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| from http://www.sharperiron.org/archive/index.php/t-1776.html
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View Full Version : The Conversion of A Jehovah's Witness.
jim_ward October 16th, 2005, 09:06 AM This
took place on May 28th 2005, and I copied and pasted it straight from
one of the Yahoo groups where I posted it. I couldn't find any other
place then here to post this so if it's in the wrong spot, I apologize.
Jim
I just had to share with you all an experience I had this morning at
McDonalds. I was sitting there, enjoying coffee, I'd finished my
breakfast and was reading my Bible when a gentleman in a suit and tie
approached me, asking if I wouldn't mind sharing my table since all
the others were full. I sized him up, saw his book bag and that he
had Watchtowers and Awakes in there so I said I'd be glad to share my
table with him. I respected his desire to say a silent prayer before
eating and allowed him to finish his meal before getting into a
discussion.
Once he was done, we engaged in some small talk, and I commented on
how I had seen the magazines in his bag and wondered if I could ask
him a question. he said I could so I asked, "If you were to die
today, and I'm not wishing that on you, but if you were to die today,
do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven?" Now, whenever you
ask a JW this question, they will tell you that they are not of the
annointed who are going to heaven but have an earthly hope, and that
if they are found worthy, they will get to dwell on the new earth.
This is what I was basically given as my answer this morning.
Now we need to remember that according to WTBTS theology, only
144,000 people are born again and will be in Heaven. The clear
rebuttle of this is of course in Revelation chapters 7 and 14, the
only places where the 144,000 are to be found in the New Testament.
In both cases it is very evident that God is talkign about 12,000
JEWS from each tribe of Israel. These are also not Heavenly scenes
but earthly. Not in eternity but in the Tribulation Hour on the face
of the earth. These are 144,000 Jewish evangelists proclaiming the
truth during the "Time of Jacobs Trouble."
Moving on, I then asked if he had ever been born again. he of course
replied that no he hadn't that being born again was only for the
annointed, the heavenly class. he said that he doesn't need to be
born again because of his eartly hope.
I then asked, "The building where you attend services is called a
Kingdom Hall, correct? And so your emphasis is on the Kingdom but you
ahve not been born again, is that right so far?" I was told yes it
was. I then asked, "You say you plan to live on the new earth, now is
that part of the kingdom of God? I was assured that yes the new earth
is part of the kingdom of God. I then opened my Bible to John chapter
3, once I was assured that Mr. Lopez was committed to his statements.
I began reading out loud. "Except a man be born again he cannot see
the... WHAT?" I asked Mr. Lopez to finish and he said "the kingdom of
God."
I looked him in his eyes and said, "You said that you have never been
born again that you don't need to be, that you plan to be on the new
earth and that the new earth is part of the kingdom of God. But the
Bible says that unless a person is born again he cannot see any part
of the kingdom of God. Verse 5 in this same says he CANNOT enter the
kingdom of God, and verse 7 says "Ye must be born again." So
according to the Bible, a person who has never been born again is not
going to see the new earth, they are not going to have nay part of
the kingdom of God.
You could almost see the light bulbs turn on. Mr Lopez looked at the
passage, looked at me and said he had never seen that before. We
continued the conversation, by agreeing that all mankind are guilty
sinners, and at this point I asked Mr. Lopez if he believed there was
an eternal hell. He said he was now unsure, so I agrred to meet with
him later to go over that subject. We continued on and shared the
true Gospel of Jesus Christ with him, the same that has been shared
in here on several occasions and PRAISE GOD, Brother Lopez bowed his
head in prayer, repented of his sins and recieved the Lord Jesus as
his Saviour and his now born again with an heavnly hope knowing that
he will now get to be in the kingdom of God because of obeying the
Gospel of Jesus christ and not the teachings of the WTBTS
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| Op-Ed: "We Can Protect Darfur"
by Ann-Louise Colgan
In Darfur, the western region of Sudan, a government-sponsored genocide has been taking place since 2003. Despite media attention and growing public activism, the international response to this crisis has failed to stop the violence or to provide protection to the people of Darfur. Although what’s happening in Darfur is complicated, there are clear priorities and paths for action. As the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate, there are steps that the U.S. and international community can and must take to save millions of lives.
The most important priority must be providing security to the people of Darfur. Already more than 400,000 people have been killed and approximately 2.5 million more forced out of their homes by government forces and their proxy “Janjaweed” militias. In recent months, we have seen a severe spike in violence in Darfur and across the border into neighboring Chad. The crisis is also escalating as the government of Sudan obstructs humanitarian operations, leaving growing numbers of people without lifesaving assistance.
There is now an international consensus that a robust international protection force is needed in Darfur to stop the violence, provide security to humanitarian efforts, facilitate peace talks, and support the voluntary return of displaced people. An African Union (AU) mission in Darfur has done important work and provided some security, but it urgently needs international reinforcement. The AU mission fundamentally lacks the numbers, the mandate, and the logistical resources required. It is clear that the recent AU commitment to extend its mission until September will be insufficient to address the security crisis on the ground. Moreover, genocide and other crimes against humanity are not regional issues, they are a matter for the entire international community, and as such they require an urgent international response.
Many organizations and public citizens across this country have looked to the U.S. to provide leadership in the United Nations by calling for an international intervention to stop the genocide in Darfur. The U.S. is the only government to have publicly acknowledged that what is taking place there constitutes “genocide.” And, it has shown some international leadership on this crisis, including providing financial support for humanitarian efforts and diplomatic support for peace talks.
But, despite pronouncements of its deep concern, the U.S. has yet to galvanize international support around a concrete plan of action to protect the people of Darfur. Advocates continue to urge the administration to match its rhetoric with action by introducing a UN Security Council resolution authorizing a peacekeeping force for Darfur, and by working with the AU to rapidly deploy such a force.
In September 2005, the international community committed itself to the “Responsibility to Protect,”—a statement that recognized an obligation to protect civilians from genocide and crimes against humanity. The response to Darfur now tests this principle. The people of Darfur cannot wait any longer. If we fail to act, many more lives will be lost and the destabilizing impact of this crisis will spread across the whole sub-region.
After the Rwandan genocide, U.S. officials claimed that if Americans had clamored for more government action, the U.S. would have had to take steps to stop that massacre. As genocide now unfolds in Darfur, we each have a unique power to raise our voices and demand protection for these innocent lives.
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We might not be able to march on the 30th or go to the weekly vigils, but we can still send our petitions to Bush. http://capwiz.com/africaaction/issues/alert/?alertid=8675336&type=PR
Matthew 24:40 - "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
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| - What the world will never take away.
hey everyone. hope yer lives are going well. i think its important to feel sad. to feel alive and to feel remorse. I've been given a new life at someone else's cost. someone else payed for my great feelings of grace and salvation in the morning. I'm not talkin about Jesus this time though He did first for all of us. I mean someone else that i won't name. this person is someone i owe a debt of gratitude for. they probably dont even realize that they've done this for me and how much its my fault that they're lost right now. i'm sorry for that, friend. you stayed steadfast during the beginning and introduced me to all that stuff that i hold on to so tightly now but rejected and made fun of in the beginning. i introduced you to my darker sinful world and now it feels like you can't turn back. i'm so sorry. yer a good person. no matter how "stupid" they say you are. i hope you read this and know who you are. i desperately pray that you know who you are and understand how i am here today because of how strong and faithfully steady you were. i pushed it away and made you think my way and for that i'm also sorry. please know i;m here to talk to you if you ever need to talk. i'm here for you pal. i'm gonna keep trying. gosh darn it i'm gonna keep trying to bring you back to yer old self. God be with us. God will give you peace. | | |
| Askmen.com says
10 foods you should eat:
1. Sweet potatoes. They're loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
2. 100% whole grain bread contains many more vitamins and minerals than its white counterpart.
3. Broccoli comes packed with vitamin C, carotenoids and folic acid.
4. Watermelon makes an excellent source of vitamin C and carotenoids.
5. Beans win the inexpensive, low fat, high protein award. Plus they contain lots of iron, folic acid and fiber.
6. Cantaloupe supplies all the daily requirements of vitamin A and C in just a quarter slice.
7. Spinach and kale provide calcium, fiber, carotenoids, and vitamin C.
8. Oranges contain vitamin C, plus abundant folic acid, potassium and fiber.
9. Oatmeal provides soluble fiber that helps lower bad cholesterol while improving good cholesterol.
10. 1% milk ranks as an excellent source of protein, with little or no artery-clogging fat or cholesterol.
10 foods you should never eat:
1. Quaker Oats 100 % Natural Oats and Honey Granola contain 3 teaspoons of sugar per half cup, and come laden with more artery-clogging fat than a McDonald's hamburger.
2. Gwaltney Great Dogs Chicken Franks contain 10 or 11 grams of fat per frank. Most hotdog manufacturers now offer pork, beef, turkey, or soy franks with zero to 2.5 grams of fat per frank.
3. Entemann's Rich Frosted Donut Variety Pack has as much saturated fat as 9 strips of bacon (10 grams).
4. Nissin Cup Noodles with Shrimp contain pre-fried and pre-salted noodles, compounded by the practice of using artery-clogging palm oil. They add 6 times as much sodium to the noodles as potato chips contain.
5. Frito-Lay's Wow Potato Chips are fried in olestra, a recently formulated fat substitute that some people cannot digest.
6. Oscar Mayer Lunchables contain heavily processed meat, cheese and mostly white-flour crackers.
7. Burger King's french fries have a salty coating that allow more fat to be absorbed.
8. Campbell's red label soups come brimming with salt.
9. Bugles are fried in highly saturated coconut oil. Baked Bugles are better.
10. Contadina's Alfredo Sauce contains a large amount of butter.
| | |
| "Scientology is a new religious movement based on a system of beliefs, teachings, practices, and rituals that originated as a philosophy in 1952 by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard.
Complaints:
Scientology's disconnection policy, in which members are encouraged to cut off all contact with friends or family members critical of the Church.
Criminal activities by Scientologists, both those committed for personal benefit (Reed Slatkin, Gabriel Williams, and others) and those committed on behalf of the Church and directed by Church officials (Operation Snow White, Operation Freakout, Fair Game, and others).
Claims of brainwashing and mind control.
Use of high-pressure sales tactics to obtain money from members.
Lobbying search engines such as Google and Yahoo to omit any webpages that are critical of Scientology from their search engines (and in Google's case, AdSense), or at least the first few search pages (now however, a search for Scientology on Google and Yahoo brings up this page, with both critical and official Scientology websites).
Differing accounts of L. Ron Hubbard's life, in particular accounts of Hubbard discussing his intent to start a religion for profit
 A Scientology recruiter introduces an E-meter to a potential convert. Such introductory audits are typically presented as "free stress tests". This is done IN SPITE OF A 1971 ruling of the United States District Court, District of Columbia (333 F. Supp. 357), specifically stated, "the E-meter has no proven usefulness in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease, nor is it medically or scientifically capable of improving any bodily function." [4] As a result of this ruling, Scientology now publishes disclaimers in its books and publications declaring that the E-meter "does nothing," [5] and that it is used specifically for spiritual purposes.
Publicity has been generated by Scientologists in the entertainment industry such as John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Jenna Elfman, Kirstie Alley, Catherine Bell, Leah Remini, Beck Hansen, Josh Pettersen, Chick Corea, Brandy Norwood, Isaac Hayes, Jason Lee, James Packer, Doug E. Fresh, Greta Van Susteren, Tom Cruise, and Cruise's converted fiancée Katie Holmes.
Hubbard was involved with occultist Jack Parsons in performing rites developed by Aleister Crowley "- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology
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who is aleister crowley?
  Aleister Crowley was a self-proclaimed drug and sex "fiend," a mostly self-published author of books on the occult and magick. a poet and mountaineer, and a leader of a group called Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) whose tenets are detailed in one of his many writings, The Book of the Law. The latter contains his version of the Law of Thelema, which Crowley claims he channeled for a "praeterhuman intelligence" called Aiwass. Thelema is now considered a religion.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law is his motto for OTO. In practice, for Crowley this meant rejecting traditional morality in favor of the life of a drug addict and womanizer. ("I rave; and I rape and I rip and I rend" is a line from one of his poems. Diary of a Drug Fiend is the title of one of his books.) Other OTO folks consider the rule to mean something less sinister.
Crowley claimed to identify himself with the Great Beast 666 (from the Book of Revelation) and enjoyed the appellation of "wickedest man in the world." Crowley inherited a fortune and worked hard at being strange. He was especially alluring to dysfunctional women (Gardner 1992:198).
-http://skepdic.com/crowley.html
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After being discharged from the Navy in December of 1945, Hubbard did not head for home, where his wife and two small children were living in Bremerton, Washington. He instead headed directly for a house in Pasadena, California, where an eclectic assortment of people lived including one Jack Parsons, the leader of a satanic organization called the Ordo Templis Orientis. That was the U.S. name for the organization headed in England by Crowley.
Parsons wrote to Crowley about Hubbard:
About three months ago I met Ron ... a writer and explorer of whom I had known for some time. He is a gentleman; he has red hair, green eyes, is honest and intelligent, and we have become great friends.
Although Ron has no formal training in magick, he has an extraordinary amount of experience and understanding in the field. From some of his experiences I deduce that he is in direct touch with some higher intelligence, possibly his guardian angel.
Ron appears to have some sort of highly developed astral vision. He described his angel as a beautiful winged woman with red hair, whom he calls the Empress, and who has guided him through his life, and saved him many times.
We are pooling our resources in a partnership which will act as a limited company to control our business ventures.
I need a magical partner. I have many experiments in mind.... [Corydon, p. 255]
It is possible that Hubbard not only believed in Satan -- he believed he was Satan!
According to Ron (Hubbard) Jr., his father considered himself to be the one "who came after"; that he was Crowley's successor; that he had taken on the mantle of the "Great Beast." He told him that Scientology actually began on December the 1st, 1947. This was the day Aleister Crowley died. [Corydon, p. 50]
This is the foundation of Scientology, the "Road to Total Freedom"!
- http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/wakefield/christians.html#3
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Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Ephesians 5:11
in conclusion, those free stress tests and maybe some celebrities are not cool beans. | | |
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