Radar,
Thank you for the personal history and your take on faith. Can't wait for pt. 2
Was wondering if you still think faith is useful?
when jehovahs witnesses first started calling on my wife and i, we knew very little about the bible.
the message that this world with all its wickedness and suffering was soon to end and be replaced by a new order under the rulership of christ jesus was very appealing to me.
to believe that god had a purpose for mankind, gave my life a new direction.. acceptance of watchtower doctrine along with its rules and regulations is expected of any that wish to be baptized.
Radar,
Thank you for the personal history and your take on faith. Can't wait for pt. 2
Was wondering if you still think faith is useful?
my husband came home from the grocery store yesterday (christmas eve).
and said he saw a witness couple driving around the parking lot handing out mags from their car window.
i mean how lazy is that?
Prolog said:
[It sickens me how those of you who have left JW's think that celebrating Christmas is a symbol of your new found freedom. It is indeed a returning to vomit.
[My criticism was directed at those who get a kick out of proclaiming that they are now celebrating Christmas.]
Aside from the fact that Scully totally destroyed your argument by exposing similar acceptable customs with pagan origins,
(News Flash: It has been found that all languages except Hebrew have pagan origins, therefore we will now all start attending Hebrew classes to remove the unclean thing from our lips....aargh!)
consider:
Rom. 14:5,6 - "One person regards one day above another, another regards everyday alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the lord, and he who eats does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God." NASB
vs. 10 - "But you why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God" NASB
vs. 14 - "I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean."
Clearly, from the context Paul is not generalizing sin to be a matter of strictly subjective opinion. He is not discussing conduct which in the light of scripture is clearly sinful, like adultry, lying, stealing, murder and judging your brother's conscience. He is discussing conduct among christians that they may legitimately differ in, in this case the eating of certain foods and the observace of Jewish holidays, which by that time was a religion unapproved by God. He is asserting the freedom found in Christ that the weak christians had such a hard time understanding because of a leagalistic and hair splitting mentality.
Paul was trying to promote unity in Christ's mental attitude as opposed to uniformity to a code. If you take your pPharasaical blinders off, and read the Pauline letters you'll see this as a constant and reoccuring theme in his advice to all the congregations. Paul has a lot to say about the new found freedom you allude to above.
[It has increased the depression of children whose personal Santa Claus has not been able to afford a generous distribution of gifts.....]
Oh please! Can we just leave the kids out of it for once? And you have clinical studies to back up this claim? At least before you had a platform based on your conscience. This is just pure regurgitation of WT rhetoric. We all know the consequences of living a life devoid of all tradition.... a very sterile, losely connected collection of human beings afraid to express affection. The propaganda in WT circles that "we give gifts all year long" is strictly a fiction, and you know it.
In stark contrast, millions of people are mobilized each year both christian and non-christian through thousands of churches, academic institutions, and social service associations through local efforts and national ones like "Elf Louise", to get gifts to all underprivledged kids.
My sociology club in college delivered gifts and distributed food to many programs like homeless shelters, homes for the mentally challenged, and the womens shelter to name just a few. Seeing a kids' face light up after coming from a family where his father beat the heck out of mom is all the thanks I needed. Maybe some kid thought to himself, "here's a man that is not like my abusive father. I want to be like him someday."
Even as Paul took Peter to task publically, so too you have had your hypocritical ideas throughly exposed in a public forum.
dear posters,.
since i've been out of the loop for about 5 years i was wondering if anyone could comment on the questions below.
also, if there has been any other changes i would love to hear about it.
Richie,
I can see you have been keeping up with Jehovahs fast moving organization. Remember the Convention back in the seventies with that big Ezekiel chariot with the wheel within a wheel with eyes all around it?
Those were the days.... hot lunch meals, new prophecy books guaranteed released at every convention.... thoughts from the most high hot off the presses.
Why did the internet have to screw it all up?
Why did Freddie have to get old and stop the prophecy books?
Why did the gentile times have to run out?
Why did the generation have to be extended? I really didn't want to share it with anyone else! Why, Why, Why?
dear posters,.
since i've been out of the loop for about 5 years i was wondering if anyone could comment on the questions below.
also, if there has been any other changes i would love to hear about it.
Thanks Six,
That is really bizarre that the subscriptions are stopping. Actually kind of hard to believe.
I see.... the ole' questions from readers routine to change a major doctrine affecting the lives of millions of people. Let me guess, it went something like this: Someone recently asked, "Is it wrong to attend jury duty? And then they went on to give scriptural support for the new GB's decision?
Yes, our old religion has changed...you're right. I miss the good ole days when everything was just plain deeeemonized and all we had to do was hold on a little while longer to see the destruction of the wicked. Remember the old Paradise book? I was studied with in that book when I was a kid. I havent looked in that book in 30 years but I swear I can still see that picture of the wicked going down that big crack in the earth that an earthquake opened up.
I remember one guy was trying to hang on to the ledge. I'm sure someone kindly stepped on his hands to finish their time for the month.
Hey, Check your e-mail ok?
Perry
i've not researched the organisation before in any true level of detail.. i left it about eight months back, after coming to my own conclusions regarding the accuracy of lots of things it has released.
i simply believed that it was no longer printing anything worthwhile, really.
it had contradicted itself too many times.. i was brought up in the religion, and was baptised at 14, and afterwards stayed in it for three years.
Welcome Oscar!
I just started posting here myself. Good luck in your search. There are a lot of good people here that have a lot of well thought out viewpoints information.
I must agree with Francois about the Jehovahs Witnesses in the Divine Purpose book. I let my copy get away from me several years ago but I remember it being full of talk about demons. Stuff like everything was demonized those days. Its a very good read to determine the mind set of the 1960's.
Welcome Aboard,
Perry
this is my first post and i must say that i have been lurking here from time to time and have been impressed with the content.
back in college i visited the old h2o site many times and this is definitely superior.
thanks to all for the rich content i've been enjoying.. my great mother was a witness making me a fourth generation.
Thanks Tj,
It is very carthartic for me to get some of this crap out.... and know that some people do understand. I can only laugh along with you and that is the best medicine of all. Thanks for your friendship.
You and your sis and mom have yourselves a merry little christmas!!
Take Care
i found this in my email box this morning... from an old friend.
thought i'd pass it on.... -------------------------------.
around the corner i have a friend,.
Thanks TeeJay for passing that along. I cant believe how the years fly by. When I was younger I always thought "I take care of that when I have time" Wel, I 'm pushing 39 and I'm afraid that won't do anymore. Wished that message was felt by more.
Perry
dear posters,.
since i've been out of the loop for about 5 years i was wondering if anyone could comment on the questions below.
also, if there has been any other changes i would love to hear about it.
Dear posters,
Since I've been out of the loop for about 5 years I was wondering if anyone could comment on the questions below. Also, if there has been any other changes I would love to hear about it. I'm not looking for anyone to do my research...short comments and a little direction would be great though.
When and what was the reasoning behind allowing jury duty?
Has the policy on voting changed?
Whats this I hear about subscriptions stopping?
Is the Awake going to be cancelled?
Is it true that all blood components are allowed now but just not together?
Why was civil service changed? Did it change in all countries? What about all the people who went to prison and died from the policy?
Thanking all of you in advance,
Perry
my husband came home from the grocery store yesterday (christmas eve).
and said he saw a witness couple driving around the parking lot handing out mags from their car window.
i mean how lazy is that?
duped,
We used to take the mags out of the trash in laundry mats and redistribute new ones with a different article selected. Simply amazing.
LP,
Your post just gave me the heebie jeebies big time. I remember being told shortly after baaptism that if we at least mentioned Jehovahs name at the door that we would be free of bloodguilt because the housholder knew they were rejecting Jehovah!
I have a deep sense of regret because of the unloving things I used to do. I had no idea that the religion was so death oriented while I was active. YUK! I wish I could somehow apologize to all those people.
Perry
the joke about an atheist's gravestone reminds me of my xmas day.
on an atheist's gravestone was written:.
"all dressed up and no place to go!".
God Luck Patio.....and Merry Christmas. That family day sounds cool. That is something to be thankful for. :)