Great additions so far. Here's another:
To be "used" in the congregation was supposed to indicate privilege, when in reality it was exactly as it sounded, until you were "used" up.
in the time since i've left the borg behind i've had a few things hit me as to how words were used.
i'm wondering if anyone else has some similar examples, but here are some things that have made me think:.
watchtower - my whole life i saw this as a thing of protection from outside evil forces, and then when i left someone pointed out "isn't that what they used to keep people in prison".
Great additions so far. Here's another:
To be "used" in the congregation was supposed to indicate privilege, when in reality it was exactly as it sounded, until you were "used" up.
my parents had a story that the first time my dad ever met my mom's father, he opened the door and immediately asked dad, "what are you gonna do if my grandson needs a blood transfusion?!".
grampa was a ww2 vet, an airplane mechanic, a methodist and freemason.
he and my grandmother were pictured all my life as these ogres who opposed my mother's jw conversion and her marriage to my father.
Yeah, inside the stress of such a life or death situation isn't the time to hash this out. I applaud you for being proactive and discussing things now.
I like your point too about how things were told a certain way. That persecution complex sure skews the way that everything is related.
in the time since i've left the borg behind i've had a few things hit me as to how words were used.
i'm wondering if anyone else has some similar examples, but here are some things that have made me think:.
watchtower - my whole life i saw this as a thing of protection from outside evil forces, and then when i left someone pointed out "isn't that what they used to keep people in prison".
In the time since I've left the Borg behind I've had a few things hit me as to how words were used. I'm wondering if anyone else has some similar examples, but here are some things that have made me think:
Watchtower - my whole life I saw this as a thing of protection from outside evil forces, and then when I left someone pointed out "isn't that what they used to keep people in prison"
Worldly - my whole life that was used to indicate evil outsiders, and then I came to realize that it is seen as a compliment to everyone but JWs, indicating that one is experienced and sophisticated
Faithful Slave - they are supposed to be the slaves, but they are actually the master of 8 million plus people around the world
The Society - just thinking about how we used to refer to the governing body as "The Society" is pretty culty which is why I remember them changing it. I believe that may be when they switched to "The Organization", which is still pretty culty.
The Truth - a humorous reference to their teachings that are every changing, indicating that everything else on the outside was false, when in reality it was our own beliefs that were ever changing.
So what am I missing? What other abominations of meanings did they come up with for us? I'm sure that I've overlooked some.
i was working today and my brain was working in circles like it often does and i started wondering about what i was always told about people like methuselah in bible times, and their incredibly claims of longevity.
i've tried researching things but have a hard time getting through all of the bible thumpers to some real evidence, and figured that some here may be more informed or have done the research previously.
so, did people really live longer way back when?
Sorry I haven't been around. I asked this and then got super busy with work. It is interesting to see that nobody can come up with anything solid to prove these claims in the Bible. You can't even reason it well, as someone mentioned, a different way of counting time results in children becoming fathers. It just doesn't add up in any way, does it. Like I said in the OP, and Simon reiterated, how do we know Methuselah was even real?
Just another hole in the stories of the Bible.
i was working today and my brain was working in circles like it often does and i started wondering about what i was always told about people like methuselah in bible times, and their incredibly claims of longevity.
i've tried researching things but have a hard time getting through all of the bible thumpers to some real evidence, and figured that some here may be more informed or have done the research previously.
so, did people really live longer way back when?
I was working today and my brain was working in circles like it often does and I started wondering about what I was always told about people like Methuselah in Bible times, and their incredibly claims of longevity. I've tried researching things but have a hard time getting through all of the Bible thumpers to some real evidence, and figured that some here may be more informed or have done the research previously.
So, did people really live longer way back when? I doubt it, like I doubt many of the stories in the Bible, but I figured there has to be some sort of records of some of this. Did Bible characters really live for hundreds of years? Is there anything that corroborates this? What about other societies that existed in similar times? Do they have any verified records of such longevity?
From what I could find, there are theories that perhaps they counted years in shorter durations than the current calendar, but some point to similar lengths of months, though maybe not as many months per year. Does anyone really know? Obviously, people living to 900 years old sounds about as likely as a flood covering the entirety of the earth up to the highest peak, but I'm wondering if there are any records in existence other than so called "holy books" that are filled with lots of things that don't add up. Is there even a record of these people living at all other than in the books themselves?
the reality that all of us ultimately must face is that we get older and our bodies, and our minds eventually fail us.
i have seen this first hand in my family, in the jw community, and in the ex-jw community.
it is simply a sad part of the human condition, as is physical, emotional, and mental illness.
I'm 39, and terrified of doctors and medical stuff. Always have been. My dad was too. I know now that I will get old and sick and die, and that is hard for me. I'm trying hard to adjust my perspectives, but "knowing" for 38 years that I'd never die is hard to shake and I bought in completely.
Death is hard to accept, as others mentioned above that ceasing to exist is a mind bender. That's why religions exist. They fill people with thoughts of another, even better existence. I always thought that the whole eternal nap thing for those that didn't make it in the new system was terrifying on some level. Now knowing that it is the only eventuality is tough.
I wish I was taught the cycle of life and appreciated it from a young age. I also wish 38 years wasn't wasted in a damn cult.
the numbers don't lie... definitely slowing down!!.
in the 40´s the average growth per year was 20%in the 50´s it was about 10%they had four decades of solid 5% per yearnow the average for the past 16 years has been 2%.
maybe in the future it will be 1% or 0 or even negative????.
Jehovah is speeding up the work in his own due time as people flock to his mountain. Err......maybe not. I thought their growth was part of their proof that they had the truth.
this show is a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!!!.
...anyone that has been in a strict religion.
...anyone that has been in a high control cult or movement/organization.
@Anders - I think that the sex may be too much for an uber dub, though it probably wouldn't impact most. Just depends on how uber they are. My guess is that an uber dub would shake their heads at "those crazy cults" and the irony would be lost on them. If they're open minded though, it would have to touch on their dissonance I would think. Can't know for sure.
this show is a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!!!.
...anyone that has been in a strict religion.
...anyone that has been in a high control cult or movement/organization.
My wife and I binged the first season in one weekend. It was great. The second season starts sometime this month, I think. It's been recommended several times here and should be. Hopefully someone new starts watching.
yesterday i made a visit to the museum in my city.
the top floor is the planetarium, which has a connecting room with a huge dome ceiling where they project lessons and lectures and you have a 360 view of the night sky etc.. this particular lecture explained about our galaxy, and how it's only one of billions in the universe.
and then we learned about each planet, some of their moons and the sun.
It shows both how special and how insignificant we are, doesn't it. One could argue that our planet and the life on it must be for a purpose, or that an anomaly happened. That's why I just stopped believing one way or another. I'm here, and trying to live a good life. If there's more behind everything so be it, if not, so be it. None of that is in my control and I no longer worry about it.