Posts by problemaddict

89

1975 - A weak argument?

by Christ Alone in

i posted this on an older thread, but i wanted to get an honest opinion about this from all of you.

i think taking the 1975 approach with a jw is...weak.

was it wrong (and false prophetic) of them?

I do in fact think its a pretty weak arguement to the active JW. It was a weak arguement for me personally when it was brought to my attention. The problem with relying so much on personal experience with a time period is well that its.....personal. My mother was around during 1975, and she didn't feel the urge to sell her home, and didn't get in a huff. She said she wasn't expecting anything and it was never discussed at the meetings. That was her PERSONAL experience. So the old line that "some people" got a little out of hand with it, rings true to her.

A few other things. NOTHING the WT has written can be considered false prophecy because JW's believe they are not prophets. So they are some guys that made a mistake. But they speak for God you say? Well the first century christians were wrong sometimes, Christ's disciples thought he was going to set up the kingdom, etc.... So it doesn't affect the thinking at large. They don't see the paradox.

In regards the literature, there is plenty of loaded language, but there is much more to coax the already held view that most people WANT to believe, namely that it was a few rouge people, and nothing as explicitly stated.

Even when Freddy said "It could....but we are not saying"....he followed it immediately by "and don't any of you either" or something to that effect. So it was speculative, but not concrete. Someone told me just the other day that they heard the good news had been preached in all the inhabited earth. i know that went around for a while. When I told the guy that was just kind of a rouge rumor, and not sanctioned, he kind of fought me on it....wanting to believe there was some special insight.

We are trippy creatures. People want to be the first with news and special info. JW's want this the same as everyone else, and just happen to want it with special insight into the future. Haven't you heard people admit being "too eager" for God's will to be done? I mean if you break that down a little, it can be pretty troubling.

1975 is not where its at. if you were going to leave over 75, you probably would have done it by 76. The reason the ex community wants it to work, is because it is a more RECENT example of flubbery in regards to dates. Old timey times are easier to discount because everyone was crazy who lived back then. :)

18

Argentina Must Suffer!

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/03/argentina-paying-economic-vulture-fund.

the banksters are afraid.

argentina must suffer, not succeed!

problemaddict

Im with Botch on this one. I don't think the US will end up here, but Argentina is a place I have spent some time and invested. I wish I would have done so in 2001 when you could buy a flat in downtow Buenos Aires for 10K! Good Lord!

But they consistantly have not been able to get their financial house in order. This despite the fact they do not need or wish to import very much, they have large foreign invesment in textiles and produce, and that they are next to Brazil the best economy in South America. Tourists, ex-pats and many others all consider Argentina a dream retirement.

I love it there. I think the countries pride is its downfall. They think their crap doesn't stink (hard not to be cocky with such a freaking beautiful country), and that creates a culture that doesn't think, but knows.

Now THAT sounds like where the US can end up. The right choice or compromise, usually comes with a teaspoon of humility.

65

Calling all posters! What are YOUR questions for Candace Conti, Rick Simons and Kelly Kraetsch?

by cedars in

i am pleased to announce that candace conti, and her key lawyers rick simons and kelly kraetsch are planning a youtube video to answer any questions that people in our community may have regarding the recent conti v watchtower lawsuit.

i have offered to coordinate the gathering of these questions, and i thought it might be fun to do it in a "competition" style jwn thread, with the best answers being chosen by kelly, rick and candace to be addressed in the video.. as you can imagine, there are some provisos to this.... this is an active lawsuit, so for obvious legal reasons kelly, rick and candace will have the absolute and final decision as to which questions are answered and how much information is divulged when they are answered.we need the answers in the next 7 days, so the "cut off" for this competition is exactly 7 days from the time this thread goes live on jwn.we kindly request that all questions are asked in a respectful manner without any malicious or offensive intent.

any inappropriate questions will obviously be discarded and ignored.

problemaddict

Hmmmm.

I suppose I would want to know what they plan on doing with the money, and if any of it would be earmarked for advocacy on the part of others in similar circumstances. That might be overly personal.

I know the counsel for the WTBTS and they and their families really are good people in my humble opinion. The job of a lawyer is a difficult one. The questions I would REALLY want to ask, I would want to ask Jim. Maybe I'll get an opportunity someday.

87

JW tour bus crashes in Florida, with fatalities-

by moshe in

miami - a bus carrying 32 members of a church group hit a concrete overpass at miami international airport after the driver got lost, killing two elderly people on board and leaving three others critically injured, officials said saturday.. the large, white bus was too tall for the 8-foot-6-inch entrance to the arrivals area, said airport spokesman greg chin.

buses are supposed to go through the departures area, which has a higher ceiling, he said.. chin said the passengers told him they were part of a group of jehovah's witnesses headed to west palm beach.

police said in a news release that the group had chartered the bus to take them to a church convention there-.

problemaddict

Thanks James and Steve.

Honestly, I respect your opinion but just don't see it the same way. Perhaps you caught up after Simon removed those posts?

Steve I will make sure to post specific comments in the future if desired. If you felt none of the posts were out of line.....then thats on you my friend. Once again, I figure maybe you just didn't see them. As far as the assumption that I am looking for uniformity of belief somehow.....I am not sure how you were able to type that with a straight face my man.

I realize this forum is 1/2 trying to accomplish something, and 1/2 support/therapy. No worries. Both are needed. I for one am more interested in the end that many people here wish to achieve by any level of participation. To make people think.

Just trying to get my feet wet around here guys. I know tha tthe large rpurpose of the site is beyond any one thread. Just want to make sure it isn't sabotaged is all.

Peace out.

31

A quick experiment - what do you get if you Google "JW.org"?

by cedars in

jw
friends

hi guys.

i've noticed that a significant number of inbound search engine visits to jwsurvey.org are coming from the keyword "jw.org" - it's currently around 3 to 5 visits per hour.

i quite like the thought that i'm getting extra traffic thanks to jws typing the address of the official website in their search bar rather than their address bar.. i've done a quick check, and i've noticed that although jw.org occupies the top ranking for this keyword, four of the other links to websites/videos on the first page are all anti-watchtower, including jwsurvey.org and jwleaks.org.. sometimes google tailors its results to suit the individual, so i'm curious to know - is everyone else finding the same thing when they do a search for this keyword?.

problemaddict

No cookies. You are on the second page after 7 you tube videos and video links. You are second from the bottom on the second page just above a link to JWtalk.

34

The Governing Body Rewrites the Organizations Past and Future History

by Cameron_Don in

jw
friends

watchtower annual meeting report.

october 6, 2012. during their annual meeting the governing body announced some changes in their interpretation of (1) the most important scripture in watch-tower theology, and (2) the most important event in watchtower history.

are their changes new light according to proverbs, or refinement according to daniel and malachi?

problemaddict

Excuse my ignorance here. Can you all help me with something? If the domestics, which now include the annointed, are to be appointed at a future date, what happened in 1919? How is that year currently being viewed in JW history at this point, if Jesus did not in fact chose his people during that time?

So he chose the FDS in 1919, but isn't giving them the domestics until the future? Is that where we are at?

To me EVERYTHING hinges not on 1914, not on blood, but on the men who run the organization essentially being representatives of his "earthly organization". It hinges on them being the stars in the hand of Christ, being endowed with "spirit direction", and having the commision to preach so that others follow.

How do you all think THAT is impacted? Discussing 1914, blood, or doctrine on more minor matters doesn't seem to make a dent. The UN thing nobody seems to care about. Everythign seems to hinge on loyalty to the GB.

18

Trinity denial + Tetragrammaton = White Magic (Cabala)?

by NoStonecutters in

elizabethan english dramatist christopher marlowe reveals the following in one of his plays written in reaction to kabbalist john dee (queen elizabeth's astrologer and intel agent) and the occultic downfall of england in the late 16th century:.

dr. faustus contains a parody of dee's scheme to use cabala to find buried treasure.

marlowe's the tragicall history of the life and death of doctor faustus: "the spirits tell me they can dry the sea.

problemaddict

Good grief. (sigh*)

87

JW tour bus crashes in Florida, with fatalities-

by moshe in

miami - a bus carrying 32 members of a church group hit a concrete overpass at miami international airport after the driver got lost, killing two elderly people on board and leaving three others critically injured, officials said saturday.. the large, white bus was too tall for the 8-foot-6-inch entrance to the arrivals area, said airport spokesman greg chin.

buses are supposed to go through the departures area, which has a higher ceiling, he said.. chin said the passengers told him they were part of a group of jehovah's witnesses headed to west palm beach.

police said in a news release that the group had chartered the bus to take them to a church convention there-.

problemaddict

This thread is a mess. Honestly some of these posts go beyond poor taste, and are just plain seflish and rude.

As someone very new to this site, I am pretty disappointed, and think many of the comments here not only will keep lurkers from wanting to be a part of this community, but it is nice to know that some of you do not hold yourselves to the same standards you demand of the religion you were once a part of.

I mean seriously.

188

Rick Fearon should apologise for accusing faders of being cowards

by cedars in

jw
friends

i hate doing this type of thread.

none of us are perfect, least of all myself, and i would rather focus any criticism on the watch tower society for damaging people's lives.

however, in the short period since i've been a member of this forum i've noticed one member in particular deteriorate in his behaviour into the type of individual who threatens to undermine the credibility of the entire website.

problemaddict

Who the hell is Rick Fearon?

27

With elders like that, who needs Pharisees!

by 00DAD in

i'm sure you're all familiar with the quip, "with friends like that, who needs enemies!

a recent thread got me thinking about how this easily applies to the organization in general and to many of the elders in particular.

now i know, there are some few good elders out there (god knows i tried to be one).

problemaddict

I actually had a man (I use the term losely) attempt to disrespect me in front of my wife. Notice the word attempt. It was one of those "we are talking to her not to you" kind of things. I almost popped his head off, and this is when I was a solid JW. Later when I was counceled for "fits of anger" they explained that their "lordship" was to be respected.

A buddy of mine was removed as an MS from one of the biggest tools in the area, and he told me that they had a meeting where this guy actually said the same thing. You need to respect our Lordship. You should not have run ahead and called the branch, we are their representatives. If Christ has us in his hands, you should trust us. Respecting us is respecting his headship.......and other such gems.

Little does this guy know the word is out on him. The sisters in his own congregation gave him a nickname. Know what it is? The Pharisee.