Magnum

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Posts by Magnum

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  47

  Prescott Arizona

  by ducatijoe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was an elder in prescott for many years... anyone now out from there?

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  Magnum

  AndDontCallMeShirley - to your last post.

  You just did something the org never does - apologize.
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  13

  Voluntary Donations - Not Really Mentioned Anymore?

  by baldeagle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my active jw wife has gone to all meetings, assemblies, memorials, and service groups by herself after i faded off the radar about 5 years ago.

  i asked her this past saturday as she prepared to join another sister from the kh for the service group regarding, voluntary donations.

  i inquired if publishers still mention this to the householder when placing literature.

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  Magnum

  I did mention it some, but I hated doing it. It felt so cheap and sneaky. We were told to get the lit in their hands and then inform them of their opportunity to donate. It never felt right, and I quit doing it completely. We were always told that we should want to leave a good impression on householders and to be careful about the way we dressed, conducted ourselves, etc. Well, to me, mentioning the donation arrangement could have ruined any good impressions; it gave the impression that we were like other religious groups who were always asking for money. I think money should not have been mentioned. The instiltution of the donation arrangement made me think the org was overly concerned with it.

  I don't remember anybody mentioning the donation arrangement the last few years. I don't know whether it was mentioned during service meeting demos. I never listened to those; they were such lame wastes of time.

  Splash: There were Service Meeting items some time ago saying that we should no longer mention the donation arrangement at all.

  If you can find references, please provide them. I'm curious.
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  42

  If I asked for a loan from the WBTS would they give it to me?

  by objectivetruth in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if this were the "organization" that jesus chose in 1914.. err 1919, wouldn't the principles that he laid out while on earth apply to this organization as well?.

  matthew 5:42 "give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.".

  so if jw's all asked for loans from the org, every now and then, it would be the orgs responsibility to grant those loans (interest free).

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  Magnum

  They are so far removed from that that it's inconceivable.
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  56

  Misquote in the Creation Book

  by ILoveTTATT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my dad came into the jw's because someone studied the "creation" book with him.

  it pains me deeply that he sent me an e-mail recently saying that to keep the peace with my mom, he will stop communicating with me as much as possible.

  i should communicate with him only if i have an emergency.. it upsets me to no end, but i cannot do anything or much about it.

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  Magnum

  This means they used the same creationist source. The WT was using creationist propoganda when they made the creation book.

  I believe they used (stole/plagiarized) from other creationist publications when they wrote the Evolution book, too (that's the book that preceded the Creation book). I read that entire book when I was in my early twenties and it was one of the things that helped me make the decision to get baptized.

  I later was in a public library when I chanced upon some material that led me to believe, as I just mentioned, that they "borrowed" their material from another organization.
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  47

  For those who feel that their life has been stolen

  by stillin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you maintained a level of personal decency and integrity that you almost certainly would not have had if you had chosen another direction.. sure, you would have had some very "colorful" friends and experiences if you had gone another way, but you still chose the more "edgy" people in the congregation as your friends and you still enjoyed yourself, even if there were a lot of phony constraints.. you looked for ways to be of value to others.

  don't stop doing that!.

  you kept the darker side of your personality in check.

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  Magnum

  stillin - I really appreciate your last post on this thread. I was open and honest on my first post and I spoke strongly. I said in the post that I was not mad at you, etc., but I still thought you would be angered by my words and would be defensive. I was wrong. Your last post was humble, respectful, and kind. You showed open-mindedness and many other good qualities. You set a good example and showed that we can strongly disagree, correct each other, etc. and still be civil and be friends.
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  9

  Many "All within the 20th century" quotes

  by ILoveTTATT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://users.adam.com.au/bstett/jwarmageddon20thcentury155.html.

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  this person made a list of many "within the 20th century" quotes... wow did they ever put their foot in their mouths!

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  Magnum

  OK - thanks. I agree with you that the comma does change the meaning. I have the actual yearbook. I just checked. The comma is in the hardcopy just as it is on the CD.
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  22

  Why has the watchtower never written a commentary on the Greek scriptures?

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they have writes hundreds of other repetitive books, but no bible commentary.

  is it because an actually commentary would destroy their doctrine and prevent them from being able to cherry pick scriptures?.

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  Magnum

  trujw: The bible is the most important book ever written. That's why the only verse by verse reading is given by a 5 year old kid during the TMS.

  Wow! What a good point! They have no problem with the verse-by-verse reading because the format doesn't allow for any discussion/questions.

  Consider the Bible Highlights; that part, too is structured in such a way as to protect JW doctrine from criitcal analysis. Comments can be only like 30 seconds max and are supposed to be about things like how we benefitted or points that can be used in the ministry. Same thing for the brother doing the part - just a couple of points about how the audience can benefit - no allowance for critical analysis or commentary.

  Can you imagine what meetings would be like if the audience started at Genesis and together read slowly verse-by-verse, stopping at each verse that wasn't understood completely, that didn't make sense, etc. That would be a nightmare for the org and they know it. That's why they structure meetings the way they do.

  Just think about it. The JW religion is based entirely on a book that it's scared to read in an open, honest way.
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  22

  Why has the watchtower never written a commentary on the Greek scriptures?

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they have writes hundreds of other repetitive books, but no bible commentary.

  is it because an actually commentary would destroy their doctrine and prevent them from being able to cherry pick scriptures?.

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  Magnum

  dropoffyourkeylee - I have several commentaries. I have learned a lot from them. Some of the older ones like from the 1800s are available online as free downloads.

  I agree with what you said about the org's not wanting us to have commentaries. I would not have let most JWs know I had them. It's odd that I would have had to hide that. Just another sign JWdom is a cult.
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  22

  Why has the watchtower never written a commentary on the Greek scriptures?

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they have writes hundreds of other repetitive books, but no bible commentary.

  is it because an actually commentary would destroy their doctrine and prevent them from being able to cherry pick scriptures?.

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  Magnum

  The only attempt WT has made at a commentary is Commentary on the Letter of James. Ironically, it was written by Ed Dunlap, a man the WT disfellowshipped as an apostate right about the time Ray Franz left WT.

  I agree with that. The other publications mentioned above as being commentaries are not.

  Yes, kneehighmiah, I think their doctrine could not withstand real, critical, scholarly, unbiased commentary. Plus, they simply don't have the brains and the education to do it.
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  9

  Many "All within the 20th century" quotes

  by ILoveTTATT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://users.adam.com.au/bstett/jwarmageddon20thcentury155.html.

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  this person made a list of many "within the 20th century" quotes... wow did they ever put their foot in their mouths!

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  Magnum

  Thank you for posting this. I have been collecting all the "within the twentieth century" quotes I can find. The link you posted added some new ones to my collection.

  In the one from 1989, the person did not notice that there is a comma. That changes the meaning, and it is NOT a "20th century" reference. The other ones, though, are legitimate.

  Would you please explain that? Are you referring to the 1-1-89 Watchtower? I saved my mag because of that quote. It is a "20th century" reference.