okay, this is interesting to me.. first a little bit of background on me, i was introduced to jw-ism as a zygote, raised in and baptized at the tender age of 12. i got baptized because my beloved grandfather had just passed away and i was told that if i wasn't baptized i wouldn't get to the new order and i wouldn't ever see him again.
no pressure or anything.... i really truly believed everything for the first two decades of my life.
really started doubting at 25, left at 26 (they df'd me even though i disassociated myself in a letter to the elders first).
It sounds more like you have broken the spell that the society had cast over you. I suspect that in your heart you still cherish some of the finer Christian values that guided you?
I know how you feel though - I went through that period of elation myself. Be careful not to spring into another straightjacket existence, feel your way forward carefully and think out your choices clearly.
My 2 pennys worth .. for what it's worth.
how can supposedly intelligent adults actually believe (and waste any time) on this astrology crap?
are they mentally handicapped?
is it genetic?
While not advocating the pursuit of this system, I have to accept that beyond the surface a certain truth lies within. Have you ever had your own birth chart drawn up?
I have and also a selection of my friends have as an experiment, the results were astounding.
Beyond the tabloid appearance there appears to be a certain validity to the claims of the more serious astrologers out there.
according to the dubs, and other faiths, adam was created with no defects of any kind.
he was created with no sin.
then adam sinned.
Thanks for the link by the way LittleToe - their mission statement seems fair enough to me. Bookmarked for future reference.
according to the dubs, and other faiths, adam was created with no defects of any kind.
he was created with no sin.
then adam sinned.
Now it seems that you've thrown the entire Bible out the window. Shipwreck comes to mind.
Hey Schizm ... how has he thrown out the entire Bible?
Also, how is he shipwrecked?
A discussion is a discussion and should be without fear of the mind-police.
according to the dubs, and other faiths, adam was created with no defects of any kind.
he was created with no sin.
then adam sinned.
What did animals do to get the death sentence?
I'd like to understand that as well. My old cat is on her last legs and I have bonded with her, when she dies part of my life dies with her. The society say it is unnatural to get too close to animals ... maybe so, but I am what I am and feel affection towards many lifeforms that exhibit love towards me that I understand.
according to the dubs, and other faiths, adam was created with no defects of any kind.
he was created with no sin.
then adam sinned.
Another thought for the cosmic melting pot of supposition.
Curiously I was thinking about this subject on the loo yesterday and was reading through Paul's words about his internal power struggle, in the right that he wanted to do he couldn't do etc because there was another force within him fighting against his core righteousness.
It lead my mind back to the garden of Eden and the possibility that when the death sentence was passed, the inherent state of dying creates within the dying organism a profound selfish desire (sin?) to create continual comfort zones for us to exist in mentally and physically - thus the battle ensues!
How the death sentence was carried out is beyond me. As Gumby quipped - probably a switch.
are you an elder in the congregation?
timothy 5:17, ephesians 5:23; hebrews 6:10-12).
yes, an elder needs to ?accomplish his ministry fully.?
Good job that fine lady (stinky apostate? ) ... I seriously could not make it to the end of your study, I managed 2 thirds and then started to recoil mentally into my shell. It just feels like a thorough lashing through and through. There has to be something wrong with the methodology employed by the society!!!
Need to go and lie down for an hour after that. How I managed to sit through the meetings years ago and lap it up is beyond me.
this has a clear muslim spin to it... but it still puts forward a balanced view of recent matters.. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=5§ion=0&article=44053&d=30&m=4&y=2004.
the middle east's leading english language daily.
friday, 30, april, 2004 (11, rabi` al-awwal, 1425).
I suspect the essence of that message will be swept away from most Muslim's minds by the recent images plastered across the world media and potentially the negative propaganda machine that will rise to the surface.
Shame.
http://www.daghettotymz.com/current/rrjehovah/rrjehovah.html
the rothschilds wasn't their original name, for they went by several before choosin' this one.
one of their earlier names was the bauers one of the most notorious cult bloodlines of middle ages germany.
Interesting but the article appears to be quoting from a book by David Icke. David Icke being a man who uses his emotional instinct over thorough research and is working towards his own agenda.
I enjoy reading articles of this nature but hold them on the mental back-burner as they stray too far into conspiracy territory and can never be fully corroberated by clear and well researched evidence. So it becomes another matter of faith unto itself.
Also, whilst accepting that the current Jews are not necessarily God's chosen people; this article is helping to promote the worldwide racist propaganda & agenda.
How and who said so? If you pick the article to bits there are areas of conjecture. So if certain issues are based around conjecture, how can we trust & believe that Charles Russell had an affiliation with the Rothchilds and was a member of the supposed illuminati? Hmmm?Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were not only funded by, but CREATED by the Rothschilds
my boss lost his wife about a year ago and when her birthday came, he was very upset and his whole family got together.
i thought to myself how nice that was and how birthdays must mean so much to people.
because i was raised a jw, birthdays just don't have that kind of emotional meaning to me.
Well, I still don't celebrate birthdays. After having got out of the ritual, I personally don't want to go back again and do see the materialistic approach and egotistical side amongst my family members who do celebrate.
But... the circumstances described are understandable and if I lost one of my close loved ones I would remember them on the day they were born or when they died and put time aside to reflect. Nothing wrong with that at all IMO
Also, a friend of mine who works in a sensitive enviroment and used to serve as a JW for many years and still holds part of the belief system, bends her rules towards sick children and helps them have a good time on the day they cherish. Again, nothing wrong with that at all IMO.
