Posts by truthseeker

Fortune cookies are often served as a dessert in Chinese restaurants in the United States and some other countries, but are absent in China. Various immigrant groups in California claim to have popularized them in the early 20th century, basing their recipe on a traditional Japanese cracker. They have been summarized as being "introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese, but ultimately ... consumed by Americans."

A fortune cookie is a crisp cookie usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a "fortune" wrapped inside. A "fortune" is a piece of paper with words of wisdom or a vague prophecy. The message may include a Chinese phrase with translation or a list of lucky numbers used by some as lottery numbers.

Many persons view these cookies and the message inside them as harmless fun but for true Christians, there are hidden spiritual dangers. Much of what the world views as entertainment is condemned by Jehovah God and this would include the eating of fortune cookies and reading the "fortunes" contained within them. This is tantamount to spiritism, a practice that Jehovah condemns.

If a group of Christians were to patron a Chinese restaurant, consider how the actions of just one person who discusses the message found in a fortune cookie could caffect the whole group. How much better it is to heed the following advice: "therefore if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat flesh at all, that I may not make my brother stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:13).

Some brothers and sisters have been known to openly discuss the meaning of their "fortunes". Some have even been known to buy lottery tickets using the numbers provided in these cookies. Such action constitues blatant disregard against Jehovah's commandments and the direction he provides through the "faithful and discreet slave class" (Matthew 24:44,45). If a brother or sister were to pay attention to the words contained inside a fortune cookie, this could lead to an unhealty occupation with the occult. If we were to ignore the Scriptural counsel provided by the "faithful and discreet slave class", we could develop traits that could result in willful sin against the spirit, the loss of Jehovah’s favor, and eventual destruction ( Matthew 12:31, 32 ).

The Devil's goal is to turn everyone away from Jehovah and he does this by making this system of things look as enticing as possible. Let us continue to resist the spirit of the world and pay "more than the usual attention" to the things that Jehovah's organization warns us against (Hebrews 2:1).

108

July 15th Study Edition Is Up..

by confusedteenager in

jw
friends

not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.

they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.

of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .

truthseeker

Unbelieveable!!!!

I mean, who's to say this won't change again 5 years from now???

Take the last paragraph in the first study article.

THREE things that were considered "present truth" are now "old truths"

19 In review, what have we learned? In
the beginning of this article, we raised

three “when” questions. We first considered
that the great tribulation did not begin
in 1914 (PRESENT TRUTH #1 now "old truth")

but will start when the United
Nations attacks Babylon the Great.(NEW PRESENT TRUTH)

Then, we reviewed why Jesus’ judgment
of the sheep and the goats did not begin
in 1914 (PRESENT TRUTH #2 now "old truth")

but will occur during the great
tribulation.(NEW PRESENT TRUTH)

Finally, we examined why Jesus’
arrival to appoint the faithful slave
over all his belongings did not occur in
1919 (PRESENT TRUTH #3 now "old truth")

but will take place during the great
tribulation.(NEW PRESENT TRUTH)

So, then, all three “whens”
apply to the same future time period
—the great tribulation. How does this
adjusted view further affect our understanding
of the illustration of the faithful
slave? Also, how does it affect our
understanding of other parables, or illustrations,
of Jesus that are being fulfilled
during this time of the end? These important
questions will be considered in
the following articles.

48

Bethel perfection bubble burst

by redvip2000 in

just got back from florida where i spent the holidays with family.

about half are jdubs.. this year the prevalent atmosphere of superiority from the jw side of the family was totally toned down.

one of my cousins, a bethelite in upstate ny bethel along with his wife, found out that the wife was having an affair with a young bethelite "brother".

truthseeker

My JW relative used to tell me that "Jehovah is doing a sifting work in the congregations"

37

2012 report analysis - growth of JWs according to local internet availability

by cedars in

jw
friends

hi everyone.

i did a similar chart to the one below last year, but this year i thought i'd make it slightly more meaningful by giving the statistics across three years rather than just one.. hopefully it's fairly self explanatory.. i'm making the data i've used available in a separate pdf download for those who are interested.. .

cedars.

truthseeker

Thank you Cedars for your research!

Happy new year to you!

Truthseeker

8

Storing up treasures in heaven - when do we get to see them?

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

i often heard the phrase "store up treasures in heaven" but never really knew what it meant.. if we're all going to be living on paradise earth, what good is it storing up treasures in heaven if we never get to see them?.

or am i missing something here?.

it would make better sense if we were going to heaven after we finish our life here..

truthseeker

I often heard the phrase "store up treasures in heaven" but never really knew what it meant.

If we're all going to be living on Paradise Earth, what good is it storing up treasures in heaven if we never get to see them?

Or am I missing something here?

It would make better sense if we were going to heaven after we finish our life here.

221

What JW catch phrase DRIVES YOU NUTS!!!!

by megaflower in

jw
friends

"we should be mindful".

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

truthseeker

It's a conscience matter

congregation get together

Jehovah's smile of approval

"I have a study at [insert time]"

streetwork

cargroup

can you auxiliary pioneer during the months of...

the Memorial Season

the Special Talk

young ones

brothers, are you reaching out?

be humble

the approved hotel list

stumbling block

evening witnessing

are you giving a thorough witness?

Persecution

The happiest people on earth

221

What JW catch phrase DRIVES YOU NUTS!!!!

by megaflower in

jw
friends

"we should be mindful".

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

truthseeker

My favorite:

"Build anticipation"

221

What JW catch phrase DRIVES YOU NUTS!!!!

by megaflower in

jw
friends

"we should be mindful".

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

truthseeker

We don't know what Jehovah has in store for us

We'd like to ask the friends to take their seats

Jehovah's loving reminders

Professed Christians (mostly used in WTs)

The after-the-meeting cleaning is the privilege of the [insert group]

We've missed you

Spiritually mature ones

39

Are We Living At The End Of An Age?

by metatron in

jw
friends

i hardly know what else to call it.

i have felt many emotions in my life and anxiety, many times but this is different.. it's a sense of the impending, a build up of pressure like a wall of water behind a cracking dam.

when does it break?.

truthseeker

I completely agree with Metatron.

Perhaps it's because human society has reached such a level of connectedness that we are at that "Tower of Babel" moment where there is one voice and nothing in mind that humans cannot accomplish.