THE GLADIATOR

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Posts by THE GLADIATOR

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  2596

  The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

  by cofty in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

  we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

  they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  humbled Gladiator--A quote similar to the one you gave "Fortune favours the brave" is one from Terence McKenna "Nature loves courage".

  An excellent post - I have been humbled.
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  2596

  The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

  by cofty in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

  we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

  they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  caliber And while happily blaming God for the hundreds of thousands that have died...

  I get what you’re saying. It’s not fair to blame a god for natural disasters or failing to save humans.

  Personally, I don’t blame a god. I don’t believe in gods, fairies, pixies, elf’s, goblins, Santa clause, demons, mystical dragons, unicorns, or any of the other figments of the imagination that bring both comfort and horror to the human mind.

  We live in a cruel world, and some humans are the cruellest creatures alive. If a man is cruel, I blame the man because he is aware of what he is doing. If a lion savagely kills and eats a Zebra there is no blame. That is nature and the survival of the fittest at work. If every meat eating animal became a vegetarian the balance of nature would collapse; not enough grassland and too many animals due to no natural predators.

  Nature worked very well for millions of years until humans became too abundant. So, god is off the hook. Natural disasters are simply a part of living in a hostile planet; part of the lottery of life.

  Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat

  Fortune favours the brave

  * Well done Cofty - the forum’s voice of reason.
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  47

  The most disturbing Watchtower quote in 2013.

  by never a jw in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am trying to put together the worst of 2013. the first quote that comes to mind is possibly your "favorite" too.

  do you have any other disturbing quotes from the publications in the wt?.

  elders who are reading this article can draw some useful conclusions from the account we have just considered: (1) the most practical step that we can take to prepare for the coming attack of the assyrian is that of strengthening our faith in god and helping our brothers to do the same.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  The Watchtower Society have claimed to be responsible for the personal beliefs of the membership for more than 100 years. They have always said they speak for Jehovah. Take a look at this quote from 1952. Nothing has changed:

  We should meekly go along with the Lord’s theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than baulk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to us and proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave’s provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord’s visible organization and not be so foolish as to pit against Jehovah’s channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings. The Watchtower 2 January 1952 - page 8
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  33

  33 percent of Americans reject evolution

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57616373-71/33-percent-of-americans-reject-evolution/.

  that seems to be a disturbingly high number for a western / educated / developed nation.. does this have anything at all to do with america slipping behind in the sciences?

  it seems hard to imagine they could not not be linked somehow.. no surprise that the jesus party (republicans) reject evolution the most.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  I have heard a rumour that Richard Dawkins is to be the next UK prime minister.
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  42

  The END did NOT come in their lifetime!!

  by DATA-DOG in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i don't know about the rest of you, but i have seen my fair share of death.

  both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, older jws that were pillars in the community.

  i even knew the first missionary in missouri, a brother named gerald golf.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Ah Datadog, I have had the pleasure of watching those that shun me, and await my death at the had of thier Hebrew desert god, die one by one. Not many left to go now.

  It has not been this good since I fought in the arena for Caesar. To the death.
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  11

  Can we sue the WTBTS???

  by quellycatface in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was reading an old article in a british newspaper about some jw's (in portsmouth) who had called the police regarding the wording in the 2011 wt, that if someone had da'd, left etc... re; questioning the wt teachings then they were "mentally diseased.

  " they said this was "inciting religous hatred".

  has this been mentioned again anywhere in the jw literature???.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  The laws that apply in business do not apply to religious organizations. If the law was applied fairly all Bibles would be burned, eg. A dog returning to it’s vomit. Hey - didn’t someone try burning Bibles.
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  37

  New Here

  by Justmenthedogs in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i came across this forum and started reading it long before i decided to join.

  it is amazing to read that i am not the only one feeling the way i have for many years.

  i come from a family of jw's.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Justmenthedogs Thanks for sharing your experience. You have been brave and made a stand for truth.

  Painful as this has been for you, it was the right choice. You are not alone.
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  443

  The 1914 generation is still going strong 100 years later - 2014 study article.

  by THE GLADIATOR in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  january 2014 watchtower study article.

  let your kingdom comebut when?.

  this generation will not pass away.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  6

  You may find this of interest. Taken from Can Jehovah's Witnesses Survive? by Trevor Willis. Formatting not preserved.

  LATE FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE

  Pastor Russell’s Society - 1887 to 1917

  To fully understand why the Watchtower Society has found it necessary to adopt their present teachings we must go back to the early days of the movement. A man named Charles Taze Russell, known as Pastor Russell, was born in 1852 in Pittsburg, America. He was a sincere man with a keen desire to understand the Bible. In 1879 he began to gather others with the same interest and by 1881 he had formed the original the Watchtower Society. This group became known as The International Bible Students. It would be many years before they adopted the name ‘Jehovah's Witnesses.’

  This small group who were sometimes referred to as Russellites, started to make predictions regarding the end of the world system. A book entitled ‘TheTimeis at Hand’ followed in 1889. The title of this book emphasised the weakness that was to become a flaw in the Watchtower Society as the years passed – their obsession with time. This book declared that Jesus Christ had already begun his presence since 1873 and would return to gather his chosen ones to heaven in 1914. Pastor Russell, along with his followers, expected to be taken to heaven to become part of Christ’s heavenly priesthood and government in 1914. The battle of Armageddon was to follow and bring an end to all religious and political set-ups. This date was arrived at by various calculations and guesswork, designed to prove that the Gentile Times would end in 1914. The Gentile Times being the time period that the non-Jewish nations would dominate the earth for. The quotes shown here are from Series II but are the same as printed in Series I:

  True it is expecting great things to claim, as we do, that within the coming twenty-six years all present governments will be over thrown and dissolved; but we are living in a special and peculiar time, the ‘Day of Jehovah,’ in which matters culminate quickly; and it is written, ‘A short work will the Lord make upon the earth. The Time is at Hand - series II - pages 98, 99

  In view of the strong bible evidence concerning the times of the Gentiles, we consider it an established truth that the final end of the Kingdoms of this world and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God will be accomplished near the end of A.D. 1915. Then the prayer of the church, ever since her Lord took his departure – ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ – will be answered; and under that wise and just administration, the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord – with knowledge and righteousness, and peace (Psalms 72:19; Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 2:14) and then the will of God shall be done ‘on earth as it is in Heaven.Time is at Hand - series II - pages 98, 99

  Be not surprised, then when in subsequent chapters we present proofs that the setting up of God’s Kingdom is already begun, that it is pointed out in prophecy as due to begin the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Revelation 16:14) which will end in A.D. 1915, with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced. The gathering of the armies is plainly visible from the standpoint of God’s word. Time is at Hand - series II - page 101

  In the preceding chapters we presented evidence showing that the ‘Times of the Gentiles’ or their lease of domination, will run out with the year A.D. 1914 and at that time they will be overturned and Christ’s Kingdom fully established. That the Lord must be present, and set up his Kingdom, and exercise great power so as to dash the Nations to pieces as a potters vessel, is then clearly fixed. Time is at Hand - series II - page 170

  Pastor Russell understood that Christ’s return would mean the restoration of Israel to their homeland as promised to Abraham. An entire chapter, entitled ‘Parallel Dispensations’ was devoted to providing scriptural proof that God had promised Israel would one day return to take possession of their land:

  But we must remember that the year A.D. 1878 was but the turning point of returning favour to fleshly Israel. We have already learned, from our study of ‘The Times of the Gentiles’, that Jerusalem and its people will continue to be trodden down – controlled and oppressed by the Gentiles ‘until the Times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,’ and hence, though favour was due to begin in A.D. 1878, the Jew will not be received back into full favour until after 1915. Time is at Hand - series II - page 221

  Large portions of the Old Testament were devoted to describing the return of Israel to their homeland as well as references in the New Testament. The Society's basic teachings were Bible based but went far beyond the things written in the Bible and claimed to know when these things would happen; also they claimed that only those in their group would go to heaven with Jesus. They condemned all Christendom for refusing to agree with their time keeping. Many pages of this book were spent giving minute details of how these dates were arrived at, several charts were drawn and dozens of scriptural texts were manipulated into place to back up these predictions. The Watchtower magazine then known as Zion’s Watchtower kept its readers up to date with world events. Social, financial and political events on an international scale were monitored and given Biblical significance. Over the following two years the Watchtower magazine repeated the expectation:

  The date of the close of that ‘battle’ is definitely marked in the Scriptures as October, 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874. The Watchtower 15 January 1892

  We see no reason for changing the figures - nor could we change them if we would. They are, we believe, God’s dates, not ours. Bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble. We see no reason for changing from our opinion expressed in the view presented in the WATCHTOWER of January 15, 1892. We advise that it be read again. The Watchtower 15July 1894

  Needless to say 1914 passed without these things occurring. Conveniently for Pastor Russell, World War I broke out giving his Society something to point to as a major event arriving on schedule. The fact that he had not predicted such an event was not important – something had happened! This was to be used to great effect for decades to come. The Society published a new book in 1986 which stated:

  As far back as 1876 Jehovah's Witnesses realized that bible prophecy marked the year 1914 C.E. as a time when major events would take place that would have far reaching effects on human affairs. They gave reason for this wide publicity. True Peace and Security - How Can You Find It? 1986 - page 70

  Throughout the years and until this day they give all members the impression that they were entirely correct in their prophecies concerning 1914. Only those who take the trouble to read what was really said will know – they were entirely wrong! Israel did not return to their homeland. The members of the Society were not taken to heaven. Christ did not come and destroy all political and religious organizations. In a rare moment of honesty, in 1930 the Watchtower Society admitted:

  All of the Lord’s people looked forward to 1914 with joyful expectation. When that time came and passed there was much disappointment, chagrin and mourning and the Lord’s people were greatly in reproach. They were ridiculed by the clergy and their allies in particular, and pointed to with scorn, because they had said so much about 1914, and what would come to pass, and their ‘prophecies’ had not been fulfilled. LightBook I - 1930 - page 194

  The Witnesses own Bible had warned about false prophets who speak in the name of Jehovah:

  The prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. And in case you should say in your heart: ‘How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?’ when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him. Deuteronomy18:20-22– NewWorldTranslation

  Impostors will come claiming to be messiahs or prophets, and they will produce great signs and wonders to mislead even God’s chosen, if such a thing were possible. See, I have forewarned you. Matthew24:23-25– The New English Bible

  By 1916 it was apparent that the date had not brought the fulfilment of these major prophecies. By then more than 1,500,000 copies had been sold. A series II was produced. The quotes shown earlier are from series II but are the same as series I. The forward explained:

  This was a natural mistake to fall into, but the Lord overruled it for the blessing of his people. The thought that the church would all be gathered to glory before 1914 certainly did have a stimulating and sanctifying effect upon thousands, all of whom accordingly can praise the Lord – even for the mistake. Time is at Hand - series II - page IV

  To ‘praise the Lord - even for the mistake,’ gave the impression that God was in some way involved in the false prophecy, which the final paragraph in the book had called ‘an unquestionable certainty.’ In October 1916 Pastor Russell died having sold his family business and donated a total of $250,000 to the Society, a fortune in those days.
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  57

  A Clean Slate When You Die ??

  by Perry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  for the one who has died has been acquitted from his sin.

  - romans 6:7 (nwt).

  i got a chance to witness to my dad scripture for scripture for one whole hour over the holidays.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  I'm more concerned about having clean underpants when I die, than a clean slate!
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  37

  SO you turned your back on God

  by maccauk11 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  ok so you had a bad experience and you stopped going to church which ever one that is.

  but did you stop believing or are you that peeved you blame god etc.

  i would encourage you to humble yourself before your messiah and seek him, he will let himself be found by you and come dwells within you.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  maccauk11

  You appear to be sincere. May I ask why you have turned your back on these other Roman god’s, listed below, who were all around in Jesus’ day. They are just a few; there are many more gods in the world. Why did you choose to worship the Hebrew desert god and his son? Was it an informed choice or just an accident of birth?

  Jupiter - King of the Gods

  Juno - Queen of the Gods

  Neptune - God of the Sea

  Pluto - God of Death

  Apollo - God of the Sun

  Diana - Goddess of the Moon

  Mars - God of War

  Venus - Goddess of Love

  Cupid - God of Love

  Mercury - Messenger of the Gods

  Minerva - Goddess of Wisdom

  Ceres - The Earth Goddess

  Proserpine - Goddess of the Underworld

  Vulcan - The Smith God

  Bacchus - God of Wine

  Saturn - God of Time

  Vesta - Goddess of the Home

  Janus - God of Doors

  Uranus and Gaia - Parents of Saturn

  Maia - Goddess of Growth

  Flora - Goddess of Flowers

  Plutus - God of Wealth