Arauna

Exactly my reply...... that is why it is called "unrighteous riches".

Questions which determine if the person understands the basics are important....... the person must understand what we believe and what their obligations are regarding moral obedience to jehovah. It is a loving to make sure that the person understands. The reason I was searching for the truth was that I was affirmed in the Dutch Reformed Church at age 16. We attended class for three months once a week. The day before baptism of the entire group the minister asked a question about the randsom. A student answered incorrectly. The answer was: Jesus. This appalled me that students were allowed to be baptised without understanding this basic teaching. Later I retracted my membership of the church.

Witness, if you have the idea that God did plan for a financial system in this wicked world to exist and we should see "unrighteous riches" as symbolic...... then go ahead and believe what you want. I believe that God allowed a financial system to exist after Adam and Eve sinned and it therefore is unrighteous. What we earn from it is also "unrighteous." BUT we can serve God by means of our unrighteous riches by paying for things (petrol, our time we can use to gain unrighteous riches) etc.

Definitely not dropouts...... one can keep learning without going to university. One can get very talented people who have NO degree.......in science or art but still attain an extremely high level of competency. We have many engineers who are in the truth and they DO read a lot of Awake magazines ...and also magazines pertaining to their secular jobs to remain up to date. Any subject that one has studied for 12 years is equal to a college education. The first two years of college education teaches one the basic terminology and mechanisms. The third and fourth year are more advanced. It is only at master and doctorate level one can say one us a master at one facet of a subject. Most witnesses know the basics of the bible in first year and after that start to build their knowledge. Bring me a doctor of theology that understands that Jesus is not God, that the soul of jesus died at his death, that keeping parts of the law such as sabbath and tithes are incorrect....... and I can go on and on........ It depends on the individual JW to maintain the first two year skills given to them and improve on it by self-study and preparing well for the meetings.

Actually, those who still tout worldly education are not up to date with what is going on at universities- especially the fields in humanities. There are many 'generic' degrees that have no value except put the person in debt for life. The new degrees in feminism, social studies etc. Is guaranteed to turn the student into a walking nutcase who believes that men can have periods and gender is not determined by x and y chromosomes. Touchy feely persons who are triggered by every politically incorrect utterance and bully others who do not think as they do. Even the sciences and judicial system are now effected by this nonsense. There is a gynecologist in the news who is having her son of 7 years go though a sex change and the court has gone against the rational father. An education is supposed to give one proper thinking skills...... to be objective and logic. But throwing right and wrong away and replacing it with human philosophy is leading to disaster. At least bible reading helps one see realities and gives a moral compass....... something which is missing in the current scenario at colleges and universities.

Thanks for your kind reaction Srecko. When I know your name i am cannot say I know you. One has to have walked with that person for some time to know their qualities, what they like and do not like. Same with God.... we have to know more than his name..... when we have walked with him for some time and read his word we know his qualities and what he likes and does not like. Even though we cannot see him - we can later on really love him from the heart because we understand and know who he really is. If someone tells you that your best friend stole something..... you can defend him and say he will never do that......because you know him well. In the same way we defend jehovah when people accuse him of bringing evil on them or does not care about them

Knowing them - jehovah AND jesus. How many religions do you know which openly preach Jehovahs name AND jesus. Jews know the name of God and refuse to use the name, muslims made the God of the Quraish tribe their God, most Christian's pray only to Jesus and do not accept that his soul was in death 3 days - so do they "know" him? I can go on and on..... I hope you get the drift.

See below - important scripture! We are reaching the point where human control over others will have no limit (as quoted scripture above indicates) and political and religion are close bedfellows - just like in Babylon when Nimrod merged false religion with hegemony. They will dictate religion as part of state as they are doing now in China. Individuals buy property, get business licenses (just like our organization). This means they are IN the world and have to make a living with "unrighteous riches" . BUT they are no part of the world. I have not seen a witness run for office, lobby against LGBT or abortion (even though they do not condone it), participate in demonstrations or vote. We are without spot from the political system because we obey the laws as far as possible and do not oppose its mechanisms in activist way. We are also without spot in a moral way because we will NOT go to war or practice abortion or LGBT - even if it has been legalized and legit in the world. To tyranize against GB because they conduct business is not taking into account that Jesus said we can use "unrighteous riches" for him. God did not originally plan for man to have a financial system..... so it is unrighteous. Remember the prophecy of the final situation where we will not be able to 'buy or sell' if we do not conform (morally- the good and bad values of jehovah) to this system and NOT give our worship/ moral obedience to the state. Our test will be great because you will become persona non grata when your digital bank account with all your money is locked because you accept the ransom sacrifice of Jesus or do not practice LGBT. I read of a trans that wanted to sleep with a married man and he called it a hate crime when declined....... this where the world us heading with a possibility of it becoming LGBTQP. Those who are without moral spot of this world/society (issue of good and bad and choosing Jehovahs sovreignty against directives of state and wicked society - as Adam chose) will be persecuted.

If you would like the sordid details of how you seduced another man's wife to be a matter of public interest and your private shame to be bandied about, please do not think that everyone else would like it so. I think it is merciful in most cases that no one gets to know the sordid details If you would like your details of how you defrauded your brother of a few thousand pounds and showed no compassion to be publicly announced- then why did you do these things in secret in the first place and did not do it openly..... If you.... I can go on and on...... do you get the picture? I think you need to study history - especially church history. Then you will understand how this fits in. Why argue about something you do not understand or do not have good knowledge of?

You fail to see his hate for God and his poisonous attitude. It is hard to communicate realistically or objectively with such a person. Even worldly family members could not cope.......with the compulsive hate. Some people think they are too smart to fail - he was one of them..... to my extreme sadness. If person has an issue with God- it depends on the degree.... One can close yourself to access with God when it goes beyond a certain point. I also see that people who do not really study much by themself often leave jehovah because they are not sure or are easily deceived. One is not smart to reject the name of jehovah, or jehovah himself. Most people who leave jehovah like their own ideas more - they want independence to serve God in their own way.

You guys are getting too personal...... really . It does not bring honour to jehovah if we (myself included) get personal. It serves no edifying purpose.... To see words as "how dare you" etc indicates a spirit of arrogance. God can speak for himself..... he does not need us to show indignation on his behalf...... just like muslims who think they have the right to kill for god./ or in his name. Not prepared to only preach.... I understand completely. You and Pearl.... where do you go for meetings as instructed by Jehovah. Where is the nation you belong to as stipulated in Isaaih 2:2-4....... a nation which comprises people if all tribes on the earth. .....? And prays to Jehovah....... and accepts christ as only a man of flesh?....... and preaches world-wide in fulfillment of Matt 24:14 While I u understand the imperfections of humans (GB are humans as you are) I also understand that jehovah worked with Israel before Jesus was born...... and they did many terrible things.. You spend so much time on here breaking down those who serve jehovah..... no building up. Using the word of God as a misleading weapon. This is NOT the fruit of the spirit from God. I am not deceivied by you no matter how sincere you may personally feel.

No- I meant "old" in sense of ruling for a long time like despots and do not get voted out. They are all younger than I am - and I do not consider myself old....

Lepers are not dirty - depending on circumstances. I will study with any leper as I have had a study with a Rasta - dispite his pot smoking and his unhealthy looking hair...... because I saw the person behind the crazy hair and valued him as a person. BUT I did expect him to change his appearance as he grew in knowledge about Jehovah. SPIRITUAL GROWTH BRINGS CHANGE - did you change? Well a person should not just judge by appearance - that is very immature. But first impressions do count. So being neat and not have some outrageous fad in your dress is recommended.

I think you have an issue with God and the bible - not JWs. Achan and his entire family died and an example made of them. Why? They condoned Achan's behaviour and went along with him - kept quiet about him stealing the gold and garment and hiding it in his tent - which was dedicated to Jehovah as firstfruits in the promised land. There are numerous scriptures in new testament which talk about having nothing to do with "brothers" who practice fornication, lying, extortion, reviling etc. Etc. It also says that one condones it by greeting them or eating with them. So I think you have an issue with the bible - because JWs do what it says. Here is my own story: I have 3 brothers, one went to prison for 3 years for the truth, another is not a witness and the other is an apostate.. I call him Ett for short..... He has the same OCD I often recognize here on this forum. I was 21 years old when the youngest brother (Ett) was born. He was like a child to me..... soft natured and brilliant. My parents were quite old when he was born so he had less discipline but went to a school for gifted children. He came into the truth for only a brief time. He was a smartypants. Too smart for his own shoes - like many apostates. To pretend that I do not mourn him every day is a lie....... so this is so false to infer that JWs easily shun family members.... and many critics imply that we are heartless.....so false. I helped raise my brother....., He was the brother/child I loved the most and I could relate to him the most because he had a gentle heart.....and a sweet disposition albeit inclined to his own way. We had a close bond. He went with me on holiday together with my children. Later my mother got cancer.... when he was still quite young. I still love him (the way he was) with all my heart. BUT: He broke his loving bond with Jehovah and his loving bond with me by reading the books of Richard Dawkins and rejecting the notion of a creator. (Dawkins became a celebrity for a while with his silly notions). My brother became hateful against jehovah and led a loose life - like the prodical son. He rejected all help offered to him from JWs and the non-JWs in the family to re-evaluate his position. (Both of the other brothers are highly educated in science and engineering (one is a analytical chemist and science programmer the other has engineering and economic degrees.. ..... they are both brilliant in math and can argue about thermodynamics etc etc). So please, don't any one if you here on this forum pretend it is easy for a JW to cut association with someone who's association has become pure OCD poison. I realized it was spiritual suicide....to remain in contact with him because he had OCD.... could not help himself to return to some subject against God....... it is not easy for us. I cried a lot and I still mourn him...... but hope everyday he comes back to his senses as he sees prophecies being fulfilled. Nobody will be more pleased than I if he is prepared to clean up his hate speech against God and his moral standards and return to my heart. After rejecting Jehovah he lost his girlfriend in death and many other things went wrong in his life because he no longer had Jehovah's protection. Did this make him humble? No. I sent him money to support him for quite some time because he lost his sense to live....... a result of his choices...... I regularly ask my non-witness brother how he is because he lives in the same city. My non-witness brother also broke off association with him for a while because he could not cope with the OCD this apostate brother displayed against God. He believes that God exists and as a non-witness did not view Ett as good association. So hopefully this gives you some insight into how non-apostates feel. Every time I study the weaknesses in the evolution theory, philosophy or history....... I think how wonderful it could be to share this with Ett. ..... because he is a reader of eclectic subjects.... but then I remember that it is hard to have a reasonable conversation with him due to the OCD against God. I have not spoken to him for years........ but the pain remains. I however am determined to not condone his behaviour or pollute myself. I am secure in my faith and bible knowledge but I had to be on guard when he was in a conversation..... It is spiritually dangerous. I have often spoken to elders about my struggle to keep separate......and have managed to do so for years....... and I supported him financially when it was hard for me........ because I love him and love and obey Jehovah. So do not treat us as heartless...... apostacy often makes the perpetrator heartless.

Kabbalah? Mysticism and meanings in numbers and letters...... A watering down of the word of God by teachings of men. Jesus himself rejected the "oral tradition" of men which was later written down as the Mishnah. Rabbis practiced the kabbalah which is closely linked to mystic teachings of the East. Need I say more?

As I said before: when you join a golf club ... you know the rules. Go to the club and flagrantly break the rules by disorderly or brazen conduct and you may find yourself "outside" the club. So if this rule is OK for other clubs..... why is JW treated so bad for expecting people to follow the standards in the bible?

All those who are NOT members of the body of Christ (or do not treat them as brothers) are obsessed with position and authority....... similar to the world..... people with fleshly thinking. True members of the "body" of christ accept that there are members who all have different tasks - like in a physical body..... all work together for one goal. It is not about position but working together towards the goal of glorifying Jehovahs name...... no other name. Those who have been infiltrated by secular thinking or fleshly thinking all argue about position and authority... Corrupted fruits identify false teachers and the "man of lawlessness". The catholic church had statues of false gods at the Vatican a week ago - which caused outrage. Some churches in USA are "voting" for LGBTQ rights.........to be part of the doctrine of the church..... So their fruits are clear ...... their false teachings prove they are the man of " lawlessness".

Yes, let every person in the organization come with their own theories of how a scripture should be interpreted. Let any person say they are anointed and then take disciples for themselves and preach their own interpretations. Yes let each one become their own God. This is a truly a united way of thinking - it will be similar to the world which is now so irreconcilably "united". I just love the way these so-called bible experts think - so illogical and impractical...... quick to accuse others of being "gods" but wanting to replace those gods with their own ludicrous ideas. And quite ready to replace those gods with their own godlike opinions and authority.

The world is sitting on a time-bomb waiting to explode. There are so many issues that are covered up or not addressed. If one speaks the truth you will be prosecuted. ....... this is why I believe that we will soon see major changes in the world...... Satan is being drawn out of his lair.

I don't reason with people who cannot follow the thread of an argument..... There are other religions who are getting away with child rape as part of their teachings and regular PRACTICE ....but only JWs singled out for the odd renegade members. There are top society members, members of government and CIA who are trafficking children and it is covered up.... such as the Epstein case has exposed the rampant rotten wickedness of these people. How many cities in UK were exposed as having rape rings of perpetrators and police were too afraid to prosecute because they were members of the ' religion of peace.' .... this proves your bias and hate towards JWs because you only single them out.

That is only your personal opinion not reality. I have not read anywhere that they have said this. They claim to be the true servants of jehovah....... just like Jesus claimed to be the SON of jehovah.......... and they accused him too!

There is a time for everything.... a time to debate and a time to stop. A time to bury the hatchet and get on with life.... There is nothing as sad as those who confident in their ignorance..... Speak to Jews.... I have preached to many..... and you will find they know the JHWH (tetragrammaton) but do not pronounce it. One accused me of appropriating the Jewish god. ......

Ironic: And they (the scandinavians) bring in more and more muslim migrants in which religion a woman really has no rights (half of a man in Sharia court) and they throw gays off of high buildings and LGBT, adultery, and changing your religion will get you killed - not shunned. They marry nine years olds legally ( and cases are thrown out of high court because it is their "culture" to marry kids) and are allowed up to 4 wives which each get their own paid-for apartment for their 3 to 4 children. Each Muslim gets free medical, housing, money for food etc. Swedes give ISIS fighters a new identity and give them housing. The injustice of this has not even dawned on them..... they are being "virtuous" by doing these wonderful deeds...for Muslims. because this new "cultural revolution" philosophy, which is part of communistic radical feminism, has no logic. The 'mother instinct' to nurture minority groups (muslims and LGBTQ) is virtuous - they do no research and reasoning about it is taboo - in this radical philosophy, which is now in all schools and universities in the West. If they looked at stats they would find out that Islam is soon the be the largest religion on earth - and most violent to non-believers or hypocrites (other muslims). They are nurturing a viper in their bosom. Muslims are in favor and Christian's are totally out of favour for these secular politicians - especially the devoted christians. 100,000 Kurdish Christian's will soon be slaughtered by Turkey..... they will not get migrant status - as has happened before in Syria and IRAQ - most christians slaughtered. Christians are daily being slaughtered in north Africa by al Shabaab and Boko Haram and taken as sex slaves - nothing in the news about this. Why? Because Islam has now received the stamp of approval as a religion of peace (one can go to jail in Scandinavia and UK if one says anything negative about it....... even when they commit crimes, it is covered up!) Islamic culture is now taught in all schools and the high court in USA just threw out a case against parents who objected..... so kids are forced to learn Islam as being beautiful and they are forced to write and recite the shahada- which makes you a Muslim when you say it in front of witnesses. How ignorance prevails! Some Christian's applications for refugee status have been rejected by Canada and UK. Yes - good to see the animosity against JWs as singled out Christian's....... it means things are moving ahead as predicted in the Bible......the day is here, and will escalate in hate, when each one acknowledging Christ will be persecuted. When these stupid politicians wake up it will be too late...... but they are so secular in their thinking they do not see the real danger....... as some opposers with secular thinking are here on this forum. The Pope is signing an agreement next year with the other abrahamic religions.... Judaism and Islam..... one united religion. Here is the rub: jesus Christ has been totally removed from the agreement....... great! ......The 'man of lawlessness' is being exposed. All supporters of 'amorality' (against the just morality of Jehovah) are now showing their true colours.

I know of mathematical geniuses who have dyslexia..... so never measure other people at your own standard. I speak several languages but I think I only write one competently and maybe eloquently..... and it is not English. We are not all writers. Language is primarily for communication, so when it fulfils this purpose (conveys a thought) then it is sufficient. When one uses a language in an expert and innovative way, then only can it become art...... but not all people are artists.

Most Africans I know speak 5 languages (even more), and I have found that many swedes speak at least 3 languages or more at a high level. Usually those who speak only one language will judge others on their language skills. My eyes are really bad now and my impatience grows with my arthritic fingers. I really dont care if my writing is pure, perfect, prestine or up to some other person's standards. Language can be misapplied to be a gauge of intelligence or prestige. In this regard I am a rebel..... I really don't care if I make a mistake or people think I am uneducated. I need no other person's approval to exist or give my opinion. Look at yourselves - your squabbling is a give-away. Reminds me of the period I was the senior publicity officer for the national orchestra. Some classical singers really think themselves above the rest just because they can sing opera or oratorio..... and orchestra members vie with each other egotistically. BUT most of them are as immoral as the worst popstars....with scandals, deceit and competitiveness.