respectful_observer

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Posts by respectful_observer

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  50

  Standard of Living in the New System

  by cobaltcupcake in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i used to wonder about this when i was still a dub: since they believe the industrialized world is going to be destroyed and the entire earth will be one big garden, exactly what kind of standard of living do they think they will have?

  while they might be able to scavenge, say, a microwave oven or washing machine; and they might be able to figure out how to generate electricity, eventually all of these things will wear out and they'll be back in an early 18th century type of life.

  people of that time and earlier who enjoyed a high standard of living employed armies of servants to do the dirty work, but since equality will reign in the ns, everyone will have to toil like a slave just to maintain the basics.. or do they think that big j will magically power their washing machines and water pumps and all the stuff that makes modern living so comfortable?.

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  respectful_observer

  Yan Bibiyan...I was thinking of the exact same thing. I remember seeing something on Discovery (?) a few years ago that tracked what would happen if all humans suddenly vanished from the Earth. Once the power grid went down and the backup generators ran out of gas, the spent fuel rods would trigger a nuclear meltdown...all within mere days of the power grid going down. The program said that there are something like 300+ reactors in mainland Europe alone. So basically within days, all of Europe would be a nuclear wasteland.

  That is, unless there was divine intervention...............

  I've mentioned this fact on occassion to my Dub friends and they shrug and say "...well, who knows...".
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  100

  2012 annual meeting notes

  by lostinthought in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry for the wait guys.... .

  part one.

  moorse had the opening comments talked about historic annual meetings.. .

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  respectful_observer

  Apologies if this has been floated out there in this or any of the other Annual Meeting threads, but I found it interesting that they specifically excluded Russell from the FDS.

  I wonder if this might be a first step in explaining away some of Russell's more bizarre ideas (e.g., using the measurements on the Egyptian pyramids to calculate Bible prophecy). Arguing that he wasn't a member of the FDS would allow them to disavow many of his teachings.

  As a vaguely related aside, I was a litte surprised that the article in the back of this month's Study Edition WT included Russell's pyramid timeline graphic from Studies in the Scriptures.
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  8

  The stones ARE crying out, it's happening even today!!

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i wonder if anybody realizes, that this scripture, luke 19:40 but jesus answered, "i tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!".

  everybody has understood this to mean literal stones on the ground crying out, but that is not what it meant.. look what ez 36:26 says, "i will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.".

  the witnesses are the stones crying out..

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  respectful_observer

  If JW are the stones, then....

  
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  8

  The stones ARE crying out, it's happening even today!!

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i wonder if anybody realizes, that this scripture, luke 19:40 but jesus answered, "i tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!".

  everybody has understood this to mean literal stones on the ground crying out, but that is not what it meant.. look what ez 36:26 says, "i will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.".

  the witnesses are the stones crying out..

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  respectful_observer

  EoM,

  Looks like you may have leaked whatever "Noooo Lite TM " will be announced at the Annual Meeting this weekend!!!

  
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  2

  "Saved by the Bell" JW - Lark Voohries "Troubling Interview-Bi-polar?"

  by respectful_observer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't post links too often, so hope this is clickable:.

  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/03/saved-by-bell-star-lark-voorhiesh-gives-troubling-interview-mom-says-is-bipolar/?intcmp=features.

  (as an aside, i looked at her profile on wiki just to make sure i was remembering correctly that she was a jw.

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  respectful_observer

  I don't post links too often, so hope this is clickable:

  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/03/saved-by-bell-star-lark-voorhiesh-gives-troubling-interview-mom-says-is-bipolar/?intcmp=features

  (As an aside, I looked at her profile on Wiki just to make sure I was remembering correctly that she was a JW. It mentioned that she's related to the Jackson family, which I hadn't heard before.)

  P.S. - I usually only visit foxnews.com to be amused by the readers' comments.
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  41

  Apostasy Trial - Part 5

  by RayPublisher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well part 5 was just put up on youtube!

  this is the third 45 minute segment of the 3+ hour meeting.

  topics covered include:.

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  respectful_observer

  Of course, they wouldn't want you to feel awkward being the only one wearing a robe, so they'd do the same...although their robes might be a bit different. I imagine it looking something like this:

  
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  41

  Apostasy Trial - Part 5

  by RayPublisher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well part 5 was just put up on youtube!

  this is the third 45 minute segment of the 3+ hour meeting.

  topics covered include:.

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  respectful_observer

  I do wonder though, if this makes any impact outside of the ex-JW community, if it will prompt the WTS to change how they go about these meetings. Just have to wait and see, I guess.

  ..........................................................

  It'll be like going to the doctor (you're "spiritually sick", right?). They'll start make you strip down to your undies and give you a special robe to wear! That way it'll guaranteed that you're not wearing a wire, carrying a cell phone, etc.

  Do they make the statement about recording devices at every JC, or just when apostacy is the charge? I don't ever recall being told anything.
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  59

  Favorite JW Urban Legends

  by Christ Alone in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what are your favorite urban legends that you heard as a jw?.

  here's mine:.

  a brother, through his work, was asked to give a speech to the united nations.

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  respectful_observer

  Red Piller said: So this man meets this sister. He falls in love. She tells him that he must be a JW. So he studies and progresses to the point where he is in the minstry.

  One Saturday morning, the two were working together in the territory. All of a sudden, in between houses, the sister says, "I'm so sick of doing this." And she throws her bookbag in a sidewalk ditch. The man says, "I thought you'd never come around" And he does the same.

  The sister says - "You failed my test. I wanted to know if you sincerely loved Jehovah. Or were doing this just for me." The two split up immediatey.

  .................

  Christ Alone: FUNNY!!! My mom told me that same story, except the sister and her boyfriend were sitting in the park. They finished a study in the truth book. She took the truth book and threw it across the grass and said, "I'm sick of doing this." The guy responded "Thank goodness". And then yeah, she said that he failed the test.

  ..................

  I was told the same story as a little kid, except in the version I heard, she threw her bookbag into a pond!
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  39

  What does your avatar/screen name mean?

  by Christ Alone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some avatars and screen names are pretty self explanatory, but some...i can't figure out.

  i just wanted to know why you chose your particular screen name and/or avatar.

  mine is easy enough.

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  respectful_observer

  I chose mine to represent what I try to do in this forum. I always try to be respectful and report on what I observe. I try to write all my posts in a way that are intellectually honest, but never contain anything that could be pointed to as proof that I don't agree with the WTS.

  Before I hit "submit", I always think...."if someone ever got suspicious of my real identity, printed out every single one of my posts and handed them to the elders, is there anything in that pile that would constitute 'proof positive' apostacy?" So far, I'm fairly confident the answer to that would be "no".

  R_O
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  9

  Any restrictions, reproof, marking, etc means you can't do anything, except get more recruits

  by MC RubberMallet in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i hated that, no matter what restrictions, you still have to preach, the very thing witnesses hate..

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  respectful_observer

  I always found it illogical that ANY person can walk into a meeting off the street, raise their hand and comment -- it doesn't matter if it's a woman in pants, a heavy smoker, etc....their lifestyle does not need to be in keeping with the rules, but in order to preach door-to-door you need to qualify by proving that you're living your life according to Bible standards.

  Fast forward to after you're baptized....if you violate Bible standards, you're suddenly no longer "qualified" to share spiritual comments with others at the meetings, yet 20 minutes after the meeting ends you're suddenly qualified enough to go out and share spiritual comments with your neighbors....