TallTexan

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Posts by TallTexan

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  25

  Can DaVinci Code make Witnesses think?

  by Lilycurly in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've just finished reading the book...and i know most of it is fiction, but some of you might have read it too.

  as an ex-jw, it really made me think...the author has an excellent way to make one think outside the box without making it look like he wants to ram his ideas into your head...you know, it's kind of subtle, amongst all the action and enigmas.

  my father loves to read...i really want him to read that book.

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  TallTexan

  Great, great book, as was Angels and Demons (his first two books are crap, though). I don't see how it would make any 'life altering shocks' to a JW - they wouldn't believe half of what the premise is based on and even less of the 'conclusion'.
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  37

  Crazy Californian Witnesses...

  by Dune in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i dont know if you guys noticed or not.

  but there is a general consensus among my friends and some witnesses that i talk to that there is something almost inherently wrong with californian witnesses.

  (i'm on the east coast) .

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  TallTexan

  When I was growing up an older sister from California moved into our small town Texas congregation. We thought she was pretty crazy. She was in her 60's and drove a black Trans-Am with the license plate "1 Wild 1". And took it in service....no kidding. She was out there, let me tell ya... She told some interesting stories about the JW's in California being a little 'loose'. I don't know how true they were......
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  20

  Governing Body Letter to Apostates 2005 in Yearkbook ;-)

  by What-A-Coincidence in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  edited now with commentary.. .

  taken from 2006 yearbook.

  includes pg.

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  TallTexan

  How we appreciate the undeserved kindness from Jehovah through the ransom sacrifice of Christ Jesus! By means of the ransom, we have an approved stand­ing before God. We could never attain this through our own efforts, no matter how diligently we might study the Bible, preach the good news, or perform other good works. Forgiveness of sins and everlasting life are extended to us, not as payment for our efforts, but as gifts reflecting Jehovah’s undeserved kindness through Jesus Christ.—Rom. 11:6.

  How do they reconcile this with the passage a little farther down quoting Ezek 3: 17,18? Either you have grace, or you do not. Don't say that this is a gift given freely, then tell me I'll be bloodguilty and NOT receive salvation if I don't sell books, er, I mean, preach.
  
  
  

  Paul wrote to fellow believers: “We.. . entreat you not to accept the undeserved kindness of God and miss its purpose.

  Exactly. Maybe the GB needs to read what it's staff writers are writing....

  Honesthearted people who loved Jeho­vah were saved spiritually.

  No, honest-hearted people who loved JESUS and listened to HIS words were saved.

  Those whom Jehovah accepts as his servants and who are being spiritually saved have the prospect of physical salvation through "the great day of Jehovah" now so close at hand. (How close?)—Zeph. 1:14.

  Notice how it still leaves that 'doubt' factor in whether or not you'll be saved? Those whom Jehovah accepts o.k...so you've been accepted as a servant of Jehovah, which would seem to indicate that he had deemed you worthy of salvation. Yet you only have the PROSPECT of physical salvation. Does that mean that Jehovah makes mistakes? That even though he's accepted you as his servant that you don't REALLY know whether you've achieved salvation? Oh, I forgot. If you don't go to enough meetings, go out in service enough, and don't do what the GB tells you, then your PROSPECT dries up. So we go back to Romans 11:6 quoted earlier and void that piece of the scripture, I guess.

  Oh, and ya gotta love the 'so close at hand'. Maybe that was a quote from an 1879 Watchtower.

  "Really, woe is me if I did not declare the good news!" He also expressed how he felt in these words: "Both to wise and to senseless ones I am a debtor: so there is eagerness on my part to declare the good news."-1 Cor. 9:16; Rom. 1:14,15.

  I'm surprised that the NWT doesn't read "...on my part to declare the good news by going door to door and preaching."
  I guess they overlook the fact that there are many ways to 'declare the good news' other than by selling books door to door.

  Jehovah will hold us accountable if we neglect the vital work of warning people. We are aware of what Jehovah said to the prophet Ezekiel: "Son of man, a watchman is what I have made you to the house of Israel, and you must hear from my mouth speech and you must warn them from me. When I say to someone wicked, 'You will positively die/ and you do not actually warn him and speak in order to warn the wicked one from his wicked way to preserve him alive, he being wicked, in his error he will die, but his blood I shall ask back from your own hand."—Ezek. 3:17,18. (OT reasoning as usual)

  Good point. OT reasoning - as usual. The problem we have is that JEHOVAH isn't telling us who will positively die. It's a group of 12 men saying "Anyone not like us dies." Also, note that it says "he being wicked". I dare to say that many, many, many non-JW's would be hard to classify as 'wicked'.

  In addition, many of you have to deal with sickness, depression, old age, and even opposition.

  Sickness (because many of you don't have careers with good health bennies), depression (because you have to shun your friends and family, spend all of your time doing what we tell you, and STILL don't know if you'll be saved), old age (made more difficult because you have no savings, no pension, and no plans, because you were supposed to be this old), and even opposition (by the lying media and apostates.)

  "Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you."

  I will refresh you by dictating every aspect of your day-to-day life and will punish you harshly if you violate even one rule in this 2,000 page book called "Spying on the Flock", or whatever it's called.

  As a result of your zealous preaching and teaching activity and because of Jehovah's blessing, worldwide 4,762 are baptized on average each week.

  As a result of the Internet, we lose 5,000 each week and thus have 0% growth.

  from the undeserved kindness and the peace from Jehovah during this "day of salvation."

  I thought grace was from that guy Jesus who the WBT$$ always forgets about.

  Be assured that the Governing Body loves you your monetary contributions.

  and that we pray for you , well, in between deciding disfellowshipping offenses and falling asleep at the GB meetings.

  We also thank you for your prayers for us. C'mon...as a JW, how many times did you ACTUALLY pray for the GB????

  Great post, What-a
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  19

  Tommy Calls It Quits

  by ColdRedRain in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been receiving messages from brother and sisters asking why i'm deleting my account.

  i really did not write my reasons for deleting my account because i don't want anyone to feel obligated to do the same.

  fact of the matter is that, i still feel that myspace may very well be a conscious matter.

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  TallTexan

  Maybe he saw us making fun of their forum (if he is indeed a lurker) and felt it wasn't cool anymore. Or maybe he's afraid I'll be sending a copy of HIS myspace webpage to his local elders as I am attempting to do with several others.

  "The dangers of the Internet"....oooooh how I bet the Society despises the day the Internet was created (by Al Gore, of course).....
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  24

  Life in Bethel & Ex-Bethelites know if the GB prayed together?

  by Sheepish in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have always wondered how seriously they took this dispensing doctrine thing.

  do they all get together and actually pray or just have meetings?

  ex- bethelites say they wrote doctrinal articles for the watchtower or awake.

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  TallTexan

  Ray Franz talks about the 'order' of the GB meetings in detail in Crisis of Conscience. I believe they prayed before the meetings, but he states on a number of occasions that prayer was rarely used as a means to deciding issues.

  Barbara Anderson talks about some of the articles she wrote while she was at Bethel. It appears that it is common for staff writers to pen the articles and then submit them to the head of the writing dept for approval....
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  38

  To all active JWs or double life JWs

  by NowImFree in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the previous posts made me wonder how many active jws post on this site and how many of you are only in because not wanting to lose your family and you are leading a double life and also how many of you are still active but questioning.

  please, all of you, i would like to hear your stories (of course not enough info to give away your identity) and why you are still in.

  i think a lot of us that are out would be interested.. nowimfree.

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  TallTexan

  I only stay so that I don't lose my family to shunning. I'm probably a wuss for doing so, but hey, it's my decision.

  Not at all. Some people are willing to accept those consequences, some aren't.

  The problem begins when the family begins to suspect that you're weak or apostate. Then, every time the talk to you or you see them it will be a double dose of subtle (sometimes not so subtle) WT infomercial. They'll casually talk about the latest magazines, or the great talk they heard, or all the great new people at the hall. You either learn to bear it or you blow up one day and tell the truth.

  The important thing is that you're out and don't believe, and thus the destructive cult has no control over your life any longer....hang in there.
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  13

  How did you treat your worldly relatives when you were a JW

  by TallTexan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had an interesting conversation the other day with a friend who is also an ex-jw.

  this person is older than i am, and was a jw for a number of decades.

  she was talking about worldly relatives that she basically ignored when she was a jw.

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  TallTexan

  I had an interesting conversation the other day with a friend who is also an ex-JW. This person is older than I am, and was a JW for a number of decades. She was talking about worldly relatives that she basically ignored when she was a JW. She has since gotten very close to several of them. She said she feels guilty sometimes because these people have welcomed her with open arms, never once holding against her that she never chose to develop a relationship with them when she was an active JW. Since she has been abandonded by many of her JW friends, some of whom she brought into the 'truth', she has come to value the unconditional love of 'worldly' people who could care less whether she never attended another meeting.

  Did any of you find similar situations with worldly relatives with whom you didn't have a relationship until after you left?
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  25

  Newbies

  by TallTexan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is it just me, or does there seem to be a flood of new people on the board lately?

  i think it's awesome!.

  welcome to all newcomers.

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  TallTexan

  Is it just me, or does there seem to be a flood of new people on the board lately? I think it's AWESOME!

  Welcome to all newcomers.

  I say , have a or a , celebrate your , spend more doing things you REALLY enjoy (like figuring out how many emoticons you can use in one sentence), up all those df'd friends you haven't talked to in a while, and never feel one ounce of guilt for leaving a deceptive organization who has defrauded you out of enough time and money.
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  23

  Part 1: How Would You Answer This Issue?

  by Amazing1914 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  part 1:

  when we were faced with tough issues as jws, we used one or more of a few ways to find answers.

  we either searched the publications, consulted with an elder, or in some cases, wrote to the society.

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  TallTexan

  <as I prepare myself for the barrage of criticism>

  Get a second opinion. If it agrees, abort it.

  I understand your personal involvement in this type of decision. I am a very practical person. From working in a Level 3 nursery, I know the pain and suffering a child born with severe birth defects can go through (not all, but many). They have a lifetime (however long that life may be) of illness, multiple surgeries (for many of them) and poor quality of life. This could be a child who never sees the outside of a hospital bed.

  Now, I know there are many, many parents who love and cherish their children who have severe retardation and birth defects and will send notes of abuse my way. I applaud them and have great respect for them. But it's not easy, and that's an understatement. It's mentally, physically, and financially draining.

  From a strictly religious standpoint, I don't see how you could do it, however. The Bible states that life is precious and therefore should be preserved at all costs. From a strictly practical standpoint, I think it would be the right thing to do.
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  11

  The "Sunk Cost" Fallacy

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  silent watcher made reference to a theory called "sunk cost fallacy.

  " i had not heard of this term, but when i googled, i did get a reference to the very familiar concorde theory.

  if you are not familiar with either, here is a primer.

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  TallTexan

  Also known as the "Throwing Good Money After Bad" Fallacy....

  Same goes for relationships - many people won't bail out of a bad relationship b/c of all the time they've already invested.

  I have a lot of respect for people who have been JW's for 30,40,50, or even 60+ years who still get out, instead of staying with the "this is all I've ever known" mindset. That would have to be really hard. I did it for 30 years, but that includes from birth, so those first few years don't count...lol.