i spent most of my life in the org.
we were taught that our purpose in life was to serve jehovah.
that never really made sense to me, but it was still a purpose to keep going.
I never went through such a thought. I still believe the bible, God and I believe that one day His kingdom will come. I see wt as one among many who search for truth in God's word. They learn few truths, others learn others. No one has monopoly.
For me God exists and there are evidence that He does. I love God's word and wt can't destroy that love.
some of christianity's denominations/tribes/clans claim that god almighty/christ jesus personally selected their leadership/clergy to represent heaven on earth.. question for jw's: what scriptural or divine proof convinced/convinces you that it was the org/governing body?.
self-proclaimed statements from literature does not qualify as proof..
There is no such proof. I don't want to go with scriptural proof since that is based on individual interpretation.
I am still searching to know if there is any church out there with supernatural proof of God's approval.
will the great tribulation hurt individuals more than what job, jesus, roman punishment, naz&i germany, hiroshima, jail, capital punishment, disease, pain, terror, horror, soldier in the battlefield or some terrible pain people experience this very moment?
how worse can pain and suffering get.
it is very common.
ZaneM44
I have often thought of that before, that we are already in the GT. Although I didn't arrive at mine using the method you used. When you consider how the Jews went through their tribulation, we see that it was connected to the Roman subjugation of Jerusalem. They would need to flee, these caused hardship, tribulation.
It is possible that different war happening during this period that has brought untold hardship to many is part of the tribulation of our day. But we need not be dogmatic. We may be wrong.
Some of the reason for someone's conclusion may be based on 1914, 144000, Babylon the great, who the beast is etc. This understanding may have unanswered questions. For example, how do we know for sure that 1914 mark the start of the last days? How are we sure that Babylon the great is religion, even if it is religion, that it is all religions? Only 144000 going to heaven cannot be stated with certainty. The Gov Body's understanding is further affected by their understanding of Gog of Magog and the time of its appearance.
Even if we say that sufferings and wars are part of the GT, when can we start to count the exact time the GT began? Is it possible that in God's own eyes things have not become really bad to fit His own description of last days or GT? For example, are we sure that mark of the beast suffering is underway? Are we sure that Satan has been cast out of heaven yet?
i have just started to steep the mincemeat for my mince pies in dark rum .
christmas is a big deal in my family and circle of friends.
however among ex jws it's a bit different or so l understand.
I was raised in the church with Xmas as part of my background. I became a witness and learned why that festival is not for christians. Although I do not agree with the Org on some theological teachings, I do feel that their stand on Xmas makes sense. I don't see any scriptural reason to adopt Xmas as a religious festival. So it is a no for me.
I am not interested in church doctrines at all, I only want to know what is true and follow it. If that truth is against any church doctrine, even if it is my church, I don't care. Truth is truth. But some may receive a direction through vision or other divine means, I don't know, that I can respect, because no matter the bible understanding, one might actually be wrong. If really God still give supernatural direction today, that should be the highest authority as to what is really true.
thesis: when someone who is given a responsibility mistakes that responsibility for authority, bullying is very likely to occur.. jesus spoke an illustration recorded at matthew 24: 45-51 which well illustrates this thesis.. jesus asked, “who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over all his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?
happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so.
truly i say to you, he will appoint him over all his belongings.
The watchtower writers are known to use that method of disproving a sensible opinion that the majority of the GB members did not approve. When the wt says "a reader may object", or "some may reason", they sometimes have the minority GB members in mind or some who are of the Branch committee who believe that that position is more sensible. But since perhaps they were in the minority, the vote of the majority GB member will win.
In other to quench the idea of the minority, they smartly bring the opinion to bear in a wt article, and disingeneously discredit the idea.
However, when the minority in GB get more supporters of their idea, the previous unreasonable idea is adopted.
The process of getting the 'truth' among Jehovah's witnesses GB is not by fair unbiased research. An idea could be true, but majority of the GB has to approve it for it to be adopted. So, not all members of the GB even believe what is often published as truth. Sometimes, a minority doesn't believe it, but you would need to keep silent as soon as the majority idea gets out as truth. If any teach any idea contrary to that of the majority, it is apostasy. So all keep mute as if all agree with the so called truth.
Their process is understandable but that process hinder truth.
i have just started to steep the mincemeat for my mince pies in dark rum .
christmas is a big deal in my family and circle of friends.
however among ex jws it's a bit different or so l understand.
God doesn't like worship that copies false worshipers. This was evident when Jews made the golden calf and when Jeroboam constructed an altar for God in Israel. Unless, there is a divine/supernatural direction to the contrary, I don't think that festival will be accepted by God. This is true when the festival is made a church service. But if it is sort of a secular occasion that has lost it's religious meaning, I wouldn't see anything wrong with it.
In some lands, guys gather to celebrate Christmas by eating and drinking, no church service at all. To them, the festival is just another secular enjoyment season. So yes, Christmas as a church service is a no for me.
What I don't agree is that birthdays are wrong because the bible contains only negative birthdays, at least as the WT understand it. Many scholars would see what job's children did on there days as birthdays.
let me start with a couple of distinctions.. first century christians:.
1. baptized military personnel.. 2. baptized men with political authority.
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23. Didn't need to study long book to be baptized.
24. Belief in Jesus was the basic knowledge for salvation.
25. No changing light of so called 'truth'.
26. Jesus directed affairs through the holy spirit, not any GB.
27. Jesus appointed individuals who served as the Slave. This slave could refer to those who were divinely appointed to form congregation and teach them like Paul, all the apostles and others.
28. Truth was transmitted through individuals not a group of men.
29. Letters were written directly to congregation the individual apostles without needing scrutiny by GB.
30. Spiritual gifts were available.
31. There were what witnesses today will call interfaith activities as they attended synagogue with ease. Not that they joined Judaism but no one saw it as evil to attend what then was a rejected religion.
32. Reproof then was a bible based talk from the platform disproving a divergent opinion held by some in the Cong. Divergent opinion was not as evil as it is now. Even when it should even be more respected now since the GB is not inspired.
breaking news....there is hope for good hearted non-jws!!!.
according to sergio:.
are jehovah's witnesses the only ones to be saved during the end time?.
Please who is Sergio, and where in the website can we find this reply of his?
I am lost.
joseph and mary were not in a spiritually adulterous relationship with the roman authorities, the "legs of iron".
joseph and mary were not perfect.
the governing body of the modern-day organization of jehovah's witnesses is not perfect.
The Gov Body is imperfect, and had made lots of mistakes. That in itself is not the reason why God would chose not to use His named people. He knows they are imperfect. But the question is; Did God actually chose them as His named people and kept others in line for destruction? How would you know that for sure? Did God inspire any one of them to be sure His choice like He did in the first century? Have you gone to heaven to know when God came to search out worship on earth and then chose JW? Why does it seem that the claimed false churches of Christendom gets a better understanding of some teachings than the so called true religion? Why does spirit guided truth lead to flip-flop understanding? If you think you make mistake in understanding because you're imperfect, would you not also excuse Christendom for making mistakes in their own bible understanding? How will God chose you as against other churches because of doctrinal reasons when your organization admits that the beliefs of 1914-1919 contained some errors. Errors that you do not dare teach among JWs today? How could God chose you when you were also teaching false doctrines?
a specific “day,” or period, when particular groups, nations, or mankind in general are called to account by god.
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“i solemnly charge you before god and christ jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead,”- 2 tim 4:1. seems like sins are not paid by dying or the ransom if there is a judgment in-spite of it.
I would say sins are paid by death. And ransom are also important, but one will only be sure of what reward he will get after judgment.
Meaning that when you die now, that death is not the full pay for your sins because it would be temporary. This is against how the JW understand it. Since one is raised to be judged, it doesn't erase his former sins because he had not actually died eternally. He only gets eternal destruction after being judged. In the same vein, if you are righteous, the temporary life you live now is not the full pay for your righteousness. You get that full pay after judgment.
