Nobody was chosen because nothing significant actually happened in 1919. That date, and the idea of being "chosen" was a JW thing.
Pete Zahut
JoinedPosts by Pete Zahut
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19
Why Were the Anabaptists Not Chosen by Jesus in 1919?
by berrygerry inwt acknowledges their lack of neutrality during ww1, and previously stated that this was followed by a period of refining.
however, they were still the one group that far-and-away were the only ones that were practicing first-century christianity the most closely, as well as being the only group trying to do so.. interesting read about the hutterites ( http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/courtsandcolonies/chapterone.pdf ).
, especially this quote about ww1:.
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Pete Zahut
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184
Outcome - Banned in Russia - Final
by OrphanCrow ini just watched the live feed from the russian court room and followed the updates on the russian exjw forum.. just waiting for confirmation from other sources...but, it looks like the final (and expected) result is:.
banned.
which means that the wts property in russia now belongs to the russian state..
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Pete Zahut
Random thoughts on this:
Extremist Group: As X-JW's we are somewhat accustomed to the idea of shunning, not taking blood and speaking against the worldly governments. As distasteful as those things have become to us, we still may not see JW's as an "extremist group" However I can only imagine how bizarre these practices must seem to outsiders and on some level, I can understand why the Russian Government upheld it's decision.
Letter Writing: Does this verdict mean that Jehovah wasn't able to thwart the Russian government or didn't pay any attention to the millions of prayers and letters beseeching him for help?
JW spin: I'm guessing the spin on this will be one of "This aint' over till it's over...Jehovah has a plan and will enact it in due time." Many will see the ruling as part of the fulfillment of Bible prophesy about governments turning on religions. The Witnesses would have been giddy with delight if the ruling had been reversed but now they can feel martyred and excited about the end being all the more at hand. Either way, they'll spin this as a reason to rejoice. To me, the lack of impact the letters and prayers had on this issue, only demonstrates that the Governing Body isn't being directed by "Jehovah" or anyone else. If Jehovah has another plan, or if this is part of Bible prophecy, then why did the GB direct 8 million people to pray and write letters in the first place?
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6
Watchtower Society Fails In Unconditional Love
by pale.emperor inwas watching an episode of the young pope yesterday (really enjoyed the series), at at the end there it dealt with the theme of "unconditional love".
it made me think of the love i have for people i know.. i looked up the wikipedia intro of unconditional love and it reads:.
unconditional love is known as affection without any limitations or love without conditions.
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Pete Zahut
Is there really such a thing as unconditional Love? Don't we all place unspoken conditions on our friends and family?
I love my older Brother but if he hurt one of my kids or was generally causing trouble in my life, I'd stop associating with him under the condition that once he changed his ways, he'd be welcome again.
I understand the JW shunning concept to a point but what I disagree with is the enforcement that takes place in the private lives of individuals at the hand of those representing the Watchtower Society. It's one thing for a congregation to say to an individual, " You've been living a lifestyle that isn't in accord with our beliefs so we're going to stop using you in the meetings and calling on you to comment ". It's another thing to publically make an announcement about that individual and expect everyone he knows and his entire family to cut him out of their lives and punish them as well if they don't choose to.
If my friends at work found out I was embezzling from the company, I'd likely be fired and they'd not want anything more to do with me. It would be a different case if the company not only fired me but disciplined any of the other employees who still talked to me if they chose to. This likely would be illegal and a person could do something about it. Within the JW congregation, they infringe on the individuals personal rights outside their doors and there's very little or anything a person can do to stop it.
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115
Could a petition to make shunning illegal work?
by aboveusonlysky inwe're currently watching leah remini's series about scientology and the main thing she seems to focus on is the shunning policies of the scientology organization which let's face it are very similar to jw procedure.. i was wondering with all that's in the media recently about bullying could a petition be put together to get the goverment to consider making religiously mandated shunning illegal?
has such a thing been tried before?.
https://petition.parliament.uk/help says the following - .
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Pete Zahut
I think it would be more effective to somehow bring the shunning practices to public light so as to embarrass the organization or at least a lot of it's members, into taking a second look at the practice.
A documentary style video played on national television that comprised of interviews that tell the background story of the people who are being shunned and the oft times heartbreaking effect it's had on their lives. There are likely millions of former JW's who have been shunned and they all have a story to tell. JW's might become thought of not only those annoying people who knock on your door but the ones that shun their families and friends who speak out or leave.
It would be really effective if a former JW celebrity were able to conduct the interviews and use his or her celebrity to get it aired.
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43
How long has it been since you have seen your family?
by Christian Gutierrez inhowdy guys!
so how long has it been since you have seen your jw family or friends?
or do you even care to have them in your life anymore?
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Pete Zahut
My wife and I were able to fade and our family still talks to us but it's a touch and go situation. We have to tiptoe our way around, making sure not to offend their JW sensibilities or the pretense that they have JW sensibilities. They are a loving wonderful family but out of loyalty to the organization, have pulled the plug on many former JW family members for decades. A few have gone to their graves without ever speaking again to people they still really loved and cared about.
My wife has family members in Bethel that we get together with when they visit and they seem to understand our circumstances and our beef with the organization and the doctrinal changes of late. They've indicated that there are those in Bethel with the same concerns.
We have family members in their 20's 30's 40's and 50's who've been excluded by the JW family since they were teenagers because they were baptized young but left the organization formally via DA letters rather than fading. Between these family members there are 6 children who have never met their Regular Pioneer grandparents, or their many Cousins , Aunts and Uncles. Including the JW children , there are 20 some cousins who've never met each other even though they live within a 15 minute drive from one another.
One Elder JW Uncle and his wife have 6 kids and 5 grandchildren. Two of the kids are serving where the need is great but 3 of the kids and 4 of the grandchildren are "out" . They tell people they only have 3 kids and 2 grandchildren. At one family occasion a bunch of the relatives were sitting around and a older Non JW Aunt asked the JW grandparents what the name of their new grandson. It was revealed in the conversation that they didn't know any of their non JW grandchildren's names . This older aunty proceeded to scold them in front of the whole family. It was an awkward but awesome moment.
As far as JW friends go, as soon as we stopped going to meeting, they disappeared ...our phone stopped ringing. We seen them around once in awhile and they are as nice as ever but there's an invisible but detectable wall. Most seem surprised that we haven't grown horns and our lives haven't become a train wreck. Others have seen us in a store and quickly changed aisles to avoid having to talk. It was laughable.
As far as I can see, as long as you play the game, JW's are able to rationalize their way around the shunning policy and be ok about it, but if they were asked point blank, they'd agree that anyone who leaves the organization, whether formally or by fading, should not be associated with.
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20
BUSTED by a GYPSY
by TerryWalstrom inbusted by a gypsy__________________how do i know they are gypsy?i had some run-ins in l.a. many years back.
had they worn a banner it wouldn't have been more obvious.the patriarch wore a special hat with a silver spangled band.i've seen the old gypsy with his cane and his scowl.
he walks like a king or a panther at prowl.
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Pete Zahut
Good grief....it was a table in a coffee shop. I have never seen a table reserved for handicapped only restrooms stalls and parking spaces but never a table. The man was apparently able bodied enough to make the extra effort to walk up to your table and instead of kindly calling the mistake to your attention he chose to bang on it with his cane. You made a mistake but handicapped or not, he was being a jerk. What if he was sitting at that table and someone more disabled than he, such as a quadriplegic in a wheel chair, came into the shop? Would he have gotten up and walked on his two legs over to another table? I'm guessing not.
We need to be considerate of others and to comply with the ADA laws but people are going to make mistakes and blunders. I'm always puzzled by people who get all moralistic about things like this. It seems to me most of them aren't all that concerned about disabled people, it's more about them getting to feel extra virtuous for a few moments or appearing noble to others by making sure everyone knows they are on the "good" "or popular side of an issue.
Anyway, this whole topic reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where George parked in a Handicapped parking space in the Mall.
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20
BUSTED by a GYPSY
by TerryWalstrom inbusted by a gypsy__________________how do i know they are gypsy?i had some run-ins in l.a. many years back.
had they worn a banner it wouldn't have been more obvious.the patriarch wore a special hat with a silver spangled band.i've seen the old gypsy with his cane and his scowl.
he walks like a king or a panther at prowl.
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Pete Zahut
I tightened my brain down in analysis mode and the little bell went off.
I finally "got" what he was on about.
He was busting me for sitting at a table with a handicapped logo.
He was challenging me; calling me out.My first impulse was to stand and wave him into my chair with a curtsy.
That would be overt smartassery and an insult.
Give me a gold star. I didn't.Instead I took the fork that was laying on my table and plunged it deep into my thigh then looked into his one good eye and and said, "It's wooden...a rat gnawed it off back in 68 when I was doin' time in prison for being a conscientious objector." The lines on his road map of a face, smoothed out momentarily as he backed his way toward the door. "This is what I love about this place" I thought to myself. "There's so much scope for the imagination. Where else in the great State of Texas are you gonna' get a decent cup of coffee and have and encounter with a moralistic Gypsy?"
Soon after the old fellow was out of sight, I called 911 so as to have my leg attended to.
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14
World's oldest person Emma Morano dies at 117
by jp1692 inthe world's oldest person has died in italy at the age of 117, reports say.. emma morano was born on 29 november 1899 in the piedmont region of italy.
she was officially the last person born in the 1800s still living.. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39610937.
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Pete Zahut
I wish I could live that long too
I don't know...the article said she had caregivers and that she hadn't left her 2 room apartment in over 20 years. Alive yes, but I can't imagine that could have been very pleasant for her.
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45
How did you feel when you got baptized?
by Schnufti inback in 2005, i remember sitting in the stadium in the special rows with 42 others.
8000 people were looking at us - maybe even with a binocular - while listening to the speech.
my family and my friends among them, being all proud of me.. i don't remember being enthusiastic.
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Pete Zahut
I haven't thought about my Baptism day for ages until now. It was so long ago that most of it is a blur but I have snapshots of time and certain moments that are still vivid in my mind.
Picture it....Vancouver Canada....it was the 1974 International Assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses. An idealistic 17 year old blonde fellow with a dark tan and slightly longish sun streaked hair and non-regulation sideburns, sat in the "baptism section" with what seemed like hundreds of strangers of various ages races and genders. (I had just gotten back from 2 weeks in Mexico and hadn't gotten a hair cut) 1975 fever was in full force and all of us were expecting something big to happen within the next year. The young man had been told that if he wasn't baptized by the time Armageddon arrived, that he would be destroyed because he had reached an age of understanding but didn't dedicate his life to Jehovah when I had the chance.
It was pouring rain as he sat sat in the audience listening to the speaker who was only a speck in the distance standing among carefully arranged plants and flowers. His voice echoed across the field and crowds of attendees sitting under umbrellas and sheets of plastic, could hear phrases such as "Momentous times" "Significant events ! ", "Great in-gathering !" and "Never to be repeated work !". After the sunny skies and sandy beaches of Mexico, the grey dismal weather seemed to fit the ominousness of the times.
Despite the grey and drizzle,there was excitement in the air and a sense of camaraderie among the attendees. Many, including this 17 year old had traveled northward from the States to be in attendance. They had all placed Watchtower Magazines or their green Bible's in the back windows of their cars so that they could spot each other on the freeway and wave like overly enthusiastic children to one another. There was a rumor that quickly passed from one to the other that not only was Glen Campbell the Country singer, in attendance, but on top of that was getting baptized. Surely this was a sign that the good news was reaching an audience far and wide. Having someone as noteworthy as Glen Campell was at that time, accept the Truth, made the rest of us all the more legit. Some folks were searching the crowd for him, hoping to have their song books autographed.
The young man sat toward the top of the baptism section and wile listening to this important talk, with a guilty mind, he scanned the crowd of baptismal candidates below, to see if there was anyone there that resembled Glen Campbell. Suddenly the tone of the talk changed and the crowd of people surrounding him, began to rise to their feet. It was time to answer before Jehovah, the two most important questions of our lives. His knees literally began to shake as the enormity of it all began to sink in.
"something something...Do you recognize yourself as a sinner before Jehovah who needs salvation through Jesus Christ and something something....repent of your sins ?"
"Yes."..the crowd replied loudly in unison. It was an impressive and stirring sound and he felt proud to be part of it.
"Do you, something something....dedicate yourself from this day forward to unreservedly do God's will something something...as he reveals through Jesus sand through the Bible and the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit ?".
Again, an enthusiastic "Yes" was their reply and the assembly crowd burst into applause.
It was a relief to have that part of it over with and to be on the bus heading toward a large outdoor Olympic sized public pool at the sports center, across town. He knew no one on the bus and felt alone and a bit shaken by the odd but supposedly important circumstance he had found himself in. He wondered, as the unwieldy buses traveled through the city, if his family would be able to find their way in time to see him being dunked.
Having arrived at the pool, the candidates were instructed to change into their bathing suits and leave their belongings with the Brothers in charge. As they lined up at the locker room door, the young man noticed that the others were wearing white T-shirts and he wondered if he should have one too. He was wearing only a pair of faded orange surfer shorts and the others were wearing their T shirts over actual bating suits. He felt all the more self conscious about walking out in front of the throngs of people who were pressing up against the chain link fence just outside.
As the Candidates walked single file along the edge of the long pool. He scanned the fully dressed crowd of people pressed up against the fence just beyond them, for his family. His father wasn't a JW but his Mom, 2 little sisters and older Brother were. He hoped someone he knew, was there. He heard people calling out from the crowd and taking pictures. He assumed that it was other people's family members but somehow it felt as if people were looking at him oddly. He thought it was because he wasn't wearing a white T-shirt. He felt embarrassed and self conscious but then rationalized to himself that he was one of a huge crowd of strangers and it was likely that no one was even paying attention to him.
It felt like the pool was a mile long as he passed by the crowd. He wondered where his family could be. He saw little kids with lapel badges pinned on their clothes and heard people calling out to their friends and family and the sound of camera shutters capturing their big day on film.
He heard someone say "Is that Glen Campell ??" then someone else say "No.. that's not him !",
"Yes...it's Glen Campell ! " "Where...where's Glen Campell??" He looked around to see where Glen was, he hadn't seen him in the locker room.
"Over there...in the orange shorts!" someone said. "Are you sure that's him??"
He realized that people were thinking he was Glen Campell. He had been mistaken for John Boy Walton at Disneyland one time but there was no way he'd be mistaken for the much older Glen Campbell, yet as he walked along he saw people craning their necks hoping to see someone famous in their midst.
Once he was finally dunked and rose from the pool, he had a new reason to be self conscious as he walked along the fence. His orange sorts were now soaking wet and clinging to him like a second skin and the person holding the towels was a long way away.
Later when he recounted the Glen Campbell incident to his Mother, she scoffed at the notion, told him not to be so ridiculous and told him that people were probably just noticing his suntan. He felt vindicated later when a special part of the program was set aside to scold the audience for spreading rumors and to remind them how improper and worldly it was to seek out the autograph of and entertainer on a book of songs dedicated to Jehovah.
Anyway, that's my memory of my baptism day. The other vivid memory I have of that assembly was they long lines at the restrooms (especially the sisters). There was some sort of plumbing issue going and outside each of the restrooms there was a Brother holding a hand painted sign and for those who couldn't read the sign, he repeatedly shouted it's contents "FLUSH FOR B.M. ONLY !!"..."FLUSH FOR B.M. ONLY !!"
I remember my Brother and I laughing and saying how much we'd hate to be that guy.
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JW Trolley Caption Competition
by usualusername1 injust saw this profile pic in facebook.
made me chuckle.
https://www.facebook.com/eleanorconwayuk/photos/gm.119963091878435/10154964287646233/?type=3&theater.
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