Posts by konceptual99

18

Using the tv.jw.org as a wake up tool with my kids

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

so, i have been badgered recently to do some kind of family study by my wife.

thanks to tv.jw.org i now have a really easy tool to use that not only passes this time but actually makes them question the organisation.. our sessions skipping through the delights of the monthly broadcast have been very interesting.

derision at the wooden delivery of the gb.

konceptual99

Come on Kate... "wise choice"... you sound like a WT ;-)

Seriously though, I can see your point but you have to remember it's not as easy as simply saying "stand up for what's right". I am not going to hijack my own thread to get into to a conversation about how I choose to fade (happy to do that on another thread though) but to suggest that the purpose is to wake up and stay in is missing the point.

One of the things I wish to have is kids that can think for themselves, can take an objective approach and are not against the WTS just because daddy says they are morons. The latter is just as pointless as being a Witness just 'cos your parents and friends are. In the world of two evils, it is very easy for me to plop JW TV on and we can all snigger as a family rather than study for the meeting. It's just as relevant as working through things like creation and the flood, planting seeds that permit them to question things in their own mind. It's just as relevant IMHO as showing them points in the Bible about idol worship whilst seeing the GB have their photos taken with all and sundry.

Aspects of JW TV presents the most shallow Witness behaviour as normal. My kids are seeing that for themselves and they can see the idiocy of it. For reference, there was a thread around about how a guy used his family study to wake his family up. I see no difference.

11

2015/1/13/BOE!--Technical preparations for the 20l5 visit of headquarters representatives!

by Atlantis in

(from the source).

2015 january 13, boe.. .. re: technical preparations for the 20l5 visit of headquarters representatives.

.. click the link by the little blue arrow and nothing else.. .. https://www.sendspace.com/file/0g0mr0.

konceptual99

On another note, at our hall when everyone hit the WiFi to look at the video last Thursday the whole thing imploded and no one could do anything. It's residential router which is not designed to have 110 people try and cram onto it. Then there's the bandwidth, some cheapy BB offering through the society that will need to be upgraded to get any kind of speed and concurrency.

11

2015/1/13/BOE!--Technical preparations for the 20l5 visit of headquarters representatives!

by Atlantis in

(from the source).

2015 january 13, boe.. .. re: technical preparations for the 20l5 visit of headquarters representatives.

.. click the link by the little blue arrow and nothing else.. .. https://www.sendspace.com/file/0g0mr0.

konceptual99

Just one nit-picking item: The Society prides itself on flawless writing with no typos and no errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. The letter refers to Apple's Mac operating system as "Apple Max." Tee hee!

Haha - I'd not noticed that. Very good.

51

EXPERTS ONLY! A Pop Quiz on (current) Watchtower teaching

by TerryWalstrom in

pop quiz on jw (current) teaching.

1. was jesus 2nd coming in 1914?.

2. is jesus 2nd (parousia) presence the same thing as his coming?.

konceptual99

It's easy to show that the WTS doctrine is that Jesus only is mediator for the 140,000. They are open about that and base it on the interpretation of the new covenant. The question was if Jesus died for the GC. The mediation of the New Covenant is not the sole consideration in the answer to this question. The WTS literature does often differentiate between the GC and 144,000 when discussing salvation but is clear that salvation is offered to the GC through their exercising of faith in Jesus' sacrifice. They also state he died for all.

So, it can be argued that JW publications show Jesus strictly only really died for the 140,000 since he only mediates for them on the NC but I think the position on the NC does not preclude his death having the power to redeem the of all mankind.

I will await Terry's POV on this when he provides his answers...

[EDIT] - just to add that of course this apparent contradiction is very well described in the jwfacts.com article. I think that even one of the GB would hold the line that JWs teach Jesus died for all even though he only mediates the NC for the 140,000

51

EXPERTS ONLY! A Pop Quiz on (current) Watchtower teaching

by TerryWalstrom in

pop quiz on jw (current) teaching.

1. was jesus 2nd coming in 1914?.

2. is jesus 2nd (parousia) presence the same thing as his coming?.

konceptual99

I would suggest 3 & 7 are the most open to obfuscation within the literature.

51

EXPERTS ONLY! A Pop Quiz on (current) Watchtower teaching

by TerryWalstrom in

pop quiz on jw (current) teaching.

1. was jesus 2nd coming in 1914?.

2. is jesus 2nd (parousia) presence the same thing as his coming?.

konceptual99

So are we failing on the same point or are there several questions you think we have wrong?

51

EXPERTS ONLY! A Pop Quiz on (current) Watchtower teaching

by TerryWalstrom in

pop quiz on jw (current) teaching.

1. was jesus 2nd coming in 1914?.

2. is jesus 2nd (parousia) presence the same thing as his coming?.

konceptual99

Here we go....

Of course, the answers to most, if not all, of these have changed considerably over the years thanks to the NewLight Torch of (UN)Ambiguity and I don't think there are many that could really answer these without reference to the latest guide books.

1. Was Jesus’ 2nd coming in 1914?

No. There is no such thing as a second coming. Jesus' presence (parousia) started in 1914 when he was enthroned as king.

2. Is Jesus’ 2nd (parousia) presence the same thing as his ‘coming?’

No. His coming will be future at the big A.

3. Is the doctrine of the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ still regarded as a prophecy instead of a parable?

It's a parable within the prophecy of the last days.

4. Were the FDS appointed over ‘all His belongings’ in 1919?

No. They were but now that's future.

5. Did the Gentile Times end in 1914, or is that yet to come at a future date?

Yes

6. Is the ‘great tribulation’ in the past, the present, or yet to come in the future?

Future, when Babylon the Great is attacked by the nations

7. Did Jesus die in order to save the ‘Great Crowd’?

Yes, His death enables the anointed to achieve a righteous standing to become joint heirs and the GC get to have a righteous standing by exercising faith in his shed blood as well. The WTS consistently differentiate between the 144000 and GC however, for example noting he is "saviour of this body" (Eph 5:23) - the anointed congregation and secondly, those of the GC that exercise faith in him.

8. If the Bible was only written for the anointed, why should non-anointed bother to read it?

Because all can benefit from Jesus death and the new world.

9. Was Charles Taze Russell a member of the anointed 144,000? If so, since what date?

Yes. Who knows when that blessing was conferred on him. He is no longer considered part of the F&DS as they were only appointed in 1919 and he was already dead by then.

Did I get it? You did say current teachings....

56

Can the world condition be worse than this?

by abiather in

the innocent civilians being attacked is the norm of the day.

attacking hospitals too are happening frequently.

now schools being attacked is becoming a regular affair (last of its kind massacred 150 children in peshawar on december 16, 2014)..

konceptual99

I am a bit late to the thread but it's made for interesting reading.

As a mentally in JW it was easy to consider that the world is full of violence that is not being solved and is getting worse. As my mind has opened and I've stopped employing cognitive dissonance to square the circle in my head then I have come to realise that I am fecking ecstatic I was not born 100, 500, 1000, 10000 years ago.

My living standards are good. I have access to good quality medical care. I am comfortable most of the time. I am not hungry. My risk of a violent death is low. I am not faced with severe poverty. The vast majority of people around me are in a similar boat.

Of course this is not the same globally. I recognise that I am still very fortunate. I know there are people suffering in my country let alone around the world. I see the wars and violence around. It's certainly not a case of "I'm all right Jack", just recognising that proportionally life was a hell of a lot harder and risky for a hell of a lot more people in times past.

The world has a lot of problems. Conflict and economic instability are constant. I feel far more confident about the future now however than I did before I mentally threw out JW doctrine. As much as right wing nutters, Islamic extremists and others try to drag us back, too many people have experienced too much relative comfort to let the whole world slide to some form of global chaos.

Why is it that Northern Ireland has not reverted to full on sectarian violence even though there is still some conflict between the extremists on both sides there? Because most people actually like to be able to live their lives in relative peace. Because most people don't want soldiers on the street. Because most people don't feel the need to go and blow someone else up because they want something different. Once the extremist leaders lost their grip on political situation then the situation was diffused and, surprise surprise, most people realised that life was a bit better without nutters blowing each other up.

The situation is repeated around the world. Once extremist leaders no longer are able to spout their rhetoric of hate then most people appreciate the relative normality that ensues. I think you will find the same with any Witness who wakes up. Once the rhetoric of nonsense like that coming out of the mouth of Morris loses it's hold then so too does this notion that the world is going to shite and we are all about to be screwed unless God steps in and sweeps away 7 billion people.

18

Using the tv.jw.org as a wake up tool with my kids

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

so, i have been badgered recently to do some kind of family study by my wife.

thanks to tv.jw.org i now have a really easy tool to use that not only passes this time but actually makes them question the organisation.. our sessions skipping through the delights of the monthly broadcast have been very interesting.

derision at the wooden delivery of the gb.

konceptual99

So, I have been badgered recently to do some kind of family study by my wife. Thanks to tv.jw.org I now have a really easy tool to use that not only passes this time but actually makes them question the organisation.

Our sessions skipping through the delights of the monthly broadcast have been very interesting. For example:

derision at the wooden delivery of the GB
laughter at Stephen Lett and his crazy eyes
questioning around Morris and his anti-education rant
3 minutes of rolling around, belly laughs at the trolley song
questioning of why anyone would want to listen to the tedious morning worship broadcasts, let alone sit through them in person
discussion about how prominent the GB have made themselves in the past 5 years
discussion about the appropriateness and point of wearing a Sophia and Caleb pin on the ministry as opposed to one featuring some Disney or Marvel character. (see Mrs. Antony Morris at around 23:10 in this months joy fest)

The great thing about these broadcasts is that they show the GB as people with little to recommend respect. In our house, reverence and unfettered respect for the hierarchy of the org has never been commonplace, even when I was mentally fully paid up, so it's quite natural to laugh at some of the ridiculous things presented.

It's tough treading a line on these sorts of things but tv.jw.org has been a great tool in helping my kids see that the GB and their ramblings are pretty ridiculous. Food at the proper time indeed.

49

Ode to the trolleys in Feb's broadcast

by konceptual99 in

check out the song about the trolley at the end of this month's dubcast.. http://www.jw.org/download/?fileformat=mp4&output=html&pub=jwb&issue=201502.

.

konceptual99

Check out the song about the trolley at the end of this month's dubcast.

http://www.jw.org/download/?fileformat=MP4&output=html&pub=jwb&issue=201502