TrueTomHarley
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How will you know when Judgement is just a short way off yet? -
So. Now you think that advertising the kingdom is a waste of time. Do you even think anymore that there is a kingdom? Or is the kingdom simply in our hearts? Should we instead begin praying for the world leaders fo be blessed so as to succeed in bringing better conditions? In fact, do you retain anything at all of your former worship other than an odd insistence that God produce a true anointed one that does not “lie?” With your characterization of every error or change as a “lie,” you may have to take what you can get. If you tell God that your insistence is on purity, he will likely say that you are no great shakes yourself—you will just have to learn to work with and trust [did you actually say that you trust no one at all?] other imperfect people. Beyond question, God gives “gifts in men.” “And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers,” for our “readjustment.” What happens if we forsake that? ”So we should no longer be children, tossed about as by waves and carried here and there by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of cunning in deceptive schemes.” (Ephesians 4:11,14) Hasn’t that happened to you? If the evangelizers, shepherds, and teachers of Jehovah’s Witnesses are not good enough for you, tell me where they are to be found. What! God is incompetent, is he, unable to fulfill his above statement? Tell me where they are. It will be nice if they know that there is a kingdom, that God and Jesus are not the same, that all good people do not go to heaven, and that the name of God is not The LORD.
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They actually shortchange themselves that way. Often there are people who attend meetings who don’t engage in the public ministry. They are not counted. If you asked them, however, what was their religious leaning, most would say that they are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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Over the weekend, I was in a circuit way out there in the back hills, and I came to know some of the strange ways of the local elders out there. I learned that when they really got riled at one another, they would spit out out the most spiteful words that they could think of: “May you be assigned to preside in JTR’s congregation!”
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There is a part of me that would like to see the end of counting time altogether. It leads to too many odd situations of doing or not doing something for the sake of accumulating hours or.keeping time going. At present, if I auxiliary pioneer, at the end of the month I write ‘50.’ (Or ‘30’ as the case may be) If I feel bad about it afterwards, I don’t do it again. With a million people in the Branch, if you flat-out lied, it would make no statistical difference. There is nothing sinister about counting time, and the people who carry on as though there is are just being childish, imo. Few bits of counsel are heard more frequently than the counsel not to boast over ‘accomplishments.’ But as a practical matter, even though it exists so as to get an overall picture of what is happening in the ministry, it has its drawbacks.
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Why did you have to go to learnreligions.com? Why couldn’t you just rattle them off the top of your head? You—who once specialized in religion. There is admittedly some exaggeration, but not enough to derail the basic statement:
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For example: Virtually unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses is the idea that when the person dies, the soul dies, for the two terms are synonymous. The dead are non-existent, pending future resurrection. Failing to recognize this leads to teachings that God ‘takes’ people, even children, for his ‘heavenly garden.’ It is a non-comforting slander against Him that may have tripped up even Darwin. Imagine how history might have played out differently had he been exposed to religious truth and not error. https://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2019/01/two-darwin-things-that-might-have-changed-history.html
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The things Jehovah’s Witnesses have reinterpreted, or even flip-flopped on, are all superfluous things. They are all trimmings on the tree, and not the tree itself. The essential doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses that distinguish them from any other religion have been solidly established for over 100 years: teachings that the Trinity is unscriptural, for example, and that the soul does not live on after death. These are the important points that one should focus on. No one else figured it out. Forerunners of today’s Governing Body did, constituting powerful evidence that they are indeed led by God’s spirit. Among the basic tenets discerned 100 years ago is that human salvation is not the prime issue before all creation, but the vindication of God’s name and purposes is.23 It is a huge distinction between Jehovah’s Witnesses and the general world of churches. It is the approach of the latter who say that it is all about us: all about our own personal salvation and relationship with Jesus. It invariably makes one self-centered. Invariably it leads to emphasis on rights outstripping responsibilities.
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They are all the same to him. ‘All roads lead to heaven’ resounds to him like a clarion call. One wonders what would satisfy him. Seemingly, only Jesus physical return and one-on-one communication with him would do the trick. What of the reasons that he became a Witness in the first place—the clear answer as to why God allows suffering, the knowledge of what happens to people when they die, and even the reason that they die? He has forgotten all about it. It is all “hot air” to him. It frequently happens when ones leave the JW faith. They lose every ounce of spiritual discernment that they once had, to become completely immersed with matters of the here and now. In no time at all, if they have not gone atheist, they are praying to The LORD.
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There is churn among Jehovah’s Witnesses but it is offset by a higher participation rate. After all, with many religions, members may not actually leave, but how would you know if they did?
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‘Broke record,’ for instance.
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I think he means by taking a ‘wait and see’ attitude, rather than diving in and correcting matters. It does not sound as though they didn’t know just what to correct. They didn’t go in lockstep back then, is my take, and Paul was confident enough in that to operate freely without ‘checking in’ for authorization. But neither do they go in lockstep today, despite obvious greater organization—which is entirely consistent with the greater field (and harvest) that is being cultivated. Many arrangements originate outside of Bethel, which is initially very hesitant, even suspect of them, until they see how it works out, after which it gets behind and magnifies them. Witnessing methods, construction techniques, internet utilization, for example.
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Yes. Without some sort of governing arrangement—call it what you will—the Bible becomes a relic with the death of the apostles. Similar to how the constitution becomes a relic in the absence of a Supreme Court. I swear that there are some who would prefer it that way. That way they can personalize it any way they want. Don’t like this or that? Simply interpret it away—no harm done.
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Um...uh....let’s just say it is cutting edge scholarship by “just an ordinary man” who wishes to remain anonymous.
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Great! Just great! And how am I supposed to knew whether the next comment from you is actually from you or from one of the 18 chickens?
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My only fear is that one day the blabbermouth will spill the beans about ME>
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Even when the call has gone well, I tell Tom Pearlsandswine upon my return to the car: ‘I can’t believe that fellow could not see that Jesus and God are different!’ I watch his ears redden. I savor the moment. I know his thoughts: ‘You kept me waiting 45 MINUTES so you could blow times arguing the Trinity?!”
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Hold on a wit. I think he’s all wet. Not on everything, but on some things. But it will take me a few days to get around to answering. Other matters call. As I recall, ”certain men came down from Ju·deʹa and began to teach the brothers: “Unless YOU get circumcised according to the custom of Moses, YOU cannot be saved.” But when there had occurred no little dissension and disputing by Paul and Barʹna·bas with them, they arranged for Paul and Barʹna·bas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and older men in Jerusalem regarding this dispute.” It doesn’t sound to me like the “certain men” WERE the “apostles and older men in Jerusalem,” And: “Yet, some of those of the sect of the Pharisees that had believed rose up from their seats and said: “It is necessary to circumcise them and charge them to observe the law of Moses.” And the apostles and the older men gathered together to see about this affair.” Again, a clear distinction. Did the apostles and older men in Jerusalem hail from the sect of the Pharisees? At any rate, JWI didn’t say that Paul went to great lengths to avoid any interaction with the AKA GB, any more than I go to great lengths to avoid interaction with you. Instead, I say, ‘You know, the old pork chop is hundreds of miles away and the place is full of dog fur. It can wait.’ And I have a car. [And no, I did NOT call the GB ‘old pork chops.’ That is just your wishful thinking.]
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If he sells a lot of books for the prices he asks, it was a significant loss for the brothers. I should hire him as my business advisor. (The batsh*t crazy fellow who said he placed literature and then returned to caution against reading it said of my books: “out of your 4 books....you have given away more than you have sold, lets leave that there (how do i know that?)” “Possibly because the two with the most obvious appear plainly say that they are free,” I replied. Maybe I was too hard on him. I don’t even know him. I felt a little mean just after I posted what I did. Maybe I should regard him as a noble fellow whose conscience is just too pure to allow himself to be among people who can sully theirs working with imperfection. I didn’t even explain what I meant by ‘he wants to see the faith become a museum piece.’ I am inventing a picture of what I think he must be like, based on the few factoids I know of him, and deciding that I do not like him at all. Maybe I should not spin him at all as just another malcontent as was a dime a dozen during Moses’ time and that of the apostles who spins his disgruntlement as ‘taking the high road.’ It’s not personal. If he doesn’t represent the type of person I mean, someone else does.
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In other words, he wants the faith to become a museum piece. He wants it to be a fine support system for people as they pursue other goals. Ah, Greg, I didn’t even know ye
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When @JW Insider reveals a matter that would otherwise remain confidential, do you rush straight to your keyboard and tell your 900 friends? And when you do, do you spin it as I have seen you spin it so many times before? He makes clear that he regards as a rare occurrence whatever he reveals, and you spin it as though it is business as usual among Jehovah’s Witnesses? On your Facebook page, do you also post the background that you have bravely posted here, background that accounts for your extreme sensitivity on the subject: It doesn’t disqualify you from speaking. A victim statement is these days considered an essential part—even the highlight—of any trial. Did you make it when the opportunity was ripe? Did your testimony send school and/or government perpetrators to jail? I hope you had that opportunity and I hope you came to enjoy some sense of justice because of it. I also hope it is the case that you were not denied that opportunity/justice somehow, and so you are taking it out on people that have nothing whatsoever to do with your tragic past. At any rate, it is a serious question. Just as a professional can be expected to display their credentials, do you display your ‘credentials’ that give you a special sensitivity to the crime? Do you also make clear that your hair-trigger sensitivity on this issue has nothing to do with Jehovah’s Witnesses?
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I do agree. Or at least, I do not deny. If opponents want to take credit, why not give it to them? Everything in life is action/reaction. If this is one of the same, they can rightly pat themselves on the back. I acknowledged the point here: (I also posted this on the forum, but it is just so easier to find it again on my own site): https://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2019/02/the-reproach-of-child-sexual-abuse-falls-on-the-abu.html
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This may actually mean 900 people, but I would not get too excited. Some of these characters have been known to press the like key as frequently as Skinner box rats, working themselves into a lather and eventually dropping out of sheer exhaustion.
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It’s a smokin hot day for the old hen today!
