TallTexan

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Posts by TallTexan

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  21

  My Letter RE: Beaumont Article on JW's "disaster relief"

  by badwillie in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  here is my letter to the writer who authored this piece: .

  http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15921650&brd=2287&pag=461&dept_id=512588&rfi=8 .

  dear jamie,

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  TallTexan

  Blindersoff,

  Good letter. Nice touch including the quotes from the literature to prove that the thoughts are not simply those of an 'embittered ex member.'
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  38

  Why do ex-JWs try so hard to uncover WTS dirt?

  by Lady Lee in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  far too many times i have heard the accusation that all x-jws want to do is tear down the wts.

  we scrounge around digging up every piece of information that we can that will put the wts in a bad light.

  "they" being those who seek to defend the wts and forget the past because ... well it is the past and there is so much "new light".

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  TallTexan

  As always, LadyLee, great post. Thoughtful question...

  I'm always willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. However, the problem with the WTS is that they are not willing to give anyone a break. They constantly point out the wrongdoings of other religious organizations. They do not give their membership a fair break, and use their transgressions as a way to publicly humiliate and punish. They are the utmost in hypocrisy on any number of fronts.

  My biggest reason is that they usurp the position of Jesus Christ as the way to salvation. They teach that they are the channel to God. The salvation of the individual JW depends on blindly following rules set down by this organization. They expect their membership to be almost perfect, and while they pay lip service to their 'infallibility', they don't seriously give the impression that they are infallible. Because they are so hypocritical, so haughty and arrogant, they open themselves up to severe criticism.

  When you tell your followers and the world that if you don't do as they tell you then you will lose your salvation, you'd better be ready to back it up and be SQUEAKY CLEAN. If they were a little more humble, well, maybe they wouldn't be such a target then.
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  15

  Addition too the birthday thread. Not a DF'ING OFFENSE

  by skyman in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  w98 10/15 p. 31 questions from readers ***

  "consequently, while it is entirely a private matter if christians choose to take note of their wedding anniversary, there are good reasons why mature christians abstain from celebrating birthdays.

  notice it say's mature christians.

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  TallTexan

  He worries that his separation is not "scripturally based", and therefore he won't have "privileges" (carrying microphones, reading Watchtower, etc.) within the congregation.

  The only reason privileges are important is because they help break up the monotony of the meeting. What was cooler than cruising around in the aisles with the mic while all the other poor suckers had to sit still in their seat for another hour...
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  17

  Musings from a JW message board pt. 1

  by jeeprube in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  here the latest gem i've found from a jw message board.. under the topic "afraid this board will become apostate" the moderator writes:.

  this is one of my greatest worries and so i am a over protecter of this site and believe me i have a big fear letting anyone post i find unforthcoming in their request to join.

  unless i trust you sorry you will not be posting on the site.

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  TallTexan

  That is why we have new members but we are not growing as fast as you would think....we should have close to 200 and because I have deleted a bunch that is why net numbers stay the same.

  Sounds like the organization in general - by booting out dissenters they cancel out any growth....I guess Sherry learned well from her 'mother'...lol.

  You guys beat the 'strong faith' argument pretty well, but it's so true. Their faith is so strong, and the Bible says to be ready to defend your faith, but I guess you can't defend it to 'ex' members - only the uninitiated. Wonder why that is? Because we have seen through and know all the 'defense' tactics they will use, we are ready to counter them. They can only argue with the ignorant because their arguments are so weak. If they were truly strong and ready to defend, then nothing we could say would ever shake their faith.....
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  60

  got my stopwatch.............

  by BlackSwan of Memphis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  let's say you have 20 seconds (give or take) to make an impression on a jw.

  to say something that will stick in their head and make them really think.

  because you know, that once they realize you are an apostate, they will shut down anything else that you have to say.. what do you say?.

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  TallTexan

  The truth of the matter is they sit on their lazy butts, except when they're standing before their pew-warming flock tickling their ears.

  Hmmm...from what I've seen, many of "Christendom's" leaders work harder than many JW elders. Well, let me rephrase that - they work harder at actually helping their flock and not spying on them or reviewing the latest judicial rulings to see who they can df next. I've been in healthcare for 15 years and can count on one hand the number of times I've seen JW elders visit sick members of the cong. Yet the pastors of local churches are up here all the time. Many of them tend daily to church functions. They have prayer groups, they have to prepare their sermons - many times from scratch. No 'public talk outlines' are available for them.

  And why do you assume they are 'tickling the ears' of the flock. Because they preach a positive message instead of saying "You will all die unless you sell more books and magazines and everyone else is going to die anyway"? I'm sure some tickle the ears, and I'm sure some are lazy. They just aren't quite as shiftless and useless as you seem to think they are.
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  10

  I had an epiphany

  by lostlantern in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i will start by apologizing for the following rant and i hope i do not bore everyone but this is on my mind.

  i had an epiphany.

  it may have been a segment on the today show, a short piece about catholics and celibacy that started the thought process.

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  TallTexan

  Yes, it's true. We all sacrificed something to be raised JW. Many JW kids are very smart, read well, speak well (for obvious reasons). I received encouragement all the time from teachers to go to college, but I never planned on that. I have since then, and it was the best thing I ever did. Do it now - it's SO hard when you have kids. You become somewhat socially retarded, because you are only around people who are like you, who believe what you do, who are not taught to critically think and problem solve. Many who were raised JW suffer from self-esteem issues because you grow up being ridiculed and being different. I had a good childhood because I had great parents. I can only imagine what it would have been like if we had been 'normal'.
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  26

  Double life, anyone??

  by dinah in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  how many of you lead double lives while growing up (especially those who grew up jw)?

  in the last few days, it seems that bothers me about my adolescence.

  i had to be one person for my mother, while still trying to be myself.

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  TallTexan

  I can name maybe, MAYBE, a half a dozen JW youths that I knew growing up that weren't leading a double life of some sort - and hundreds that were. We were just kids being kids. Drinking, drugs, sex, rap and heavy metal music, porn, more drinking, stealing, property destruction - I know JW youths who did it all. Many of them would be on circuit or district assembly parts. Most of their fathers were elders. Some went to Bethel, or became pioneers. These were not the 'dregs' of the JW community, but rather the children of the 'spiritually elite'.
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  16

  And on the 8th day. God created the Beer Widget

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  have you popped a can of guinness and heard that fwoosh sound?

  you have surely waggled the can and heard that little thing knocking about inside?

  that little thing is one of the 20th century's greatest contributions to mankind -- the beer widget.

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  TallTexan

  . But I was actually drinking the far-superior Wexford at the time!

  I was just messin' w/ ya. I agree....Wexford is excellent!

  One of the ladies I work with is from Canada and she just brought me back a liter of Crown - said it was about ten bucks. And it's what - $50 here! Sweeeet.....
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  23

  Watchtower January 15, 2006, Reinstatement

  by blindersoff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  watchtower

  january 15, 2006, "oppose satan, and he will flee!

  " pg 29, paragraphs 13, 14

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  TallTexan

  It seems the elders are enjoying the little power that they have in keeping those out that they should really be trying to keep in.

  You know, that's a great point. I saw a post on an 'anti-apostate' thread on another forum that stated:

  "If they were this zealous when they were in the truth, maybe they wouldn't be where the are now". Of course, that has it's own idiocies, but the concept is the same. If the elders tried as hard to 'shepherd' as they do to 'judge', maybe there would be far more people remaining in the 'truth'.
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  23

  Watchtower January 15, 2006, Reinstatement

  by blindersoff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  watchtower

  january 15, 2006, "oppose satan, and he will flee!

  " pg 29, paragraphs 13, 14

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  TallTexan

  I think some of them must love lording over their postions and keeping a power and fear over their congregation

  I think this has a lot to do with it. It's left up to the elders to determine the level of repentance using 'Jehovah's spirit'. Since they don't have his spirit anyway, it all boils down to when THEY want to let someone back in. If they're known as 'tough' elders I guess they think they'll have less wrongdoing in their cong's.
  

  I know someone who is still df'd (for almost 2 years now) and they have been studying and making all the meetings. Several months ago she went for her first 'resinstatement meeting' and was told that the elders in her previous cong that df'd her didn't think she was ready. Huh?