bats in the belfry

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Posts by bats in the belfry

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  7

  Need help locating WT quotes aginst private research etc...

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have spent a bit of time in the wt cd and forum search looking for passages where the wt soc discourages personal research as i have seen a number of references to this on the forum.. i find lots of pro research using the soc publications naturally.

  encouraging the r&f to use all the publications etc.... perhaps i am just not using the right search words.

  where can i find writings against one spending time with encyclopeadias, the internet and reading the bible alone etc.

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  bats in the belfry

  At the Governing Body We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™
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  7

  WT Sunday march 16

  by bobld in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i cannot believe how stupid jw are and their reasoning.they miss the point that the lord jesus christ done away with the mosaic law.they live in the o/t of ritualistic practices of worship which is daily sacrifices of killing animals for sins=to wbts practices of going from door to door.that was just a shitty article.. why did the old foggie waste their resources of offering the best fat sheep for their sins.why not obey and not sin,they new the law.i know not to drink and drive so i do not have to pay the price because i obey the law.. and the wt comments like we have make sacrifices and it costs us something for our service to god,ie car,gas effort going from door to door..

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  bats in the belfry

  They are full of ambivalence in their statements. Only a couple of paragraphs earlier in the same chapter of that aforementioned book they say this:

  7 Those who argue for continuance of certain features of the Law do not fully appreciate that a righteous standing with God depends, not on one’s works of the Law, but on one’s faith in the value of Jesus’ sacrifice. (Gal. 3:11, 12) They feel that a person must prove himself righteous by such works—something that is impossible for sinful humans. It is, indeed, important to do works in obedience to commands of God and Christ that apply to Christians. (Jas. 2:15-17; Matt. 28:19, 20) These are a means of demonstrating our love and faith, and lack of them would indicate that our faith was dead. But we cannot earn salvation no matter how hard we work. No salvation from sin and death would be possible without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Thus eternal life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ, an expression of extraordinary undeserved kindness and not payment for our works.—Eph. 2:8, 9; Rom. 3:23, 24; 6:23.

  8 When the issue involving application of the Mosaic Law to Gentile Christians was presented to the governing body in Jerusalem in the first century, their decision was in harmony with these facts. They recognized that Jehovah was not requiring Gentile believers to perform works in obedience to the Mosaic Law before holy spirit was poured out on them. The decision of that governing body did list as “necessary things” certain prohibitions that were in harmony with that Law, but these were based on the Bible record concerning events that predated the Law. So there was not an imposing on Gentile Christians of a responsibility to conform to the Mosaic Law or some portion of it but, rather, there was a confirming of standards recognized prior to Moses.—Acts 15:28, 29; compare Genesis 9:3, 4; 34:2-7; 35:2-5.

  United in Worship of the Only True God (1984), chap. 19 p. 148, 149
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  3

  Grace vs. Undeserved Kindness

  by bats in the belfry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  just doing some research on the wt lib cd - - wow, the balls these people have is just unbearable.. .

  is not the new world translation of the christian greek scriptures verbose, for instance, in using catches sight of for sees at 1 john 5:16 and undeserved kindness for grace?j.

  s., united states.. .

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  bats in the belfry

  Just doing some research on the WT Lib CD - - wow, the balls these people have is just unbearable.

  ? Is not the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures verbose, for instance, in using “catches sight of” for “sees” at 1 John 5:16 and “undeserved kindness” for “grace”?—J. S., United States.

  You do not state whether you have studied the koiné Greek of the Bible or not, but, if not, then, because of your unfamiliarity therewith, the way the New World Translation Committee renders some Greek verbs and terms and expressions in English may seem strained to you or verbose. But not so according to one acquainted with the Greek. The Greek verb rendered “catches sight of” in the New World Translation is in a peculiar tense of the Greek language, the aorist, and refers not to a repetition of acts or to a continuing action but to just one instance of the act. The use of the present tense of the verb “see,” namely, “sees,” as in the King James Version, does not bring out accurately the singular meaning of the verb here in the aorist tense, the catching of a person, as you say, red-handed, in the act.

  Likewise with the expression “undeserved kindness.” It is simply because people do not understand the meaning of this Scriptural Greek word in its several uses that the New World Translation Committee made the meaning unmistakable by the use of the above expression. In English the word “grace” has fourteen or more different meanings. Which one does it mean, as at John 1:14 (AV), “full of grace and truth”? Does it mean there “gracefulness”? Or “favor”? Or “the grant of temporary immunity”? Or what? The New World Translation leaves no doubt as to the meaning but renders it “undeserved kindness,” in keeping with the context, as, for instance, the succeeding verse 17.

  So we appreciate the New World Translation for its attention to detail and its sincere effort to bring out the exact shade of meaning of the original koiné Greek rather than bring out a slipshod translation with an equivocal meaning.

  w56 7/1 p. 415
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  30

  is death a transition?

  by soft+gentle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  all spritiual views welcome.

  i'd also like to know if the bible presents death as a transition and if it does so more than presenting it as a complete end..

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  bats in the belfry

  ... from the "conscious" to the "unconscious state", perhaps ? ! ? (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
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  45

  Memorial Invitation official first day today

  by OneDayillBeFree in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  well it's that time of year again and the invitations to another pointless memorial aka reject jesus party is now in full swing.

  even though it's only the first day i'm already more than sick of it!

  this is the first year i am fully mentally awake for the memorial season, and honestly i'm so sick of it all!

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  bats in the belfry

  If you have received too many invitations from the sales desk, here is an idea for the afternoon to enjoy with your kids:

  
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  16

  I saw this on Wiki about the 'dubs and i was surprised by it's accuracy

  by wha happened? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know people were poo pooing wiki earlier and i agree with some of thr comments, but this article is interesting.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/eschatology_of_jehovah%27s_witnesses.

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  bats in the belfry

  Please:

  Do not forget to send the Wikipedia link to all the interested ones.
• 
  16

  I saw this on Wiki about the 'dubs and i was surprised by it's accuracy

  by wha happened? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know people were poo pooing wiki earlier and i agree with some of thr comments, but this article is interesting.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/eschatology_of_jehovah%27s_witnesses.

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  bats in the belfry

  "While the Internet is a convenient and quick source of vast amounts of information, our researchers do not rely on blogs or poorly documented Web entries written by unidentified or unqualified persons. For example, Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, warns that some articles on its own site “contain significant misinformation, unencyclopedic content, or vandalism,” adding that “users need to be aware of this.” Thus, the Writing Department looks to standard reference works, articles written by recognized experts, and books produced by respected publishers."

  2011 Yearbook, pp. 9-10

  Well, at least Wikipedia as a research tool flags misinformation, deletes inappropriate and derogatory remarks, and is very well cross-referenced. That's more than what I can say about the WTBTS literature, especially when they start self-grandeurizing by 'TRACING ALL THINGS WITH ACCURACY’.

  Btw, when doing Wikipedia research the GB puts out a general advisory “to be aware of this” misinformation. So, just as you have seen misinformation in various Awake! and The Watchtower magazines - go ahead, check it out: Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses (caveat emptor).
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  24

  WT June 15 on jw.org

  by Gayle in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  just scanned thru quickly,,same stuff i think mostly,,dan.

  chapter 2,, world powers illustrations,,re-statements of 1914 & 607,,. by the time the lords day began.

  in 1914,pg 15.

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  bats in the belfry

  Sorry, it is: WT June 15, 2012, page 31 / mea culpa!
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  24

  WT June 15 on jw.org

  by Gayle in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  just scanned thru quickly,,same stuff i think mostly,,dan.

  chapter 2,, world powers illustrations,,re-statements of 1914 & 607,,. by the time the lords day began.

  in 1914,pg 15.

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  bats in the belfry

  Is Loretta for real? Where do they find these people? Let me get this straight: When the company relocated the business, her boss checked for her place of worship to accommodate her beliefs, and she turned it down?

  Quintessentially, you've got to love the it when the GB proverbially kicks the JWs in the ass by scripture-quoting the life-sytle of the rich and famous.

  ---

  Loretta, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, had a good job at a food-preparation company. When the company was to relocate, Loretta was offered an important position at the new place: “It’s the chance of a lifetime,” the directors told her. “We’ve already found out that there’s a Kingdom Hall there.” But Loretta wanted to simplify her life to serve the Creator more fully. She saw that the new post would leave her less time for Christian activities. Hence, she submitted her resignation, though the director confided that she was the only employee whom they really wanted to keep. Loretta, who now has been a regular pioneer for some 20 years, is convinced that the good results obtained were directly related to her having planned with “skillful direction,” yes, in harmony with the advice found in God’s Word. She strengthened her relationship with Jehovah and has had the privilege of helping several to accept
  Bible truth.
  
  (...) True success is not determined by the material or social goals that those in the world often pursue. King Solomon understood this. He was inspired to write: “It will turn out well with those fearing the true God, because they were in fear of him.” (Eccl. 8:12)

  ---

  Awake! June 15, 2012, page 31
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  140

  Blame the designer and not the product: God and the lame Free Will argument

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  this is the one thing nobody is ever able to explain to me!.

  if a genius designs something to operate in a specific way in order to obtain a precise outcome and it doesn't work---tell me again why we don't blame the genius designer/manufacturer??.

  oh--that free will maguffin!.

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  bats in the belfry

  Is there free will? I have no choice but to believe.