Posts by Divergent

8

Hope and Reality

by Alive! in

for a long time, i've been moving into a place of utmost hope and faith.

universal reconciliation.

as a converted jw - i began my conversion with the joy that there is a hope for something we all would love - a world where each of us sees our fellow kind as a true brother.. i don't think that's an unhealthy way to live.. but - i'm living with the effects of corruptive thinking from a 'sect' - a divisive sect and judgemental sect that has hurt my sense of self.. it's terribly painful to have completely believed one thing, and then completely believe something else.... well that's how it feels to me.. i've read of some here who were jws for years, then became devout born agains for years and now are confirmed atheists.. wow.. how do you cope with the frivolous nature of your 'beliefs' - beliefs that were 'truths' for you in their own time.. i'm struggling - anyone else?.

Divergent

Alive!:

I struggle with the shame I feel for falling into a cult.

Don't focus on the shame. Be proud of the fact that you found the courage to do something about it!

9

She sent me 'Return to Jehovah' I sent her a Christmas card

by Xanthippe in

it just felt so good to say to a jw i don't feel the guilt this booklet says i must be feeling.

i don't feel guilty for having a great big christmas tree or letting my daughter have birthdays, easter eggs, dress up at halloween, have sleepovers and friends, i told her.

i only feel guilty about not contributing to live aid and bandaid and giving the money to a cult instead.

Divergent

skin:

Don't you love the way the writers of this booklet write the reasons people leave Jehovah, but they never address the real reason the majority leave the WT org. Can't have the R&F knowing this.

This is what I posted previously about the stupid brochure & its pathetic reasons -

The 3 reasons:

1. Anxiety

2. Hurt feelings

3. Guilt

The reasons were irrelevant to me, except for the hurt feelings part. But that was not the main reason either. My main reasons were:

1. Gross misinterpretation & misapplication of scripture / man-made rules - 2 witness rule, blood, organ transplants, etc.

2. False prophecies - 1914, 1975, millions now living will never die, etc.

3. Changes in doctrine / flip-flops - This generation, etc.

4. Scandals - Child abuse, Malawi, UN, etc.

5. Hypocrisy - JW's are supposed to be "no part of the world". Then why is the organization "riding on the back of the wild beast" by being affiliated with the UN???

6. Lack of remose for actions - The organization has NEVER once sincerely apologized for the damaging effects of its policies even after backtracking or being proven wrong! On a side-note, neither does it apologize to those who they are trying to reach out to in this brochure. Something like: "We are deeply sorry if you have been affected in any way by the actions of some fellow believers. Please let us know what we can do to help!" A sincere apology goes a long way. Sadly, this is not the case in WT-land

7. Lack of love in the congregation - The brochure addresses "hurt feelings", but misses the root cause of the problem altogether! There wouldn't be hurt feelings if there was true love in the first place! The brochure attempts to put the blame on the individual who was hurt, RATHER then telling the individual that if they return, the elders would do their utmost to address any problems with the individuals involved!

8. You can NEVER do enough - The 2nd part of the brochure is titled: "Anxiety - Hard-Pressed in Every Way". My problem was that the congregation WAS the source of that very anxiety & causing me to be hard-pressed! Asking me to "DO MORE" does not help!!!

9. I couldn't believe it anymore - I couldn't believe the common belief that God would destroy 99.99% of the world's population at Armageddon & only JW's would be saved. Wait... NOT all JW's would be saved - those "spiritually weak" ones would probably be destroyed as well. That DOES NOT fit the description of a loving God at all! I realized that the only reason why I was a witness was because I was born-in. If I was not, there was no way that I would be!

10. I am NOT proud to be a JW anymore - It is an undeniable fact that the organization has more negative points rather than good - If you ask people what their impression of JW's is, would it be more positive or negative? If you think about it, the organization has brought more reproach upon God's name rather than glory, by means of all their scandals & man-made rules! They can't blame Satan as they are the ones shooting themselves in the foot!

12

JW TV

by WasOnceBlind in

so yesterday my mom had be update her tablet and the jw library app (she is technologically challenged).

after i did, she told me if i knew how to get the jw chanel on tv.

(i assume she meant those weird videos the gb has been releasing).

Divergent

WasOnceblind:

I could tell she got a little upset and told me this was different because it was only for JW access.

Wait... who said it was only for JW access? Anyone can view it!

4

Experiment Demonstrates Prosocial Behaviour in Dogs

by cofty in

really cool experiment from austria has shown that dogs will share treats with other dogs at personal cost but do so more generously to dogs they know.. it is further evidence that altruism is not confined to humans.. source....

Divergent

And yet the Bible speaks negativity about dogs, not just once, but repeatedly!

75

How did you feel when you found out "the truth about the truth"?

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

so when you first found out specific facts about the organisation, how did you feel??.

the un membership.

the way 1914 was calculated from pyramid measurements.

Divergent

When I first discovered TTATT, my first reaction was to try to disprove TTATT. When I later realized that "the truth" COULD NOT stand up to TTATT, I said F*** it & began my fade

How I felt? It was funny. When I tried to disprove TTATT, part of me wanted TTATT to be false, BUT another part of me wanted it to be true! It was a weird feeling! Anyone else had such a crazy feeling before?

25

New "most frustratingly addictive game ever" to play - agar.io

by Simon in

one of my kids got me hooked on this.

it's incredibly simple but also kind of fun and addictive.. you start as a small cell and need to eat things to grow.

that's pretty much the game.. of course as you get bigger you can eat smaller cells too ... and bigger ones can eat you.. as you get bigger you get slower but you can "eject mass" to shrink and speed you up (w key).

Divergent

Just emerged from an epic battle. Not bad for 18 minutes in the free for all (FFA) mode. Managed to get in the top 3! Reason for game ending: Took a risk & got screwed

It was fun while it lasted!

24

Youths planning for the future leaflet

by slimboyfat in

does anyone remember around the tear 2000, maybe just before or after, there was a leaflet released at the summer convention aimed at teenagers called something like, "planning for a worthwhile future"?

basically it argued that you shouldn't go to college or university and put your trust in "the world".

instead you should trust in jehovah, pioneer and reach out for bethel or missionary service.

Divergent

I do have one, but I need to search for it. The front part was blue + grayish, with a few young brothers & sisters pictured on it

25

New "most frustratingly addictive game ever" to play - agar.io

by Simon in

one of my kids got me hooked on this.

it's incredibly simple but also kind of fun and addictive.. you start as a small cell and need to eat things to grow.

that's pretty much the game.. of course as you get bigger you can eat smaller cells too ... and bigger ones can eat you.. as you get bigger you get slower but you can "eject mass" to shrink and speed you up (w key).

Divergent

Woohoo! Just broke my record! Improving rapidly =)

I'm there as Divergent. Attack me & I'll bite!

Btw, tried out the mobile app. Failed miserably at the touch screen controls. Deleted it for good!

46

November Study WT "Train You Child to Love Going Door 2 Door"

by JW_Rogue in

been catching up on some jw reading and found a gem in the november study wt in the first article, paragraph #11:.

yet, you might look beyond the obvious and ask yourself, does my child enjoy the ministry or only the breaks?

if you discern that the ministry could be more interesting or more rewarding for your children, set goals with them.

Divergent

When I was a kid, I would say yes if asked if I love field service. BUT the reason why I say yes is because that is what you are expected to say, not because I really loved it!

Actually, to be honest - there were occasions where I actually liked field service. Wanna know what I liked about it?

What I liked about service:

1. Travelling to a different city for a holiday / special campaign. Perhaps spending a night or there & even having the opportunity to do some sightseeing

2. Being put in the same service group with a cute girl =)

3. Being assigned to work with a fun partner, one which I could talk crap with & joke with

4. Exploring the territory & admiring scenery / the architecture & design of houses / house gardens & landscaping

5. Photo opportunities. As an avid photographer, I would carry my camera along with me in my service bag & take pictures of anything interesting that I come across

6. Being an animal lover, I would play with animals while out in service!

7. The after service lunch / during service coffee break

This was what I liked about service, NOT the actual service itself! Everything that I was interested in was totally unrelated with talking to people about the Bible. In fact, that was the part which I dreaded & hated!

25

New "most frustratingly addictive game ever" to play - agar.io

by Simon in

one of my kids got me hooked on this.

it's incredibly simple but also kind of fun and addictive.. you start as a small cell and need to eat things to grow.

that's pretty much the game.. of course as you get bigger you can eat smaller cells too ... and bigger ones can eat you.. as you get bigger you get slower but you can "eject mass" to shrink and speed you up (w key).

Divergent

Damn you, Simon! I'm hooked!

This is the best I've managed so far...