SAHS

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Posts by SAHS

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  82

  British zone visit from David Splane - a report from the special meeting in Glasgow

  by slimboyfat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well i went to a "special meeting" in the armadillo today where a 2 & 1/2 hour programme was relayed from london at 1pm.

  apparently the letters of invitation only went out a month or so ago and not all congregations were invited.

  there were 2,900 of us from around scotland.

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  SAHS

  “Phizzy”:

  “Eight men whose twisted DFing policy causes immense suffering and even suicide.”

  “I do wonder though if anything gets to be tested in Court as to their present accountability, how they will wriggle out?”

  I have often wondered just how the WBTS can continue to get away with enforcing their destructive policies, especially the one about blood transfusions (especially involving infant children who are too young to decide/fend for themselves), as well as the public shunning thing, and even the recent ridiculous instructions about not calling “9-1-1” yourself at district conventions if someone is having a heart attack but, instead, telling an attendant, who is supposed to let the first aid department know so they can come and assess the person and then call the paramedics . . . hopefully before the person dies, etc., etc. – I keep wondering just how they can get away with all of that legally without a government agency stepping in to enforce some kind of mandatory control in the public interest over these things. (Look what happened to Warren Jeffs for his forced kiddy marriage ring. Where is he now?)

  It makes me think back to the time when the U.S. government did, in fact, put President Rutherford, along with his main supporters (henchmen), in prison when he was going around suggesting to people that they not join the army (bad idea during a time of a world war). It did happen back then (although they managed to somehow get released on a legal technicality; i.e., not exoneration).

  With all of the problems the Society is having, including broken up families, covered over child molestation, not to mention the plethora of dead children thanks to the blood “issue” (the work of another idiot, Hayden C. Covington) – I keep asking myself, As push comes to shove with all of this, when might we see this happen again – i.e., the old New York octopus getting their asses into a federal courtroom to be taken to task for continuing to foment such unwarranted and needless suffering. Yes. When is their turn?
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  11

  Question for some of the other gay posters

  by littlerockguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  have you guys seen the meme on facebook going around about "tim tebow vs jason collins" comparing tebow "bashed for professing christ" and collins "praised for homosexuality" and then at the bottom the scripture isaiah 50:20: woe to those who call evil good and good evil?

  i have had a couple friends of mine post that on their wall and it showed up on my wall.

  i don't care what they believe however it just bothers me that they didn't think that i would find it offensive.

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  SAHS

  “fulltimestudent”: That “Pink Dot 2013” was a good video. I’m glad I watched it. Somebody should make a similar video about people who have left the Watchtower and have been shunned by their family but then come to be accepted again by their family, who actually shows up to meet them at an apostafest as a show of love, support, and solidarity as a family. That would be most encouraging to us all.
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  48

  With the July 15 WT approaching, would this be the ideal opportunity to start an ACTIVELY VOCAL fade?

  by Captain Blithering in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  by 'actively vocal', i do not mean openly criticising the articles and pointing out the inconsistencies or flipflops (not footwear, reversals).

  i do mean letting people know that you're finding it hard to understand the new truth, and the fact that there is therefore old truth, or falsities, (is that a word?

  it is now), therefore if there are falsehoods (that's the word, of course), then that puts into doubt the extent of jah's involvement in the preparation/dissemination of it all... (and making it clear you're not saying they aren't gods prophets on earth, just that you're not sure, don't know).. the reason i ask is cos i'm finding it hard to completely fade without an external reason.

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  SAHS

  “AnnOMaly”: “It all chips away at long-timers' confidence in the Org.”

  That’s a good point. It’s usually not just one particular thing that becomes the turning point but, rather, the steady accumulation of dissonance-producing issues which, as a whole, highlight the growing chasm between reality and fantasy, logic and fallacy, respectability and infamy – between the organization and the outside world.

  At some point, there can come that certain ‘straw that breaks the camels back,’ or at least causes somebody, even a “long-timer,” to begin the road of investigation and questioning. The combination of accumulated personal dissonance, which may be reinforced by one’s covert external examination, and thought-stimulating facts and questions from family and friends gives the greatest chance of causing a person to finally indulge in a searching and objective self-examination of their views of and attachment to what they have been accepting all along as “truths.”

  Remember, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link – and we all know that there are plenty of those “weak links” in the teachings and policies of the Watchtower organization! Let’s hope that many of those “weak links” in the oppressive iron chain of the Watchtower will pop out and allow people to escape, especially those we truly love.
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  82

  British zone visit from David Splane - a report from the special meeting in Glasgow

  by slimboyfat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well i went to a "special meeting" in the armadillo today where a 2 & 1/2 hour programme was relayed from london at 1pm.

  apparently the letters of invitation only went out a month or so ago and not all congregations were invited.

  there were 2,900 of us from around scotland.

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  SAHS

  LOL at those two animated .gif images from "Dismissing servant" on page 1 of this thread! I needed that laugh.
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  11

  Question for some of the other gay posters

  by littlerockguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  have you guys seen the meme on facebook going around about "tim tebow vs jason collins" comparing tebow "bashed for professing christ" and collins "praised for homosexuality" and then at the bottom the scripture isaiah 50:20: woe to those who call evil good and good evil?

  i have had a couple friends of mine post that on their wall and it showed up on my wall.

  i don't care what they believe however it just bothers me that they didn't think that i would find it offensive.

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  SAHS

  Hi LRG. Sorry to hear about the existence of that offensive material going around. I am completely unfamiliar with either Tim Tebow or Jason Collins, but I know that, unfortunately, some people get a rise out of promoting their particular prejudices and hatreds while not seeming to care about the negative effects of such on society.

  Anti gay sentiments appear to be woven into the socio-anthropological phenomenon of bullying behavior in general. It seems that people in human society always have to have some defined minority or cultural/ethnicity perceived as “inferior” or as an “enemy.” Society seems to have some kind of destructive, primal need to highlight and capitalize on differences – it’s either about religion, politics, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, gender, power, wealth, clan or gang affiliation, etc., or whatever – if it’s not one thing, it’s another – from a small group scale to a large societal scale.

  With people in this world, there’s always got to be some “us-and-them” mentality, which we see from the caddy and fickle cliques in the schoolyard to the various smear campaigns among socio-political groups vying for recognition and influence.

  A long-standing friend of mine has an older brother who is extremely vehement and vocal against homosexuality (not to mention other races), and this friend of mine unfortunately also shares a little bit of his brother’s childish prejudices, especially about gays. (Both are former Jehovah’s Witnesses, believe it or not, and their father is from Newfoundland. They are both somewhat “slow,” and I guess they feel a bit embarrassed about all the Newfie jokes.) Such destructive attitudes, whether about sexuality or any other type of prejudice, makes me angry, and I feel a sense of sympathetic indignation and injustice. Whenever my friend talks that way, I feel embarrassed and uncomfortable and get rather hot under the collar. I must say that I always set him straight and stick up for the rights of gays to be treated with equality and dignity.

  My friend is fully aware that I myself have some, let’s just say, tendencies which would be widely viewed as “aberrant,” although he is very accepting of it. I have never been into children, but I have also never actually had a girlfriend . . . or boyfriend either. (You can view my very first post at “http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/members/private/60838/1/Dad-scared-me-with-sin-against-HS-if-no-forgiveness-might-as-well-be-here” for more detail.)

  Anyway, sorry for ranting. I just had to get it out. In answer to the question in your original post on this thread, “Am I overreacting”: No, I believe that you aren’t. Such postings, whether on Facebook or anywhere else in the public eye, bring responsibility. There is always somebody at the other end of anything like that – somebody with tangible feelings and intrinsic worth as a human being. The material you referenced would, indeed, be offensive. And you are right to let them know.

  Take care.
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  16

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 05-19-2013 WT Study (KNOW GOD)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  continue to grow spiritually?.

  continue growing spiritually.

  we still need to grow in faith.

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  SAHS

  “wants us to feel accepted. He wants us to know that we are loved and safe”

  This, according to the Watchtower corporation, is not “love” based on intrinsic worth but, rather, a very conditional love – conditional on an “approved standing” which merits an “approved relationship” with God. And offering the feeling that we are “safe” implies staying in the antitypical Noah’s ark – that is, retaining membership in the organization, of course by following all their man-made rules and accepting all their unique and dynamic dogma – or else! This “safety” they hold out is really fear mongering in that it fabricates a need for such “safety” which allegedly can only be attained by the absolute, black-and-white ‘identity as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s “spirit-directed organization” ’ (the old octopus in New York).

  Yes, only they can dispense this “love” and “safety.” (Can anybody find Jesus?)
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  12

  The Bible ,why is it still held by millions as the word of GOD ?

  by smiddy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in this modern age, with the expertise of , linguists ,archaeloogists ,theologians , historians , etc.etc.

  who questian and debate the reliability and accuracy of the judeo christian scriptures how and why does this myth still survive ?

  in this 21st century ?.

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  SAHS

  “Terry”:

  “There are absolutely NO original manuscripts anywhere in the world . . . we have nothing to compare the later copies of copies with! . . . It wasn't evil men with an agenda that changed and corrupted the bible. Far from it! It was people who THOUGHT THEY KNEW THE TRUTH who made "adjustments" as they copied or translated. . . . each and every "help" was a corruption. Each transmission was a corruption OF a corruption of a corruption. People who want the bible to be perfect INSIST it IS perfect (as long as it matches their own ideas and opinions.)”

  That’s an important point to bring out: that likely many of these “adjustments” would have been made by people as they molded that conglomeration of literary ideas, axioms, and elaborated history into the evolving collection of Bible canon and Apocrypha we see today – these “adjustments,” of course, matching their own ideas and opinions as convenient.

  I’m sure there was a good chance that there were real people such as Moses, King David, and Jesus Christ who attracted crowds of followers and admirers, but as to the likelihood or truthfulness of the “miraculous” acts and events surrounding them as reported in the Bible, consider this: given the world history of blatant travesties, cruel and unspeakable persecutions, pogroms, crusades, and bloody wars perpetrated by powerful and self-serving people in their idiotic religious/political endeavors – people with the moral rectitude of a horny and rabid hyena – what would you say are the chances of such significant fanciful “adjustments” being applied to those “holy writings” through the ages, especially since the actual originals would have existed?

  I can see how there would be room for such tampering in those big gaps and holes in the timeline; remember, many of the Biblical accounts, including those in the Greek Scriptures, were apparently written many years after the events they describe. They say that “holy spirit” guided their memory recall. . . . . Really?
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  44

  Newby here

  by 1009 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am new here and briefly want to introduce myself.. my name is michel and i am from the netherlands.

  became baptized when i was 14, started pioneering when i got 18 and i've been ms for a number of years.

  i married another pioneer and after a while we joined a foreign language congregation.

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  SAHS

  “1009” & “Freedom4all”:

  Welcome you too to the Board! You’ve certainly come to the right place, as many others have before you and many more shall also in due time.

  “ABibleStudent”:

  “I know a former JW who does not believe that the Bible is the word of God, but does believe that the WTBTS does know the "Truth", if it is the word of God.”

  Now there’s a switch! Usually it’s the other way around, especially for any “former JW” I’ve ever heard about. Are you sure this “former JW” has all his/her marbles? (Sure doesn’t seem like it.)
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  13

  The new light re 1919 appointment of FDS demolishes the 'one true religion' concept

  by yadda yadda 2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  another poster on here called separation of powers made a profound comment on another thread recently that i thought was worthy of starting a new thread about:.

  "in my opinion, the new light regarding the fds addresses this question, if there was no fds from the 3rd century on until 1918, and yet the article states that there were anointed followers here and there during that almost 2000 years of no fds, then what organization did they follow?

  there was no organization, yet they were anointed per the article.

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  SAHS

  “Gopher”:

  “One scripture they quote in support of this idea is Daniel 12:4 " make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of [the] end. Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge will become abundant". To them, the "roving about" in the Bible is the activity of the faithful slave class opening up truths, and true knowledge becomes abundant.”

  Well, the Watchtower folks certainly have done a lot of “roving about” (or more like groping about) for the last 134 years. They’ve done much more “roving about” than that merry old singing group below (God bless ’em). The Governing Body should call themselves “THE JEWISH/CHRISTIAN/FREEMASON ROVERS.” (Sorry I’m too lazy to Photoshop that name into the picture.) Although, I don’t think they should try singing . . . . well, maybe now that I think of it, they just might be better at that.

  
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  18

  Should I try to get my parents out?

  by Gabriel_Walker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone.. i'm guessing you get this a lot, but i have to ask anyway.. first some context.. i'm 25, i was raised in the "truth" but i never got baptized, i haven't been in a kingdom's hall in 6 years, i live with my parents and we have a good relationship.. my dad doesn't have jw relatives, my mom has a few though and both have wordly friends.. so, should i try it?

  if you need more information just ask.. ps: english is not my first language so please forgive any gramatical or spelling mistakes you may find, also corrections are greatly apretiated.. pps: if this the wrong section please accept my apologies and move the thread..

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  SAHS

  “Gabriel_Walker”:

  Welcome to the Board! It’s a big step to actively be part a support group such as this. You’ll find much advice in a cross-section of viewpoints and perspectives here.

  Your situation is somewhat similar to mine in that you were raised in the “truth” and live with your parents.

  “Cadellin”: “My parents are in their late 70s and early 80s--it would be far too shocking to try to "wake up" an elderly person.”

  My situation is a bit more like yours in that my parents are around the same age as yours, nearing their mid-70s.

  When parents become as set in their ways about something like the Jehovah’s Witnesses as much as mine are, having each devoted a good half a century of their lives to it, then it becomes irreparably entrenched into their very being. At that point in their lives, the very thought of their core belief system, hopes, aspirations, and efforts put forth therein turning out to be not what they thought all along is really unthinkable (i.e., living forever as happy, youthful people in Paradise, the resurrection hope for themselves or other loved ones, a sense of community in what was presented as a special group of people worthy of eventually growing to perfection, etc.).

  All of this boils down to what decision is best for you in light of all the factors for all concerned. For many of us, including myself, much of what would be an advantage to being able to successfully fade from the control of the Watchtower religion is financial independence. It is a rather unusual situation for myself as I have actually been living with my parents for 46 years and have recently had to go on disability, so for me it is not only a challenge of financial independence but also that of emotional independence – not to mention the profound separation anxiety for my parents as well, considering the emotional entanglement from us sharing that many years under the same roof. (I’ve become a successful, and sometimes not so successful, “double-lifer.”)

  However you slice the cake, it is not an easy or simple decision as to how best to proceed. As I am also a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I find that the Serenity Prayer, as simplistic as that may seem, is somewhat beneficial in keeping a sound perspective – you know, the one that asks God (of one’s own personal understanding) to grant the serenity to accept what can’t be changed, the courage to change what can be, and the wisdom to know the difference. I know that might seem like some kind of “fortune cookie psychiatry,” but sometimes simple is good, and sometimes it’s the only thing we can really hold on to.

  Give it time, get a good bird’s-eye view of the logical, factual, and also uniquely personal aspects of what is available here, and just take it easy. Enjoy exploring different types of information and expanding your horizons. As they say, “you just might learn a thing or two.

  Take care, and good luck.