Separation of Powers

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Posts by Separation of Powers

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  39

  The Christian Hope--Is it in Heaven or on Earth?

  by DS211 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so is the christian hope in heaven or on earth?.

  in acts chapter 1the question was raised: 6 so when they had assembled, they asked him: lord, are you restoring the kingdom to israel at this time?

  7 he said to them: it does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the father has placed in his own jurisdiction.. notice jesus never said thered be a change in venue, just that it wasnt up to them to know when..... so what is there from both sides?

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  Separation of Powers

  "christian" = "heaven" There is no other ultimate reward for a Christian according to the New Testament.
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  153

  Jesus' Teachings - Helpful or Harmful?

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  spinning off from another thread, have jesus' teachings been less than universally helpful to mankind?

  how do we measure if a particular philosophy is helpful or harmful?.

  i am going to use the "universal morals" listed here.

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  Separation of Powers

  The sayings of Jesus are just another thread in the tapestry of spiritualist thinkers. The ideals he espoused are universal. They are strikingly similar to the Buddha in many respects and this is to be expected in that the teachings of the Buddha were well known during the time of Jesus. What has endangered his teachings is the manner in which others have manipulated and adulterated the core of his teachings. Nothing that is actually attributed to Jesus appears hurtful of harmful in any way. Taken out of context, they become devoid of spirituality and become propagandalist fodder!

  SOP
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  46

  Head of the House?

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i often see comments by ex-jws that would suggest some men still view themselves as "head of the house".

  sometimes comments from women appear to support the idea as well.. how many still see things this way or have you completely got over it?.

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  Separation of Powers

  I am only "head of the house" on my taxes. Our household operates under the precepts of an Anarcho-Syndicalist commune.
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  13

  A message from Brother Russell

  by donny in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i was having an anointed moment last night when brother russell came to me in a dream.

  he was quite disturbed and agitated.. he said "brother reed, what in the miracle wheat eating jellyfish is going on with the organization i set up?

  the more of my beloved watchtower that i read the more they marginalize my dead ass.".

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  Separation of Powers

  Cool, he visited me in a dream once too. He wanted to sell me some furniture.
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  65

  Will this Memorial be our last?

  by pixel in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  they just put up the march km 2014 on the private website.

  most of it is same-old-same-old, with info here and there about the memorial.. somebody here might post the march km for all to see, i wont.. i just wanted to share the paragraph from page 2 q&a anticle: will you seize the opportunity?

  upcoming memorial enables us to show gratitude .

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  Separation of Powers

  Answer: No it will not be our last. Oh, excuse me, "the" last.
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  70

  2014 YB Up. Partakers 13,204

  by LostGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that is all.

  link.

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  Separation of Powers

  Not surprising. I expect that it will go up every year from here on out. It is my opinion that the numbers will increase as DO's CO's and others see that the majority of the current GB are younger than many of them and the ONLY reason THEY have not become GB is because of the Great Crowd status. Easily fixed, have a drink and a bite of bread...you're in the mix! Then, just wait for a few years while some of the older GB die off and the opportunity will present itself.

  Others, too, see these young GB members and figure, "why not?"

  SOP
• 
  108

  "Jehovah ALWAYS had/used an organization". How would you reply?

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in a recent meeting with elders, an argument was used to the effect that jehovah has always [= throughout history] used, or operated through, an organization; therefore, the wts must be that organization today, since god must be using one.

  naturally, i know what arguments i've used to counter that argument.

  but i'm interested in hearing yours.

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  Separation of Powers

  My response:

  "Yes, that it true. I have always believed that Jehovah had an organization, some group of people that were organized to represent his interests here on earth. In fact, THAT is one of the reasons that got me to realize that the current organization is no longer God's channel, if in fact, it ever was."

  "What do you mean by that?" the reply.

  "Well, although the organization didn't teach an apostolic succession like the Catholics and Mormons do, they did teach that when Jesus founded the Christian congregation that he told his apostles, Peter in particular, that even the "gates of Hades would not overpower" what he established on the earth. So, when he died, the apostles carried on the work and even when they died, as the Society used to say, "there was always a small group of faithful anointed" entrusted with carrying on."

  "Yes, that's right. That's what we've always believed." the emphatic reply.

  "You mean, that is what the organization USED to teach. Now, the organization's position is that after the death of the last apostle, the apostacy rapidly wiped out pretty much all vestige of the Christian congregation, Jehovah's organization. It was left nearly destitute of any true and verifiable anointed follower up until 1918-1919, when the "faithful slave" came to exist. So, essentially the belief now is that Christ's congregation, what he established so that "even the gates of Hades" couldn't overpower it was wiped out with a simplistic article that placed the modern day Governing Body from Rutherford to now in a position greater than any of those faithful Christian who were martyred, those titans of language and earnest study that made the Bible accessible to the common man, much to their own peril. THOSE people are not VERIFIABLE anointed, so they don't matter and thus, there was no organization of people to look after the interests of God on Earth for those 2000 years."

  "OK, I didn't know that." quizzical response.

  "You should probably look it up."

  SOP
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  31

  Where else is there to go?

  by snare&racket in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i left the jw's, close friends and some elders discussed my desicion with me,without fail they all concluded the same thing.... "but where else is there to go?!".

  at the time, the question just confused me, i could not see why it confused me or the very telling nature of such a comment.

  i never thought that once.. firstly, this indicates that many jw's remain jw's simply because of this tunnel vision perspective... everything in their periphery is valueless, but the wt on which they focus is everthing.

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  Separation of Powers

  Thank you for sharing this post.

  The question, "Where else is there to go?" is the standard reply when all else fails. It is the quintessential cognitive dissonance response. When you have spoken your piece about the hypocrisy, the double standard, the failed prophecy, the child abuse scandal, the UN scandal, the blatant revisionism, the lack of love, the authoritarian structure similar to the Catholic Church hierarchy and everything else there is WRONG with this organization, well, how do you respond to that? It's like in their mind they are saying, "Yes, yes, yes, I understand that and yes, it's true, but we've invested so much time and effort and sacrifice. Is this all for naught?" So, they look at you, perplexed and bewildered and slightly envious of the fact that you have mentally disconnected yourself from the process and hit you with the only response left...

  When Peter was asked, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" His reply, "Lord to WHOM shall we go? YOU have words of enteral life." (John 6:67,68) His reply was an expression of faith in his teacher and the words of his teacher. He believed that Jesus was the Son of God. So, when someone asks that same question to a person who has lost faith, interest or regard for the organization, it is simply an expression of their faith in the organization, the same organization that has taken the place of Jesus, a substitute if you will.

  I have heard that question myself, and I have answered it with the same basic premise. I do not need SOMEWHERE else. The same people who would ask that question are the ones that would say, "being part of the organization can't save you, it's what's in your heart. Jehovah judges hearts." Well, he can judge mine separately and distinctly from a group of drones...can't he?

  SOP
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  38

  Utah man goes on hunger strike to the death to protest same-sex marriages

  by adamah in

  1. social
  2. current

  you can't make up this kind of religious nut-job fanaticism:.

  http://www.4utah.com/story/utah-man-fasting-to-stop-same-sex-marriages/d/story/k9sjvlgmmeuberqg9aeobq.

  although in retrospect, it's no more extreme than those jws who die refusing blood.... adam.

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  Separation of Powers

  What a shame...
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  20

  Why do the Governing Body do it ??

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was an active jw the constant demands for loyalty and obedience to the gb used to really annoy me, and mrs phizzy.. why on earth do they do it in such a shrill, screaming and obvious way ?.

  they sound like spoilt kids, "you must play the game our way".. it was partly that constant harping that really helped me to wake up, i came to see just how much they had usurped the place of jesus.. surely it is counter-productive to do the demands as they do, loud and blatant.

  they could get the same results with a seemingly humble attitude, after all, the new pope is the vicar of christ by title, but he comes over as humble..

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  Separation of Powers

  When Jesus taught, his words were simplistically elegant. He taught to a crowd laden with the illiterate and dispossessed. He taught at their level. It was a new form of teaching and his passion moved people to follow and share their beliefs with others. As the believers grew in numbers, there arose the need for supervision, as the supervision grew, the need for the establishment of orthodoxy. As the orthodoxy became more defined, a need for a hierarchy to oversee the correct application of orthodoxy and to determine, typically by some supernatural ability, what should be considered , in fact, orthodoxy. As the hierarchy grew so did the need to address the material needs of the hierarchy, aka clergy. Afterall, how could they be expected to address their own material needs as they expounded SOOO much effort in taking care of the spiritual needs of the laity? That is how you form a religion.

  Now, you many think, "he's talking about the Catholic Church." To which, I reply, "No, I am not." This same process can be found with any, I repeat, any religious order. For the JW's the evolution has been the same. Russel promotes a simplistic teaching standing on the shoulders of those who came before, promoting the gospel of Jesus as "new and improved" similar to Joseph Smith or the not-often- mentioned Mary Baker Eddy. He claims no supernatural ability at first, simply a preacher of the gospel. His simplistic foundation is taken up by JF Rutherford, who, as the believers grow, sees a need to establish more supervision to tote the party line, individuals loyal to the "cause of truth." As the supervision is established, so too, the establishment of orthodoxy. The infallibility of the organization is founded on the principal of "we are the select" of God, and make-or-break religious creed and dogma begin to take center stage, and subsequently, a movement is made to distinguish the organization among other organizations. With the established orthodoxy in place, from JF Rutherford to Knorr, and subsequently to the current GB, the hierarchy is defined. Status is commensurate with position which is commensurate with prestige which is commensurate with blessing and salvation. Now, the words of Jesus, "no one comes to the Father except through me" evolves to equate to the expression, "no one comes to the Father except through US.". THAT is the how and the WHY.

  SOP