Posts by zophar

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Do you still want to be identified as a Christian?

by eyeuse2badub in

most americans want some form of religious identity - even atheists are creating churches.

by j. warner wallace | fox news.

the number of self-proclaimed christians is shrinking in america.. i’ve been collecting data on this trend for over 10 years, and the surveys reveal an important truth: fewer people claim a christian affiliation than ever before, and those who claim no religious affiliation are the fastest growing group in america.. but while fewer people may belong to christian churches or communities, americans will likely retain some form of religious identity – especially if what’s happening in europe is an indicator of things to come.. a new pew forum survey conducted in western europe reveals that christianity is waning there even faster than it is in the united states.

zophar

And why would I want to donate my soul's energy toward enslaving the whole human race?

And aligning yourself with Satan wouldn't do that?

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This year’s convention

by lastmanstanding in

two things i noted at this year’s rc.

1) the new teaching with respect to matthew 25:45 which was applied equally to the rank & file jw.

this teaching is also found in the watchtower study for last sunday.. then he will answer them, saying: ‘truly i say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of these least ones, you did not do it to me.. 2) the new armageddon video which was a big shift.

zophar

AverageJoe1a day ago said:

I very much doubt what the OP said about Matthew 25:45 as I've just done a search for that scripture in the official outlines and it is not even mentioned once!

Please tell us the title of the talk this was supposedly mentioned in.

I agree with AberageJoe1. Which RC talk are you referencing? The documentation you mention in the WT clearly is not noting a change in doctrine.

I wish you were right, because I think that is a correct application and it refers to Christians in general, but I don't see any shift in lessening their application to the GB or FDS

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This year’s convention

by lastmanstanding in

two things i noted at this year’s rc.

1) the new teaching with respect to matthew 25:45 which was applied equally to the rank & file jw.

this teaching is also found in the watchtower study for last sunday.. then he will answer them, saying: ‘truly i say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of these least ones, you did not do it to me.. 2) the new armageddon video which was a big shift.

zophar

The only reference I see to Mt 25 is in paragraph 6 where it mentions the Parable of the Talents.

They do not mention the anointed or other sheep at all. They are merely showing Jesus words were encouraging which is the theme of the article.

What am I missing?

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This year’s convention

by lastmanstanding in

two things i noted at this year’s rc.

1) the new teaching with respect to matthew 25:45 which was applied equally to the rank & file jw.

this teaching is also found in the watchtower study for last sunday.. then he will answer them, saying: ‘truly i say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of these least ones, you did not do it to me.. 2) the new armageddon video which was a big shift.

zophar

I don't see any reference to Matthew 25:45 in last week's WT lesson.

21

This Week CLM Meeting

by zophar in

so, this week on the clm there was an interesting comment at our kh.. under the "apply yourself to the field ministry" portion this week, there was the bible study assignment based on the publication: who are doing jehovah’s will today?

published in 2016. the material was from lesson 28 "what can be found on our website?

there is a footnote at the bottom that reads: .

zophar

So, this week on the CLM there was an interesting comment at our KH.

Under the "Apply Yourself To The Field Ministry" portion this week, there was the Bible Study assignment based on the publication: Who Are Doing Jehovah’s Will Today? published in 2016. The material was from Lesson 28 "What Can Be Found on Our Website? There is a footnote at the bottom that reads:

A NOTE OF CAUTION:

Some Internet sites have been set up by opposers to spread false information about our organization. Their intent is to draw people away from serving Jehovah. We should avoid those sites.—Psalm 1:1; 26:4; Romans 16:17."

Well the Chairman commented on that footnote. He said something to the effect of:

"What if the website information is NOT False information? What if a person in the ministry who is not an apostate asks you about something they read on a website. Maybe it is something you have never heard of, what should you do? Think of the harm you cause if you vehemently say, "That is not true! That never happened!" What if it IS TRUE, it DID happen! You have lost all credibility. Make sure you know what you are talking about before you respond. If you don't know what they are talking about, then tell them that. THEN, do your own research.

Think he might be PIMO? It made me think he was sort of encouraging people to check out the report wherever it came from.

8

Random Musing of an ex-JW Pondering About ex-JWs

by StarTrekAngel in

long ago during my awakening process i was presented with a somewhat extrange proposition.

i can’t recall for sure where i read it.

i wandered thru so many sites over the years.

zophar

@Vidiot

No problem. Just wanted to make sure I didn't minimize the damage that can be caused.

8

Random Musing of an ex-JW Pondering About ex-JWs

by StarTrekAngel in

long ago during my awakening process i was presented with a somewhat extrange proposition.

i can’t recall for sure where i read it.

i wandered thru so many sites over the years.

zophar

Yes, that MAY, probably IS the reason. On the other hand there are a lot of militant JW's right now. If they were to leave the Organization they would probably be just as militant as opposers. Others have been hurt so much, they turned militant.

It was not meant to be an absolute judgment either way.

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Random Musing of an ex-JW Pondering About ex-JWs

by StarTrekAngel in

long ago during my awakening process i was presented with a somewhat extrange proposition.

i can’t recall for sure where i read it.

i wandered thru so many sites over the years.

zophar

Very thoughtful post. It is like your blood relatives, how many would you still have if you CHOSE who your relatives would be vs sharing a bloodline?

Perhaps the desire for unity that was instilled in us, causes us to expect such with new friendships.

Obviously, in ex JW world Atheists, Agnostics, Born Again Believers, Catholics, Pagan, religiously apathetic and, no doubt, many other catagories I've failed to mention, exist and thrive!

It is like we are on a journey and we do not know what our final destination will be. Now, when we choose friends, it is because WE, our TRUE genuine selves decide who we want to be friends with and what our shared interests are. Thus we may be very naive as to the whole process.

When I look at posts from folks like Flipper and read about the yearly gathering in Tahoe, I get the impression that many who come have moved a bit further than I have from the JW experience and now, they are just friends that happen to share a common background of experiences. On the other hand, you have those who have become almost militaristic in their Active Opposition to JW's and seem driven by it. Unfortunately, that may just be evidence of the very real, very deep hurt they experienced inside the organization.

"Life is a journey, not a destination!"

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