Posts by seattleniceguy

2

Enjoy

by SixofNine in

http://www.bobschneidermusic.com/

his latest album, with commentary, all online.

fun website to explore as well.

seattleniceguy

Hey Sixy,

Great stuff! Music is rad on this side! It's a much more direct experience. This music is a cool experience. :) Hey, hey, it's all right.

SNG

58

Finish this sentence "The longer I'm away from JW's......"

by doodle-v in

jw
friends

.

here's mine: .

the wackier they seem to me!!!

seattleniceguy

...the more I realize,

life...friggin'...rocks

SNG of the "rock on, baby!" class

49

Can you even stomach the name "Jehovah"?

by logansrun in

i can't.

in the few times i have prayed since leaving the dubs i notice i catch myself -- "dear heavenly god jeh----......" there's just so much emotional baggage connected to the name.

i wish to leave it behind altogether.. b.

seattleniceguy

You know, it's funny, Witnesses would think this is such an incredibly evil and telling thread. And, of course, they would be totally missing the point.

During the last summer I was a Witness, I remember having a conversation about how I was informally witnessing to someone at a bookstore and how his entire demeanor changed to very, very not interested after I mentioned the name Jehovah. The couple I was talking to was one of those go-go city-savvy ultra-righteous so-in-love super-zealot couples (if they're reading this now, I do like them a lot as people, despite that tongue-in-cheek description), and I remember Sara saying, "Isn't it amazing how the very name of God can show people's true feelings?" It was a really "the word of God is alive and exerts power" moment.

So if any Witnesses are reading this, bombshell news, guys: It's not the fact that it's supposedly the name of God, it's the fact that the name has been permanently besmirched by association with a group so contrary to the combined sensibilities of the rest of the world. That's the revolting aspect. Not the name itself. If the group had been called the Veeblefitzer's Colleagues, then you'd get an equally bad reaction from the name Veeblefitzer.

SNG

29

Numbers both literal and symbolic (April 1st Watchtower)

by ozziepost in

i wonder how many readers of the watchtower have noticed the seeming inconsistency of the 144,000 teaching in the april 1st issue?.

after discussing the symbolic nature of the numbers 666 on the wild beast comes this statement:.

"immediately after disclosing the number 666, revelation mentions 144,000 followers of the lamb, jesus christ, who have his name and the name of his father, jehovah, written on their foreheads.".

seattleniceguy

Good refutation, VM. My thoughts were similar. The whole premise is that a definite number sitting next to an indefinite number does not carry weight unless the definite number is literal, but they don't make any attempt to show that that is generally, or even sometimes, true.

As an example to show the reverse, consider the following made-up, but NT-esque, story:

A certain man lived in a large city with many inhabitants. When it came time for the man to be married, he made an open invitation to everyone in the city to his wedding feast. But although the feast was free and the bridegroom a respected man, only 12 citizens came to his celebration. What will the Son of man do when it comes time for an accounting?

Now, here is a story that is clearly symbolic in nature. Does the contrast between the definite "12 citizens" and the indefinite "many inhabitants" get lost? Am I, the reader, unable to comprehend this story properly unless it is referring literally to 12 people? Essentially, this is the argument of the WT writer. And it is clearly a very weak argument.

SNG

21

was I stupid or what?

by Ciara in

jw
friends

you know, something dawned on me a while back and as i'm reading all the posts tonight, i can't stop thinking about this.. all of you guys seem like you knew for quite a while before you left that the jw's were full of crap.

i had doubts and questions, but the reason that i left was that i just gave up.

i knew that i was never going to be able to live up to their expectations and i just got so depressed that i quit.

seattleniceguy

Hey Ciara,

Don't worry, you weren't stupid. It's amazing how much you see, and how clear it all is, once you're standing on the outside. When I first left, I had no idea about the mind control aspect, or the fear and intimidation issues. Afterward, I marvel that I didn't see what seems so completely obvious now. But that's exactly the nature of mind control.

Since I spent a good portion of my life in the organization, my goal is for that time not to have been wasted. It will not have been wasted if I can use what I learned from the experience to enrich my everyday life going forward. And I definitely think that's possible. In addition to being able to appreciate with crystal clarity simple pleasures like being able to study any subject you want, there are also practical benefits as well. For example, I feel much stronger dealing in high-pressure situations now. I almost feel immune. When a salesperson starts trying to use pressure or intimidation tactics, I call them on it. I know that game now, and it ain't workin' on me.

Anyway. Hope that makes you feel better. Life is good on the outside, and it just keeps getting better. :-)

SNG

1

Too much freedom!!

by PopeOfEruke in

i once read a letter i found in my mum's house.

it was from an elder to an another elder, and i am so stupid, i should have taken the letter to scan and post.. .

anyway in part, the letter discussed the then-recent event of someone having posted the elders manual on the internet.

seattleniceguy

I think that there are very few things that legitimately need to be kept secret. Schematics for nuclear weapons? Yeah, it's probably a good idea not to have those widely available. But the elder's manual? I mean, really, if you have nothing to hide, then why the secrecy? Should you really fear others reading the material? If you fear that, why? What does that say about the material?

Interesting post, Pope.

SNG

20

Were the pre-flood people that wicked?

by indoubt in

i have to say upfront that i am not sure about anything at this point of my life (i.e.

but i am trying to believe that there is a god, and that he is loving and cares about us...

i saw horrific pictures the other day about the floods that just occurred in dominican republic.

seattleniceguy

Indoubt,

Nice to have you here. The other thing about the Flood that just seems really strange for an omnipotent being is that it was massive destruction that didn't really accomplish anything. Sure, God could have just corrected the situation by wiping out the people who were evil beyond redemption, and then helped the others to better their lives. Instead, he decides the best way to get rid of evil will be to murder every breating thing on the planet except the few lucky travelers that make it onto Noah's boat. This is the kind of plan a four-year-old -- indeed, a very evil four-year-old -- would come up with.

And how does this brilliant plan work? Within a couple generations, we've got bad people again, building towers out of dried mud and just generally being Nimrods. All in all, the plan completely fails. The only thing we get out of the deal is a new weather phenomenon, the rainbow. Which, of course, eventually goes on to signify rights for gay people, which is good, but the destruction of billions of innocents just for a colorful symbol and maybe some leprachauns is kind of a high price to pay.

But seriously. Do some research on why a global flood could never have occurred. I thought I had come up with compelling evidence, but it was nothing when I saw this:
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html

Welcome to the real world.

SNG

27

kerry sucks

by kilroy2 in

well lets look at the other side.

kerry said he voted for the war just before he voted against it, and acted like this was a smart statment.

huh

seattleniceguy

you may not agree with bush but at least he is what you see ie real

I'm afraid of Bush. I mean, really, really afraid. An evangelical Christian who believes he's on a mission from God? This is scary stuff, folks. This is precisely the type of ideology that would cause someone, to, say, consistently misrepresent science to match his preconceived ideology.

Link: Union of Concerned Scientists details Bush's misuse of science
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/rsi/page.cfm?pageID=1322

An example of Bush's transparent evangelicalism:

In his last two State of the Union addresses, Bush has spoken of a God that is directing the nation. "We go forward with confidence," he said in January 2003, "because this call of history has come to the right country. May He guide us now."
http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/perspective/article/0,2071,NPDN_14966_2860034,00.html

I'm not as satisfied with Kerry as I would like, but I really and truly fear what terrors four more years of Bush would bring.

Please: Vote for sanity. Get Bush out of office.

SNG

23

Euphemisms for cursing among JWs

by gaiagirl in

jw
friends

in an effort to show that they had put on a 'new' personality, many who joined the wtbts would adjust their speech patterns to avoid common expressions of cursing or profanity.

yet there would still arise times when they would become frustrated, angry or disgusted at someone or at a situation, and wish to express their feelings.

here are a couple of substitutes for cursing heard among jws ...... forget you.