Phizzy

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Posts by Phizzy

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  4

  Door to door preaching back?

  by usualusername1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a friend told me that this week a jw knocked on her door.

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  is house to house back now?.

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  Phizzy

  Back when I was a JW a C.O asked for a show of hands as to how many actually liked the D to D work, hardly a hand was raised. I cannot see it being any more popular today. Unusually,he went on to say HE did not like it, but of course trotted out the reasons why it should be done.

  I noticed a couple of years before the pandemic, so 2017ish, that the enthusiasm that formerly prompted a visit every 6 weeks or so up until then, had waned. The visits dropped to once in 3 months. I could gauge this because I worked from home, and from my desk could see who passed by in the street. (by then I was a Do Not Call, not because I asked for that, but because I was considered "dangerous to faith" for JW's to talk with me, LOL).

  When I was in we had a good number who rarely took much part in D to D, including a number of Elders, we had some who were expert at avoiding it by doing "return visits" etc.

  So, what with a general dislike, fake hours etc, how much actual door knocking will go on ?
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  14

  So after many years I’m back for a bit

  by truthsetsonefree in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have been out for a long time now and have kept busy.

  but tonight my jw mom asked me what is happening in norway.

  so i researched and wow!

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  Phizzy

  Welcome back TSOF !

  please "do not be a stranger at our door" ! we are all waiting for your next Post ! to tell us how your Mom reacted to what you found ! Cheers.
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  1

  Wallace's "The personality of The holy spirit"

  by Blotty in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  source: http://orcuttchristian.org/wallace_greek%20grammar%20and%20the%20personality%20of%20the%20holy%20spirit.pdfi assume this is a portion of one of his books considering the page numbers & all in all its quite good food-for-thought for both sides of the theological argument.

  his honesty here is surprising considering he once cited countess' very flawed argument.

  a very good article to read anyhow and unironically quite useful in teaching how greek antecedents work - something very important on occasion.not to "spoil" the article but here are some very "un- wallace" thoughts, considering his stance on the trinity:.

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  Phizzy

  Great find Blotty ! thanks for Posting !

  The Paper, which was an eye-opener to me, but confirmed my gut feeling, a feeling I have had since my late teens where, as a JW, I sparred with a number of Trinitarians, but did not have this to bludgeon them with !

  The paper ends with this, which I agree with too :

  " In sum, I have sought to demonstrate in this paper that the grammatical basis for the Holy Spirit's personality is lacking in the NT, yet this is frequently, if not usually, the first line of defense of that doctrine by many evangelical writers. But if grammar cannot legitimately be used to support the Spirit's personality, then perhaps we need to reexamine the rest of our basis for this theological commitment. I am not denying the doctrine of the Trinity, of course, but I am arguing that we need to ground our beliefs on a more solid foundation."

  I am not a believer of any stripe nowadays, and do not condemn those who believe the Trinity Doctrine, I see it as a natural evolution in Christology, but I do hate spurious use of Scripture ! The Trinity Doctrine is not found in the N.T, and even the Gospel of John does not point to a nascent form of it, it seems !
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  18

  Striving for more

  by punkofnice in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i hate my life!

  i have to say it, but i do.. i have a sneaking suspicion that because i was raised in the dangerous jehovah borgness cult, that this is the reason.

  i was told if god didn't watch me masturbating or smoking, then he'd let me live forever in perfect conditions.. i left the borg and as a result my jw wife left me and re-married another gung ho jobo.

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  Phizzy

  Hi Paul,

  I got myself a therapist when I had left the Borg. Depression had got so bad I was going to kill myself, she saved my life. Seek help, you can get it on the NHS, insist on a therapist, pills are not the thing.( Temporary use is O.K.,they are not a cure).

  My Therapist showed me how to drag myself up from the depths I was in, but even better, she showed me how not to sink in to any kind of depression ! I am so glad she did. My life right now, I can assure you, is more shit than yours is, but I can keep depression away, and I can even laugh, smile and feel happiness to a degree !

  All the best Buddy, get a Therapist !
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  18

  The use of "Stumbled" as a Control Technique.

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i thought about this when i read the expression in another thread, "someone was stumbled", they would never tell you who the person was, and simply used it to control you, or it got worse, some times it was "you might stumble someone" .. who were these stumbling loons of which they spoke ?

  not only was it a control mechanism, it encouraged you to not be your real self, ever.. i liked the response of one of my jw relatives to this, where they expected him to change the person he was, he said "these people accusing me are not perfect are they ?

  no, well then, they cannot expect perfection from me".

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  Phizzy

  I thought about this when I read the expression in another thread, "someone was stumbled", they would never tell you who the person was, and simply used it to control you, or it got worse, some times it was "you MIGHT stumble someone" .

  Who were these Stumbling Loons of which they spoke ? Not only was it a Control Mechanism, it encouraged you to not be your real self, ever.

  I liked the response of one of my JW relatives to this, where they expected him to change the person he was, he said "These people accusing me are not perfect are they ? No, well then, they cannot expect perfection from me". Lovely response.
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  5

  Parable as an example of Editorial Fatigue.

  by peacefulpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  16 the first appeared, saying, ‘[d]master, your [e]mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 and he said to him, ‘well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ 18 the second came, saying, ‘your [f]mina, [g]master, has made five minas.’ 19 and he said to him also, ‘and you are to be over five cities.’ 20 another came, saying, ‘master, here is your mina, which i kept put away in a handkerchief; 21 for i was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 he *said to him, ‘[h]by your own words i will judge you, you worthless slave.

  23 then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, i would have collected it with interest?’ 24 then he said to the bystanders, ‘take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 and they said to him, ‘master, he has ten minas already.’ 26 i tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

  luke....‘take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.

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  Phizzy

  Thanks again PP, I have been meaning to read Goodacre's "The Case Against Q" for a while, and you have reminded me of his work ! thanks for the Post too, interesting.

  Little did the Gospel writers realise how they would be critiqued for a couple of Centuries at least, and their shortcomings exposed so glaringly !
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  8

  Temple Talk

  by peacefulpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  recall the famous charge made against jesus in his trial in the gospel mark: .

  “we heard him say, ‘i will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days i will build another, not made with hands.’”.

  matt has a shorter version which likely reflects what he saw in his copy of mark *:.

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  Phizzy

  Thank you PP ! before I read this Thread I didn't think of the possibility that "Mark" was written as a Play , purely for entertainment perhaps, or maybe with a didactic motive as well.

  What you suggest as to several Copies makes sense, it was already noted that, if memory serves, "Luke" and "Matthew", though reproducing the bulk of "Mark" , they differ on the wording in places, most likely meaning different copies in front of them as they wrote their Fiction. This make more sense if it were a Play, the Scribes making copies would not be as careful perhaps with a Play as they would with a supposed devotional Work.

  The writers of Matthew and Luke did not think it was a Play though ?? but maybe thought that the content was factual, even if dramatized ?
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  8

  Clean Copy of Announcements!

  by Atlantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2022 december s-147 announcements and reminders.. without all the high-lighting.

  a clean copy.

  the other copy was a bit hard to read.page 1.----https://postimg.cc/jh8xchtypage 2.----https://postimg.cc/2bkb1n3v also, you might want this kingdom ministry school program for congregation elders.page 1.----https://postimg.cc/3k3t58qgpage 2.----https://postimg.cc/bj7wyjfzpage 3.----https://postimg.cc/ywpqh4xxcookie thief!

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  Phizzy

  Thank you ! Two things struck me, the emphasis on getting young guys into the system,so they can be M.S and then subsequently an Elder, at a tender age, that will work well won't it ? Ha Ha.

  And second, I don't know how long this has been going on, but no food for Elders at their next go-over-the-usual-crapfest. At one time local sisters would organise a lunch. So, the sisters have lost that "privilege!"
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  30

  Did it ever become unbearable to attend another Kingdom Hall meeting?

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it's becoming unbearable for me to attend another meeting.

  i dread coming to the weekly sunday public talk and watchtower study.

  the talks are ''repeats'' of a ''repeat.

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  Phizzy

  I fully intended to fade after the Memorial in the year I left, so I attended the Mid-week meeting just after, intending to slowly miss the odd meeting, gradually increasing the gaps, the usual,fade.

  But that night, I walked out of the Meeting straight after the final prayer, stood in the car park and looked back at the K.H and thought : " I can never set foot in their again".

  So I stopped , cold turkey. Probably easier as it happened, had I attended the odd meeting, "concerned" J.W's would have asked me why I was missing before, and I would have had to lie.

  For a long time, just passing the K.H. made me feel a bit nauseous, but eventually I did go back in, for the odd family Funeral only.

  To this day I am a "faded" (inactive) "JW" , it makes relations with JW family members easier than if I had disassociated.

  It would be unbearable even now to attend a normal meeting, I would not be able to listen to all the nonsense and keep my fat gob shut !
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  2

  Those who have a religion in decline in England and Wales !

  by Phizzy in

  1. social
  2. current

  https://www.thenewselephant.co.uk/oh-shit-theyre-finally.... "oh shit, they're finally seeing through our bollocks!

  " say church leaders after england and wales revealed to be minority christian countries.

  good !.

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  Phizzy

  https://www.thenewselephant.co.uk/oh-shit-theyre-finally...

  "OH SHIT, THEY'RE FINALLY SEEING THROUGH OUR BOLLOCKS!" SAY CHURCH LEADERS AFTER ENGLAND AND WALES REVEALED TO BE MINORITY CHRISTIAN COUNTRIES

  Good !