Yes, CoCo, I would like to hear more. Hello, Ms. McDucket, I would like to read your paragraphs as well! What brought you to this site? Are you a former JW, and why?
Could U Please Cite Some Personal Interesting Observations About The Truth?
by minimus 119 Replies latest jw friends
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MsMcDucket
Yes, CoCo, I would like to hear more. Hello, Ms. McDucket, I would like to read your paragraphs as well! What brought you to this site? Are you a former JW, and why?
I'm not much for writing... I told my story a long time ago.
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Pickled
MsMcDucket, I can see where you would no longer want to comment on any of your thoughts about the Jehovah's Witnesses, or tell your story a second time.
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MsMcDucket
MsMcDucket, I can see where you would no longer want to comment on any of your thoughts about the Jehovah's Witnesses, or tell your story a second time.
Yes, the twins came over a few days ago with food from Red Lobster; and then, they invited us to the Memorial; but they don't know which Memorial they wanted us to attend because one goes to a Vietnamese congregation and the other to a Spanish congregation.
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Pickled
If you don't speak Vietnamese or Spanish I can see where that could create a dilemma. I hope the food was good.
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MsMcDucket
I don't speak Spanish or Vietnamese, nor does my husband. He knows a few terms from 'Nam; but I don't think they're nice. One twin is an interpreter for Spanish and Sign Language. She goes to the Spanish hall to keep up on her Spanish. The other twin just thought it would be nice to learn Vietnamese because a lot of the householders that she ran into in field service were Vietnamese; and she was unable to communicate with them. . .They've always been into teaching others even before they became witnesses. As teenagers, they were certified AIDS prevention instructors. They got their certification through the American Red Cross.
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Pickled
It sounds like they were already leaning toward a life of service at a young age with or without religion as the vehicle. You must be very proud of them for being the type of people who choose to reach out to those around them instead of focusing exclusively on their own wants and needs.
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MsMcDucket
I don't like the at exclusion of your parents part that Witnesses require for having an apostate mother and a father that never got baptised. But then, they could be on another kind of *dope*. Pick your poison!
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Pickled
MsMcDucket, I may be reading what you wrote incorrectly, but you indicated that they brought you both a meal from a restaurant and invited you both to a Memorial service. This must not be the type of exclusion you are talking about.
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Pickled
If you are currently considering the teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, or are already studying with the Witnesses, you are among a large number of potential new converts. You may be studying these teachings because you really want to know more about the Bible, and what you have been offered seems to answer many of your questions so far. However, if you are reading this website you are probably experiencing an internal struggle and may not know exactly why.
If you believe that your priority is to learn about the Bible and about God, then sometimes it is a good idea to start by looking at a broader more panoramic view.
When Moses had a conversation with an angel of God who appeared in a flaming thorn bush, he was given instructions about taking a message to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Moses did not want to carry out this task and gave reasons why. This account begins in the third chapter of Exodus. One of the things that offer a broad picture in this account is the fact that, even though God’s angel was angry about Moses’ apprehension, there apparently was still room for dialog and even negotiation. This message that Moses was supposed to take to Egypt seemed to be viewed as a very important message. So important was this message, in fact, that the angel was willing to take as much time and make whatever effort that was needed to insure that the message was delivered timely and accurately. The message was given, Moses had questions about it, and those questions were answered. Moses eventually delivered that message and it was clear to all those around him that God was confirming that message with His own abilities. Moses was fulfilling a role as a channel of communication between God and man, and God made sure that everything was aligned in a way that allowed Moses to effectively carry out that role.
Later in Numbers chapter 20, Moses is still acting in a role as a channel of communication between God and the people of Israel. There was a lack of water, and God tells Moses to speak to a crag in the rock so that water will come out. Moses is irritated and instead of speaking to the rock, he strikes it with his staff. God still kept up his end of the bargain and water came pouring out, but He also let Moses know that he would no longer be allowed to lead the children of Israel into the land He promised them.
Why such a stiff penalty for simply striking a rock that water was going to come out of anyway? It was because God was communicating with Moses clearly, directly, and in a way that He was communicating with no one else at that time. Moses was completely and entirely without an excuse for his actions. He could not claim he misunderstood. He could not claim that it was because of any reason, because of his unique role, other than his own personal decision to disregard what God had specifically told him to do. That is why there were stiff consequences.
There are numerous other examples in the Old Testament from Abraham to the Prophets that indicate that communication was a two-way street and God was willing to listen as well as speak to those He was using as a channel of communication in order to insure that the task or message was timely and accurate.
In the New Testament God began speaking through His son, Jesus Christ, and then as indicated in Luke 12:12 and in John 14:26, He sent His holy spirit to be a direct teacher, a voice, an instructor, and a guide in all things, and would let them know exactly what to say, and when to say it. This is the method that was used by God to insure that the message He intended was heard just as clearly as when He spoke to Moses and the Prophets. You will be taught that the members of the Governing Body in Brooklyn, NY are fulfilling that same role as a channel of communication between God and man as did the Apostles in the New Testament and by directly following the guidance of that same Holy Spirit.
You will also be taught that there is a new phenomenon that began occurring in the recent past that neither Moses and the Prophets, nor the Apostles ever experienced. The phenomenon is called “Old Light vs. New Light.” In spite of the claim that the God of the Governing Body is the same God of Moses and the Prophets, and in spite of the claim that the Governing Body is led by the same Holy Spirit that led the Apostles, there seems to be an expansive difference in the timeliness and accuracy of the messages claimed to have been received from the same source. The term “Old Light” is a term used to indicate that the first message was wrong. “New Light” is the term used to indicate that an attempt was made to correct a previous misunderstanding. However, at any time the “New Light” can become “Old Light” and vice-versa. Because of the role that Moses filled as a channel of clear communication between God and man, at no time did God or any of His angels offer these optional terms to him.
There may be a temptation to disregard the strict standards that Moses was expected to follow, simply because that was the Old Testament and God, of course, began to speak through other means in the New Testament. After all, the anointed are following New Testament standards and not those of the Old Testament. So let’s look at the standards for accuracy in the New Testament, in Acts chapter 5….
Their names were Ananias and Sapphira.