john cedars' youtube channel has a new video interview with james penton.
lloyd asks some good questions and jim provides excellent insights about jw history and where the movement may be headed.. i had the pleasure of meeting jim and his former wife, now passed away, at the christian believers conference (of bible students).
http://www.cbconference.com/.
Tony Morris says that if you've been missing out in field service, Jehovah looks down and sees on your hands, the blood of those you missed calling on.
By that logic, what would be the point in ever going in the ministry again once you already have someone's blood on your hands? It seems to me, no amount of field service from that point forward, could ever undo the damage you've supposedly already done.
i know that some here detested him while others may have simply accepted the reality of who is president.. do you think he is better than you might have thought as a president?.
All I know about Donald Trump is what I've learned through the media and we all know how reliable a source that is in terms of seeing things as they really are.I 've never met him personally, so what do I really know about him or his ways ?
Having said that, as much of an embarrassment as President Trump appears to be each day from what they choose to highlight about him in the news, from a distance, life in the U.S. looks pretty much like the same old same old. It seems to me that no matter who's in office, things stay pretty much the same. We have the same complaints no matter who's doing the job and Americans end up despising whomever is in office, by the end of their term.
To hear people talk, you'd think we'd have been on the brink of utter chaos and nuclear annihilation by now but when I drive down the street and go about my daily life, things are pretty much the same.
My parents brought us to the U.S when I was a kid so I'm not a citizen yet. They didn't expect this country to change the rules for them, rather they conformed to the established ways. They taught us to behave as guests so that we'd always be welcome here. After all they went through to get here, they were always astonished at the ironies they saw, for example how someone who proudly displayed an "America...Love it or Leave" or "Support our Troops" bumper sticker on the back of their car, could toss garbage out the window and or completely disregard the traffic laws of the land they claimed to love.
I've applied for my Citizenship and as far as I can tell, regardless of Trump, so far the process seems quite well thought out and user friendly. As far as I can tell 3/4 of the way through it, there should be no problem so long as I follow the rules and go through the established process.
from the wt dated dec 2017 - study 1 para 11 studied by all congregations 4th feb 2018. the question asked on this paragraph is:.
what did the physician luke report happened to a young man, and how did that affect others?”.
paragraph 11 in this wt reads:.
”11. What did the physician Luke report happened to a young man, and how did that affect others?”
To me, that question indicates that they don't quite believe what Luke reported. I'm guessing that they don't believe Luke had such special "powers"so as to be able to bring someone back to life. Perhaps they feel that the man was likely only unconscious rather than dead and he "came-to" at that precise moment with Luke. Then the story grew into something more than it was and eventually became so. (We all know how Gods people love to speculate and find significance where none exists)
i know that the farms have been around for decades but i was wondering if the watch tower farms ever abbreviate their name simply to wtf?
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Yeah.... "WTF" was stencil-painted on everything. Trash cans, carts, tools....
I'm guessing at Bethel Headquarters in Brooklyn everything was stenciled with WTH. (what the hades?)
this is not intended to expose wrong teachings etc, just to promote thinking and asking questions.. 1) ask if imperfection and death automatically follow sin.
jw will answer yes.. 2) ask if satan is imperfect then.. 3) sit back and watch them try to work out what the right answer should be.. sf.
I hadn't looked at it that way before but I'm guessing a JW would say that Satan was/is a free moral agent and of his own free will, chose to sin. Because of his sin, he is no longer perfect and will eventually die. God has allowed him to live this long so that he can use the suffering and death of countless millions of humans,to prove his point to Satan. Once his point has been made, Satan's sin will be followed by death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot84m6ncs0w.
Am I the only one who didn't know there was a Pope who resigned? Where was I when all of this was going on? This must have been all over the news!
i mean, they're in a public place and may get blown into someone by the wind, perhaps hurting a child.
surely because of their position, some kind of public liability insurance or similar should cover the literature carts/trolleys?
other charities like oxfam require insurance, i'm pretty sure, or a licence..
In our City, this is considered a freedom of speech issue. If they are on a public sidewalk they aren't required to have a permit so long as they leave 4' of clear space on the sidewalk, but if their cart were to cause someone to trip, it would be a civil matter solely between the injured individual and the JW as to how to deal with the legalities. If you were standing on the sidewalk and someone tripped over your foot as they walked past, they could sue you and they could name the City in the lawsuit, but they wouldn't likely win unless some blatant negligence on the part of those named, could be proven.
When JW's put their carts on private property such as at a shopping center, they'd have to get permission to do so and the shopping center official becomes responsible for any injury that might occur as a result of allowing this activity to take place. This would likely be covered by the shopping center's Liability Insurance
In the case of the JW's carts on public sidewalks, if there were to be some accident, I'm guessing the Watchtower would throw the publisher under the bus and say that use of the literature cart is part of the individuals personal ministry and is done of their own volition. I'm guessing they'd say that the individual JW is therefore responsible for any outcome.
i've come across a jw friendly article about watchtower predicting smartphones in the 20s.. .
of course, in the comments section there are a lot of jws freaking out saying "there is no doubt that this is the only true organization!
", "thanks jehovah that used his faithful and discreet slave to tell us some useful information about the future!
The modern technologies we now enjoy were thought of long before most of us were born. Anyone reading popular science type magazines back then would have known about things like this. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/10/tesla-quotes_n_7771358.html
I find it ironic, that while predicting the nearness of the end of the world in their own magazines, the folks at the Watchtower were simultaneously using information from "worldly" sources, to tout the availability of modern technologies they'd be using in the ministry, in a future that wasn't supposed to come about.
(P.S. Is it me or does the guy in the drawing look like a young Ronald Regan?)
i've been out almost 2 years now and consider myself wide awake to watchtower propaganda and well on my way to recovery from the mental abuse we've all experienced.. one thing that just will not go is that i constantly think of jwism and watchtower and get myself all annoyed at their lies and blatant twisting of facts in their broadcasts and magazines.
it's so bad that it's the first thing i think of when i wake up, then i have these mental arguments in my head proving the jw teachings false and then getting annoyed because no jw will listen even if you tried to tell them.
i call this constant thinking and mental reasoning and mental arguing "mindchatter".
When making a big change in your life, they say to allow 1 month for ever\y year that you were involved in the activity that is no longer part of your life. For instance, if you were at a job 10 years, you'd need to allow 10 months for that period of your life to be behind you so that it no longer has any bearing on your current life. So after 31 years of being "in" it may take you a little over 2.5 years to get over it.
Most people view the JW religion as being fanatical or cult-like. If you are having obsessive thoughts about JW's it's because you/we were systematically "indoctrinated" or "inculcated" as they like to call it.
As with all obsessive thoughts, you'll need to train yourself to get them under control. It might be a good idea to set aside a time each day where you allow yourself to think about JW related matters. Each time you have an unwanted JW argument in your head during the day, you can remind yourself that you're only allowed to think about those things during your designated time of day. Later, at that designated time, jot the topic down in a notebook and include your counter argument and then put it aside. That way these thoughts will have had a conclusion, rather than circling around in your mind, further ingraining them into your subconscious. Close the note book and say out loud or to yourself, " I have control of my thoughts and I decide what I'm going to think about". You can also make this (or something similar) a "Mantra" that you use during the day when you catch yourself thinking unwanted thoughts.
Eventually this healthy habit will replace the unhealthy one you've fallen into. that of obsessively thinking of all things JW. as they randomly enter your head. Eventually you'll be able to dismiss these and other unwanted thoughts from you mind as they arise.
so i have been "faded" for approximately 2.5 years.
my parents know i haven't attended a meeting in quite some time, but don't know that i have been dating a guy for about eight months.
we really love each other and his family is super sweet.
I don’t know your age or the circumstances but I am curious as to why your boyfriend’s parents want or need to meet your parents when you aren’t even engaged. I could understand your boyfriend wanting to meet your parents himself, but I’m not sure why his parents need to meet yours at this time. especially since their son hasn’t even met your parents yet.
You could tell your boyfriend’s family that you’ll introduce your parents to them sometime in the future when your relationship has progressed to that point or you could simply explain the situation to them and tell them that your parents are lovely people but they are involved in a very strict religious organization that prohibits dating outside the religion and it would complicate things for you right now if you were to meet them at this point.
Perhaps you could show them a few photos of your family and your self with them so they get the idea and perhaps that will be enough for them for now .
