TheLiberator

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Posts by TheLiberator

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  26

  Questions for JW's from Christians

  by Perry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm thinking of printing a tract with some simple but thought-provoking questions for people to use when jw's come to their doors.

  questions from christians.

  bible-believing christians appreciate the moral values of jehovah’s witnesses in their communities but have several questions that somehow seem to escape us when we are caught unexpectedly at our doors.

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  TheLiberator

  Another question: Can you show me from the scriptures, that baptism is dedication and involves making sure you are qualified through questioning?
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  3

  Reflections on John the Baptizer

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  introductionisrael did not have a prophet in its midst for about 400 years.

  no, not since the time of malachi where the “old testament ends”.

  of his son just after his birth, the priest zechariah says...“but as for you, young child, you will be called a prophet of the most high, for you will go ahead of jehovah to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender compassion of our god.

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  TheLiberator

  Good post! You can learn alot from him, but it does take reflection.

  You said, "the influence of Jesus in my thinking, personality, and behaviour is increasing. I suspect it is the same for many withdrawing, disengaging from the organisation". This is so true.

  Christ is everything. Others, including "weak" JW's, see the transformation in you.
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  47

  Evolution is a Fact #37 - Testicles

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  take a look at the back of your tv/entertainment centre.

  a mass of power and signal cables connect the various pieces of equipment in very specific ways.

  imagine you wanted to switch the locations of your satellite receiver and your dvd player.

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  TheLiberator

  Desperate times call for desperate measures. Wow.
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  9

  What about hermaphrodites?

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  a recent post about transgender people made me think.

  i think its obvious that transgenders and homosexuals are easily banned in jwdom because the people in question were clearly born with their respective sex organs.. however.

  what about intersex people aka hermaphrodites?

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  TheLiberator

  This was the case with someone in my former sign language congregation. This individual was studying with a sister for a long time. But they decided that they identified themselves more as a guy. The study was then shifted to a brother. Basically the person is now a man and must stay that way if that is the choice. No flip flopping. They did get baptized. I have to be honest, and give the congregation credit. Everyone loved him. It was hard to remember "her" as a "him" since he had more of a feminine face. However, I spoke to him all the time. He was funny and always made fun of me. No one had any problems with him. Believe it or not, I actually miss many of the people in sign language including him.
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  4

  Faith Strengthening Literature

  by TheLiberator in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have shared these links with some.

  they were passed on to me awhile back.

  very encouraging.

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  TheLiberator

  I have shared these links with some. They were passed on to me awhile back. Very encouraging. The first one was especially encouraging when I first left the Watchtower.

  http://wernerbiblecommentary.org/?q=book/print/2

  http://www.biblebb.com/files/ryle/inspiration.htm

  I just finished reading these two books. Couldn't put them down. I would highly recommend them. The subject of copying and re-copying of the Bible has fascinated me lately. The Bible is the most wonderful gift from God.

  Jonathan Morrow's:

  Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible's Authority

  Norman L. Geisler's:

  From God To Us Revised and Expanded: How We Got Our Bible

  "For the word of Yahweh is right. All his work is done in faithfulness." - Psalm 33:4
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  21

  Damaging Children With the Christian Gospel

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the christian gospel begins with the dehumanising assertion that all humans are fallen sinners who deserve nothing but god's judgement and wrath.. not only does this taint all relationships between christians and unbelievers, it destroys the beautiful innocence of childhood.

  in a recent edition of the popular christian radio program "family life today", titled “introducing your child to god,” co-host bob lepine discussed teaching “practical theology” to his young daughter, explaining:.

  when my daughter, amy, was still less than two years old, i started teaching practical theology to her.

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  TheLiberator

  I don't recall Jesus calling anyone a wicked sinner. Unless of course, they were truly wicked. I hear he actually treated the sinners quite well. On the other hand, he did tell the Pharisees where to go and how to get there.
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  52

  What's your favourite feel good movie ?

  by jhine in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  maybe it's time for a less serious thread .

  i have just finished watching dirty dancing ( again ) .

  what is your feel good movie , the one that makes you smile and cry happy tears ?

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  TheLiberator

  All episodes of Star Wars. I see my entire life divided by those episodes. It looks like this pattern will continue till I die. Not complaining. At least I have passed that heritage to both my children and grandchildren. It makes up for loss of Watchtower heritage.😂
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  14

  "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ah yes... how do the words attributed to jesus feel now?.

  "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free ".

  knowing "the truth about 'the truth'" puts so much extra meaning into those words, right?.

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  TheLiberator

  Every meeting night and Saturday morning as my family gets ready for service, I watch them and I am reminded of those words. The Watchtower would always quote Matthew: 23:4: "For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them."

  Were we blind? The Watchtower is one of the heaviest burdens to carry. I just cannot believe I packed that load around. Upon leaving, it was as if chains were immediately removed from my mind. Until you leave, you have no idea how shackled you were.
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  13

  Was Jesus really a Jehovah`s Witness ? He never identified himself as such , in word or deed.

  by smiddy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  also he never chastised the jews for not identifying themselves as jehovah`s witnesses following isaiah`s statement at ch.43 :10-12 , so many years before hand.. and he had ample opportunity to do so on numerous occasions .. jesus himself never used the divine name /jehovah or any other equivalent , in any of his sayings attributed to him by his contemporaries .. sure he acknowledged god as his father and that he did his fathers will , but he never acknowledged him by a personal name such as jehovah or anything like it.. and lets not forget acts 11:26 it was first in antioch that followers of jesus by divine providence were to be called christians , not jehovah`s witnesses,.

  smiddy.

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  TheLiberator

  I couldn't understand how anyone could not use God's name after leaving the Watchtower. This was very difficult for me to grasp. However, in time, I naturally ceased using God's name in prayer.

  Then I realized what happened. God waa not my friend. He was truly my father. You naturally don't use your parent's name when addressing them. Thus Jesus was introducing the father.

  As far as God's name in the NT, I quickly learned why it was missing. Many times when quoting the OT, Paul applies scripture that was originally addressed to Yahweh, to Christ. Why? Simply because God wanted us to focus on Christ. Mark 9: 7: "A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

  I personally do not believe in the trinity. I now have drawn the conclusion for myself that Christ did not preexist. Thus, Jesus was the complete fullfillment of the "Logos" or master plan of John 1:1. That is why Paul applied the words of Romans: 14:11 to Christ. For it is written, "'As I live,' says the Lord, 'to me every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess to God.'" Basically, Jesus is the complete manifestation of God. . If we know Christ, we know God. 1 Corinthians: 2: 16: "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Christ's mind."
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  37

  Jehovah Witness vs Jehovah's Witness

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  being brought up as a jehovah's witness means you are so used to the term that you rarely stop to think about it.. one thing i've noticed is that people unfamiliar with the religion will say "jehovah witness" (no 's) instead which i always found a bit grating.. but watching the us election, something struck me.

  people are often referred to as "trump supporters", not "trump's supporters" and so on.

  thinking about other things, people would say they were "united fan's", not "united's fans" and so on.. it seems weird that a group would refer to themselves as though it was someone else talking about them (in the 3rd person, if i have that right).. what do you think?

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  TheLiberator

  My old presiding overseer said that we NEED to say, "I am one of Jehovah's witnesses." Whatever.