Divergent

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Posts by Divergent

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  56

  One reason behind the slow steady decline of JWs

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hello first of all to those that remember me.

  i'm doing well, 10 years since my missionary trip to cameroon.

  i've met a couple of goals.

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  Divergent

  Sparky1:
  Nathan 'Papa' Knorr was a finely crafted persona that served the Organization very well. At Bethel he was all business and kept his nose to the grindstone. When he gave talks at assemblies and other gatherings he projected a fatherly and comforting demeanor. He appeared full of confidence and spoke with authority without overpowering his audience. 'Papa' Knorr was head of the Bethel family and 'head' of the 'spiritual family' of Jehovah's Witnesses. In the current arrangement who can 'fill his shoes' in the Jehovah's Witnesses 'family'?:

  Nathan Knorr was a cold, aloof, hypocritical, heartless jerk, as evidenced by eyewitness accounts of those who knew him & all the strict man-made rules & decisions he imposed on the Bethel family & missionaries during his time. I suggest that you do more research next time before posting!
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  8

  Adele's new album....

  by _Morpheus in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  adele's new album came out today.

  so far i love it, although one of the songs feels a bit overwrought to me.

  i find her to be at her best, as i always have, when she is singing only accompanied by a piano.

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  Divergent

  Haven't heard the new album yet...

  Anyway, I thought the Skyfall song sucked! My favorite Adele song is Chasing Pavements. But that's just me...
  
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  12

  The "overly attached witness parents" problem

  by scaredtospeak in

  1. social
  2. family

  it's so good to finally be nineteen years old.

  graduated from high school, taken more seriously as an adult.

  i even have a job.

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  Divergent

  Oh yeah, this song is for you. Love the lyrics! =)

  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE

  This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
  No silent prayer for faith-departed
  I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
  You're gonna hear my voice
  When I shout it out loud

  It's my life
  It's now or never
  I ain't gonna live forever
  I just want to live while I'm alive
  (It's my life)
  My heart is like an open highway
  Like Frankie said
  I did it my way
  I just wanna live while I'm alive
  It's my life

  This is for the ones who stood their ground
  For Tommy and Gina, never backed down
  Tomorrow's getting hard make no mistake
  Luck ain't even lucky
  Got to make your owns breaks

  It's my life
  It's now or never
  I ain't gonna live forever
  I just want to live while I'm alive
  (It's my life)
  My heart is like an open highway
  Like Frankie said
  I did it my way
  I just wanna live while I'm alive
  It's my life

  Better stand tall when they're calling you out
  Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down

  It's my life
  It's now or never
  I ain't gonna live forever
  I just want to live while I'm alive
  (It's my life)
  My heart is like an open highway
  Like Frankie said
  I did it my way
  I just wanna live while I'm alive
  It's my life

  It's now or never
  I ain't gonna live forever
  I just want to live while I'm alive
  (It's my life)
  My heart is like an open highway
  Like Frankie said
  I did it my way
  I just wanna live while I'm alive
  It's my life

  
  
  
  
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  12

  The "overly attached witness parents" problem

  by scaredtospeak in

  1. social
  2. family

  it's so good to finally be nineteen years old.

  graduated from high school, taken more seriously as an adult.

  i even have a job.

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  Divergent

  Make the move. I did the same too. No regrets!

  Well, maybe just one regret. That I didn't do so earlier!

  You deserve your OWN life, free from the interference of a stupid & pathetic man-made religion. Your parents might be nice, but with the influence of the cult, it's a toxic environment for you to be in & it would DEFINITELY affect you for worse. Make the move immediately when the opportunity arises, ASAP. Keep this in mind - The longer you stay, the harder it is to leave
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  51

  My first post

  by thewalker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi, i just joined the board and wanted to present myself.. i'm active, in fact very active in congregation activities serving "where the need is great" in a foreign language congregation somewhere in western europe.

  as a young brother, i'm seen as an example as i'm doing all a good witness should do.. i had doubts years ago but i decided just to ignore them and move to another congregation to preach more.

  that worked for some years but i'm now at the exact same point.

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  Divergent

  I don't know where to go

  Looks like you did. You came to the right place! I was in a similar situation as you before. Dissatisfaction led me to search for alternative views, & that's when I discovered jwfacts, jw-survey, & this forum

  My problem was I was not happy as a JW. No matter what I did, it could never be enough. I visited the abovementioned sites, & came to the obvious conclusion that JW's do not have the truth. I'm sure that you would come to that conclusion eventually, if you have not already done so

  After fading from "the truth", my life has never been happier! I no longer have feelings of guilt, no fear of dying at Armageddon, no fear of being bloodguilty for failing to "witness" to someone, etc. My life is also much less stressful - no more meetings, field service, & what not. I have more time for myself & have better friends - people who are genuine friends instead of conditional friends like JW's!

  I don't fear the future. I don't believe in the depressing & unreasonable JW teaching that 99.99% of the world's population would die at Armageddon. I would say that if there is such a thing as Armageddon, a perfect & loving God would find a reason to save me, not to destroy me! I am truly happy & have peace of mind, that is the most important thing for me now. Hope that things would work out well for you too!
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  6

  REFUGEES: when the LAMB lies down with the LION

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  refugees: the lamb lies down with the lions.___________________________________________.

  on this continent, the native peoples welcomed the early european settlers and nursed them through the winter.

  they shared and they traded.

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  Divergent

  Talking about lambs, it reminded me...

  In the Bible, it says Jehovah is our shepherd, so is Jesus, as well as the overseers in the congregation. BUT... ever stopped to think why do shepherds shepherd sheep in the first place? We all know what happens ultimately - the sheep get slaughtered! Shepherds always have an ulterior motive which is unknown to the oblivious sheep!

  Sheep? No thanks. I'll rather be a mountain goat & live free & happy. What's up with the goat bashing anyway? Stupid book!
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  1

  Let's pray for Paris... oh, wait.....

  by Divergent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some food for thought.... .

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  Divergent

  Some food for thought...
  

  
  
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  46

  Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

  hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

  the lett effect?

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  Divergent

  LouT8503:
  @Divergent, do you have a link for this? I missed it, would love to see it.

  
  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ6405yjZfo
  
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  19

  Can a baptism be annulled?

  by angel.face in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i joined this site about 4 years ago and life was very different to say the least.

  i was a jw and started the process of 'waking up' after experiencing life threatening blood loss due to complications of a pregnancy.

  i was married with two kids (husband was an ms) and was a stay-at-home mom.

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  Divergent

  Scully:
  In legal defense cases, they always fall back on the excuse that shunning is a decision that individuals make of their own volition, nobody forces them to shun.

  
  Well, it is a fact that the organization encourages JW's to shun

  Take a look at the God's "Love" book, pages 207 & 208:

  How should we treat a disfellowshipped person? The Bible says: “Stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man.” (1 Corinthians 5:11) Regarding everyone who “does not remain in the teaching of the Christ,” we read: “Do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For the one who says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.” (2 John 9-11) We do not have spiritual or social fellowship withdisfellowshipped ones. The Watchtower of September 15, 1981, page 25, stated: “A simple ‘Hello’ to someone can be the first step that develops into a conversation and maybe even a friendship. Would we want to take that first step with a disfellowshiped person?”

  Is strict avoidance really necessary? Yes, for several reasons. First, it is a matter of loyalty to God and his Word. We obey Jehovah not only when it is convenient but also when doing so presents real challenges. Love for God moves us to obey all his commandments, recognizing that he is just and loving and that his laws promote the greatest good. (Isaiah 48:17; 1 John 5:3) Second, withdrawing from an unrepentant wrongdoer protects us and the rest of the congregation from spiritual and moral contamination and upholds the congregation’s good name. (1 Corinthians 5:6, 7) Third, our firm stand for Bible principles may even benefit the disfellowshipped one. By supporting the decision of the judicial committee, we may touch the heart of a wrongdoer who thus far has failed to respond to the efforts of the elders to assist him. Losing precious fellowship with loved ones may help him to come “to his senses,” see the seriousness of his wrong, and take steps to return to Jehovah.—Luke 15:17.
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  46

  Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

  hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

  the lett effect?

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  Divergent

  I would say it's a combination of various factors, JW Broadcasting being one of them

  I would say these are the main reasons:

  1. JW Broadcasting (JW's have been condemning TV evangelists for so many years but are now joining them? WTF???)

  2. 1914, the supposed 100th year of Jesus's reign in heaven, came & went by uneventfully. Many had expectations that Armageddon was going to come, it was even suggested that we might have our last memorial that year in one of the OKM's. When nothing happened that year, many got fed up of waiting for the end & left / faded (Proverbs 13:12 - Expectation postponed makes the heart sick)

  3. Candace Conti. Blew the child abuse issue in the org wide open! (The ARC came much later, the full impact of that would be seen in the 2016 report)

  Other reasons:

  4. An increasing number of people going online & stumbling across something which caused them to think / question (I was one of them)

  5. Anthony Morris & his senseless rants (eg. tight pants)

  6. Stephen Lett (more evidence for 1914 than for gravity, electricity, wind!)