sexuality without respect is lame...
Wow, that is so true!
Respect on many levels. Your mate, yourself, and Jehovah God, imo.
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sexuality without respect is lame...
If you need to come here and ask people if you should become a Jehovah's Witness, you've already answered your own question.
As a side note, up until he died I thought the lyrics of the song was, "raspberry parfait". I always wondered why you would be buying this in a second hand store. Imagine my chagrin....
"She wore a raspberry parfait, the kind you find in a second hand store. If it was warmer she wouldn't wear much more."
I suppose it would melt.
This is something I have been wrestling with since I picked up a Bible and became a believer. For the last 10 years or so I have repeatedly claimed that I would never join an organized religion, and therefore never become a Jehovah's Witness. Am I wrong in thinking that way?
I've attended meetings, and I loathed them. I hated wearing those ugly suits, for what? Who am I trying to impress? Did Jesus tell his disciples to go forth to the second hand store and buy ugly out of style suits smelling slightly of, what is that? Mothballs? Body odor? A three martini lunch? Or spend a ridiculous amount of money on new tailored suits?
I didn't like the repetitious nature of the study material and the rigid schedule of the meetings. I would much rather attend a casual gathering where questions and answers, just unscheduled discussion took place.
Am I being to critical?
I love the idea of going out in service, preaching the good news. I think I would be good at it. Couldn't I do that on my own?
Before becoming a baptized witness first you have to study a book of basic teaching, which takes what, about 6 months? That I've done twice before and enjoyed it. Casual discussion. I know all of the material, but that just makes it easier.
Also, after the study and everything in your life is cleaned of unchristian influences, i.e., drugs, alcohol, spiritism, unclean practices such as homosexuality, adultery, idolatry etc. there is a casual meeting with the Presiding Overseer of the congregation to determine if you are in line with their basic teachings and clear of the aforementioned tom foolery. Could I pass that?
I'm not sure.
Yet again, I'm baffled at how theists can apparently decide to pick what religion they choose to believe in. They can weight the 'pros and cons' and based on that decide if they are going to believe or not. As an atheist the only criteria I have for whether or not I believe something is the verifiable evidence available that indicates the truth of the belief. IF you have verifiable evidence that Jehovah's Witness religion is true, then you would have to believe it. IF you don't have verifiable evidence that this religion is true, what possible reason would you have for accepting it as true?
When I first started attending meetings I was so excited that I would get the opportunity to finally talk to someone about all of the things I was learning and was literally crushed to find out that all they were interested in was what I did for a living. I would mention something I learned and they would look at me like I had pulled a soiled diaper out of my pocket and ceremoniously dropped it on the floor. A blank, almost cautious stare. Of course, you've got to look at it from their perspective, they've been attending these silted, dry as toast meetings for years. I was new and like a crazy person.
When I attended these meetings I didn't feel the spirit of Jehovah, I felt the spirit of a corporate meeting where the big wigs are all terrified of the shareholders. The Governing Body had no spirit, they were concerned about census numbers and money.
On the other hand, I would take that over some crazy frenetic pagan induced hell and brimstone gospel hour. An unqualified life coach with a 200 dollar haircut, pimp suit and all the bling. If I wanted crazy I'd stay at home and watch the Televangelist.
I've seen you bite the hand that gave you the Bible, and condemn virtually every Christian Church on earth for over a thousand years, as being Pagan, wicked, Satanic, whore of Babylon. You continue to label the majority of Christendom as such. Perhaps you should take your own advice?You bite the hand that fed you and expect that denigrating Christ's brothers is something that God will somehow forgive.....sorry, it doesn't work that way. Whatever we do to Christ's brothers, we do to him.
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This is something I have been wrestling with since I picked up a Bible and became a believer. For the last 10 years or so I have repeatedly claimed that I would never join an organized religion, and therefore never become a Jehovah's Witness. Am I wrong in thinking that way?
I've attended meetings, and I loathed them. I hated wearing those ugly suits, for what? Who am I trying to impress? Did Jesus tell his disciples to go forth to the second hand store and buy ugly out of style suits smelling slightly of, what is that? Mothballs? Body odor? A three martini lunch? Or spend a ridiculous amount of money on new tailored suits?
I didn't like the repetitious nature of the study material and the rigid schedule of the meetings. I would much rather attend a casual gathering where questions and answers, just unscheduled discussion took place.
Am I being to critical?
I love the idea of going out in service, preaching the good news. I think I would be good at it. Couldn't I do that on my own?
Before becoming a baptized witness first you have to study a book of basic teaching, which takes what, about 6 months? That I've done twice before and enjoyed it. Casual discussion. I know all of the material, but that just makes it easier.
Also, after the study and everything in your life is cleaned of unchristian influences, i.e., drugs, alcohol, spiritism, unclean practices such as homosexuality, adultery, idolatry etc. there is a casual meeting with the Presiding Overseer of the congregation to determine if you are in line with their basic teachings and clear of the aforementioned tom foolery. Could I pass that?
I'm not sure.
And there is your answer. You clearly don't belong with us because all you see are the flaws in everyone but yourself.
What you accuse us of doing is what you do yourself.
How perfect are you?
How much does God have to forgive you when you are not willing to forgive those who might be your spiritual family?
Look at the history of God's people down through the centuries....how many of them were perfect? How many of them never had flaws in their personality? How did God handle things? He corrected them and if they would not be corrected, he dispatched them.
God had his standards and he supplied his spirit to assist imperfect people to try their best individually to uphold those standards. Some did better than others, but God did not allow the imperfections of the few to color his whole family. Even when he punished many who displayed a lack of faith in his nation, he supported the faithful through it all. (e.g. the faithful Hebrews carried off as captives to Babylon) Their example inspires us even today.
When you were doing the vile things of your (former?) lifestyle, practicing all the things that Jehovah hates, did you know that what you were doing was wrong in his eyes? If you did, why did you do them? Does Jehovah see repentance....or does he see an indecisive individual who just wants the truth to be his version of it?
I've seen you bite the hand that gave you the Bible, and condemn virtually every Christian Church on earth for over a thousand years, as being Pagan, wicked, Satanic, whore of Babylon. You continue to label the majority of Christendom as such. Perhaps you should take your own advice?
Matthew 7:5 Context
2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
My respect for you grew from reading that post!What? You mean the smoking, the alcohol, the drugs, the obscene language, the homosexuality? I gave an accurate and fair criticism of myself as well as the Watchtower. Your problem is that you can't take criticism. Your organization has a long history of criticizing other denominations but can't stand to be criticized themselves.
I have foretold events that haven't come true in Jehovah's name? I have banned organ transplants that caused the deaths of thousands and then changed the unscriptural policy? I have swept under the rug the molestation of thousands of innocent children which is against the law of the governments whose law I am supposed to adhere to? Not me, that was Jehovah's organization, the Watchtower.
The same as you would be if your eyes were opened and you had integrity, honesty and a sense of fairness.
I forgive everyone who would do me harm, intentionally or unintentionally. Forgiveness, however, does not require one be blind to ones own imperfections, sweep them under the rug and protest fair criticism.
You keep denying and reacting angrily and haughtily to any mention of your organization's flaws while pointing out the flaws in the people of the Bible as if they justified the Watchtower's abhorrent behavior.
Just because I'm not sure I wan't to join in your debauchery? You criticize me and think my sins can be absolved by joining a worldly organization of arrogant false prophets, murderers and child molesters? You're buried up to the neck in your own filth. No, on second thought up to the nose, it's much quieter.
I thought I had. I wanted some feedback. For all of the petty imperfections there is an ocean of truth which I hold dear. That's reality. I don't see things through rose colored glasses. Real boats rock.
I don't like to get involved in disputes but I'm not feeling the JW love here.I'm sorry, but with your present attitude, you clearly do not belong with us.
Your constant flip-flopping is wearing thin. I am putting you on ignore from today. I've had enough.
It is good that we have choices, but I read the Bible and become more confused.I can assure you PaD, that not a word of scripture was written by a Catholic. Every Bible writer was Jewish.
It is the church as an institution that strayed and became corrupt because of the power that it wielded over the kings and their subjects in many nations, many of whom were converted at the point of a sword. But it was the only "Christianity" in existence for centuries, just like there was a corrupt form of Judaism for centuries that God did not correct until Jesus came the first time.
The fact that God used the church to choose which books belonged in the canon, (which in its original form, with the Apocrypha is only officially used by the Catholic church anyway) in no way sanctions the path they took and the political meddling that took place over many centuries. She has much blood on her hands and because she continues to support the wars of the nations, (as do most of Christendom's churches) the bloodguilt has continued to this day. (Isaiah 1:15)
Jesus will separate those who claim to be his disciples when he comes again at the judgment. (Matthew 7:21-23) But for "many" it will mean complete rejection. When he says "I never knew you", he means that he has "never" recognized them as his own. We all need to examine what we believe and why we believe it.
Our future is in the hands of people we trust....but what if they have already proven that they cannot obey Jesus?
What if they are still not doing it after many centuries of opportunity to change their ways? Didn't God give Judaism the same opportunity? They failed, and it is my belief that Christendom is on the same path.
It's a shame that the church that shaped most people's faith today, did not do that originally. The beam was huge. Anyone who judged that form of worship as "Christian" did not know what Christ taught....and if they did, they are doubly accountable for what they taught.
You can have your church and what it stands for if it makes you feel better......that is your choice.
It will never be mine. And isn't it good that we have choices...?
This!I don't like to get involved in disputes but I'm not feeling the JW love here.
What? You mean the smoking, the alcohol, the drugs, the obscene language, the homosexuality? I gave an accurate and fair criticism of myself as well as the Watchtower. Your problem is that you can't take criticism. Your organization has a long history of criticizing other denominations but can't stand to be criticized themselves.
I have foretold events that haven't come true in Jehovah's name? I have banned organ transplants that caused the deaths of thousands and then changed the unscriptural policy? I have swept under the rug the molestation of thousands of innocent children which is against the law of the governments whose law I am supposed to adhere to? Not me, that was Jehovah's organization, the Watchtower.
The same as you would be if your eyes were opened and you had integrity, honesty and a sense of fairness.
I forgive everyone who would do me harm, intentionally or unintentionally. Forgiveness, however, does not require one be blind to ones own imperfections, sweep them under the rug and protest fair criticism.
You keep denying and reacting angrily and haughtily to any mention of your organization's flaws while pointing out the flaws in the people of the Bible as if they justified the Watchtower's abhorrent behavior.
Just because I'm not sure I wan't to join in your debauchery? You criticize me and think my sins can be absolved by joining a worldly organization of arrogant false prophets, murderers and child molesters? You're buried up to the neck in your own filth. No, on second thought up to the nose, it's much quieter.