Posts by rocketman

23

How do you study the Bible? (for those that do)

by Silent_Scream in

what have you found is a productive way for you to study the bible?

do you have a group?

or a solitary preference?.

rocketman

I'll take a bible book (currently Isaiah) and read it through, one chapter at a time, using my NIV reference bible. After each chapter, I read all the footnote comments. I then consult online commentaries such as Coffman's (available at StudyLight.org) if I have further need of enlightenment or simply to get another viewpoint.

While I do this on my own, I have gone to a neighbor's home recently where a group meets for Bible discussion. Right now they're covering John Piper's book What Jesus Demands From The World and they read some Bible verses that the book includes or comments on. The jury is out for me as to whether going to this study is worth my time, though it's very casual and I like the idea of just popping over to my neighbor's house and not having to dress up to attend a simple bible study meeting.

17

Are Jehovah's Witnesses A Cult? A WT Apologist Says No

by Bangalore in

are jehovah's witnesses a cult?.

http://www.witnessoftruth.com/articles/questions/are-jehovahs-witnesses-a-cult.html.

bangalore.

rocketman

I find it interesting that this Witness of Truth site has no link of provision for Comments.

24

Serena Williams wants a man of her faith

by behemot in

jw
friends

http://www.s2smagazine.com/stories/2012/03/serena-williams-wants-man-her-faith.

serena williams wants a man of her faith start node-story.tpl.php serena: 'i think it's important when you marry to be evenly yoked'posted wed, 2012-03-28 17:32 by tracy scottlike most women, serena williams wants a man wholl adore her, respect her and be faithful, but she also has another requirement for any future love interest.

he must be a jehovahs witness.. i think its important when you marry to be evenly yoked, said serena, who is currently working toward becoming a member of that faith.. ive been studying to be a jehovahs witness, so i go to kingdom hall, she told s2s publisher jamie foster brown.

rocketman

Well, if she gives it to the elders like she gave it to the line judge at the 2009 U.S. Open - 'I'm going to shove this ball down your throat' - her becoming a full-fledged Witness could be a good thing.

100

CRAZINESS!!! I'M BEING 'MARKED' FOR GOING TO COLLEGE!!!

by MsGrowingGirl20 in

ohmygosh!!!

one of my friends who is a ms told me today that the elders have 'marked' me because i'm a reg.pioneer and i've decided to go to college next semester???!

he said he can't tell me anymore but to be careful---what the hell does 'mark' mean?

rocketman

It is one thing to delete you as a pioneer (bad enough), but they're taking a very hard line on the marking. As already pointed out, if you were in another congregation there's a good chance there would not be any marking.

What you may wish to do, should they question you, is tell them that you're pursuing higher education with the motive of trying to make more pay-per-hour of work so that you can continue to pioneer. That could sway them. That's if you want to play it their way.

I was an elder for a decade and we never marked anyone, despite plenty of stuff that went on in the congregation. Your elders are pulling out a trump card that is rarely used, at least in my experience.

35

Remarrying, then paradise =problem?

by Inisc in

this is a question i always wondered about and never got an answer to.. its also another reason why i'm finding it harder to believe in an 'afterlife'.. th idea that humans can live forever, now seems so scientificly impossible.. so i wanted to ask all the great minds on here,.

if someone's spouse dies, and then they remarry,then armageddon comes and goes then the deceased is resurrected,.

how,is that ever gonna work?

rocketman

It's always been a thorny question, and frankly, the answer Jesus gave does little to anwer it, unless one believes that Jesus is referring only to life in heaven:

24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

" 29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ a ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

It seems to me that those who asked the question were thinking of earth-related eventualities while Jesus seems to be speaking of heaven-related eventualities. Otherwise, his reply just doesn't make sense, unless, as some say (including the WTS), that earth-dwelling resurrected ones somehow become 'as angels' with no desire to marry. But even so, it's a problematic conclusion to reach, as some of the comments to this thread have already highlighted.

21

Why fear Satan, if Jehovah is the one who will send Armageddon to annihilate you?

by dgp in

isn't it funny / curious that people are always afraid of what satan will or will not do, when, in the end, it's jehovah of the armies that will annihilate you at armageddon?.

rocketman

Matthew 10:28 - "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Jehovah is indeed the annihilator, not Satan. The Bible does teach that we fear him ultimately, not Satan.

64

Favorite TV Shows Growing Up

by TOTH in

jw
friends

i used to love watching tv when i was a kid.

for some reason not so much anymore.

here are three of my favorites.

rocketman

Get Smart, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Munsters, The Monkees, Batman, The Green Hornet.

Cartoons such as Johnny Quest, Spider Man, The Flintstones.

I also liked Variety shows such as Carol Burnett, etc.

Back then, Friday and Saturday nights were the biggest TV nights.

19

Just Seen this Rutherford Quote on Facebook

by cantleave in

quote from: wt 09/15/41 p. 287. in the kingdom the 'great multitude' will look to the lord to guide as to selecting each a mate for himself.

why, then, should a man who has the prospect before him of being of the great multitude now tie himself up to a stack of bones and a hank of hair?.

rocketman

"Just seen"? Seriously?

I just saw.

C'mon man!!

33

Sex Before Marriage

by Wishididntknow in

how many witness couples percentage wise do you think slip up and have sex before wedding day?

did you?.

rocketman

In the words of the late Benny Hill:

"I don't believe in sex before marriage. I'm not so sure about after marriage either"

754

Theists, why does God allow suffering..

by The Quiet One in

..specifically, the suffering of animals.

you can talk about free will/sin/people choosing to not listen to god etc to explain human suffering being allowed.. but how can you love a god that allows animals, that haven't sinned or chosen to not have anything to do with god, to have their short lives ended in often long, drawn out, painful ways.

i could list stories i've read that would probably make you feel ill, but i'm not looking to shock anyone or start an emotional debate.

rocketman

I think Botchtowersociety makes an interesting point: "We may be projecting something about ourselves onto animals here. We tend to create a distinction between human and animal suffering. I doubt many of us here refuse to partake of animal-based foods (although I'm sure a small minority does), or refuse to accept medical therapies if they were first tested on animals. However, I also doubt there are any cannibals on this board, or those who would approve of the medical experiments of Dr. Mengele."