Posts by OneEyedJoe

56

Generation expiry date?

by pleaseresearch in

how long will it take for a jw to see that even the overlapping generation is wrong?.

the org waited and waited to see if their interpretation of it came true.

those alive in 1914 would still be alive obviously it didn't and jws have to believe in an overlapping generation.

The absolute furthest that anyone can sell it as reaching is probably in the 2070s (fred franz died in '92, so someone that was 20 and newly anointed at that time could live to be 100 putting you in 2072) but I suspect it's going to be discarded in favor of new doctrine well before that. The current GB won't last that long, so when some new folks come in they'll implement their own ideas and will probably scrap the overlapping generation, and I'm guessing 1914 with it.

If I were still in the cult, I'd probably be thinking that if armageddon doesn't come by 2034 it would prove them to be wrong yet again.

9

Proclaimers Book claims anyone can leave the org

by Sanchy in

jw
friends

was going through proclaimers book and found this little nugget on page 232. there is so much wrong with this paragraph that my head almost exploded when i read it.. however, i was thinking, perhaps those like me that are trying to fade away without "trouble", can use this in the case that an elder should start questioning with intent of escalating matters.

.

OneEyedJoe

Wow, they're really doing some mental contortions to justify that statement. If you include the sentence right after the highlighted portion, it could be summarized: "If someone doesn't like living by bible rules, they're free to leave as long as they live by the bible's rules."

7

Can you sneeze while sleeping?

by James Mixon in

jw
friends

lets start your day off with a great start.

don't look it up and give me your answer.. i,m not the only one that comes up with this crazy question.

lol.

OneEyedJoe

To my knowledge I've never slept through a sneeze, but I've definitely woken up mid sneeze when I've had a cold.

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..

OneEyedJoe

You've got a PM

13

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.

OneEyedJoe

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.