1. you will believe in the sacrifice of jesus christ.
2. you will believe in god's anointed,directed and inspired organization.. .
in case you are not sure, study baptismal questions.. .
Odrade
The first Baptismal question is:
On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?
CyrusThePersian
so the good news will start now...... some of you may remember that i stumped my mom http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/51940/1.ashx.
anyway here is the update.
i went on vacation but my mom to my knowledge did not pick up coc and read it.
Hi
Another good idea would be to look up "Jerusalem", "Isreal", or "Babylon" in ANY, and I mean ANY encyclopedia or history reference and they will ALL say that Jerusalem fell in 587/586 B.C. The Witnesses are the only people on earth who think that Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E.
Cyrus
Hi
I was going to say Numbers, as in number of field sevice hours and number of meetings attended, but I think Reborn2002 hit it when he said "appearances" How you look to others means everything to JW's. It doesn't matter how shallow or insincere you are as long as you LOOK good to the elders et.al. I knew a long time pioneer who put in her hours and mag placements dutifully but would shrink back in horror if she ever was called on to conduct a study. Why? Because she knew nothing about the Bible or JW doctrine! Such shallow hypocricy!
Cyrus
a question to my fellow united staters on the board, .
do you find yourself using british expressions in your daily life because of being on this db so much?
two that i've picked up - i occasionally will call a friend "mate" (they look at me kind of funny) .
Hi!
Not from off this board really, but I spent most of my youth reading P.G. Wodehouse instead of the "Truth" book, so I confounded my first wife by constantly referring to our apartment as a "flat" and saying that this certain elder was "barmy" or another had "his knickers in a twist"!
Cyrus
does anyone have any reading recommendations for bible fallacies/contradictions etc??.
also i just ordered christ conspiracy by a. acharya after reading some wonderful reviews on it.. i was also interested if any of you had any opinions on :.
the encyclopedia of biblical errancy by c. dennis mckinsey .
Hi
May I recommend Steve Allen on the Bible Religion and Morality Parts 1 and 2. These books look at the Bible from a unique moral perspective. Not only do they address the difficulty in reconciling the bloodthirsty God of the OT with the sweetness and light God of the NT but also shows that even the New Testament God isn't that much of a sweetheart either.The truth is most Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses included, don't care much for facts and historical documentation that discredits the Bible, but if you can show that the Bible is morally deficient, you may get them to take notice.
Another good one is Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. Even after over 200 years since its initial publication, this book remains one of the most striking deconstructions of the Bible and organized religions ever printed.
All of these books are heavy-duty reading. If you want something light and humorous, yet in its own way thought provoking try Ken's Guide to the Bible by Ken Smith. All these books are available on Amazon
Happy Reading!
CyrusThePersian
i just wanted to say thanks to all on this board,if i have a bad day i come and read some threads and just sit and laugh,some of you are so funny,if i need answers to any questions, you answer,if there is a debate going on i can't wait to read the next thread to see how it ends.you give me a reason to keep going everyday.simon ,i would also like to thank you ,if not for you this life saving sight and letting these people be themselves ,many of us would not be here to help others or ourselves.i hope all of you really realise how important you are and the help you have brought to so many.
thankyou all kathy
Add me to the list of those who say a big THANK YOU! to Simon. I don't post here often but I lurk here a lot and this site always makes my day!
THANKS!!!
CyrusThePersian
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i hope this works!
http://home.kc.rr.com/abush/ps/themepark.jpg.
Are the "Watchtower Archives" where the restrooms are? cuz I gots ta go!!
Cyrus
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have any of you read this book?.
it is brilliant....and very be very disconcerting for anyone that has been entrenched in a religion, believing theirs is the only "true" religion.....robert heinlin's best
...And after you get through with that one read Heinlein's "Time Enough for Love" especially the "Exerpts from the Notebooks of Lazarus Long" They're ten times funnier ( and wiser ) than the book of Proverbs.
Example: " What are the facts? Again and again and again, what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what 'the stars fortell', avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable 'verdict of history' -what are the facts, and to how many decimal places. You pilot always into an uncertain future; Facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
Words to live by
Cyrus
for those of you residing in the northern hemisphere, there's nothing more satisfying than the onset of spring.
this a.m., after working a long shift at work, i arrive home after 5 a.m., and it's pleasantly mild (i live in toronto) and the sky is partly cloudy.
the moon is no longer full, but still very bright.
Ah, Yes... Spring... That lovely time of year when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love...But wait, I'm not a young man... I'm an OLD man! Oh well, what the hell, I'll just go out and mow the $&%# yard...
Cyrus
i have to post this question, because as i was trying so hard to talk to my husband about what i am learning and what others are saying, he is saying i am not doing this objectively at all, and only hearing things from bitter exjw's who are angry at the org for something.
i say this isn't true, i wasn't searching for answers due to a negative occurance in my life, and i don't believe everyone here was either.
he says i am only emotional about this, and trying to find reasons to prove all the things i have learned as wrong.
Hi
I wasn't bitter when I left. It's just that when I researched things that didn't jive with JW teaching and tried to talk about it, instead of lively discussion I got, "You should wait on Jehovah!" or "I just can't believe you would doubt the Watchtower" I finally came to the conclusion that people who THINK have no place in the organization. It wasn't until after I left that I learned all the pain and suffering that the WT has caused. If I had known then what I know now, I may have been bitter. Instead I'm just sad for all those that are hurting.
CyrusThePersian
