Hi Walker (my surname is Walker!), nice to meet you. As you have no doubt discovered, you are not alone - we can all identify with your situation. Like you, I suppressed my doubts vigorously for many years, and was often held up as exemplary. I joined a Portuguese group so that I could get busy learning the language and focus on that rather than my doubts. It worked for a while, but eventually I had to just stop and admit to myself that I just didn't buy it any more. It is a very difficult thing to admit you may have been wrong and wasted so much time, but it is definitely worth it. My life has been much happier since I started being truly honest with myself and following the evidence wherever it leads, not filtering it through what the Watchtower organisation says is possible. Take your time, do lots of research, learn about critical thinking and logical fallacies, and above all, be honest with yourself. Good luck!
maksutov
JoinedPosts by maksutov
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51
My first post
by thewalker inhi, i just joined the board and wanted to present myself.. i'm active, in fact very active in congregation activities serving "where the need is great" in a foreign language congregation somewhere in western europe.
as a young brother, i'm seen as an example as i'm doing all a good witness should do.. i had doubts years ago but i decided just to ignore them and move to another congregation to preach more.
that worked for some years but i'm now at the exact same point.
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Do you need Art and Music in your life?
by The Rebel inmusic and art have been a big part of my life since i was a little boy, and although i was never able to play a decent guitar, i can paint.
my art teacher from college said " i was the most imaginative and constructive pupil she had ever had.
" i loved that comment, because in translation i realised it meant i had to work harder than other more naturally talented students, but the effort was always worth it.
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maksutov
I also like to draw and play guitar. I don't know how I would cope without my guitar.
Here's me doing both:
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Verify the Audit Checklist/Destruction of Files!
by Atlantis inseveral people have asked if the audit checklist boe/destruction of files/ can be verified.
atlantis said that if the previous information was not enough evidence, then i should send you the boe letter where the watchtower admits to sending out the annual audit inspection checklist.. .. write these down:.
.please see: page 2, number 5. please see: last paragraph on page 3.. please see: page 4 annual audit of files.
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maksutov
I love a good list of logical fallacies. :D -
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What is the org’s view on extraterrestrial life?
by My Name is of No Consequence ini am sure that it has been discussed before.
but just out of curiosity, what is the orgs view on extraterrestrial life?
the org certainly agrees that the universe is infinitely large.
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maksutov
*** g00 8/8 p. 28 Watching the World ***
Extraterrestrials Unlikely
“In the last few decades, a growing number of astronomers have promulgated the view that alien civilizations are likely to be scattered among the stars,” states The New York Times. “This extraterrestrial credo has fueled not only countless books, movies and television shows . . . but a long scientific hunt that uses huge dish antennas to scan the sky for faint radio signals from intelligent aliens.” That search will most likely fail, say two prominent scientists, Dr. Peter D. Ward and Dr. Donald C. Brownlee, authors of the book Rare Earth. New findings in astronomy, paleontology, and geology, they say, show “that Earth’s composition and stability are extraordinarily rare” and that conditions elsewhere are unsuitable for complex life-forms. “We have finally said out loud what so many have thought for so long—that complex life, at least, is rare,” said Dr. Ward. Adds Dr. Brownlee: “People say the Sun is a typical star. That’s not true. Almost all environments in the universe are terrible for life. It’s only Garden of Eden places like Earth where it can exist.”*** g90 4/8 p. 8 Extraterrestrials—Where Are They? ***
SETI astronomers blithely assume that life must have originated by chance all over the universe. Gene Bylinsky, in his book Life in Darwin’s Universe, speculates on the various paths evolution might have taken on alien worlds. He suggests that intelligent octopuses, marsupial men with pouches on their stomachs, and bat-people who make musical instruments are not at all farfetched. Renowned scientists have praised his book. However, other scientists, such as Feinberg and Shapiro, see the gaping flaw in such reasoning. They decry the “weakness in the basic experimental foundations” of scientists’ theories about how life got started on earth. They note, though, that scientists nonetheless “have used these foundations to erect towers that extend to the end of the Universe.”
The Wrong Religion
‘Why,’ you may wonder, ‘do so many scientists take the impossible for granted?’ The answer is simple and rather sad. People tend to believe what they want to believe. Scientists, for all their claims of objectivity, are not exempt from this human failing. ...
So in answer to the question, “Is anyone out there?” science clearly gives no grounds for belief in life on other planets. In fact, as the years pass and the silence from the stars continues, SETI is a growing embarrassment to scientists who believe in evolution. If various types of life evolve readily from nonlife, then why do we not hear from them in this vast universe? Where are they?*** g90 4/8 p. 9 Extraterrestrials—Finding the Answer ***
Some influential religious figures have insisted that God would not create any world without purpose and that all habitable worlds must therefore be inhabited. Is that what the Bible says? No. The Bible indicates that it is very unlikely that God at this point has created intelligent physical creatures on any planets other than our own. -
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Being interviewed by police tomorrow
by moley inwell tomorrow is a big day for me.
i'm finally going to be interviewed by the police about what happened to me as a kid.. im running the whole gamut of emotions at the moment.
sad, anxious, angry, guilt, fear and many more that cannot be quantified.. i feel physically sick, cannot sleep, have lost my appetite and i am desperately trying not to self harm.. i've got my sister to thank for getting this far.
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maksutov
Best wishes. -
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Took my 11 yr old trick or treating this year. saw first hand his cognitive dissonance. had to show him nothing is wrong with halloween
by goingthruthemotions ini know there was another thread about halloween, and i was going to post on it.
but, thought i wanted to make a couple of points on mine.
so.... here it is.. i took my 11 year old trick or treating this year.
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maksutov
Yay! Good for you - it will do your son a lot of good to see things how they really are as opposed to the nonsense he's been taught at the hall. I took my daughter (8) trick-or-treating for the first time yesterday too (with her cousin and a few others). It was great fun, and we met some really nice people (my wife is still in, and it seems unlikely she will ever leave). It felt great to knock on doors without a Watchtower or Awake, lol. -
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Something interesting!
by John Aquila ini was invited to a small get-together by a long time friend.
we both served as elders for years.
he is in his late 70s.
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maksutov
Cool. Any idea what they think about shunning / blood? -
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MOTO-GP the Rossi vs Marquez controversy
by wozza inif you've watched the race what do you think about the stoush on the track.. i've always been a rossi fan but after what happened in the race i'm really disappointed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2div26-jqs.
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maksutov
Just seen the race. Rossi looked very dirty - what a disappointment. I'm now rooting for Lorenzo to win the championship. -
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The fade did not work
by BeautifulMind innot long after learning ttatt, my hubby and i decided it would be best for us to fade.
his entire family is in, but not in the same cong.
we made it to the region convention and one sunday meeting after that.
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maksutov
Same thing happened to me - I thought I could fake it for a while for the sake of a relative, but I only lasted one meeting. One excruciating meeting. It is amazing what a difference it makes when you attend a meeting without the blinkers on. -
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Why doesn't God need a creator, while the Universe does?
by Bloody Hotdogs! ini asked this question of a jw that called on me yesterday: "if the universe requires a creator, why doesn't god?
if the universe must have a beginning, why doesn't god?
he claims to have an answer, but it must wait for next time he calls.. i'm hoping you guys can give me a heads-up as to what he will say.
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maksutov
When I was a JW I would have used special pleading to argue that whatever the first cause was, it had to be eternal, since if everything needs to be created, and someone created God, then that someone was the first cause, not God. We could regress with that argument indefinitely, but as the Bible tells us that God was the first cause and has existed eternally, and the Bible proves its veractiy with unerring prophecy (barf), we can be confident that it is true. As God is supernatural, and invented the laws of physics, he is not himself subject to the laws of physics, and can exist outside of the universe, thus not needing to have a beginning (whereas there is evidence that the universe itself did have a beginning). Ugh, I can't believe I just typed that BS.
westiebillie11: ...I have a circular thought re universe expansion....if it is expanding..what is it expanding in?..ie.what is outside it for it to expand into?....after a while I get a headache!
As for what the universe is expanding into - I think people often misunderstand what 'the universe is expanding' means (not saying you do, but it is easy to get the wrong idea). It does not refer to matter spreading out in space, it refers to space itself getting bigger. Imagine a two dimensional universe by drawing little pictures of stars and galaxies on the surface of a balloon. Then inflate the balloon - the dots and galaxies move away from each other because the balloon (space) is expanding, not because the dots are moving along the surface (that's not to say stars and galaxies don't move through space, they do, but that's not what expansion is about).