truth_b_known

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Posts by truth_b_known

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  24

  Naked in the New World

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know there was a painting of a woman being resurrected naked and someone coming to greet her holding clothes, but what about after perfection, after the thousand years?.

  the idea is we're supposed to achieve what adam lost by returning to human perfection, so wouldn't that include not wearing clothes, especially as the act of adam and eve hiding in the trees and sewing fig leaves signified shame, and imperfection passed on through the reproductive organs.

  has the wt ever addressed this?

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  truth_b_known

  Adam and Eve were created perfect, without sin. That means they did not have the desire to act in opposition to God's laws. They were also created without the knowledge of what was right and what was wrong.

  Only after eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad did Adam realize he was naked. Adam acquired the knowledge of good and bad as did Eve. In short - Adam and Eve had no idea what a sin was prior to eating from the tree. Apparently, being naked in public is a sin.

  This is all an exercise in arguing over who is stronger - Superman of The Hulk.
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  24

  The elephant in the room post

  by joey jojo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is it ok to talk about the ongoing post about 'he who must not ne named"?.

  my perspective: im a neutral observer.

  i dont know lloyd evans, im not an active member of any ex-jw group (except this one i guess).

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  truth_b_known

  Lloyd Evans has criticised WT policies which cover up child sex abuse. He can't, or shouldn't, then go around seeing Thai prostitutes, many of whom could have been underage and/or forced into sex work.

  LoveUniHateExams for the win!
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  53

  Watchtower vs Islam: Why the deafening silence?

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  why has the watchtower failed spectacularly to evangelize to the muslims?

  considering the recent influx of muslim people in european countries you would think that some attempt from the religion that touts the are preaching the good news of the kingdom in all the inhabited earth would have been made.instead the only meaningful attempt dates back to 1953 ,almost 70 years ago!!!!

  book " man's search for god.what do you think?

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  truth_b_known

  One reason is the major change in how the Watchtower once pressured Jehovah's Witnesses to be competent in making a "fine witness" through "personal study". Witnesses were expected study on their own to make their public ministry more effective. In this case, Witnesses would have to study Islam to effectively engage on the topic with Muslims.

  The Watchtower has changed its stance on this. Personal study has been reduced. Witnesses are actually discouraged getting into deep topics of faith. The fear of the Watchtower is that Witnesses will find out the truth about the Truth.

  It is easier to witness to persons who profess to be of a Christian faith (common belief system) and simply ask them to visit the JW website or watch a video.

  The Watchtower knows good and well that new members have predominately always been the children of current members. Out of fear of current members becoming educated and leaving it is safer to limit witnessing.

  Side Note:

  There are 3 Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All 3 are manmade religions. Christianity simply hitched its wagon onto Judaism, which is a manufactured story of a people who were desperate not to lose their national identity from being conquered by every world empire through history.
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  11

  Immidiate regret. Third rule broken, namely: passion rules reason

  by Judgerussellford in

  1. social
  2. current

  i chose world events as a topic because it was the only one that seemed fitting enough.

  i left work early (if you can call 445-3 early) so i could get some shopping done, fill up, grab a scratcher for the wife and be on my way home.

  after i filled the tank i strolled into the tiny room of the gas station, to find myself behind an argument just started.

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  truth_b_known

  The Latin root for emotion means "to cause to take action".

  All sensory input to your brain first goes through the amygdala which is the center of emotional memory. This is also the fight or flight center of the brain. This is why it is important to pause and clear our minds before taking action when able.

  A regular meditation practice has been found to shrink the amygdala and grow the frontal cortex (logic and reason center).
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  28

  Do you pray?

  by Fisherman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i’ve always had a personal relationship with god that is not affected by any issues or controversies i have with anybody..

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  truth_b_known

  I used to. I stopped. I find it rather pointless.

  A few years ago I read The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. If you are a practicing Christian I highly recommend the reading this book. Bonhoeffer's life story is a powerful one.

  It matters little what form of prayer we adopt or how many words we use. What matters is the faith which lays hold on God, knowing that He knows our needs before we even ask Him. That is what gives Christian prayer its boundless confidence and its joyous certainty.

  If God is already tending to everyone, prayer is pointless. God will do what he will do, and your prayers are as useless as they would be if God didn’t exist.

  Either -

  1. Prayer makes a difference: God only tends to people when we ask them to. (Which raises the question, why is our request so special?)
     
  2. Prayer does not make a difference: God will do what he will do when he wants to do it, and our praying is pointless regardless of whether God exists or not.

  Prayer lulls believers into a false sense of accomplishment. We cannot solve our problems – much less the world’s – through prayer. We often see people with good intentions praying for victims in the wake of a tragedy, but prayer is useless without action, and those actions make the prayers irrelevant. To paraphrase the great Robert Green Ingersoll, hands that help are far better than lips that pray.

  Meditative, self-reflective prayer may be beneficial. Outside of that, it is a waste of time that could be better used taking action.
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  11

  Immidiate regret. Third rule broken, namely: passion rules reason

  by Judgerussellford in

  1. social
  2. current

  i chose world events as a topic because it was the only one that seemed fitting enough.

  i left work early (if you can call 445-3 early) so i could get some shopping done, fill up, grab a scratcher for the wife and be on my way home.

  after i filled the tank i strolled into the tiny room of the gas station, to find myself behind an argument just started.

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  truth_b_known

  This is a great post.

  I once heard someone say: "No good decision was ever made by emotions."

  Emotion is a defense mechanism of the brain. It is part of our fight or flight response. It is not based in reason and logic.

  Take a moment. Take a breath. Be compassionate and wise.
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  27

  New and improved?

  by tenyearsafter in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a family member who had been df'ed for 15 years or so...recently they reinstated as a jw.

  when i asked what motivated them to make that decision, the response was to be able to see family and old friends.

  they insisted that things were different now.

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  truth_b_known

  This is not true, I’m an elder and I know nothing of this. Congregations as far as I know just answer in their own words

  MikeJW - Perhaps I am confusing it with the directive to keep all comments brief. This has to deal with the shortened times for the meetings.
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  27

  New and improved?

  by tenyearsafter in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a family member who had been df'ed for 15 years or so...recently they reinstated as a jw.

  when i asked what motivated them to make that decision, the response was to be able to see family and old friends.

  they insisted that things were different now.

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  truth_b_known

  What has changed (in short) -

  Doctrinal Changes

  • All Annointed on Earth are no longer the Faithful & Discreet Slave
  • Only the Governing Body is the Faithful & Discreet Slave

  Practice Changes

  • Fewer weekly meetings
  • Monthly hour requirement for pioneers reduced
  • Stationary cart witnessing slowly replacing door-to-door preaching
  • Answering at meetings is to be limited to re-reading directly from the source material

  Watchtower Changes

  • The publishing of books and magazines has nearly ceased all together
  • JW website and JW Broadcasting replacing reading & studying
  • Personal study discouraged (The Governing Body will tell you what you need to know)
  • Real Estate scams funded by the rank and file are new revenue stream

  What has Actually Changed

  • Witnesses have less to do
  • Witnesses are no longer expected to competent to carry out a ministry or defend their faith
  • When asked questions Witnesses are instructed to refer people to the JW website

  What Still Remains the Same

  • Misogyny
  • Homophobia
  • Outright bloodlust for the death of non-believers
  • Shunning for non-conformity and asking questions
  • Protecting pedophiles
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  18

  Jehovah's Witnesses resume sidewalk carts after pandemic pause, soon will do door knocking

  by Bangalore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jehovah's witnesses resume sidewalk carts after pandemic pause, soon will do door knocking.. https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/jehovahs-witnesses-resume-sidewalk-carts-door-knocking-next-list/10168175002/.

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  truth_b_known

  

  "Do you think we should tell those JWs that you can't get far riding a cart?"
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  35

  the sounding of the trumpet

  by enoughisenough in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i will risk showing my ignorance but i had some questioning thoughts in my head lately...maybe those more scholarly than me have insight.

  jw teach that the anointed who now die go immediately to heaven.

  when lazarus had died martha said she knew he would rise on the last day.

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  truth_b_known

  EnoughisEnough:

  I think you are on to something.

  Look at history. The history of the Jewish people and their religion.

  We are introduced to 2 religious groups in Israel in the New Testament - the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees outnumbered the Pharisees and had more influence. Their role in society was to keep the Israelite religion free from outside influence and preserve the Mosiac Law as well as temple worship. The majority of Israelite history has the Israelites holding no belief in life after death. The New Testament shows that the Sadducees strongly held this belief.

  The Pharisees on the other hand did were religious progressives. They believed that God was soon going to end all the wicked on the Earth, usher in this utopian kingdom on Earth, and raise all the righteous dead in new bodies. The Pharisees believed in resurrection.

  There was a third set of beliefs by Jews - immortality. In Josephus' writings we are made aware of the Essenes who believed that a person consists of 2 parts - a body that disintegrates and an immortal soul that would enjoy a pleasant afterlife.

  Keep in mind, most Israelites were neither Sadducees or Pharisees. There are no writings that reveal what the every day Israelite believed. What we do know is it comes down to one of three views -

  • Annihilation (The oldest held belief)
  • Immortality (Thanks to Greek influence)
  • Resurrection

  Check out Bart Ehrman's book Heaven and Hell - A History of the Afterlife.