Posts by OneEyedJoe

46

"Why don't you just call yourself an atheist?"

by slimboyfat in

the best answer to this question ever.

i don't tire listening to it.

"i am not, i am not simply the one who says 'i'" .

OneEyedJoe

I don't get what everyone's problem is with "labels." That's what words are for, they label things.

We don't have labels for people who don't believe in unicorns.

This is a false equivalency, because to my knowledge there is no label for someone who believes in unicorns. There are general terms like delusional or insane for instance, but if you want to use that as a label for unicorn believers then one might argue that a label for people who don't believe in unicorns is simply "sane." We live in a world where there are names for people who believe in one or more deities, so why wouldn't there be a word for those who don't? If we frequently encountered people who believed in unicorns we'd likely have a word for it and a word for those who don't believe.

It doesn't seem ridiculous or oppressive or whatever that I be expected to indicate that I'm an atheist when discussing related topics with someone - it's a quick, simple way to give a general idea of my stance. If someone then makes assumptions that are not supported by that broad description, what do I care? If they don't want to be wrong, they'll ask for clarification. If they don't mind being wrong then they'll probably live by their assumptions and I'm no worse off for it. Everyone thinks they're a rational thinker or a skeptic or whatever. So saying that doesn't necessarily tell someone much about you. Saying you're an atheist indicates much more in this case.

In short - I just don't get the fuss about labels, maybe someone can explain it to me. I get why someone might avoid labels that are of insufficient resolution to meaningfully capture some aspect of yourself (i.e. if someone who is a transgender female is attracted to other females, I can understand a hesitancy to identify as either gay or straight) but the label "atheist" is pretty straight forward especially in the context that it takes for most of us here. And, indeed, there are many other words to describe succinctly what one's theistic leanings are that one doesn't have to rely on either being labeled atheist or theist.

46

The Elders are Coming Help!

by LaurenM in

so the elders keep bugging me and pestering me about having a meeting with them to "introduce me to my new congregation" for some reason (do any ex elders know what that even means??).

i keep postponing and making excuses and they are getting more and more aggressive.

i finally agreed for them to come over today, but really don't want to..should i hide from them again?

OneEyedJoe

They have no power over you, and you don't owe them anything. If they ask you a question, "I don't want to talk about it" is a perfectly valid response. Tell them you appreciate their concern, but that it's unfounded. If you need anything from, you'll let them know.

24

Simple, yet very effective way, for ALL to spread the TTATT to current JW family and friends, possible GAME CHANGER.

by Dunedain in

i am sure this has probably been thought about, and maybe others have mentioned it already.

in fact, i cant even take credit for this brilliant idea.

it is a "tactic" that my father uses, to great effect, and he is a current jw.. as we all know, there is a wealth of info on the internet, and many other sources, that clearly exposes the many lies of the wts.

OneEyedJoe

Reminds me of a post by billy the ex bethelite:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/254990/exjw-psychology-102-how-ask-question-when-questions-arent-allowed

9

Is it just me??? or WHAT, our latest Book study book Imitate their Faith

by dugout in

jw
friends

is it just me or as my wife says it doesn't matter.

just curious.

need your thoughts please.

OneEyedJoe

Look at the governing body and co. and you might see how this could happen. While the membership is mixed race, the JW leadership is predominantly old white dudes.

20

Just put on ARC website: submissions of senior counsel

by Tornintwo in

jw
friends

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/downloadfile.ashx?guid=359d7249-0d4f-4c51-9265-1c40aa6b3b21&type=transcriptpdf&filename=submissions-of-senior-counsel-assisting-the-royal-commission&fileextension=pdf.

just having a quick read through, the findings are damning.

mr toole is being reported to the law society of australia.... a few highlights so far:.

OneEyedJoe

Thus the Governing Body is believed by Jehovah’s Witnesses to be the ‘channel’ by which Jehovah’s will is communicated to the ‘Christian’ congregation

For some reason I'm really tickled by the fact that they saw fit to put the word "Christian" in quotes when referring to JWs. It's a small thing but makes a good point all its own.

77

Feeling rejected

by Esmeralda001 in

just a little disclaimer: english isn't my first language (i'm from france) thus the poor writing skills.here is the situation: i'm not a jw.

however, i'm in the process of becoming one.

in fact, i'm studying with the jw's, and i'll proceed to become an unbaptized publisher as soon as i finish the first book.to make a long story short i was introduced to the truth when i was 18een.

OneEyedJoe

Take it slow and don't hurry to join any group. Examine things for yourself and don't let anyone presume to tell you what is truth and what is not. If you trust in the god of the bible, and you believe the new-testament version of god, then he is all-loving, just, and can read your heart. In spite of what the JWs teach, a god with such qualities would never punish you for taking your time in order to be certain of how best to worship, if that is indeed what you decide to do.

8

Figured out why I woke up from all this

by bradford in

i have always thought that i figured things out when i decided to research the generation, 607, 1914, etc.. i had an epiphany and realized it was triggered much earlier.

about 2 years ago for some odd reason, while i was a very solid witness, i started reading the news, landed on a random article about scientology, and eventually a book written by jenna miscavige called beyond belief.

she writes about growing up in the religion, the leaders who she was related to, and how she left.

OneEyedJoe

One early influence I had was reading an article that posited that AA was cult-like. Several of the criteria for judging a guilt that they listed cited JWs as an example of a cult. While I initially rejected the thought, it lingered and I began to see things through that lens from time to time. That definitely helped me approach the idea that I was in a cult.

77

In The Name of Love, Need Your Opinion

by thankyou in

i'm non-jw.. been following this forum.

most of you folks have been through hell, but are still loving souls.

i'm reeeally impressed and glad to be here.. my question is at the end of this.

OneEyedJoe

The cart location was almost certainly a coincidence. If she wanted you to join she most likely would've pushed you to come to meetings or study herself. Most likely she feels deep down that you're too smart not to see the flaws, and doesn't want you to prove the cult wrong to her. I'm doing a bad job explaining this, as it would all be happening on a subconscious level for her. Anyway suffice to say that she, as a woman in a deeply misogynistic cult, is almost certainly unable to influence the locations used for their career witnessing.

77

In The Name of Love, Need Your Opinion

by thankyou in

i'm non-jw.. been following this forum.

most of you folks have been through hell, but are still loving souls.

i'm reeeally impressed and glad to be here.. my question is at the end of this.

OneEyedJoe

What say you/folks?

It's a cult.

Seriously. Don't get sucked in this way, you're better than that. Why else would they need to use social pressure like this in order to get you to join up (if you don't "progress spiritually" and get baptized into the cult, she'll drop you again) if it's a legitimate religion? This is how cults work - they prey on someone who's in an emotionally or mentally weakened state (heartbreak is a very common one) and they provide social support while slowly pressuring you to conform to the group. Please research this cult further (jwfacts.com is a great resource) and information about cults in general (freedomofmind.com is very useful here) before you even consider beginning a study. Please please please do not become another victim of this cult.

20

Have the Governing Body caught themselves out in a lie?

by slimboyfat in

all sorts of suspected deception going on surrounding the cutbacks and the reasons for them.

but hard to pin down a direct falsehood.

sure, they initially said they were reducing the magazines so the brothers had less to read, then later said it was to save money.

OneEyedJoe

While I suspect you're entirely correct, there's enough other explanations that you won't get a JW to accept that it was a lie. They could've been caught off guard by some large expense at warwick or elsewhere, or their projections could've been way off. I am, however, having trouble coming up with an explanation that doesn't at the very least make them incompetent. Certainly all this shows that they're neither faithful nor discrete.