There's plenty that's already debunked the bible, yet people continue to believe. I don't see why this would be any different. Sure it would shake some loose, but regardless of what happens I see no reason there wouldn't be bible believers for many, many generations to come.
OneEyedJoe
JoinedPosts by OneEyedJoe
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17
Would the discovery of EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE completely debunk the bible and religion?
by Black Man ini think it would.
instantly.
in fact, i hope one day soon that we somehow encounter extraterrestrial life because i think there would be a wholesale rejection of the bible and any/all religious institutions.
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Im ready to leave
by SpunkedTeen ini just found this website and im so glad because for the first time in a long time i dont feel alone...i am a born in and in the last two years have been struggling because i thought that i was the problem and i was the reason for not feeling any love from and for the other pubs .i want to leave the org but have no idea how to tell my mother(who is a faithful jw).
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OneEyedJoe
First off, I'm sorry to hear that you've lost your father, that's difficult and really complicates the process of waking up from this cult. If you do (and it's your decision, and one I would encourage you to consider thoroughly) tell your mother what you've decided, it might be beneficial to state explicitly that you're not abandoning her personally. This might be difficult to hear because the cult has been designed such that she will take it personally, but it will probably help to be said outright.
I too would encourage you to seek higher education once you graduate highschool. It's tremendously valuable in exposing you to different ways of thinking, along with different cultures and philosophies. It'll also give you a good chance to start making new friends and building a support network, which you're likely to need in the coming years (assuming that most of your existing friends/family are in the cult as is often the case).
You know your mother better than we do, so only you can tell when the right time is (if ever) to tell her that you want out. I suppose it also depends on how much of the cult you can put up with in your life. If you expect that she'll withdraw any financial support for your education or housing, then it might be wise to wait a little while if you can.
If you were baptized as a minor and never pioneered or had any special privileges after you turn 18 (sounds like you're not going to be doing any of that anytime soon haha) then it might be worth looking into trying to get your baptism annulled. There's some information around here on some that have done this and it might be worth looking into (I haven't looked into it much since I was baptized at 19).
Lastly, I think it's important for someone just learning TTATT and summoning the strength to do something about it to remember that you can trust yourself. So much of the cult is designed to instill self-doubt, and it's tremendously damaging. I wish you the best of luck with this ridiculously difficult situation.
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Whatever Happened to the Remnant?
by snugglebunny inback in the 50's, when i was just a skinny kid, my father became po of a new congregation.
he'd only been baptised for around 4 years, so his rise was quite remarkable.just one of his flock in the new cachement area was of the "remnant".
this lady was well into her 60's, childless but married.
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OneEyedJoe
Well if you're a JW you basically have to be a little off your rocker to think you're anointed these days. The way they explain it, it almost seems like you have to be hearing voices or something to know for sure. All of those that claim to be anointed any more do seem to be a little bit off. Even without the WT demonizing new partakers (for screwing up their stats) I think the r/f would have a suspicious view of them just because they're all a little off.
I suspect that this also has something to do with them getting rid of the 1935 cut-off date, too.
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Recent Observation: "Even if it's true..."
by freemindfade inhas anyone else heard this said more frequently lately?
"even if it's true..." i have seen it said on here a few times in quotes from in family or friends responding the negative things about the org.. i heard it tuesday night again.
in a pioneer sisters comment.
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OneEyedJoe
In their mind they're jumping ahead to "if it's true it proves this is a false religion" and they're trying to get out ahead of that conclusion by directly countering it. Essentially they're making the logical fallacy of appeal to consequences.
I'm not sure if this is going to become institutionalized, though. I think there are too many people on the fence that would find it very difficult indeed to see the leadership go from "ignore apostate lies" to "ignore anything you hear outside of what we tell you, even if what you're hearing is true." That's the sort of thing that could be the final straw for many to go online and see just what these true things they're saying are.
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Im ready to leave
by SpunkedTeen ini just found this website and im so glad because for the first time in a long time i dont feel alone...i am a born in and in the last two years have been struggling because i thought that i was the problem and i was the reason for not feeling any love from and for the other pubs .i want to leave the org but have no idea how to tell my mother(who is a faithful jw).
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OneEyedJoe
Welcome! You're definitely not alone. If you feel comfortable sharing a little more of your situation I'm sure you'll get some good suggestions on different paths you could take.
It may not feel like it, but you're lucky to be waking up while you're (I assume) still in your teens. You've got your whole life ahead of you and there's so much time to start over. Congrats on having the self-confidence to break free from a cult (at least mentally, which I think is the hardest part) at such a young age. It's probably going to be a long journey, but you've taken the first step and in the end you'll find that life is so much more wonderful than it ever could be as a closed-minded cult member.
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One year of being free
by Israel Ricky Gonzales inone year ago, this thursday, i went to work as usual.
i got home, ate dinner, got myself dressed for the meeting, and helped my kids get ready like i usually did.. my son had a talk that evening, his second one.
many of my family went to support him.
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OneEyedJoe
Congrats, and happy birthday to your daughter! -
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Rejecting something due to unscriptural or pagan origins.....?
by stuckinarut2 inso witnesses reject many practices or holidays due to their "unscriptural or pagan" origins.. for example, birthday celebrations, mothers or father's day, christmas etc..... most people in the world will say "but the origin doesn't matter anymore, we follow this custom now because it's a joyful occasion that creates happy times and brings the family together".
it is still firmly rejected.. so, if the wrong origin is so important, and should result in rejecting something, why isn't the same principle applied to the actual jehovah's witness faith itself!?.
after all, the very foundation of the organisation was based on wrong understandings of the bible, far fetched teachings and doctrines, links to false religious backgrounds, pyramidology, false predictions, inaccurate beliefs etc...... using their reasoning, it doesn't matter how good something is now, if the origin was faulty to begin with?
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OneEyedJoe
Sound logic. If only JWs actually knew what the IBSA originally taught. Most JWs think they were former catholics that were just slowly cleaning up their beliefs as they read the bible...they don't know about the pyramidology, the zionism, the wacky medical advice, etc, etc.
It's all about information control. He who controls the past controls the present.
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Did the society official track each member of the 144,000?
by Bob Loblaw inwhen i left witness land in the early 90's, i remember hearing that out of 144,000 anointed members that there were only 8 to 9 thousand left and then the end will come.. i'm suddenly curious.
the jw organization is one that puts emphasis on tracking, i.e., regular meeting attendance, current standing, field service hours, territory tracking, return visits, etc.
therefore, did the society ever try to track each and every member of the 144,000?
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OneEyedJoe
Wouldn't surprise me. I think the publisher records include whether they profess to be anointed or not. -
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Is it Wrong to Doubt or Even Disagree With the GB? The Watchtower Reasoning....
by freemindfade inthis would be a good one for jw apologist who scream and panic with anyone who feels the moral direction of the wt publishing company has gone astray.
a comment at the bible highlights last night blew my mind, here is the article that was referenced.
btw this account always bothered me, remember when it was in a drama?
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OneEyedJoe
Sticking with Aaron, it was he who made the golden calf and altar, yet 3,000 people were murdered as a consequence when Moses turned up.
There are dozens of biblical accounts that make this point, and I've used a few of them when discussion with my wife and father in law.
Who died when David took a census? (hint, wasn't david)
Who always seemed to die when an Isrealite king made an alliance with a nearby nation without god's approval?
Who paid for it when the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day rejected him? Lots of loyal Jews died when Rome invaded Jerusalem - they were all merely following what they were told was "god's organization" of the day.
Time and again, people in the bible are punished for who they're associated with, regardless of their good intentions. This should be a frightening fact for any JWs with doubts or any who know details of the child abuse issues or the UN membership, etc.
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Will the Watchtower ever turn against K-12 public education?
by cappytan inwhen i was in school, you never heard about critical thinking skills...not till you started taking college level courses.. i work closely with the public education community.
now, the big rage in public education is instilling critical thinking skills from kindergarten on up.. and i'm in texas!
imagine what it's like in more liberal areas.. i would not be surprised if the watchtower started denigrating and discouraging public education (k-12).. it would likely start like this: .
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OneEyedJoe
They already have, just indirectly. They talk constantly about how difficult an environment school is for children and how difficult it is to maintain integrity for youths under pressure. They talk about schools teaching evolution and other 'false knowledge' in school. They talk endlessly about how all children are drug addicts or gang members constantly putting pressure on kids to turn to crime. On and on and on. They may not have come out with a direct statement that JWs be home-schooled if allowed by law, but of the kids in my (former) congregation, 2/3rds were. And 100% of the homeschool kids were just weird and socially inept. Of the ones that weren't, they all seem to be sorta floating and going along with their parent's cult until they can escape.
Pretty bad when your religion is undermined even by getting a "basic education" as they like to call it...