Posts by Alive!

It went against the scriptural suggestion to draw closer together 'as the day draws near' - and I know many of us were puzzled....and the "book-study" had been sold to me/us as a critical meeting as this would be our safe 'go to' when the shite hit the fan.

And it was whipped away, I loved my group - we all grew close....and the feeling of mutual care was wonderful.

Interestingly, other churches have 'life groups' in members homes and these are viewed as central to the congregational life (at least it is at our local baptist church which I have visited occasionally) - I went to a life group meeting at someone's house, I was impressed with their togetherness and caring support, they prayed for individuals needing strength and courage through difficulties, offered help to each other and made plans to give pratical assistance ,they discussed a bible topic - food and drinks afterwards....

I was suspicious of the decision to cut the Bookstudy group - a niggling intutuion told me the reasons were not about our welfare, but about keeping control, breaking up the possibility of too much closeness.....

As I haven't any family in the org - I really appreciated the 'family' that was our Bookstudy group.

I have to laugh now, when I remember that the TMS was held up as our 'training' for speaking boldly, especially when the inevitable time came that we'd be thrown in front of the courts......yes, that's what was said.

After watching the performance of WT reps, including Jackson at the ARC...I suspect the TMS didn't them help at all....unless it was to speak without frankness, honesty and humility.

1

I cant sign out on either iphone or desktop

by Alive! in

i've tried over past few days and everytime i sign out, i don't get signed out but remain signed in!.

help asap!.

Alive!

I've tried over past few days and everytime I sign out, I don't get signed out but remain signed in!

Help ASAP!

162

Do you still believe in God?

by FormerlySandL in

i never thought i would admit it, but i don't.

i might superstitiously have some kind of doubt but digging a bit deeper in my heart i really don't believe in god.

as a human i could never just sit and watch people be tortured, live years of abuse, suffer from illness and disabilities and all the other awful things people have to endure day after day without doing something about it.

Alive!

Hi Liberator,

Sorry, am scrolling through my iPhone - could you post link to quotation site?

A brief expression from a noble mind can be uplifting, stirring and sometimes challenging and thought provoking....

A glass of fresh water :-)

56

Why Do Intelligent People Believe in God?

by cantleave in

jw
friends

one of the most common thing thrown at atheists is - lots of intelligent people believe in god.

this darkmatter 2525's video is an excellent explanation as to why very logical people possess religious belief systems.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y201qzddzbg.

Alive!

Did your God spontaneously come from nothing then? If not then how did he get there? Your 'logicalness' creates a lot more questions than it answers.
Excellent - I'm all for questions :-) That's when things can get really exciting.If I question why are there so many pointers toward creative evidence, then, even if I haven't found the answer, I'm still willing to 'search' or say 'as yet I don't know how and why' It's really OK to suspect there is a purposeful creative force - and it's OK to keep the question door open!It doesn't make you a weak minded fool - honest!!

56

Why Do Intelligent People Believe in God?

by cantleave in

jw
friends

one of the most common thing thrown at atheists is - lots of intelligent people believe in god.

this darkmatter 2525's video is an excellent explanation as to why very logical people possess religious belief systems.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y201qzddzbg.

Alive!

Like, truth doubter - basic questions prompted my 'search'

I view 20 odd years with WTBTS as a journey which I willingly embarked upon, but I failed to respond to 'concerning' clues from the start - allowing 'God' and interpretation of scripture to be the projection of an elitist and separatist sect.

Today, I find 'concerning clues' as to why the whole story can't be just wrapped up in the relatively modern theory that nothing 'supernatural' exists out of our tangible dimension and daily material experience.

I sometimes ponder when I read or hear the words of those who wipe out the 'theory' that there is a supernatural world of supernatural life as in a 'Creator' and life beyond our dimension - I ponder that 'supernatural' may seem like a highly amusing word to 'supernatural' intelligent life who we just can't see, yet millions and millions throughout human history have aspired to communicate with, to be with.......

My initial stance as a teenager through to early 30s was agnostic. But I always thought it was close minded to state 'we are the only intelligent life' in this 'thing', 'universe' whatever.....

So, when I considered the history of mankind forever trying to communicating with other intelligent life, from primitive to sophisticated civilisations....I wondered how mere animals who should merely be concerned with surviving, thriving etc have conceived of and wanted to communicate with something greater than themselves outside of their known dimension?

And yes, I know there are modern answers to this question - but I've sampled them and I keep responding to this 'something' within me......

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

Alive!

It's just occurred to me how happy I am to not be caged in an organisation where paranoid personalities twist words, refuse to validate our right to reason in our own time and own way and yet hold some kind of power in the congregation.

Remember that way?

Phew. OUT!

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

Alive!

Frankly, why would he want to take part in this thread at this stage?

19

A Good Decade

by theliberator in

if you were really into the organization back in the 80's, you have to admit, that it was the peak of the organization.

it was a time of high energy and excitement.

like any nation, it reaches a peak and then it declines.

Alive!

I felt some dismay and anxiety that I didn't have bible studies galore, but I was comforted by the hope that I was planting 'seeds' so that when the end was nigh, people would jump into Jehovah's congregation for safety......and life.

I suspect around the mid nineties when the generation teaching started changing to 'fit' the numbers, many felt some despair.... It wasn't that we were not prepared to serve God no matter how long in this world, it was just that we had taught ( at the time I had studied) a definite, end times 'date range'........ 1975...1914, 1874 or whatever were in the past.....

Funny, I remember somehow I must have got wind of something happening around 1975 re a proclamation re the 'end' - a 3 rd gen elder, ex bethel, PO etc being someone who we thought of as a friend, poo-pooed this and said it was just a few who whipped up false fever.

He told a big fib - didn't he?

I used to angst over not being more productive in the field - so glad now that I couldn't convince anyone that the WT is God's only channel !!!!!

19

A Good Decade

by theliberator in

if you were really into the organization back in the 80's, you have to admit, that it was the peak of the organization.

it was a time of high energy and excitement.

like any nation, it reaches a peak and then it declines.

Alive!

Interesting - I studied in the late 80s and indeed, it was a 'exciting' time - the numbers lined up, the anointed class numbers 'the remanent' were reducing and with the solid doctrine that this generation would not pass away, I really believed only, absolutely only the desperately wicked would reject a peaceful universe in the end.

Like others, I adjusted this when 'new light' showed this generation to be NOT the anointed but the wicked generation or 'culture' of our times, with no time limit - then it was changed again to mean the anointed/ overlapping.....

I agree that the young JWs who are in the org 'groove' can have a blast - humorously off to where the need is greater... Along with their baby boomer parents - such countries that are on the main agenda appear to be Mexico, South America and recently I heard of beautiful Portugal and the lovely Southern Ireland as bring 'destinations'.

The need is RIGHT in their neighbourhood if they only but looked - the need being charity, community care and support of their neighbours and struggling fellow JWs.

Guess that sounds bitter - I don't mean it to be - but none of it really adds up.