JWD

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Posts by JWD

• 
  14

  Hate Your Enemies!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was standing by the copy machine at a convience store here in japan.

  when a local elder who i`ve know for some years came up to me and.

  threatened me (his breath had the distinct smell of a couple too many.

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  JWD

  At the beginning of the thread I mentioned a sister,in for 20 years,
  who told her husband she was praying that Jehovah would destroy him.
  I didn`t mention it earlier,but her husband was later diagnosed with
  cancer and died last November.About two years prior to that her oldest
  daughter chose to marry a non-JW and was dfed for living with him
  before marriage.One of her sons later took up smoking and some other
  non-theocratic hobbies and has since become inactive.With five children,that leaves three in the org.,two out.More recently,her
  dfed daughter gave birth to her first child.All of these things have
  had a mellowing affect on the sister.With her `opposer` husband gone,
  fighting for the TRUTH seems to have lost some of it`s excitment.It`s
  undoubtedly the result of what was mentioned earlier about the galvan-
  izing affect of having an enemy to hate.Without the `enemy`the fight
  isn`t so thrilling. JWD
• 
  14

  Hate Your Enemies!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was standing by the copy machine at a convience store here in japan.

  when a local elder who i`ve know for some years came up to me and.

  threatened me (his breath had the distinct smell of a couple too many.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JWD

  I was standing by the copy machine at a convience store here in Japan
  when a local elder who I`ve know for some years came up to me and
  threatened me (his breath had the distinct smell of a couple too many
  beers.Must have had a hard day out in FS).Anyway,that was just one
  incident among many.Repeated late night anonymous calls,name calling,
  etc. A man I know who`s wife has been in the `TRUTH` for 20 years was
  told by her that she was praying to Jehovah asking Him to destroy her
  husband (the husband was an opposer).Another friend of mine who was
  in the org.for 15 years disassociated. After leaving the org. her daughter told her that she would laugh when Jehovah destroyed her
  at Armageddon. One time when I tried to talk to a pioneer brother he
  not only refused to listen to me, but threw a cup of tea at me!!
  My question is, `Where does all this HATE come from?` `Isn`t the
  difference between Christians and those who aren`t, that Christians
  love their enemies? Wasn`t it Jesus who said that anyone loves their
  friends, but the real test is whether or not you love you enemies?
  Didn`t Christ greet Judas by calling him `friend` right before being
  betrayed? Didn`t Jesus wash Judas`s feet? So where is the vindication
  for hating your enemies? Are the `Vindictive Psalms` the almighty
  excuse for hating people? Were they not written pre-Christ?

  It seems part of the problem is the society`s redefining of the very
  meaning of the word `Love`.If giving people the cold shoulder brings
  them back to the `mother org.` then it must be love.

  Re-defining terms is a common practice among `new religions`.The
  most notorious group here in Japan , AUM (the group that placed the
  nerve gas on the subway) has a teaching called `POR`.It`s the idea
  that if you kill an `un-worthy` you are actually aiding them on their
  way to nirvana.Therefore;killing them is actually viewed as KINDNESS!
  Sounds strikingly similar to the teaching that refusing blood and
  dying is a sure way to make it into the paradise earth...
  So how did Hating become Loving and Killing become Giving Life? JWD
• 
  12

  Wanted

  by TheHighPriest in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the new testament states that a warrant was issued for the arrest of jesus and that judas was the man that turned him in.. this warrant would have carried a description of the man that called himself the king of the jews, however this description did not find it's way into the bible.. this seem's a bit odd in particular since after all it would be interesting to know what the messiah really looked like.. i mean, think about it, if you had the chance to record the events of a man of such importance would you not include a description of his image?.

  the appearance of jesus has been a subject of disscusion amongst many jw's (and other christians aswell i'm sure) and i remember many such occassions when the topic was being discussed and needles to say the opinions on this matter differed greatly.. the one opinion however that usually prevailed was that of a strong well built man, after all he was a carpenter etc.... as i said there is no such description in the bible, however, it was reported by josephus in his "capture of jerusalem".. now, i don't know whether this report is a genuine one or not, maybe jh can throw some light on that, but a copy of josephus description has survived in slavonic texts and it paints a picture quite at odds with the image many people have painted for themselves:.

  '...a man of simple appearance, mature age, dark skin, small stature, three cubits high, hunchbacked with a long face, long nose, and meeting eyebrows, so that they who see him might be affrighted, with scanty hair with a parting in the middle of his head, after the manner of the nazarites, and with an undeveloped beard.'.

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  JWD

  Mommie Dark,
  You talk about reading the original readings and not commentaries.I`d
  be curious how much reading you have done in the original languages.
  Admitedly,there are many things I haven`t read as there is undoubtedly
  no end to the sacred writings of various religions.When it comes to
  ancient Japanese religions,however,I`m sure I have an upper hand on
  most people on this board.I`m fluent in Japanese and have read and
  studied much about Japanese religions in Japanese.When I go back to the States,I find that Americans are getting all excited about Japanese religous teachings in English which have been given a distinctly western flavoring(i.e. Zen, NSA, Tenrikyo, Singonshu,etc).
  The `American Versions` which are being popularized among trendy
  `progressive` people in the States bear very little resemblance to
  the original thing. I`m certainly not familiar with all religions
  by any means, but when it comes to Japanese religions and their
  ancestors in China and Tibet, I`m very familiar.I`ve been there,done
  that. JWD
• 
  4

  Free Labor!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  several years back i was listening to a man who lived in a religious.

  community tell about how much god had blessed them.the main evidences.

  of god`s blessings were the impressive buildings and beautifully manicured grounds, complete with lovely flower gardens.this organization`s method of operations was to have everybody live together and work in the community`s various businesses.they manufactured some products and also had a growing printing and publishing operation.. .

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  JWD

  Friends of ours here in Japan were in for 42 years.They gave over
  $30,000 to the org. in 1974 to help build KHs.The husband served as
  an elder for many years.He went out on FS with Llyod Barry.One day
  Brother Barry told him that before the new bridge `Akashikaikyo-Ohashi` was built Armageddon would come.(The bridge was dedicated 3
  years ago and Barry dropped dead at a convention).Our friend was
  made to step down from being an elder after he sent his daughter to
  college.It was said it would cause people to stumble...

  Three years ago the couple left the org.Their reward for 42 years of
  faithful service...? Well, you all know the answer to that one.The
  usual...shunning, rumors about what bad people they`ve become,etc.
  As to their $30,000...? JWD
• 
  12

  Wanted

  by TheHighPriest in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the new testament states that a warrant was issued for the arrest of jesus and that judas was the man that turned him in.. this warrant would have carried a description of the man that called himself the king of the jews, however this description did not find it's way into the bible.. this seem's a bit odd in particular since after all it would be interesting to know what the messiah really looked like.. i mean, think about it, if you had the chance to record the events of a man of such importance would you not include a description of his image?.

  the appearance of jesus has been a subject of disscusion amongst many jw's (and other christians aswell i'm sure) and i remember many such occassions when the topic was being discussed and needles to say the opinions on this matter differed greatly.. the one opinion however that usually prevailed was that of a strong well built man, after all he was a carpenter etc.... as i said there is no such description in the bible, however, it was reported by josephus in his "capture of jerusalem".. now, i don't know whether this report is a genuine one or not, maybe jh can throw some light on that, but a copy of josephus description has survived in slavonic texts and it paints a picture quite at odds with the image many people have painted for themselves:.

  '...a man of simple appearance, mature age, dark skin, small stature, three cubits high, hunchbacked with a long face, long nose, and meeting eyebrows, so that they who see him might be affrighted, with scanty hair with a parting in the middle of his head, after the manner of the nazarites, and with an undeveloped beard.'.

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• 

  JWD

  The Bible states that Christ was not of attractive appearance.I`ve
  often thought that it probably would have been HARDER to believe had
  we have seen him than it is having not seen him.Sight can be quite
  an obstacle to faith. Naturally,faith in something that is only
  imaginary is meaningless as well.I beleive, it is the incredible
  uniqueness and agelessness of Christ`s teaching and actions which
  make him most appealing.Living in Japan for so many years,I have
  read about many other religions both new and old and have yet to
  find anything that has as much authenticity or applicability as
  does biblical teaching and the teaching of Christ. JWD
• 
  4

  Free Labor!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  several years back i was listening to a man who lived in a religious.

  community tell about how much god had blessed them.the main evidences.

  of god`s blessings were the impressive buildings and beautifully manicured grounds, complete with lovely flower gardens.this organization`s method of operations was to have everybody live together and work in the community`s various businesses.they manufactured some products and also had a growing printing and publishing operation.. .

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• 

  JWD

  People`s lifestyle is greatly affected by their perception of the
  future.A person who is dying of some terminal illness is likely not
  to be so concerned about his investment portfolio.Likewise if people
  can be convinced that the end of the world is right around the corner,
  their `survival` instincts kick in and they are likely more willing
  to sacrifice their future for the sake of `safety`.The catch is that
  in time the future becomes the present and sacrifices which have been
  made are often irreversable.People who have lived their lives on a
  shoestring because they believe the promises of the WTS are a classic
  case of victims of `false advertising`.In the real world a company
  which doesn`t live of to it`s promise can be sued for liable.The WTS
  society,however, hides behind the wall of religion and escapes making
  restitution to the people who have suffered irreparable financial
  damage due to false end-times prophecy.

  Even most main line religious groups offer some sort of financial aid or post-retirement support to those who`ve given their lives for the organization.In some cases, even if the person renounces the group or religion, they are still entitled to the financial aid for their years service.No so for the WT slaves.The WT has a policy not to invest in things which don`t turn a profit.

  Have you ever given any thought to their choice of Bible translations. There are only a little more than a dozen NWT translations and ALL OF THEM are in languages which already
  have several good translations.Why? Why not translate into
  languages which have no translation whatsoever?
  It`s because there isn`t a significant JW population to make those translations financially viable.Thus we have a German,Japanese, Spanish,English, etc. trans.There are over 2000 languages which have Bible translations.99% of those have been done by `Protestant and Catholic` believers.In some cases they will commit as much as 20 years to a translation project!

  I met a man when I was in the Philippines 21 years ago who was doing
  a Bible translation for an island which only had 5000 residents.
  The society would never take on such a project.It would be more
  costly and wouldn`t turn a profit.

  By the way, recently here in Japan the society cut back on special
  pioneers.They were paying them about $500 a month.It`s seen as a
  cost-cutting measure. JWD
• 
  17

  Jokes - Revived

  by Francois in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here are just a few, just to see if it flies:.

  messages to the ladies:.

  sometimes we're not thinking about you.

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• 

  JWD

  Q:What do you get when you cross an agnostic and a Jehovah`s Witness?
  A: A guy who goes door knocking... but doesn`t know why.

  Q:Did you hear about the dyslectic,agnostic,insomniac?
  A:He laid awake at night wondering whether or not there as a DOG!
• 
  36

  The Pope a JW...!!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the relatives on my father`s side were catholic.

  i still remember the first time i went to a high mass.

  it was a shock to my.

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  JWD

  Although the WT doesn`t burn apostates at the stake (probably only
  because it`s illegal) they do have many similarities to medival
  Catholicism.Recently, one un-believing husband in our cong. brought
  home some literature critical of the WTS.His wife,a pioneer sister,
  gathered up his literature and in his absence lit it on fire.When he
  came home it had become a pile of ashes in his own front lawn!
  Ironically, a while before that the WT had contained an article
  about medival church practices including the burning of books and
  literature critical of the church. JWD
• 
  4

  Free Labor!!

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  several years back i was listening to a man who lived in a religious.

  community tell about how much god had blessed them.the main evidences.

  of god`s blessings were the impressive buildings and beautifully manicured grounds, complete with lovely flower gardens.this organization`s method of operations was to have everybody live together and work in the community`s various businesses.they manufactured some products and also had a growing printing and publishing operation.. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JWD

  Several years back I was listening to a man who lived in a religious
  community tell about how much God had blessed them.The main evidences
  of God`s blessings were the impressive buildings and beautifully manicured grounds, complete with lovely flower gardens.This organization`s method of operations was to have everybody live together and work in the community`s various businesses.They manufactured some products and also had a growing printing and publishing operation.
  
  At the time most of the labor was done by members of the community
  who were not salaried.Instead of a monthly salary,they received an
  allowance.I believe the amount was something like $50 per individual
  and $200 per family.All members of the family worked,either in money
  producing operations or in maintanence of the place itself.I was told
  that the place was really expanding,buying new properties and building
  new buildings.Many of the new properties were in other countries where
  they were opening up bookstores and other operations. All of this,I was told were signs of God`s blessing.

  Since then,I`ve heard things changed.Due to new tax laws,and the threat of law suits from unhappy former members,the community was forced to make a choice.Either they could have all their members take a vow of poverty and live in a monastic way or,they had to start paying salaries. The community was small (a few hundred people) and each person had voting rights.They decided to go with a salary based system.Since that change I`ve heard things have changed.Money has gotten tight.Real estate has been sold to keep above water financially and they seem to be facing the challenges of any normal business. My question is; What happened toGod`s special blessing?
  It seems the apparent blessing was built more out of free labor than a special line to heaven. (I`ve also heard that most members of the community are happier now that they can control their own funds).
  
  All of this raises questions about the WTS`s set-up.How many people
  buy into the idea of special blessings from Jehovah when they see the
  photos of the ever-increasing world-wide real estate? How many people
  have ever given any serious thought to the power of FREE LABOR?
  
  Many years back I worked in the printing industry.At the time my job
  was called `Litho Stripping`.It was the phase of printing between the
  design stage and plate making.One time I asked my boss to give me a
  quote on the cost of printing 1 million copies of the WT magazine.
  He came up with a price of any where from 7 cents to 11 cents per
  copy (W/O labor).It was said at that time that the cost of producing
  a book was between 10 - 12% of the cover price.In the real world you
  have to add labor,distribution and bookstore margins. In the WT world
  however, the dynamics are very different.You have virtually free labor
  and free distribution.On top of that you have guaranteed sales!
  Someone once said,`Without labor costs,you would have to be a total
  idiot to fail in business`.

  How long will the sweat and tears of the bros. free labor world wide
  be called the special blessing of Jehovah? Have Bethel workers taken
  a vow of poverty? What is a person left with when they leave the org.
  after years of un-rewarded profit generating labor? How does the org.
  get around the U.S. tax laws? When will people wake up to the fact
  that the WT empire is built on FREE LABOR. JWD
• 
  95

  Org. Re-orging in JAPAN

  by JWD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you who haven`t been following it,the wts is in a downward spiral here in japan.fs hours are down,memorial attendance.

  is down,pioneers are down,studies are down,donations are down,number.

  of congregations is down and the number of publishers continues to.

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  JWD

  Some years back when the org. had a major building project at the
  national headquarters, a place called `Ebina Bethel`,they took up
  a collection.Many of the bros. donated for the project and others
  gave `interest free` loans to the organization.One older sister gave
  an interest free loan of a significant amount of money.The org. promised to pay it back by a set time (a couple of years later),but
  when the time drew near instead of repayment, the older lady received
  a letter stating that if she so desired she could `have the privaledge
  of changing the loan to a donation`.The sister was shocked and fearing
  she might not get the large sum back she contacted a friend of ours
  who was an elder at the time and knew people at Ebina Bethel.He too
  was taken aback by the manuver and wrote to Ebina Bethel.It took time, but ultimately she did get her loan paid back. Is that type of
  thing a common practice throughout the world, or is it only here in
  Japan?