The NWT contains thousands of serious errors. The NWT committee and the Watchtower Society simply rewrote the Bible to suit themselves. I will make a new post that shows some of the many problems with the NWT.
Jim Whitney
Amazing
JoinedPosts by Amazing
-
34
This Greber 'coverup' is disgusting, Isn't it?
by AK - Jeff ini had proven to myself, with help from ray franz and others, that the 'truth' was not the 'truth' about three years back - so in most cases i have paid little attention to further proof.
once proven, always proven, right?.
then this week, i began to do a little research into the greber thing - i typed in greber watchtower to my google seach.. 465 hits - and started to read a few of the websites.
-
-
-
16
I am not defined by my past
by Lady Lee inevery now and then the question comes up about how we define ourselves; whether we will always be ex-jehovahs witnesses.. if the answer to the question is yes then i am married forever to a definition provided by an organization that cares for no one - not even its chosen ones.. it colors who i am today.
but i am not defined by it.. in the 1960s when few kids had parents who didn't live together i was the odd kid who didn't have a mother around.
not only had she left my father but she left me.
-
-
Amazing
Lady Lee,
Excellent! You have captured what people in general need to come to realize about many types of tragedies in their lives ... and this is just as true for ex-JWs. Eventually, we need to retire from being an ex-JW.
Jim Whitney
-
-
-
Amazing
Hypocrisy, double-standards, and intellectual dishonesty tend to make me go a little batty.
Jim Whitney
-
4
Islamic spies to snoop on lovers
by Elsewhere inreminds me of life as a jw... you never knew who was watching, just waiting to rat you out to the elders.
i always loved it when someone mistook my actions and told the elders.
when i was confronted i would raise hell over how they f. .
-
-
Amazing
Elsewhere,
I knew what I was going to read as soon as I saw the title. Yet, I just had to read it. And this caught my eye,
spies to look out for un-Islamic behavior,
I spit my coffee out ... because it brought up another utterly wicked word ... un-Theocratic
Thanks for a good read,
Jim Whitney
-
11
Question for anyone who is knowledgeable about construction costs
by DanTheMan inmy house has a carport that is about 10' wide or so, just a one car deal.
as you can see in the pics below, the carport has a flat roof - a flat roof that leaks water unfortunately, and has leaked for as long as i've had the house (5 years).
the roof is covered with rubber, but somewhere water gets through.
-
-
Amazing
It depends on how much damage, where you live, and whether you hire out the work, or do it yourself. I would tear off the carport roof material, and strip out the underneath ceiling board and examine the wood. Assuming your carport is totally rotted, you can have one built for about $1,500 to $2,000 in the Chicago area. It will be higher in some areas and lower in others. I estimate that the materials are about $500 to $800 at most. The rest is labor. If you are handy, and shop around for materials, you can do it yourself for about $500 to $600. I am basing this on some of my own work on similar size projects (not carports) and on what I see done in my real estate activity, such as when someone rebuilds a deck or patio roof to add some value to their homes.
Jim Whitney
-
14
My Kingdom Hall Beard
by Amazing inin mid-1975: i grew a mustache while i was a ministerial servant (california bay area).
i recall being asked to conduct the book study while my hair was growing.
several acted odd toward me because there was still an ongoing argument about whether having such facial hair was appropriate for men of good example.
-
-
Amazing
In mid-1975: I grew a mustache while I was a Ministerial Servant (California bay area). I recall being asked to conduct the Book Study while my hair was growing. Several acted odd toward me because there was still an ongoing argument about whether having such facial hair was appropriate for men of good example. Why, mustaches were still considered somewhat worldly, though not specifically prohibited. Beards were totally out. Several other JW men, mostly those under 35-years old grew mustaches. One day we were called in to the back room by the Elders for counseling about this trend. Several, including me, shaved off our mustaches as a result. Then, I grew it back just before moving to Washington State in late 1975. Over the years, I sported a mustache off and on, but the grooming standards relaxed and it was really nothing for JW men to have them.
Fast forward to 1992: We lived near Portland, Oregon. My family and I had just completed the Summer, where I failed to attend the JW convention in Corvallis, Oregon. I was growing a beard while I was fading from the organization. By late August, a friend in the Kingdom Hall died. She was one of the "odd ones" who the Elders tried to avoid because she was an emotional basket case. In the JW world, such odd ones are not really given love, except by a few who seem to strive to be Christian in spite of being JWs. I had studied with her son after he was released from the authorities in juvenial detention. He had been convicted of a crime as a minor and had to live several years in a state-run home. As a result he took up being a JW again, and she was extremely grateful, befriending our family because we did not avoid her. I was invited to the funeral by her son.
Soooo, I showed up at the funeral with my full beard. It was well groomed, but moderately long and thick dark brown, flowing down about six to eight inches beyond my chin. The only other JW there with a beard was an ex-Elder from Canada who was himself fading away from the organization. As I walked into the Kingdom Hall, you could have heard a pin drop. While I had tried to resign my position, I was still technically on the books as serving, but in the newly created "holding status." The rumors were out in full force that I was not in full harmony with the organization, and that I was potentially bad association ... with apostate tendencies. I went up to several people to talk with them. They were beside themselves as to whether to greet me, shun me, or run to an Elder for advice ... which some did. Most actually talked with me after a brief moment of confusion ... and my assurances that I would not bite them. Conversation was on a "pleasant" level, light talk, and some even shook hands. But, as we sat down for the funeral talk (in reality a market presentation to non-JWs attending) I noticed that many eyes were on me, and not the speaker. It was as though I was sitting there naked, with my privates hanging out for all to see and ponder.
What did I do with this unwanted attention? I sat there and concentrated on the speaker, while running my fingers through my beard ... twirling my beard hair around my fingers, and then grooming it out again ... over and over. One young lady who was studying was unaware that her parents had contacted me to help them find a way to get her away from the JWs. Her dad was too emotional and impatient. he wanted a magic answer, and he did not have patience to develop dialogue with her. After the funeral she finally spoke to me. I assure her that she oculd be a Christian without being a JW, but I also said that I do not judge her for being in the organization. I don't know if anyone heard me ... I don't think so ... but in time she left the JWs. I took the opportunity to say good bye to several, including some sisters who accepted my outstretched arms for a hug ... and yes ... my beard brushed up against their perfumed cheeks.
Regrets?: I almost wished I had not attended out of respect for the dead JW woman. Or maybe I should have shaved back to just the mustache. My hair grows fast, so it would not have hurt my ability to have it again soon. ... Yet, it was an experience worth having, and one that I would not be able to repeat again. Since then I have never set foot in that particular Kingdom Hall, and my very last visit was to a Memorial I attended by invitation to another Kingdom Hall in Portland. I had shaved my beard weeks earlier for other reasons, and chose to partake as I had done for many years. I regret attending that Memorial and partaking of their emblems, because I knew it was a fraud ... but I just felt that at the time that it was still proper to openly show my Christian standing. I will never again partake at a JW Memorial because they do not honor the body and blood of Jesus Christ ... but instead, the Memorial is just another showtime for the GB to market their publications and belief system. The JW Memorial is not, nor ever really was about Jesus Christ as the Jehovah's Witnesses practice. The JWs seem to forget that the first so-called "memorial" was celebrated by 13 bearded men, one of them being Jesus Christ.
Looking back: Even as a JW, I never agreed with the policy of discouraging facial hair. I always felt that a nicely trimmed beard was great, because it is a natural feature of being a man. I grew my beard back and it has been on my face since late 1993. It is all white now, so I keep it dyed medium brown. My head hair is still brown, so my dyed beard looks better. I also had no problem going to a door with a nice neat beard ... and wish I had done so to demonstrate the point that non-JWs really don't give a damn if a man has a beard and would think nothing less of someone who was preaching to them. For the Society, it is all about control. It is an outgrowth of Rutherfordism that they have not been able to shake ... being clean-shaven is now a marketing image, and an act that makes them feel better about themselves to themselves. It has nothing to do with representing our bearded Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jim Whitney
-
54
Ridiculous teenager counselled at Assembly.
by Duncan inthe ridiculous teenager is me.
this story takes me back to 1969, when i was 15 years old.
we were attending the international assembly at wembley stadium, near london, the only time, i think, that wembley was ever used for an assembly.. if youve ever read any of the stories i posted on jwd over the years, youll know that i was never one of those kids growing up in the truth who always had doubts about it or was unhappy and miserable with the religion, just waiting for the chance to get out.
-
-
Amazing
Duncan,
Jesus Christ man ... only a tried and true JW could say what you've said. Your level of detail to strive to be recognized is among the most ... interesting ... right up there with buying a larger, hinge-top briefcase to carry a pile of books, etc. to look like an Elder ... yes, like so many others, you were fully infected with the cult virus. I noticed that others too had clapping styles like yours, or they would clap fast like others, and employing a loud popping clap by using the flats of their four fingers fingers sealed into a wall to compress the air the the palm of their other hand. I don't know if this was done by them to get noticed ... perhaps it was to show appreciation. But ... it felt like they were trying to stimulate some slackers to clap a little more themselves.
Well stated Duncan ... I like the open honesty.
Jim Whitney
-
24
Complete Amnesty
by zarco inwould you come back the organization if all disfellowshipping/other punitive actions were completely reversed?
if you came back would it be for association with friends and family only?
what policy and behavioral changes would the society need to make to "entice" you back?.
-
-
Amazing
I don't need their amnesty ... I did nothing to deserve action in the first place. Notwithstanding, if the Watchtower lifted all shunning of former members, I would look up a few friends and see if there is anything left worth cultivating. I would not go their Kingdom Hall, just as I would not ask them to go to Mass with me. But, if my friends were open, loving and wanted to pick up where we left off ... I would gladly have them into my home, and I would go to their homes ... have meals, share stories, play cards, see movies, go out to dinner, have a beer, etc. I had some good friends among the JWs, and were they to become so open, I see no barrier to enjoying their friendship again. But their religion ... there is nothing in the Watchtower that I need or want. Maybe in time they would see through their religion, because they would be exposed to more information about it ... and who knows ... maybe they would come out and just be good old plain-jane baptists or something!
Jim Whitney
-
46
What Religion Are You?
by choosing life ini know a lot of posters are not religious and others feel no need to attend a church.
but, for those that do attend somewhere, i was curious as to what type of church they chose after leaving the jws and what attracted them to that particular church or religion?
if you were not raised as a jw, did you return to the church you were raised in?
-
-
Amazing
Choosing,
I was raised Roman Catholic. I left Catholicism to be a JW for a total association time of 27-years (25-years as a baptized JW). When I left the JWs, I associated with all types of Christians, starting with Baptists, then Asembly of God (pentecostal type), then Presbyterian, Christian Reform, then Baptist again, with a visit to some non-denominational Churches and a Methodist Church. I was NOT searching for some kind of true Church, but rather, I wanted to taste the varieties an learn all that I could. Some I attended by invitation, including Mormon (with no intention on joining the Mormons as they are too wacky for me.)
Eventually, I stopped attending any type of Church, but reatined my faith in Christ ... though I also flirted with agnosticism, or a varient called Christian agnosticism. This was not due to any searching, but rather, in accord with serious issues I cold not resolve regarding God and his purposes. During this period, which lasted several years, I prayed, but did not read the Bible (except for quoting verses in discussion boards) and I simply faded from any Church affiliation.
About 2-years ago, Icommenced a serious study of early Christianity, wherein I read every early Church Father from the late 1st century up to about the late 3rd century. It was a massive undertaking, considering that I am also working full time, and in university full time. In the process, I fell upon many things which connected me with my Catholic roots, the Trinity and the person of the Holy Spirit. With this, I discovered an indepth understanding of the history and teachings of the Eastern Orthodox, which is a cousin of Catholicism, but holds to a doctrinal position that embraces my Catholic roots, my Protestant leanings, and my sense of what emerged out of the historical Church. That process eventually led to my reconciliation with the Catholic Church. I do not agree with Rome 100%, and I do not feel that every Christian has to be Catholic, plus I am out of the preaching business. Not all in the body of Christ are evangelizers, for God gives different gifts in the faith ... and preaching is not my gift.
In rediscovering Catholicism, I came to realize just how much the Watchtower Society had misinformed, blurred, and twisted Catholic teaching and practice. Mostly, what drew me back home, so to speak, is the love and peace I find among Catholic Christians ... it is a place and a foundation of profound thinking and historical roots to early Christianity that has re-anchored me in Roman harbors. I do share my faith and my peace ... but in the most moderate an unimposing ways. I no longer view the Bible as the law-book of the Christian faith, because I now accept the traditions that were handed down orally from the Apostles to the disciples who formed the beginnings of the early Churches ... and who continued that tradition through out history. In saying this, in no way do I dismiss or play down the errors made by the Catholic Church ... but I am satisfied she has learned from her mistakes ... and that the generation of Catholics that exist today are good, kind, loving, and moderate people (barring the comparatively few bad eggs that she and any Church body will have.)
In the Catholic Church, I can live freely and be intellectually honest, with the Church, with fellow Catholics, with Orthodox, and Protestants, with myself, and most of all, with God. So, it is a safe and good place for me now ... and I trust for the rest of my life.
Jim Whitney
-
7
Thoughts About "Filler" and Fufilled Preaching
by metatron inso, what are they going to fill the "public" watchtower with?
they already have enough trouble filling the awake with sarong.
wrapping, interesting bugs and breezy articles on natural science.
-
-
Amazing
Metatron,
Well ... I recall when they taught that once the gethering work was finished and the main preaching work done, that they would go into their final proclaimation mode, where they preach the warning message of impending destruction, but no hope to join the Watchtower, as the door to the spiritual ark will be closed ... the purpose is so that the billions of non-JWs will know why Jehovah was giving them the axe soon ... kind of like a judgment message. It will be interesting to see the look on JWs faces when they realize that their entire belief system is a fraud ... just after they complete their final warning work, and like all the other times in the past, they wait at the proverbial "top of the hill" to be spared destruction and ... not a damn thing happens.
We will be watching, blogging, and waiting to welcome the last few reasoning, thinking JWs who have an ounce left of their own brains and hearts. The rest of the JWs ... who knows what will happen to them ... likely they will start another cult or two or three or more ... or end up on valium and lithium for the rest of their lives as they sort it all out in therapy.
Jim Whitney