back here next week??
I would argue that their idea of charity still resembles, to some degree, what you just said.
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Do JWs believe they will be the only people saved at the "end"?
by LaurenM inthe answer posted on jw.org: "no.
many millions who lived in centuries past and who weren’t jehovah’s witnesses will have an opportunity for salvation.
additionally, many now living may yet begin to serve god, and they too will gain salvation.
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Saename
Pete Zahut, what they say is indeed terrifying to small children. It's funny how they hypocritically attract new-comers by teaching them the "good" stuff about their religion, but once they get baptised, only then will they mention the bad teachings.
When I became an unbaptised publisher—and was on my way to get baptised—not even once has anybody mentioned to me that the two-witness rule applies to every sin—even if it is a crime first and foremost, not a sin, such as child sexual abuse. Not even once has anybody said that if you sue a brother or a sister in the congregation even for a valid reason, such as the aforementioned child sexual abuse, you will be disfellowshipped. Not even once have they told me about the overlapping generation teaching, which makes no sense whatsoever, and of which I was completely unaware until I joined this site when I learned of the child sexual abuse problem in the Jehovah's Witness organisation. Neither of those things have I learned from the Jehovah's Witnesses, yet they were so eager to encourage me to first become an unbapitsed publisher (which I have) and then quickly get baptised (which I thankfully have not.)
And then they have the courage to tell everybody that they are not a cult because their teachings are not secret? You've gotta be kidding me! Those doctrines, even though officially accepted by the Governing Body and passed on to the congregations, were kept secret until I listened to what the ex-Jehovah's Witnesses had to say. This is a textbook method of cults to get new followers. First, mention the good teachings. When they get involved with your cult, then—and only then—mention the bad teachings.
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It's official - the G.B. has replaced the Holy Spirit!
by The Searcher inthe watchtower november 2016, page 16, par.
"some may feel that they can interpret the bible on their own.
however, jesus has appointed the ‘faithful slave’ to be the only* channel for dispensing spiritual food.
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Saename
Village Idiot, when I think about it again, I guess it is possible that they used the word "sole." But then again, I was a Jehovah's Witness for a rather short period of time. All I remember personally is their implying that they are God's only channel.
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It's official - the G.B. has replaced the Holy Spirit!
by The Searcher inthe watchtower november 2016, page 16, par.
"some may feel that they can interpret the bible on their own.
however, jesus has appointed the ‘faithful slave’ to be the only* channel for dispensing spiritual food.
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Saename
Haha! Beautiful! Before, the publications I have found would indicate that the Governing Body is God's channel of communication. However, none—to my memory at least—implied that the Governing Body is God's only channel of communication. This Watchtower changes things entirely. It clearly calls the Governing Body the only channel "for dispensing spiritual food," which, as I understand it, means the only channel "for communication with God."
By the way, how can one contact the ARC to inform them of this matter?
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Rumor: Discouraging news from GB at upcoming CA?
by bohm inthis is on the reddit frontpage and sounds super weird.
can it be confirmed in any way by anyone here?.
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/4u72dk/what_kind_of_announcement_could_cause_jws_to/.
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Saename
Magnum - James Jack, sorry, I meant to hit the "Like" button, but accidentally hit "Dislike". You make an interesting point. I would love to know their real financial position.
You can still hit the "Like" button, and your dislike will be terminated, and, instead, a like will be added to James Jack's post.
StarTrekAngel - (please read this while you imagine Stephen Lett reading it)
Dear brothers,
What a wonderful job we have in spreading the good news of the Kingdom. It is certainly a privilege to participate in the many aspects of preaching the good news. One of the many privileges we have is contributing to the world wide work thru financial support. We have always cherished our ability to make voluntary donations. James 1:17 partly says that every good thing we have comes from above and don't we thank our father for providing us with everything we need. And since we know that everything good that we have comes from Jehovah, are we not more than ever confident that he will continue to provide?
The Governing Body has been carefully considering the implication of such providence and has come to realize that we have not fully understood God's will in this aspect. If everything good that we have, including but not limited to our time and financial means, come from Jehovah, it means these things belong to him to begin with.
In keeping with the prophecy of the Faithful and Discrete Slave, Jesus said that he would appoint us over all his belongings. Therefore, we feel it is reasonable he expects us to responsibly manage all his belongings, including the ones he has already given you.
We are excited to announce a new arrangement that will not just help, but ensure your continued support of the world wide work. Along with this letter, a new form has been provided to the elders and will be distributed at the end of this meeting. It will allow us to withhold a percentage of your paycheck and be transfered as a donation to the world wide work fund.
Off course, this will remain a matter of consciousness but in an effort to not stumble anyone who may think we are tithing, like the despicable practices of Christendom, we have set up the form with a checkbox for you to select the percentage. Therefore, you will not find a checkbox for 10%, only 20% and upwards.
We rest assured you will prayerfully consider just how you can continue to contribute to the preaching work in this manner
Your brothers... Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses
PS
This postscript should not be read to the congregation or posted on the information board.
Arrange for this letter to be read to the congregation in the next midweek meeting.
This form should be made available to all publishers, both baptized and non-baptized. Elders should account for the number of forms filled out. If anyone did not fill out the form or was not present during the announcement. Efforts should be made to make sure they are made aware of this new arrangement. If after such efforts are made, the publisher did not return a completed form, we should consider the instructions provided in the Shepherds of the Flock of God book, regarding our appreciation for the spiritual provisions. Such publishers should not qualify for privileges in the congregation. Namely working the microphones or serving as book study assistants.(please read this while you imagine Stephen Lett reading it)
This literally felt like reading a letter from the actual Governing Body—with a small exception that the Watchtower letters and publications, to my knowledge, rarely contain grammar errors. Still, the language (the jargon, really) your letter uses imitates perfectly the Watchtower.
On a further note, though, the Watchtower would likely end the letter accordingly: "We rest assured you will prayerfully consider just how you can continue to contribute to the preaching work in this time of the end."