The story was embellished much like a convention experience.
tms
Posts by TMS
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86I destroyed @30 jw's today in field service
by JunkYardDog in2 wt zombies came to my door today.
and i opened a can of woop a$$ on them.. i did the whole history of wt false prophecies on them and asked them to show me the gospel of 1914?
they couldn't and i followed them up and down the street proclaiming they were false teachers and couldn't talk their way out of a paper bag with a knowledgeable apostate.
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30
I'm not that important to Jehovah? Well, damn. Now I see the WBTS stance.
by easyreader1970 inlast night during the bible highlights, the brother (an insane and extreme zealot of an elder) said that people cannot expect jehovah to communicate with his servants directly anymore.
not because it wasn't part of his plan, nor because he has the all powerful and all knowing governing body in place, but because we really just aren't that important.
not important enough to warrant one one one communication.
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TMS
God is sometimes referred to as a father. Does a normal, balanced father insist on worship from his children? Or is he content when his children lead productive, meaningful lives and are happy? Occasionally, religious or political despots have acted Jehovah-like causing much suffering.
Of course, if a human father sat idly by watching his children die in a tsunami wave, many courts would consider this akin to child endangerment or gross negligence. If a human father testified that he allowed his children to suffer because he was protecting his own name and reputation he would certainly not be respected as a father.
Additionally, a self-confident, omnipotent, omnicient being does not need to be told how great he is. If he is a creator, the success, beauty, power, intelligence and well-being of his creation proves it.
tms
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Back from New Orleans, ready for DF announcement!
by SweetBabyCheezits in[click here for a little history...].
mission accomplished!
my wife and i held off the announcement and were able to attend my bil's wedding & reception this past weekend.
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TMS
SBC,
Several aspects of your handling of this stand out:
You kept your poise. Our emotions can get the best of us when we are being maligned. Of course, seeing the elder tribunal as made up of frail, misguided, but well-meaning humans helped.
You were in control. Knowledge is power and you did not waste your understanding of Watchtower procedure.
You were unselfish. It amazes me that you were more concerned about using a the proceedings as a vehicle to enlighten others than in your own self-defense.
Your father's reaction saddens me. I was in his shoes seventeen years ago when my son was df'd. Without hesitating, thinking or even consulting my wife, I said: "Son, why don't you come back home?" That began our unraveling as JW's. We're still healing. I can't help but think that the character and consideration you've displayed in this whole affair came from somewhere. I have hope for your father's thawing.
tms
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The real story on why The Watchtower society lost a Kingdom hall in Bonham ,Texas.!
by koolaid-man inwhat happened in bonham, texas?
: the body of elders and the majority of the congregation decided to leave the watch tower organization.
and with that, they took the kingdom hall.
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TMS
The newspaper article got the lawyer's name wrong. It was David Bercot, now a noted author of books about early Christianity. He has a website and can be reached via email. Bercot is also a lawyer specializing in Texas title searches. He is a former JW.
tms
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18
JW's humble?
by donny induring my trek through the jw's i often heard talks and comments stating how witnesses were humble and meek, unlike the haughty-title loving people of the world especially christendom.
well i just received my 2010 alumni directory that covers everyone who graduated from the two high schools that were part of the district i live in.. so i spent the afternoon parusing its pages when i came across a listing for a guy who is now an elder in the congregation i used to attend.
here is how he describes himself.
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TMS
Of course, there are many humble folk among Jehovah's Witnesses, usually not those with organizational responsibilities. JW teachings actually work against humility. JWs are taught that among earth's billions they alone will survive God's selective destruction at Armageddon. JWs are taught that they alone have the "truth." They have that truth because their hearts were somehow more receptive to it than the typical non-believer. Other subtle messages indicate superiority: Their organization builds halls faster, feeds large groups faster and more efficiently, translates Scripture better, responds to natural disasters more quickly and efficiently, etc.
Becoming an ex-JW is a humbling experience. How could you have been duped by such an obviously man-made religious cult, wasting decades of your life chasing an illusion, not preparing properly for retirement or seeing to it that your children received an education? Think back to all of the counselors, teachers, householders, fellow employees, neighbors and relatives who KNEW you were brainwashed but couldn't reach you. That is humbling.
tms
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Generation teaching. What is it about witnesses that they don't see this for what it is?
by garyneal ini cannot for the life of me understand why jehovah's witnesses don't see right through the b.s.
regarding their overlapping generation being equal to one generation.
also, i am a bit perplexed at how little certain jehovah's witnesses know their own doctrine.. take my wife, for instance:.
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TMS
Highlander:
I'm kind of torn between the view of TMS and that of Outlaw. Perhaps those that are predisposed to questioning and independent thinking will have their exit journey accelerated due to the latest generation flop. On the other hand, most jw's do not fully understand or even care about jw beliefs and doctrines.
Exactly. For most it will make no difference. But this silly version will do damage. To put it impolitely, it's simply too dumb of explanation. Can you imagine how convoluted it would be to explain the overlapping generation concept to a semi-intelligent prospective JW? The last two attempts at revising the "generation" have taken the wind out of the sails, the urgency out of the message. In the last twenty years the Watchtower has had two big doctrinal challenges: 1. Redefine the "King of the North" after the collapse of the Soviet system. 2. Make the "generation" teaching chronologically viable. So far, the Writing Department has drawn a blank.
tms
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Generation teaching. What is it about witnesses that they don't see this for what it is?
by garyneal ini cannot for the life of me understand why jehovah's witnesses don't see right through the b.s.
regarding their overlapping generation being equal to one generation.
also, i am a bit perplexed at how little certain jehovah's witnesses know their own doctrine.. take my wife, for instance:.
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TMS
Expect more fallout from this poorly thought out adjustment. Although JW's are trained, conditioned to respond humbly and obediently to teaching changes, the spin usually is somewhat logical. This new generation belief is sort of unwieldy, confusing and illogical.
Circuit overseers are giving congregational service talks in support of the new "understanding" and assembly program time is devoted to it. This can only mean one thing. Many are finding the new teaching a tough swallow. I wonder how many "what the heck?" letters Brooklyn/Patterson has received on this new overlapping generation teaching from seasoned JW's.
I learned a long time ago that when a Watchtower article is written is frequently reactive to some trend, problem or crisis the GB sees the necessity of addressing. I believe the new generation teaching has brought some insomnia to the GB and the Writing Department.
tms
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After Reinstatement
by truthlover incan any current elders, ms, etc.
tell me if restrictions are given when a person is re instated since 2005??
i ask this as i am reading the requirements for re instatement -- it says a person has to prove they want to be reinstated and have to attend meetings for a year or more before the elders would even accept the letter request for re instatement..... .
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TMS
The monitoring of the restrictions and their gradual removal is one of the most uneven aspects of the JW "judicial" system. If someone moving after DFing seeks reinstatement, his or her new congregation forms a committee to monitor repentence, conduct hearings. If the original DFing congregation is close enough they may choose to conduct a reinstatement hearing. The new congregation can only recommend reinstatement. The final decision rests with the original congregation. Restrictions and their removal are always at the discretion of the current congregation since they see the person day to day.
Some committees quickly discharge all restrictions. Others wait till asked. Some drag things out, insisting on perfection.
One of my saddest moments as a so-called elder occurred in the mid-80's. I was encouraging a young married sister to auxiliary pioneer. She said: "I can't." I asked why. She said: "You know why." An indescretion in the early 70's with her then boyfriend had caused a judicial committee to be formed. No one, including me had ever informed her of her restrictions being removed. She had been feeling that weight for over a decade.
tms
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What to write in my niece's (JW) wedding card
by voodoo lady inmy very militant jw niece is marrying a jw boy who i know little about, though i presume he must have priveleges or be a pioneer for her to have dated him in the first place.
though i feel so sad at the reality she's about to face - marrying a man she barely knows who she's probably never spent time alone with - i would still like to celebrate her love, or at least these exciting new feelings that she's experiencing that she believes to be love.
(and for all i know may certainly be love).. .
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TMS
Make her reflect on how gracious and thoughtful people can be even when they aren't "serving Jehovah."
tms
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Who really are JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES......really.....?
by Terry injehovah's witnesses don't expect to convert the world.
they expect to educate the world about jehovah's kingdom and his christ.. before: nobody knows about it.. after: everybody knows about it.. how would you measure what people "know"?.
how well informed is the average citizen in 2010 vs 1879, for example?.
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TMS
Well expressed, Terry.
Jehovah's Witnesses seldom do as the TMS Guidebook suggests: Maintain common ground. As you suggested in another thread, their modus operandi is to dismantle another's beliefs. Of course, that almost NEVER works.
Imagine a householder graciously inviting a witness into their home and saying "I've always wondered what you people actually believe. I have a half hour. Please tell me your basic message, your core beliefs." The average JW would not have a coherent, polished, well-reasoned approach. It would not be as easy as reaching for the current "Awake!" on "What Is Happening to Our Coral Reefs?" or falling back into the current KM suggested Topic for Conversation. It would not be an epic moment like Stephen's testimony or Paul's before the Antioch synagogue, the Areopogus or Gallio.
As you think back on it, we were poorly trained for the work we attempted to do. Most of what we learned or practiced in meetings was impractical, unworkable. A typical meeting for service involved trying to harmonize a scripture text with a nearly irrelevant "Watchtower" paragraph, then assigning cargroups with careful allowance for cliques, feuds, breakers and non-breakers, the in and the out crowds, etc. In the field JW's were simply an early morning annoyance at the door, a lingering mid-morning annoyance at McDonald's, breathing a collective sigh of relief as the clock neared the noon hour. An impotent educational work to say the least.
tms