Posts by rebel

32

JW's deny jesus as being king before 1914

by heathen in

i ventured to the local hall here last week and when time to discuss the watchtower a guy made a comment that the wt only believes that jesus became king in 1914.now i have read the bible and do have an interest in what it says despite my handle on this site and i have noticed that the apostles made clear that christ was king of heaven and earth in their day at least until the last apostle died .this just looks like typical crap that would only lead me to further arguement with them and in the end being demonized .anyone else with thoughts on the subject ?

?

rebel

Heathen,

The scriptures I find interesting on this subject are Matt 16:28 where Jesus says some present would not die before they saw Jesus in his kingdom, and Matt 28:18 where Jesus says he has been given all authority in heaven and earth - he was talking about the present just after he had been resurrected. Also, 1 Cor 15:25 says Christ must rule as king until all his enemies are put under his feet, indicating he will be ruling amongst his enemies. I get a bit mixed up with scriptures sometimes, but the way I look at it is, JWs teach Jesus millenium reign will begin after Armageddon - or do they? If Jesus started reigning in 1914, then by 2014, he (and those resurrected in 1914) will have been reigning for 100 years - does that mean there is only 900 years left to reign from that date? Or have I got it all wrong?

xxR

15

Monty Python and the British

by thewiz in

what do you brits have to say about monty python's flying circus and the inidivdual actors?.

do you take offense?

are you proud?

rebel

Hello,

I liked Monty Python but feel they were a little bit over-rated. On your average half hour show, about 10 minutes was actually very funny - the rest just left me cold!

My favourite is the line up of very camp soldiers - can't remember the lines exactly.

Another comedian who could be really good was Spike Milligan. However, I was completely mysified by a lot of his material. I did like the Phantom Raspberry Blower - anyone remember that? It was on the 2 Ronnies but Spike wrote it.

xxR

3

Mum needs help - Part 2!

by LostinSpace in

jw
friends

thanks to all that responded to my post yesterday...it helped a lot..... http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=41622&site=3.

unfortunately my mother seems to have been to a meeting last night and was a complete stranger to me on the telephone last night - she has never been like that to me before - i was shocked - but i didnt "rock the boat" any more - i was calm and was compasionate, but mum was defensive and defending her beleifs and stating that i must of been mis-informed by someone about their religion.

to me this wasn't my mum - but she was just a puppet saying what she's been "told" to say by someone from kh - im adamant about that (i think i know her very well).. anyway, at least the conversation ended well, where i now have an opportunity to write (yes, you heard it) write my concerns in a letter and send it to her....my first thoughts were great...hopefully she'll be able to meet me halfway and see where im coming from...then it dawned on me..."what if she is being told what to say" - then my letter would be defended by another jw (or maybe herself.....).. this is where (hopefully) you guy's come in...where so i start?...i dont want to be over-informative in the letter - this would look like weird i think....... id like to write all the good stuff about my mum in the letter, be positive about our relationship, what we can build on etc etc, and just put a few thoughts here and there for her to ponder over about the wtbs and other issues like blood...which issues would you as exjw's put in there....remember the issue's that first made you think about the integrity of the whole org?...

rebel

Hi,

If it was my mum, I would ask her to just stop for a moment and be honest with herself. Then ask her if she has any doubts in her mind about her beliefs. Is there a nagging, uneasy feeling in the back of her mind somewhere? That is how it started with me - I felt more and more uneasy about what I was being taught, the attitude of some in the KH, the failed prophecies etc etc. I kept putting them to the back of my mind until they wouldn't stay at the back anymore. Take it really slowly and be gentle. I remember what I was told to do as a JW if I was ever studying with someone who had strong religious beliefs. Don't knock down their beliefs until you have built some boulders to support them first - like when you knock down a wall to build an extension or something. You first put in supports to hold up the ceiling, and then you knock the old walls down gently. So first, you give them something concrete to believe in, and then you slowly draw them away from their old beliefs. This is quite good advice considering it comes from JWs. In the case of your mum, tell her all the positive reasons that you can think of for staying out of the org-let her know how much better a person you will be. Don't just go in there with a sledgehammer and knock her beliefs to pieces overnight - it will hurt her too much. Take it gently. Hope all goes well

xxR

16

So How Bad Is The World REALLY?

by Englishman in

jw
friends

in the uk, if you drop a wallet in the road in error, what are the chances of it being handed in to a police station by the finder with all the contents still intact?.

when i read that in the times some weeks ago, i was very skeptical.

then i thought of all the people that i know, friends, aquaintances and pub pals, and i reckon that 90% of them are basically honest with their fellow man.

rebel

Englishman,

I am always saying the same thing. The majority of people are very nice and want to live a peaceful life. It's just that the troublemakers, although a small minority, often make the most noise.

Also, I would rather live today than back in the times when witch-hunts were conducted and people were burnt at the stake for possessing a Bible. Also, I know JWs say that diseases are rife now (Aids etc), but what about the time of the Black Death, millions and millions died and almost the whole of Europe perished - it was much worse back then. I would rather be poor in the 21st century than poor back in Victorian times (or any other early time for that matter).

xxR

15

An exJW gets one pregnant

by bluemoon in

i'm relatively new here and this site has helped me a lot.

however, i think i'm going to need more help... i was dfed back in july just after my 18th birthday; i just couldn't take it any more.

things have been very hard for me to say the least.

rebel

I think MrMoe makes great sense.

Pregnancy is the worst reason in the world to get married if you don't love each other. If the only reason you are going to get married is because of the baby, you will end up resenting each other, rowing all the time, and that won't be fair on the baby. However, if you love each other and want to be together, that is a different thing.

Please don't feel you have to do anything that you feel uneasy with. If your gut feeling is that marriage is wrong - don't do it. You are going to have to grow up pretty quick and face the condemnation of all around you, but you can get through this. Whatever happens, if your girlfriend keeps the baby, make sure you support it financially and (if she lets you) emotionally too. Take time to think about what you want to do.

Hope it works out.

xxR

6

Do great crowd members receive holy spirit?

by Pistoff in

has anyone else wondered this?

the wt places great emphasis on the fact that the anointed receive holy spirit, are anointed with holy spirit, and were/are baptized in name of father, son and holy spirit; until the 80's, baptism was still done that way for all witnesses .

great crowd members, on the other hand, what do we get?

rebel

Apparently there were approx 1 million Christians by the end of the first century. By the end of the third century, there were roughly 3 or 4 million (these figures are from a history of Christianity book - can't remember it offhand - read it on another posting board). What I want to know is, if the early first century Christians were all supposed to be anointed (that's what I was taught by JWs), how come God could not find 144,000 out of these ones? I mean, these were the ones who were with Christ, they were thrown to lions, beaten in gladiator fights, burned as street lamps etc. Are the 'anointed' today saying they are just as good, if not better, than these true early Christians? Why would God not choose his anointed from those early, genuine ones who really did face persecution? They didn't live cushy lives, drive around in flash cars, get pampered left, right and centre. They had to fight for survival and their beliefs. Why does the WT say that Satan is targetting the anointed ones on earth today? How are they being treated any worse than us ordinary, earthly mortals? Why would God wait until today to finish sealing the 144,000 by choosing a bunch of misfits when he could have sealed them all by the end of the first century? Sorry to have so many 'whys', but I have often wondered this.

xxR

18

Is Satan Equal and Opposite to Jehovah?

by jgnat in

from december 15 wt study jehovah cares for you wt october 15, 2002 who is behind all evil?

this article starts as follows: jehovah and satan are complete opposites....this contrast is pointed up in a standard reference work.

(not quoted).

rebel

Hi everyone,

I don't think JWs make Satan and God equal - but they do put an awful lot of emphasis on Satan and blame him (her?) for every little thing that goes wrong in their lives. I mean, just because you run out of petrol on the way to an assembly, how can that be Satan's fault? It is your own stupidity for not filling up before setting off. Yet, I have heard JWs blame Satan for something as silly as this. Also, they do seem to harp on about demons and things quite a lot. I never gave it a second thought until I became a JW and then it frightened the hell out of me. Hope I haven't gone off the point again!

xxR

7

Ex-JW looking for help with difficult ex-spouse

by MsJam in

i am an ex jw with two children that i share custody with their father (still a witness) we have become very involved with our church (my new husband and i) the problems we are having deal with birthdays,and all the ususal non-witness activites where my children are concerned.

we do celebrate all birthdays and holidays.

my 7 year old has been spanked and threatened by her father for the mear mention of any of these things.. their father had increasingly become emmotionally distant from them.

rebel

MsJam,

What a horrible situation to be in. Your children are 7 and 10 so it is not going to be easy to sit them down and explain things to them. The thing is, you need to try. Perhaps arrange for you and your present husband to sit down with them and explain that their Dad does love them but does not know how to show it. It is tempting to say cut this freaky guy off from having any contact with them, but that would make things worse. The children could grow up resenting you for cutting him off. However, your duty is to protect them and, if they are coming home filthy and sick after visiting him, you need to enlist the help of social services or something so that you have the backing of the law if you need to stop him seeing them so much. It cannot be good for them to be spending time with a man who ignores them and doesn't even bother to take care of their physical needs. Have you confronted your ex? Could you threaten to go to the elders in his congregation - I know that they would probably take his side, but maybe the threat of doing this would make him think - he is obviously a wimp who may back down if confronted by an adult. I certainly think you should get outside help and proof regarding his treatment of the children, just in case you need it.

I wish I could give you more constructive advice. I only know the law in the UK regarding this type of thing - not sure how it relates to the US. I hope you can see a way through this.

xxR

48

Watch your weight

by JH in

jw
friends

around christmas time, people tend to eat too much and gain weight.

do you gain weight easily?

does it get you mad to see some people eat alot and stay slim?

rebel

I never think about my weight. I think the 'cuddly look' is really nice and I don't want to be a stick insect anyway. Look at the paintings by the old masters - they painted women (super models of their day) who were nicely rounded out. They valued women with a bit of meat on them. My sister can stuff herself and never put weight on, but that is just the way she is.

xxR

16

The Reasons Why You Were A Jehovah's Witness

by minimus in

jw
friends

many here have been raised as witnesses.

others were introduced to the "truth" through various forms of witnessing.

what was the common denominator for remaining a witness for the time that we have?

rebel

I was contacted on the door-to-door work too. I couldn't believe it when the sister answered all my questions - especially where my daughter was. She was killed when she was five and I have longed to be with her ever since. That was the main appeal - the living forever and seeing her again. I don't know what I have now - will I ever see her? Is there going to be a resurrection to life on earth?(I don't want to float around in heaven) There are so many questions that the JWs seemed to answer. Without that, I don't have the answers any more. I am glad to be slowly escaping the horrible feeling I used to get when I went to the KH, but I miss the hope.

xxR