by blondie 22 Replies latest jw friends
"Problems in providing for one's family, ill health, discouragement over one's failings"
things that cause depression in Jehovahs witnesses today from par 11
funny that they should mention this because all of these things can be directly linked to following the commands of the WTBS
in other words following the societies teachings cause depression and they are inderectly admitting it.
Yay!!! Blondie's comments!!!
Thank you, Blondie!!! (hope you're having a 'cool' one...)
Zid
" Verse 26 says he was "longing to see all of YOU [his Philippian congo friends] and is depressed because YOU [his Philippian congo friends] heard he had fallen sick." ....
Thanks for posting that, Ann OMalley...
Something else occurred to me, but let me look it up in one of my bibles first... Christian Standard Bible, Philippians 2: 25-27 "But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus - my brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need - since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick. Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. ...."
Think about the mentality of the time... All those accounts of people in the bible who fell ill due to "demons", sicknesses caused by "demons", and so on...
It is quite possible (given the superstitious mentality of the time towards illnesses), that Epaphroditus was depressed because he feared that the others would view him as spiritually "unclean", since he'd been sick.
Again, given the mentality of the time, illness was often viewed as being caused by "demons", "unclean spirits", or as retribution from "God" for secret sins... S ince humanity had no clue that microscopic microbes and viruses were largely the cause of illnesses, it would be quite common to view a person who had been ill as either a vile sinner - hence the "judgment from god" - or under the influence of evil spirits...
Mild or severe food poisonings, head colds, allergies, infections - all these things that we brush off today as merely part of life, would have been sources of GREAT FEAR - yes, to CHRISTIANS, too - in those times...
After all, Christians of those times knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about true causes of even the simplest of ailments... They were AS IGNORANT about the TRUE causes of disease as the rest of the people in that time period and area!!
No wonder Epaphroditus was depressed!! HE himself had no way of knowing whether his sickness had been caused by a "demon", either!!
Zid
St George
Where did that come from? I read the account in Acts and listened to the answers but I found no evidence for Paul asking the local body of elders for permission to take Timothy away. Did I miss something or is this a figment of WT imagination?
I had the exact same question today as I was at the dreadful meeting tending to my one year old niece when I heard this. My wife pulled out the scripture and basically said that the congregation thought well of Timothy and therefore Timothy had the approval of the elders. Talk about a stretch...
After all, Christians of those times knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about true causes of even the simplest of ailments... They were AS IGNORANT about the TRUE causes of disease as the rest of the people in that time period and area!!
Which always brings me back to this one question. What if modern man wrote the Bible? What if the people who were inspired by God to pen the writings that became the Bible knew what the people of our modern era knew? How would it read?
Blondie said, "I know my jw family in their 80's still don't accept that Jesus is not their mediator...." - My jw does not understand that at all!! he says you all have it wrong even though I have showed him wt's that prove that point! It's been awhile since we have had one of those conversations but still he does not get it. Very frustrating when they don't even understand their own doctrines or know their own literature.
Anyone have a good article on that subject? or brochure/flier?
"Many in the Christian congregation today are very grateful to those who helped them to understand the Bible. Numerous enduring friendships have been formed between students and their teachers."
That is a joke. The scumbag that tried to teach me always had the strictest interpretation of the Suffer Forever book. For instance, the Suffer Forever book says that celebrating Christmas is bad. However, this scumbag tried to teach me that there was zero tolerance for Christmas. Even going into a store where, around Thanksgiving, they are selling tinsel garland and Christmas lights, is supposed to make me feel sick. He even wanted to make me waste the day, both days, at his dump (which lacked virtually everything except Washtowel related crap) to make sure I wouldn't celebrate. He also made it uncomfortable to be around the Christmas songs (one in your head meant death).
He was as strict with the music. The Suffer Forever book merely said that we should not listen to debasing music. It didn't mention groups by name, nor did it have anything to say about types of mainstream music (though most heavy metal was satanic by their standards). This idiot wanted me to get rid of anything by Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Simon & Garfunkel, or Journey (some of which I didn't even have). He also preached zero tolerance: Listening on the radio, or being where it was being played, was a death sentence. He also had zero tolerance for things like Michael Jackson (even stuff put out before his disassociation). I didn't see anything in the Suffer Forever book that said that one bad song rendered everything a group did as bad, or that getting stuff by a disfellowshipped person written and performed before the disfellowshipping was bad.
It was like this in everything. The idiot wanted me to pio-sneer, since he was a regular pio-sneer. Turns out he was nothing more than a tyrant--he has lost three wives for his tyranny. He wanted to control everything, from the brand and variety of laundry soap and toothpaste I use to where I get my suits dry cleaned. He tried to get me out in field circus at 9 AM my second day, despite knowing I worked evenings and often got out of work as late as 1 or 2 in the morning. It was obvious that he wanted everything I did to be what he told me to, right down to the variety of toothpast I used.
Had he not run out of time, I am sure he would have done just that. As was, he tried saving me $5 off a $275 rent--of course, in the complex he was to be managing. Turns out, the $270 place was not furnished, it was more than 4 times as far from work, and in a crime zone. All so I could cut back on work and pio-sneer (and so he could go through everything I had and demand I throw out anything he didn't want me having). It took me another 9 months to get back to just being a regular witless instead of following his mini-cult.
I might add that this axxhole really wanted my life to be austere and lacking anything good. He would do all he could to bust up my chances with the opposite sex (as if Jehovah Baghead needed any more help with that), and then he acted as if it was a good thing. And, every time I see him or associate with him, it is worse than the "demons" supposedly associated with the Ouija board or attending a seance. The whole family he is from is also trouble--especially one of his nephews (who was only 8 at the time). This boy was the epitome of bad luck--every time I saw him, it was pure bad luck for me. Worst of all, a portion of this bad luck is permanent--unlike "demons", which do not bring any bad luck.
Enduring friendships--
Thanks Blondie, I have missed this regular thread . I hope you are felling better
Par 15 Yet, when the elders appointed to examine the case determine, in line with Jehovah's direction, that a repentant sinner ought to be readmitted to the congregation, it indicates that he has been forgiven by Jehovah. (Matt.18:17-20) Should we not seek to imitate Him?
I wonder how that went down in Wimbledon Congregation where they reportedly have to accept Michael Porter?? (indeed, he was never even d/f'd)
Oh yeah, Simon and Garfunkel are FUCKING BRUTAL! Right up there with Norwegian Death Metal! "Scarborough Faire" is really about raping and sacrificing a virgin then EATING HER ENTRAILS! Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme on a DEEP FRIED HUMAN LIVER!!!
OK, I apologize, that was a little over the top. But dubs would believe it...
Something that was not mentioned:Paragraph 15 says " Yet, when the elders appointed to examine the case determine, in line with Jehovah's direction, that a repentant sinner ought to be readmitted to the congregation, it indicates that he has been forgiven by Jehovah".Now read Watchtower 2/15/1978 pg. 21 par.1.
