Srecko Sostar
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Posts posted by Srecko Sostar
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I watched this interview and find it worthy of our attention.
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3 hours ago, Thinking said:
We have a police officer who carry’s a gun etc in his line of duty and he witnesses……times are a changing…
He can go to field service and conduct Bible study with people, i guess only this. According to articles from 2005 and 2017, your elders are not working according to the regulation if he have duties in congregation (carries microphone, reading, public speech etc. lol.
Unless, you can provide written WTJWorg material that say opposite.
Can a Christian maintain a good conscience if he accepts armed employment?
Engaging in secular work that requires carrying a firearm or another weapon is a personal decision. But armed employment exposes one to possible bloodguilt if one uses the weapon and to the danger of injury or death from an attack or reprisal. A Christian carrying such a weapon would not qualify for special privileges in the congregation. (1 Timothy 3:3, 10)—11/1, page 31. - https://www.jw.org/hr/biblioteka/casopisi/w20051215/Sjećaš-li-se/
Christians strive to be exemplary. (2 Cor. 4:2; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3) After receiving Scriptural counsel, a Christian who continues to keep a gun for protection against other humans could not be considered exemplary. He would therefore not qualify for responsibilities or special privileges in the congregation. The same applies to a Christian who continues to carry a firearm as part of his secular work. How much better to seek other employment!
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10 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:
So, they are not just lies. They are harmful lies. They are lies that are near-universal in the church world. The GB has mounted a successful sustained, and worldwide assault on them. To ignore this and instead flail away about mistakes they may or may not have made is astoundingly small-minded to me.
The phenomenon can also be explained in this way. Okay, if that's acceptable to you.
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12 hours ago, George88 said:
Did Jesus prevent the apostles from carrying swords?
Well, GB does not prohibit the carrying of weapons for private or official use. But those JWs who have it are not ideologically eligible/acceptable for any ministry in the congregation. With Jesus, the apostles were eligible/acceptable for service. So GB does not follow Jesus. Clear as a sunny day. lol
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8 hours ago, Pudgy said:
Do you have a link to those WT pages?
Link to book:
Link to WT magazine:
https://archive.org/details/WatchTowerAndHeraldOfChristsPresence1910-1919/page/n1545/mode/2up
https://archive.org/details/WatchTowerAndHeraldOfChristsPresence1910-1919/page/n1547/mode/2up
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WTJWorg teaches believers that "truth" must be based on the Bible. Anything contrary to "Bible truth" is called, by WTJWorg, a "lies" or "false teachings".
Quote from https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2018603?q=religious+lies&p=par
6, 7. (a) Why are religious leaders who lie especially guilty? (b) What lies have you heard religious leaders tell?
6 Religious leaders who lie are especially guilty because they endanger the future life prospects of those who believe their lies. If an individual accepts a false teaching and practices something that is actually condemned by God, it can cost that person his eternal life. (Hos. 4:9) Jesus knew that the religious leaders in his day were guilty of such deception. He told them to their face: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you travel over sea and dry land to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him a subject for Gehenna [everlasting destruction] twice as much so as yourselves.” (Matt. 23:15; ftn.) Jesus condemned those false religious leaders in the strongest terms. They truly were ‘from their father the Devil, a murderer.’—John 8:44.
7 Whether called pastors, priests, rabbis, swamis, or by some other title, religious leaders abound in the world today. Like their first-century counterparts, they are “suppressing the truth” from God’s Word and have “exchanged the truth of God for the lie.” (Rom. 1:18, 25) They promote such false teachings as “once saved, always saved,” the immortality of the human soul, reincarnation, and the foolish idea that God would condone homosexual lifestyles and same-sex marriages.
I have not noticed here that WTJWorg is full of understanding towards the religious leaders of other religions. They do not credit them with good intentions and sincerity in their belief in "their own truth". What will we do with it then? I believe that WTJWorg is misleading its believers. That is my "experienced truth". With what arguments can someone turn my "truth" into a lie?
Since I do not claim that my knowledge, experience ("truth") came because I was "guided by HS", nor do I claim that it is the only correct and authoritative one for millions of other people, then that does not make me, it doesn't put me in a category of a "false teacher". The most anyone can do is call me an idiot or delusional.
In contrast, GB claims that they are the only ones appointed by God to spread the "only truth" found only in WTJWorg. Then it completely changes the way this group of religious leaders should be viewed/questioned. As far as I know, they did not say that "they believe" how "the truth" was written in the publications. They say that this is "the truth" and that there are no other truths but theirs. -
8 hours ago, George88 said:
Srecko, all you need to do is look at the Wikipedia commentary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_Board_of_Education_v._Barnette
What was WT position about national flag in 1917:
Thank God for the privilege of living in the United States! While
we all recognize that it is not a perfect government, yet it is the best
of all earthly governments. Every one who lives under the flag of the
United States should be loyal to that Government as against all
earthly governments. No citizen of this country could be a Christian
and do violence to the Government of the United States. To be loyal
to the law of God he must render unto the United States Government
everything that is not in contravention of the divine law. – Romans
13:1-9.DISPLAYING THE AMERICAN FLAG
Suppose the city or state officials should issue an order requiring,
or even requesting, that all persons display the American flag. What
should we do? We answer, We think it would be right to display the
flag in obedience to such order or request. The American flag was
adopted as an emblem of liberty. It is the national emblem. While
some have insisted that it now represents war, this is hardly in
keeping with the facts. It may represent war to those who desire war,
but to those who love liberty and peace, the flag represents liberty
and peace. However that may be, the displaying of the American flag
can do injury to no one. If commanded or requested to display the
flag, it should be done, out of respect to the Government under which
it is the privilege of Christians to live. If an American was the guest
of the British Government and was requested to display the British
flag and refused to do so, it would be showing disrespect to the
British Government, his host. If a Christian, who is an alien amongstall earthly governments, should, while journeying amongst them, be
requested to display a flag of the country whose benefits he is
enjoying, and refuse to do so, such refusal would be failing to show
the proper respect to such government. Recognizing that the
Government of the United States has been the special refuge of
Christian people from intolerable persecution; that it was founded as
an asylum of religious liberty and freedom of speech, every one in
America should take pleasure in displaying the American flag -
especially when requested so to do. It does not mean that by putting a
flag on your house you would want to go to war. Since the Bethel
Home was established, in one end of the Drawing Room there has
been kept a small bust of Abraham Lincoln with two American flags
displayed about the bust. This is deemed entirely proper, having in
mind what Mr. Lincoln did for the Government and for the people of
the United States, and in this we see nothing inconsistent with a
Christian’s duty. (The Watchtower May 15, 1917 pp. 6085-6086,
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5 hours ago, George88 said:
Srecko, all you need to do is look at the Wikipedia commentary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_Board_of_Education_v._Barnette
Quote from your source in Wikipedia:
(Justice) Jackson warned that "[t]hose who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard".
My comment:
What a country can ask of its citizens is no more or less than what WTJWorg asks of its followers. Things are quite clearly placed in the same or very similar frameworks. If you do not submit, you will be rejected and isolated. What then is the fundamental difference between secular and religious? There is no such thing. Both sides are prepared to take drastic measures to eliminate the ineligible.
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8 hours ago, Many Miles said:
the society offered an alternate
I heard in a conversation with an elder (many years ago, 15 or more), I think it was in Bethel, how the Organization waits for the secular authorities to offer it an alternative solution for a matter, and then they says whether it is acceptable or not to Society. He rejected any possibility that the Organization would propose a solution. Interesting how mindset of people in WTJWorg is changing.
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10 hours ago, George88 said:
Simply put, Pastor Russell's position on an oath of allegiance is of respect for human authority, while his real allegiance lies with God and with the "King of Kings." His citizenship was in heaven.
A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE
ACTS 24:16: “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men.
“Of course, no country forces aliens into the army; and were it recognized that true Christians are aliens as respects earthly governments, the whole question might solve itself. The Bible Students’ claim is that the followers of Jesus have their citizenship in heaven, and that by giving their obedience to the heavenly Lord they renounce in a degree their allegiance to earthly kings — governments. It is for this reason that we have long advocated that the fully consecrated abstain from voting on political issues. if they so vote, they are identifying themselves with the earthly kingdoms, and might properly enough be called upon to shoot as they vote — to support the government which they helped to create.
Many of us know that the early WT held the doctrine that all members of the movement would go to heaven. Then, in the early 1930s, they changed their doctrine. Another example of "old truths and new lies" or "old lies and new truths", take it as you will.
In both cases, we have difficulty literally living with such an idea. From which authority do you have documents such as birth certificate, identity card, passport, etc.? Do not talk about religious fictions and ideas about one's identity.
If a JW in the USA is a foreigner to the USA authorities, then where is his evidence that he is a citizen of Jesus' Kingdom? How can he prove this when according to WTJWorg theology, the invisible Kingdom has existed since 1914 and has not issued any certificates to its believers. Moreover, Jesus said that he would separate the sheep from the goats (separate its citizens from non-citizens) at some future time.
If we want to take it as a measure of belonging to the Kingdom (citizenship), then the personal aspiration and faith of an individual is the only "document" of belonging, but only as an empty form without the signature and seal of the competent service that may accept such an individual as its own citizen.
Even more, the right to citizenship, according to the interpretation, is obtained only after the final test at the end of the 1000-year Kingdom.
Who do today's JWs belong to? To those whose documents you have in your pocket.The rebelliousness of citizens towards their own authorities has its justification in some matters and circumstances. But that applies to every government.
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2 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:
I want to make a little joke about the idea of JWs who are considered to only be "foreigners" in some country they live. Do JWs have dual citizenship? In which "country" are they tax residents? Will they be double taxed?
Do JWs have dual citizenship? In which "country" are they tax residents? Will they be double taxed?
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1 hour ago, JW Insider said:
"foreigners" in their own country
I want to make a little joke about the idea of JWs who are considered to only be "foreigners" in some country they live. Do JWs have dual citizenship? In which "country" are they tax residents? Will they be double taxed?
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7 hours ago, George88 said:
Vlastite riječi Hastingsa Kamuzua Bande.
Ljudi nas, kao naciju, nazivaju diktaturom. Mislim na novinare, koji pišu iz Londona i drugih mjesta, koji ne znaju ništa o ovoj zemlji. Kažu: "Kamuzu je diktator; Malavi je diktatura". Na primjer, u Londonu postoji čovjek po imenu Patrick Keatley, koji je na jednom od tamošnjih sastanaka rekao: "Malavi je diktatura; dr. Banda je bio u redu za borbu protiv Federacije, ali nije da vlada zemljom. On je diktator",
Laž:
Ponavljam: ljudi koji ne poznaju istinu o ovoj zemlji, posebno novinski novinari izvan ove zemlje, bilo u Europi ili drugim dijelovima Afrike, pričaju gluposti o ovoj zemlji. Mi nismo diktatura. Ako jesmo, ta diktatura je zasnovana na volji i želji samog naroda. I kad kažem ljudi, ne mislim samo na ljude u Blantyreu, Lilongweu i Zombi, već mislim na ljude u selima. Na te ljude mislim.
Neravnopravna propaganda:
Ovo je naš Ustav, namjerno je napravljen na ovaj način da svi dijelovi naše zajednice, stranački čelnici, tradicionalni vladari, predstavnici lokalne vlasti, žene, mladi, trebaju biti zastupljeni u tijelu koje odlučuje o politici ove zemlje. To je naša vrsta demokracije, što god drugi mislili.
Kao što sam više puta rekao, demokracija ne može značiti istu stvar u Westminsteru, Washingtonu, Parizu, Bonnu, kao u Malaviju, jer su uvjeti i okolnosti koje su dovele do demokracije u Westminsteru, Washingtonu, Bonnu, Parizu, prilično različiti od uvjeta u Malaviju. Zato inzistiram na tome da nitko u Europi, Americi ili Aziji ne smije očekivati da kopiramo našu vrstu demokracije nakon njihove jer su uvjeti sasvim drugačiji, sasvim drugačiji. Onima koji žele imati posla s nama, moraju nas prihvatiti onakvima kakvi jesmo bez pokušaja nametanja vlastitih ideja demokracije.
Kao što sam rekao prošle i pretprošle godine, izgradnja nacije i stranke mora značiti izgradnja nacije i stranke politički, ekonomski, moralno i duhovno . A to se, opet, kao što sam rekao prošle godine, ne može učiniti ako svi ne održavamo i strogo se pridržavamo četiri kamena temeljca na kojima su izgrađene naša stranka i vlada; naime: jedinstvo, odanost, poslušnost i disciplina.
All this described is the same or similar to how religions behave. They can have doctrines and internal rules for their believers as they wish and do not allow that right to be denied to them. "Freedom of religion" is defended in the courts. WTJWorg, much like the President of Malawi, guards own "property".
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9 hours ago, George88 said:
Does this mean that God chose Banda specifically to bring harm to JWs and non-JW Malawians?
I cannot say who chose whom. But I can say that the Bible contains accounts describing that God has chosen this or that people or nations to carry out his will and purpose. On the other hand, WTJWorg also interprets some biblical texts to say that God will use the UN or as they now call it the "coalition of nations" to attack WTJWorg and followers and other religious organizations.
So, I don't have such a logic, WTJWorg does. Perhaps the attacks on JWs and non-JWs in the past are only a small part of the bigger picture that WTJWorg persistently promotes.
The time when the events in Malawi were taking place was the same time that WTJWorg was preaching that Armageddon was coming soon and that JWs were preparing for persecution. So the JW logic is subject to the promises/predictions/interpretations of the religious leaders that the persecutions will happen to them because of Jesus and YHVH.
If JWs expect this and prepare for it at every meeting in KH and at every Congress, then why ask for help from the Courts and other Political Institutions to stop and prevent "persecution"?WTJWorg is contradicting itself. You expect persecution because you are living in the "last of the last days", and yet you try with all your might to delay and stop it. And so for more than a century. I do not understand you.
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13 minutes ago, George88 said:
Does this line of thinking imply that Jesus and the apostles made a mistake by adhering to Roman laws?
Malawian laws are in same category. They belong to secular, governing authority "appointed by God". We will accept one government and not other?
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All of these WTJWorg presidents have sworn to defend the Constitution of the United States. According to WTJWorg theology, the USA and all the countries of the world are in the service of Satan. Secular authorities with their political systems (regardless of type) are a "beast". So these "exemplary Christians" support whoever is behind the political power of a country.
No further discussion. Discussion is moot when any JW tries to justify the actions of their leaders while agreeing to the deaths of other JWs who have agreed to listen to doctrinal instructions from the US Bethel.
2. Kings, chapter 12
18 In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.
19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
If the act of idolatry of the JW brothers in the US needs to be justified, then the JW brothers in Malawi deserve it too.
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How manipulative and reckless WTJWorg is. The blood of these people and many others is on the hands of your leaders.
Be obedient to the directions, even if they are unreasonable from a human point of view, because they come from God himself.
And you, foolish man, are not able to understand the depths of the wisdom of the GB.
During the great tribulation, we may receive instructions that seem strange, impractical, or illogical. Of course, Jehovah will not speak to us personally. He will likely provide direction through his appointed representatives. That will hardly be the time to second-guess the direction or to view it with skepticism, wondering, ‘Is this really coming from Jehovah, or are the responsible brothers acting on their own?’ How will you fare during that crucial time in human history? The answer might be indicated by how you view theocratic direction now. If you trust the direction we receive today and readily obey, you will likely do the same during the great tribulation. - https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-february-2022/Do-You-Trust-in-Jehovahs-Way-of-Doing-Things/
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12 hours ago, Many Miles said:
Also from this book we find this statement:
"Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot become blood donors (for those who do not share JWs’ views), even if the blood would be solely used to obtain a blood fraction or produce medicine made out of blood:"
The author cites a source for this comment, but unfortunately for him, the source is outdated and the new position has never been published by the society. So what the author states here is false.
The author quotes a 1983 publication from the society to support his statement. However, in year 2000 that position changed. But, guess what? The society has YET to publish that change in doctrinal position. I once asked Fred Rusk why the society hadn't published that JWs could donate blood for purposes of extracting permitted "fractions". He said, 'It's not something we want to talk up.' But the society did change its position on this matter beginning in year 2000.
Perhaps we can look at these and similar things in this way. Anything not clearly rejected by the WTJWorg through the written text of a new edition of the publication is still valid and considered instruction or doctrine.
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10 hours ago, George88 said:
In an academic setting, one would need to address the reasons behind the mortality of certain individuals following blood transfusions, as well as the transmission of diseases through donor blood.
Some treatments are associated with great risks. I agree that blood and blood products can have negative aspects. But that is a risk that the patient should weigh up.
If you want to point out that disobedience to God's commandment is the cause of death for those who are disobedient, then that's not really an argument. Because on the other hand, obedience to God is also the cause of death. There are biblical examples and examples of JWs who gave their lives for the "idea", for the "faith" because of obedience to doctrine.
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8 minutes ago, Pudgy said:
I disagree.
The harder life is, the more important are “military protocols”.
Even Spock realized that.
I partially agree.
Malawi and MCP Cards?
in Topics
Posted
In the near future, when the WT JWorg takes over this world, then someone will need to be in charge of carrying out the judgments of the Judicial Committee. Who else but armed elders?