what do you think about.................................

by defd 80 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  AuldSoul

  So what I would do Is research the WT library, look up the scriptures and the reasoning and I would pray to God and then I would make my decision.

  defd, I am impressed. If you keep doing this, and you consider whether the context of the Scriptures used actually supports the point drawn from a specific verse, I believe you will eventually come to have serious doubts about whether the FDS speaks for Jehovah. I bet you would agree that whatyou describe is not what most Witnesses do.

  I think it is interesting that no one knows who the FDS is. We know who the Governing Body is. We know who the partakers are. But we don't know how many of the partakers are actually legitimate so we can't actually identify the FDS, i.e. Christ's brothers (according to the JW teachings), as a group for ourselves. The First Century Christians had no touble identifying each other.

  Not raising the point for debate or to waylay the thread, it is just interesteing.

  AuldSoul
• 

  defd

  Do you acknowledge to the rest of the congregation, without shame or embarrassment, that you observe birthdays? What do you think the reaction would be from the elders if they knew you were "observing" birthdays?

  Not meaning to be rude at all undercover, but I have said this before and will say it again. When I KNOW I am right and the brothers are wrong, I don't care what they think. They are not to Lord it over my faith. I do respect them for the position they are in even though some SHOULD not be in it. As far as the FDS goes I know they are not infallible. They do make mistakes. Is that Jehovah's fault? No! In order for someone to be directed by Jehovah, they would have to ALLOW or HEAR what His spirit is saying. If they do not, God does not FORCE them to do the right thing.

  D.
• 

  vitty

  This completely off topic, but you did mention the FD slave If the FD feed the congregations today, and they include women when has an annointed SISTER ever contributed any feeding to any congregation on earth, ever. I bet theyd allow beards
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  Derrick, you're very, very close to realizing something here. Think about what you just said:

  As far as the FDS goes I know they are not infallible. They do make mistakes. Is that Jehovah's fault? No! In order for someone to be directed by Jehovah, they would have to ALLOW or HEAR what His spirit is saying. If they do not, God does not FORCE them to do the right thing.

  So the FDS isn't infallible. They make mistakes. They are only human. Ok.. buy that...

  Now, who told you they were the FDS to start with? Who pointed to the scripture in Matthew that talks about a faithful and discreet slave -- a scripture that without any preexisting bias could mean practically anything -- and told you it applies to them?

  Isn't it possible that the group you look to as the Faithful and Discreet Slave made a mistake about their own identity? Why wouldn't that be possible? If you can agree that it's possible, then how would you go about determining if it's true?

  Derrick, this is VERY important. You are choosing a direction for the rest of your life, and setting your children on a track that would be difficult and painful to get off of later. If there's any possibility that it's the wrong course, you owe it to your rational self and to the futures of your children to verify it.

  Dave of the "what was the topic again?" class
• 

  daystar

  AlmostAtheist

  That is one of the best questions I've seen asked of defd.

  Defd, please reason on this and respond with something more than a canned response. I know you can do that.
• 

  kid-A

  In the mean time I grew a beard. Mind you, it is not a ZZ TOP beard but it is a nicely trimmed

  Derrick, I will pay you 100 bucks if you walk into your hall dressed up like your AVATAR !!!
• 

  daystar

  Derrick, I will pay you 100 bucks if you walk into your hall dressed up like your AVATAR !!!

  My colleagues are looking at me as though I'm insane. I think I just wet my pants a little.
• 

  defd

  Derrick, I will pay you 100 bucks if you walk into your hall dressed up like your AVATAR

  Now thats funny.
• 

  twinflame

  The PO in our congregation in Utah had a beard. Why? He had a skin condition is what we were told. WTF?
• 

  sweet tee

  It would go much better for their image if their constituents were:

  1. Educated
  2. Well-balanced
  3. Truly compassionate

  It does the entire organization very much harm to constantly focus on outer appearance rather than on developing a healthy, well-balanced flock.

  I like the thought behind this daystar ... that is what makes me feel good about myself and my relationship to God and those around me. Through education I learned the skill of critical thinking and am able to make decisions for myself much more easily than when I was a dub, trained to follow the rules of men that 'because they said so' made things so. Now, I question everything and am able to make decisions that do not violate my own conscience or values.

  Critical thinking is good skill to acquire defd. It puts the responsibility for your decisions where they truly belong, which is with you and no one else. If you allow others to make decisions for you it puts you in the perilous position of reaping the consequences of other peoples erroneous advice and mandates. Bottom line, the person who will pay for your decisions is yourself - you should not abdicate responsibility for how you live your life to people you do not know, and who do not know YOU!

  sweet tee