BaruQ
Food for Thinking Jehovah's Witnesses
“‘But you are seeking great things for yourself. Stop seeking such things. For I am about to bring a calamity on all flesh,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and wherever you may go, I will grant you your life as a spoil.’”
Disclaimer: this site does not claim to hold the truth. The reader should be able to exercise good judgment, carefully examining the Scriptures as to whether these things are so. (Acts 17:11)
Robert King (e-watchman)
Moscow Moving for Total Ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
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A statement dated April 7th posted on jw.org indicates that Russia is moving to implement a total ban on the the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including the confiscation of the branch property, known as the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. For a few years the city of Moscow has been suppressing Jehovah’s Witnesses. But a nationwide ban would set Jehovah’s Witnesses back to the days of Stalin’s USSR and the Siberian gulags.

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Putin is a baptized Russian Orthodox with strong ties to the resurgent church
According to the Watchtower’s press release “Russian authorities have been increasingly hostile to Jehovah’s Witnesses largely due to what has been described as the government’s symbiotic relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.” What is noteworthy about this development is that if the NGO known as the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia is shut down due to the political influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, it would presumably call into question the Watchtower’s long-held assertion that since 1919 Babylon the Great no longer wields power over God’s people. What has gone wrong? Could it be that Jehovah is no longer defending the interests of the Watchtower? After all, with the Society’s stable of attorneys and their constantly turning to the European Court of Human Rights for help, perhaps this is God’s way of telling them to work it out for themselves.
That would certainly be in keeping with the way God dealt with the Israelites. When they truly looked to him he always supported them. But when they made alliances with foreigners Jehovah abandoned them to their enemies. (Here is a PDF which is an example of the dozens and dozens of appeals the Watchtower has made to European officials over the years.)
Besides, why should Russia care to please the ECHR, when the very same nations are part of NATO and the Anglo-American scheme to encircle Russia with first-strike military positions? Russia and Europe are increasingly on a war footing.
It seems the the Administrative Center for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia would be better advised to plead their cause before God rather than look to Europe and the court of public opinion to save them. But alas, can a leopard change its spots?
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Let us examine our beliefs:

the existence of God

If a Christian, and especially a Jehovah's Witness, is asked to provide proof of the existence of God, it is very likely that he will quote verse four of the third chapter of the letter to the Hebrews, "every house is constructed by someone, but the one who constructed all things is God".

The reasoning may be right, nothing came from nothing but everything on earth is due to the will of a designer, it is still good to note that Paul was not trying to argue about the existence of a Creator. He spoke to his Hebrew Christian companions who certainly did not question the fact that the universe was ruled by a powerful being who is behind everything. Moreover, in antiquity the problem was certainly not the non-belief in God but rather the opposite: people tended to believe in a multitude of gods. Furthermore, Paul, on one occasion, noticed that an altar dedicated to an unknown god had been made, certainly for fear of forgetting to revere a deity.

(Continue)
Acalia & Marta
Parables for Our Days (Part 1)
Carl-Bloch-Sermon-on-the-Mount
What do the parables of Jesus have to say to us? Are they related to our days? First, we must identify and understand which of them have a prophetic application. For example, the parable of the prodigal son contains an excellent teaching for us, but is not prophetic, it announces no event! How then to distinguish the types of parabolas? As usual, it is very simple: we will stick to what Jesus Christ Himself said, without adding or taking away. We will limit the interpretations to the only elements that can be derived directly from narratives or other particular and relevant texts. For the rest, we will gladly content ourselves with the Lord's reply: "It does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction" – Acts 1:7
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