Posts by Terry

26

Jehovah’s Witnesses are Taught to Lie but to then Lie about Lying

by Terry in

jehovah’s witnesses are taught to lie but to then lie about lying.

first off, let’s define what it means to tell a lie.

i prefer the definition offered by aristotle way back in 4th century b.c.e.

Terry

"How do these pants look, Dear? Do they make me look fat?"

5

My Best and Oldest friend has died. He brought me in to the (not) Truth

by Terry in

in my book, i wept by the rivers of babylon, i described the process of having a friend, johnny santa cruz, use our friendship as a platform for converting me to a jehovah's witness.. that friendship cost me decades of my life in bondage to a cult.. the friendship was real and johnny and i bonded for life.

but, the religion eventually turned him into a stone silence.

now he is dead and the imaginary reunion and meeting of the minds is no longer a possibility.. this makes his passing a double tragedy.. his memories were my memories.

Terry

Thank you, my kind hearted friends!

Your words find their mark and I feel better for having read them.

I was just thinking last night how much life is like a Ray Bradbury story I read as a teenager.

It is about a couple on vacation in Europe. The husband George Smith, is crazy about the paintings of Pablo Picasso.
One evening, the man spots his hero at the edge of the sea.
_________________

I'll let Bradbury set it up for you:

"He began to draw incredible figures along the sand.

He sketched one figure and then moved over and, still looking down, completely focused on his work now, drew a second and a third figure, and after that a fourth and a fifth and a sixth.

George Smith, printing the shoreline with his feet, gazed here, gazed there, and then saw the man ahead. George Smith, drawing nearer, saw that the man, deeply tanned, was bending down. Nearer yet, and it was obvious what the man was up to, George Smith chuckled. Of course . . . Alone on the beach this man how old? Sixty-five? Seventy? -- was scribbling and doodling away. How the sand flew! How the wild portraits flung themselves out there on the shore! How ...

George Smith took one more step and stopped, very still.

The stranger was drawing and drawing and did not seem to sense that anyone stood immediately behind him and the world of his drawings in the sand. By now he was so deeply enchanted with his solitudinous creation that depth bombs set off in the bay might not have stopped his flying hand nor turned him round..."

___________________________

The end of the story (If you haven't read it--don't let me spoil it)

is what reminds me of Johnny and our lifelong friendship. The impermanence of a masterpiece such as it was.

Bradbury ends it with these words:

"The artist had drawn nearer and now was gazing into George Smith's face with great friendliness as if he were guessing every thought. Now he was nodding his head in a little bow. Now the ice-cream stick had fallen casually from his fingers. Now he was saying good night, good night. Now he was gone, walking back down the beach towards the south. George Smith stood looking after him. After a full minute, he did the only thing he could possibly do. He started at the beginning of the fantastic frieze of satyrs and fauns and wine-dipped maidens and prancing unicorns and piping youths and he walked slowly along the shore. He walked a long way, looking down at the free-running bacchanal. And when he came to the end of the animals and men he turned round and started back in the other direction, just staring down as if he had lost something and did not quite know where to find it. He kept on doing this until there was no more light in the sky, or on the sand, to see by.

He sat down at the supper table.

You're late, said his wife. I just had to come down alone. I'm ravenous.

That's all right, he said.

Anything interesting happen on your walk? she asked.

No, he said.

You look funny; George, you didn't swim out too far, did you, and almost drown? I can tell by your face. You did swim out too far, didn't you?

Yes, he said.

Well, she said, watching him closely. Don't ever do that again. Now — what'll you have?

He picked up the menu and started to read it and stopped suddenly.

What's wrong? asked his wife. He turned his head and shut his eyes for a moment.

Listen.

She listened.

I don't hear anything, she said.

Don't you?

No. What is it?

Just the tide, he said, after a while, sitting there, his eyes still shut.

Just the tide, coming in.

16

A Brief History of MONEY and the Watchtower religion

by Terry in

watch tower corp has changed a long-standing policy in regard to donations which had been in place a long, long time.

to appreciate how drastic these changes have been, you'd have to know how it was from the beginning.. .

watch tower corp has changed a long-standing policy in regard to donations which had been in place a long, long time.

Terry

The more I investigate the business dealings of C.T. Russell and associates, the more flabbergasted I become. These men were knee-deep in illicit doo-doo. And all the while, they are using the public face of religion as a hobby to whitewash their reputation.
Had Russell not been a Sociopath, I doubt he could have carried off the illusion of being a humble servant of God while amassing illegal funds and punishing his wife.
Not all monsters look like Godzilla.

26

Jehovah’s Witnesses are Taught to Lie but to then Lie about Lying

by Terry in

jehovah’s witnesses are taught to lie but to then lie about lying.

first off, let’s define what it means to tell a lie.

i prefer the definition offered by aristotle way back in 4th century b.c.e.

Terry

Every belief a JW holds to be true is a lie.

These lies are not called truth. These lies are called THE TRUTH.

All the information a JW accepts into their hearts and minds is not called knowledge. It is called ACCURATE knowledge.

When a JW exhales, the carbon dioxide is laden with lies.

When a JW perspires, the sweat is liquid lies.

Every neuron in their brain fires lying impulses.

The JW's heart beat lying beats.

And why?

They are swimming in a sea of bullshit.

An ordinary life is repugnant to the person who holds eternity in their hand.

"The Truth" is worse than Crack.
But, it is just as brutal to the addicts who crave it.

28

If death is a natural occurrence in the human species, why are we born with the innate feeling to continue living indefinitely?

by Tenacious in

there are some people that do in fact want to die.

these people include the mentally unstable, emotionally imbalanced, and those suffering from ailments or diseases, just to name a few.. i've never met however, anyone, or heard of anyone, who is of sound mind, who just awoke one day and thought it would be an excellent day to die......naturally.. your thoughts?.

Terry

Look at it from the other end in a reasoned manner.

Why would any sane person want to experience the loss of everything they love?

If we had been born into a society, a family, a culture which didn't advertise Eternal Life as a genuine alternative (i.e. religious delusion) would we feel different?

If you could live comfortably on a million dollars, why would anybody ever want to be a multi-millionaire or a Billionaire?

If you are at least average looking, why would you want to be drop-dead gorgeous?

And so on. . .

If our education happened to be science-based, we would realize early on in life that every species that has ever existed except for less than 1 percent, have gone extinct. We are just another species.

We have developed a "higher-consciousness" which has made us stive for apotheosis, self-aggrandisement, and a greedy hunger for more than nature has ever granted.

It is so easy to want more in a consumer society.

5

My Best and Oldest friend has died. He brought me in to the (not) Truth

by Terry in

in my book, i wept by the rivers of babylon, i described the process of having a friend, johnny santa cruz, use our friendship as a platform for converting me to a jehovah's witness.. that friendship cost me decades of my life in bondage to a cult.. the friendship was real and johnny and i bonded for life.

but, the religion eventually turned him into a stone silence.

now he is dead and the imaginary reunion and meeting of the minds is no longer a possibility.. this makes his passing a double tragedy.. his memories were my memories.

Terry

In my book, I Wept by the Rivers of Babylon, I described the process of having a friend, Johnny Santa Cruz, use our friendship as a platform for converting me to a Jehovah's Witness.

That friendship cost me decades of my life in bondage to a cult.

The friendship was real and Johnny and I bonded for life. But, the religion eventually turned him into a stone silence. Now he is dead and the imaginary reunion and meeting of the minds is no longer a possibility.

This makes his passing a double tragedy.

His memories were my memories. By dying he has extinguished part of my life's verifications. The bond we could have shared into our retirement years could have strengthened. Instead, they dissolved--aborted by cult pressure.

I doubt I can get a family invitation to his funeral. It would certainly be disrespectful to attend without it. So, even in a final good-bye--I am shut out of both life and death.
++++++++++++++++++

Johnny married when he was 20 and his wife was 16. He was rescuing her from her father. The dad was molesting his 2 daughters, you see, but the Brothers at the Kingdom Hall had advised the JW mother that Divorce was not the answer.

I was at the wedding at the Justice of the Peace in a small Texas town. Johnny's sister, Judy, pretended to be the Mother granting permission.

The marriage has lasted all these years, 1967 to 2016. He was very proud of that. His wife never graduated from High School, she dropped out. She never worked a paying job in her entire life. All her friends were JW's. It was the only life she ever knew and the only one imaginable.

________

Johnny and I were friends from the age of 12. All of our early memories were the SAME memory.

We called each other "Best best Buddy, lifelong pal." But that "lifelong" part was a dream.

Johnny would always prod me with JW-related statements, provoking discussion about (presumably) the Bible.

In my family, we were not religious people nor did we attend a church. I had respect--even reverence--but no emotional attachments to God or the good book. I was sort of a Nerdy intellectual kind of kid. So, we had lots of arguments--and I couldn't win those arguments even though I was using rational thinking and logic. Why?

I didn't realize at that time, we were living in two different worlds entirely! A fancy word covers the situation: "Non-overlapping magisteria."
The real world and the world of religious beliefs are different areas of inquiry, fact vs. values, so there is a difference between the "nets" over which they have "a legitimate magisterium or domain of teaching authority," and the two domains do not overlap.

So, here it is folks--my life was about to take a sharp left turn simply because I needed to be on EQUAL footing with Johnny and the only way I could think of to do that was to LEARN his magisterium and master it.

I would compare this to having a friend who is hooked on addictive drugs saying, "Just try it and see if you like it."

One snort, one injection, one high was all it took and the next 2o years would be a roller coaster ride through hell.

_______________

Johnny is dead. He won't be joining his devout parents in Paradise in all likelihood. You see, he knew how so much of Jehovah's Witness teachings had unraveled not standing the test of time. He was very angry when the Awake! magazine dropped the "generations" blurb which had been his bellwether to Armageddon.
He saw his belief system dismantled and reassembled like a Legos project.

He was highly intelligent. But he was a profoundly loyal advocated, too.
The arguments he and I shared never budged him off center--but they certainly rattled him to the core.

Today I want to salute his long marriage and his unshakeable Faith.

In the same breath I want to shout to the world, "You were and always will be my friend--you stupid fool!"

Johnny Santa Cruz--1947 to 2016 Rest in Peace my best, best Buddy. I wish you had remained a lifelong pal.

16

A Brief History of MONEY and the Watchtower religion

by Terry in

watch tower corp has changed a long-standing policy in regard to donations which had been in place a long, long time.

to appreciate how drastic these changes have been, you'd have to know how it was from the beginning.. .

watch tower corp has changed a long-standing policy in regard to donations which had been in place a long, long time.

Terry

I stumbled across this rather fascinating gem:

"In July 1879, ZION'S WATCH TOWER and HERALD OF CHRIST'S PRESENCE magazine was started by Charles Taze Russell and Maria Russell, his new wife of three months, as a personal business venture. (Maria F. Russell was a trained and experienced schoolteacher who eventually claimed that she edited and/or authored much of the writings attributed to Charles Taze Russell. One only has to compare the quality of Russell's writings immediately before and soon after their marriage to see that Maria was telling the truth. Maria Russell also claimed that before they were married in March 1879 that Charles and she discussed partnering in their own Second Adventist magazine as one of the main reasons for their getting married. Apparently, even his marriage was a business venture as far as Charles Taze Russell was concerned.) TheZION'S WATCH TOWER magazine, the Millennial Dawn series of books, and all other signature publications published up until May 1898 were all OWNED PERSONALLY by Charles Taze Russell -- NOT Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Simply observe that ZWT specifically directed that all non-cash PAYMENTS for ZWT subscriptions and other literature and materials regularly offered for sale in ZWT were to be made payable to"C. T. Russell".

http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/russell.html

44

My "best" friend (active JW) has just died

by Terry in

jw
friends

johnny santa cruz and i met around 1959 at a movie theater in fort worth, texas.. the purpose of that meeting was to create a fanclub for horror movie director william castle.

a week or so later, johnny stopped me as i was walking home from elementary school.. "hey--i think i know you.

weren't you at the william castle fanclub thing?".

Terry

With a best friend you have corroboration for your memories of how things really were and of yourself from another POV. When the friend dies, that corroboration vanishes.

Did this person say such and such as I remember, or was it somebody else?

Where, when, who and how becomes intangible, transparent, dissolving in the onward rush of time itself. Who is to say if memory is true in its reckoning? The people who were there with you, that's who.

Two friend sharpen each other.

A true friend tells you how it is and you have to take your lumps. Casual friends will tell you what you want to hear.

All this dies when the friend dies.

I am half the person I was yesterday. Part of me is unverifiable.

Sigh.

Deep sigh. . .

25

The saga of Russell and Rutherford

by Terry in

i think little charlie russell having been born after many miscarriages by his mother, was doted on and coddled beyond normal.

his mother died of a fever epidemic when he was about 9 and he may have associated burning with fever with burning in hell.he seemed to be obsessed about hell for awhile even to the point of graffiti on sidewalks marking scriptures as warnings.he was privately tutored and brought into the men's clothing business and given and adult's responsibilities.

although the family was presbyterian, there appears to be a streak of insubordination in the genes because they switched to a congregational church with an autonomy of leadership and no organizational oversight.why was this a big deal, do you think?

Terry

I have to wonder when the day will come (or has it already) when the Society will fudge its statistics to shape reality.

How would we ever know it was happening?

44

My "best" friend (active JW) has just died

by Terry in

jw
friends

johnny santa cruz and i met around 1959 at a movie theater in fort worth, texas.. the purpose of that meeting was to create a fanclub for horror movie director william castle.

a week or so later, johnny stopped me as i was walking home from elementary school.. "hey--i think i know you.

weren't you at the william castle fanclub thing?".

Terry

Yes, thank you all for your expressions of moral support. It is an odd emotion to nurture because I can't connect directly to a solid feeling due to our estrangement. I think it is my distant memory of Johnny more than my recent memory which saddens me.

His intransigence really frustrated me. He would admit so many failings on the part of the Watchtower religion and simultaneously excuse each of them. He claimed thousands of people left the Society in 1975's aftermath because "they weren't in it because they loved Jehovah, they were in it to save their own ass."

He was an intelligent fellow with lots of tricks up his sleeve to avoid losing an argument;)

I got what must be characterized as a "panic attack" last night at bedtime because I realized how many times a day--a week--a month--each year some little thing I learned or saw or felt I wanted to SHARE with him.

It won't ever happen and that is the most final reckoning death has to offer.