hi all.. this is a reasonable question and would love to know what you think is having the biggest impact on watchtower.
there is a plethora of websites talking negatively of watchtower.
there are the never ending court cases regarding child abuse allegations.
joe134cd. I agree, you have the ability to test the veracity of every Organization statement instantly at your fingertips.
Plus, any Witness that tries researching outside of the Watchtower literature will eventually come across apostate websites, and out of curiosity (unless they're extremely strong willed), will find out things that might start them on the path out.
(i wanted to put this in the child abuse section of the forum!).
we have seen that during the march 2017 broadcast, m stephen lett has openly praised children who get baptised as young as 10!.
so lets summarize why it is wrong to push child baptism (not far off "infant baptism" that jws condemn other churches for).
I'm not so sure it's peer pressure as much as parent pressure. After all, how many other 10 year old baptized kids would there be in a regular congregation?
On the other hand, it's kind of a feather in their cap for parents of young baptized publishers("Look how spiritual our family is!").
what do you think it will take to get the defenders, and equivocators to stop their apologetics?.
i'm beginning to wonder if we will literally see the king walking down the street with no clothes and still have the equivicators on this board make excuses.
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On the good side, I'm seeing fewer easily discredited links being posted.They're learning!
i think the worst thing about jws is that they like to take away peoples realistic hopes for a happy life now and replace it with false hope for the future.
tell a jw you want to go college and get a good career and they'll tell you that college is a waste of time, that you'll end up in debt or that the economy is so bad there are no jobs.
tell a jw about how scientists have discovered a new technology that could improve millions of lives and they'll tell you that scientists and technology have "ruined the earth" and cannot be trusted.
The thing that bothers me most is the attitude that there's no point in trying to do anything with your life now, or trying to make the world a better place. It absolves them of any responsibility for the rest of mankind.
my friend related to me that when he went for a check up at the doctors he was advised to get his prostate checked at first he baulked at that prospect thinking no man is going to put his finger up where the sun dont shine,.
his doctor reasoned with him that it is better for him to find out if something is wrong early because it can be dealt with a good chance of recovery however leave it too late and it can be fatal.. my friend being convinced agrees to the examination .. doctor : drop your dacks get up on the examination table and assume the position where i can examine you.. my friend : turns his head round to the doctor and asks doc why are you using two fingers ?.
the doctor replies ,i want to get a second opinion ..
I have a female doctor who said I was lucky because she had the smallest hands in the clinic.
from reading about people's first and second hand experiences about working at wt world headquarters back in the 70s and 80s era, the hypocrisy and lovelessness caused many bethelites to quit even before their term ended, some even leaving to never again return to a kingdom hall.
that, coupled with open access back then at bethel to the literature of watchtower's early days can easily open the eyes of any rank and file jw to the society's occultish beginnings.
fast forward to the warwick bethel today.
I'm sure they are well entertained by the vast catalog of uplifting videos and literature available to them.
Not to mention being in the presence of the wise and powerful GB.
it was always a long shot anyway.
but, after a week of emotional pain for the mom, and extreme physical pain for a helpless infant, the baby's body finally succumbed.. all those prayers from the parents, from family, from friends, were absolutely worthless.
that is a deity for ya!
A young couple in my congregation made the choice to have a baby that had 0% chance of survival. They named the baby, took pictures, and held it till it died. The congregation praised their bravery and spirituality. They were never the same, and a few years later, they both had left the Truth.
I have two children, and imagining the pain and loss in such a situation brings tears to my eyes. Why would God only resurrect a child that reached full term. If life begins when the first cells divide, then that life should be as precious in God's eye's as a fully developed human being.
My heart goes out to that family, I am so sorry for their loss.
for information leading to the arrest and imprisonment of.
The Writing Department member who first used the word "thrilling" to describe Watchtower proclamations.
march 1, 2017 to all bodies of elders in the united states branch territory re: update on local design/construction arrangement.
I recall a few years back there was a local needs part asking congregation members to keep on the lookout for suitable Kingdom hall sites. This was before the LDC existed. There was a lot going on (mostly renovations), And many people going out to work at various sites.
With the formation of the LDC, I haven't seen much activity at all. Have they finished all the work and plan to sell the renovated halls as they consolidate the congregations? I would imagine that they can survive for many years on the real estate profits. The current GB will no doubt be long gone before the money runs out, so they're home free.
I believe that the whole overlapping generation change is to allow the current GB to escape the consequences of their actions, and leave whoever follows holding the bag.
i know there have been many many posts on here over the years on the deity of jesus.. i am submitting this one because i am feeling a little confused.. the thing is, i am not the sharpest knife in the drawer and i know this.
so when i am going through my bible reading (to all you haters, yes i still do it) i see so many scriptures that just fly in the face of everything the jws teach about jesus.. i begin to wonder if indeed i am diseased in the mind ,as they will try to paint me, because it seems so plain to me.. i never even gave it a though growing up as to if jesus and god were equal.
i just didn't.. now when i read scriptures like philippians 9.... 9 for this very reason, god exalted him to a superior position+ and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name,+ 10 so that in the name of jesus every knee should bend—of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground+— 11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that jesus christ is lord+ to the glory of god the father.. .
I've always come at the question from the viewpoint of Occam's Razor. When I try to wrap my mind around how the Trinity would work, smoke comes out of my ears. I can more easily imagine the Father/Son relationship, where the son takes over the family business.
