so are individual witnesses being told to prepare bread and have wine on hand for the zoom memorial?
are they saying it’s “vital” or is it just a “suggestion?” .
When I was still "in", I made the bread and brought the wine... Last time? I believe 2010.
Afterwards, my son would tell his friends "It's ok to taste the bread, it's just a symbol, and the ceremony is over... It's just bread, want to taste it?" We had so many happy kids tasting the bread.
:-)
"what, though, if the state requires a christian for a period of time to perform civilian service that is a part of national service under a civilian administration?
… that is his decision before jehovah.
appointed elders and others should fully respect the conscience of the brother and continue to regard him as a christian in good standing.
Good question FFGhost. I knew a married man, father of 4, in the 70's who gave his life rather than bring reproach on Jehovah's name by getting a kidney transplant.
Just a few years after his death "the light got brighter."
His wife is still alive today, he possibly could have been also.
i am just curios if the letter about not having unauthorized studies has been announced yet to the congregation?.
i am just wondering if it will opens anyone's eyes.
i sure hope it does.
Actually, before I left in 2012, I think in 2010 there were a group of older sisters getting together for Bible study research.. reading WT material. Elders put a stop to it back then.
obviously at some point you stopped believing the witnesses had the truth or else you wouldn’t be here.
.
but for the most part, were you a true believer or were you typically a rebel or a doubter?
No, but I kept thinking, Jehovah will "show them up"/ teach them a lesson... He will make them "see the light". I got baptized at 16, in the 70's, because Jehovah was suppose to be a God of Justice. I thought he would "make things right," where no man could.
for the life of me i can not come to terms with old timers in the "truth" who could swallow this interpretation of scripture about an overlapping generation .. when jesus spoke about "this generation" .
are their any real bible students among younger ones any more ?.
here are 3 bible scriptures that confirm a generation is approximately 40- 50 years long give or take a few years .. 1. matt:1 :17 abraham born 2016-18 bc jesus born 2 bc approx.
Thx smiddy3, I did the same calculations myself when trying to figure out their new "overlapping generation" crap in 2011. I had to be fair, right?
I looked up all references to "generation" in the Bible, did the same thing you did with the list in Matthew & Luke, counted all the people, divided the ages, etc, etc.... got the same numbers you did.
Too bad I was not as smart as Splane! I should have used a very obscure scripture in Deutoronomy? that makes it 'all pretty simple, doesn't it?'
Why does the WT always use "Hebrew Scriptures" to explain Jesus words in the 'Greek Scriptures?"
Nod you head, up and down, "Doesn't this make sense? Yes, it does"
When someone asks me why I am not a JW anymore, I was going to say "Can you say "overlapping generation?"
But, then I went on Reddit.... someone's handle was "Overcrapping generation" lol!!! That made me feel alllll better... So honest, so simple.
"Overcrapping"
there are recommendations that we should start doubling up on masks.
some have even suggested that tripling masks would even be better!
what’s your opinion of wearing numerous masks?
One, and I haven't gotten Covid. I worked in a health center, was around people, one of my co-workers caught it, we were told, and no others got it. I believe she got it from family, but in the office, we all kept our distance, wore masks, washed our hands.
I go shopping, etc.... I believe that one is enough.
I also had my 2nd Moderna vaccination on February 12th!
i remember knowing some jws that expressed their own personal viewpoints regarding what a scripture meant that was at odds with society teachings.
in the 60 and 70’s, that was pretty much tolerated until the great purge in 1979 and 1980. as a matter of fact, it wasn’t unusual for witnesses to get together and discuss personal questions and viewpoints they might have.
it wasn’t unusual to send letters to the society asking what was considered the right or wrong view.
My husband & I were around 20 when 1975 came along, we were married not long before that, and were use to 'discussing things.' We came from a Bay Area (California) congregation, but when married, moved a half hour east to a rural congregation with tighter rules. ("White shirts, not colored shirts like where YOU are from"... That made me mad! My husband was more willing to 'do as the org said'. I bucked the system, then gave in, what could I do?
We use to debate "Is Jesus our mediator, or just the 144,000's" because people out in service (there were many religious people in those days, out there that would talk about everything) would ask you, and I'd have to explain, and I wanted answers. So, we would discuss it for hours out in service, just him & I.
We didn't think it was bad, after all, didn't the scripture say "Make sure of all things?" I didn't believe the GB were infallible, because didn't the scripture say, "all men have sinned"? and you had to die to be perfect, and even Peter blew it, so why did I have to believe the GB was any better? Peter knew Jesus.
Anyway, our 'growing up' congregation had elders that differed on their opinions on different subjects, would sit around and debate, held onto their views, and would wait to see how Jehovah worked it out. My husband was studied with by one of those men, and my mom was studied with by a different elder and his wife.
I actually didn't have all the finite views of the Borg down at 16 1/2 when I got baptized. We use to have 5, 10, 12 people in the 'back room' answering the baptism questions, and I kept hoping "Please don't make me answer that one, I don't know!"
I didn't know lickety split about the "Organization". To me, it wasn't that important. The Bible, jehovah, jesus were. Not some men in NY. Nobody really knows what they are in for when they get baptized, especially at 16 (or any age, really. They just do not tell you!)
But, here I am, totally out... so glad!
belgium: jehovah's witnesses in court to respond to incitement to hatred.
february 16, 2021.. https://www.levif.be/actualite/belgique/les-temoins-de-jehovah-devant-le-tribunal-pour-repondre-d-incitation-a-la-haine/article-news-1392951.html.
From what I read, using a translation, JWs will have to appear before the criminal court of Ghent on Tuesday, for inciting hatred against former members.
A former JW went to Ghent's prosecutor's office in 2015 because he claimed that when people left the organization, "they were ostracized, and isolated by order of the organization." This is in violation of Belgium's anti-discrimination law, claiming slander, defamation and insult.
The prosecution charged not only Jehovah's Witnesses for these things against this man, but also as a group, on the basis of that man's religious beliefs.
It seems as tho 15 other people joined that group, and also Unia joined. They are the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism, it promotes & protects human rights.
Hopefully, religion will soon have to conform to the rights of Humanity vs. humans having to conform to the rights of inhumanity because it is a "religious right."
a year since i posted, husband and i are still sfts but we're relatively free.
i gave birth to twins some months back, moved out of india, then back to india because it's easier to maintain our cover.. things are much more peaceful now that there are no in-person meetings.
i have a strange feeling that my husband is also pimo but i'm taking things slow.
Say to your husband, "have you heard of John Cedars?" And watch his face? Does he recognize the name? Or, have you ever heard of ARC? You could say you heard people talking about it... 😉
PS, what does "sfts" stand for?
on reddit, a pimo elder talked about the co special meeting with the co about all what’s important, tight pants!
omg we have a pandemic, some have lost their jobs, people are depressed, but let’s stop the brothers from wearing tight pants.
also, metro style haircuts.
Don't forget, the C.O. also mentioned "brightly colored socks" (how unhumble) This seems to be the best thing WT could do to wake people up. I have read of sooo many saying "this is too much"
