Why not what?
Stand for Pure Worship
JoinedPosts by Stand for Pure Worship
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187
The reason behind why the ex-JW community can never match Jehovah's Witnesses' success.
by Stand for Pure Worship inan average of five kingdom halls being constructed daily, almost 8 million brothers and sisters, dissemination of bible literature in 595 languages, 111,795 congregations worldwide, distribution of 179 million bibles available in 116 languages, 239 countries where jehovah's witnesses have a presence, etc.. need i go on?.
on the other hand........... crisis of conscience, freeminds, the awaa, jw.net, ummmmmm........hmmm........idk six screens or something?
not exactly working out for you guys.
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187
The reason behind why the ex-JW community can never match Jehovah's Witnesses' success.
by Stand for Pure Worship inan average of five kingdom halls being constructed daily, almost 8 million brothers and sisters, dissemination of bible literature in 595 languages, 111,795 congregations worldwide, distribution of 179 million bibles available in 116 languages, 239 countries where jehovah's witnesses have a presence, etc.. need i go on?.
on the other hand........... crisis of conscience, freeminds, the awaa, jw.net, ummmmmm........hmmm........idk six screens or something?
not exactly working out for you guys.
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Stand for Pure Worship
Jgnat, just busy, been meaning to get back to this along with a couple other threads(Data, LisaRose I didn't miss your posts). I joined this forum at the wrong time. Don't think I don't read your posts, and I do take them to heart. I'm not brushing anyone's comments off at all.
One thing that surprised me, was a couple posts which attempted to compare the growth of other religions with Jehovah's Witnesses, and I don't think that's a fair comparison. For one thing, and it goes without saying, most of those other religions mentioned have had centuries to flourish as weeds left unchecked. Their teachings and lack of harmony with God's word and unity and love within themselves make that abundently clear. On the other hand, the other religions that haven't been around that long, in some cases only a little bit longer than Jehovah's Witnesses, when looking at their belief system it goes without saying that they're a cult that follow the directives of other imperfect men. We're talking the Mormons, and Scientology at that point. That said, I don't believe it's fair or even logical to compare Jehovah's Witnesses with groups like Scientology.
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Stands For True Worship - Blood
by problemaddict inhello sftw,.
when you have a moment.
why not have a respectful conversation about the societies blood doctrine, the evolution of that doctrine, and the implications of that doctrine.
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Stand for Pure Worship
Problemaddict, you're right. That was extremely judgemental of me. I posted out of emotion which is not an excuse. Please accept my apology.
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187
The reason behind why the ex-JW community can never match Jehovah's Witnesses' success.
by Stand for Pure Worship inan average of five kingdom halls being constructed daily, almost 8 million brothers and sisters, dissemination of bible literature in 595 languages, 111,795 congregations worldwide, distribution of 179 million bibles available in 116 languages, 239 countries where jehovah's witnesses have a presence, etc.. need i go on?.
on the other hand........... crisis of conscience, freeminds, the awaa, jw.net, ummmmmm........hmmm........idk six screens or something?
not exactly working out for you guys.
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Stand for Pure Worship
An average of five Kingdom Halls being constructed daily, almost 8 million brothers and sisters, dissemination of Bible literature in 595 languages, 111,795 congregations worldwide, distribution of 179 million Bibles available in 116 languages, 239 countries where Jehovah's Witnesses have a presence, etc.. Need I go on?
On the other hand........... Crisis of Conscience, FreeMinds, The AWAA, Jw.net, ummmmmm........hmmm........IDK Six Screens or something? Not exactly working out for you guys. Acts 5:38, 39 come to mind.
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Stands For True Worship - Blood
by problemaddict inhello sftw,.
when you have a moment.
why not have a respectful conversation about the societies blood doctrine, the evolution of that doctrine, and the implications of that doctrine.
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Stand for Pure Worship
Hey Problem, this will be the last time I speak on this subject, possibly the last time I speak on this wicked forum, at least for a while as I'm swamped with work. Just so you know, it's not Marvin. Not remotely him, especially so after his 250,000 estimates. It's somebody else whom I'm sympathetic towards.
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A new hero is on the job : Meet APOSTA GIRL
by Watchtower-Free inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9ytlreojyc.
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from "roguepixel100" on youtube.
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83
Stands For True Worship. I am turning myself in......
by DATA-DOG injust answer this question in an honest and unbiased way, free from any circuitous reasoning or speculation.
if you do so, i swear to my heavenly father, that i will call the elders tonight and turn myself in.
any active jw may answer this question.
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Stand for Pure Worship
Well Data, when are you gonna get on the phone.
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406
Goodbye JWD/JWN (my last post)
by slimboyfat inafter some considerable thought i have decided that i will no longer post on this forum because i want to return to jehovah.
thank you for all the kindness and many interesting discussions over the years.
i wish you all well in the future and the decisions you make.
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Stand for Pure Worship
Let's see if Clarity posts that on her Newbies thread!!!! Apostates 0, Jehovah +1
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406
Goodbye JWD/JWN (my last post)
by slimboyfat inafter some considerable thought i have decided that i will no longer post on this forum because i want to return to jehovah.
thank you for all the kindness and many interesting discussions over the years.
i wish you all well in the future and the decisions you make.
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Stand for Pure Worship
Glad you came to your senses.
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Stands For True Worship. I am turning myself in......
by DATA-DOG injust answer this question in an honest and unbiased way, free from any circuitous reasoning or speculation.
if you do so, i swear to my heavenly father, that i will call the elders tonight and turn myself in.
any active jw may answer this question.
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Stand for Pure Worship
Good evening Data-Dog. I wanted to get back to you on Friday, but it just wasn’t feasible. Thanks for your patience. TheQuiteOne, you should probably be quieter and read more, as you would have noticed that I requested a delay for my response until sometime Sunday. Stillin, I’ve already stated I’m not counting any time here until it’s considered acceptable by the Branch. Data-Dog, looking at your question, and also the other thread that you linked, I’m under the impression that the beefs presented stem from both the WT have an exclusive view of themselves both doctrinally, and also their eschatological beliefs? I’ll still state my piece, but correct me if I misunderstood your question.
In my opinion, proclamations of truth have to be weighed and compared to other so called truths in order to identify the pretenders. It has to be done according to a standard which in this case obviously would be the Bible. You stated that the criteria for our discussion could not include mentioning that the Bible Students had God’s word. That’s fine and your requirement is quite appropriate.
I agree that it’s appropriate because it’s not like owning a Bible is something unheard of nowadays. You can find a Bible in the average home, hotels & motels (still the case? IDK), libraries, book stores, online (I prefer Bible Gateway to the Watchtower’s app in some circumstances), etc. Now granted, the proliferation of Bibles is greater in our day than it was during the Bible Students hey-day, I don’t think there was necessarily a shortage either. So again, your requirement is appropriate.
What also should be appropriate to consider when questioning whether or not the Bible Students procured truth, one would have to examine what they were teaching. The usual suspects are going to come up, and naturally so. We’re talking hellfire, the Trinity, condition of the dead, along with other subtopics related to those common talking points. When it came to these subjects, the Bible Students were an anomaly in that they not only rejected these falsehoods, but also went out of their way to expose these erroneous teachings and beliefs in the public square. In that sense it can be said that The Bible Students, and what they eventually culminated into as the WT and JWs, have in fact procured truth.
Now to keep it honest is that to say that the Bible Students and the WT have got it right all the time? Absolutely not, of course they’ve made mistakes over the years and likely will make more. However what’s noteworthy is their willingness to adjust their understanding when absolutely necessary. Proverbs 4:18 comes to mind which I know is a verse some of you here take umbrage with and I don’t entirely knock that as I think it’s been used to justify changes when the context of the verse on the surface doesn’t really support how the WT has used it. I think they know it too which is why they’ve lately begun moving away from that along with the phrase “new light” being replaced by, adjustments. I think far more appropriate verses to use when adjustments have been needed would be the thoughts found within Proverbs 2, and James 1:5-8.
I have to say, all of this reminds me of something I read from an author that I’ve come to appreciate in recent years. He said, “The man who finds a truth lights a torch.” I agree. Truth is relative in the sense and trajectory of time. I’ve never lit an actual torch, but I imagine when in the midst of darkness a torch will only illuminate but so far. It will provide enough light to sustain us in the immediate area of darkness. Throughout the years we’ve acquired more torches of truth and have had to occasionally adjust our understanding as a result.
Now the other thing Data-Dog, which I believe you and others have taken issue with, is the WT’s eschatological outlook. Again, I believe that when you talk about truth and this includes discussions about prophetic fulfillment, one has to take into consideration, time. To be more specific, “the times” in other words the time frame that an individual or organization has taken upon themselves an effort to determine where they stand within that era. I don’t see anything wrong with doing so either as Jesus encouraged his disciples to do so. - Matt 24:36-44
Now, going back to credibility, I have to ask, did John the Baptizer have a credibility issue? I ask that from the perspective of our present day. Consider, John was very vocal in impressing upon the Jews a need to repent. He also declared prophetic messages that could be considered truth. (Matt 3:1, 2), however the scope and magnitude of what he was presenting was of a nature that he didn’t grasp even up until his tragic death. We can come to such a conclusion because even Jesus’ disciples didn’t quite grasp the roles they would play in the progress of Kingdom interests. Consider Luke 19:11, Acts 1:6, Matt 20:20-22, and Acts 10 for a few examples.
Now going back to John, despite his lack of complete understanding of that which he was declaring, in Jesus’ eyes did John have a credibility problem? No, remember Jesus identified John as one of the key players involved in Malachi’s prophecy, specifically Mal 4:5, 6. So essentially Jesus gave John a cosign despite his declarations not coming into full fruition during the times that he lived and died. John’s work was a prelude, a fore gleam if you will. The Bible Students and in later years the WT have displayed the same anticipative nature of John the Baptist and Jesus’ disciples despite not fully grasping the full scope of prophetic fulfillment while in the midst of its developments. – Acts 1:7, 8