I believe that the real reason why Jesus doesn't have a real place in the the 'Truth' today, is because Jesus' main message was for people to develop righteous qualities. If he had banged on about salvation through a individuals preaching efforts, the GB would have been all over him ... as they are with the Apostle Paul.
no-zombie
JoinedPosts by no-zombie
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9
For JW's, the 'ORG' is more important than Jesus Christ
by BoogerMan inin the november 2022 study watchtower, "jehovah's organization" (or variants) is repeated at least 37 times.. the word 'organization' - like 'governing body,' 'trinity,' hell-fire,' & 'immortal soul,' - doesn't exist in the holy scriptures.. interestingly, jesus christ is mentioned only twice in all of the study articles - as an aside..
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no-zombie
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Bible MIRACLEs!! Are they a Myth or Emeth?
by Fisherman inthe bible records miracles such as resurrections, angels, prophecy and destructive acts of god to mention a few.
are these all a pack of lies?
how do you explain them?
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no-zombie
This is how I would answer your (fisherman's) question.
The Bible is an all or nothing exercise. Its either all 100% true or its 100% man made. You can't cherry pick the parts you want, because each of the its writers interrelate their work with each other ... and claim that its all inspired of God.
Its as simple as that.
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The real numbers for yearly report.
by Hellothere inwhat do you think are the real numbers for yearly report?
they can't be real the ones watchtower published.
last 20 years i have seen large groups of young people in my area abandon watchtower.
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no-zombie
I'm in full agreement with Balaamsass, as its easy to see Witnesses continuing to make use of Zoom to attend meetings despite the threat of Covid being basically over. People are just tired of getting dressed up, driving down to the Hall and having sitting through another boring meeting. This is because, there is no real community spirit in congregations these days. As all organized congregational socializing was banned in a formal letter to the BOE from the Governing Body back in the 80's. Yes some congregations are more lively than others, but it is more the exception than the rule and probably more a reflection of the congregation's ethic makeup than its religious zeal.
And it a form of intellectual dishonesty to claim a increase in the number of regular and auxiliary pioneers, when the hourly requirement be become one has been getting less and less. But I recently came to appreciate something from an old post here which is quite true and illuminating.
Assume a congregation has only one person that auxiliary pioneers a couple of times a year. Say they do it three times because the hourly requirement is now lower. How many auxiliary pioneers does the congregation have? You would think one, of course ... but In the annual report, three have been counted.
Yes, I remember back in the day we used to get told, when our religion was small, that numbers didn't mean anything. But its funny how its everything now. I think that it must be just the American way, for everything to be bigger and better.
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2022 WTS Numbers
by blondie in2022 grand totals.
branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 86. .
number of lands reporting: 239. .
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no-zombie
While I've mentioned it before in my other posts about annual reports, the population pyramid of the Organization is the clearest indicator of the its decline we have. No matter what tweaks the GB does, it will not overcome the fact that it is controlling an aged religion and one that will collapse upon itself due to the lack of numbers. We all know of course that at 0.4% increase (which is actually zero by the HQ own reporting methodology) is less than the global population growth rate of 1%, however what I think is clearer this year's report, is picture occurring from third world countries.
These previous hot spots of growth (with higher than average fertility rates) have now cooled off. This should not be surprising because, while these lands may be poor economically, the people there are very quick to work out whether or not something has real value. When they have to choose to go to another meeting or to work to literally feed their families, the choice is easy, no matter what the slickly made 'trust in Jehovah' videos say.
Population Pyramids aren't that sexy as compared to other scandalous news items we get from time to time, but they are most truly; predictive fact. And if the Faithful Slave is honest enough to release an annual report next year, I fully expect it to contain ... a negative global growth number, despite the millions of hours in the field.
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What really is UN doing with religions?
by Kosonen inoccult un forces seek to hijack religion for globalism.
https://thenewamerican.com/occult-un-forces-seek-to-hijack-religion-for-globalism/it does not look like religions dominate un but the other way around.
journalist alex newman gives a totally different picture about the real state of affairs.
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no-zombie
The UN is a spent force and today it has no real power to shape global events. This is because the center of authority lies within the security council, which has proven over the past 20 or 30 years to be ineffective to solve international problems due the rules of veto. Why even as recently as last week, the UN security council could not pass a resolution for a simple investigation into Iranian sanction busting because of the Russia/China voting block.
We are seeing, not the end days of gentile times ... but rather the end days of the UN, as it has now just degenerated into a expensive talk fest, where secondary world powers maintain their membership only for its perceived political prestige.
Why even the GB flips its narrative from time to time, when they say that it is the nations who make up the UN are the ones who will attack the world's religions, rather that the UN itself.
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Why Not Celebrate Christmas?
by Mum inso, jw's don't celebrate christmas or other holidays.
as bill cetnar once said, there are two reasons for everything: the reason they tell you, and the real reason.
they will tell you it's because christmas is "pagan" and can lead to all sorts of licentious conduct (like drinking too much macallan scotch?)..
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no-zombie
The real reason why Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate Christmas is because Rutherford wanted to distance the 'Truth' from the importance of Jesus. Along with banning the use of the Cross and Easter, Rutherford needed this theological movement, to reinforce the 'Jehovah' brand name, which I believe was purposefully done, not because of some ecclesiastical insight, but purely as way to stand out from the crowd of other Adventist faiths.
While Watchtower apologists may say that there are valid reasons for dropping these things because of the influence of paganism (some of which I admit to be true), none the less, no honest person could argue with the fact that Jesus now plays a very, very minor roll in the minds of JWs today. Which is rather sad, seeing we are supposed to Christians ... not some kind of hybrid Judean sect.
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Jehovah's Witnesses discontinue online Bible Study program today 12/12/2022
by Balaamsass2 inwell, that went by the wayside quickly.
another flip-flop by the indiscrete slave?.
december 12, 2022what’s new.
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no-zombie
Clearly the Governing Body didn't want independent study, as it doesn't connect a person to the Organization like the effect of having a tutor.
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7
Do you Attend University scholarly Lectures
by peacefulpete inwe've been privileged to attend a number of outstanding lectures on a wide range of scientific topics, some by now quite famous researchers.
for example, we attended a caltech discussion/lecture by svante paabo not long after his initial work on neanderthal dna was released and met him after the lecture.
he wasn't a dynamic speaker but a humble man who obviously felt more comfortable in the lab than on the podium.
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no-zombie
At uni, it was always good to attend my lectures, and it was clear the speakers were very well read and had many years practical experience or research behind them. And for those of us who have never gone to university because of being a Witnesses, you'd be amazed at the quality of the simplest presentation, in comparison to the dribble we have to put up with weekly.
However work some really great teachers can now be found freely online (through YouTube and the like) and my top three favorite at the moment are ... Julius Sumner Miller, Richard Feynman and Jordan Peterson.
Look them up. Their enthusiasm for their topics will just suck you in.
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Struggling to find a purpose
by My Name is of No Consequence ini spent most of my life in the org.
we were taught that our purpose in life was to serve jehovah.
that never really made sense to me, but it was still a purpose to keep going.
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no-zombie
When I reflect on my life past, I don't think that I ever gave much thought to my purpose of living very much. I was so consumed with the constant daily worries of looking after my wife, my children. my career and the affairs of the congregational treadmill, that a deeper looking into my life was not possible. However now that I am much older, I've had the time to do that very thing. And maybe this is the time when all of us start reflecting on the things we have done (or not done) and whether or not we have lost our way.
For me, I began to see that the Society is not really all that fulfilling. In addition to all its theological failures and political maneuvering, it has all be come quite vague. Back in the 80s there was a sense of certainty and distinctness. However now with the cannibalizing directives of informing on your brother (or at least, marking such ones as unfit for association) the feeling of us vs the world has all but evaporation. Sadly we are now only left with a shadow of the brotherhood we once enjoyed, with many occupied with looking out for the organized fifth column of apostates. How sad it has all become.
In regards to the question of purpose though, I think that we are fortunate that life offers us many purposes we can take up. However I believe that it is far better to think about the direction we have chosen, in the context of what it will ultimately give. This is because when our time is up and we are dying, will you be laying there in your deathbed with regrets and sorrows ... or will you have a mild feeling of contentment at how you've tried to spent your efforts when you had life and health.
And while in the end the choice is ours to make, I do think that from what I have seen, a self-centered life will not be as rewarding or remembered, as one focused on giving to others in some way.
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Former Elders Please - Disbeliever recently married to a JW
by doasthouwilt ini recently married my best friend of 32 years.
she is a life-long jw and once an active pioneer, i am a 'worldly' person through-and-through, always will be.
we married because it was the only way we could find a way of staying together while giving her a path back to her religion ultimately, which she does not want to (or cannot) let go of.
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no-zombie
As a past Elder, I can tell you most definitely that her treatment by a body of Elders will vary between congregations. A judicial committee will be formed, as pornia has been committed, but one of the prime issues will be whether or not this occurred while your wife was a active witness or an inactive one. This is were some variance in judgment will occur. If your wife was inactive, then the committee might think of it as something done in the 'World' and just accept your wife back as a lost sheep needing help. Conversely, if your wife was going to meetings, had sex with you and then married you, it could be viewed as some kind of scheming. We had a case like the first one ... and it written was off as a done deal, with some minor restrictions to congregation participation. However, there are just too many factors and personalities a play. But I'd say overall women get lessor punishments that men in these situations, but be warned as the judicial meetings can be rough if the committee members want to know all the juicy details.
However in no time soon, she'll be in and love bombed to death.