Posts by Steel

21

If you read the bible w/out instruction, what would you think?

by TTWSYF in

anyone reading [or did read] the bible without someone else telling you what it meant?.

would you be leaning towards the jws or baptists or lutherans or what?.

just asking.

Steel

Baker

I use to live in a town of 1000 people that was 20 percent exclusive brethren. Imagine the most Uber jehovah witness you know times ten. Strange ducks.

They actually owned a number of businesses in the communities and each one would have two coffee rooms so they wouldn't have to eat with the unbelievers.

I actually took my son out ice skating at an outdoor rink on the edge of town which I believed was the communities. Later two very stern men dressed in black showed up and asked us to leave. The ice belonged to the brethren church.

Also knew this couple new to the community and were looking for a church. So one Sunday morning they just walked into the brethren church and 150 heads turned and two very stern looking men asked them to leave. It's was a very creepy experience for them.

21

If you read the bible w/out instruction, what would you think?

by TTWSYF in

anyone reading [or did read] the bible without someone else telling you what it meant?.

would you be leaning towards the jws or baptists or lutherans or what?.

just asking.

Steel

I have a cousin and an uncle who both have Bachelors of the theological studies from very liberal and secular universities before heading to bible school and becoming pastors.

They have told me there is some very common misconceptions in the bible.

1. It's not easy to understand

2. Large parts aren't very nice.

3 It's not all about Jesus.

4. Large portions are open for interpretation , especially Daniel and Revelations.

5. Any group that builds core dogma around revelations is dangerous or claims they know what it all means.

6.Studying scripture academically doesn't make you a Christian but it is important to know you are talking about.

7. Differences of opinion over minor dogma is alright.

8. The WTS is laughable in academic circles and dangerous in evangelical ones.

It's really fun to talk bible with trained professionals despite what you believe about the Bible.

2

The name of god explained

by Steel in

https://youtu.be/1smqa78fy3y.

we all have our own journeys out of the wts and each person has a different trigger point.

if you watch this video from about the 22 min to 32 min , its something a person cant unseen.. i know the average jw doesnt care about the bible but for the odd one that is sincere, this might be a great seed to plant..

Steel

I always thought it was strange that somehow using the name jehovah somehow made us the true christians but never really an arguement against it.

Now i realize what the bible was really talking about using the term .....using the name of god......

I also now realize why everyone died at the end of the first Indiania Jones movie.

35

What age were you when you were counted as a publisher?

by OrphanCrow in

the wts has always included minors and adults in the same categories - publisher and baptized.. i am interested in knowing how many minors, approximately, are included in the publisher count.

and, at what age a person started publishing.

what age was the youngest publisher reported?.

Steel

I have seen 4 and 5 year olds counted prior to a CO visit. Its a great way to get the numbers up.

2

The name of god explained

by Steel in

https://youtu.be/1smqa78fy3y.

we all have our own journeys out of the wts and each person has a different trigger point.

if you watch this video from about the 22 min to 32 min , its something a person cant unseen.. i know the average jw doesnt care about the bible but for the odd one that is sincere, this might be a great seed to plant..

Steel

https://youtu.be/1sMQa78fY3Y

We all have our own journeys out of the WTS and each person has a different trigger point. If you watch this video from about the 22 min to 32 min , its something a person cant unseen.

I know the average jw doesnt care about the bible but for the odd one that is sincere, this might be a great seed to plant.

20

JW Facebook puriven garbage

by Lostandfound in

below is an example of the pure cliche driven and meaningless posts by witnesses to witnesses on facebook .

it was truly a blessing from jehovah that your original plans .....didn't work out, because instead our family was able to enjoy a spiritually filled morning with ,spiritual food and spiritual entertainment and singing praises to our glorious god, grand creator and loving heavenly father jehovah was a memorable gift.

he has truly provided a perfect example of christian brotherly love through his son, our savior jesus christ.

Steel

I find it really scary how nothing taught in the hall even comes close to something taught in a church or a theological university class yet they called it Spiritual food.

Is it just me or are they literally moving in the direction of just nutty watchtower things week after week. To me it is just

Nulite

Gb worship

Dangers of ex members

Last days

False religion

Blah blah blah

How does any with half a brain take this seriously

25

Watchtower's "New Light" re Babylonish Captivity, November 2016 WT

by Room 215 in

has anyone noticed the wt's most recent shell-game revisionism in the november study tractazine, relating to the shifting of its "babylonish captivity" doctrine, from a 3 1/2-year period around the ww 1 years, to a period now spanning about 16 centuries, or from the 4th century (constantine's legal recognition of christianity) to 1919?.

Steel

Isn't it amazing how complex and twisted their literature is , it really always comes back to the fact they just anointed themselves. It all as silly as the book of Mormon.

Plus it kind of antisemitic how they replace the Jewish people with themselves.

31

New Religion where to look?

by Alostpuppydog in

has anyone found any religion that makes more sense than the watchtower organization?

obviously catholics make even less sense than them so don't say that.... the reason i ask is because i still believe the bible is the word of god, but just that the jw's have twisted it for their own benefit, as most religions seem to do....

Steel

Start studying the bible from a purely academic stance from scholars like Daniel B Wallace and Michael S Heiser. Something you would actually found taught in a school of Christian theology in a secular university. Try and understand the new testament though first century Jewish eyes. I think you would be surprised how interesting it all is and also how incredibly stupid WTS theology is.

Also don't confuse ex-witness as ex Christians either. They were trying to disprove the bible as JWs and really aren't that far removed as ex Jws, complete with the hated filled arrogance they had as JWs.

9

Why blame the Watchtower?

by deegee in

if god has a relationship with every christian and every christian is praying to him then wouldn't he tell every christian the same thing so that christians would agree on matters of doctrine and practice?.

it is certainly puzzling why sincere and devout people equally seek god's will and pray to him yet they all come up with different answers so that there are approximately 40,000 different christian denominations (center for the study of global christianity (csgc) at gordon-conwell theological seminary).. before his death, jesus called for agreement among his followers rather than division (john 17:20-21).

he declared that he would send the holy spirit to guide persons into all the truth (john 14:16 - 17, 26, john 15:26, john 16:7,13 - 15).. so shouldn't anyone who has a relationship with jesus, reads the bible, and listens to the holy spirit come to the same conclusions as others who are doing the same thing?.

Steel

The more I studied this subject, I am more impressed how much all the denonations of false religion have in common without a central body. The core ideas of Christianity are basically all the same no matter what church you go to.

-Salvation though faith

-Jesus was the manifestion of god in the flesh

Minor differences in dogma really don't matter that much.

What bothers me now is how intellectually lazy the approach JW have toward bible study ( if they really study at all). The unity they always talk about is just laziness combined with building core dogma around the most debatable books of the bible.

3

The two powers in heaven

by Steel in

lately i have been watching a video series by a bible scholar named michael heiser explaining the idea of there being a plurality to god in the old testament.

the seen god and the unseen god and reading the bible though first century jewish eyes.

of course being a somewhat of an unbeliever i checked out some bart erham videos on the subject and he basically says what this christian scholar said.. basically christ is thought to be the manifestion of god that was seen and dealt with in the old testament.

Steel

So the concept of Jesus in the old testament is completely lost on a JW.

I am beginning to realize the average JW couldn't even pass an entry level Christian theology university class.