HomeARC ML 1254
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS!--No.1 DO1254 8/82
"DESERTION"!
1. QUESTION: "Desertion" was a badly needed letter & Dad mentioned many different possibilities of situations which could arise. There is one tho' that I've seen in the past & have it cropping up again in our GA right now! What about a sister who is the irresponsible one, who likes to fuck & have fun & babies & not be tied down. Let's say she had 1 baby, or 2, & no mate & finds herself PG from a sweet single brother who loves her & has been going out of his way to help her & get her to a foreign field & all & now that he finds she's carrying his baby, feels it's God putting them together & she still wants to stay single. If he must be bound to her if she desires, why shouldn't she be required to be bound to him, if he desires? It's a real honest question & not a murmur, I feel, so if you feel it warrants an answer could you send it to Dad?--Bart Gad, GAS of N. Germany.
(Amen! It's a 2-way street!--Mat.9:29 & 1Cor.10:31!: "According to your faith be it unto you." "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.")
2. QUESTION: I received a tape from my first mate. She was planning on joining us & we were looking forward to it, but she sounded bitter & self-righteous & still without the victory the Lord wanted to give her when I joined the WS Pub Team & she couldn't. It's just really sad. What a waste of her talents & my four-year-old son as well. She said she reported me as a "Desertion" case to Dad even while we were working on getting her over here. "I just can't do the subject justice."--Nohah Lightnings; France.
(Sorry, but be patient: She evidently didn't know you were planning to get her back. Why not give'r another chance? God's given you a lotta chances! Pray the Lord's Prayer!)
3. QUESTION: "Desertion" was terribly needful. Does that also apply to wives deserting mates who are legal & real fathers?--Israel Hoofer; California.
(Of course!--But each case must be judged on its own merits & extenuating circumstances--what's best for you, the kids & God's Work!--1Cor.10:31.)
HOME LIFE!
4. QUESTION; After seven full days from the first onset of a woman's period, it is then safe for lovemaking. But is it advisable or permissable to masturbate or goose during the seven days of a woman's period?--Mike & Yvone: S.E. Asia.
(--Yes, D.V.--Mat.9:29.)
5. QUESTION| About Family members with Herpes: Should they share with others? I have been reading about it & it isn't clear how contagious it is. In some cases it is but can it definitely be determined whether a certain case is contagious or not?--Elijah & Shiloh; Canada.
(It is extremely contagious & virulent when active!--As evidenced by sores, blisters & itching on genitals or mouth. However, when dormant & no symptoms evident, it does not normally seem contagious.--Mat.9:29.)
6. QUESTION: Belen wants to leave trio. We're praying. Question form Belen for Dad: Should a marriage continue even if one of the partners feels he or she isn't romantically in love with the other?--Michael; Argentina.
(Romance is nice, & Maria & I are still in love after 13 years!--But what's it got to do with family responsibilities & your Home duties & God's Work? Mating is a hard job as well as lotsa fun!--And it's your job to make it work!--As your duty to God, family & others!--1Cor.10:13! Love means sacrifice as well as selfish pleasure!)
HEALTH!
7. QUESTION: We were surprised to see 2 families here go out singing with their children who either had whooping cough or had the symptoms. After having been through it with our children, I sure wouldn't want to pass it on to anyone.--Phillip Fiddler & Rachel Fireball; Austria. (Note: This carelessness has virtually caused a whooping cough epidemic in Austria, & even was carried over to India with a family which moved there. We even heard that the DAS, whose children were the first to contract the sickness, called a big DAF meeting, which most of the brethren in the country attended in spite of the objections of some. LHU!)
(GHU!--This is in total violation of all our warnings along this line! See our Letters about how our own kids caught it & measles thru' others' carelessness & negligence! For God's sake & ours, Folks, have a heart!--Isolate you contagious cases! Don't pass it on!--I had to be even Isolated & quarantined away from my parents when I had chickenpox when little so they could continue God's work! ISOLATE!--1Cor.10:31!)
8. QUESTION: Dear Dad & Maria, My husband & I have a big decision to make, sooner or later, about me getting sterilized. I am pregnant now with our 3rd child, which when delivered, will be my 3rd C--section. My doctor had asked if I wanted to be sterilised after this child is born, & I said no. But we must face the reality that No. 4 or 5 could endanger my life. I sort of made a deal with my doctor that we'd see how everything goes each time after this then we'd go from there, but I can't stall him forever. We need your loving counsel & we love you both dearly.--Mateo & Rebekah; B.C., Canada.
(Why can't you trust God more than man?--Mat.9:29.)
9. QUESTION: One sister suggested I boil some cloves & then string them into a necklace & hang it around my son's neck for teething pain! I've heard of using oil of cloves, but not this! What do you think about it & have you ever heard of it? Also, if you have, how does it work to help alleviate the pain!--David & Talitha Sheep; Hawaii.
(--Mat.9:29.--Maybe it has something to do with the fragrance?)
10. QUESTION: I'd like to know Dad's opinion about donating blood. I think it's good & helps people for operations, making vaccinations, etc.--Madrid.
(I'm inclined to agree with the Jehovah's Witnesses that blood transfusions are the same as drinking blood & just as dangerous! Blood carries all kinds of diseases, & its use is strictly forbidden by New Testament Scripture!--Acts 15:20 & 29. However, if you're in the hands of doctors & hospitals, the law may require it.)
11. QUESTION: I have been diagnosed as having Hodgkin's disease--cancer--it seems I have a choice of the doctor's radiation and possibly chemotherapy or a very strict natural diet. This is the same disease Sheba Bear died from. Please know that I want so much to be a blessing and do God's Will and pray He helps me make the right choice and decision. I pray also I learn the lessons I need to and forsake anything or repent of anything that He is trying to show me. Any counsel you have for me is welcome.--Peter; Australia. (They were just about on the verge of leaving for the field--sounds like timely attack of the Enemy!--Ed.) (He made it to the field, GBH! However, he still needs desperate prayer.--Ed.)
12. QUESTION: I'd like to hear more from Dad on beer. Many brothers drink it and are in agreement to ration it--two eight-ounce glasses as it's not as strong as wine. But didn't Dad say it was bad anyway?--Sol & Primavera; Tenerife.
(Beer is an alcoholic beverage made of grain fermented with malt from hops and carbonated. It might be OK if it weren't for the carbonation which makes it almost as bad for you as other "soft" drinks like cokes and colas!--Except that it doesn't contain sugar.)
WITNESSING!
13. QUESTION: Regarding "Urgent Letter to Chile," wouldn't it be better, now that the brethren have "burned free" litnessing here for the summer in this resort town, to make the litnessing more undercover & personal so as not to get booted out or investigated before the potential disciples & friends get "grown up"? An idea only. I now this would have to be balanced with "To Be or Not to Be." There was much busking this summer with good results.--Allon & Taphath Harper; Chile.
(Mat.9:29.)
14. QUESTION: Can we print DFO Komix for GP use? If we think it is OK for our country, & the local leadership and VSs give permission--or do we need to get special permission for Letters like "7 Ways to Know God's Will"?--Caleb; Philippines.
(If Local Leaders all OK! Classification is for recommended use.)
15. QUESTION: The Letter #1202 is raising a controversy about litnessing or not litnessing. Some people, just because Dad counselled not to litness in sensitive areas, want to stop litnessing completely, based on that, because they don't have vision for this ministry. And the worst thing is that they are forbidding others to litness in an area where the last problems the Family had here were five years ago!--Mat.9:29?--Simao Pedro; Brazil.
(--Right! GBY!)
16. QUESTION: "Face Up, Dress Up, Trim Up, Straighten Up--Or Out You Go!" was really necessary here. But the brethren misinterpreted it & decided to put an end to the litnessing in a field where we have been litnessing openly for five months now without problems, but rather making good friends with the authorities.
(--Sad! It was certainly not meant to stop litnessing!--Just look good enough to be a credit to His work when litnessing!)
CLEARANCE FOR FOREIGN FIELD!
17. QUESTION: Does one need "clearance" to go to a foreign field?--Israel Hoofer; California.
(Yes, if you want to be sure of a place to land & a thankful welcome--why not?--Mat.9:29.)
18. QUESTION: can we have a listing of the addresses of the DAS or GAF shepherds so we can write to the various fields for clearance & information.--Malachi; Missouri.
(They're usually in the Mag or BOTM with their Reports--& they move often! However we are hoping to publish a list of good P.O. Boxes &/or Phone Numbers of each Area for this, D.V.)
19. QUESTION: Quo Vadis? We were first set on S.A. then Mo said "India" & no more S.A. & that threw us in the fog. Everytime we set sights to India, no funds come & things stop happening. We switch back to S.A. & funds start coming in! So we're still here! Please pray for us! We want His!--Paolo & Dove; Italy.
(--Mat.9:29: "According to your faith be it unto you.")
COMBOS & RECEPTION HOMES!
20. QUESTION: We had lots of problems travelling around Asia and India! I think it would be a good idea for R.H.'s to give a phone number to reach. It's not always easy to know when you're going to leave & arrive places! Can't we do something to speed up the bureaucracy?! We were quite lost in Bangkok and Hong Kong and it would have helped to at least be able to confer with local brethren as to what are good and cheap hotels and how to get around etc. I can't begin to describe the frustration we experienced, so please, Brethren, help your Family in American and Europe with a little more information, especially your phone! LHU! We are not Systemites who you only can give a P.O. Box to. Why the Family??--Abrahim & Sarah; India.
(Amen!--But why didn't you prepare more in time write first?)
21. QUESTION: Why are big Homes (Combo-Reception Homes) encouraged with so much centralised leadership out here?) Isn't that bound to attract attention from the authorities?--Caleb & Rebecca; Bangladesh.
(Possibly--but they're necessary in some cases.)
HOME SUPPORT!
22. QUESTION: Have made good progress on mail ministry & supporters. We would like to leave now but still lack support. How long can we expect support from America after the war? Wouldn't it be better to be making friends on the field who will stand up for us, now before the war? It seems that after the war we will be forced to trust the Lord & foreign neighbours for survival as American support or dollars will be use less. Please don't consider this a doubt or murmur. We returned to the Family five months ago. We are pregnant with number seven and are scared to stay much longer even though we know it will be very hard without support.--Daniel Newbottle; Texas.
(Mat.9:29.)
23. QUESTION: We are writing to you about something on our hearts, which quite a few other people out here is the East have probably wondered about too. It concerns support in this part of the World-particularly home support vs. field support. (He is British & has been in India since 1976. Although there was mention of home support then, in those days leadership advocated getting your support from the field & encouraged them to move there. He has been living by faith there for years & FFed & won his mate Rosy.)
Getting field support here was & is difficult, but not impossible, so that one can always get by, but to keep a high standard is hard. I'd like to emphasize that there are many people in the same boat as me who either came out here a long time ago without home support or joined out here & stayed in the area. (He is fluent in Nepal & knows some Hindi & feels he has the faith that God will continue to take care of them but it will be pretty much from the field. He says that all the Letters concerning home support put people like him in a tight spot & "we don't want to feel 'disobedient' or 'out of it' for provisioning everywhere, selling lit & using other means of field support.")
We have the faith that we can travel all around India & Nepal, North to South East to West, without money & God will supply all our needs. Obviously home support is preferable but is it okay considering the circumstances? We certainly don't want to go back to the war zone & spend months raking up home support which may all vanish anyhow when the war comes! At the same time we don't want to be put under condemnation by any new brethren coming out here loaded with support & living at a rather higher standard than us. For example, them always buying their food whereas we provision it, them doing free school programs whereas we always ask for a voluntary donation for this.--Peter & Rosy; Nepal. (They closed apologising for the length & said that they would appreciate advice on how to reconcile this problem. I made this quite lengthy also as I have seen the question quite a bit in reports too from old pioneers & missionaries who have been on the field for years & thought it would be good for FN with an answer.--Adar)
(Amen! Don't quit while you're ahead! Don't change when you've got a Winner!--Jesus never fails! GBY! GBY!) Mt.9:29! But those who haven't the faith for it had better have Home Support! You've been there years & know the lingo, & that does make a difference!)
TITHING!
24. QUESTION: Do we need to tithe the WS gift or not?--Zacchaeus. Chinese MWM.
(Why not?--Depends on whether you're a 100% or 110%--Mat.9:29.)
25. QUESTION: I have just realised that I have tithed 10% of my gifts and income after taxes (they take more than 2,500 schillings I never see). Please tell me if I need to tithe this also & I will.--Philip Martin; Austria.
(Mat.9:29!--Ha!)
26. QUESTION: If we sell a vehicle, a trailer for example, are we supposed to pay 10% on it? We thought no as it's not an income but just a transformation of a good we already have into money. Is this OK?--Megiddo & Leah; France.
(Acts 5:1-11.)
27. QUESTION: (They thank you so much for you love & concern & the beautiful tools you are providing! They would like to ask you a little question about a problem there. The situation is that there are two couples that live in a home & report together. They have separate home support & all income is separate, but at the end of the month they just put their 10% together along with the stats & report together. They would like to know what you think about it & say people use what was said after the RNR about having funds for necessities & not operate like under the Chain, but they feel this doesn't advocate having separate funds as it is not really all in common. They say depending on the people it can cause a selfish spirit & independence in the Home. They would appreciate any counsel you can give as they are soon going to open a Home with another couple & they don't know how to start out, & also many other couples are living the same way. They want to know if it is from the Letters or not. The Home they are now in is them & a few nationals & they live "all in common".)--Question from David Italian; Argentina.
(Amen! PTL! GB'm!--Why not? Co-op Homes are the strongest! That's the way we began & the N.T. Church began & flourished in commune Homes! "When two walk together, if one stumble the other will lift'm up!" (Ecc.4:9,10.) "A threefold cord is not easily broken." (Ecc.4:12.) "In unity there is strength!" "One can chase a thousand, but two can put 10,000 to flight!" (Deut.32:30.) We believe in sharing everything & always have! It's Scriptural! (Acts 2:41-47 & 4:31-35 & many others!) GBAKY sharing!)
STATS!
28. QUESTION: If we print our local newsletter with personal testimonies & with a couple pages of LIN and the salvation message to give to the public, is it counted as a full piece of lit?--Achim; Australia.
(Of course!--Count the Pages too!)
29. QUESTION: How should we enter the stats on witnessing to our children each month?--Clare; S.E. Asia.
(No! We only want Stats on outside witnessing.--God & kids will have to give you credit for the rest! Ha! GBY!
30. QUESTION: We feel the FF stats could be misunderstood or not clear to all. We've listed Total FF Witnessed To as 12, meaning 12 different people, and the No. FF Loved as 5, meaning 5 different men loved. Some might list the same person numerous times as FF Wit. To and Loved because they did so on various days during the month. Which way is correct?--Peter & Praise; India.
(Number of persons, not times.--Tx!)
31. QUESTION: Can we still count people as Live-Out Members for those of the country we left?--Daniel; India.
(Didn't you leave them with some other Home to take care of? They should be Members of their Home now--unless impossible & fed only by your Mail Ministry!)
32. QUESTION: FF Witness--is that only once/fish or should it be recorded each time you meet them?--Caleb & Rebecca; Bangladesh.
(We wanna know how many persons reached &/or loved.)
LIT REQUESTS & PUBLICATIONS!
33. QUESTION: Any chance of re-printing (we'll gladly pay in advance) of Vol. VI? Many of us never got it after paying for it.--Micah Teddy Bear; P.R.
(Why not wait for the new TK Vol. of same coming soon? You'll like it better & it's more fun for you & kids! A dream come true!--I like'm better! Ha!)
34. QUESTION: To make lost Mags, books etc. available to "Special Cases" such as missed due to fleeing because of persecution. These people are leading the way "so to speak" & Dad says in "Pioneering, Popularity & Persecution" why should we have to suffer this way for doing the job?--Levit; Tx.
(Don't! Fill out a "Lost Mail Report"!--& if a replacement is justifiable, you'll get it if possible, D.V.)
35. QUESTION: We lost some mailings and have a hard time finding track of these (Davidito Book, tapes and two Mags.) Where can we write to get them back?--Michael & Joy; India. (See Lost Mail Report. NOTE: A few Homes mentioned not receiving Mags 49 and 50 from Peru.)00
(Sorry. We've now moved West PDQ out of poor inefficient difficult slow Peru! Hope & pray for better service next country!--Ha!)
36. QUESTION: Alain, who is in a psychiatric hospital, is coming back to tithe. He is witnessing to many people in the hospital and wins many souls. He goes outside soon, D.V. He is a little retarded spiritually, but the Lord uses him in s special way.--France. (Question from Adar: We have two such people on our mailing list, Alain, who just started to tithe, and Marco in Zurich, who is a long-standing tither and goes in and out of psychiatric hospitals frequently. Is it safe or advisable to send these people the DO mailings I've been wondering, though I know it would be a great disappointment to them if their mailings were stopped. Thus far, sending Marco the mailings hasn't caused any problems, TTL! WLY!
(PTL! GBM! There're folks outside no more sane than those inside! Remember "Don Quixote:!--Send'm!--I'd sooner trust the Don Quixote's than the Systemites! It's the System that's nuts!--Not us!--But by their standards, we're the nuts!--Ha!--Look who's talkin'!)
37. QUESTION: What about a recipe book? We have a feeling that it might be in the works--true or false?--Simon & Fabiene; Singapore.
(We've published lots already, but a book is coming, DV!)
MOVIES, MUSIC & MWM!
38. QUESTION: I saw an inspiring movie called "Chariots of Fire". I wonder if Dad saw it, and if so, what he thinks of it.--Song of Solomon; Austria.
(Yes, I did, & it was very interesting.--A lot of [EDITED: "AC"] propaganda in it, but also a clear Christian testimony!)
39. QUESTION: By God's grace, our next report will be sent from the Far East, PTL! Has it been suggested that we stop using steel string guitars for accomp. and use only nylon strings? It seems I read it somewhere but nearly everyone I see uses a steel string--especially brothers.--Keilah & Shiza; California.
(Yes, I've said that before--it always seemed to me that strummed Spanish-style acoustical guitars sounded mellower with nylons. Steel seems to sound a bit tinny or tin-panny & harsher unless you're playing Hawaiian slide style like Jeremy.--But that may be jut my personal preference.--What's yours?)
40. QUESTION: It's unlikely that MWM will get on the airwaves here in Norway, so we thought of selling copies of the MWM tapes DTD to get it out and also use it as a means of raising support to get on the field. Is this OK? If not, please let us know and we'll stop. When we distribute them we request a donation and not a fixed price for these tapes that are duped.
(Good! Sure! Why not?)
BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!
41. QUESTION: Can Angels or ministering spirits travel backward or forward in time? Will we be able to in our heavenly bodies?--Ezekiel Minstrel; Canada.
(It certainly appears so! Read the many Letters on this!--Plus a new Letter coming soon!: "Time Travel"! GBY!)
42. QUESTION: Had a question about the Bible in Pictures: At that time, the Dome of the Rock and the Tomb of Abraham could only be visited by Mohammedans. Now that the Jews control this area, I was just curious to know if they are respecting this sanctity or not. Does anyone know?--Shadrach & Bethesda Soldout; Brasil; PS: Thank God for the B.I.P.s. They are great! A fantastic nonfictional novel! Ha!
(How about that, Folks?--Anybody know?)
43. QUESTION: I love you both very much. I wanted to ask a certain question that I ran across while witnessing. How many wives did Noah have? As far as I know the Bible says he only had one but the question I received in return to this answer was, "How was it that his three sons had different colour skin?" Did their next generation change colour in adaption to the country they stayed or were they originally different in skin colour? I asked a few older brethren here but they can not remember if you ever mentioned anything specific about this. I am really eager to find out if you have mentioned something already or if you can say something about it.--Luke Free; Philippines.
[EDITED: "See "The Un-Cursed Sons of Ham!--A Milestone Doctrinal Change!" ML #2928."]
TIPPING!
44. QUESTION: One other thing I wanted to ask you about was perhaps your counsel on certain ways to operate in the Third World. In a lot of these countries there are long waiting lists for boxes, etc.--this is the scene in most--& so for there, someone had the run--around lawyer of his family's company go to the PO and got us a huge box for just a little gift to the head person there. I had to do the same thing here as there was no other way. It almost seems that they tell you on purpose that there are no boxes so that you have to resort to this, so that they can get a little extra money. But is there some place to draw the line? I think the Family could appreciate some counsel on this also. For Instance, the same lawyer in this company seemed to have a lot of contacts that he could get anything for a certain price. For instance, for $40 you could get a driver's license. All you had to do was furnish the money and your personal details and two pictures and two days later you had your license. I was a little wary about this, mine is going to expire in half a year and what would happen if you were driving and were stopped with this license and they checked it out, would it be bona fide? And he said, "Yes, yes, they even have a person who even takes your driving test for you and does the written test and hands it in for you and does it." But I don't know how much you would want--especially for a Christian--to do things this way, especially if you don't have to, just to save you the trouble of having to get the license normally. It seems a dangerous thing to do unless it's necessary, I don't know. But there were other situations as well.
We asked the same person if it was possible to get residency through his contacts and he said, "Sure, how many people do you need it for?" he said, "How about 40?"--So you could also buy residencies for everybody too. But it seems that, I don't know, but I would say that if the work is going to continue on a big scale with a lot involved in poor countries that it would be good to have a few guidelines. I know it's according to our own faith and how the Lord leads and possibly other options, but perhaps a few words of counsel would be helpful so that none of us get trapped in a situation where the methods that we've used could be a reproach to the Lord and to our name, which was something I was a little concerned about. And I wouldn't want to see some of this kind of stuff catch up with us in the wrong way right at the time we're there to convince the governments that we're Christian, we're there to help their country. It seems that if we got along those channels too far it might back fire against us in the future. So, if you have any words about that I think it would be good, or if you feel you have anything you could say for guidance it might help him too. I would like to know so that we do make the right decisions in the future of setting up. I was a little reluctant along those lines because I don't have much experience in it. Another place I had to give a little tip to get a box, that's no big thing, but especially on more big things, if that's the standard way and the foundation to the whole work, it seems pretty shaky to me and pretty dangerous.--Do you have any ideas? PTL! Maybe it's quite a blessing to be able to dispense with immense red tape for just a little gift, especially if it buys us and the Words the freedom we need!--Shepherd of a WS Unit.
(In the Bible the giving of gifts for favours or services seems an accepted and even recommended practice! (See Prov.18:16; 19:6; 21:14, etc.)--And it is certainly the only way to get things done in poor countries where it's expected--where salaries are so low it's part of their pay!--What's the difference between that and other tips? In most poor countries, tipping is the normal route!--For thousands of years!--You may find tipping cheaper and faster than the "normal" route!--I'm heartily in favour of tipping, especially the poor!--And it certainly gets good service!--Why not?)
45. (MORE ON TIPPING: I suppose some of the blue--noses would call it bribery. Well, in that case I'm guilty of bribery because I love to tip waiters and waitresses and bell boys and everybody. I suppose some people think that's bribery. It's just a way of life. It's a custom it's expected and you're expected to do it and the government virtually expects it and I think about the only time they clamp down is when they start getting gypped themselves a little bit or something or somebody begins to take a little too much. But it's such a common practice that nobody thinks anything of it. I mean that's just the way of life and you can't much blame the taxi drivers whose meters have broken down or don't work. It doesn't mean anything to us, we always pay them well anyhow. But I suppose to some of those skin-flints and rich, why, they're not going to give them any more than the meter says, & I don't see how they can afford to operate their vehicle on that!)
FAMILY POLICIES & BELIEFS!
46. QUESTION: what is the present Family policy regarding excommunication's for failure to pay bills contracted with the System? In "Shepherds' Rod" & "Excommunication" It says that System bills accumulated while in the Family warrant excommunication until paid. But this was before "Proclaim Liberty." There is a flagrant case of this here, a family owing over $2,000 debt in rent money where the owner has ordered them to move out & still they refuse to go. The owner is presently seeking a court order to evict them. At the same time they are planning on going to MCV in P.R. leaving all those debts behind. What if anything should be done about this situation?--Zichry & Elizabeth; Europe.
(See Letter No.701, "Owe No Man!"--It's a flagrant violation of Family & God's Rules: "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another." Rom.13:8. Report'm & we'll excommunicate'm!)
47. QUESTION: Can you tell us--does Dad recommend us to have life insurance? (It's listed in the One-Heart Diary.)--Aaron & Hannah Fighter; Canada. (Ed: Diary does not list life, only car & house insurance is usually required by law!)
(Mat.9:29.--I gave mine up years ago & God's never failed, & I'm sure He won't fail those I leave behind. I consider it was money I wasted & needed!--Besides, your money's worth more now than either later, due to inflation, or Hereafter! Ha!)
48. QUESTION: Since we have been visiting churches lately, many people have told us of the necessity of water baptism. Could Dad write about this please?--Isaac & Liberty; Texas.
(It was a Jewish custom, hangover of Early Church & totally unnecessary today--unless just to please the people & "be all things to all."--1Cor.9:22.--Read our references on it.--All you need today is the Baptism of the Holy Ghost!
49. QUESTION: We'd like to ask, can 2 families occupying the same house report as 2 separate homes? The main reason for this is, each family would like to receive a copy of the MWM & WW tapes in case we should decide to split up at some later date.--Mosera & Patience; Louisiana.
(No, this is strictly against the Rules! [EDITED: "See No.660R."] But if you each have tape recorders, why don't you copy your own? Otherwise you're cheating God!)
50. QUESTION: Our Biggest Problem: No one wants to get together for Sunday LAFs. Everybody is too busy!--Timothy; Switzerland.
(Anybody too busy for a LAF is too busy!--If I'm not too busy, you're not! Let us know who & we'll threaten with excommunication!)
51. QUESTION: What advantages would a normal Home have in obtaining an Apple computer?--For now or in the future? Possible future communications? From PDQs to smaller areas?--Aran & Gentleness; Latin America.
(Likely very little unless your main job is Pubs & you can afford it!--Or unless you want a skill useful to the AC to save your neck--but the Mark of the Beast would go with it, so why?--Save time, space, weight & money!--Use your portable!--& communications of that sort even after the War will be very uncertain & unlikely!--The post &/or SW radio would be more reliable!--Or our own couriers!)
52. QUESTION: Maybe I am a little crazy, but I was wondering about having "Godparents" in the Family. I know that if anything ever happened to me, my mother would try to take my son out of the Family, unless I had some legal papers showing that someone in the Family had legal rights to him. What do you think?--Mercy de La Mancha; South America.
(--Amen! You could have local Family couple legally adopt'm! GBAKY!)
OTHER QUESTION!
53. QUESTION: I'm very curious about Dad's sister Virginia. Was she born during Grandmother's five years after the accident, before her healing, or was she adopted? Does anyone know?--Jeshua; Paractos.
(By a miracle, Virginia was actually born in bed during Grandmother's invalidism when she was a bit better for awhile!)
54. QUESTION: Since I came back to the Family, I'm getting more and more discouraged. In 1976 when people asked us who we were, we told them we are the COG & answered people's questions honestly. We won lots of souls and people loved us. Now everyone I meet so far in the Family is deceiving the public, the people hate us. Our message is good and true and I got saved through it ... but people catch us in our "White lies" and we are worse off than ever. Why do we have to hide? I just wanted to let you know that I am very disappointed & annoyed that the majority of brothers and sisters I meet make their living by lying and deceiving people. Why not tell the truth and face the consequences? You know the Scriptures on being honest and truthful. Sorry, but I feel that nothing short of right is right. But I have to tell you how I feel. I just can't live like this and I am sure that there are lots of other brothers and sisters that feel the same way. Please send a reply soon.--Job Provisioner; Canada. (This is a brother who was a prodigal but has been faithfully tithing again since Sept. '81. He joined the Family before in Munich, Germany in 1976.)
(I hate lying & so does God! But there are many cases in the Bible where it seemed necessary & condoned to serve a justifiable purpose or someone's neck! (1Sam.19:9-17; 1Sam.21; Jos.2:1-7; 2Chr.18:18-22; 1Kings 20:35-42.) God will even send strong delusion to the unbelievers that they might believe a lie & be damned! (2Th.2:10--12!) ... I don't believe in unnecessary lying, but there are times when it could be necessary to save you, a loved one or our ministry from the vicious lies or persecution of the Devil & his gang! They don't deserve the Truth! But if you get caught lying to protect God's Work or People, the Devil & his vicious bunch will certainly use it against you to hurt you & God's work! It certainly didn't help Peter any when he denied the Lord thrice! (Mt.26:69-75.) It's usually better to tell the Truth--but not necessarily all of it!--Or give evasive noncommittal answers, or answer a question with a question or a stall like Jesus did His enemies. (Mt.17:24-27; Mt.21:23-27; Mt.22:16-21; Jn.8:1-11, Mt.12:2-5; Mt.12:10-12; Mt.15:2-3.) See also Letter "Public Relations" & "Interviu's 202 Lies!" on PR & answering press, etc. There's One you must never deny, & that's the Lord! (Mt.10:33,) Mt.16:24,25, 2Tim.2:12, Mt.12:31,32.) GBY with the Truth!--Amen? TYJ!)
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