Posts by OneEyedJoe

20

Model Jw family?

by MrTheocratic in

i would like to get the opinion of those on this community.

does serving as an elder make one a bad family man.

with all the demands placed on those serving... how can one make time for family life?

OneEyedJoe

Serving as an elder definitely made my father a much worse father. It got so bad that he actually stepped down for a few years because he didn't want to miss his kid's childhood.

55

Just wondering who on this board has a spouse that is fully in and your awake?

by goingthruthemotions in

i am just curious who on this board is in the same situation has i am?

a spouse that is fully brain doogled in and you are awake to ttatt.. without going into serious detail and no names are given.

i would like to possible talk with one of you all, it's just so helpful to communicate with someone in the same situation as me.. i am located in the southwest united states..

JWs and "Simple Truths"

by JW_Rogue in

in public talks we would always hear about how we knew god's word was the truth because it was simple and clear.

how god revealed the real truth to uneducated and ordinary people.

the problem is that in reality something being simple or clear isn't an indicator of it's truthfulness at all.

I think Occam's razor is still a useful tool for finding truth, it just has to be properly applied. Using the example of the solar system, the geocentric model was initially simple because it handily explained the motion of the sun, moon and stars. The problem arose when new evidence was examined - planetary motion. While it is possible to accurately describe the motion of the planets while making the assumption of a geocentric universe, it becomes rather complex. And so the apparently simple geocentric model requires a great deal of complexity to be consistent with ALL the available evidence. The heliocentric model appears more complex at first, but it allows for a far simpler explanation planetary motion.

So the key is to look for the real "simple truths" and not just the superficially simple explanations that then require ever increasingly complex rules to explain new evidence. JW doctrine on the face of it is reasonably simple but then when you begin to consider things like the sheer number of animals that would've had to have been on Noah's arc, or the logistics of an eternal paradise the apparently simple doctrine has to be continually adjusted and refined with ever more divine interventions and exceptions to the rules. In the end it becomes far simpler to accept scientific explanations and disregard the doctrine that creates endless and needless complexity when examined more closely.

20

Any here who didn't rebel as a teenager and were a goody two shoes instead?

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

when i was a teenager in the borg i was a dyed in the wool, goody two shoes, squeaky clean,"spiritual " sister.

alot of my peers around me were rebelling and going off the rails but not me.

i was constantly praised for this and even felt a little smug about it ha!.

OneEyedJoe

That was me too. Though I probably don't qualify as leaving the cult late in life as I'm only 30 and still have time to have some fun. I do find myself wanting to finally have an adolescence now. Which can be troublesome when you're married to a cultist.

76

Socialism

by Perry in

socialists think that money will solve all man's problems.

everything is obsessively related to money in the socialist ideology.. they have an almost supernatural ability to blame others with more money.

god calls this greed and envy.

OneEyedJoe

I haven't really dug in to politics and economic policy much since leaving the cult, so I'm not really sure what I think about socialism vs communism vs capitalism. That said, your argument is so full of flaws and fallacies that it makes me think socialists might be on to something.

6

Loss of Tax exemption for Australian religious organizations

by defender of truth in

i have no clue when it comes to australian politics, but these articles got my interest.could this be the start of something?...it would take too much space to quote them all, but please read each one in order.

it might make more sense, what i am getting at.it seems to me that the debate we no doubt all want to see happen: 'why do religions, those who don't do any community work except advancing their own religion, get tax exemption?

', could be coming soon.or maybe i am wrong?www.crikey.com.au/2016/04/05/essential-voters-want-to-dump-religious-tax-exemption/http://m.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/tax-exemption-for-religious-groups-should-end-poll/2994952/http://m.theage.com.au/comment/easter-is-a-good-time-to-revisit-taxexempt-status-of-religious-organisations-20160323-gnpzjj.html^^ note who wrote the article, it says at the end.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/australian_sex_party^^ yes, the above is actually a real political party.

OneEyedJoe

Slowly but surely those who are unaffiliated with any religious organization will become the majority, even in the US. As that happens, it seems only natural that the majority will begin to look at the religious organizations that do nothing for them and ask why they're getting a free ride. It will happen, but like most things in government, it will be slow.

2

Using Review Sites To Spread the Word About JW Dangers

by jacobm in

jw
friends

i have posted a review of the kingdom hall that i attended before i revoked my jw membership, on both yelp & google.

i figured that it only takes me 5 minutes to write a good review, and it could save someone a lot of heartache.

keep in mind that you have to post a firsthand account of your experience.

OneEyedJoe

I've done that before but it similarly got taken down...didn't know about the firsthand account rule. I'll have to do that for my local KH and AH.

11

$13.5M award vacated in Jehovah’s Witness abuse case

by StephaneLaliberte in

ruling gives church chance to turn over disputed documents.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/apr/14/jehovahs-witness-lopez-sex-abuse-appeal/.

OneEyedJoe

Yup, there were at least 3 cases in my former congregation (all going on at the same time when I left) where an elder or MS was assigned to study with a so-called "fatherless boy" (i.e. he had a father but he was either not a JW or was DFed). I know for sure that in one case they were often studying alone, just the two of them, and have no reason to suspect that this was in any way unusual. In fact, I think the boy's mother appreciated it and viewed it sort of like free babysitting that let her get some errands done. When you think about the difficulties of a single mother raising kids, I can't imagine this is unique.

In this particular case, I remember an interview with the lawyer in which he stated that this was essentially what was happening - lopez was viewed as a fatherless boy because his father was not a JW, and Campos was assigned by the elders to study with him.

11

$13.5M award vacated in Jehovah’s Witness abuse case

by StephaneLaliberte in

ruling gives church chance to turn over disputed documents.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/apr/14/jehovahs-witness-lopez-sex-abuse-appeal/.

OneEyedJoe

I'm having trouble deciding what would be more expensive for them: set a precident that all a lawyer has to do to win is get a court order for them to produce their child abuse records, or producing said records and making thousands of child abuse suits slam-dunk cases for hungry lawyers.

I guess if zalkin is saying that the goal has always been to get the documents, that will probably be the more expensive route for them. I'd love to see them refuse again only to get raided by the authorities to confiscate the documents.

20

I have tried really hard to be worldly, for ten years, tried to get worldly friends, and get back with family.

by Sledracer in

i am so bad at being worldly, it's not like i gave it a good try, we are just not good at it my husband and i, i see him light up as he has started to read the bible again.

i'm good at being a witness, i am accepted, and hold the same beliefs, i have tried to find somewhere else, if there is a place, why hav'n't jehovah and the angels directed me to it?

thank you for all the loving posts, some of them have been just what i needed.

OneEyedJoe

Yeah like Vidiot said, it's not about being worldly. Just be yourself.

You say you fit in because you all have the same beliefs, but I've found that it's much more rewarding to find people that accept you for who you are, even if you have differing beliefs. It's nice to know that someone likes me for my personality and not for what deity I do (or don't) believe in. A JW will drop you in an instant if you decide you don't believe exactly what they do - what kind of acceptance is that? If it can dissolve so quickly, was it ever really worth anything?

Read the bible if you want to. "Worldly" people read the bible too. Just don't limit yourselves to only associating with JWs if you meet normal people that you like that aren't JWs. There's no reason not to accept those people as they are without forcing your beliefs on them. Being "worldly" also doesn't mean celebrating christmas, but it does mean that you can if you want to and no one will shun you for it. It means you can decide for yourself what is right for you. If something makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else, then why should you feel like you're risking all your relationships by doing it?