Interestingly, God of JWs not only encourages free-thinking but also supports both the good and the wanderers because He made Jesus declare: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mathew 5:44-48)
Posts by elbib
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11The New World , Utopian or Dystopian?
by BluesBrother inlike many others on here i was raised and spent many years of my life looking forward to , and basing my life around the anticipated "new world" .this utopian paradise would "satisfy the desire of every living thing".
we would enjoy eternal youth in perfect health,have abundant good food ,comfortable homes ,even welcome our parents and forebears back from the dead - what's not to like?i found this description of a dystopian world on the net :"characteristics of a dystopian society• propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.• information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.• a figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.• citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.• citizens have a fear of the outside world.• citizens live in a dehumanized state.• the natural world is banished and distrusted.• citizens conform to uniform expectations.
individuality and dissent are bad.• the society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world."hmm.
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Traits of dysfunctional family is same as dysfunctional organization
by elbib inin psychology, the following are some of the traits of dysfunctional family:.
-free expression of feeling is discouraged.
-manipulation to get needs met and to control others is common.
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elbib
In psychology, the following are some of the traits of dysfunctional family:
-free expression of feeling is discouraged
-manipulation to get needs met and to control others is common
-grim atmosphere because communication and openness is stifled
-relationships become very dependent
-rigid attitudes
-reverence for the past
-jealousy and suspicion …etc
If these very traits are found in a big family (in an organization), doesn’t that show that it also has become dysfunctional?
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Prodigal son or prodigal father?
by elbib inthe impression i get from reading parable of prodigal son is that it is more about a father who is prodigal.
he gave his son’s share without any sort of reasoning (a kind of lavishness) and on his return made arrangement for a celebration killing “a fattened calf” (again a kind of lavishness) which does not make him resemble like his heavenly father who had commanded: “you shall not murder.” (exodus 20:13) for god, slaughtering an animal or a human being does not make any difference.
(isaiah 66:3) god’s view of lives of other species remains unchanged, declares jesus: “are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
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elbib
SirB2,
Such sacrifices are of human origin (Jer 7:22; 8:8). However, my point is not about sacrifices. I was just highlighting the widespread inconsistencies in the Bible which now even Bible scholars themselves are becoming aware of and publicly speaking. Why, even NW ref edition puts John 8:1-11 into footnote. Though we know about many inconsistencies, I was trying to say even well-known accounts such as Parable of Prodigal son, woman caught on adultery which are all very much loved by people ... are also problematic! Is it such a book that JWs derive authority from?
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Prodigal son or prodigal father?
by elbib inthe impression i get from reading parable of prodigal son is that it is more about a father who is prodigal.
he gave his son’s share without any sort of reasoning (a kind of lavishness) and on his return made arrangement for a celebration killing “a fattened calf” (again a kind of lavishness) which does not make him resemble like his heavenly father who had commanded: “you shall not murder.” (exodus 20:13) for god, slaughtering an animal or a human being does not make any difference.
(isaiah 66:3) god’s view of lives of other species remains unchanged, declares jesus: “are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
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elbib
The impression I get from reading Parable of Prodigal Son is that it is more about a father who is prodigal. He gave his son’s share without any sort of reasoning (a kind of lavishness) and on his return made arrangement for a celebration killing “a fattened calf” (again a kind of lavishness) which does not make him resemble like his Heavenly Father who had commanded: “You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13) For God, slaughtering an animal or a human being does not make any difference. (Isaiah 66:3) God’s view of lives of other species remains unchanged, declares Jesus: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.” (Luke 12:6) Moreover, God’s view of sin is also totally different from the father of this parable. (Mathew 12:36; 25:41, 46) Thus, this parable conveys a lighter view of sin!
Interestingly, there is another incident in the Bible which similarly carries a lighter view of sin in John 8:1-11 which is now put in brackets by the reference editions of the Bible because it is not found in the earliest Manuscripts of the Bible. Still, JWs believe that every verse of the Bible is inspired of God, and it is their supreme authority.
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I think my Sunday speaker is awake
by Yondaime inhi guys and gals,.
its been a long time since i've posted here, i've been caught up with school and work so i've never had the time to post on the forum, but i've still been reading through some articles on here.
now that finals are over i have some time to breath.
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elbib
Bethelites sometime do such blunter. In my congregation too it happened. A bethelite gave a public talk on the biblical incident of 10 lepers being cured by Jesus, yet only one of the returning to thank him. It was not an outline-talk. Later he was counselled by Bethel higher ups. -
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Armageddon comes and you have 5 minutes with Jesus
by pleaseresearch inso the big a comes, your third in line to be judged by jesus.
he wants to know why you left the organisation.
he also wants to know why jws remained with the org.
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elbib
When they began to "beat the fellow slaves" I know that you will come and cut them in to pieces. Hence I left. -
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Why bring God when you can do it yourself?
by elbib inwhen under temptation, one can easily deflate it by simply changing his thoughts and choosing his associations wisely.
(philippians 4:8, 9; 1 corinthians 15:33) then why did jesus teach us to pray to god: “lead us not into temptation”?
(mathew 6:13) .
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elbib
David_Jay,
Again thank you for your in-depth analysis of "Last Day restorationists."
The mammoth size of scriptures with their infinite possibilities of interpretations in any direction people like, and also the huge number of religions and sects show that this cannot be God's way of communicating with mankind. Besides, look at the level of intolerance religious leaders manifest when sincere disagreement expressed by a believer. They will go to any extent in human rights violations. This too shows that such agencies cannot be instruments of God
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Why bring God when you can do it yourself?
by elbib inwhen under temptation, one can easily deflate it by simply changing his thoughts and choosing his associations wisely.
(philippians 4:8, 9; 1 corinthians 15:33) then why did jesus teach us to pray to god: “lead us not into temptation”?
(mathew 6:13) .
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elbib
David Jay,
Nice to hear the details, and it make sense. However, result of such communications in the Bible served no purpose except creation of sects like JWs.
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Why bring God when you can do it yourself?
by elbib inwhen under temptation, one can easily deflate it by simply changing his thoughts and choosing his associations wisely.
(philippians 4:8, 9; 1 corinthians 15:33) then why did jesus teach us to pray to god: “lead us not into temptation”?
(mathew 6:13) .
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elbib
When under temptation, one can easily deflate it by simply changing his thoughts and choosing his associations wisely. (Philippians 4:8, 9; 1 Corinthians 15:33) Then why did Jesus teach us to pray to God: “Lead us not into temptation”? (Mathew 6:13)
In the same vein, there are things which complicated matters: “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Mathew 13:13) Classic example of this is the Parable of Faithful and Discreet Slave in Mathew 24:45. Nobody got it correctly!
It shows Jesus may not have spoken such words because of the fact that he did pray for unity among his disciples. (John 17:20, 21)
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Oh happy people
by zeb inwhat is it with meetings?.
so often she comes home throws her bag down and stomps around the house.
there are times it thoroughly gets me down.. + supportive comment welcome.
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elbib
This has been my experience too. I just ignored it.
When you know each one has his/her preferred tendencies, you can leave it as their (not your) problem, and you always enjoy a space around you.