There is not a single thing the Governing Body could do, or say, that would harm them in the least. Aside from a straightforward admission that they have not now, nor have they ever, been used by God, nothing that they do or say would give any real pause to the rank and file. All can be explained away by using the excuses of misunderstanding, over zealous expectation, brightening light, etc. It makes me clear sick! But, just look back at what they have weathered with nary a hiccup. Even after the 1975 debacle, you had a few years of very moderate decline, followed by the most explosive growth in the organizations history. Sorry for being so depressing.
Posts by 24k
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Thomas Jefferson, on The Truth
by under_believer in"truth is great and will prevail if left to herself.
proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear .
from the conflict, unless, by human interposition, disarmed of her .
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24k
How about it? Does the Society's opposition to free debate and discussion (including excommunication for those that dare to disagree with the Society's doctrines) help or hinder truth? Does truth need the Society's help and protection? - under_believer
Beyond doubt, it is an enormous hinderance to the truth. The societies opposition to open discussion and free debate, is really an issue of maintaning their control over the group, and is not about protecting any supposed truth. As Jefferson pointed out, truth needs no protection. While there is a "flat earth" society, you certainly don't find science organizations trying to stamp out their publications. The truth about the shape of the earth needs no such protection. The problem for the society, and for most other religious groups, is that there is no such concrete truths to be found in the bible. In many cases the bible contradicts itself, or is silent on the specifics of a given theological doctrine. This leaves much room for manuever, and therefore the plethora of religious teachings we see today. While this situation may be good foder for religious debate, it is a terrible problem for religious authorities. Which is why, from the beginning, religious authorities have sought to suppress religious views which don't agree with their's. After all, if you're free to disagree, you're free to set your own standards of worship, and therefore, don't need the authorities.
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Fader blues
by Inquisitor inthis is probably the first time i've started a thread that hasn't got to do with theology.
lol.. i've been feeling rather hassled lately.
living my life away from home as a fader and getting unwanted calls from my folks.
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24k
Remember, fading means that you are pretending to be a "weak" witness. So, you actually will be missing many meetings and assemblies, until finally, you're not attending at all. You'll be perceived as weak, but will not have given reason for any judicial action. This entails some hasseling from friends and relatives, about getting back to meetings and the like, but the questions about meeting content, and your having to fib about your still being active, will be gone.
Peace
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Whats the funniest/most bizarre comment heard from the audience during a WT
by chiddy inwhats the funniest comment heard from the audience during a wt study/book study/service meeting?.
we had a young retarded kid in our cong , who had his hand up for every single question , usually the bro would take his comment as he would just say "jehovah" but this time he takes the mic and starts this long winded comment rounded off with"satans going to cause a civil war!
priceless !.
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24k
I had a public talk at a neighboring congregation, and my wife and I were sitting behind this stately looking older couple, during the watchtower study. About half way through the study, the older sister pinched her finger on the side of her chair, and in a very clear and distinct voice, cried out "GODDAMN IT"! I couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the meeting! Even had a hard time saying the closing prayer.
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What's The Dumbest JW Belief?
by minimus ini have to think believing in the blood doctrine has to be the dumbest, especially because accepting the watchtower view can kill you.
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24k
That oral sex, between a man and his wife, is a homosexual act, and therfore scripturally prohibited. One of the more regrettable doctrinal rulings ever promulgated by the watchtower.
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What's the deal with beards????
by bittersweet inok, so my brother in law, a former elder, decided to grow a beard a while ago.
he initially grew it because he had a small rash he was trying to cover up, but that has since gone, and he has kept the beard.
he kept the beard because it made such a fuss that he decided if he shaved it off it would be like giving in to the brothers.
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24k
"then there was this big old discussion saying how demons lived in beards and that anyone who had one would probably not become a MS" -- solo
I seriously almost had a heart attack when I read this solo! I'm still laughing my ass off!
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I have a question(s)
by I.Wonder ini am new to the site, although i have been a lurker for quite some time.
i was very nervous to create an account.
all of the people i work for and with are jw's and we are all family.
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24k
It all amounts to..if you seek short-term happiness trading for long term misery...or you choose short-term sacrifices for long term happiness. if you are unhappy...everyday you spend there is time wasted. -- davidchristopher
The above statement is so true. The only regret I have about leaving, is that I waited so long to do it. Some have been able to do the fading thing, but I found it excruciating. With so many dubs around you, it's unlikely that you'll be able to just fade away. The hardest part for me was that you basically have to hide everything about yourself, to maintain the facade of simply being weak.
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Went to a Public Talk and WT Study, after about 5 yrs away.
by frankiespeakin init was boring,,snooze city, there were room for a bout 200 and they didn't have more than 40 in attendance very few youths mostly older ones(30 and beyound).
i didn't have a clue what the speaker was saying thank god i came a 1/2 late, those poor poor people that have to sit thru such mind numbing drival about how we are to treat people in the congregation and not to be jealous bla bla bla.
the wt the reader was drone the conductor brain dead and every body answered the wt by practically reading their answer word for word from the wt,, it was pitiful,,pitiful.
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24k
Keep flirting she probably wants u to led her into temptation that way she can blame you, if something goes down.
-earthtone
You meant "someone", right. lol
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September Special Issue Awake - Creation
by mavie inyou can download the issue here thanks to dan-p. .
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/117876/1.ashx.
i was reading this at home and had to stop when i came across this sentence on page 3:.
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24k
I just don't understand the creationism/evolution debate. It is obvious that the creation account in the bible is allegorical. Who's to say that God didn't use the process we call "evolution" to create the world we see around us. Why limit God to some sort of hands on, cell by cell, construction of every organism. It's as though the creationists feel that learning science will produce godless children. I was raised a j-dub, out now thank God, and I always loved science. Most of my teachers and professors were hard core evolutionists, and quite a few were atheists, but I never saw a conflict between God and evolution. It took the watchtower to cause me to consider the possibility that God may not exist.
Peace Out
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Would you go back if...
by 24k inwhat if the watchtower announced that they are not god's sole channel of spiritual truth?
along with this admission, would come an apology for all of the misleading and damaging predictions and past teachings.
what if they also dumped the disfellowshipping arrangement, as currently practiced, and allowed for respectful disagreement and disent, on issues such as blood transfusions and military service?
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24k
If they did away with the df-ing then I would have my family back so I wouldn't need the borg. -damselfly
My thought exactly! Even if the watchtower had the courage to change, I don't think I would ever have the desire to return. As some have mentioned, my experiences within the organization have caused me to examine my attitude toward religion and God. Couple that with the damage that the organization has caused in people's lives, and I see no reason to go back to, even a reformed, organization. And like damselfly said, if all the teachings were changed, as stated in the original post, there would be no reason for those that you love to shun you anyhow.