peacefulpete

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Posts by peacefulpete

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  50

  WT May 2022: The Seven Headed Beast

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  .

  https://youtu.be/wg9-pvxsoqm.

  this is my take on may 2022 watchtower on the seven headed beast and its connection to the 4 beasts of daniel 7. what do you think?.

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  peacefulpete

  Who was John of Patmos?

  I also do not doubt the "authenticity". It is, at least in some form, an ancient example of Jewish apocalyptic literature not a modern counterfeit.
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  50

  WT May 2022: The Seven Headed Beast

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  .

  https://youtu.be/wg9-pvxsoqm.

  this is my take on may 2022 watchtower on the seven headed beast and its connection to the 4 beasts of daniel 7. what do you think?.

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  peacefulpete

  Study of an ancient text involves the most basic questions, who wrote it, why and when. What were the circumstances what influenced the author's style. Comparative literature studies often illuminate cryptic or esoteric language.

  Begin with who wrote it and immediately you will find surprises. Soon after it was written it was attributed to different authors and denied to have been written by the anonymous author of the gospel John. Then pursue the when and whys. Only then are you making any legitimate effort to interpret it.
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  44

  Miniimizing 'Punishment' - marrying a non-JW

  by doasthouwilt in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  i’d like to marry my best friend of 30+ years, turned ‘secret’ girlfriend of 1 ½ years who is a jehovah’s witness, born into it, baptized and an active ‘pioneer’.

  our marriage would happen prior to letting any of her jw friends and cohorts know that we are together.

  once married she may simply come forward and ‘admit’ or we may wait until it’s found out – one way or the other, the reason for this marriage is not customary – i am hoping that by doing so she can avoid being ‘marked’ or possibly ‘disfellowshipped’ once our relationship is no longer a secret and due to our already being married at that point, there can be no notion from society elders about her ending the relationship.

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  peacefulpete

  If she has had feelings for you for years and has not after all this time ended one or the other relationship, nothing is likely to change. She will be tormented and divided, and you will never have her full love.

  As brutal as it sounds, make her choose. Sorry mate but it may go either way, but then you will have clarity. If she chooses you she will need help unpacking the years of control and guilt.
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  10

  Stephen Lett’s Favorite Color

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just noticed that stephen lett’s favorite color is blue.

  he usually wear blue ties but not all the time.

  just an observation on my part.

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  peacefulpete

  Or his wife's favorite color.
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  6

  JW, soul and free will

  by inbetween in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  good morning,.

  when it comes to the question of free will, any jw will ascertain the existence of free will as needed for any moral issue regarding god, the bible etc.

  without free will the whole foundation of what their belief is based on will collapse.. now atheists, at least thats my understanding, deny also the existence of free will.

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  peacefulpete

  Sadly the lady in the video has overlooked emergent aspects of consciousness and self identity. Unique abilities can and do arise from fundamental properties. Despite much instinct or behavior taking place at an unconscious level, we have evolved useful software floating above that. A reflexive self recognition as a being shaped by countless contingencies. The more aware we are of how profoundly we are influenced by these contingencies, i.e. culture,genetic and association the more we become aware of alternatives. Alternatives are evaluated by there very acknowledgement. IOW a person practiced in self awareness can over rule the inclination for snap judgement and prejudice.
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  35

  I have changed a bit

  by Lee Marsh in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for one thing i am older.

  this is what i look like now or at least on jan 1, 2022.. .

  yes, 69 years old.. i moved once.

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  peacefulpete

  It's a hellava thing.

  My current cancer experience in ways is like yours Lee Marsh. In ways different. My estranged jw sister and I were diagnosed weeks apart. That, plus issues of caring for our father gave us something to reconnect over. Hadn't had conversation in 20 years, now we texted pictures of birds and sunsets and talked like no time had been lost. She passed quickly. Whereas my chemo,rad, surgery has given me more time it appears. Ridiculous as it was that we hadn't been able to be closer all those years, it took this to tell each other we still loved each other.

  I've often contemplated just how many times I have won the lottery of life, just being here to watch the world go round, having a home, a true partner....I always knew eventually luck would run low. It has to be that way. But even at its lowest I've had good things to celebrate.

  Hope the same for you and everyone.
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  63

  Is Bible prophecy now starting to come true regarding the prelude to the great tribulation?

  by Disillusioned JW in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  is bible prophecy now starting to come true regarding a prelude to the great tribulation?.

  full disclosure: i still don't believe in the bible's claims about the existence of the supernatural, even of jehovah god (i'm an atheist and a scientific/philosophical naturalist), but i am asking this question because recent events are starting to seem (to me) to fit well the description of some prophecies in the bible.

  consider the following.. several hours ago (on 11-26-2021) as i was about to enter a local fred meyer store of my city (in suburb or small city in the metro area of a large city) a person i know told me that a moment earlier a person left the store in a hurry with a cart load up with unpaid merchandise (i think i was told it was groceries but i don't remember that for sure).

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  peacefulpete

  For me the world has nearly as one condemned the imperialist actions of a throwback autocracy and united scientific knowledge with unprecedented openness over the past 2 years. Both are strong evidence of improvement.
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  63

  Is Bible prophecy now starting to come true regarding the prelude to the great tribulation?

  by Disillusioned JW in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  is bible prophecy now starting to come true regarding a prelude to the great tribulation?.

  full disclosure: i still don't believe in the bible's claims about the existence of the supernatural, even of jehovah god (i'm an atheist and a scientific/philosophical naturalist), but i am asking this question because recent events are starting to seem (to me) to fit well the description of some prophecies in the bible.

  consider the following.. several hours ago (on 11-26-2021) as i was about to enter a local fred meyer store of my city (in suburb or small city in the metro area of a large city) a person i know told me that a moment earlier a person left the store in a hurry with a cart load up with unpaid merchandise (i think i was told it was groceries but i don't remember that for sure).

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  peacefulpete

  I have to say how sad that after so many opportunities to understand that some still cling to millennialist spins and doomsday interpretations. Simply put the first author of what we now call Mark 13, anticipated the troubled times he lived in would escalate into the war of God. It didn't happen, and just as the author Daniel and many apocalyptical writers of the time felt confusion and disappointment. Some gave up their dark fantasies but others found ways to keep the delusion alive. Subtle rewording of the "prophecy" and dualistic hidden meaning are standards responses to desperation.

  Ask yourself objectively, what good is a prophecy that no none understands? To believers there are endless collections of would-be prophecies. How is this different than those of Nostradamus?
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  11

  Escaped the cold

  by peacefulpete in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  went to arizona last to see what we could see and get away from winter.

  here's some pics..

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  peacefulpete

  No, not this time. we've been to paleontolological sites in Colorado, california and even Indiana where found a half dozen ice age bison teeth. No dino fossils yet. We have a friend who found new species of ceratopsid. Lots of work little financial reward. He did get to

  name it though.
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  11

  Escaped the cold

  by peacefulpete in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  went to arizona last to see what we could see and get away from winter.

  here's some pics..

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  peacefulpete