Posts by EasyPrompt

543

Encouraging scriptures for the day

by Kosonen in

jw
friends

hello my friends,.

here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.

revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).

EasyPrompt

Every institution has its traditions/methodologies. "Academia" is no exception.

Empty traditions, traditions without a solid foundation, will fall over when the storm comes.

"For no one can lay any other foundation than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will be shown for what it is, for the day will show it up, because it will be revealed by means of fire, and the fire itself will prove what sort of work each one has built."

Jesus is the solid foundation. He said: "Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man who in building a house dug and went down deep and laid a foundation on the rock. Consequently, when a flood came, the river dashed against that house but was not strong enough to shake it, for it was well-built. On the other hand, whoever hears and does nothing is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river dashed against it, and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

The WTBT$ have a lot of empty traditions, like "counting time" and "disfellowshipping" and "beard fractions no beards" - empty traditions that will be burned up in the stormy days ahead.

https://youtu.be/gRdfX7ut8gw?si=CqfFqupTFrgTDG9M

543

Encouraging scriptures for the day

by Kosonen in

jw
friends

hello my friends,.

here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.

revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).

EasyPrompt

"Why are you suprised at the term "disinterested academics"?
You, EasyPrompt, claimed to be an archeologist, remember? You claimed you went to various universities to gain your credentials to officially become this type of expert in one of our discussions.
As a scientist you should be familiar with the need for having a disinterested party to ensure any critical conclusion anyone makes.
It isn't an "oxymoron" to a person who practices your methodology. Without a fellow academic to act as a disinterested party one cannot produce a critical theory, you know that. That is "Science 101," not an oxymoron.
As a Humanistic Jew, while I do celebrate Sukkot, I do not wave the Lulav."

The "academic$" field has more hypocrisy than the WTBT$.

If you want to worship the academics, whatever, go ahead. It's one of the most ridiculous cults there is, but you can do what you want.

Even the most noble-minded of the "academics" are imperfect humans with frailties and foibles. They live and they die. They can't save anyone.

Albert Einstein had a son named Eduard. None of Albert's "academics" could help him.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/eduard-einstein

https://phalpern.medium.com/mileva-einsteins-desperate-plea-to-carl-jung-help-me-with-my-son-f3d2d01556f9

Only Jehovah can release Eduard and Albert (and the rest of us) from the prison of the grave and cure all their maladies. And He will.

Psalm 146:3-7

"Do not put your trust in princes

Nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation.

His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground;

On that very day his thoughts perish.

Happy is the one who has the God of Jacob as his helper,

Whose hope is in Jehovah his God,

The Maker of heaven and earth,

Of the sea, and of all that is in them,

The One who always remains faithful,

The One securing justice for those defrauded,

The One giving bread to the hungry.

Jehovah is releasing the prisoners."

("Humanistic Jew" is also an oxymoron.)

543

Encouraging scriptures for the day

by Kosonen in

jw
friends

hello my friends,.

here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.

revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).

EasyPrompt

"disinterested academics"

"ox·y·mo·ron

/ˌäksəˈmôrˌän/

noun: oxymoron; plural noun: oxymorons

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true )."that fashionable rhetorical novelty, the humblebrag, is itself an oxymoron" (Definitions from Oxford Languages)

"reliable methodologies with the assistance of disinterested academics to prove your work, you can be assured of conclusions that are reliable and not based upon anyone's personal opinon or religious dogma"

I've never met an academic who wasn't interested in furthering their career.

I've never known a reliable academic methodology that wasn't biased by anyone's personal opinion or religious dogma.

You can believe what you want but the only conclusions I've ever found to be 100% reliable are God's, which can be found recorded in the Bible. Some people might misunderstand the Bible or misinterpret the Bible, but that doesn't undermine the credibility of its Source.

By the way, KalebOutWest, I hope you enjoyed your yoma arichta celebration this past month. It's always nice to think about ways we can help other people and be welcoming. Shanah tovah to you. Also, how was your Yom Kippur a few days ago? The closing service ends with the Shema, that's cool. Now it's time for Sukkot. Do you take of the Four Kinds? (My daughter's middle name is based on the myrtle.) Nice that the Four Kinds represent unity.

Here is something perhaps you will appreciate, since it is Sukkot, the time to read the Hallel Psalms...Psalms 113-118...

One of my favorites of the Hallel Psalms is Psalm 118...

"Give thanks to Jehovah, for he is good;

His loyal love endures forever.

Let Israel now say:

“His loyal love endures forever.”

Let those of the house of Aaron now say:

“His loyal love endures forever.”

Let those fearing Jehovah now say:

“His loyal love endures forever.”

I called on Jah in my distress;

Jah answered and brought me into a place of safety.

Jehovah is on my side;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

Jehovah is on my side as my helper;

I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

It is better to take refuge in Jehovah

Than to trust in humans.

It is better to take refuge in Jehovah

Than to trust in princes.

All the nations surrounded me,

But in the name of Jehovah, I warded them off.

They surrounded me, yes, I was completely surrounded,

But in the name of Jehovah, I warded them off.

They surrounded me like bees,

But they were extinguished as quickly as a fire among thorns.

In the name of Jehovah, I warded them off.

I was pushed hard to make me fall,

But Jehovah helped me.

Jah is my shelter and my strength,

And he has become my salvation.

The sound of rejoicing and salvation

Is in the tents of the righteous.

The right hand of Jehovah is demonstrating its power.

The right hand of Jehovah is exalting itself;

The right hand of Jehovah is demonstrating its power.

I will not die, no, I will live,

In order to declare the works of Jah.

Jah disciplined me severely,

But he did not hand me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I will enter them and praise Jah.

This is the gate of Jehovah.

The righteous will enter through it.

I will praise you, for you answered me

And you became my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This has come from Jehovah;

It is wonderful in our eyes.

This is the day that Jehovah has made;

We will be joyful and rejoice in it.

Jehovah, save us, please, we beg!

Jehovah, grant us victory, please!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Jehovah;

We bless you from the house of Jehovah.

Jehovah is God;

He gives us light.

Join in the festival procession with branches in hand,

Up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will praise you;

My God, I will exalt you.

Give thanks to Jehovah, for he is good;

His loyal love endures forever."

“Chag Sameach!” חַג שָׂמֵחַ

26

Praise for watchtower

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

did watchtower pay for this?

or is the anchor woman affiliated with the witnesses somehow?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3vldmrfcg.

EasyPrompt

I looked over "In Search of Christian Freedom" before but I wasn't as interested in it as I was in "Crisis of Conscience". What I appreciated about "Crisis of Conscience" was the exposing of the behind-the-scenes on the GB as well as the way his disfellowshipping went. Mine was similar, where the elders were sketchy, so that resounded with me. Also, his attitude of being sorry about the way his decisions as a GB member affected people, that helped me heal from the nasty way the GB treated me. (I wrote to the GB and 50 "high-profile" members of Bethel repeatedly before and after my disfellowshipping without response.)

Before I was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses I went to school for archaeology/anthropology, so I did not find Ray's information on the Flood to be accurate, since in my experience the geology and archaeology scholars are not trustworthy any more than the GB is trustworthy. "Publish or perish". Publish=$$$, whether it's religious magazines or evolutionary theories in "scientific" literature and grant requests. From the evidence I saw in both shovel-testing and in research, the Bible account of the Flood is trustworthy. I also found from my own personal studies that the evolution teaching is a bunch of trash.

As regards the 1914 thing, the reason I know the WTBT$ doctrine is a bunch of bunk isn't because of the scholars as regards dating, but because chapter four of Daniel has absolutely no indication of a future fulfillment.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. This is the place I found "Crisis of Conscience" (it also has "In Search of Christian Freedom" there) online...https://friendsofraymondfranz.com/books-in-english/

I skimmed over some of the other essays and books on that site, but I didn't find them as interesting. The "Gentile Times" teaching is a holdover from apostasy in the Jewish faith. Jesus didn't come in the first century or in 1914. I think it's funny that people write books and books when you can just look around and know obviously Jesus isn't in Kingdom power yet, but, whatever, people can believe what they want.

The PID believes that the GB has power and authority because of that 1914 trash, but they'll soon see that Jesus doesn't approve of the WTBT$, or any of the clergy people who lord it over others in a naughty way. When Jesus is actually enthroned in heaven, the Bible makes clear that one of the first things he'll do is wipe the earth clean of all the fraudulent religious leaders and their bogus organizations that reproach God's name and take advantage of people. Then there will be 3 1/2 years without religious institutions around where the UN gets a chance to try their hand at world domination. Then God will say "enough!" and things will get better. Jehovah told the finale from the beginning. We're just hanging in there for the ride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzki3TtDEDk

26

Praise for watchtower

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

did watchtower pay for this?

or is the anchor woman affiliated with the witnesses somehow?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3vldmrfcg.

EasyPrompt

"Crisis of Conscience" is one of the first publications I read after getting disfellowshipped.🙂 I also read "New Boy" by Keith Caserona (although I skipped quickly over some parts) and I read J.J. Ross' "Some Facts and More Facts about Charles Taze Russell" and lots of stuff on Barbara Anderson's site "watchtowerdocuments" and Bill Bowen's stuff on "SilentLambs".

All the lying organizations will be destroyed in time. Jehovah's name guarantees it. He is the God of Truth and "He Causes To Become."

"We don't shun," Hendriks said. "Shunning would be cutting somebody off and pretending they don't exist. That's just not the case."

I met Robert Hendriks outside a convention four months ago. He was pleasant enough when he thought I was a JW in "good standing". He had a friend take a picture of me and my kids with him and his wife. (I try to not be prejudiced, and I don't believe in the disfellowshipping doctrine, so when I saw him, I talked to him because I recognized him from pictures on exjwreddit. The elders at the convention wouldn't talk to me because they knew I was disfellowshipped, but Robert Hendriks didn't know.) He gave me his cell phone number. He texted back and forth with me and told me my kids and I were good examples.

But when I disclosed via text later on that I was disfellowshipped by corrupt elders for telling on abuse, everything changed. After asking me not to share his phone number he didn't ask me if he could help with anything. He didn't ask if I was okay. He didn't say he was sorry the organization was so mean. He told me that I "could come back to Jehovah" but I told him I never left Jehovah. (I left the GB because they are apostates, because they were willing to let bad guys hurt the sheep and they wanted to cull me out for telling on wolves.) I was the same person before and after Robert Hendriks knew I was "disfellowshipped". But his prejudices and indoctrination made him act like a Pharisee. To him, I went from being "a good example" to being mentally diseased and worthy of everlasting death just because of a manmade label that's not even in the Bible.

These PID guys are indoctrinated to think the GB=Jehovah, when the GB are actually opposing Jehovah. They shun Jehovah's sheep instead of shunning the wolves. They praise the Watchtower idol instead of praising Jehovah. It's gross. I feel bad for them. They're mentally diseased because of the WTBT$ teachings.

26

Praise for watchtower

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

did watchtower pay for this?

or is the anchor woman affiliated with the witnesses somehow?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3vldmrfcg.

EasyPrompt

💖🫶☺️

26

Praise for watchtower

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

did watchtower pay for this?

or is the anchor woman affiliated with the witnesses somehow?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3vldmrfcg.

EasyPrompt

When the WT Society is 86'd.
I dont know. They have a lot of companies, a$$ets and properties to suddenly disappear all at once 🙄

Having a lot of companies/assets/properties doesn't seem to be helping the Unification Church not get dissolved right about now...

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan-to-seek-court-order-to-dissolve-Unification-Church

"TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government plans to seek a court order to disband the Unification Church, a government source said on Saturday, a move that comes after a monthslong probe into the religious group over allegations of soliciting financially ruinous donations from members and other questionable practices.

Scrutiny of the group intensified after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during an election campaign speech last year over his perceived links to the entity, an incident that also brought to light its connections with many ruling party lawmakers.

According to the source, the Cultural Affairs Agency is currently considering convening a meeting of an advisory body on religious institutions, possibly on Oct. 12, to report its plan, and then asking the Tokyo District Court to issue an order to dissolve the group, the source said.

The agency has judged through documents submitted from the Unification Church and statements of victims who were pressured into making massive donations that the group's practices amounted to violations of the Religious Corporations Act, according to the source.

The law allows Japanese courts to order the dissolution of a religious group that has committed an act that is "clearly found to harm public welfare substantially."

If dissolved, the Unification Church, founded in South Korea in 1954 and formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, would lose its status as a religious corporation in Japan and be deprived of tax benefits, although it could still operate as an entity.

So far, only two religious organizations have received a dissolution order from a Japanese court because of legal violations. One was the AUM Shinrikyo cult, which carried out the deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.

Many in Japan have reported financial problems involving the Unification Church, which has also been notorious for "spiritual sales," in which it pressures people to buy vases and other items for exorbitant prices through the use of threats, such as invoking negative "ancestral karma."

The group has also been found responsible in some civil lawsuits filed over huge donations.

In the case of Abe's assassination, police have said that Tetsuya Yamagami, who has been indicted over the incident, claimed he targeted Abe partly because Abe's grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, helped bring the church to Japan in the 1960s.

Yamagami's mother is believed to have made donations totaling 100 million yen ($670,000) to the church, which Yamagami has said financially ruined the family."

26

Praise for watchtower

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

did watchtower pay for this?

or is the anchor woman affiliated with the witnesses somehow?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep3vldmrfcg.

EasyPrompt

The 2016 Media Relations Manual gives insight into how it is the "outside of the cup" (rather than the "inside of the cup") that the headquarters people are concerned with...

https://files.accessjw.org/s/MsqA4gS7G5WzmdH

The "facts are being twisted" by the WTBT$ headquarters people.

The PID people are the same way. If you are a victim of abuse and you ask Robert Hendriks for help, he will turn you away, just like the hypocritical priest and Levite in Jesus' illustration who were too concerned about getting their clothes dirty to help the beat up guy on side of the road. They claim to be Christian, follower of Christ, but they aren't following him.

It's fake. The PID are fakers. They are not following Christ. They are following the GB. The GB are heading over the cliff into Gehenna with the rest of the religious institution leaders.

"Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

58

Cult or High Control Group?

by MillennialDawn in

jw
friends

i see this phrase a lot: "the indication of a cult is what happens when you leave.

" i'm not sure where that originated, but it is a faulty categorization.

"cult" is almost always used in a derogatory way.

EasyPrompt

(from The Watchtower, 1994, 2/15, "Cults - What are they?")

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1994120

"What Is a Cult?

"The term “cult” is used loosely by many who may not be fully aware of its connotations. To prevent confusion, some theologians actually avoid using the term.

The World Book Encyclopedia explains that “traditionally, the term cult referred to any form of worship or ritual observance.” By that criterion, all religious organizations could be classified as cults. However, in general usage today, the word “cult” has a different meaning. The same encyclopedia notes that “since the mid-1900’s, publicity about cults has altered the meaning of the term. Today, the term is applied to groups that follow a living leader who promotes new and unorthodox doctrines and practices.”

Interestingly, the IBSA people were referred to as "Russellites" and "Rutherfordites" prior to renaming themselves with the false moniker "Jehovah's Witnesses".

(1994 Watchtower article on Cults continues: "Endorsing the popular usage of the term, Newsweek magazine explains that cults “are normally small, fringe groups whose members derive their identity and purpose from a single, charismatic individual.” Similarly, Asiaweek magazine notes that “the term [cult] itself is vague, but it usually denotes a new religious creed built around a charismatic leader, who often proclaims himself to be the personification of God.”"

Who was it who said they were the "G.uardians O.f D.octrine", the "G.O.D."?😝

1994 Watchtower article on Cults continues: "The language used in a joint resolution of the 100th Congress of the State of Maryland, U.S.A., also conveys the derogatory connotation of the term cult. The resolution states that “a cult is a group or movement exhibiting excessive devotion to a person or idea and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control to advance the goals of its leaders.”"

"Excessive devotion" - would that be like the high percentage of JW articles/comments/videos that direct devotion to the GB/FDS? Or how anyone who doesn't show devotion to the GB/FDS is disfellowshipped?

1994 Watchtower article on Cults continues: "Clearly, cults are generally understood to be religious groups with radical views and practices that clash with what is accepted today as normal social behavior. Usually they conduct their religious activities in secrecy. Many of these cultic groups actually isolate themselves in communes. Their devotion to a self-proclaimed human leader is likely to be unconditional and exclusive. Often these leaders boast of having been divinely chosen or even of being themselves divine in nature."

Commune, like Bethel, where a bunch of people take a vow of poverty and live behind a guard station where you can only get in to visit if you get special clearance...

1994 Watchtower article on Cults continues: "Occasionally, anticult organizations and the media have referred to Jehovah’s Witnesses as a cult. A number of recent newspaper articles lump the Witnesses with religious groups known for their questionable practices. But would it be accurate to refer to Jehovah’s Witnesses as a small fringe religious group? Cult members often isolate themselves from friends, family, and even society in general. Is that the case with Jehovah’s Witnesses? Are the Witnesses using deceptive and unethical techniques to recruit members?"

This article from the JWBorg started by saying that the definition of a "cult" is "normally" (implying "but not always") being "small" or "fringe". By their own definition, it is a group that has excessive devotion to men rather than God and has communes. By their own definition, they fit the definition of a cult.

They are using deceptive and unethical techniques to recruit members. They aren't transparent about the CSA problem and the free-labor-real-estate scheme and they twist the scriptures to feign support for their rotten doctrines like the 1914 thing and the disfellowshipping thing. They claim to be Christian, but many of those taking the lead either promote or condone or cover up unChristian practices.

https://youtu.be/1W34s0sVKRQ

1994 Watchtower article on Cults continues: "Cult leaders are known to use manipulative methods to control the minds of their followers. Is there any evidence that Jehovah’s Witnesses do this? Is their worship cloaked in secrecy? Are they following and venerating a human leader? Pointedly, are Jehovah’s Witnesses a cult?""

Yes. According to their own definitions, yes, they are a cult.

18

Judicial Committees are Sentencing Committees

by Vanderhoven7 in

this video starts slow, but is worth the watch.

.

https://www.youtube.com/live/oo6tyxodkvk?si=oduof8kkvjypkoyh.

EasyPrompt

The 1980 letter to circuit overseers about "apostates" says to disfellowship those who are not in subjection to what the GB/FDS teaches...it says "Keep in mind to be disfellowshipped, an apostate does not have to be a promoter of apostate views..."standing away from"...Therefore, if a baptized Christian abandons the teachings...as presented by the faithful and discreet slave, and persists in believing other doctrine...then he is apostatizing...rejects what he has been provided through the slave class, then appropriate judicial action should be taken."

1980 Letter to circuit overseers about apostates...

https://files.accessjw.org/s/QkEpDaBMN6EdkZJ

2023 edition of "Shepherd the Flock of God" Elder's book under "Determining Whether A Judicial Committee Should Be Formed" Chapter 12 point 17, not being in subjection/submission regarding the elders' direction regarding associating with other disfellowshipped ones is considered "brazen conduct" and a disfellowshipping offense...

https://files.accessjw.org/s/NSCySFCnaSiE2A5

Also in that publication, same Chapter 12 point 39 subpoint 4, not agreeing with what is published by organization is labeled "apostasy" and is a disfellowshipping offense. "Deliberate action" can mean not obeying the elders, for instance, if a publisher refused to say "amen" to the public prayer of an elder because of knowing that elder's involvement in covering abuse, then that publisher would be seen as taking "deliberate action" to undermine the authority of the elder and would be disfellowshipped for "apostasy" even though not actively teaching any specific contrary view - the "causing divisions" clause is like a catch-all to disfellowship anyone who holds "apostate" views - and again, "apostasy" in their eyes doesn't mean against the Bible it means against the Governing Body/FDS teachings...

If a baptized JW does not agree with the disfellowshipping teaching they are considered "apostate". Even if that person does not "teach" others about their belief, if they continue to associate with disfellowshipped JWs or if they live in a way that the elders don't like then they will be disfellowshipped. Rather then charging them with "apostasy" they will be charged with "brazen conduct" or "causing divisions" or something else, but it's all the same. If the elders or Bethel want you gone, they'll drum up some false charges just like the Sanhedrin did for Jesus.