Probably a bit of both. Things are hardly black and white. From what I've learned since waking up, it seems as though the cult started out much more benign under CTR. It wasn't till the Rutherford took over that things started getting super culty and oppressive. I tend to think that Rutherford was a con-man who'd deluded himself into believing he was doing god's work just so he could sleep at night. Not a particularly unique story.
OneEyedJoe
JoinedPosts by OneEyedJoe
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25
Was Charles Russell delusional or just a con artist?
by keyser soze ini've seen him referred to as both on this forum.. did he sincerely believe that he was an inspired prophet whose end-time predictions and biblical interpretations came from god?
or was he just a shrewd businessman who saw a market of disillusioned christians who believed that armageddon was imminent that he could exploit?.
i personally lean toward the latter.. .
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Yet Another "Worse and Worse" Thought
by metatron inhttp://nextbigfuture.com/2014/09/child-mortality-rates-have-dropped-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed%3a+blogspot%2fadvancednano+%28nextbigfuture%29.
worldwide, child mortality has plunged remarkably...................because of the success of human efforts !.
"worse and worse" yup, yup, yup..... .
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OneEyedJoe
This old system can't last much longer.
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Scottish independance in two days what do you think?
by barry inone thing i would like to say is will the union jack be changed because the scottish flag is incorpreted in it.
if the union jack is changed will we change our australian flag because the union jack is in our flag?
even hawawi has the union jack also fiji and many other commonwealth countries.. .
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OneEyedJoe
It doesn't affect me much, but if it will cause scotch prices to go down in the US I'm all for it. From what I understand they're planning on keeping the pound as their currency so that's not likely to happen...
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Are they still teaching christ millinial 1000yrs then letting satan loose again????????? sheech
by dugout inwhat are ur thoughts on this subject just wondering.
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OneEyedJoe
Yes, still being taught in that it hasn't been changed, but it doesn't get brought up much. I believe the last time it was mentioned was about 6 months back when they did the #4 on the topic of the abyss. Apparently satan will actually be dead for 1000 years, not just trapped but conscious.
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St. Louis police are asking for your help in finding a man who set fire to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses
by Sol Reform inst. louis (kmox) - st. louis police are asking for your help in finding a man who set fire to the kingdom hall of jehovahs witnesses at 2428 north grand.. the fire occurred saturday september 13th at 6:15 a.m.. a surveillance camera recording shows a suspect: a white male with a beard and mustache wearing a green jacket and coveralls.. anyone with information is asked to call crimestoppers at 866 371 tips.. man sought for setting fire to jehovahs witness building.
man sought for setting fire to jehovahs witness buildin... fire was set at 2428 north grand early saturday.
view on www.thenewscommen.... preview by yahoo.
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OneEyedJoe
Skin - my kh has 3 cameras outside and one in the lobby.
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Why are alot of JW's Fascinated with Sci-Fi?
by NoMoreHustle ini am still in & gradually fading.
i have always wondered why alot of jw's that i know are really into alot of sci-fi stuff like star wars, i robot, x-men stuff etc.
i mean they take it another level with this fantasy stuff.
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OneEyedJoe
Being a jw sucks pretty hard, so it's not surprising that a good number want to escape into an alternate reality.
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Topics Ive Been Pondering On
by JWINQUESTION inthis is my first post on here so bear with me.
currently i am still an active jw with serious questions about the jw org.
i was hesitant signing up but really need as much input from the people on this forum to get a clear understanding on things.
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OneEyedJoe
On the topic of research, I would reccommend jwfacts.com
If you're like me, you'll start out reading it and verifying that all the references are honest and fair. After a while you'll start to trust the site. I was unable to find anything that was unfair or in any way false.
Good luck on your journey towards real truth.
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Topics Ive Been Pondering On
by JWINQUESTION inthis is my first post on here so bear with me.
currently i am still an active jw with serious questions about the jw org.
i was hesitant signing up but really need as much input from the people on this forum to get a clear understanding on things.
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OneEyedJoe
The thought in my head of gay people dying because of increasing STDS due to their sexual lifestyle saddens me. That is why I don't condone the practice.
Try this for a little perspective:
The thought in my head of children dying because of car accidents due to their parent's choice to use a car for transportation saddens me. That's why I don't condone driving.
Everything in life has risks. Some risks you may not be willing to accept, but others you may be. The risks you accept may be different from the risks others accept. That's just the way it is. You have no more responsibility to warn homosexuals of the risks of their lifestyle than your responsibility to warn people of the risks of commuting to work in a car. Most homosexuals view their sexual orientation as vital to their existence, and are thus unlikely to stop regardless of knowing the risks. There's no need to be a downer and spend your life warning everyone about the risks of everything they enjoy.
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Topics Ive Been Pondering On
by JWINQUESTION inthis is my first post on here so bear with me.
currently i am still an active jw with serious questions about the jw org.
i was hesitant signing up but really need as much input from the people on this forum to get a clear understanding on things.
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OneEyedJoe
Welcome!
It is just when I see many (not all) posters and ex JW’s curse, I wonder is this how I am going to end up like after I leave.
If/when you leave, you'll only do what feels right to you. I had similar objection upon my first perusal of this site, but realized that it's just people being who they are, and everyone has different values and reacts differently to "waking up" to the truth about 'the truth.' Please remember, too, that many folks here have been visciously and irreprably injured by the policies of the watchtower society. Many have lost loved ones due to the (unscriptural) blood doctrine, some have been molested and had their attacker defended and covered up by the society. A large portion here have also lost loved ones to the unscriptural and painful practice of shunning. All this (and more) can understandably cause a great deal of anger and resentment that sometimes is difficult to express in a cathardic way without the use of a swear or two.
I’ve noticed a lot of former JW’s have become either Atheists or Agnostics. To be honest, I can’t see accept those beliefs either. Let’s say I had a son who was only a baby that died a six months, am I wrong to believe that I would see him or do I need to accept the cold reality that I never will? Because I hear Atheists say live your life to the full now and do what makes you happy but what about if we were talking about a baby or a young child that died, even a young adult who didn’t even began to live their life?
Yes, there are a lot of atheists and agnostics here. I believe there is a post somewhere with a Pew poll regarding religion that found that of the 2/3rds of born-in JWs that leave, roughly half become atheist/agnostic. This is somewhat understandable, if you consider what someone goes through upon leaving the JW religion. Upon finding that they've been systematically lied to (many for their entire lives) in the name of God can certainly cause someone to question the existance of any god. Also, the realization that you've been lied to for so long can often lead someone to resolve in their hearts not to accept anything without evidence. That is a road that often leads to atheism. If you stick and engage in some of the lively debate that goes on here, you may find some of your posts are debated by atheists. What you probably won't find, however, is someone here coercing you to become atheist by causing your family to shun you otherwise.
Regarding the homosexuality issue, if it were okay then why can’t two people of the same sex produce a child? And after reading a recent 2014 article (Not a JW or religious article) about gay sex, it states that gay sex has been leading to increasing sexual diseases even to those who use protection. It seems that most people on here are okay with gay marriage. Of course, it is also wrong for me to hear on news how some anti-gay extremists go to far and kill off or murder gay people. That is horrible and something that makes me sick to the stomach to hear gay people being murdered like that. However, I am the kind of person who wouldn’t condone the practice not just because of religious issues but the increasing related diseases that has been associated with gay sex.
Assuming homosexual practices cause all manner of ill concequences upon the practicer (this is debatable, but let's make the assumption for the sake of argument) what does that mean for you? I'm assuming you don't identify as homosexual, so who cares what gay people do? Upon waking up to the full scope of the lies that you once believed, you may find that you're unwilling to condem other people who aren't hurting anyone (except, perhaps, themselves) based on beliefs that might be wrong. What two consenting adults do in private is no business of mine, and it certainly has nothing to do with the moral charecter of those adults in any areas in which I might have dealings with them. Because of this, I find it impossible and morrally unconscionable to condem homosexuals.
Welcome to the forum, I hope you stick around. You sound like a thinking person that's out to find what the real truth is, and this site has certainly been a help to many in that regard. It's also a tremendous support to many (myself included) as it can feel like the floor is falling out from under you the more you learn.
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ALIENS!! (and the downfall of religion)
by disposable hero of hypocrisy inlet me clarify, when i say aliens, i don't mean shiny helmeted spaceship dwelling anal probers.
(although i could be proved wrong).
if any alien lifeform was found on mars or another planet or even a comet, be it tiny bacteria or even some form of non carbon based life form, would that not destroy religions grip on mankind?
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OneEyedJoe
as keyser soze said, religious people are already overlooking abundant evidence discovered right here on earth, so why would this be any different?
People still believe humans have only been around for 6000 years, in spite of hard evidence that they've been around for a few orders of magnitude longer. A few microbes on mars would be relatively easy to dismiss.