John Aquila

Joined

• started 112 topics
• posted 1,098 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by John Aquila

• 
  13

  Anointed, Crazy, Overzealous, or Good Acting?

  by Tenacious in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i don't believe for a second that the wts can be god's chosen organization, if he does have an earthly one, especially one with such a hypocritical past.

  but the question begs; why are there people professing having the heavenly calling usually found in the wts?.

  does anyone know or have heard of other denominations having the genuine heavenly calling?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  why are there people professing having the heavenly calling usually found in the WTS?

  For the same reason this person believes he is a leopard.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0rdZk4naYo
  
• 
  20

  Are JW's inflating their numbers?

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  it can be anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes!

  as long as you've had a literature discussion three times, you can start counting it as a study.

  first, they say you can now count only 15 minutes a month.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  Do you think we'll be seeing negative growth anytime soon?

  Did Bernie Madoff report negative growth?

  
• 
  22

  Why did the org "forgive" KH mortgages?

  by Magnum in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i know this has been discussed, but i think it's good that topics like this get brought back up from time to time for the sake of newbies and lurkers, plus, i have a question (related at end of post).. the org brags about "forgiving" kh mortgages as if it's so loving and giving.

  i put the word in quotation marks because most of us realize it wasn't forgiving anything.

  the new arrangement should actually bring it far more money.. for example, suppose there are twenty congregations total.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  Again, was it some kind of lending law change or something like that that prompted or forced the org to "forgive" loans?

  Before the arrangement, the KHs were paying back a loan. After the new arrangement, it’s not considered a loan, it’s considered a contribution or a gift.

  If I have a business that lends money, I have to report it as business income. The WT does not want to be labeled as a business. But if several people give me money, I have no business, someone was just nice enough to give me a gift and the giver is responsible for paying the tax on the gift, not me.

  Who pays the gift tax?
  The donor is generally responsible for paying the gift tax. Under special arrangements the donee may agree to pay the tax instead if he wishes.

  http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Frequently-Asked-Questions-on-Gift-Taxes#1
• 
  134

  Young Girl Exposes Jehovah's Witnesses at school video goes VIRAL last 2 days 273,000 views

  by Watchtower-Free in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original thread here.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/291080001/brave-high-school-student-exposes-abuse-corruption-within-jehovahs-witnesses.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdvt_gyq-ls.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  It led to Church elders coming over to my house to counsel me.They told me I was guilty of making him masturbate.

  What would be great is if a News team interviewed those elders and ask them why they feel that a girl in a bikini causes people to masturbate? Do they still believe that masturbation causes homosexuality?

  Ask the elders why a woman that is raped is disfellowshipped?
  

  That would expose them even more to their craziness.
• 
  5

  The Governing Body is indicted.

  by John Aquila in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  the governing body of the watchtower is not as immune as they might think..

  anything can happen at any time to any organization no matter how big, how powerful, how religious or how long they been involved in wrongdoing.. .

  fifa, the powerful and polarizing governing body for soccer, came under prosecutorial assault from two fronts wednesday.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  The governing body of the Watchtower is not as immune as they might think.

  Anything can happen at any time to any organization no matter how big, how powerful, how religious or how long they been involved in wrongdoing.

  
  

  FIFA, the powerful and polarizing governing body for soccer, came under prosecutorial assault from two fronts Wednesday. The U.S. investigation targets alleged wrongdoing that spans 24 years. U.S. prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 14 people, on charges ranging from money laundering to fraud and racketeering. "It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.

  http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/27/football/fifa-corruption-charges-justice-department/index.html
• 
  36

  Looking for ideas.

  by Driving Force in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i received an email from one of the elder in the local congregation.

  i am not dfed so there is not a problem there, i am just an aggressive fader.. one of the last things i said to this elder before i stopped all activities was that i do not agree with the borg taking all the assets from the congregations.. here is what the elder said in the email:.

  "i recently saw something while looking through the jw broadcasting for the month of may and i though about you.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  I am just an aggressive fader.

  If you want to be successful at fading, then just blow him off and don't engage. If he confronts you about it, just say thanks and that you will think about it.
  

  If you engage to try to help him wake up, your fading might turn into a Judicial Committee.

  Is the effort to try to help him wake up worth the possible aggravation? Or is fading in peace a better option?
  
• 
  24

  How many years will pass before the world recognizes we were right?

  by John Aquila in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  its inevitable that at some point in time, people will look back and see that the exjw community was right about the watchtower organization and the bible..

  i have some friends who are catholic, protestant, and some who dont associate with any religion but believe jesus will come in their lifetime.

  we are such a small minority compared to christians that we are viewed as ignorant when it comes to religious matters.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  Black and white thinking again. You cannot use mathematics as a comparison to judgemental thinking

  I disagree. Black and white thinking is a phrase, cliche, that is overused with no thought to the fact that life is not just about us vs them, and it not just about cults, but involves other complex interactions between humans that necessitates that a person make judgment calls that involve lives of people.

  Seeing to many shades of grey is one of the reasons many people don’t qualify to lead in business. Seeing many shades of grey also causes others to struggle socially. There are so focused on seeing so many different ways that a situation can go that they just can’t decide what action to take. Example; “The tall one, the short one, the blond one the brunette until finally the person winds up alone. Black and white thinking is very necessary in many situations that involve judgmental thinking that affects not only the person making the judgment call but those that will be affected by it.

  
  

  
  
• 
  24

  How many years will pass before the world recognizes we were right?

  by John Aquila in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  its inevitable that at some point in time, people will look back and see that the exjw community was right about the watchtower organization and the bible..

  i have some friends who are catholic, protestant, and some who dont associate with any religion but believe jesus will come in their lifetime.

  we are such a small minority compared to christians that we are viewed as ignorant when it comes to religious matters.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  Magnum

  My question is how long before a significant number of JWs realize we were right?

  
  I think it happening right before our eyes Magnum. But we are so close to the situation that we see the ridges on the saw, intead of the direction the entire saw is traveling. I was in over 40 years, but I never saw the crazy changes in the organization like I have in the past 2 years.

  Even if I hadn't learned TTATT and I was still in, I would be freaking out big time with all the changes. I would be forced to search for some answers on the internet. The fear of what is happening to the organization would override the fear of looking for answers in the internet. I am really curious to see what the organization will look like in 2020. It is definitely imploding.
  
• 
  24

  How many years will pass before the world recognizes we were right?

  by John Aquila in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  its inevitable that at some point in time, people will look back and see that the exjw community was right about the watchtower organization and the bible..

  i have some friends who are catholic, protestant, and some who dont associate with any religion but believe jesus will come in their lifetime.

  we are such a small minority compared to christians that we are viewed as ignorant when it comes to religious matters.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  It’s inevitable that at some point in time, people will look back and see that the exjw community was right about the Watchtower Organization and the Bible.

  I have some friends who are Catholic, Protestant, and some who don’t associate with any religion but believe Jesus will come in their lifetime.

  We are such a small minority compared to Christians that we are viewed as ignorant when it comes to religious matters. Yet many of my friends have never read the Bible all the way through even once. Yet many of us have read the Bible several times plus all the history behind the OT and the NT.

  How many years before the Christian population finally says; “Wow, those crazy EXJWS were right after all?
• 
  39

  Doing away with Calculating How Close we are to THE END

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the watchtower study edition, august 2015, "keep in expectation!

  " article:.

  paragraph 3: "after looking forward to the end of this system for what may seem to be a long time, however, some may wonder, do we still have sound reasons to keep in expectation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Aquila

  Paragraph 6: "We might ask: Could not 'the conclusion of the system of things' refer to a future time when world conditions will become even worse? The Bible does indicate that wickedness will greatly increase 'in the last days.' (2 Tim. 3:1, 13; Matt. 24:21; Rev. 12:12)

  So we can expect that world conditions, bad as they are now, will continue to decline."

  
  Am I reading this right? It sounds like a major change.

  WT explanation;

  With this in mind consider Jesus's words;

  (Luke 21:26, 27) . . .while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
  

  So we can see friends, that the world is not at a point where men are becoming faint out of fear of the things coming upon the inhabited earth. This should encourage us to exert ourselves vigorously in the preaching work and give as much as we can in volunteer work and financial support-$$$$ While we still have time.

  (Luke 13:24) . . .Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell YOU, will seek to get in but will not be able.

  Aren’t we appreciative that Jehovah has seen fit to lengthened the time of the end and kept the ark of salvation open-Jehovah’s Organization- for more people to be saved. So let us follow the admonition in God’s word and not slack off, but instead be diligent in God’s work before the door closes.

  (Ecclesiastes 11:6) . . .In the morning sow your seed and until the evening do not let your hand rest;. . .

  Does that sound about right?