Posts by rebel

7

607 for Babylon's destruction

by rebel in

this has probably been discussed on this forum hundreds of times - my excuse is that i am fairly new.. i have a friend who has decided to listen to me as regards why i do not go to many meetings any more.

i mentioned the 607 bce for babylon's destruction but could not remember where the 'society' get the date from.

i know some of you will say they just counted back from 1914 etc, but i have read that they get the date from jeremiah, isaiah or daniel or something.

rebel

This has probably been discussed on this forum hundreds of times - my excuse is that I am fairly new.

I have a friend who has decided to listen to me as regards why I do not go to many meetings any more. I mentioned the 607 BCE for Babylon's destruction but could not remember where the 'Society' get the date from. Can anyone help me? I know some of you will say they just counted back from 1914 etc, but I have read that they get the date from Jeremiah, Isaiah or Daniel or something. Can anyone help me? Also, can anyone tell me what I can say to her to refute the 607 date?

Many thanks for all your help and research - I am still learning so much from all of you.

xxR

28

I'm so very depressed...

by Nickey in

lately, i've been really depressed at missing out on my life.

from being pulled out of school in the 3rd grade to keep me away from the "worldly" kids.

i was basically isolated.

rebel

Nickey,

22 is the ideal age to start thinking about your career and what you want to do with your life. I have worked as a career counsellor and many people I saw in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s were in careers that they desperately wanted to get out of. The reason is that, when they were in their late teens/early 20s, they HAD to decide what career path to choose, what college subjects to focus on, what degree to take etc. They were under pressure from thier parents, schools colleges etc. Many, many people do not know what they want to do at that age - it is forced on them by society. That is why you see so many people changing careers later in life. By the time a person reaches their late 20s/early 30s, they have so much more experience and are more inclined to do what they WANT to do, not what is expected of them.

You are in a fantastic position - you are young and you actually know what you want. Go for it and never look back.

xxR

14

Wish I wasn't wishy-washy!

by rebel in

no - i'm not talking about the pantomime character.

i'm talking about my beliefs.. i really envy those of you who say "there is no god" or "there is a god" because at least you have a belief one way or the other.

some say they believe in the trinity, others say it is rubbish, some say when we die we go to heaven, others say we go to the grave, others say there is no resurrection hope.

rebel

Larc & Gopher,

I take on board everything you say. I suppose the way I am does result from years and years of indoctrination. I definitely need to calm down a bit as I make myself really ill sometimes.

xxR

56

Do You Think You'll See Your Dead Loved Ones Again

by minimus in

jw
friends

.

do you think that you will see your dear loved ones come back to life in a ressurection of some sort or do you think there is no hope of such a thing?

rebel

I would love to see my dead loved ones again. I am not sure whether to believe the Bible though. If God is all loving, he would have told us what happens at death. The Bible is too ambiguous concerning this topic. A loving father wouldn't have left it open to so much interpretation - that is not loving - that is very cruel.

xxR

14

Wish I wasn't wishy-washy!

by rebel in

no - i'm not talking about the pantomime character.

i'm talking about my beliefs.. i really envy those of you who say "there is no god" or "there is a god" because at least you have a belief one way or the other.

some say they believe in the trinity, others say it is rubbish, some say when we die we go to heaven, others say we go to the grave, others say there is no resurrection hope.

rebel

Sirona,

Everything you said makes such sense. Especially "just another idea - I've found that my depressed feeling does not come from uncertainty - but that uncertainty developed from the depressed feeling."

That is so true. It has just dawned on me. I am so obsessed at the moment with finding the true religion, the meaning of life, what happens when we die, that I think I've gone off the rails a bit. I do seem to be going round and round in circles, not sleeping, going to work, not eating, getting more stressed, going to work again and it goes on and on.

Thank you so much for that.

xxR

14

Wish I wasn't wishy-washy!

by rebel in

no - i'm not talking about the pantomime character.

i'm talking about my beliefs.. i really envy those of you who say "there is no god" or "there is a god" because at least you have a belief one way or the other.

some say they believe in the trinity, others say it is rubbish, some say when we die we go to heaven, others say we go to the grave, others say there is no resurrection hope.

rebel

No - I'm not talking about the pantomime character. I'm talking about my beliefs.

I really envy those of you who say "There is no God" or "There is a God" because at least you have a belief one way or the other. Some say they believe in the Trinity, others say it is rubbish, some say when we die we go to heaven, others say we go to the grave, others say there is no resurrection hope. What I am getting at is, I wish I could be so certain about these things. I have spent the past couple of months studying so hard - and do you know what? I am no nearer knowing anything than when I started. There is a scripture that says we shouldn't be uncertain, swayed this way and that (I can't remember where it is) but I can't help it. I really want to be certain one way or the other. I think it is important to have an open mind and allow others to have their own opinions, but I wish I had an opinion. It must be nice to be certain about things - I hate this uncertainty that I feel.

Sorry guys - I was feeling depressed and just thought I would share this with you.

xxR

2

any fans of auf weidersehen pet here?

by dannywalsh in

rebel

Dannywalsh,

I watched the very first series and loved it. I did not see the follow-ups but, if they were anything like the first series, they were probably brilliant. The first time it was aired seems such a long time ago. Was it the mid-eighties?

xxR

17

The Grand Drama (another neurotic post)

by DanTheMan in

jw
friends

ok, y'all know i'm a head case, and this is one of my typical head-case posts, so you've been warned.

i'm sure the bethel monitors love my neurotic posts.

("see what happens when they leave?").

rebel

Syn said "You could become cannon fodder for a suitcase nuke tomorrow, dude! So, live each day as if it were your last. Relate to people. Challenge them, learn from them, love them.

That's about it!"

Syn - I think what you said is so simple and to-the-point. I need to keep reminding myself of this constantly. We all think we are invincible and will be here tomorrow (well I do, anyway) - but who knows?

Thank you for this.

xxR

16

Money and happiness?

by eyeslice in

jw
friends

everyone in the truth, knows it is the "love of money", not money itself that is wrong.

i am well aware that money in itself does not bring happiness.. what i detect though amongst the witnesses is almost an antipathy to money and wealth.

one sister i was speaking to the other day complained about all the spending that goes on at xmas.

rebel

Sara Annie & Orgbuster,

Sounds like you know many members of my congregation. Many of them are materialistc, smug, self-satisfied and pompous. They love to emphasise how unimportant money is, yet they have 4 or 5 holidays a year, live in huge houses, drive the latest cars and are always in new outfits etc. They like to preach to those who are less well-off, telling them that money is not important and does not make you happy. Funny how easy it is to say that when you're loaded!

xxR

Sorry - bit mixed up

xxR

Edited by - rebel on 4 January 2003 6:17:13

11

Did this ever seem weird to you?

by whyhideit in

jw
friends

the jehovah's witnesses have been saying for years now that the end could happen at anytime.

yet when you want to become a jehovah's witness it takes about one to three years of studying to actually be allowed to get baptized.

it seems to me that this would be like seeing a train about ready to hit someone and rather then push them out of the way, you first ask them if they know how to build a train and then explaining it to them in detail.. just seems to send a mixed message of "the end time is near" and then "but we have plenty of time to get things planted in your mind before it arrives.".

rebel

It's funny, I often thought about this. When I was studying in the mid-1980s, it took me ages to cover the required books. Then they introduced the Knowledge book and when I had a couple of studies, I was told by an elder that if the person isn't making 'significant progress' once we have covered half of this book, I should drop them like a hot potato to make them realise the urgency. The thing was, as I explained to this 'caring' elder, some people have many problems and issues going on in their lives and they weren't mentally or emotionally able to make 'significant progress' in so short a space of time. I was told that I needed to heed the advice of the GB - they received their info DIRECTLY from Jehovah and knew what they were doing. I didn't take any notice. One lady studied with me for 4 years. She still isn't baptised and is not regular at meetings. I am so glad because I really like her and now I know she is safer on the outside.

xxR