Posts by Steve Lowry

40

the Power of Prayer?

by darcy in

jw
friends

i was reading through the 'why i hate god' thread', and reflecting on my own experience with prayer.

i think the one most... relieving?

point was when i realized that i when i prayed i wasn't really trying to talk to jehovah, but i was talking myself through my own life.

Ok, I'm gonna share my heart with y'all. I believe in God. I have seen Him work in my life many times. When I asked God into my life in 1984 (BTW, I left the Watchtower in 1979), I was 'brought' to a little church. There, I made great friends and sometimes my friends would get a little jealous over some of the things I would tell them that I was seeing God do in my new found life. Some of those things were incredible and hard to believe even by my new Christian friends. Then after a few years, my true narcissistic nature came back out and I had very little to do with God or church. This has gone on for most of the time, even up until now. Sure, I have had crises' over the past twenty years or so, like when my little girl was born thirteen weeks premature and weighed about a pound and a half. I got real 'spiritual' then, and prayed daily (even hourly), but in time I was back to my old self again. There have been other times of crisis where again I would cry out to God for help. All my crises’ have resolved as if there were a hand greater than mine directing those events. The problem for me, my dilemma, is that when my prayers are answered, it disturbs me that other’s are not. For instance, my little girl survived her ordeal and is now a very healthy ten year old. But what about those parents in the same place that I was in when she was born, who didn’t have their prayers answered? This challenges my faith. It’s kinda like the guy who is the soul survivor of a plane crash who gives God credit for saving him. And I think he should give God credit. Who am I to say that God didn’t save him? But it’s also kind of an insult to all of those who perished on the crash. How can I believe that God will answer my prayers for today at work with a given known struggle I have to face, and then when I turn on the news later I see where a dozen school children were killed while a school bus was crossing the railroad tracks? The apparent iniquity of this makes me feel guilty for thinking God helped me today with a problem at work, but didn’t help a bus driver see an oncoming train. Yet, that said, I feel again like the guy who survived the plane crash. I can look back on the day and ‘see’ His hand, and I thank Him for His help. I can’t explain it, but I know it to be true. There’s a Greek expression that says something like; it’s when two truths won’t reconcile.

There’s no God? Prayer is only talking to yourself? This can’t be true. I will never concede to this belief. I will never make the decision that God doesn’t exist in my mind. It would be like a son shunning his father. I can’t do it. Am I a fool? I hope not. But I don’t think so. When I look at my body and I see how wonderfully it is made, I know there is a God, a Creator. Maybe I’m weak and need God to make it through life? Guilty. But it’s more than that for me. I never knew what it was like to love a child until my little girl was born. I love her unconditionally! I’m sure this is how my Father feels toward me. I can’t make sense out of the iniquities that see going on around me. All I know is God is real and He loves me. He has always provided me all my needs. He exists, and I will continue to speak with Him in prayer for the rest of my life.

37

Are there not enough anti-Witness books out there?

by free2beme in

jw
friends

every once in awhile i will read comments about someone thinking a new anti-witness book needs to be written, to expose something.

well, recently i took the time to look over the search engines of the internet and found something interesting.

when you type in "jehovah's witness" or "watchtower", you found almost 3 to 1, negative sites and information on the witnesses.

Steve Lowry

"My point is the same one I would say to a Witness who felt this latest Watchtower article was going to cause a stir in society. It wont, write all you want, but don't put some unrealistic weight to it. Like it is something that will change the world. There are already plenty of books out there, that covered the same topic tenfold and the society is still there. You can add to it, give the slant on things that you think is not covered and even express some great insight. In the end, the shelves are not empty in the anti-JW topic and your addition might please someone. Yet, the society will not be brought down with a publication on them, unless the whole world suddenly became interested in this tiny religion. If that happened, and people started turning on them, then guess what ... your fulfilling a prophesy they have long since wanted and now it makes them stronger."

Here’s a good litmus test if more books on the JW experience have value. If they sell, there will be more books (ergo, they have a place). If they don't sell, there will eventually be no more books on the subject. It’s really just that simple. There’s really no debate. There’s a house for sale on my street that in my opinion is way overpriced. If it sells for that price, the house is worth it. It doesn’t sell for that price, then the market doesn’t support the sellers opinion of the value of the house. It’s all about economics. Opinions really don’t matter very much.

As far as killing off the Watchtower Society, well, that’s just so much idealism. Even if it died, there would be a dozen more waiting to take its place. Cults have value in society (for the confused and feeble minded, that is) and therefore they will always have a place in society, unfortunately. Who cares if the Watchtower Society survives or not? It’s irrelevant. There will always be fires and burn victims. Lets focus on the victims and let the fire take care of itself.

54

Did You Believe "The End" Was Going To Come In Your Lifetime?

by minimus in

jw
friends

when the society came out in 1966 with the info that 6000 years of man's existence would come to an end by 1975, i thought it was a crock.

for 9 long years, all jws did was speculate about "when" the great tribulation was going to begin.

i always thought of jesus' words about "nobody knowing the day or the hour"----yet jehovah's witnesses figured it out?

Steve Lowry

I remember in 1974 I had my first real job at a little place in North Miami called Edward’s Fabrics. I delivered fabric for them the first half of the day and then sorted the same the rest of the day. They were great folks as I recall. Anyway, I remember "informing" my coworkers there was no sense in planing thier vacations (as they often discussed at break time) for the next year, as they wouldn't be enjoying any such time, as Armageddon would be here. Can you believe it? Yep, I actually did this. That’s how much I believed it. Then one day, one of the older employees kindly took me aside and told me. "Steve, the world has been here for a long time and its gonna go keep going on for a long time". I of course refuted that comment, but it did make sense to me the way he said it. I have never forgotten that moment in time.

Still the staunch JW, I continued to believe. I quit a very promising musical band at that time to dedicate my time to he "faith". I didn’t wanna die at Armageddon! So, I settled down and worked with some jackass JW, at a camera repair company (who got me the job), got married to a slut of a woman JW who wound up sleeping with my brother-in-law JW elder. I dumped her when I found out about their affair. It destroyed my family. A year later at my fathers prompting I forgave my brother-in-law, in an effort to restore the family. A year after that my sister (married to my brother-in-law) sent me a letter stating that I was no longer welcome to visit her and her family as I had left the Organization (which I did in 1979). That was twenty-five years ago. I have never seen any of them in that time. I will always wonder if the band I had would have gone the distance. Whatyagonnado?

27

I Can't Do Any More - Can You?

by Joe Grundy in

jw
friends

when i first posted here, i explained that it was because although i am not, never have been, never will, be a jw, i have (earthly, as an atheist) loving concern for my jw neighbours/friends.. just recently, i found out that the mom is pregnant.

she is not young, has a 6 year old, and a 2 year old who is like a firecracker!.

i have offered to do basic things like take/collect the 6 year old to and from school, take the kids for walks on beach, etc.

Steve Lowry

Find another hobby.

37

Are there not enough anti-Witness books out there?

by free2beme in

jw
friends

every once in awhile i will read comments about someone thinking a new anti-witness book needs to be written, to expose something.

well, recently i took the time to look over the search engines of the internet and found something interesting.

when you type in "jehovah's witness" or "watchtower", you found almost 3 to 1, negative sites and information on the witnesses.

Steve Lowry

I have long since stopped caring about the active Jehovah's Witness. Let them ferment in their self-righteousness. They aren't interested in changing or listening to a different point of view. You can't reason with an active JW anymore than you can reason with a drunk. You’re only impressing yourself, if you try. They’re intoxicated on the Watchtower. Don’t waste your time thinking you’re ever gonna reach an active JW. You gotta wanna change before you can change, and those (JW’s) who aren’t interested in change, I say lettem’ rot in their phony pious self-righteousness.

Instead, reason with the former JW who is actually interested in different points of view and who is hurting and open to change. So I say, all the more books for the X-JW the better! Each author’s experience is slightly different and may be able to connect with a particular person(s) out there who needs help. Yes, more X-JW books please!

28

How do you deal with death now

by unique1 in

jw
friends

i must say, it was easier being a jw, believing that i would in fact be resurrected to a paradise earth and having the faith that would definitely happen.

i still believe in the bible to the extent that i believe jesus led a good life and if we follow his example we will lead one to.

however, the bible was written by men, who are imperfect and therefore i don't feel we can take the entire book at face value as truth.

Steve Lowry

To Unique1,

Hmm, death, a fascinating subject indeed. I read a book many years ago by two doctors who had experienced many death bed situations in their practice. It was called, At the Hour of Death. (You can still purchase this book.) It doesn’t preach or try to convince (as I remember it), it just relays these two doctor’s experiences with death. They noticed that many people who faced death had similar experiences regarding their death scenes. I’m sure you have heard of many of these, such as going through a tunnel, and bright light, and dead loved ones they’ve recognized. One account I recall from the book was that of a terrible car crash where a little girl who was mortally wounded sat up in her hospital bed and said, while looking off in the distance, "Mommy, I coming!" Then the little girl collapsed and died. The little girl had no knowledge of her mother’s condition. The mother had died instantly in the same crash.

I had some dealings with the Ouija Board many years ago that convinced me that there is a spiritual plane. I don’t know what it was exactly (demons, ghosts, etc.) but I am convinced it exists. So, if consciousness exists for ‘something’ that doesn’t have a physical body, will it exist for us when we leave ours? I dunno.

Life hasn’t been very easy for me (like it has been for anyone?) and sometimes I secretly fantasize what it would be like not to be here and not have to worry about this or that. Sometimes, I like the idea of loosing all consciousness when death overtakes, and other times it disturbs me that when I die, all that I have experienced will cease to exist along with me, including my awareness. I think, so therefore I am. So, if I can no longer think, I am not? I don’t want to no longer be, if I can put it that way. I would like to continue on, of course. But how can I continue on ‘thinking’ without my brain, which is as far as I know, where all the ‘stuff’ that makes me me, reside?

How does God figure in? Would He allow me to slip into nothingness, after teaching my a lifetime of experiences? What would be the point of that? That’s a hard one for me to accept. I do believe in God, I can’t shake that belief. But what if God’s gift of life (awareness) is just what we have in there here and now? Even that would be such a great gift, in and of itself. But yes, I want more. I have asked God many times to give me a glimpse of the afterlife, in my dreams, but to date I have not been shown a thing. I think this is kind of a secret where He’s concerned.

I have seen so much religiosity when it comes to eternal life, that it all seems to me like a kind of tool used to manipulate people into believing a particular way. These days, I have a difficult time believing in the "traditional" paths to eternal salvation. I don’t deny that Jesus lived and died for our sins, but I also don’t pretend to understand it either. Poor me if I would have been born a Moslem in a Moslem country where I would have very little chance in accepting Jesus’ sacrifice to atone for my sins? Perhaps there are many ways to God and eternal life? I dunno. But this I believe Unique1, God has a plan for you and for me, when it comes to the eternal. I don’t know yet the mechanics of it, but I believe He will guide us in that moment, in His way, in His time, and by His method. And it will be good. For He is good. He has always supplied my needs. I can’t imagine that He would be non-existent in the very hour that I would need Him most. And I can’t believe He would be non-existent for you in the very hour you need Him most, either.

Steve

65

Why God refuses to interfere

by greendawn in

jw
friends

many people ask why doesn't god interefere to help suffering mankind?

biblically the answer is very simple: mankind exercise their freedom of choice and in so doing chose to be slaves to sin or the demons if you like.

god respects that choice however foolish it may be.

Steve Lowry

"Biblically the answer is very simple: mankind exercise their freedom of choice and in so doing chose to be slaves to sin or the demons if you like. God respects that choice however foolish it may be. Alienation from the life of God, of the Spirit, is the central problem is it not?"

Wow, this is like right out of a Watchtower. It’s just like the Watchtower, in that it attempts to create the notion that only bad things happen to "bad" people (such as people who don't fit into expected doctrinal beliefs), ergo God doesn’t interfere there. Everything is either black or white, on or off, or, right or wrong, with this kind of thinking. As if, only bad or sinful people die in natural disasters and calamities. They brought this on themselves because they decidied to alienate themselves from God? Its easy to take the view that God doesn't interfere in people's lives who seem to be living sinful lives and then bad things happen to them (AIDS for instance?). But what about when bad things happen to those that you believe have not alienated themselves from God? Did God not intervene/interfere in their life and help them because maybe there was some great hidden sin in their life? Nah. It just happens. I don’t pretend to understand it.

Look, bad things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people, and neither is because God decided not to interfere, IMO. No one understands the reasons behind these things. If you believe in God, and you perceive that God is not interfering (or intervening) in peoples lives, don’t make the assumption that this is because these people have created their situation and alienated themselves from God. Job was one who lived a righteous life and look what happened to him. I don’t believe things happen at random, but I also don’t understand why God doesn’t (seemingly)interfere/intervene more in people’s lives who I believe to be godly folks when things go way bad for them. We may never have the answers for this problem. But please don't try and make a simple formula for why it seems that God isn't busy at His work in people's lives. He is, but we aren't always allow to see the reasons for the things He does.

18

What leaving really means

by under_believer in

jw
friends

recently my family had occasion to attend a function held in our honor, an event commemorating a certain achievement.

it was thrown by close relatives, witnesses all.

it included parents, grandparents, cousins, siblings, auties and uncles.

Steve Lowry

Ok, maybe you don’t wanna read this reply, as I’m not as nurturing as others are when it comes to this particular issue (shunning). I realize you have an emotionally rewarding network of people you feel very connected with. But ponder on the following for a moment. You believe these people love you right? (JW's). Then put it to the test. Leave and see who sticks and who don't stick. Chance are, maybe one percent might stick, and that would prolly be optimistic. (I've seen this over and over again.) You’d be right to view it this way.

So, you and I believe in God the same way. We go to the same place of worship. Our kids grow up together. I went to your wedding. I say, "I love you, man", when you need a best friend. But then something happens and you no longer believe in God the same way I do. So what do I do? Do I value our relationship by respecting your choice? Do I show you that I truly love you by standing by you and defending your right to worship God as you see fit? No, I dump you. I throw all that we have and all we will ever have together as friends, away. And why? Were you found out to be a child molester? Was it discovered that you’ve been selling drugs? Did you cheat on your taxes? No. You simply changed your spiritual paradigm. And for this I can no longer have anything to do with you? This is not love. Love doesn’t run off because people evolve in a manner different that expected, albeit a spiritual one. You may find God in another way, or you may decide there is no God at all. But that in and of itself should not destroy a relationship, if the relationship is built on solid ground. This is a middle ages mentality. What you have with your JW colleagues are relationships built on conditions. Your relationships here are based on a Watchtower Society ideology foundation. Sure, we will be your friends as long as you think, act and behave just like us. Otherwise, we won’t be your friends anymore. We will turn our backs on you. We will demonize you to help justify our behavior (Don’t think they wont). And we will say how much we love him, but we will not associate with him until he admits he’s wrong and once again thinks, acts and behaves like us. (Cult)

If this is love, then I’ll pass. But this is not love, no matter how the JW wishes to spin or sugarcoat it. When I left in 1979 I had life long friends who simply vanished overnight. A sister who disowned me and a mother who for years struggled with her love for me vs. her loyalty to the Watchtower Society. Her love for me eventually won out. I have a daughter who is ten years old. If she became a JW, a Moslem, a lesbian, a murderer, I would not shun her. No sir. Because to do that means I never loved her in the first place. And anyone, who tells you they love you and shuns you, is lying, to you and to themselves. They aren’t worth your friendship.

Start over. You still have your whole life ahead you. Many, many relationships can develop. Some will fail and some will succeed. But let those relationships take their course based on genuine strengths (and weaknesses) between each other and not based on common beliefs. There’s’ a huge difference between the two. Staring over is not for the faint of heart. This is why (I believe) so many Jehovah’s Witnesses never leave when it is in the heart to do so, and why they return to the group after they have left. The Watchtower Society has a powerful control over its followers and those who are in power realize this fact and capitalize on it. (Must keep those presses going!)

Be strong and listen to you heart. Follow your true instincts in this matter. Obviously, this is something you have given great consideration. I realize you are also thinking about how this will effect your immediate family. That’s a tough one, but I’d rather teach my children to recognize genuine friendships than allow them to be fooled into the type that are based on faulty conditions.

This is all IMO of course. If anything I have said offends you, I apologize. But I do not apologize for speaking what I believe to be the truth. Truth can be a hard road to follow. But I’d rather find truth on a rocky road, than a bunch lies on a smooth highway. Everyone has to decide their path. I respect yours, whatever it is. Good luck.

Steve Lowry

To razorjim

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

it seems you have sent me a private message, and i cannot access it.

just send the message to my email address and i will respond that way.

my new email address is:.

Steve Lowry

It seems you have sent me a private message, and I cannot access it. Just send the message to my email address and I will respond that way. My new email address is:

[email protected]

12

How many JWs does it take to change a lightbulb?

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

"they don't need to change their lightbulb because their light just keeps getting brighter and brighter!

as told by jw sister tonight to the rest of my jw family.

they thought it was great!

Steve Lowry

Only one. But the JW must WANT to change.