In COC- Ray Franz had a great answer to this question. Others on the GB said that his answer kept him from getting df'd (at that time). He said something like- This organization is God's organization to the extent that it does God's will.
Posts by lrkr
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12Answer to the ? Do you believe this is Gods Organization?
by darth frosty init seems that this is the catch all question that elders like to use to prove apostasy or just to get rid of you.
i was thinking that this is a possible way to answer the ?
and turn the tables on them.
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48
The only three reasons to miss a meeting?
by outofthebox insetting: sunday talk.
brother giving the talk (bgtt): 'a co told me' (he said that as in god told me), 'the only three reasons for missing a meeting are...' (drum roll) ... 'the three fs'.. me (thinking): wtf?
mmm.
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lrkr
Great public talk trick- say something outrageous, ridiculous, judgemental or unkind- and then attribute it to a CO, DO or even better- a GB member. Used often by more dim witted speakers.
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23
Another email I got. warning gag alert
by loosie ini guess they think that this illustration will make people pioneer.. .
some brothers wonder, why should i pioneer?
they reason, jehovah is merciful, and there will be many who are not pioneers that will make it into the paradise.. .
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lrkr
Classic- first try guilt- if that fails- use fear.....
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Bad jw e-mail of the week ***Warning: Hurl Alert***
by RisingEagle in(this is an e-mail making the rounds of jdubs email lists.
my apologies for not having eye and mind bleach available for the after effects) .
vs. holy bible.
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lrkr
I actually could buy that a 1940's Freddie and Bert decided that the term "Bible" was a Babylonish, false religious concoction. Then Nathan Knorr probably told them that they were crazy to try and push that issue- he'd let them decide on the words on the cover- but no Questions From Readers telling everyone that Bible was a bad word.
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Young PPL Ask: Growing Up Jehovah Witness Video
by XOCO ini've decide to take a small break from studying (see last post) since i'm up this morning i've decide to watch some videos on youtube such as:.
hopeful athesis.
rick fearon (so damn funny but serious lol).
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lrkr
Wow. I'm so glad my eyes opened before I was able to screw up my kid too much.
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31
Beards and dress clothes...
by B_Deserter ini often wonder about the unwritten rule in kingdom halls that a witness should be in dress clothes and brothers cannot have beards (the beard rule i think is pretty much us-only though).
sure, they won't stop you from coming to a meeting in your work clothes and they might even treat you fine.
but, if you want to go anywhere in the congregation (i.e.
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lrkr
I think the JW dress code is a product of Brooklyn Heights and lower Manhattan. The GB, writing staff and Bethel family see bankers in lower Manhattan going to work in a full suit (probably the only people in the world that still work in suits- except for lawyers when they're in court). So they think that suits are what respectable people wear to work.
Beards are for hippies and college students (GB is terrified of the village, soho, NYU any area where there are free-thinking hippy homo types- their words, not mine)
If Bethel was in Montana, or Florida, or South America or anywhere else, I have a feeling that the dress code would be different.
Side note- Have you ever noticed that the pics in the magazines seem to never show a woman wearing pants (and especially never wearing jeans) You will see women working in gardens, cleaning houses, etc but wearing a dress..
What a victorian bunch.
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31
Are we in some sort of "LAST DAYS"?
by Open mind ini'm not talking in the biblical sense necessarily.
you can argue scriptural "last days" until you're blue in the face.
(jcanon & obves make that clear on at least a weekly basis.).
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lrkr
Not too long ago I heard the Dalai Lama speak. I was very impressed by his optimism (and realism- but thats another thread). He took questions from the audience and one was- Do you think that the world is getting better or worse? He said without hesitation- better. And he said that in speaking to other world leaders (he mentioned the Queen of England) they felt similarly. His reason for thinking this was that in his life experience there seemed to be less and less tolerance for violence as a way of solving problems. He mentioned Iraq as an example. Rarely, he said, do you see over 50% of a country against the policies of the president and a groundswell against violence. But that seems to happen more and more often.
I was impressed, because religious leaders usually have a vested interest in making things look worse and worse. (If your life doesn't suck, you dont need religion.) This is similar to the profit motive that cable news channels have for making the world seem more and more dangerous (if you're scared, you'll keep watching, and they can keep billing the advertisers.)
Regarding the last days- if these are then mankind should have figured out how to get here sooner, because the last days are the best mankind has ever had. Advances in medical knowledge make us live longer and better than ever before (100 years ago many women and children died in childbirth- just one example). We have so many comforts that we can focus on ideas for most of our lives. The main new industries of developed countries are "idea based" (websites, software, hedge funds, securities, etc.). Science has progressed to the point that we can predict the next global disaster (climate change) and work on preventing it. We can predict the next "Spanish Flu" and start working on a vaccine now. And- everyone's favorite- advanced worldwide communications have made it difficult or impossible to continue enslaving people with backwards, totalitarian belief systems.
My 2 cents.
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Heard the phrase "Are you in the truth or is the truth in you?"
by truthseeker inthis was said to me by a brother who went on to leave the truth and resume his alternative lifestyle.. so, how many of you here were just "in the truth?
".
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lrkr
Wow- doesn't that phrase "the truth" just give you the willies now. The only, pure, eternal, all-encompassing, perfect "truth" about everything and everyone. It sounds so cultish when you stand back and think about it.
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Revelation Climax, page 52, Kindly Respond
by compound complex indear readers of revelation,.
i have been reminded that a simple question is more effective than an elaborate presentation.
i have become very careful about what i say and how much i say to most people.
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lrkr
OK- by looking for screwed up renderings, I think we all draw attention away from the really disturbing part of this drawing. The smug smiles as age old cathedrals, priceless art and millions of lives are snuffed out. Now thats twisted. And its not subliminal- its the authors intent. The look on their faces is like- yup well, they had it coming didn't they- too bad for them, so glad I have this great crown and get to hang out with this guy.
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Comments You Will Not Hear at the WT Study (10/29 PRACTICE MERCY)
by WT Comments insoliciting your comments as well!
please take a moment to post a comment, even if brief.
share your experience and keep the topic active.. .
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lrkr
Ok I had an ah-ha moment regarding the Good Samaritan parable. Like many of you have said- it was all about religious intolerance. That's why specific emphasis was placed on the profession/religious affiliatation of the questioner (teacher of the moasic law), and the passers-by (priest, levite, samaritan).
But no religion will teach it that way. It doesn't help anyones cause to be the "one and only truth". The WT alluded to it- said its about cultural, religious, and national differenes- but really, its about religious differences and tolerance.
Then the article makes a quick fade to the scripture about "working what is good mainly to those related in the faith" (If you read the context- this is about shepherding others in the fold- not about mercy, compassion or kindness) and a parting shot to be very careful when showing mercy to people not in the congregation.
What a way to twist a very important set of concepts!!