To attempt a semi-serious response to the question: I think the President of the Watchtower Society only fufills a purely legal and administrative function since the powers of the GB and officers were separated a few years back. All the 'ecclesiastical' power resides with the GB only, which is paramount over all other authority at borg headquarters. Someone else can no doubt explain it more precisely.
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JoinedPosts by yadda yadda 2
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Don Adams, Current President of WTBS
by Gram ini don't hear much about don adams, current president of wtbs.
how does he figure into the "good ole boys" gb?
does he make public appearances like franz and knorr?
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If You believe that Jesus is God....
by lurk3r ini know that everyone here is an individual with their own thoughts and beliefs,and i'm not starting this thread to debate whether or not jesus is god or not...but i am kinda curious about this.
thank you in advance for taking the time to consider this with/for me.. jesus christ instructed people on how to pray.
with the opening line of the lord's prayer he said (something to this effect) "our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name" (hope i got that right).
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Trinitarians understand the Father and Jesus to be distinct beings so there is no trouble reconciling the Lords prayer with their creed; but they think both are God, along with the holy spirit (a nonsensical and blasphemous dogma I also absolutely reject).
Isaiah 9:6 is sometimes used by trinitarians to say that Jesus is God, since it prophetically refers to Jesus as an everlasting Father.
Trinitarians can try and fudge and rationalise as much as they want, talking about "essences" and suchlike, but the fact of the matter is that Jesus viewed the Father as the "only true God" and as his own God (John 17:3, John 20:17) and the Apostle Paul made a very clear doctrinal statement that there is only "one God the Father" at 1 Corinthians 8: 6. These unambiguous scriptures allow no room for the trinity and other scriptures touching on the subject of who God is should be read subject to them.
Although Jehovah's Witnesses certainly don't give enough honour to Jesus, they are absolutely right that only the Father is Almighty God (as Jews and Muslims also correctly believe).
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At Bethel I learned how to make yogurt.
by compound complex ini just made a batch of yogurt last night and it turned out great.
i can't remember who at bethel showed me how to make it, but i'm eternally grateful, or for however long i should live.
it was so warm and humid in b'klyn that i never needed an incubator.
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Something good finally comes out of Bethel!
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Have you tried volunteer work since leaving the dubs?
by yadda yadda 2 ini have been feeling urges to try some volunteer work, to do something with my time to help those less privileged than me.
since i left the jw's, which was quite a few years ago (faded), i've always felt something missing in terms of mingling with a group of people and doing something of a volunteer/charitable nature for others (that's not to say jws do anything charitable really, although some people have been helped to clean up their lives through joining their religion).
i think it would be tremendously fulfilling to try some volunteer work to fill the vacuum of wanting to do kind things for others, something altruistic.
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It all sounds pretty positive to me. I like the thought too that when you leave the JW's you feel free to do this kind of thing without breaking their ridiculous rules or feeling guilty. No more wasting time selling religious magazines in the weekend, instead now their is the freedom to spend my time really helping people in need. I like that feeling a lot!
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Fred Franz, the Weird Speaker from Brooklyn
by VM44 infred franz was known for giving weird talks in the sense that he would pronounce words in a strange ways, ramble on for extended periods, and exceed the allotted time for speaking.
he violated most of the rules in the "theocratic school" book for giving talks.. it is even said he gave a public prayer once at a convention that went on for 20 minutes!.
why wasn't fred franz counciled concerning his public speaking like everyone else is in the congregations when they give their talks?.
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I guess being a virgin all your life and not even being allowed to masturbate once in a while will make you a bit weird somehow.
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My radical shifts
by AK - Jeff infor the best part of 48 years of my life, most would not be able to separate the views i had at 18, with those i ended my witless career at 48.. now, over a period of 5 years, i have changed, molded, vascilated regarding spirituality, religion, god, sex, money, nationalism, etc, etc., almost more times than i can count.
my views are constantly morphing.
sometimes i feel like i have no foundation for any of my values.
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"After all, didn't the entire Jewish/Christian perspective get started with the Genesis account that depicts a Sneaky Snake [later labeled as Satan], who convinced an ignorant naked lady in paradise to eat some fruit from God's garden, thereby requiring that several thousand years after the damage was done Jesus to come and die for all of us sinners? We sinners had no input. And now 2000 years later we still are waiting for this man to come again and fix things?
That is not an 'all black and white' opinion. That story is ridiculous."
Why exactly is it so 'ridiculous'? Just because it resembles somewhat a fairytale and doesn't confirm with our modern, western world view of reality? Just because we don't see miracles happening today? How do we know it wasn't all true? How do we know the miracles and supernatural events portrayed in the bible didn't happen? How do we know that spirit beings (God/angels) for thousands of years did intervene directly in mans affairs and perform miracles but for their own good reasons they desisted from doing that two thousand years ago?
You see, we can't know anything for sure about the ancient past or distant future. It's the same argument for belief in God or not. You can't prove it scientifically and you can't disprove it scientifically. Hardcore atheists are just as arrogant and unscientific as hardcore bible fundies. The only logical and reasonable position is a view that is somewhere in the middles, where nearly all truth lies, a kind of agnostic view with a healthy lashing of scepticism, erring one way or the other, but to never close ones mind entirely. It makes no sense to just say something is completely false just because it seems 'ridiculous'. Where do we draw the line on what we say is historically true and what is sheer myth? Two thousand years from now there will be things and events which now seem to us to be 'ridiculous' and impossible, just as today many things that we presently accept as commonplace would have been dismissed as 'ridiculous' or impossible two thousand years ago?
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...Were you ever happy,a Jehovah`s Witness was Dead?...
by OUTLAW insome jehovah`s witness are a lot of trouble.....especially family members..... regardless of how you try to avoid them,they are always causing trouble in your life and with your family..the grief is endless..it literally goes on for years,then decades..untill they die.....then all of a sudden there is peace in your life..the trouble is gone!...........were you ever happy a jehovah`s witness was dead?..or..permanently out of your life?.
...outlaw.
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I'm always happy when one of the GB dies, mainly because I still hold to the faint hope that positive major reform may one day come to the organisation, and the dying of the old guard to be replaced by newer GB with fresher, perhaps more reasonable views, ushers in hope of change.
I'll be happy when Theodore Jaracz dies, if the rumours are true that he is a staunch, conservative, hardliner that dominates the GB and is holding back any change.
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Have you tried volunteer work since leaving the dubs?
by yadda yadda 2 ini have been feeling urges to try some volunteer work, to do something with my time to help those less privileged than me.
since i left the jw's, which was quite a few years ago (faded), i've always felt something missing in terms of mingling with a group of people and doing something of a volunteer/charitable nature for others (that's not to say jws do anything charitable really, although some people have been helped to clean up their lives through joining their religion).
i think it would be tremendously fulfilling to try some volunteer work to fill the vacuum of wanting to do kind things for others, something altruistic.
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I was just going to add that the only thing I do miss about being a JW is the opportunity to be kind and friendly to those ones in the congregation who need more encouragement and help, eg, the old, lonely, depressed, solo parents with kids, single and desperate, ignored, etc. I think it's important not to resist feelings of compassion and to actively help the less fortunate, for those with the time and desire. Volunteer work is a way to satisfy that need without all the trappings of religion.
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Have you tried volunteer work since leaving the dubs?
by yadda yadda 2 ini have been feeling urges to try some volunteer work, to do something with my time to help those less privileged than me.
since i left the jw's, which was quite a few years ago (faded), i've always felt something missing in terms of mingling with a group of people and doing something of a volunteer/charitable nature for others (that's not to say jws do anything charitable really, although some people have been helped to clean up their lives through joining their religion).
i think it would be tremendously fulfilling to try some volunteer work to fill the vacuum of wanting to do kind things for others, something altruistic.
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I tried to slightly edit my post above but keep getting the following error message when trying to submit the revised version:
coding removed - Lady Lee
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Have you tried volunteer work since leaving the dubs?
by yadda yadda 2 ini have been feeling urges to try some volunteer work, to do something with my time to help those less privileged than me.
since i left the jw's, which was quite a few years ago (faded), i've always felt something missing in terms of mingling with a group of people and doing something of a volunteer/charitable nature for others (that's not to say jws do anything charitable really, although some people have been helped to clean up their lives through joining their religion).
i think it would be tremendously fulfilling to try some volunteer work to fill the vacuum of wanting to do kind things for others, something altruistic.
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I have been feeling urges to try some volunteer work, to do something with my time to help those less privileged than me. Since I left the JW's, which was quite a few years ago (faded), I've always felt something missing in terms of mingling with a group of people and doing something of a volunteer/charitable nature for others (that's not to say JWs do anything charitable really, although some people have been helped to clean up their lives through joining their religion).
I think it would be tremendously fulfilling to try some volunteer work to fill the vacuum of wanting to do kind things for others, something altruistic. I strongly believe that unselfishly focusing ones energies outwards towards other people in a positive way is a key to happiness. I often have a sense of living a pretty selfish, self-centred and rather pointless life, even with a daughter to love. I think a lot of ex-JW's can feel that way after leaving the JW's; without filling this vacuum and satisfying the human need to encourage other human beings and give altruistically to others, there is always a temptation to one day be drawn back into the JW world. Not that I'm ever tempted by that as I'm well past that stage.
Have any of you tried volunteer work since leaving the JW's? How did you find it?
I've been thinking of becoming an ESOL home tutur. The idea of helping poorer persons in the community, like refugees etc, really appeals.