this is in no way meant to judge people, but sometimes i think about this issue a lot.
i think about famoust people and think "hmmm, will tom cruise be there in paradise?
arnold schartzenegger?
I dunno. I'm looking around for better offers...for instance, I'm looking into Islam's offer of 77 virgins. It seems a little more of a 'sure thing' than the Buddists (?) with their 'reincarnation-into-gawdess-knows-what-animal-bug-fish-x mother-in-law bitch' that I might have 'mistreated' somehow nonsense.
Oh...will JW's be there, too ? Cause if they are...I'll just take the virgins.
Rabbitism
this is a fun little site where you spend 15 or 20 minutes answering 20 questions and it will give you the rankings of the 27 most popular religions in america by % basis on how much you agree with them.
go to: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html my results listed below: .
1. unitarian universalism (100%) .
Tal,
We have the first 3 in common, just a different order ! I'll have to find out just how liberal these Quakers are for this liberal Rabbitism.
Rabbit
this is a fun little site where you spend 15 or 20 minutes answering 20 questions and it will give you the rankings of the 27 most popular religions in america by % basis on how much you agree with them.
go to: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html my results listed below: .
1. unitarian universalism (100%) .
Quakers...? Don't they make Oatmeal...?
So...am I half-full or half-empty on JW's and of all things...Islam ?
Dr. Evil, good site thanks ! I'll have to look up quakers now. I copied and dated my results and saved them in a file...I'd like to re-visit them in a year and see how I've changed.
1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (94%)
3. Unitarian Universalism (90%)
4. Bahá'í Faith (84%)
5. Sikhism (77%)
6. Secular Humanism (76%)
7. Reform Judaism (71%)
8. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (69%) (WTF ! # 8?)
9. Neo-Pagan (68%)
10. Theravada Buddhism (68%)
11. Orthodox Quaker (65%)
12. Mahayana Buddhism (62%)
13. New Age (60%)
14. Taoism (60%)
15. Jainism (58%)
16. Nontheist (56%)
17. Jehovah's Witness (53%)
18. Islam (50%)
19. Orthodox Judaism (50%)
20. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (48%)
21. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (40%)
22. New Thought (40%)
23. Seventh Day Adventist (39%)
24. Eastern Orthodox (35%)
25. Roman Catholic (35%)
26. Hinduism (35%)
27. Scientology (32%)
Rabbitism Version 5.1 <---------New Light
when i first became a father over 17 years ago i was so 'dedicated' to the truth' that i just know i'd have followed the society's policy on blood to the letter.
fortunately it never came up.
however, having kids was also something of a watershed.
crazyblonde,
I don't think you're 'crazy'. I think you're great ! I LOVE ya' ! I wish you had been around when I had my 'test of faith'.
I am SO glad you are an X-JW and a nurse ! You are in a perfect position to help patients whether they realize they need it or not. It hard to believe the parents treated you that way after helping save their child. Get you fired ? That's sad, they could have just thanked you and let it go quietly.
I guess they got frightened later when they realized a dreaded Ex-Witness maybe even an Apostate, was caring for their child.
Kudos for you Shelley !
Rabbit
when i first became a father over 17 years ago i was so 'dedicated' to the truth' that i just know i'd have followed the society's policy on blood to the letter.
fortunately it never came up.
however, having kids was also something of a watershed.
yes...my JW wife and I did e x a c t l y that.
Bar none, it was the most regretable thing I ever did as a JW. My now X wife still looks at it proudly as "proof" of her (and mine, at the time) deep beliefs in Jehovah and the Org.
The hospital already had contacted the courts and we were prepared to flee with our new-born baby to seek proper GB approved 'alternative' bloodless care. We were prepared to accept the baby's death as part of our faith. I cannot give all the details, but the jist of it is, our baby took a turn for the ...better. The doctors were even saying it was a "miracle baby", all the witnesses were convinced of it. Jehovah himself had blessed my wife and myself's 'unwavoring' faith -- with the life of our child.
It was really good doctoring and something 'I' said to a new doc right out of Med school, which made him remember a new type of blood test he'd heard of. The older docs glared at him (stuck in their ways) but, they had to listen.
Our baby lived !
It's always amazing to me...if our baby had died, the WT 'spin' would have been how great we had been as parents to 'stay faithful to the end'. We would see our baby in Paradise.
No harm done, huh ?
Since our baby lived, we were awesome 'heroes' of faith. What a "fine example" we had set for our congregation !
I guess we had the "right stuff," if we could allow an innocent child to die...because, some old, tired men in Brooklyn, New York (that we didn't even know...) said so. From behind the scenes they pull & push the levers to print words that can kill.
My own mother, years later wasn't so lucky. Doctors could have saved her with blood transfusions or even the blood fraction 'hemoglobin', which the old men say is "OK", well...not REALLY OK. They say it's a "conscience matter." Sure it is...! Not !
They tell you that something is "OK", then warn you that IF you do it and "stumble one of your brothers or sisters" you have STILL sinned and may "lose out on everlasting life in Paradise."
The governing body 'missed' my baby, but, 'got' my Mom on a technicality.
She was murdered by them just the same.
some things confuse me here.
i am in the same position as many where i don't agree with so much the society says and feel stuck dragging myself to the meetings and then feel incredible guilt because the study for the day says it is wrong to have any doubts "even in private".
impossible for me!.
Hi 5th
You've got your hands and head full...that's for sure! Take a deep cleansing breath...ahhhh....and just keep reading posts that pique your interest. That's what I did a year and a half ago, I simply watched and read. I was scared to death a demon was gonna jump out of my PC, but, alas...that was another lie.
I was baptised in 1972 and reg. pioneered for 3 years THRU 1975. That was a very interesting year for what did NOT happen. Regardless of whether the WT printed "The End of the World will be 1975" that's what everyone was told from the podium at Kingdom Halls to International Assemblies. Another lie you might want to look into.
The good thing here...is that you WILL "see the REST of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say. Everyone who has questions probably asked the Elders and others about their 'common sense' doubts -- and got shot down. I was basically told to "Shut Up!" about doubts, because...#1. "Are you doubting God's Organization ??" #2. "You will stumble others that way" and #3. "See #1."
I never got answers. I just got wide-open EYES telling me to "never question the Elders, the CO, the DO, the GB or the Org....never" it was "Dangerous thinking."
Well...it was actually just...thinking.
There is no easy way to do this. One thing I would caution you about is not mentioning your beliefs and doubts to friends & relatives, unless you know you can trust them. A lot of people here have been 'turned-in' to the Elders (out of love of course) by their own parents, children or even spouses. Figure out a plan that will work for you and your family. You'll hear of people walk boldly to the Elders and tell them what you think. Some, when ready to leave will write a letter of "Disassociation". A lot like me, will simply fade away...under the JWradar. We have family we know we could lose permanently if we get disfellowshiped (DF) or dissassociated (DA). You know the penalty.
My X wife -- a JW decided I was a 'spiritual danger' to her and we ended up with an unscriptural divorce, I later remarried a non-jw and I am shunned by 1/2 of my family, including our children. Isn't that Christ like love ? Btw, I am not DA/DF either.
So, Welcome ! Some people here you'll love, some will make you sick, some are real brains, but, everyone is REAL ! They will tell you what they think, they'll ask you hard questions and give you hard answers. That took me some getting used to, I was much more familiar with being recited to from a WT point of view, everyone was usually afraid to really give you THEIR personal opinion.
I see you have some of those already ! Good for you !
Rabbit
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happy fathers day to every father out there.. i hope you are fishing or riding bikes etc.
without fathers there would be no mothers.. .
Thank you, NYP, I'd be glad to adopt ya' I hope we'll see ya' again soon. How are ya' anyway ?
Papa Rabbit
make your "contribution" to the world-wide-work of jws.
please, please, drop one of these in the contribution box of your district conventions and circuit assemblies.
make a silent protest and put the wts on notice.. .
Thank you -- JUST what I needed !
.
happy fathers day to every father out there.. i hope you are fishing or riding bikes etc.
without fathers there would be no mothers.. .
Hey gurl...long time no see !
Thanks for the Father's Day wish. I won't hear it from my children now, but maybe some day !
Rabbit
let your voice be heard!.
the primary goal is to wake the wts up to the fact that both active and ex-jws know the truth about the truth.
internet links and brief statements are printed on each check in the chance that someone may take interest as well.. .
Does anyone have a schedule of the different District Conventions in the US ? I am particularly interested in the one that includes Ft. Worth, Texas. Thank, Rabbit
