fiddler
JoinedPosts by fiddler
-
41
Jehovah kicks a puppy
by Simon intechnically incorrect, but effectively he does .... if we're to believe the genesis account the serpent deceived eve and made her eat of the tree of knowledge.
it all went pear shaped from there on in, although most people believe it was an apple (boom tish).. but anyway .... either it was a literal serpent that could talk on it's own behalf or, as people typically believe, it was satan who was the puppet master and possessing the creature.. the first raises all sorts of questions that contradict the whole bible narrative (another creature that could reason, talk, debate existence and law etc...) so let's go with "the satan theory".. how does got react to his 'perfect' creation immediately being completely imperfect as soon as he takes it out of the box?
(he's like 0 for 4 ... satan, serpent, woman, man ... all break his rules).
-
fiddler
The Genesis account, IMO, is a mishmash of ancient stories that were taken from oral traditions going way back in time...farther than the 6,000 years JWs claim...think Catal Huyuk and Nevali Cori in Anatolia...serpent like figurines have been found in those places and they date back to 8,000 BC. Maybe the 'Serpent' was just a man, a Shaman, dressed like a serpent. I read that in some books a long time ago, 'From The Ashes of Angels' and also 'God's of Eden' by Andrew Collins. These are not so much scientifically accurate books so much as they simply pose a different view of ancient history. I found some of what I read at least more believable and logical than the JW version I was brought up with. Serpents have long been venerated or demonized throughout ancient history. -
14
In Case Witnesses Didn't know..............
by The Searcher inwatchtower july 15 2015 p.11 pars.
"your share in contributing to the spiritual paradise".
18 it is an honor to be allowed by jehovah to contribute to the beauty of our spiritual paradise.we do that by zealously preaching the kingdom good news and making more disciples.
-
fiddler
FayeDunaway, in my early days out of JWs it was reading up on the Dead Sea Scrolls and The Book Of Enoch that explained (to me) so much about the mindset of the ancient peoples of the Middle East. It also cleared up, like I said, that reference of Paul to the third heaven but also the goat for Azazel...the scapegoat. Azazel is also represented by the Hanged Man in Tarot cards. Interesting, huh? Wikipedia has a pretty good write up about The Book of Enoch and of course whole sites are dedicated exclusively to it. The Watchtower is so simplistic in it's explanations of things with no really in depth scholarly research. Some idiot on the writing committee read that scripture and decided it EVIDENTLY must be referring to paradise earth! To take a line from Game of Thrones...they know nothing!
-
14
In Case Witnesses Didn't know..............
by The Searcher inwatchtower july 15 2015 p.11 pars.
"your share in contributing to the spiritual paradise".
18 it is an honor to be allowed by jehovah to contribute to the beauty of our spiritual paradise.we do that by zealously preaching the kingdom good news and making more disciples.
-
fiddler
I used to wonder about that scripture regarding Paul's little out of body experience.
" Oh yes, It must have been speaking about the earthly paradise"
Hogwash...not whitewash!
I only started to get where Paul was coming from after I left the religion and happened to read parts of the Book of Enoch where Enoch has a similar 'magical mystery tour'. Yes, of course! No wonder it was something to brag about! Those writings were in use in the first century and fragments were found in the Qumran Dead Sea scrolls. First century Jews were well familiar with that kind of writing and mystical experience. Jude also references The Book of Enoch (Jude 1:14 -15)
-
45
Hold Me, Thrill Me
by Hold Me-Thrill Me ini'm going to be honest and from the heart when i say that for 40 years in the jw religion i was very happy in my ignorance!
man, what a trip it was.
i loved every minute of it but then i was absent the bad in my religion.
-
fiddler
I don't think that the average JW would ever tolerate a pedophile in their midst but what the average JW doesn't think about is that they follow writings of ancient patriarchal tribal people who's mindset allows for the protection of a pedophile. Pedophiles ARE in their midst but they aren't aware because they follow an ancient mindset. Yes, it's an imperfect system.
But Is that a good reason to follow it?
*sigh*
-
205
Hi Everyone. Answer to prayer countdown...
by Stumpy ini've been lurking for about 3 months now and thought i'd better finally sign up.
you have all been an immense help to me as i have come to realize that this isn't the truth so i want to say a great big thank you!
what a crazy, emotional ride it is to finally face the truth about the doubts that i have carried for many years.
-
fiddler
Before I left I prayed so hard for help and answers. At first I thought my prayers were going UN answered but in actuality, it was getting my eyes opened that WAS the answer to the prayers. Hang in there and may you and your wife make a clean escape together. -
21
Oregon, Hillsboro Tribune, Article: Jehovah's Witness sex abuse case in feds' hands
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.pamplinmedia.com/ht/117-hillsboro-tribune-news/255785-125363-jehovahs-witness-sex-abuse-case-in-feds-hands.
lawsuit seeks $10.5 million from hillsboro church, watchtower society .
attorneys for a 40-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man who say they were sexually abused nearly 30 years ago by a church elder in hillsboro want to have a lawsuit filed by the pair last fall placed back in state court jurisdiction.
-
fiddler
I used to attend one of the Hillsboro congregations. I see this mans face in my minds eye and never knew anything was amiss about him. I had 4 children going to meetings there as well. Also, according to my sons, all grown and out of the religion, there is still a perp in good standing in Hillsboro who has never been charged. The trail of damaged kids in her wake is observable but none have come forward. I wonder if and when any of them will ever say anything. One ended up a drug addict and probably feels too messed up to even try. The other's seem to have moved on... -
104
The Secret is out....but nobody cares
by MrTheocratic ini've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.
i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.
i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.
-
fiddler
I too found this thread to be encouraging to a point and offer my thanks to Mr. theocratic for posting his observations. I still wonder about the same point that Galaxy made:
any ex jw family members who have learned ttatt still suffer because of those who just remain within because they think it's a respectable way of life. Surely thats a contradictory position ?
I hear little snippets about my still in JW daughter and what she does and says seems so contradictory to the 'council' coming from the GB. Her business doings seem to be her major focus in life and she's also into things that would have been on the fringes of spiritism in my day. She stayed home from memorial last year because her toddler was sick...wonder if someone will be 'sick' this year. She gets a lot of her meetings over the phone, a privilege that wasn't available in my day but oh it would have been so nice! Oh, and she's back on anti depressants to help her deal with her emotionally abusive JW husband.
But she shuns me religiously.
It just baffles me. I personally don't care if she is JW for community or whatever. I just would like to see her every now and then and take my grandson to the park or something
-
68
Help needed: Written material regarding shunning of DF'd and DA'd individuals
by EdenOne ini would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.
not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.
objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.
-
fiddler
Just another little note, my JW daughter WAS having limited contact with me prior to 2011. It was the direct result of the statements made at assemblies and in publications that made even texting a df'd family member a matter of LOYALTY to Jehovah aka the Governing body that convinced her to toe the line. -
68
Help needed: Written material regarding shunning of DF'd and DA'd individuals
by EdenOne ini would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.
not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.
objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.
-
fiddler
I am in the U.S. and am totally frustrated by the protection of religious institutions that goes on here. I do wonder if there is any way that the business side of WT corporations could be addressed?
Just as an example, say a family worked for a certain Motor Car Company for generations, all of them! Nobody has ever worked outside of the corporation. Then the young adult third generation member decides to go over to another company that offers better pay and benefits. What would be the legal issues involved if the governing corporate heads of the families company instructed the family members and all who knew this young person to cut off all ties not even e-mailing him? How would the business world look at such a company?
If the young person also was a whistle blower then certainly there would be a lot of tensions but really, can a Corporation legally behave this way tearing apart families so completely. Maybe this scenario has happened (say in a Mob run company) but it can't be considered an attractive business practice can it? I wonder if there are any precedent setting cases involving these sorts of 'family' run; i.e. Mob run businesses?
The JW.$$org IS a business as far as I'm concerned. There is nothing really spiritually edifying about it. The fact that underage people give the 'loyalty oath' dedicating their lives to this corporation should at least be held up to scrutiny. I was 16 when I made my 2 question statement (a different 'contract' than what is said today BTW) and so why should I be held accountable and be shunned by my family?
I apologize if this is all too simplistic but I certainly have been hurt greatly by the shunning policy and have experienced much mental 'Pain and Suffering' due to these legalistic policies. I would love to be able to sue this horrible religious corporation for it!
-
24
Letter to a DF Parent
by thedepressedsoul inthank you for raising me in this religion, this religion that when people get disfellowshipped you have to cut off all communication, even family.
thank you for making sure all of my friends, work partners, family and 99% of my life was centered around this organization.
thank you for taking the time to study with me, read the bible, making me excluded from all school activities and friends so that my whole social life was surrounded by jw.
-
fiddler
Steve2, this person IS in psychological pain. This is just his way of expressing it I think.