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by Kool Jo 62 Replies latest jw friends
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Flossycat
A suggestion for your first query: Just keep an open mind. And I might just say here, I'm not convinced of a God/entity-of-the-whole-universe in the biblical sense. These days I'm not religious, but very interested in all religions, and philisophical theories on life and human existence. And I'm often skeptical of what science allows us to see/hear/know, preferring to wait as the years go by for more evidence on certain theories.
You've grown up having all the 'answers' and 'reasons' to the universe set down for you on a plate. We humans are living in the third dimension. We're familiar with time having a beginning, middle and end point - cause, experiences/story, conclusion. There are other dimensions existing around us we can't see with the naked eye (and it's not about demons and angels) where time is totally different. The great thing is, you now have the freedom to use your own intelligence, your right to think for yourself. Read and research as many different fields of knowledge as you can. It's not important to be convinced on any particular 'answers'. What you experienced and knew when you were 10 years old is different to what you experienced andn knew when you were 20, and do on.
A couple of books you might like to try by Dr. Brian Wiess: "Through Time Into Healing", or "Many Lives, Many Masters". Last week I was at the annual Australain conference of Cult Information & Family Support in Brisbane. For more on how strict religions affect our thinking and reasoning the author Steven Hassan was recommended, (can't remember the name of his book - have to google it). Or "The Jesus Mysteries" by Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy (published by Thorsons, imprint of Harper-Collins, UK)
Remember these are suggestions to broaden your horizons. No one here is asking or suggestivng you believe in any particular way.
On the point of my website not being accessible. I must look into it. Keep trying. Maybe I spelled it wrong? www.jehovahsmysteries.com. (divine intervention?? I know it's a revealing and at times shocking story, but really...)
Best wishes,
Flossycat from Melbourne, Australia.
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jamiebowers
Then for those who have become agnostic/atheists after leaving the WTBS, what do you think is the purpose of life and will it continue like how it is now?
Every person's purpose in life is diffeent. For me it was being a wife, stepmother and now stepgrandmother. In recent years it has evolved into also helping as many exjws as I can to assimilate to life in the real world. It might not sound like much or anything special, like finding a cure for cancer. But it's been a great leap for me, because I was always afraid of having kids, for fear they would have the same nightmare childhood that my brother and I did.
Just take your time. You'll figure out your spiritualality and life path.
Also, the media coverage of the Catholic Church's problem with child abuse is fierce, because several millions of people are Catholic. There are only seven million jws, but there's been quite a bit of coverage about the Watch Tower's cover ups over the years, and i's been worldwide. Here are a few examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLAC9kS_EqM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwQoKygx0pE&feature=endscreen&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ac9EobF5kE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDyh2TOeuVY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XJQvpduyYA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzWupVczfCQ&feature=related
...i wonder if anyone who has written to WTBS and told them about what we now know about "the truth" got a written response from them?
Please don't do that. Your letter will be sent back to your elders, and you will be df'd or apostasy.
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Kool Jo
@ KS, Lost Lamb & cantleave: Much thanks for your welcome, looking forward to your input on the board!
@ zid: Thanks for your welcome & links for those threads...I'm sure it may be challenging in the upcoming weeks dealing with my mom, but will let you know how it goes.
@ FS: I'm very sorry to hear about the relationship with yor brother...I notice you mentioned about your brother shunning you although you weren't DA nor DF, I've known elders who tell the "spiritually strong" ones to limit their association with the "spiritually weak" ones.
@Flossy Cat: I got through to your website and started browsing!
@ Miles3: Thanks for those references...
@JamieB: Its funny that that writing a letter would cause for DA or DF, yet a C/O once told me that if there's something I was having difficulty understanding & the local elders couldn't answer, I could write to the WTBS and I'd get a reply...thanks for the heads up!
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Kool Jo
I noted that there is a posting restriction on my account...I'm guessing it's because I'm new here....is there also a restriction on changing my avatar too?
Peace
Kool Jo
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Found Sheep
you can change your avitar all you like. You need to go to a gravitar site. I'll btt directions. Yes I think for your 1st 100 posts or so you only get 10 a day or something like that...
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Knowsnothing
Welcome to the forum, Kool Jo. I'm not sure where I stand in regards to belief in god, so I guess that would put me at agnostic. As for the Bible being the word of God and all things in it having happened literally? Well, just think about the problems with a Global Flood. How did kangoroos travel from Australia to Arabia?
I'll also post some research I've posted on another discussion website called Beliefnet.
Prometheus, the oldest non-clonal tree we have record of.
The tree, which was at least 4862 years old and possibly more than 5000 years, was cut down in 1964 by a graduate student and United States Forest Service personnel for research purposes
The year 1964 - 4862 years = 2898 BCE
The two dates I've seen so far are Masse 2807 B.C. and WT 2370 BCE.
Masse is pretty close, but this blows away the WT date.
If the Flood didn't happen as is described in the Bible (a global flood), Jesus' words about the Flood are invalid and ipso facto, invalidates the Bible, IMO.
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Kool Jo
@Knowsnothing: I checked out that website...thanks! I assume one of the other reasons why many people are still "pro-flood" is that because various religions have a version of the occurance of a global flood written in their "holy books".
@ FS: thanks for responding, will look into the gravatar thing. I'm sure the other thing you've perhaps noticed with your brother is the negativity of some of the brothers in the congregation...an elder came up to me recenlty and told me that one of the cities that I have to work into (my job) is known for prostitution and told me to be careful...he told me he worked in the same city for over 30 years and came out "ok"...I hate when they say that, like I'm gonna link up one of those prostitutes after work and saying things like you're a darn child.
Peace
Kool Jo
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Found Sheep
yes they focus on the negative! The end is so near you know!
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sabastious
what is the real reason you think that suffering/voilence ect really occur?
We use bowling balls to have harmless violent fun every day. The harm comes from the misuse of violence which the past and present prove we have the capacity for. The real question is why are we able to cause suffering and do we have the ability to stop it? If you can answer that question to your satisfaction you'll probably pick up a shovel and help in the relief efforts.
-Sab