FreeWilly, excellent video on the argument on the truth. I agree that the language should be modified, but excellent argumentation.
MrMonroe
JoinedPosts by MrMonroe
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Debunking the Watchtower - Slam Dunks and Solid Arguments
by Nickolas inthere's a wide cross section of thinkers on this board, representing christian belief and non-belief and points in between, the agnostics.
there is most definitely a minority, mostly silent, of devoted jehovah's witnesses present, too, but their contribution to the dialogue and dynamic of the board is minimal.
that small minority aside, it can be said the people who venture into here to communicate with one another share a common paradigm, and that is the watchtower is built on a foundation of clay.
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WT Study Version Feb 2011 - Double Standard?
by Simon Morley indid anyone find the illustration on page 26 odd?
i surmised for a moment that perhaps the "brother" in the illustration was an elder and he prayed about an employment issue - we all know what he will do.
yet, would that same elder make the same pryerful decision when it came to selling a kingdom hall to say the same church and say no?
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MrMonroe
I recall having a conversation with a devout Catholic years ago who was angry about Witness patients seeking non-blood surgical treatment in the Cabrini Hospital, Melbourne, which is run by the Catholic Church. His point: Witnesses won't go into a Catholic Church because it would offend God, but they have no qualms about getting treatment in a Catholic hospital when it suits them. Fair point.
On another point, I bet those dudes posing for the photo in the WT felt a frisson of excitement as they carried their props all over the church. "Ooh, aren't we naughty!" What church was stupid enough to let them do the photo shoot?
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Why not perform a visual experiment with your JW friends?
by Terry inplace all the society's book publications you can get your hands on from bygone decades on a table top.. russell's divine plan of the ages, rutherford's colorful screeds, the books from the 40's--70's (mostly by fred franz) and.
place a sign next to them and photograph the whole collection.. .
the sign might read something like:.
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MrMonroe
Unfortunately 99.9 per cent of all JW recipients of such a card would take one look, think "Apsotate!" and discard it. They have zero interest in examining the truth of their religion because in their minds they have already ascertained that it IS the truth. And, importantly, their religion keeps telling them it's the truth. And what more do they need?
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What happens when you contact wbts HQ
by Archimendes inhi all,.
what sort of responses do people actually get when you write to brooklyn hq to query subjects like their quote mining and other dubious uses of sources.
i am currently having a bit of a 'discussion' on a popular nz mb with 3 or 4 current jw who are having a hard time accepting that the quotes from their latest pamphlets on evolution, among others are taken out of context, its got to the point where the only answer they are willing to give is to take it up with borg central.. if i actually physically mailed them a letter with a large portion of attached documents, would i get an actual response, photocopies of articles, or filed under wicked slave?.
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MrMonroe
Archimendes, what's the "NZ MB" you're referring to? Is it a public forum? If so, what's the address?
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Why Are They Called "Pioneers"?
by Ding indoes anyone know how the wts came up with the term "pioneer" and the related "auxiliary" and "special" pioneer terms?.
it's not in the bible and it seems to come from us expansionist history....
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MrMonroe
The term appeared fairly frequently in 1920s Watchtowers when Bible Students signed letters describing themselves as "pioneer colporteurs". Watchtowers described the apostle Paul as a pioneer (by preaching in virgin territory) and by the looks of a September 1931 WT article, the term referred similarly to fulltime preachers who travelled, often pitching tents to sleep. The term appears liberally in 1932 Watchtowers, again referring to fulltime travelling preachers.
By late 1932 the term seemed to have replaced "colporteurs" (the September 1932 WT reads: "This “crown of glory” is not bestowed because one has been elected to an office by the votes of men, but is bestowed upon all the faithful, including the faithful pioneers, whom we sometimes call “colporteurs”, and all others who are faithful and are made members of the ‘elect servant’.
A Nov 15 1933 WT article refers to the number of "pioneers and auxiliaries" at work in the US. The term seems to have been broadened in later years to include anyone plodding around neighbours, wasting a set amount of time to impress others with their level of dedication. Oh, and spirituality of course.
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KM Jan 2011 Family Worship
by dozy inthere is a big insert in the jan kingdom ministry about the family worship night (which has evolved new capital letters - like governing body.).
some helpful suggestions include the head of the household putting an agenda on the fridge door a few days ahead for the family to "build excitement and anticipation" (i kid you not.
) the provision is compared to the sabbath arrangement as a gift from god.
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MrMonroe
Funniest thread I've seen in a long time. This is priceless.
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shunning is love - Feb 15 2011 Watchtower
by jj123jj123 in18 if you face a similar situation, please remember that jehovah sympathizes with you.
by cutting off contact with the disfellowshipped or disassociated one, you are showing that you hate the attitudes and actions that led to that outcome.
however, you are also showing that you love the wrongdoer enough to do what is best for him or her.
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MrMonroe
I always say "the Watchtower says" or "the organization says". Once a Circuit Overseer called me over after a meeting and said that I should not do that. That the organization wants us to personalize our comments and that I should say "I believe" or "I think that". I listened to him but I sill answer my way and I will continue to do so until someone makes a real issue of it.
Gary, I did the same thing for many, many months. It reached the point in the Revelation Book study where I couldn't answer some paragraphs because I had zero conviction that what they supplied as an answer was true, it was obvious propaganda. Full marks to you for staying true to yourself.
The next step for me was to read Ray Franz's Crisis of Conscience and recognize that the WTS claim to represent God (and the corollary that loyalty to WTS = loyalty to God) was baseless, that 1914 was no more a marked year than any other year in history and that the GB is an entirely human group with very human failings. Later research showed me that the current JW concept of Armageddon was knitted together entirely by JF Rutherford, using a range of scriptures that had little application to one another. The bottom line was that I realised I had nothing to fear by leaving that organization, I wasn't abandoning God's protection because that whole notion was a fiction built up piece by piece over the years to keep Witnesses within the fold. I don't think that notion was done deliberately to deceive; it was the consequence of an overarching concept within the organization that feeds on itself.
So I left. And the relief it brought me was immense. I agree with another poster here that you are helping people's lives by remaining a rogue elder and promoting leniency and reason. You may want to consider your own life and future however. Best regards.
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taken from daily text for today
by therevealer inmonday, november 22. youhadnohope.-eph.2:12.. jehovah's witnesses accept medical help and various forms of treatment.
our journal awake!
often contains articles on health matters.
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MrMonroe
One congregation I was in, half them had chronic fatigue, the others were racing off to another city to have their mercury fillings removed because they were convinced they were killing them. An elder in our last congregation banned the use of a microwave to heat babies' milk bottles because he thought it would be irradiating the milk.
As to the negative comments about outsiders: I spent a couple of eye-opening nights at the Australian Bethel a few years back and was blown away by the smug comments oozing everywhere at the breakfast discussion of the daily text. They were all talking about what drivers were like "out there" as if life in the Bethel Bubble somehow granted them superior driving skills.
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When a friend tells you things you don't hear at the KH
by Nobleheart ina close friend of mine enlightened me a couple of weeks ago by telling me so many things about the wt.
that's how i first heard about the involvement with the un, russell's pyramidology (freemason symbols), dates, etc.
this friend also used terms like 'mind control' and 'rank and file', which i'd never heard before in this context.
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MrMonroe
And of course the superb http://www.jwfacts.com/ and a bit of a newie, http://www.jwstruggle.com/.
For a good roundup, also see the candid Wikipedia articles on Jehovah's Witnesses at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses.
For a discussion of the Governing Body, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governing_Body_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses.
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Latest apostate warning in Feb 15 2011 Watchtower
by dozy inandre, who had served jehovah for years, had the bitter experience of being led astray.
by apostate thinking.
he felt that having a quick look at an apostate web site would not be dangerous.he recalls: initially, i was attracted to the so-called truths that the.
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MrMonroe
" I became aware of how crafty the false teachers were."
Who the hell speaks like that apart from the Watchtower?