Was that to me?
I get so confused - must be the language barriers. When the words "hugs" and "idiot" are combined in the same sentence, or at least in to sentences strung together, I get problems.
Must be the Atlantic Ocean and the European Continent dividing us, which create cultural or language barriers.
OK, I leave for vacation, one week and a half - maybe I understand more when I return. Although I seriously doubt that I will have sobered up the days away, as they will be spent on the Mediterranean shores, where lots of things are cheap.
TheOldHippie
JoinedPosts by TheOldHippie
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34
Sudden Rash of JW Apologists
by NeonMadman inam i the only one who sees it as a bit odd that a large number of jw apologists has suddenly come out of the woodwork on this board to defend the actions of the watchtower society toward bill bowen, barbara anderson and the pandelos?
for the longest time, virtually the only ones on this board who advocated an essentially orthodox jw viewpoint were you know and nytelecom/mavman (though each of them could easily be classed with us "apostates" if the watchtower knew of their disagreements with the party line).. but suddenly, we have a bunch of totally loyal, utterly doctrinaire jw apologists posting almost exclusively on threads related to the pedophile issue.
most of them are taking next to impossible positions from any reasonable standpoint.
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TheOldHippie
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Sudden Rash of JW Apologists
by NeonMadman inam i the only one who sees it as a bit odd that a large number of jw apologists has suddenly come out of the woodwork on this board to defend the actions of the watchtower society toward bill bowen, barbara anderson and the pandelos?
for the longest time, virtually the only ones on this board who advocated an essentially orthodox jw viewpoint were you know and nytelecom/mavman (though each of them could easily be classed with us "apostates" if the watchtower knew of their disagreements with the party line).. but suddenly, we have a bunch of totally loyal, utterly doctrinaire jw apologists posting almost exclusively on threads related to the pedophile issue.
most of them are taking next to impossible positions from any reasonable standpoint.
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TheOldHippie
Sorry if I have misunderstood, but I feel I have to ask: Since I am currently a Witness, does that mean all of you guys want me off this board? If so, I of course will leave at once, to restore peace and harmony to this board and its posters - but somehow the idea that Witnesses were to be shunned form the board was not one I had when I first started visiting this site?
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When does the shunning start...I'm confused...
by TheApostleAK ini don't know what the hell is going on over here but since i da'd myself only half the jw's shun me......i was told by a jw over the phone (a lot of jws still phone me) that the elders have gone up to everyone in the cong to personally to say i'm da'd (as opposed to an announcement from the platform), yet when i walk into the hall for meetings people still greet me.
i think they do it just to piss the elders off...... also, as some of you know my literature/magazine order was cancelled by the elders, i got in contact with an old friend in another congregation (a ex-pioneer who got df'd yet i still visited him when he was df'd...reinstated a while back) and he now gets me the magazines even though i told him i'm da'd.
he said he could care if i was a jw or not.
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TheOldHippie
You can get the literature you want no matter what is your "position", my friend. And if someone tries to not give it to you, you can have him look it up a Question box in KM.
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Real god name: Jehovah, Yahweh??
by Yaron777 ini just today found this forum and read these discussion in here, some good stuff found, thanks.
reason why i'm here is, because one of my friend is jehovah witness, and we have discussed many things.
i myself don't know very much about bible.
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TheOldHippie
To Christian Observer; when you and others state that the one thing which is certain, is that the name was not pronounced "Jehovah", then perhaps you are a bit too certain on that point. Research done in the past few years indicate a three-syllabel pronounciation in stead of a two-cyllabel one, and points to the impossibility of "Yahweh". When closing in on "Yehwah" and noticing there was a third cyllabel, "Yeh-o-wah" suddenly pops up as a very probable pronounciation.
Not that I think one's salvation depends on a pronounciation, but I think it is too simplistic to state that is "definitely was NOT 'Jehovah'". -
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Is Greg Stafford Disfellowshiped?
by the follower ini remember someone saying that an anouncement was going to be made at greg's kingdom hall about him being disfellowshiped tonight.. does anyone know if that happened?
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TheOldHippie
Why should Greg be disfellowshipped? His latest book is a beauty in honestly describing the present situation and problems facing the Governing Body and lining up what people of various convictions think, while at the same time ascertaining his believing the basic truths. No reasons there. And Furuli is continuing his cooperation, as are the others.
Rumours, rumours, sick and tired of them! -
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Wait on Jehovah!
by jerome ini have just been thinking about the "wait on jehovah doctrine" for a while because of the silentlambs fiasco and a thread started by you know.. i think that the jws have a certain amount of lead way when it comes to this teaching, i.e this wait on jehovah doctrine is not all bad because the bible teaches that you to trust in god and to have faith, which is totally understandable.. the bible further teaches that 'faith can move a mountain' but i dont think that this verse should be necessarily taken too literally because i dont know of anyone who has moved a mountain simply by faith alone.
but thats just me mabe some of you have move literal mountains simply by faith.. i think that scripture mostlikely refers to the problems in life that you have little controll of like can put food on the table, dont have a place to sleep and you just cant see a way out of your troubles so you put them in the hands of god and have faith that the lord will bring you through to see a brighter day.
[thanx mulan].
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TheOldHippie
So correctly. Me and my family have been harrassed for a couple of years, it has been stopped by the Society, but then the locals have started again etc. I did not want it to happen any more, so I stepped down, as one is then free from a range of obligations and can more freely speak one's mind. A letter from a friend told me, that if what had happened to us was true, then it was very bad indeed, but we had to wait on jehovah, for Him to settle it in His due time.
Many things would have been much better, if we had not waited, but acted ourselves according to our conscience and training and knowledge, and had shown that this and that is true and is correct based on the Bible, and therefore you offenders have to be wrong. Or at the least, the thing can be viewed from two sides, and therefore no 100 % statements can be made.
Where the BIG problem about the Waiting lies, in my eyes is on the theological doctrines. Because the ones we have to wait for, are the spokesmen of God, the Governing Body, and they are the ones who came up with the doctrine questioned in the first place. So the Body delivers a doctrine - it is questioned - we have to wait - upon what? upon the same Body who delivered the doctrine at first. We have to wait on them revising their own doctrine. And we know how difficult it is for mortal man to say that yes! I made a mistake - I am so sorry.
Waiting stirs inactivity. Christianity implies active followers, like the Beroean ones. The Governing Body should have confidence in the sheep, in their ability to read and study and if need be change errors and constantly strive for Truth, and not distrust anything not stemming from themselves.
OK, unstructured lines an early morning ......... -
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PRESS RELEASE
by silentlambs inplease distribute freely to press.. silentlambs.
tuesday, may 7. .
jehovah's witnesses begin excommunicating child sexual abuse whistleblowers .
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TheOldHippie
Gopher said, "Now when someone actually commits a disgusting act of molestation, but there aren't two eyewitnesses, they get off scotfree! How can one person charged with apostasy be DF'd with no witnesses, but then one under suspicion of one or multiple acts of molestation get away with it?"
Do not make the mistake of siding me with the Society on this one, as I am totally disagreeing with them here, but just to make a point as to the above quote from your post:
1. There need not be two eyewitnesses; multiple accusations are sufficient to make a conviction even if there are no eye-witnesses; this is said and written in letters and at elders' meetings. As to what various congregations do upon that, to that I have no comment, but that is what they are told to act upon.
2. As to being charged with apostasy with no witnesses - if you see it from the Society's viewpoint, there are thousands of witnesses to Bowen's "apostasy", namely all the visitors to SilentLambs.
Much as I deeply regret the Society's reactions, you have "had" to see it coming, because of the publicity it has received and led to. I so wish they had used the opportunity to really show they were willing to and going to do something with the problem, and not with the ones reacting, but as long as conditions are as they are now, this really is the only "logical" result or reaction.
On the theological debates, Stafford is the next one, I guess. Then me. And many others. -
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ELDERS ARE HUMBLE! (Handbook)
by plmkrzy ini just found this to be a bit amusing.
i was scrolling through the elders handbook.
hehe well it was there!.
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TheOldHippie
Gopher said,
"And the elders themselves... do they really acquire their position by being the kindest, gentlest one, or by being able to instill the most fear and guilt into others? Anytime there is a conflict in the elder body between being kind and gentle, versus "cracking the whip" like Rehoboam (see the Rehoboam thread), the elders who are harsh prevail by force of will."
And that is correct, wherein lies the reason for a huge part of the problems and instances related here. AND that was the reason I stepped down as an elder a short while ago; I was fed up and tired of fighting the self-righteous, pompous, puffed-up guys. A couple of others understood, but they kept quiet; in an eye-to-eye conversation, they agree and understand, but when the group is together, they either keep quiet or support a bit the tougher guys, because they feel that is the direction in which the wind is blowing, and they do not want to jeopardize their own career. They feel a guy in the group is on his was out or is losing favour, and then they join the band in order not to have to join the falling star. Well, I quit voluntarily after having given speeches lasting for hours about how I felt about them and their work, and after having written letters consisting of 20-30 pages to the Society telling the same.
The meeker guys will always lose, because they are meeker guys, and the tougher guys will always win, because theyare the tougher guys. But in the eyes od the others, the meeker ones are the ones to whom they turn ....... -
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Who has the latest WT CD-Rom?
by DanTheMan ini don't, i only have the 1995. i am needing help in doing some research.
if someone would be so kind as to help me, i would be very grateful.. whoever has the cd, could they do a search of all publications and tell me how many hits they get on the following scriptures (not including the bible itself, just the mags, books, etc.).
psalm 37:29. john 3:16. john 17:3.
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TheOldHippie
A new one is up this autumn.
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Writing letter to the society...Help!
by TheApostleAK incan someone who knows, tell me what to say and not to say when writing a letter to the society?.
do they answer all letters or not?
is it best to write a sort of "ass kissing" letter or not?.
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TheOldHippie
Austria: Replies very quickly and friendly.
Germany: Replies quickly and very thoroughly.
Denmark: Replies very quickly and friendly.
Norway: Hardly ever replies, and if, then very slowly (up to a year)and patronizing, writing between the lines that you should have known better than writing them and disturbing them in their important business.
USA: Has not replied me yet, but then it is only two years since I wrote.
As you can see, it varies. Don't "lick", write things as they are. But then, why should one be unfriendly or shouting? I never do that in letters to whoever it is that I am writing.