Separation of Powers

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Posts by Separation of Powers

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  38

  What is your experience when you stop turning in time?

  by gingerbread in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  for the past year or so, i've been turning in just one or two hours of service time.

  it has been mentioned to me from an elder "friend" that i'm never seen at any meetings for field service.

  i get his implication.

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  Separation of Powers

  I am noticing a pattern of sorts. Most say that when they stop turning in time, it is hardly even noticed. No call. No text. No drive bys in service. It reminds me of when somebody owes you money, they seem to avoid you at all costs. The expectation that you will call them on the carpet when you see them at a nice restaurant, spending your money on prime rib. It is almost like you are being avoided because you are a constant reminder of how inept and incompetent some "sheperds" are. They loathe to raise the issue because they expect the backlash. That isn't to say that anyone would even lash out about the incompetency or ineptitude. But, the expectation is there and that is enough. It will remain enough until the CO arrives and he asks, "what efforts have you made to assist those who are weak or inactive?" and they say, "we have done all that we can."
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  19

  Did you "Pray" for a "blessing" and get one?

  by LoisLane looking for Superman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what about all the other 1,001 times you prayed for an intervention/blessing, and didn't get it?

  did you think you were "bad" or just figure god was too busy to bother with you?.

  just lois.

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  Separation of Powers

  Giordano---AWESOME!!

  To the question, I have always wondered why some bloke would say that he was truly blessed when I looked around and saw so many others were not. I mean, when the brother with the Jaguar car and the wife wearing Gabbana says, "We have been so blessed!" I wonder what that single mum is thinking while she scrimps and saves just to have enough for some crackers and tea, maybe some new shoes for the kids, and the chance to go out to eat once in a while. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
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  13

  Why Must A God Of Love Destroy The World/NonJWs? Why Doesn't This Cause Cognitive Dissonance?

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  discuss.. god is love but yet he hates.. god don't hate bad people he hates bad acts and yet he takes out his hate on people and not the acts.. god loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten son as payment to some mysterious debt collector so the world would live on and then he back tracks on the deal and decides they need extermination after all, except for a worthy few who put faith in the watchtower corporation.. i remember an article by the wt years ago that dealt with the topic why a god of love is going to destroy the world any quotes from it would be helpful..

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  Separation of Powers

  The reality, Frankiespeaking, is that it does cause cognitive dissonance for any rational person. To love and to hate are polar opposites. They are diametrically distinct. Yet, any Bible reader is left to ponder how a God of love could be so harsh and vindictive as the God of the Old Testament. It is the reason that a Bible reader will say, how is it that God loved Jacob and yet hated Esau?(Romans 9:13) Didn't God know exactly what Esau was going to be when he was born? Wasn't the entire prophecy related to Jacob "usurping" his brother made known to both Isaac and Rebekah? If so, what choice did Esau have in the matter? It was all destiny, right?

  This is the quandary that we are presented with in the personage of God. It conflicts with our understanding of love and hate, righteousness and injustice. It is by far one of the most perplexing of the many inconsistencies a Bible reader has to contend with.

  When I was in the States recently, I saw a commercial on the tele about a candy. "Sometimes they're sour, sometimes they're sweet." I guess that pretty much sums it up.
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  112

  So tired of life

  by LouBelle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am so tired of waking up without hope.

  so tired of fighting one more day...i just want it to end as painless as possible.

  i truly don't have the willpower or strength anymore..

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  Separation of Powers

  LouBelle,

  It is good to see your post. Hang in there. The outpouring of concern and affection is proof that there are good things in this world worth living for.
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  112

  So tired of life

  by LouBelle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am so tired of waking up without hope.

  so tired of fighting one more day...i just want it to end as painless as possible.

  i truly don't have the willpower or strength anymore..

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  Separation of Powers

  LouBelle,

  It is a rarity that I post here. I am, at times, merely an observer. But, your post moved me to respond. I am glad that Joe Grundy has reached out to you and to the many others that have expressed their concern. It proves that we are all part of a family, a human family where compassion and genuine interest are the measures of our unity. Please remember that there are people who truly care for others, and although we might not have the privilege of face-to-face interaction, we do have the ability to reach out to one another. In all the years I was enveloped in a study of the Bible, there is one scripture that has always given me hope. It is based on a principle found in every middle eastern philosophy, Paul says it best,

  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

  When I read that scripture, I understand how God comforts us. He doesn't do it miraculously. He does it by means of those who have found comfort in facing their trials. In reading your previous posts and what you have added about yourself, I understand that things have been difficult, but with perserverance, imagine how much your experience will help to comfort one of the young ones who visit this site, one of those who, like you, was baptized at a young age and is in need of comfort and courage. Or that young woman, struggling to make it on their own, dealing with a lousy boss or job they dislike. It is true that everyone might be able to provide something, but only God knows who will provide that special perspective, bourne from trial and tribulation, that will be a comfort to those people. Who knows? Maybe someone feels just like you might at this time right now. And when they see how you have reached out to this group, and see that there are people who truly care, maybe they have found comfort in knowing they are not alone either.

  Some of us have never heard this before, so I will remind you, you are a special and unique. You are worthy of love and consideration, praise and honor. You are valuable and appreciated. You are YOU and you are the best YOU I could have ever imagined.
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  14

  For those who still believe that Christianity is the only truth

  by sosoconfused in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  please help me to understand how you address this.. from the creation of adam to the birth of noah was about 900 to 1000 years.

  during this period literally only a handful of people worshipped the true god.

  then came the flood - at which point there were only 8 faithful people the world over.. .

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  Separation of Powers

  Sosoconfused, I believe that the answer to your question can only be understood by considering the purpose of the book of Genesis. The book is a recounting of the history of the Jewish people. Every nation, ancient or modern relies on myths and legends upon which to build a foundation of loyalty and purpose. The United States is a good example of this. Think of George Washington and the venerable cherry tree. Did he acutally cut down a cherry tree? Does it matter? The story is used as a foundational element to why George Washington was more noble than all others that could be chose as the first president of the United States. It sets the tone in which the country is conceived.

  So, too, the book of Genesis serves to distinguish the Hebrew people as a nation. There are many evidences of this. By far, the most powerful is the expression of Cain who after being cursed by God worries that people will find him and kill him. What people? Well, simply look at where Cain was sent....to the Land of Nod, to the East of Eden, somewhere outside the consecrated land of the Adam, Eve and their family.

  If you look at Genesis with the perspective that it serves this purpose, then every story prior to Moses takes on a different connotation, including the flood.

  Just my opinion
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  16

  Nearly all religions are just extortion rackets

  by AntonyBaker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  christ was 50/50.

  god lowered himself the most to become half man.

  he saw himself in the girl.

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  Separation of Powers

  I think Joseph Franklin Rutherford said it best, "Religion is a snare and a racket."
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  12

  Do you appreciate our spiritual heritage?

  by never a jw in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  that is the title of the second study of the feb. 15, 2013 magazine (page 8).

  to the left of the title a picture appears showing three people holding very old watchtower magazines from the early 1900's.

  i have been studying jw's history and doctrines for less than a year and i already have far more knowledge than most c.o.

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  Separation of Powers

  Not surprising. David Splane is the newly self-appointed historian of the WTS. He is very enthusiastic about the historical foundation of the organization. Being somewhat familiar with many in the writing department and somewhat of an historian myself, it was not difficult over the years to determine precisely who wrote what. From a purely editorial perspective, one could easily surmise who was in the doctrinal camp of JFR and those loyal to the FWF position. With this article, you have the opportunity to capture the writing style of Splane and quite possibly the foundational doctrinal position of the man.
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  13

  why do I write?

  by Separation of Powers in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i must admit, i feel rather like winston smith from orwell's 1984. i sit here in front of the image of a blank piece of paper on my computer screen.

  i am alone in my study, alone, but like winston, i am hesitant to write on this blank piece of paper, fearful that i am under the watchful eye of the telescreen.

  it is a form of paranoia, i guess, a paranoia that is synonymous with being in the organization; an organization that worries more about perception than substance.

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  Separation of Powers

  To all,

  I must admit, I feel rather like Winston Smith from Orwell's 1984. I sit here in front of the image of a blank piece of paper on my computer screen. I am alone in my study, alone, but like Winston, I am hesitant to write on this blank piece of paper, fearful that I am under the watchful eye of the telescreen. It is a form of paranoia, I guess, a paranoia that is synonymous with being in the organization; an organization that worries more about perception than substance. In any event, I look at the blank slate and I wonder, why do I desire to write something...anything. I know that my thoughts may be better left unsaid; they are better left...inside. But, they are choking me. They are cutting off my breath and making me faint as if the air I am breathing is too thin to meet my needs. They are at the back of my throat, tickling my vocal cords, like a stifled cough, a persistent, constant itch that only words written down on a page can pacify. They are the only thing that makes me distinct in an organization where uniformity is misconstrued as unity.

  I recall a poignant passage, Orwell's description of Winston's initial reaction when he catches the stare of O'Brien, one of the party bigwigs. It is a moment, a transcendental moment. No words are said, no comment made, simply a stare, and in that stare...realization; the realization that someone may feel the same as you, however fearful, however ashamed, someone else recognizes the flaw, the inconsistency, the manipulation, the abuse. Someone else is choking back the words and wants to cry out like the little boy in the Hans Christian Anderson story of the Emperor.

  Over the years, many have spoken to me with their own stifled voices. They have trusted me to be an empathetic soundboard. Many have muttered negative comments, or to the extreme, have stated emphatically that they disagree with what they see, hear, or read. They then capitulate and rebut their comment or speak as if they are simply repeating the objection or position of a third, unknown party, distinct from themselves. It is as if they were playing the part of some schizophrenic lawyer countervailing his own argument. "I object!" "No, I object to your objection!" I feel for them. I know their plight. In their heart, they know that there is something terribly wrong, but ultimately, they are hesitant lest they be outed and summarily dismissed like an insubordinate worker or an unruly child. For them, life has become a struggle between perception and reality, between ego and id. And I, I continue attenuating their sound in silence.

  So, then, why do I write? Today, today I write because I choose to write. Nothing more. Nothing less. I am not worried about sides or positions. I am not worried about personal philosophy or doctrine. I simply wish to avail myself of the canvas with words as my brushstrokes, painting a picture of the reality I see. I harbor no ill-will. I wish no converts. I simply share as I watch the throngs of people waiting to board a capsule. It is amazing what comes to mind on a cold, cloudy day by the river.

  Greetings,

  Separation of Powers
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  36

  Introduction - longtime visitor

  by momentofsurrender in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  just a (slightly) quick introduction for now.

  i am a 4th generation born in.

  father an elder since i was an infant.

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  Separation of Powers

  welcome