America is yet another system of belief that has become too far removed from the spirit of its founders.
sonofapreacherman
JoinedPosts by sonofapreacherman
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4
Jefferson on Religion and Uniformity
by Farkel inthomas jefferson's chapter on religion in his "notes on the state of virginia" present us with a rich treasure of wisdom and a keen insight into human nature.
he discusses the history of religion in virginia and mentions that there were still oppressive laws on the books concerning religious conduct even after the convention of may 1776. the anglican clergy received their salaries from the government.
rejecting the aglican church was considered heresy and was punishable by death.
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Second question: If you weren't roped into this religion by your parents...
by 2good2bad inwould you have chosen this faith on your own?
is it too hard to live righteously?
do you really bel i eve it's a cult?
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sonofapreacherman
A straightforward answer to a stupid question:
For as long as I can remember, I have always been aware of my own mortality. No matter what my parents told me, no matter what the books and magazines said and no matter what those in the hall said, I knew that my time here was limited. While it might seem nice to pet a lion and live forever, I never really thought it possible. However, grasping at the edges of possibility, as a child I would pray for my parents to live forever because it meant so much to them. I guess that's why they joined.
So considering that the USP of JW's is everlasting life -- no I would not.
It would be the last brand of Christianity I would buy into.
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21
At the Memorial......
by New Castles ini did make it to the memorial with my wife this past sunday.
at first everything was going the same as always...the talk, the passing of the crackers and wine, but then towards the end the brother giving the speech did something i had never seen.
he was talking about how we could never pay a price for what christ has given for us...he then pulled a big wad of cash with what was clearly either a 20 or 50 on the front and flashed it to everyone in the audience.
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sonofapreacherman
Throw the money (flashers) out of the temple!
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At the Memorial......
by New Castles ini did make it to the memorial with my wife this past sunday.
at first everything was going the same as always...the talk, the passing of the crackers and wine, but then towards the end the brother giving the speech did something i had never seen.
he was talking about how we could never pay a price for what christ has given for us...he then pulled a big wad of cash with what was clearly either a 20 or 50 on the front and flashed it to everyone in the audience.
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sonofapreacherman
Please be kind to kosmik -- we haven't seen one of those in a long time. Muhahahaha.
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The 1975 Prophecy revisited
by somebodylovesme ini am doing a project on the rhetoric surrounding the 1975 armageddon prophecy.
i've read all the research and quotes online... now i am interested in any personal testimonies.
i have heard a few stories, such as witnesses accruing massive credit card debt in '74 and early '75 and quitting their jobs.
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sonofapreacherman
somebodylovesme,
Is this for a school project? Will you be sharing your findings with us?
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The 1975 Prophecy revisited
by somebodylovesme ini am doing a project on the rhetoric surrounding the 1975 armageddon prophecy.
i've read all the research and quotes online... now i am interested in any personal testimonies.
i have heard a few stories, such as witnesses accruing massive credit card debt in '74 and early '75 and quitting their jobs.
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sonofapreacherman
Our congregation was a bit conservative, which is to say that few were outwardly effusive about 1975. But when talks touched on the subject ("we might not know the day and hour, but we may have some idea of the year..." wink, wink) a fair few would get flushed with excitement and there was an air of near giddyness after those meetings.
My parents were as hopeful as the rest. While my father did not quit his job to pioneer, it was at this time that a pattern was set where debts were allowed to get out of hand and no financial plans were made for the future -- "The end will soon be here."
Sometime after 1975 and before the WT "apology" of 1980, my mother's pent-up disappointment burst out at a book study touching, I think, on false promises. My mother brought up the whole '75 thing, uncharacteristically in front of the whole group, and even quoted from a few old watchtowers. The conductor and my elder dad tried to convince her that no such thing had really been suggested... it was just overenthusiasm, etc. She agreed to let it drop until they could discuss the matter after the study, which they did in private. On the way home my father kept repeating the stock answers while she sat in stony silence. After a few days of brooding, my mother decided to come to her senses and "trust in Jehovah." I have since heard her explain to others that no such thing had really been suggested... it was just overenthusiasm, etc.
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the king of the north
by Curious Mind inwhat is the latest incarnation of the king of the north in dubland as i had an elder tell me on sunday that the muslim nations were the king now.
i had not heard that before and it seems to me that they are just pulling anybody out of their arse as the king as they become more influential, how many times are they going to get it wrong before people wake up to it?
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sonofapreacherman
This makes sense of my mother's recent rant against Muslims. She was unequivocally determined to paint them as servants of Satan. Although not beyond redemption in the right circumstances.
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recipe for the unleavened bread or crackers
by astridkittie ini was just wondering if anyone has the recipe for the unleavened bread/crackers, or if this has been asked before, if someone could point me in the direction of the thread that gives the answer.
thanks :)
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sonofapreacherman
So wouldn't salt-free tortillas and a bottle of Gallo do by definition? Only asking as that's what I just had for dinner.
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The moral of the story of adam and eve and witness kids
by Sirius Dogma inwe all know the story of adam and eve - god forbids fruit, man and women eat fruit.. what is the real moral of this story?
tradition teaches that man is sinful by nature and must be punished.. i was thinking the moral could also be this "that which is forbidden, is made desirable.".
i don't know if that is sin, when you tell someone they can't have something, it almost naturally makes us at least curious as to why that is.
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sonofapreacherman
The simple rule of JW biblical doctrine is: take everything figurative literally, and everything literal figuratively.
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The people who write Watchtower articles - what do you know about them?
by truthseeker ini don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but i have some questions about how witnesses get to write articles in the watchtower.. while reading a few of maximums' posts from 2 years ago, there was one from barbara anderson who briefly described the internal politics between the editors of the awake and the editors of the watchtower.. i'm more interested in the watchtower writers though than the awake, as this is supposed to be the "spiritual food" we are all to take in and absorb.. so how does one get to be a watchtower writer?
do you have to be able to write well?.
what are your experiences with any writers you have met?
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sonofapreacherman
Our CO did my dad a favour and had a word with me when It became obvious that I was fading away. Knowing that I had just started studying journalism at university, he asked if I would consider instead making my goal joining the Bethel writing dept. He would put in a good word for me once I had met the spiritual requirements. I just nodded and grinned (gritted my teeth?) at his suggestion.
Then he said that the writing department was an excellent training ground and that writers there had won several awards. My jaw dropped. Has anyone else heard of this?