smiddy3

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Posts by smiddy3

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  10

  Spiritual paradise is a heart condition and not connected to and ORG, that's what they said?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  according to a post over at reddit this was said at the annual meeting.

  did anyone else hear this?

  this is huge and very telling if they did actually say this.

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  smiddy3

  I think the OP is phrased wrong ,I can go back more than 25 years and it was taught we were living in a spiritual paradise even then and were looking forward to the day when the literal paradise would become a reality .

  Nothing new to see here.
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  19

  AGM - Are they now teaching predestination?

  by Doubting Bro in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  another agm thought.

  in tight pants tony's part, he mentioned several times that jehovah draws those he chooses and only those rightly disposed would come in.

  and individuals that liked the literature but made no progress towards becoming jw were a "waste of time".. was he setting the stage for them introducing the thought of predestination?

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  smiddy3

  I don`t believe rightly disposed is a new teaching i`m sure that was a term used way back in the 70`s-90`s .

  However I think it had more to do with the attitude of those we talked to and whether they were receptive to the "truth" or not
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  20

  January 2018 Watchtower

  by Listener in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the cover page shows a photo jws loading a small plane with watchtower literature to take to a remote area in bolivia.the first study article introduces the 2018 year text isa.

  40:31 "those hoping in jehovah will regain power".

  according to them, you may leave home to do field service or attend a meeting feeling exhausted but you return home refreshed and 'jesus' yoke is kindly indeed!

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  smiddy3

  Why is that,? The ALMIGHTY GOD of the UNIVERSE needs money that is produced by imperfect humans on earth to further his will.?

  Am I missing something here ?.

  Maybe more importantly are believers in GOD missing something here ?

  Don`t all religions cry out for money ,more money to carry out their agendas ?

  If their was in fact an ALMIGHTY GOD, CREATOR of the UNIVERSE then why is he/she relying on money from imperfect humans to fund his purpose.?
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  33

  Using history as a means to pinpoint possible future events.

  by HealthySkeptic in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the purpose of this thread is to share some history with the community.

  i am an active jw.

  the reason i picked this forum is due to the openness and ease with which information can be accessed.

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  smiddy3

  HealthySkeptic,

  Maybe you should start looking at the history of the IBSA and also the history of the Jehovah`s Witness religion that followed on from them and how the modern day Jehovah`s Witnesses have continually re-written their history through C.T.Russells time and J.F.Rutherfords time , and even N.H. Knorrs and Freddie Franz.time down to our own day.

  One thing that stands out like a beacon is that they are not in any way honest about their early history when you compare what was said in print from their own publications originally and what is said now in print in a sanitized version of their early history.

  You cant hide anything nowadays with the internet "what was hidden will now be revealed "
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  20

  January 2018 Watchtower

  by Listener in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the cover page shows a photo jws loading a small plane with watchtower literature to take to a remote area in bolivia.the first study article introduces the 2018 year text isa.

  40:31 "those hoping in jehovah will regain power".

  according to them, you may leave home to do field service or attend a meeting feeling exhausted but you return home refreshed and 'jesus' yoke is kindly indeed!

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  smiddy3

  The first study article introduces the 2018 Year Text Isa. 40:31 "Those hoping in Jehovah will regain power"

  Article "God Gives Power"

  Our brothers, even those who are in poor economic situations, are like the Macedonians who were in “deep poverty” and yet begged for the privilege to give and did so generously.—2 Cor. 8: 1-4.

  It never ceases to amaze me why an ALMIGHTY GOD who created everything in the Universe needs MONEY and MATERIAL THINGS from humans who in most cases can least afford it.? To finance his projects ?

  Couldn`t God have provided the wealth from the earth ?such as Gold /Silver etc .to provide instead of putting the burden on the congregants ?

  After all he is God Almighty isn`t he ? The ultimate Physicist /Chemistry/Scientist ?

  So why would he need money and material belongings from impoverished humans to further his goals.?

  Unless of course it has nothing to do with a GOD and is just an excuse for a religiion to fleece their flock of their hard earned money.
  
  
  
  
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  5

  ARC—What's Next?

  by Saename in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  so as we know, the wt changed very little with regards to how they respond to child sexual abuse allegations.

  they basically ignored the australian royal commission's report on how they could improve their policies.

  the watchtower is left alone in australia to do as they please, or will there be some kind of follow-up?

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  smiddy3

  If I remember correctly the final recommendations by the ARC are to handed down by the end of this year .

  Just how much of these recommendations will be adopted by the Government remains to be seen.

  Remember the ARC has no power of it`s own to enforce any of it`s recommendations it can only advise the Government to do so.

  Just how far the Government is willing to go down this road remains to be seen (repeated for emphasis)

  As AA says some JW cases have been forwarded to the authorities to investigate ,however it wasn`t only JW`s that the ARC dealt with their were so many other institutions that were involved .

  And compared to some of these other institutions the JW religion is small by comparison .

  Whether they take a back seat in this ,is anybody`s guess.

  As an example the R.C. Church and Cardinal George Pell the Australian in the Vatican is getting all of the attention with allegations against him and his committal hearing doesn`t come up until about March next year.

  { The R.C.Church is far more of an institution in Australian culture over the Centuries than what JW`s ever were just by sheer numbers.} and more importantly by their influence in politics and Social Justice.

  And their humanitarian aids ,hospitals ,Aged Care ,Homeless ,Education ,and the disadvantaged . etc.

  None of which JW`s /WT have ever done .

  So I wouldn`t hold my breath about anything concrete being done about JW`s anytime soon.

  Again as AA says this could drag on for years through the courts lawyers are masters at this game.

  Our best bet is to keep these allegations of Child sexual abuse in the religion in the media on social media , and wherever we can and highlight it where we can.
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  8

  One of the key ways to tell if it is a cult or toxic high control group....

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my wife and i were discussing a sure sign of a cult:.

  when one knows more about the society / organization after leaving!.

  lets face it, most of us here on this forum, and ex-witnesses in general know more facts about the history, background, practices, current procedures, scandals, etc than the average "still-in witness"!

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  smiddy3

  Never was a truer word said Stuck ,because we have taken the rose colored glasses off,removed the scales from our eyes ,and actually started to use our brain to question things.

  I was going to say without fear of retribution but that is not quite true .

  Many of us are/were fearful to take that first step of questioning the organization/religion ,but gradually over time it became much easier until we finally reached the stage of knowing TTATT.

  And it`s a blessing and freedom all rolled into one that should equip us to never fall into that trap ever again.

  When one knows MORE about the Society / Organization AFTER leaving!

  Repeated for emphasis.
  
  
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  12

  Audio of Highlights of the Annual Meeting 2017

  by LevelThePlayingField in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i wouldn't dare bore you with the whole 3.5 hours of their dogma.

  but i have about a half hour of some of the main points.

  of course, i made sure tight pants tony was the main part of it, since he's the one that announced the reductions of the wt & awake and no more year book.. also, i have lett saying that jehovah gave jesus immorality instead of immortality.

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  smiddy3

  I don`t know that I could stand even a half hour of listening to these guys anymore .But I`m sure some here would appreciate the trouble you have gone too in providing it.

  I`m just happy enough to read peoples comments about it.
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  11

  Who is the "faithful and discreet slave"? & JW class system

  by Counter-Watchtower in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ive asked my jw friends that 3 times and never got an answer.. and can someone explain the jw class system?

  and or point me to info on it..

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  smiddy3

  With so many men "on top" its a bit hard to not get a bit screwed.

  LOL ,I nearly spilt my chardonay with that one.
  
  
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  6

  $66 Million Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada

  by Alfred in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  not sure if this was posted or not, but here it is.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ewsigoad1g.

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  smiddy3

  Bring it on ,I hope they have success