Printed in Japan
Probably not a local thing.
Unless, of course... you're in Japan.
In which case... well, you know.
Posts by Zoos
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11Anyone else have JW Business Cards?
by Lemonp inmy cong has these business cards on the lit desk for maybe 2 months now, is this just something that they have done locally or is this a org wide thing?
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there are two different types we have, this is the front and back of one of them..
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12 signs you are a modern day Pharisee
by Zoos ini was reading through this list and was struck by how accurately it describes the watchtower royalty class.
not exactly a professional doing the writing but i think he captures it pretty well.. http://frankpowell.me/12-signs-you-are-modern-day-pharisee.
for those who cannot access the link:.
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Zoos
I was reading through this list and was struck by how accurately it describes the Watchtower royalty class. Not exactly a professional doing the writing but I think he captures it pretty well.
http://frankpowell.me/12-signs-you-are-modern-day-pharisee
For those who cannot access the link:
1.) YOU BELIEVE SHOWING UP FOR WORSHIP EVERY SUNDAY MAKES YOU RIGHT WITH GOD.
Modern-day Pharisees try to measure everything. They must have metrics and barometers. Something to measure their righteousness. Anything to give them some security with God.
And I am not against barometers or metrics. Not at all. Barometers can reveal trends and expose inconsistencies. But modern-day Pharisees see metrics as essential to righteousness and salvation. Worship is not a time to draw into God. Worship is another check off the list.
For modern-day Pharisees, Christian living is not so much about transforming into the image of God. It is more about living up to the standard of God. And no one can live up to God’s standard. Except Jesus.
[Missing too many meetings wil get you cast as spiritually weak / bad association.]
2.) YOU SPEND MORE TIME TALKING ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE AGAINST, NOT WHAT YOU ARE FOR.
Pharisees love to argue. They love to spend their time convincing others. If they had to list the actions and issues they are against, the pencil would run out of lead. But turn around and ask them to list what they are for? The pencil would not have to be re-sharpened.
Pharisees believe their job is to defend God and legislate morality. So they are against drinking, smoking, cursing, short skirts, talking back to parents, holding hands before marriage, and so on. And all of these things come before the gospel. Or maybe they are the gospel. Modern-day Pharisees can’t tell the difference.
3.) YOU BELIEVE GOD ACTUALLY NEEDS YOU.
Modern-day Pharisees believe God needs them on His team. They believe the church is dependent upon them.
Let me be real with the modern-day Pharisees. If God needs a human being for His church to survive, He is not a God worth serving. Or worshiping. Or following. God needs no one. God simply allows us to play a role. He allows us to play a part. We just need to know our role. Play our part. And don’t think too highly of ourselves. God’s got this.
4.) YOU DON’T REPENT OF SIN…YOU DON’T HAVE ANY “SERIOUS” SIN TO REPENT OF.
Remember that time the modern-day Pharisees repented of sin in their life? Oh wait, they never have. They don’t have any serious sin to repent of. Pharisees have a reputation and status to maintain. Repentance involves vulnerability and weakness. Pharisees don’t show weakness.
Who cares if the God of the universe was humiliated and mocked by mere men? That has no bearing on a modern-day Pharisee.
Repentance is for people who sin really bad. Not for them.
["There's no such thing as an evil slave."]
5.) YOU MAKE EVERY ISSUE BLACK AND WHITE.
The Bible is grey on many issues. But modern-day Pharisees don’t deal in the world of grey. They must have everything black and white. In or out. Yes or no. Up or down.
You see, if an issue is grey, modern-day Pharisees have to do some work on the heart. And Pharisees don’t work on the heart. They don’t consider motives.
Here is another thing about grey. It does not allow modern-day Pharisees to keep score. Black and white issues, however, allow them to keep a tally of their righteousness. “I have never drank or smoke or gambled or cheated on my wife.” Who cares if their heart is full of lust, anger, and envy?
Making a grey issue black and white means modern-day Pharisees don’t have to deal with the motives underneath their actions.
6.) YOU WOULD NEVER CONDONE HOMOSEXUALITY OR FORNICATION…BUT HAVE NO PROBLEM WATCHING MOVIES THAT DO.
If someone were to preach on the evils of homosexuality or sex before marriage, a modern-day Pharisee would nod his or her head in agreement. “Yeah, that’s right preacher. Preach on!” But on Sunday night, they plop down in the recliner and find humor from a movie or TV show glamorizing the very thing they just agreed was wrong.
This is the real issue with modern-day Pharisees. They love to put on a show when the lights are on. They want people to think they are righteous. But Jesus does not inform the rest of their lives.
After all, they went to church…and life group. The checklist is complete.
7.) YOUR SALVATION IS BASED ON YOUR WORKS, NOT ON JESUS.
Modern-day Pharisees believe in their works. That’s why they love James 2:14-26. But they skirt around passages about grace. Oh, yeah. They believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins. But they turn around and mock the cross by trying to earn their salvation.
[No comment]
8.) YOU READ THE BIBLE TO SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CONVICTIONS, NOT TO BE SHAPED INTO GOD’S IMAGE.
During the time of Jesus, no one knew more Scripture than the Pharisees. They studied the Scriptures relentlessly.
Modern-day Pharisees do the same. But they turn around and use the knowledge to convince others why they are wrong. The Bible is their personal weapon. Modern-day Pharisees use it to throw rocks at all the misguided, evil sinners in the world.
To modern-day Pharisees, the Bible is not a means to grow into the image of God. It is a means to convince the world of fallacies and misguided theology.
9.) YOU BELIEVE OUTSIDERS SHOULD CONFORM TO A CERTAIN LIFESTYLE BEFORE THEY ARE ACCEPTED AS “CHRISTIAN.”
This is a Pharisee trademark. Before non-Christians can be considered “part of the group,” they must conform to a certain lifestyle. Stop all of the cursing and drinking. And stop doing all the stuff “bad people” do.
Once potential Christians “fix their lives,” modern-day Pharisees gladly welcome these people into their family. Just don’t revert back to “sinning” again. Membership in the group is always conditional.
Instead of meeting people where they are, modern-day Pharisees force people to come up to their level. And until these people live up to the standard, they will be on the outside looking in.
[Are YOO an approved associate?]
10.) YOU DON’T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONVERT AND A TRANSFER.
Modern-day Pharisees get just as excited when someone joins their church as they do when someone joins the kingdom of God. In fact, they don’t see much distinction between the two. They celebrate a baptism the same way they celebrate a family moving from across the street.
This is why no real desire for the lost exists. The church is adding “members.” But they are being added to the directory of the local church, not the directory of the Kingdom. Modern-day Pharisees don’t care. As long as the “church” is adding people.
11.) ALL OF YOUR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS LOOK AND ACT JUST LIKE YOU DO.
Pharisees are exclusive. They pick and choose who enters the group. But Jesus never valued exclusivity. Just look at his chosen twelve. A tax collector (Matthew). A doctor (Luke). Fishermen (Peter and Andrew). A Zealot (Simon). That’s a conglomerate of guys from many different backgrounds.
So, look around at your group? Is it essentially a collection of men and women cut from the same mold?
12.) IF SOMEONE TRIES TO REBUKE YOU, YOU GET ANGRY AND OFFENDED.
Remember what happened Jesus rebuked the Pharisees? Their hearts broke. They repented. And Jesus used them to start the church.
Not.
When Jesus called out their sins, the Pharisees crucified him. Modern-day Pharisees see any rebuke as a personal attack. They immediately go on the offensive. Some get angry and storm off. Others proceed to make a list of sins to the person rebuking them.
Regardless, modern-day Pharisees refuse to have a heart receptive to rebuke. It undermines their external righteousness. And it undermines the lie that they are perfect.
[Do you think you're smarter than the governing body?]
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13
What do Lady Gaga, Liberace, and Geoffrey Jackson all have in common?
by jwleaks inleft to right: lady gaga, liberace, geoffrey jackson.
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Zoos
Armpit stains? -
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It seems like the Mormons are falling short of their recruitment goals.
by James Mixon inmaybe someone can post the article.
by brady mccombs the associated press.
friday april 24. .
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Zoos
Is this he one?
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Mormon-leader-L-Tom-Perry-diagnosed-with-cancer-6221728.php
Two Mormon leaders battling serious health issues
Brady Mccombs, Associated Press
Updated 11:01 am, Friday, April 24, 2015
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two of the Mormon church's aging leaders are battling serious health issues.
L. Tom Perry, 92, the second-most senior member of the high-level Mormon governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has been diagnosed with cancer, church spokesman Eric Hawkins said Friday.
Perry will begin radiation treatment Friday to treat cancer discovered in his thyroid gland, Hawkins said. Perry was hospitalized earlier this week with breathing difficulty, but allowed to go home after tests and observations.
Richard G. Scott, 86, another member of the quorum, was hospitalized Thursday night with gastrointestinal bleeding, Hawkins said. Scott is resting now after the bleeding was brought under control.
The quorum is a governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is modeled after Jesus Christ's apostles and serves under the church president and his two counselors.
Nine of the 15 members in the religion's core leadership group are at least 80 years old. President Thomas S. Monson is 87. Perry is the oldest of the group.
Originally from Logan, Utah, Perry spent his professional career as a vice president and treasurer in retail business before being named to the quorum in 1974. He was one of four leaders to meet with President Barack Obama during his recent trip to Utah.
He was also in attendance when Mormon leaders and state lawmakers introduced a landmark bill in March that bars discrimination against gay and transgender individuals while protecting the rights of religious groups and individuals.
But while Perry was greeted warmly by LGBT advocates that day, he drew their rebuke in early April when he gave a speech about the church being a leading advocate for traditional families and speaking out against "counterfeit and alternative lifestyles."
Scott was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and had a successful career as a nuclear engineer. He was named to the quorum in 1988.
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Protect governing body with your life
by Zoos inthere was a quote in the literature some years back about protecting the governing body from secular authorities and insinuated that we should do whatever it took to insure their safety.. i seem to remember it was something about refusing to help the authorities locate the governing body.
i may be off track here.
if this is familiar to you could you please help me find the quote?.
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Zoos
I suppose I may have heard it from someone rather that read it.
I appreciate all the feedback.
CLARITY - I learned about the guards a few years ago on this forum. Thanks!
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12
Protect governing body with your life
by Zoos inthere was a quote in the literature some years back about protecting the governing body from secular authorities and insinuated that we should do whatever it took to insure their safety.. i seem to remember it was something about refusing to help the authorities locate the governing body.
i may be off track here.
if this is familiar to you could you please help me find the quote?.
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Zoos
Nothing, huh? -
12
Protect governing body with your life
by Zoos inthere was a quote in the literature some years back about protecting the governing body from secular authorities and insinuated that we should do whatever it took to insure their safety.. i seem to remember it was something about refusing to help the authorities locate the governing body.
i may be off track here.
if this is familiar to you could you please help me find the quote?.
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Zoos
There was a quote in the literature some years back about protecting the governing body from secular authorities and insinuated that we should do whatever it took to insure their safety.
I seem to remember it was something about refusing to help the authorities locate the governing body. I may be off track here. If this is familiar to you could you please help me find the quote?
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How a Gay Jewish Boy from New England Came to Be and Leave the JWs (and what he did next)
by CalebInFloroda inborn in cambridge, ma to a liberal couple that escaped the conservative south, my parents raised me better than to become a jehovahs witness.
funny thing was they got mixed up in it first.. while that is a story for another time, i myself had to go along as the third of five children in my family.
dads job transferred him to texas and my mom worked fulltime herself, but eventually we found ourselves drinking the kool-aid of ambiguity intolerance and full-fledge belief that the bible was literal fact and that salvation was found only by those who were smart enough to enter the confines of the watchtower.. its weird how many people claim they fear children raised by two gay parents will grow up to be gay.
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Zoos
FUKITOL - Why do gay people have to put so much emphasis on their gayness for their identity as a human being? Do heterosexual people use the word 'heterosexual' as the first and foremost descriptor of themselves to others?
Did you grow up terrified to be yourself as a result of your sexual orientation? Heteros are largely able to just be themselves given their own sexuality has never been an issue, question, or a point of ridicule, shame, abuse.
When a young (or older) gay person finally finds his or her feet, YES, the establishment of one's gay identity is important, at least in the beginning. Standing up and saying, "This is who I am" is new and necessary for many adult gays and lesbians.
If you've never lived it and have no capacity for empathy, you are invited to be seated... and silent.
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How a Gay Jewish Boy from New England Came to Be and Leave the JWs (and what he did next)
by CalebInFloroda inborn in cambridge, ma to a liberal couple that escaped the conservative south, my parents raised me better than to become a jehovahs witness.
funny thing was they got mixed up in it first.. while that is a story for another time, i myself had to go along as the third of five children in my family.
dads job transferred him to texas and my mom worked fulltime herself, but eventually we found ourselves drinking the kool-aid of ambiguity intolerance and full-fledge belief that the bible was literal fact and that salvation was found only by those who were smart enough to enter the confines of the watchtower.. its weird how many people claim they fear children raised by two gay parents will grow up to be gay.
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Zoos
Another gay genius?
Good lord, how many of us are there?
Welcome! :)
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Hi Everyone. Answer to prayer countdown...
by Stumpy ini've been lurking for about 3 months now and thought i'd better finally sign up.
you have all been an immense help to me as i have come to realize that this isn't the truth so i want to say a great big thank you!
what a crazy, emotional ride it is to finally face the truth about the doubts that i have carried for many years.
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Zoos
Welcome Stumpy.
Have you read Ray Franz's books yet? For me, Crisis of Conscience helped put everything in order and settle my nerves. I was a basket case learning all the ways in which we had been dooped as JWs but that book was just the right medicine.
His follow-up book, In Search of Christian Freedom went into more depth on various doctrinal issues where he dismantles Watchtower theology very effectively without being preachy about what you should believe. He respects your right to your journey in that respect.
Another set of open eyes.
Best wishes!