StarTrekAngel

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Posts by StarTrekAngel

• 
  22

  WT now promoting literature officially at book fairs

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  can there really be any doubt now on how commercial it is?

  if you thought the new kh design seemed commercial in nature, now imagine one of those halls turned into a jw store.

  we know they exist.

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  StarTrekAngel

  They even had a "kids corner" on their display.
• 
  16

  Preaching... a requirement for baptism?

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i have been doing some reading lately.

  i have yet to bump into the text that show that preaching is a requirement to qualify for baptism.

  in fact, i have read more paragraphs that say otherwise.

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  StarTrekAngel

  Thanks for all the answers. Not to deviate from the topic here, Island Man, but so happens that this questions came around my family not long ago. Is baptism a requirement for salvation. If so, what about the criminal that died next to Jesus but asked him to remember him in his kingdom?
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  14

  Matthew 1:17 & 42 Generations

  by campaign of hate in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if we are to look at matthew 1:17, looks like there were 42 generations from abraham to jesus.. if we take 1948 bce (abraham's birth) and we take it to jesus baptisim (29 ce) we get to 1,977 years.. so lets divide 1977 years by 42 (the amount of generations), we get to around 47 years for one generation.. 1 generation = 47 years.. 1 generation + an overlapping generation (1 generation more) = 94 years.. this is all in the first chapter of the new testament..... comments welcome.....

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  StarTrekAngel

  My point exactly... from a sensible point of view the time can not be stretched as they claim
• 
  16

  Preaching... a requirement for baptism?

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i have been doing some reading lately.

  i have yet to bump into the text that show that preaching is a requirement to qualify for baptism.

  in fact, i have read more paragraphs that say otherwise.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  StarTrekAngel

  LOL. Thanks brother Steve. I realize now that I was letting my faith down. I should have never doubted the WT advice on this. Your humble counsel is an example I must follow.
• 
  16

  Preaching... a requirement for baptism?

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i have been doing some reading lately.

  i have yet to bump into the text that show that preaching is a requirement to qualify for baptism.

  in fact, i have read more paragraphs that say otherwise.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  StarTrekAngel

  So I have been doing some reading lately. I have yet to bump into the text that show that preaching is a requirement to qualify for baptism. In fact, I have read more paragraphs that say otherwise. Can anyone provide some input for or against this idea?

  
  

  Thanks
• 
  14

  Matthew 1:17 & 42 Generations

  by campaign of hate in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if we are to look at matthew 1:17, looks like there were 42 generations from abraham to jesus.. if we take 1948 bce (abraham's birth) and we take it to jesus baptisim (29 ce) we get to 1,977 years.. so lets divide 1977 years by 42 (the amount of generations), we get to around 47 years for one generation.. 1 generation = 47 years.. 1 generation + an overlapping generation (1 generation more) = 94 years.. this is all in the first chapter of the new testament..... comments welcome.....

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  StarTrekAngel

  While I am a big proponent of finding out what the bibles means by comparing separate texts, I have to admit that it is not possible to compare the meaning of "generation" by simply looking at what one generation understood as "generation" compared to what a much later generation understood by "generation". In other words, whatever length of time a generation was in the times of Abraham, is not necessarily the same during the times of Moises or Jesus. In either case, it is understandable that the people of whom each one of us considers to be of the same "generation" as us, vary in age, experience and the like. A generation can be grouped by chronological age as well as having experienced a certain dramatic event or time in history.

  With that in mind, two people can be of the same generation that saw men walk on the moon and yet, as far as age is concerned, they could be of two totally separated generations (father and son for example). In this case you do have an "overlap" but at least, both generations have witnessed the same event. When it comes to this there is no escape to the rule that, whichever generation must be alive before the Big A, overlapping with another one or not, it must have witnessed the event in order to qualify to fulfill the prophecy.

  Unfortunately, even stretching the definition isn't enough at this point. How many anointed  witnesses that overlap with the 1914 generation are still alive? Not many. The "overlap", even if it was correct, is no overlap anymore.
• 
  37

  Are the trolley dollies* getting any results? Or, is it just another waste of life?

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  steve2 initiated a discussion on how our former loving brothers and sisters are behaving, while engaging in the 'trolley work.

  ' (link: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/93590001/within-one-minute-jw-trolley-directs-me-jw-org ).

  my own observations are the same as the posters report on steve2's thread.

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  StarTrekAngel

  Yeah.. I am sure those that are truly and sincerely committed to "saving" people, would probably make a push to give out literature. I would figure that if the effect of that is big enough, eventually two things could happen...

  - The cong would be asked to cost the magazines, since so many are going out

  - Instructions would be send reminding people that the true purpose of the cart is not to hand out flyers to anyone walking by but rather what we, in the internet world, call a honeypot.
• 
  37

  Are the trolley dollies* getting any results? Or, is it just another waste of life?

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  steve2 initiated a discussion on how our former loving brothers and sisters are behaving, while engaging in the 'trolley work.

  ' (link: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/93590001/within-one-minute-jw-trolley-directs-me-jw-org ).

  my own observations are the same as the posters report on steve2's thread.

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  StarTrekAngel

  Yes.. so that is the way it always has been, at least for the time that I've been a JW. What I am saying is that during the meetings, whenever someone stood in the platform pretending to be witnessing to a person, it was almost a mandatory thing to pretend that the person asked that question. It was a constant reminder that we needed not to forget that part. Then it stopped, and now it seems to start again.
• 
  37

  Are the trolley dollies* getting any results? Or, is it just another waste of life?

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  steve2 initiated a discussion on how our former loving brothers and sisters are behaving, while engaging in the 'trolley work.

  ' (link: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/93590001/within-one-minute-jw-trolley-directs-me-jw-org ).

  my own observations are the same as the posters report on steve2's thread.

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  StarTrekAngel

  They did it before, much near the origins of the group. Remember the pictures of cars with the big speakers? People with signs hanging on their necks on the street? If memory serves me correctly (and please correct me if I am wrong) everything changed when Rutherford came around. I read somewhere that Rutherford paid his college education selling books door to door. He had experience in the business. He probably did not think public witnessing would do any good. Remember that JWs use to sell "subscriptions to paradise" in the not too distant past. With that model gone out the window and the bad numbers, they are resorting to old tactics I guess.

  No, the cart does not have a money box. However, I remember clearly the days (not more than 5 years ago) when every demonstration had to be ended with the householder pretending to ask how much the mag was. To which we were supposed to reply that we take voluntary donations. I have not heard that in a long time, until about late 2014. Last time I've heard that again was just this weekend. In our last assembly, an example of witnessing on the street was presented and the above example was introduced as well.
• 
  37

  Are the trolley dollies* getting any results? Or, is it just another waste of life?

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  steve2 initiated a discussion on how our former loving brothers and sisters are behaving, while engaging in the 'trolley work.

  ' (link: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/93590001/within-one-minute-jw-trolley-directs-me-jw-org ).

  my own observations are the same as the posters report on steve2's thread.

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  StarTrekAngel

  If you ask me this was never meant to have any results you may be thinking of or at least, just marginal results. It is more a matter of efficiency. 

  - Makes it easy for older pioneers to get their hours in. Resulting on stronger year end reports. Keeps the R&F believing the preaching work is certainly accelerating (as the bible "predicts")

  - Makes it easier for those with marginal hours (auxiliary pioneers) to actually become regular pioneers. Results same as above.

  - But most importantly... if you read some of the statistics considered on this site and others, the number of preaching hours required to make a new convert are on the rise. The number of hours required to reach a house is still the same. Each JW still walks the same territories, same distances, etc. Therefore, if you want to reduce the number of hours that it takes to bring a new convert, you can only try to reduce the number of hours it takes to reach a person. Exposure in public places accomplishes that, thus increasing preaching efficiency. Besides, they used to go around looking for interested people, now the interested ones come to them. 

  In a nutshell, I do not know if it is working or not, but certainly, the purpose behind it seems clear to me.