"Will The New System Be A Paradise" - The Thread That Got Me Banned From JwTalk.net

by Philadelphia Ponos 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  sizemik

  My "friend" emphatically stated it is the QUESTIONING that identifies apostate mindset.

  Well, is it really true?

  That's actually not a bad question Terry . . .

  Of course . . . the JW mindset is "obedience" . . . unquestioning obedience. Any who have "questions" are seen as doubters who are weak in faith. If a genuine question exists for them . . . then they must take it to the Elders . . . or a "mature" christian who can "re-adjust" them and "snatch them out of the fire" as they see it. Once the question is answered according to "current truth" in the publications . . . the questioner is expected to accept it and move on.

  Anyone asking a controversial question publically is quickly seen as "causing division." Such things are not for the consumption of the R&F lest they take possession of the same question.

  It's easy to forget the tightness of the bonds once the mind has enjoyed freedom for a while. Your "friends" observation is a stark reminder. A questioning mind being the hallmark of apostates is a clever control . . . chillingly so.
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  N.drew

  I really got the feeling when I was a non-apostate that anytime I said "I think" it would stumble someone. They take you to an elder(or a mature lady) to fix you. And sometimes you get real lucky and get to see The Elders In Session. And you know what they do? The say read this shit again, but they don't say shit. Hey, heaven needs to laugh too!
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  Juan Viejo2

  I love this little section in the JWtalk.net rules for membership:

  "Is There a Code of Conduct? Are Certain Things Not Permitted to be Posted to the Forum?

  "Of course there is a code of conduct. The same behavior expected of you in the congregation is expected here in the forum. This discussion board is operated by and for true Christians. Hence, we will not tolerate anything against Biblical standards, including apostasy and unclean or obscene speech. (Eph 5:3,4; 2 Tim 2:16-18) Links to apostate sites (anti-witness sites) will get you immediately banned, as will hateful speech and obscene language. This is a site for discussion, and not debate. Therefore, your goal in contributing to a topic should be to build up your brothers and sisters, or share something of interest that may consist of news or wholesome entertainment.

  "We seek to maintain an upbuilding, entertaining, safe, open, and intellectually stimulating environment, where mature Christians can exercise their God-given “freeness of speech.” (2 Corinthians 3:12) A few principles can help us to do that..."

  In other words - there is no such thing as free speech or open questions. "This is a site for discussion...not debate." Then how in the hell can they maintain an "entertaining...open...and intellectually stimulating environment, where Christians can exercise their God-given 'freeness of speech.'"

  These folks have no concept of what discussion and free speech are all about. There are a couple of other JW forums that are run the same way. From what I've seen of them, they are boring, inane, and repititious. Most of the participants just copy and paste off of the Watchtower CD and exchange WT and Awake! quotes with each other.

  JV
• 

  BluesBrother

  You have to be a lot more subtle to survive on J W Talk....Otherwise Bob (who rejoices in the screen name Dismal Bliss and has an affection for Dr Who on TV) will snuff you out. The case that Sizemik related was a recent example . The poster put up some very reasonable points about the NWT rendering of that verse , result? Busted!

  All they want to debate is eg, "What should I wear ?" and how rabid apostates are..Still, it can be funny, and you can sometimes divert the thread
• 

  james_woods

  Has the official Watchtower Society and its anti-internet hate ever taken a stand on JwTalk and whether good witnesses should go there?
• 

  Band on the Run

  According to the Witnesses, we will never be safe or redeemed. Their latest version reminds of the Asian concepts of human existence being a round of reincarnation unless one reaches nirvana. I have no idea how a spirit can have a body. Physicality is present or it is not. It seems to be saying that one can be a little bid pregnant.

  Internet forums are not venues for free speech. With my present values, however, I believe the robustness of speech reveals much about the owner's character and the group mind set. I routinely meet people who are very passionate about causes and yet have complete respect for their opponents. Compared to other forums on which I have been active, this board can get nasty. It is a testament that the owner allows nastiness to show, without creating a brotherhood of man perfection feel. Underlying the sometimes nasty remarks, I believe there is more authentic respect here than at a high control forum. It means that we are confident of our beliefs. We won't have a breakdown if someone disagrees.

  When I was growing up, the other side of Armageddon sounded so wondrous. Armageddon stopped my enjoyment to a large degree. Post A was a lovely concept. New light emerged that we would spend many, many years burying corpses. Why Jehovah could not wave his magic wand and bury them is beyond me. He destroys the world and he refuses to clean up the mess. Most people want to believe that sometime they will know true peace and be safe. Atheists believe it. There is peace in nonexistence. Also, if we keep repeating this cycle of creation, falling, destruction, Jesus' death and resurrection are utterly meaningless. I see no ransom in this view.
• 

  james_woods

  When I was growing up, the other side of Armageddon sounded so wondrous. Armageddon stopped my enjoyment to a large degree. Post A was a lovely concept.

  The sad truth (for myself) was that I never actually believed in the post-A paradise. Especially not the part about it lasting into eternity. I guess I just supressed this in the back of my head in order to stay a witness.

  One very simple reason was that I actually listened and learned in science class in the early 1960s and I knew that the solar system was NOT eternal. Helium/Hydrogen cycle of the sun, and all that.

  Once brought it up with a circuit overseer - he said that Jehovah would somehow MAKE the sun last forever. Which just brought up more questions - just our Sun? Not all stars? Then why didn't Jehovah make all the stars immortal in the first place?

  The everlasting physical paradise earth just becomes more implausible the more you think about it.

  The mainstream church's "heaven" at least has the dodge of being too nebulous to actually pin down scientifically.
• 

  breakfast of champions

  Wow! That jwnet is a hoot! I like how they "deactivate" anyone who even comes close to dissenting. Funny.
• 

  Quendi

  I've never visited the JwTalk.net website, and reading the remarks here has helped me decide there is no reason for me to do so. The comments that sizemik and Juan Viejo2 made are great examples of the cognitive dissonance that is the heart of Witness culture. The JwTalk.net website talks about open and free discussion, and then says there is no room for debate. That kind of thinking is a constant in Witness literature and public talks, so it should come as no surprise to see it rearing its ugly head in a Witness-sponsored Internet forum.

  What I find interesting is how the WTS presents cyberspace as a demon-haunted environment where the unworldly and unwary can lose his prospects for eternal life. But in recognizing that people will venture online for many reasons, this site is presented as some kind of "safe zone", free from apostates and malicious worldlings whose only raison d'etre is to ensnare innocent Witnesses and abuse them for their own nefarious purposes. I wonder how many Witnesses use this website as a "virtual Kingdom Hall"? After all, if a person can go there and learn all he needs to know about Witness teaching and practice, why go to the Kingdom Hall at all? I wonder if the website's creators have considered that as a possible effect on other Witnesses.

  Quendi
• 

  Bells

  For Witness 007 and bigmouth:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/members/adult/217165/1/Oral-Sex-Mutual-Masterbation-etc