I remember the wt study that was based on. It was one of the better articles I thought. Ironically, those kinds of articles along with the greatest man book were key in me taking the rose colors off the glasses.
Axelspeed
Axelspeed
JoinedPosts by Axelspeed
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8
Today's Text HYPOCRITICAL
by unique1 ingo, then, and learn what this means, "i want mercy, and not sacrifice.
matt.
9:13. although the pharisees claimed to believe in the writings of the hebrew .
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In Search of Christian Freedom
by berylblue infranz stated something in this mind-blowing book which was definitely true for me.. he stated (this is a poor paraphrase) that very early on during a "study", witnesses can easily show what's in the bible regarding god's name, the condition of the dead, living on paradise earth, etc.
once these are proven to a person's satisfaction, when the study moves on to more complicated matters, it is just easier to accept what isn't understood on the basis that so far, everything has seemed true.
by now, there is an emotional investment -and everything up until now seemed fine, so.....................................let's swallow it all, and what is too difficult to swallow comfortably (blood?
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Axelspeed
Just about all the points have been covered, but just to add my 2c...ISOCF in my opinion is a must read for any xjw who ever considered themselves an 'all the way in, fully indoctrinated jw.' COC helped greatly in addressing the gnawing doubts I had, but could never be crystalized because I never had the info. Also helped me confirm that the org was far less than claimed.
But ISOCF was a piece by piece dismantling, that helped to address the question and doubt that lurked in the back of my mind still..."With all the mistakes/mishaps/misguided efforts, what if they still are right?" The chapter on argumentation and manipulation is a must imo for any former died in the wool exjw, regardless of what belief system a person now holds. In order to move on, it was what was needed for me as a raised in jw.
For those who choose to still follow Christianity, I believe that the view presented in ISO is a comforting one and one more in line with the spirit of Christianity.
Doctrinally, I am at peace with my current position. The only ties I have that concern me are the emotional/family that are still in.
Axelspeed
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Working in the DC chairman's office....
by logansrun inlet me go back about six years to the 1997 district convention.
i was an "up and coming" ms at the time (only 20 years old!
) and was asked by my po (a circuit "heavy") to be his assistant (read: gopher) in the chariman's office.
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Axelspeed
Having worked in a similar capacity in the past, i agree totally. It is a different world. And when regular r&f elders were in the presence of the CO & DO, it was brown-nosing 101 that rivals any corporate setting. Seeing how men that I had looked up to growing up, and how they just about cowered, jumped and shuffled in front of these guys out of what seemed like mortal fear was an eye opener. Looking back that was probably the beginning of me waking up from the illusion.
He was obsessed with the first interviewee flipping the microphone cord out of the way, so that the others wouldn't trip on it. The problem is, the cord was already out of the way, so when I flipped it, it didn't move! So he kept making me flip it again and again. Finally, I dragged it forward, so that I could flip it out of the way, and he was finally happy.
LOL! So true, some of these guys are obsessed with the microphone and cords. I've known some that insist on a certain "degree of angle" for the mic.
Axelspeed
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90
Where is the evidence
by KGB inmany of you make claim that god does not exist, you say that you found your evidence in the bible, what i want to know is where is the evidence.
i am not interested in just mere thoughts but actuall evidence
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Axelspeed
I feel that clear proof tht the Bible contains comandmants that COULD NOT HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY GOD AS THEY CONTRADICT OUR BIOLOGY has been conveniently ignored by supporters of creation who believe in the Bible.
This is exactly what I am speaking of when I say that religion perhaps gets in the way of really knowing the nature of a creator. I believe that our biology (including our base impulses, emotions such as love to rage, etc.), the natural violence and mayhem seen in the animal kingdom and dinosaurs from what we know of them...all point for me not a disbelief in a creator, but belief in one who is much different in nature than what many religions and persons presuppose. But that's just my .02.
Most of this presupposition is based on a book which contains many paradoxes about God that still have to be reconciled.
Axelspeed
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90
Where is the evidence
by KGB inmany of you make claim that god does not exist, you say that you found your evidence in the bible, what i want to know is where is the evidence.
i am not interested in just mere thoughts but actuall evidence
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Axelspeed
If you accept that an intelligent being can eternally exist, then why not simple matter? If everything MUST have an intelligent creator (which would neccessarily include intelligent creators), then you get back to infinite causality.
When I was a good dub, and trying to prove the existence of God at a door, a guy I talked with raised that question and stopped me in my tracks. "If all intelligent design has a creator, then who created God?" A simple question, but it got me to thinking and from that point on I never used that jw line of reasoning with anyone I spoke with. I do still believe in God or a Creator, but that's just my own hunch of choosing just from the things I see and feel, nothing concrete. I feel that many want to confine a Creator/ God (especially in religious settings) to their own little box, version and agenda.
The one thing that incident did teach me is that there can be honest and thoughtful alternative points of view based on reasoning that can be just as convincing. My dogmatism about alot of things took a blow that day.
Axelspeed
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Update...Letter from Wt
by peacefulpete innot long ago i started a thread about how my wife & i sent letters to the society but received no response, well we got one.
my wife wrote a letter asking about the similarity between pagan mystery cults and christianity, especially she mentioned the eucharist meal of bread and wine representing blood and body of dying saviors such as mithras and dionysus.
their response was: .
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Axelspeed
LDH...just had to say, you are hilarious! LMAO
Axelspeed
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The memorial held--in Prince's concert hall!
by Pistoff in.
i know most will not believe this, but the cologne or navarre mn hall held their memorial in prince's digs--the place where he has had many local concerts.. in case you did not know, he is now a baptized witness; not a rumor; i have sources from that state who were there when they announced mr and mrs prince nelson as new brother and sister.. i can't imagine what went thru the elders' minds; who in their right mind can not see this as a tiny problem with conflict?
or reputation???.
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Axelspeed
Considering where i now am opposed to where he is, and comparing this to where we both were respectively 10 yrs. ago...the irony of it all.
Axel
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Iraq / apocalyptic viewpoints
by Axelspeed infound this article on how many see iraq's place in prophecy interesting.
it just goes to show how many groups there are who are willing to see something to fit a preconceived view, and provide what seems like such a rational argument.
when you see things outside the fishbowl, you realize that jws are just one of the many.
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Axelspeed
Found this article on how many see Iraq's place in prophecy interesting. It just goes to show how many groups there are who are willing to see something to fit a preconceived view, and provide what SEEMS like such a rational argument. When you see things outside the fishbowl, you realize that JWs are just one of the many. (Oh how I thought we were so special)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58894-2003Mar7.html
One thing I related to about all these groups was the following:
"More problematic is the fatalistic worldview of apocalyptic thinking, Hill said. Many who obsess about the end of the world fail to enjoy the life they have or reach out to help others in an effort to improve society, he said. They become 'morally complacent.'" -
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Don't You Think That Many Bethelites Know This Isn't The Truth.....?
by minimus inwhen you know that so many things are untrue,whether it be doctrines, policies or history, and these bethelites still hang on, you've got to wonder why.
is it fear?
is it the fact they have no real skills?
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Axelspeed
the Watch Tower Publishing Corporation and it's private label religion, Jehovah's Witnesses
lol...for some reason I found that pretty funny.
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Belching Gun on Fitzwater Case
by AlanF inthe following material is far more than a smoking gun -- it's a flash picture of a gun belching fire.
in connection with bill bowen's las vegas news conference today, bill released the following documents to the public: .
http://www.silentlambs.org/fitzwaterscan1.
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Axelspeed
You are correct. It is kept pretty murky, enough to mislead as to what is really being said. Many JWs confuse the words "annointed" as opposed to "appointed" as used by the WT. When the WT says that elders are appointed by HS, most incorrectly make a leap from "annointed" to "appointed" in thier own minds and assume they mean the same thing ( maybe because of the similarity in spelling), and conclude that elders are somehow "annointed" directly by HS, which is not at all what is technically being stated. Whether this flawed and misleading conclusion being reached is by design or not is what is up for debate. Even when the word is understood to be appointed, the meaning is kept murky enough to be misuderstood by most(by design or not?). If you read carefully what is being said is that elders are appointed ONLY to the extent they meet the qualifications as set out in the Bible, as determined by the BOE. There are no mystical signs or portents involving HS laying hands on any elder. The body, fallible men, and how they see a prospective elder measuring up to those "inspired" qualifications, make the determination.