by pirata 85 Replies latest jw friends
Thanks Leolaia! You are fascinating. I was actually talking to a friend of mine today about this board and I informed her that my brain actually gets tired reading through your posts - concentration time. You make me THINK and that's a good thing. Well . . . and feel really dumb - shhhh! LOL!
Thanks for sharing your story.
Hadit
Thanks Leolaia,
That was informative. Ok.......I won't call you an expert. I'll use the term "amazing"!
HappyDad
Leo thank you for posting such an interesting story.
Some of the things you wrote remind me of my son.
He was a late talker and also gets fixated obsessively on specific things which would get him really excited. The elders were constantly telling me that I had to discipline him more as my family were setting a poor example. This indicated to me that the congregation never really understood him. He was having enough difficulties socializing in school, he didn't need more rejection at the meetings.
We now know he is on the autism spectrum and needs to be allowed the freedom to express his interests in a nurturing environment, one which the society would never encourage. Our leaving has been the best thing for him. I doubt if he would have ever become a witness, so if we stayed he would have probably really suffered, being torn between two worlds, as he got older.
I'm glad you asked Pirata.
Thank you for posting your story Leolaia. I really enjoyed learning about your background. As intelligent as you are you would have really been quite batty by now if you didn't have the guts to leave the Watchtower and had stuck with it.
Another thing I think you are good example of is how not just the Watchtower but how much other religions loose when they down play the roll of women and don't use them to their full potential. They loose a lot of brain power.
Thanks for sharing! Now...I'm not good at math but this astounded me for a 9 yr old!
"Then in 1984 I became interested in trying to harmonize WT chronology with Sumerian, Egyptian, and Babylonian history. I was very committed to the chronology but through my efforts I realized that there wasn't enough time for everything to have happened, with the Flood being dated to 2370 BC. By this time I had read the Aid book cover to cover twice, and browsed through it often. Meanwhile I was getting pressured to pioneer and to get baptized. "
Love always
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/kcbddvkbfw--Brilliant-but-scaryHarry-Potter-and-the-Sorcerer%27s-Stone-Rupert-Grint-Ron
Cool stuff!
Also without anyone knowing, I went to other churches for a while. My best friend was a Filipina and I went to her Catholic church a number of times and my other friends were born again "non-denominational" and I went to their church a few times. What I noticed was that there was so much emotion and a sense of community in these meetings that I never felt at all in the kingdom hall.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
Blessings,
Stephen
Leolaia,
You have a marvelously analytical mind. I'm so glad you escaped the Borg so you can use it freely.
You mentioned researching the cross issue.
I never did understand the big deal about whether Jesus died on a stake with a crossbeam or without one.
I think there are a number of Scripture references that indicate it was a cross (Simon of Cyrene being forced to carry it; people were often forced to carry prisoner's crossbeams when they were too weak to do so) plus Thomas' John 20:25 reference to the holes made by the NAILS (plural) in Jesus' hands.
But so what? Why should we care? This is a perfect example of the Watchtower making much ado about nothing in order to force JWs to be different than everyone else. Any way of controlling them and making them conform...
The WTS says a cross is a phallic symbol. And an upright single stake isn't???
The WTS says that the cross is a pagan symbol. No kidding. Whatever the shape of the tree it was a method of execution used by the Romans, and in the eyes of the Jews, the Romans were pagans.
The point of people wearing crosses is to symbolize that Jesus triumphed over it (Col. 2:15) and paid the penalty for our sins there (Gal. 3:13). But if wearing a cross causes a weak brother or sister to stumble, don't do it.
Romans 14:13: "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."
Thanks for sharing your story, Leolaia.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Leo for her willingness to share her scholarly perspective with us on so many Biblical topics, in a way that is both authoritative, credible and yet easy to follow. I, too, have sat in meetings listening as people I love regurgitate information that is outdated, dishonestly presented, distorted or simply wrong, just because it's in print in a WT. It's horrible--sickening, really--especially when you know that speaking up will only make you appear as the evil one. The main factor in my decision to leave the "truth" (HA!) was the WT's pattern of intellectual and editorial dishonesty.
Thank you, Leo. You're wonderful.
Thanks for sharing your lovely and fascinating story, dear Leolaia (peace to you!). Of all the subjects out there this IS one of the most fascinating and absorbing, isn't it?
I never did understand the big deal about whether Jesus died on a stake with a crossbeam or without one.
Contrary to the WTBTS false teaching, they did have crossbeams, dear Ding (peace to you, as well!)... but not placed just above center. They were place close to the top (usally at the tip top, so that the impaled's head rose above the cross bream - which is one of the reasons the anhk (the "key" or "symbol of life") was designed so. And please, disagreers, let's not discuss here. Another thread, please, if necessary? Thank you!). Due to haste the beam was simply nailed a little further down in my Lord's case, leaving space for Pilot to post his note. But it was not merely a lone pole.
Again, thank you, Leolaia.
Peace to you all,
A slave of Christ,
SA
Leo, thank you for sharing your brilliance with us.
Syl
