Posts by snakeface

31

stupid statement in watchtower about appointments of elders

by hoser in

after going through all the processes of how they appointed elders in the past they say this:.

"the elders in turn would inform the newly appointed men of their appointment, asking them if they were willing and actually qualified to accept the assignment.

so after qualifying the man you ask him if he is qualified.. .

snakeface

I remember, it was common practice for the elders to meet together and "recommend" a brother for appointment, without that brother's knowledge. The elders would have the circuit overseer sign the letter, which would be sent to the society. Then the society would send a letter back saying that they have appointed the particualr brother. After that, an elder would apporach the brother to say he has been appointed, is it OK for them to announce it at this meeting or is there any reason he cannot serve.

That's how it worked in my own case too, except that I knew that the elders and circuit overseer had sent in the letter; they had told me so.

Therefore, a few weeks after the circuit overseer visit when one elder approached me this way, saying that I had been appointed and asking if there was any reason I would be unable or unqualified to serve. (Of course I said No.) I took it to mean, "Are there any disqualifying factors that may have been overlooked," or, "Has anything in your life changed since we drafted the letter to the society that would disqualify you?"

However, if something had been overlooked, or changed, would the holy spirit notice anyway? Duh!

27

Volunteering.

by Jeannette in

since i left the watchtower a couple of years ago, i started volunteering 3 hours a week at a wecare center.

it's like goodwill.

well, i've been there approximately 9 months, and yesterday i received a lovely thank you card from them.

snakeface

That's great! And you DESERVE to be thanked! Unlike the cult where they teach you think, "We are good-for-nothing sleaves; what we are doing is what we ought to have done."

You will find "worldy" (i.e., "normal") people to be loving and appreciative of you. They will respect you and treat you with dignity and build you up rather than tear you down.

24

Bethel experiences sound like a prison sentence.Why even go?

by goingthruthemotions in

when i read about bethel experiences my mind go to the show locked up raw!.

why would someone subject themselves to this without commeting a crime.. the wife and i went to see bethel in broklyn a few years ago and it was unlike anything i expected.

very cold.. went the bosert hotel and was talking to a brother there and asked how long he had been there, he said 25 years...i asked how old he was.

snakeface

You're right! When someone leaves there they have nothing...no 401K, nothing. Just the clothing on their backs.

42

Is the Bible just as fake as the JW's

by BackSlider in

jw
friends

it seems that the more i research, the more i find that it's all just a big scam.

is there any evidence that even the bible isn't just another big religion/government scam?

would we listen to putin or obama if they told us they have verified new holy writings?

snakeface

The New World Translation definitely is fake! Compare it to other translations and you'll see.

For example, the King James Bible says at 1 John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one," which obviously is talking about the Trinity. Yet the NWT says that the three are "the spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three are in agreement." Even if you do not believe in the Trinity, you can't tell what 1 John 5:7 in the NWT talking about. The NWT is vague.

This is just one example. Another example is all the texts that have been removed and show in the NWT as "----".

10

How To Respond

by Stormcrow in

jw
friends

would somebody please tell this computer-dummy how to join in and respond to comments please?.

i cannot find a single help button and when i click on the little pencil logo, i just get an error msg.. help?.

snakeface

Welcome to this group!

I was not able to "reply" to threads from one of my older phones. The reply window did not appear at the bottom of the screen. But on my current smartphone I can reply.

17

What Specifically Are the "Sins" Due to Imperfection that We Commit Each Day ?

by RubaDub in

as jw's we are constantly reminded that we sin each day due to imperfection.

but when bringing up the specifics, i have never gotten a good answer.. several times i have even mentioned to others of my getting up on a sunday morning, reading the daily text, studying the watchtower for the afternoon meeting, driving to the meeting (under the speed limit), answering at the meeting, (not using more than one towel in the restroom), going out in service later in the afternoon, coming home, having dinner, and then in the evening preparing for a part for the ministry school.. i didn't recall scheming in my heart about doing something bad or anything like that.. so, specifically, where does the "sin" come in?

and if what i did was sinful, how can i improve on it?

snakeface

Sin is, like, not believing that the governing body are the custodians of the benefits of Christ's sacrifice. The mediator between Christ and the human race.

hehehe

26

Been asked to share my experience at church!!

by quellycatface in

jw
friends

my vicar asked me if i and another lady would like to say a few words about our faith journey.. she said my story was a particular powerful one, what with the da'ing and subsequent shunning.

i can also choose a hymn or christian song.. i was thinking of romans 8:38, 39 to highlight the shunning and the other scripture ne of how true christians will be indentified, if they have love among themselves etc.

i need to look that one up exactly.. any ideas for content for further content??.

snakeface

That's wonderful! I recently joined a church and they see my "conversion" as a victory for Christ, a soul being saved from false religion - a mind-controlling cult. Several of the people there have told me I am an "encouragement" to them.

14

Visited Baptist church on Easter

by snakeface in

i live in a rural area; in field service we had to drive from house to house.. i have not had any desire to visit any church for several years now.

saturday i was doing chores in my yard - washing the car, etc.

- and 2 ladies drove in, dressed like witnesses would be dressed.

snakeface

mgmelkat, yes I have had pastors/deacons/members of other religions say the JWs are a "dangerous" and "mild-controlling" cult.

14

Visited Baptist church on Easter

by snakeface in

i live in a rural area; in field service we had to drive from house to house.. i have not had any desire to visit any church for several years now.

saturday i was doing chores in my yard - washing the car, etc.

- and 2 ladies drove in, dressed like witnesses would be dressed.

snakeface

I'm in Florida, USA.

Yeah I'm not interested in joining, just visited. I've visited other churches too. It's interesting to see women on the platform. One church I visited had a female pastor and she was an excellent speaker. Many churches have one or several persons playing instruments, others singing in groups or solo. I think having that variety keeps the services interesting. The service might be, say, an hour long, but it's broken up into different presentations. The sermon, a soloist singing, someone making announcements, a piano solo, a group singing and playing guitars, a child reading a portion of the scriptures, and so on. Whereas with the JWs, it's just one brother talking, then another brother talking, then another brother talking, then another brother talking....maybe a sister talking to another sister....

14

Visited Baptist church on Easter

by snakeface in

i live in a rural area; in field service we had to drive from house to house.. i have not had any desire to visit any church for several years now.

saturday i was doing chores in my yard - washing the car, etc.

- and 2 ladies drove in, dressed like witnesses would be dressed.

snakeface

I live in a rural area; in field service we had to drive from house to house.

I have not had any desire to visit any church for several years now. Saturday I was doing chores in my yard - washing the car, etc. - and 2 ladies drove in, dressed like witnesses would be dressed. They were from a small local Baptist church around the corner from me, inviting neighbors to their Easter Sunday service. I never even knew that church was there, less than 1 mile away. They were handing out printed invitiations. I saw that there was an early service followed by breakfast, then another service later on at which time the children would be putting on a play. The ladies said they are just a "small, country church". I didn't have anything planned for Sunday, and the thought of the children putting on a play caught my curiosity. You'd never see that at a Kingdom Hall! So I told the ladies maybe I will go.

I did go and it was really nice. Less than 50 people there. Casual dress. The children re-enacted the scene where the women came to roll the stone away from the tomb and the angel told them, "He is not here; he has risen..." and the angel then tells them to go tell the other disciples. The play was very enjoyable. I could tell the parents were proud of them. Then there was a short service. I was actually impressed that the preacher used many scriptures; I could not disagree with anything he said. They use the King James Bible. He stuck to the message of Jesus having risen from the dead. He didn't bring up that the congregation needs to do this or that or we must show our obedience to God by obeying his representatives or anything like that. He stuck to the one topic and he let the topic speak for itself. Afterward I had to tell him what an effective teacher he is, and that he knows his bible. It was a pleasant experience. The complete opposite of what you'd experience at a Kingdom Hall.