Posts by Make Lemonade

38

How many were victims of child molesters who were members that are still members?!

by Guardian77 in

many members just as in the catholic church have molested children and are not punished nor turned in to the police..

Make Lemonade

Guardian77 and Lizette55

I took the liberty to contact Barbara Anderson. She wants to talk with both you. Would you please send her an email thru her new website.

WatchtowerDocuments.org

Or you could PM her. She prefers the email because her schudule today is very full. She is a worker and busy. The valueable thing is that her work is connected with your goals. She has expeirence and is networked to others who are haveing success in doing what you want to do.

So, Barbara is doing her thing the rest of the day.

I am going to work and will be back to check in several hours from now.

Love your attitudes and do not be discouraged. Good things are happening behind the scenes. You two can be part of it.

59

JW Witnessing Trolleys. To approach or ignore what is your preference and why?

by KateWild in

i saw two brothers this morning next to the main train station in liverpool city centre this morning.

they were not actively approaching anyone.

what i found strange was that they were from a cong that has different territory, so i don't know why they were there.. anyway i knew them both, and they know i was df'd, i was in my car and couldn't park up for a chat, but i did beep and wave to them as i drove passed and they waved back.

Make Lemonade

KateWild: Before I was D.F.ed I enjoyed talking with the witnesses at their tables. Not really the carts, but tables in front of the DMV, supermarket, and in the mall. It is predictable when they are going to be in these locations. Bringing up the subjects like: "who are the two witnesses" in Rev. 11:3? "How long is a creative day?" "Did you ever hear that each creative day was 7,000 years long?" My approach was not to debate, but more like collecting the different answers given. I rather enjoyed the hunt.

Now that I am an "APOSTATE" I really do not know what I am going to do when the opportunity arises. The other day we were working in a neighborhood doing construction. On that day we had poured concrete that needed our undivided attention. So when the two witnesses were in the neighborhood we had to pass up the opportunity to speak with them.

I will have to let you know what the future brings.

38

How many were victims of child molesters who were members that are still members?!

by Guardian77 in

many members just as in the catholic church have molested children and are not punished nor turned in to the police..

Make Lemonade

Guardian 77

Wonderful. I agree with you. One of the most important considerations about going public or not is what the victim wants. How much more of an impact on "peoples hearts" will the victim's personal account have. In my thinking there is no close second then for the victim to tell the story because that is what they want.

How and when is a personal decision. In the case I am involved with the "How and when", is being considered carefully. We have reached out to a limited group for advice.

Barbara Anderson is a person we have talked with. For what it is worth, I recommend that you do the same. In our case it has made a contribution already.

14

Fear leads to becoming uneducated

by Still Totally ADD in

jw
friends

the other day my wife and i listen to a talk about making the planet and it's people better.

one of the things the speaker brought out was on education.

she brought out studies show that fear causes a person to keep from learning.

Make Lemonade

Still Totally AD: Totally agree with you.

I would like to add, once you get over the fear of reading and participating on this site, you can benefit from a wealth of information. Try the search box here. People who posted here years ago have shared what they learned. That happened because they got over their fear.

When I think about the fear your comment acknowledges, this thought occurs to me: Why did we have no fear to confront different viewpoints while going door to door? My answer is that we allowed ourselves to refuse to deeply consider reasoning that did not fit our preconcieved bias. We gave out literature, but refused to take literature. Fear played a big role.

Our training was to have "one way discussions". Part of our thinking included these gems: "Jehovah's witnesses are the happiest people on earth". "Only people with a good heart will hear the good news". "Study of the Bible has led them to clear thinking-ability, improved self-confidence, hope for a happy future, and the resultant joy".

Then these fearful thoughts influenced our reasoning abilities. "Apostates are mentally deseased", "Bad association spoils useful habits", "Do not be drawn away", "Saten is misleading the entire inhabited earth (we excluded J. W.s from being included as mislead) "Stay on the road to life". "You will die at armageddon".

The biggest fear of all: "You will loose your family and friends". That is a threat and has been used. It is an evil to punish people who have lost the fear of men. Who speak out with conviction because they know the truth about the truth.

You make a good and useful point.

38

How many were victims of child molesters who were members that are still members?!

by Guardian77 in

many members just as in the catholic church have molested children and are not punished nor turned in to the police..

Make Lemonade

Guardian 77

You have taken a very good first step by expressing yourself. I know a young women who is doing very well for herself even though she was a victim of abuse. Also, I have read of experiences of people who have been able to enjoy life even though they have gone thru similar things as you have. So welcome to this place. There are so many people who will help you to find the joy and happiness that life has to offer. At the same time people will share how they cope with the pain they have in their life.

Search for the joys of living. Search for what fills you with wonder. Find what you are pasisonate about. Concentrate on the positive. Do not be afraid to express yourself. Your life, feelings, circumstances are unique to you. Your journey is to find the answers that fit you.

The struggle is worth.

266

There Was No First Human

by cofty in

this excellent 4 minute video will help to clear up a few common misunderstandings regarding evolution.. ....

Make Lemonade

Thank you.

All this information reminds me of the expression, "careful what you pray for". Meaning you might receive an answer that you are not comfortable with or prepared for. This subject contains overwhelming amounts of information. It can be just to much all at once. Nice to be able to know it is here so one can pace themselves without quitting in frustration.

54

Does the WBT$ Train JW`s to be SocioPaths?!..

by OUTLAW in

profile of the sociopath .

this website summarizes some of the common features of descriptions of the behavior of sociopaths.. glibness and superficial charmmanipulative and conning .

they never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible.

Make Lemonade

This is an ongoing area of interest to me. Here are some quotes from my life expeirence that I suspect fit in with sociopathic behavior.

Wt. Lawyers:

"I am a lawyer by day and an elder by night"

"I have to wear two hats. I am an elder first and a lawyer second".

"There is no justice, there is just us".

Jehovah's Witnesses:

"It is not a lie if you believe it". (This was said regarding preaching the 1914 generation, which proved to be false. I know it is a George Costanza quote)

"Some speculate that each creative day was 7,000 years long". (Said at a literature display by a witnesss)

"We are not a prophet we are a "prophet". (various examples thru out Wt. literature)

"Bible students were looking forward to Christ's Presence". (reality is that 1874 was taught to be Christ's Presence)

"Confusion about the names of the planets" (why "scholars" did not use the planets mentioned on vat 4956. Will provide reference if requested.)

"Apostates built the pyramid at Russels grave site".

"We have no authority to correct the service department or legal department. We have to DF you for speaking agianst the 'glorious ones' ".

"I cannot give you my cell phone number because you do not go to meetings". (Mother told daughter this)

M.S. gave a service meeting talk day after his son committed suicide.

Elder told daughter to dissasociate herself rather than going to a committee meeting to be dissfellowshipped. Why? Easier to be reinstated.

Elder condemning "Stars Wars" even though his two children's rooms were full of Stars Wars related items. I mean floor to ceiling.

"I want to sue the Wt., but will continue to study the bible with interested ones".

Etc..

34

Why are you looking forward to 1872? Er, 1873? Um...1874? Oh, I mean 1975?

by AndDontCallMeShirley in

"why are you looking forward to 1872?".

.. "in this chapter we present the bible evidence which indicates that six thousand years from the creation of adam were complete with a.d. 1872; and hence that, since a.d. 1872 are chronologically entered upon the seventh thousand or the millennium.

" (studies in the scriptures, vol.

Make Lemonade

Watchtower 2001 Aug 1 p.14 par. 8

"(A mature christian) does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and "the faithful and discreet slave."

Watchtower 1994 Oct 1 p. 8 last par.

"All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah's channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave"

8

"Watchtower's Achilles' Heel" is available in Spanish

by Doug Mason in

the watchtowers achilles heel is available in spanish.. if reasoning with a jw on the governing bodys interpretations such as of the kingdom of god, parousia, the cross, blood, and so on is unlikely to break the governing bodys mental stranglehold, what then is its achilles heel?.

my study: the watchtowers achilles heel answers that question.

http://www.jwstudies.com/the_watchtower_s_achilles__heel.pdf.

Make Lemonade

Thank you for your article. Also thank you for other articles that you have written.

You state the control the GB have over their members very well. It is a fact that obedience to the GB is upheld regardless of the moral right or wrong of their position. For your article to mention 1914 and 1919 brings up a subject that all JW.s should research completely.

Then to concentrate on what the Bible actually says about the first century arrangements, is a very thought provoking.

Good job.

13

First year without Memorial

by sp74bb in

jw
friends

my first year after more than 20 years.... it seems strange.

happy fellings but at the same times feeling some loniness.. is your first one as well?.

veterans: how do you feel after some many years?.

Make Lemonade

This is the first memorial that my family has missed. My wife and I did not miss going at all. We did enjoy going to visit my Mom, Step father, and sisters. It was a great time. They are overjoyed that we are no longer JW.s. We always stayed close, but a huge barrier has come down. So it is great to be free and enjoying life.