Posts by Billy the Ex-Bethelite

35

The Borg's Current Take On The King of the North

by Rapunzel in

reading aleman's intelligent and erudite posts in regard to prophecies and other things biblical got me to thinking and prompted me to ask the following question - just what is the watchtower bible and tract society's current [as of this month, february 2008] interpretation on the identity of the wicked witch king of the north?

when i was in - many moons ago in the late 1970's - the king of the north was depicted, if my memory serves me correctly, as the soviet union.

but as the expression goes, s*** happens.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

They were so totally wrong about the Soviet Union and its role as the King of the North. From their interpretation on Daniel, they expected continued expansion of the Soviet bloc leading right to Armageddon. Instead, the USSR collapsed, without their foretelling its end. Clearly, no prophets live in Brooklyn.

They managed to capitalize on the situation by sudden increases of publishers in the former Soviet bloc countries. So, they shut up about the King of the North, hoping something would materialize. Now, growth is stagnating in Eastern Europe, and the 'generation' is a lost cause. The can't speculate about the KotN's identity because they will most certainly be wrong! They can only wait until Russia, China, Iran, or somebody else makes a move so they can announce "_____ is the new King of the North. We knew it all along but couldn't say because Jehovah told us that it wasn't time. Now preach more. Give us more money."

Clearly, Daniel was speaking of Santa as the King of the North.

71

Are people born hamsexual?

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

are people born with a desire to be with the other white meat?

why would a person choose that path when it leads to criticism, hatred, alienation, high cholesterol etc.

why wouldn't they just be normal if they could.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

I must 'out' myself as a hamsexual. The last time I baked a ham, I got a really big bone from it.

23

OMG - I did it - I told my Mom and Dad how I feel...

by Princess Daisy Boo in

jw
friends

my mom and dad came round today and we ended up at the local mall with my hubby and kids having lunch.

after lunch my hubby went home with the kids and i stayed on with my folks to do some shopping.

as we were driving home, i pointed out my son's new school, and we were discussing the merits of private vs. public schools etc, and mom says "i just hope that by the time the kids get to highschool that the end has come, and you and the family are in the truth".. i mumbled something about having my doubts.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

You're a brave little princess !!

There's no reason for you to be afraid. There's no reason for you to act afraid or avoid contact with your family members. Simply make it clear to them that you see the need for the Society to give an explanation and resolution to these issues. You're not putting your parents, other family members, or the local congregation on the spot. You don't expect any explanation from them. You do expect a clearly worded explanation directly from an organization that publishes three magazines each month and organizes five meetings each week. If you are baptized, you are dedicated to Jehovah and not to an organization. As such you examine every organization you may be involved with to be very sure that there is no UN involvement or pedophile cover-ups. Don't buy an explanation from any of them, the elders, the CO, it needs to be published. In the meantime, there's nothing of interest to you to attend meetings or try to recruit other people to become Jehovah's Witnesses.

That's the stand that my sister has taken since the 'generation of 1914' passed. The Society needs to clearly explain that they were and are wrong and are not qualified to prophecy. We all in the family still talk to her, but know it's pointless to bring up the subject because she's waiting for an explanation that the Society will never give. Basically, the parents know that she is right, so they don't touch the subject, but still talk to her on the phone at least once a week.

I don't know how things will go for you, but I hope I've encouraged you to stand your ground and keep the line open with your family.

17

New Light - ?

by ocsrf in

jw
friends

january 15, 2008 watchtower, page 23 paragraph 16. it seems, however, that not all who have been called to a heavenly hope since the 1930's are replacements for ones who have fallen away.

jehovah has evidently made sure that we will have anointed christians amoung us all through the final days of this system of things until the destruction of "babylon the great.

" (rev.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Thanks for pointing that out, ocsrf ! I hadn't noticed it yet. That study is in two weeks... giving us time to prepare !

And thanks Honesty for the Rev book reference.

Yep, looks like the door is wide open for more partakers this year. Or should I say, it seems like the door is evidently wide open for more wine-drinking cracker-munchers this year.

Things like this used to be considered 'New Light', now it's more like "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic".

26

Of Pedophelia and False Positives

by inkling in

ok, something has been bugging me recently, so please forgive meas i play devil's advocate for a moment.

child abuse of any type is horrific, and when it is sexual innature it can cause unimaginably cruel and life-long damage.i think we can all agree on that.

however, in the past irreparable damage to people's lives havealso been caused by accusations of child abuse that turnedout to be baseless... families are torn apart, trust is shredded, reputations ruined, all because a child misunderstood something, or fabricated a story to get attention, or was pressured by paranoid and possibly abused adults into remembering things that never happened.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

The link seems to particularly be talking about divorce cases of the mother accusing against the father, evidently of physical abuse and not only sexual abuse. So, the subject of false accusations isn't just about kids making up stories.

I have no doubt that there have been false accusations of being pedophiles and the reputations of some people have been greatly damaged. However, even the quote used at the top of the thread show a third of those charges are substantiated. That's a third that shouldn't be ignored.

Watchtower should turn it over to the legal authorities. It shouldn't be a matter of the elders calling the Legal Department and forming a private Judicial Committee to handle it the same as over-drinking, smoking, or taking a blood transfusion.

What about defense for the innocent? As OUTLAW states, use a lie detector. Is there any forensic evidence? Police and psychology professionals have gotten much better in understanding the child and the criminal mind, so be honest and trust them.

But most importantly, be innocent.

36

WT Comments (2-18 PAY ATTENTION) FEATURING SNAKESINTHETOWER

by V in

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Brother Snakes... er, I mean... Brother InTheTower, I'd like to comment on

Para 14,15 A: What can a Bible student learn about Jehovah?
Exodus 34:7 concludes, "by no means will he give exemption from punishment, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation." So, we need to make gosh darn sure that our Bible students know that Jehovah has no qualms about killing people for any perceived infraction, and kill their kids, and their kids' kids, and their kids' kids' kids. So, they better know that they have to attend every freakin' meeting and only practice FDS approved sexual positions, or Jehovah will kill them all. But then Jehovah may already plan to kill them if their parents weren't JWs, and their parents' parents, and their parents' parents' parents.

Actually, I couldn't figure out why the lesson couldn't just end at paragraph 4, "The Theocratic Ministry School regularly reminds us that we will become more skilled as teachers if we base our teaching on God's Word, use questions effectively, teach with simplicity, and show a sincere interest in others.... Then we will discuss how to reach a student's heart." Okay, they just summarized the next 40 minutes of wasted time. So, why is there a WT study covering the same sales crap as the TMS and Service Meeting? As an ex-Bethel insider, I'll take a shot at answering that one...

Three conflicting groups within WTBTS are involved here: Writing Committee, Teaching Committee, and Service Department. No, they don't see eye-to-eye on things, and I am simplifying somewhat. The Watchtower and the material for the Watchtower Study comes under the authority of the Writing Committee. Although the publications for the TMS come from Writing, authority for what is covered int he TMS comes under the Teaching Committee. The Branch Service Department particularly has authority over the Service Meeting. Consequently, since the lack of growth in the bOrg is quite evident to all the committees, the Writing Committee has to start hounding on the R&F even more since the Teaching Committee and Service Department clearly aren't hounding enough.
Obviously, if Jesus Christ was really in charge, the GB would all be able to literally heal the sick, raise the dead, and people would flock to WTBTS without anybody needing to knock on doors. The Grand Boasting Sessions would be used to teach everyone the 'truth' at once. Judicial committees wouldn't exist since no one would want to ever leave. And Armageddon would have come in 1914 while all the Bible Students were measuring the Great Pyramid.

Thanks Snakes and V, I'll now sit down and shut up.

35

Watchtower Comments Exposes JW Growth Statistics

by V in

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Awesome job V... as usual !

62

TV progams that must be not be viewed at all costs

by TooBad TooSad in

the elder giving the public talk a couple of weeks ago told the congregation that there are more and more.

movies and tv programs, like charmed, or books and movies like harry potter that must be avoided at all costs.

because they are a direct link to demonism and spiritism.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Don't read the Bible, especially Revelation. And don't read books or watch videos about the Bible. That book talks all about the devil and the demons. That publication has led to the murder and insanity of millions of people.

103

Mr. Flipper Talks with Bethel Legal Service Desk Rep About JW Child Abuse

by flipper in

well - i had been wanting to do this for a long time , to question a legal department representative at bethel about the child abuse settlements and jw child abuse, since last year when the news came out about it.

especially since my dad , an elder for years was never aware of it and has on his own taken steps to see that families with children are informed if a former pedophile is in their congregation.

i was curious as to what the current views and policies in place are .

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Gosh, isn't the spiritual paradise beautiful. Just look really, really far away, but don't look down and notice that you're standing in a steaming pile of crap.

Nice exposure of 'da troof' Flipper !

31

Poll - Is this the best example of a picture that shows lovebombing?

by truthseeker in

is this picture a good example of love bombing?

.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

That's "dramatized" lovebombing. The dude in the middle is Cameron Banta, he was at Patterson, then Brooklyn. At least 7 others in the picture are (or were) Bethelites. I wonder how many of them are out washing windows now?