Should JW's punish, disfellowship, or shun members who disagree with certain teachings?

[TrueTomHarley]

28 minutes ago, J.R. Ewing said:

Believe me, there’s a disfellowshipped ex-bethelite, and his loyalist, rejoicing that another loyal witness bit the dust, so stick around and prove them wrong!!!!

On the other hand (and I do NOT know which persons you refer to) we all know how there are movies that, if you see them, you feel you ought to take a shower afterwards. The internet can be like that, too.

Nobody should be coerced to keep up the fine fight here because it isn't that fine. Often it is better to stick to the field where the likelihood of finding a 'listening ear' is far higher and the likelihood of finding a honed hating ear is far lower. 

Nor do I agree that anyone 'bit the dust.' More likely, he was Mary who 'chose the better portion.' 

[Guest J.R. Ewing]

17 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Nobody should be coerced to keep up the fine fight here because it isn't that fine. Often it is better to stick to the field where the likelihood of finding a 'listening ear' is far higher and the likelihood of finding a honed hating ear is far lower. 

Nor do I agree that anyone 'bit the dust.' More likely, he was Mary who 'chose the better portion.' 

That's where you and I part company!!

[TrueTomHarley]

Just now, J.R. Ewing said:

That's where you and I part company!!

Parting is okay, just like Abraham and Lot did.

I once said I half-suspected this entire forum is apostates playing good cop - bad cop to wreak havoc on newcomers. I'm still not 100% certain that's not the case, though I'm getting there.

[Guest J.R. Ewing]

Sorry to read that, your confusion abounds! The finite truth between conjecture and knowledge. I believe that was Pastor Russell’s point. Only those who wish to believe by faith will, those that fear destruction stick around to see how society end’s up, won’t.

1 Timothy 6:12New International Version (NIV)

¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Too bad people are willing to negate scripture to pursue their own selfish acts!!

Perhaps looking at the previous highlighted will ease your confusion.

TTH. Don't pretend to go again'st the elite, then turn around to fight for them, just because you don't like the message. If you can put up with someone telling you "your" book suck!, then don't make too much of my comments, Thanks!

[Guest J.R. Ewing]

7 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Parting is okay, just like Abraham and Lot did.

I once said I half-suspected this entire forum is apostates playing good cop - bad cop to wreak havoc on newcomers. I'm still not 100% certain that's not the case, though I'm getting there.

Good, then we understand each other. You stay off my back, and I'll stay off of yours!

[TrueTomHarley]

6 hours ago, Anna said:

What are you talking about, you never upvote anybody anyway.....you're mean

Just for that, lady - you so much as breathe and I'll downvote you. You will never get TOP PRIZE again! 

[Anna]

On 8/28/2017 at 10:11 PM, JW Insider said:

 .....questions during a meeting were more like:

• "And can anyone see why this teaching might be difficult to explain to someone at the door?"
• "Would someone like to offer a Biblical reason why this proposed doctrine might not be correct?"
• "The talk this Sunday will be 30 minutes based on the new outlines: Brother Smithsonian will speak to us for 15 minutes about why the 'little flock' and 'other sheep' could refer to spiritual Israel and spiritual Gentiles. Then Brother Johnsonian will speak to us for 15 minutes about why the 'little flock' and 'other sheep' could refer to literal Israel and  literal Gentiles. So we'll want to put on our thinking caps for that one."

It sounds like you fell out of bed and banged your head really hard! Lol 

[Anna]

On 8/31/2017 at 0:25 PM, TrueTomHarley said:

realizing they leave a permanent online trial

You mean trail of course...

Does that mean I never get top prize again?

[TrueTomHarley]

On 8/28/2017 at 11:45 PM, Albert Michelson said:

And yet he was raised without any opportunity to hear or see contrary evidence.  I wanted to get baptized at 10 as well because that's all I knew.  But this is a lifelong commitment that they are never allowed to retract.

Is it a bad thing for parents to teach their children? It is spun that way in an increasingly irreligious world. And should a child take its parental training to heart, is it a bad thing to let him follow through on it?

Years ago during our homeschooling days, a local family was fined for violation of the child labor laws. They ran a small deli. It was nothing for their children to take turns at the register when they returned from school, and one was doing so the day Child Protective Services appeared. Homeschool pioneer John Holt pointed out that (not this case, but he had many others) this was the very reason children become delinquent - they are shut out of the adult world under the guise of protecting them.

Among the philosophical underpinnings of compulsory public education (nobody had a problem with voluntary) is that children ought be separated early from possible pernicious influence of the parents so as to be molded by greater society. Thus, schooling cannot wait until adolescence - it must start early. To this day, compulsory school advocates carry on about the imperative of socialization - which they maintain is only to be found in schools. If anything, their brand of it argues against them. People behave horrendously today - there are even teens who shoot up their schools. Yet they have all been 'socialized.'

It is not true that if you withhold teaching your child, he will grow up free and unencumbered and, when of age, choose for itself among life's rich cornucopia of ideas. No. All it means is that someone else will train him. 

When Witness parents are progressive - as all are exhorted to be - they will digest the family resources found abundantly in Watchtower publications and will produce emotionally secure children. Hopefully these will stand up a flood of propaganda that Christianity is passe or even undesirable. But even if they reassess later on in life, they have a secure foundation to build upon. At the very least, they will be comfortable speaking before an audience, something that terrifies many an adult.

 

[TrueTomHarley]

On 8/29/2017 at 3:51 PM, Noble Berean said:

No doubt in a few decades (if this system persists) another "refinement" will come along

Yes. Of course. There's nothing wrong with that. You think it's a piece of cake looking into the future?

Meanwhile I will keep my feet firmly planted in the two boats of the overlapping generations, fidgeting with slight concern as they drift, while I see Endofthesystem clouds fast approaching.

[Noble Berean]

6 minutes ago, TrueTomHarley said:

Yes. Of course. There's nothing wrong with that. You think it's a piece of cake looking into the future?

Meanwhile I will keep my feet firmly planted in the two boats of the overlapping generations, fidgeting with slight concern as they drift, while I see Endofthesystem clouds fast approaching.

I don't get what you mean. The GB is unable to see into the future. Jesus plainly stated that no man can know the day or the hour of his presence. The GB should have never promoted end dates to begin with. Then, we wouldn't need these perpetual "refinements" which only create confusion and disillusionment. It was presumptuous on their part to think they could know God's timetable. The WT keeps spinning new stories to maintain credibility and give people a sense of urgency. They can't openly acknowledge that the credibility for 1914 is waning as the years progress, so they pacify JWs with a theory that holds onto 1914 but allows for more time.

Don't you think it's troubling that for a century the WT believed that one group would survive till Armageddon? There's was no denying that. To suggest otherwise was apostasy! Now, there's two overlapping groups. There's essentially no Biblical evidence for this new theory, but it buys the GB more time while also maintaining a sense of urgency. And the change is met with applause and everyone accepts it (because they have to). When that second groups dies off, another "refinement" will occur and everyone will applause and accept it. And we repeat this cycle indefinitely. So, I believe the GB is more focused on preserving its credibility than Biblical truth.

[TrueTomHarley]

On 8/31/2017 at 7:50 AM, JW Insider said:

For some reason they brought one back. (Malachi 3:1)  I think after realizing that they had demoted Russell from the FDS, they realized they needed him again for some kind of continuity attached to the "Watch Tower" name.

I like him in his new role.

He (and his) is the 'messenger preparing the way.' Like the hazardous waste crew that reclaim the land so that it can be rebuilt upon. Russell is the garbageman, carting hellfire and Trinity out to the trash so that builders can later build.

One thing I like about this forum - there are some things I don't like - is that you get to weigh in on progressive things. The Watchtowere magazine itself does that, as do the meetings. They don't go on and on about how we know Jesus died on a stake and not a cross. It is trash discarded 100 years ago. Bethel will repeat it now and then for reminders' sake, but they barely notice it otherwise. You don't attach a note for Waste Management explaining why you have discarded the trash. They know why. Meanwhile,  you occupy yourself to what is not trash.

For some reason, JWs online go in for the baby food, attempting to prove that the trash really is trash. I don't know why they do that. Maybe two reasons. 1.) Witnesses online are not typical. The typical ones busy themselves in face-to-face interaction, which is more straightforward and thus productive, and 2.) it is not wrong to explain the trash to persons not of us who don't know it is trash. Even so, rightly or wrongly, I think most in the world have 'moved on' and are more receptive to items such as sovereignty and relative authority. 

Besides, he had to be demoted. Just look at that beard!