Posts by CruithneLaLuna

14

Why act ashamed?

by CruithneLaLuna in

jw
friends

reading about people's "fades," i was just thinking: what would happen if someone who was still regularly attending meetings took the opportunity, in handling an assigned part (ministry school talk?

), to announce briefly that they had spent several months investigating the wts's claims and had come to the conclusion that their conscience, and a course of personal and spiritual integrity, required them to leave the organization.

"so i am taking this opportunity to say goodbye, and that i hope that many of you will follow my example in undertaking an honest and open-minded re-evaluation of your faith.

CruithneLaLuna

Reading about people's "fades," I was just thinking: What would happen if someone who was still regularly attending meetings took the opportunity, in handling an assigned part (ministry school talk?), to announce briefly that they had spent several months investigating the WTS's claims and had come to the conclusion that their conscience, and a course of personal and spiritual integrity, required them to leave the organization. "So I am taking this opportunity to say goodbye, and that I hope that many of you will follow my example in undertaking an honest and open-minded re-evaluation of your faith." - or something to that effect.

One could probably get a few short and pointed sentences like that out before having the mic taken away and being shown the door (especially if the servant body could be taken completely by surprise). For someone with sufficient courage and conviction, it might be a very rewarding way to make one's exit. I know that the circumstances would have to be carefully crafted, and would involve forcing oneself to behave unnaturally for a period of time, but ... can you imagine? What a powerful witness....

Speculatively,

Cruithne

29

I'VE BEEN OUTED------UPDATE!

by integ in

i confronted my bro.

in law on why the co's assistant would accuse me of being on the "bad" internet web sites.

he has admitted telling the co guy because he wants to help me.

CruithneLaLuna

I made the point with my kids that for me, following the "course of integrity" - to myself and "whatever Gods [and Goddesses] may be" - dictated the absolute necessity of leaving the organization. They have responded by accusing me of "lying to Jehovah" (about what? My dedication? I was as sincere about that at the time as I later became in my rejection of JWism), and I don't see how they could have actually assimilated my point without their own precious faith (mind-control / conditioning) being threatened. Anyway, I tried.

Maintain your integrity, indeed. Do what your conscience requires you to do.

With compassion / fellow feeling,

Cruithne the Bard

17

Demons

by dh in

another post to add to my list of things i wanted to ask ex jw's but never had the chance.. have you ever had any unexplainable experiences or encounters with something paranormal and been told by jw elders that 'it must be the demons' literally, or 'we'll pray to jehovah for help' due to some 'demonic' thing you are going through, being tormented or whatever, if so, what do you put it down to?

do you subscribe to a belief of angels & demons?

do you believe these beings, if they exist can interfere in our day to day lives or do you dismiss anything 'paranormal' as being in the head of the person who thinks it happened to them?.

CruithneLaLuna

I recall talking with enthusiasm about an amazing documentary concerning a master juggler who could make heavy glass balls appear to travel glidingly all over his body of their own volition, and the reaction of my JW audience was, "often abilities like that come from the demons." No, idiots, they come from months of practicing many hours per day.

Following the same line of reasoning, every extraordinary ability and outstanding human achievement must be the result of demonic power.

Granted, in reading about the martial arts expert who developed, through esoteric techniques including shamanic practices and magick, plus all of that chi-energy "hocus-pocus" that the martial arts commonly utilize, the ability to hit an opponent twelve times in one second - so fast that he lost contests because the judges (short of using the unconventional techqniue of high-speed, stop-motion video) could no longer see what he was doing ... I can see how something like that could be interpreted by demonists as originating with supernatural power. I've had an email exchange with the person in question, used to belong to his Yahoo! group, and am very interested in the techniques that he used and uses. I've seen no indication that he's "demonized."

Cruithne

31

How old is your "soul"?

by obiwan in

i think i have mentioned this before, but i'm curious.

my girlfriend and i had a discussion with some friends about how old they felt thier souls were.

for myself, i have the feeling with alot of things in life that i have done them before.

CruithneLaLuna

I've been told by a couple of acquaintances who are psychic practitioners that I'm very old, have been "recycled" many times. I have a sense of being stubborn about learning certain lessons, and I feel tired of going through similar unpleasant experiences repeatedly - but all of that could be just based on this life.

I wonder if being a JW for 30+ years was a way of trying to hide from the need to grow?

I do, BTW, think that reincarnation in some form is the most likely "afterlife" scenario. I see it as the most direct and inviting (reasonable?) conclusion to be drawn from the available lines of evidence, including hypnotic regression and the work and discoveries of Ian Stevenson.

Consider: Michael Newton - The Journey of Souls | Brian Weiss, MD (distinguished author of books on clinical experiences with past-life regression) | Children's Past Lives (building on the extensive research of Ian Stevenson) | "And there's LOTS more where that came from."

Cruithne

37

Is There ANY JW Belief That You Still Believe In???

by minimus in

jw
friends

do any here still believe in paradise earth, blood prohibitions, etc.??

?

CruithneLaLuna

All that leg-pulling hurts! My legs are long enough already....

Cruithne

37

Is There ANY JW Belief That You Still Believe In???

by minimus in

jw
friends

do any here still believe in paradise earth, blood prohibitions, etc.??

?

CruithneLaLuna

Someone PM'd me to ask how to find that quiz on Paganism that I mentioned, as an aid to discovering one's Pagan path. I (re-)discovered that beliefnet.com doesn't have a link to it, although it's from the same source as their more general Belief-O-Matic (tm) quiz. Here's a link for those interested in finding out "which witch [type]" they are: Which Pagan Path Do You Follow?

I imagine that non-pagans can indulge in a lot of happy and productive spiritual self-discovery via SelectSmart.com, also.

I'm actually avoiding retaking the quizzes, for fear that my "beliefs" have evolved away from my ostensible path. (But I LIKE the path!) One of the things I like about Druidry is that it is non-dogmatic, so it actually doesn't matter if I am a Druid with shamanic / Native American / Buddhist / Hindu / Asatruar / Wiccan leanings, or whatever. In fact, being "just a Druid" with no interest in other paths would almost indicate that one hasn't gotten the point of her/his Druidic studies.

Cruithne the Bard

3

WTS Founds Charity in Germany!

by GermanXJW in

jw
friends

when there was the flood in europe, jw in germany founded "solidaritaet mit katastrophenopfern" (solidarity with victims of catastophies) to collect donations.

now, km 2/04 announces that this charity has been registered as "christliches humanitaeres hilfswerk der zeugen jehovas in deutschland" (christian humanitarian relief organization of jehovah's witnesses in germany) .

the announcement says that under the supervision of the christian congregation it supports the victims of catastrophies.

CruithneLaLuna

Although I never participated in disaster relief when I was a JW, I knew some who did. Attention was given first and foremost to attending to the needs of JWs, but many were moved to stay on for a while and help the general population. Labor, supplies, and whatever was needed was shared generously with all.

The organization may have many flaws, but a policy of withholding humanitarian assistance from disaster victims is not one of them (to my knowledge).

Cruithne the Bard

60

I Am a Christian

by Greenpalmtreestillmine in

jw
friends

i am a former jw just as many here are.

i have left the watchtower just as many here also have.

i also died as many here have.. i died, i cried, i died again.

CruithneLaLuna

I find myself extending a hand in various ways to Chistians (Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, etc.) all the time. We must learn to work hand-to-hand for our common interests, and not to hate or fear others because of differences in what is spiritually meaningful and nourishing to us.

If we find ourselves in disagreement on points of belief (in what cannot be proven to the satisfaction of all), friendly discussion and debate may or may not be productive. In any case, I think humans do better to focus on the things that unite us, rather than what may divide us from one another. In unity we are strong, in division we are weak.

Love and regards,

George

60

I Am a Christian

by Greenpalmtreestillmine in

jw
friends

i am a former jw just as many here are.

i have left the watchtower just as many here also have.

i also died as many here have.. i died, i cried, i died again.

CruithneLaLuna

Thx for the blown-up pic ... which looks more like a painting by some Renaissance master than a photo of Boy George, BTW. Yes, there's some correlation in nose cartilage structure. (Sounds all clinical, doesn't it?)

Take care,

George

37

Is There ANY JW Belief That You Still Believe In???

by minimus in

jw
friends

do any here still believe in paradise earth, blood prohibitions, etc.??

?

CruithneLaLuna

I'm Pagan now. Does that answer your question?

I agree with the need for honesty and heartfelt concern for others (love), and other general stances on "how to be a better person and function effectively in society" that most religions promote and strive to adhere to. But in terms of theology, I agree with basically none of it anymore.

I took beliefnet.com's Belief-O-Matic quiz in May or June, 2002. Jehovah's Witnesses were at the very bottom of the list in terms of conformity with the "beliefs" (working hypotheses) I registered. Neo-Pagan was at the top. I took the more detailed quiz to find out which kind of Neo-Paganism I aligned with most closely, and the result was "Druidism." I knew basically nothing about Druidry at the time, but figured that it might be a good idea to learn more. All has gone well with my Druid studies, and I am scheduled for a formal initiation.

Perhaps a word or two about the time that elapsed between leaving the JWs and discovering my Druidishness: I decided to walk away from the JWs in February or March, 2000. For me, that meant re-examining everything that I had accepted as truth. Re-examination does not necessarily mean rejection; yet, I found that what was spiritually meaingful for me in the aftermath of 30+ years of JWism (experiencing what DID NOT work for me), was radically different. It was like having been on a strict, restricted diet for decades and suddenly bveing presented with a buffet of exotic foods. I discovered that I liked, and thrived on, types of foods that I had been told were distasteful, disgusting, poisonous; and that JWism and even "Biblicalism" in general were like cardboard impregnated with minimal nutrients and flavoring, in comparison. (Prior to the JWs, I had had direct experience with both Catholicism and mainline Protestantism.)

[Added in short order, via the Edit button: I can't believe that I was so extreme in my statement. I don't view Christianity as necessarily being as colorless, flavorless, and unspiritual as I may seem to have implied. I know that it is very meaningful for some people. This is a Big Topic that I don't have time or inclination to give full treatment here, nor would it be appropriate for the thread - but modern Christianity in practice tends to exclude, deny, and vilify (demonize, literally) much that is historically, and in a larger context, fundamental to human spirituality. I personally have a problem with that, finding it needlessly restrictive.]

Some have come to completely different conclusions, and that's fine.

Cruithne