Posts by dubstepped

40

Inactive

by ScottyRex in

jw
friends

inactive.......hmmm, what an interesting title (notice, not phrase) that's me.

not a title i ascribe myself, one foisted on me.. jwd -yes.

jw memorial, why of course too.. valid posts on here....yes.

dubstepped

Scotty is as his avatar suggests. Obvious troll is obvious.

50

If "the Truth" is the truth, why are witnesses so scared of research?

by stuckinarut2 in

it is an often asked question i know, but it perplexes me.. if witnesses are so convinced that they have "the truth", why is the act of researching information from external sources so taboo?

didn't the bible itself tell people to "use their powers of reason" and also praised ones like the boreans for researching things they were told??.

seriously, if there is no doubt about the organization being "god's channel" on earth, and it alone having the "truth", surely researching would only enhance such 'facts'?.

Because they might find something "truthier" and the fallout from that rabbit hole is to great to bear. Deep down they know it doesn't all add up, but well...you know....cognitive dissonance. Thus, head in the sand. It's much more comfortable to feel right than to prove it.

19

Hospice and JW

by Terry Clees in

i am a bereavement coordinator with a hospice company.

i have noticed that most often jw patients decline chaplain care and also the family ends up declining bereavement care.

where i work our chaplains do not proselytize at all...they merely walk with the patient in their faith at the end of life.

dubstepped

Last April my dad was in hospice. The chaplain was super nice and wanted to help, but of course my dad said no. They believe that they have the truth and anything you could add would be little more than a dilution of their truth at a time when they're most vulnerable. If they turn you away, respect it and move on. That's not the time to interject yourself where you're not wanted. I'm sure that you believe in what you do, and I think it's nice, but they don't.

In the end this isn't about you, so don't make it so.

40

Wife is Awake

by freemindfade in

following the news of stuckinarut2, over the past few months my wife has completely mentally woken up.

i've been meaning to post but haven't had the time.

i saw stuckins post and i figured i'd add my news too.

dubstepped

So awesome FreeMindFade and Female FreeMindFade! Two great announcements this week!

22

How Do JWs Reconcile Contradictions Between Mt. and Lk. and Their Birth Stories?

by Saename in

does anybody know how jehovah's witnesses reconcile the contradictions between the stories of jesus' birth as found in matthew and luke?

when i was a jehovah's witness, i wasn't even aware of this contradiction; i simply thought that all of it happen—namely that there was a census (luke 2) and the slaughter of the innocents (matthew 2) simultaneously.

but at the time i didn't know that the census took place in 6 ce and that herod the great died in 4 bce, thus placing those birth stories 10 years apart in time.

dubstepped

Wow, nice points OP. I had never heard of this either, and just did a little research. It all really comes crumbling down so easily, doesn't it. There are just so many holes and issues with the Bible, and I knew of none of them as a JW.

40

All About The Words We Used

by dubstepped in

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".

dubstepped

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.

12

It's weird to look back at old family stories about our beliefs.

by schnell in

jw
friends

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.

dubstepped

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.

40

All About The Words We Used

by dubstepped in

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".

dubstepped

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.

35

How long did people like Methuselah really live?

by dubstepped in

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?

dubstepped

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.

35

How long did people like Methuselah really live?

by dubstepped in

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?

dubstepped

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?