Posts by Terry

84

I COLLECT QUOTES. . . Here are some of my favorites

by Terry in

jw
friends

please post your favorites too.

my favorite quotations:.

you cannot change what you refuse to confront.. sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.. don’t think of cost.

Terry

GREAT QUOTES viewed with JW's in mind
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• Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75. —Benjamin Franklin
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Jehovah’s witnesses stop growing, improving, learning when they accept the Watchtower’s misnamed ‘Truth.’ Lost souls waiting at a bus stop for a bus that never comes; all the great things they could have done, people they could have helped, productive lives they could have led are suffocated by standing there waiting for Armageddon to solve every problem for them.
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• Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions. Their lives a mimicry. Their passions a quotation. — Oscar Wilde
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Jehovah’s Witnesses beam with satisfaction when they tell you, “All of us agree on everything.” Individuality shriveled and fell off like the carapace of a locust.
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• When you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. — Nietzsche
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JW’s spend every waking moment staring at the end of the world as though it were a puppy in a pet shop window eager for a home.
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• Don’t let schooling interfere with your education-Mark Twain
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The Governing body would add, “Don’t let education interfere with your indoctrination.”
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• Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go. ― Oscar Wilde
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The householder awakened by the doorbell on Sunday morning would agree.
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• I destroy an enemy by making him into my friend — Abraham Lincoln
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JW’s don’t bother making friends by exercising kindness. They ‘mark the foreheads’ of 'goats' and imagine they’ve doomed a sinner at Armageddon.
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• Prejudices are rarely overcome by argument; not being founded in reason they cannot be destroyed by logic. — Tryon Edwards
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JW’s begin with a delusion: they are automatically right. They don’t listen when others speak, they plot the next refutation.
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• The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed. — Ernest Hemingway
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The instrument of destruction of the human mind lies in the magazines, Watchtower & Awake!
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• The most dangerous man is the man able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost invariably he comes to the conclusion that the authority he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And if he is not romantic personally, he is apt to spread discontent among those who are. ― HL Mencken
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And that, my fellow Apostates, is US!

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 think the Judge had two constituencies in the WT religion

1. Those who looked at him like a fellow who had whipped the Federal Government by getting released from prison after a few months. He was a scrapper like Donald Trump. Full of piss and vinegar, others took a shine to the fact he wasn't such a softy as was Pastor Russell.

2. Those who were 'waiting on Jehovah' and swallowed hard and put on a brave face. When Rutherford suffered from cancer and his temperament flared, the folks around him were only too happy to see him leave for the opposite coast. A collective sigh of "Good riddance!" They couldn't care less if he lived in a mansion as long as it was far away.

Let's keep in mind, after Russell's demise, the number of those who would NOT go along with Rutherford was extraordinary.

19

TRUTH or OPINION--which is it when the Governing Body speaks?

by Terry in

when and why did the governing body suddenly appear?.

the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses, for all practical purposes, did not really exist as it does today, until a dangerous crisis** had developed in the watchtower religion at the headquarters beginning of the 1970’s.

historically, the founder of the watchtower corporate empire was a men’s clothing entrepreneur named c.t.

Terry

Being a JW is like having a Microsoft operating system. The updates keep coming to plug the holes.

(I'm really enjoying the liberation of my Chromebook! Solid state drive is like Warp Factor drive:)

19

TRUTH or OPINION--which is it when the Governing Body speaks?

by Terry in

when and why did the governing body suddenly appear?.

the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses, for all practical purposes, did not really exist as it does today, until a dangerous crisis** had developed in the watchtower religion at the headquarters beginning of the 1970’s.

historically, the founder of the watchtower corporate empire was a men’s clothing entrepreneur named c.t.

Terry

I mean if God doesn't exist and our 70 years are simply futile then what is the point? Why carry on at all? Why not just end it now? Anyway I'm digressing. Thanks all. This whole thing blows my mind, and it blows my mind that I never saw it as a R&F member for so many years.....
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We only get the wrong and scary ideas when we ask the wrong questions and accept the easy wrong answers!

If we are very lucky--life is what we make of it. Barring accidents or bad luck, we can build a wonderful life in pretty much the same way a wonderful house is built. It takes planning and hard work and an excellent location.

I look at the idea of GOD dispassionately now.

How could an intelligent Supreme Being not go insane floating in the middle of nothingness for zillions of eons?

Then, unable to NOT exist--incapable of suicide--he creates dinosaurs for millions of years and watches them eat each other?

See what I mean? Silly!

There are enough wonderful people in this world who help others with kindness and generosity that we can emulate and become useful to others as well. There is nothing more satisfying than reaching out to a person in need. You can visit hospitals, volunteer, get involved in community charities--the list is endless. Let's face it--life is not all about ourselves. It's just hard not to become occupied with tickling the fancy of a super-invisible-deity and hoping he'll give us flowers and wine forever.

Silly, like I said :)

47

How My Husband Helped Me See TTATT

by corruptgirl in

jw
friends

i wanted to write my experience on how my husband helped me see the ttatt (the truth about the truth).

first, let me mention that he wrote his own experience a couple months ago under the name sanchy.

for his story please click here….. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5148261828526080/walking-thin-line-resigning-elder

Terry

The clarity of your expression is out of the ordinary, to say the least. With a mind so adroit, I can see how relatively easy it was to work your way through this. The way the Watchtower writers string their beads of counterfeit logic, a rigid balance must be maintained at all times. Once you bring in rational and logical contexts or view the facade from a slightly different angle--the magic trick doesn't work any longer.

Congratulations!

Just be aware, the same mind that got you into the religion is still there and it has been repeatedly conditioned with fear buttons to trigger a relapse instantly. Expect that in advance and you'll be okay.

Now you'll also discover that all those "Brother and Sisters" aren't even your friends. They have a Pavlovian trip switch implanted to cut you off and see you as immediate enemies very quickly.
This the most hurtful realization. You spent all that time building a foundation of social support only to see it vanish instantly as though it were a dream. And you know what? It IS a dream of wish fulfillment.

It took me over 20 years to root out all the false concepts, counterfeit definitions, superstitious precepts and such.

I'd recommend 3 books. These are the books that helped me recalibrate my head as a kind of tune-up.

1. 10 Philosophical Mistakes by Mortimer J. Adler

2. Who Wrote the Bible by Richard Friedman

3. Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman

_____________________

I wish you both all the best. Don't be surprised at how often you feel confused and depressed. The rug of absolute certainty has been pulled out from under you.

You had rock solid answers to all the important questions in the Universe which turned into mush. You'll get a craving for the certainty like crazy. It is worse than a tobacco or drug addiction!
Last, but not least, you'll discover a Jehovah-size hole in the center of your heart where your conscience and self-respect should have been.

Just think of how kids have stuffed animals or dolls that they give names to, talk to, play games with--and it is comforting and real to them. Well, it is not much different with Jehovah. You've been talking to yourself and calling it Jehovah!

But--it's too soon for you to even think about that.

Take care of your SELF in order to become whole again. Your individuality has been ripped away from you and your switch was tripped to OBEY mode. Now, where and how will you function unless you can make personal decisions for yourself without the alarm bell of implanted GUILT going off? In a cult, all roads lead back inside!

The Watchtower cult did this to you on purpose. Make no mistake.

It is cruel and inhuman. But, don't worry--it gets better once you develop confidence and perspective.

I'd suggest you stay away from RELIGION in any form for at least one year or else you might end up going from the frying pan into the oven:)

Remember--you are a God-aholic. Take one day at a time.

-

Cheers,

Terry

19

TRUTH or OPINION--which is it when the Governing Body speaks?

by Terry in

when and why did the governing body suddenly appear?.

the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses, for all practical purposes, did not really exist as it does today, until a dangerous crisis** had developed in the watchtower religion at the headquarters beginning of the 1970’s.

historically, the founder of the watchtower corporate empire was a men’s clothing entrepreneur named c.t.

Terry

Judge" Rutherford helped Pastor Russell draft his Last Will and Testament. As legal advisor this was fitting. Russell named five men who would administrate the Watch Tower Society on an editorial board.

Conventionally, the person who drafts your will is not allowed to BENEFIT in any way from the legacy!

In case replacements were needed for the 5 administrators, Russell named 5 (FIVE) men as suitable replacements.

Here is where the mystery begins! On this will appears the name of a 6th (SIXTH) personJ.F.Rutherford!

Page 60 of the fourth edition of "Crisis of Conscience" states in a footnote at the bottom of the page that: "Russell did not list Rutherford among these five but placed him in the group of five who might serve as replacements if occasion required."

"The will, along with a number of letters and other statements about the administration of the Watch Tower Society, was printed in the December 1, 1916 edition of The Watch Tower. To the positions in the editorial board, Russell’s will had named W. E. Page, W. E. Van Amburgh , H.C. Rockwell, E. W. Brenneisen and F. H. Robinson. Quite curiously, Russell’s will writes about “the five whom I suggest as possibly amongst the most suitable from which to fill vacancies” (emphasis added) and then lists six names: A. E. Burgess, R. Hirsh, I. Hoskins, G. H. Fisher, Dr. J. Edgar and J. F. Rutherford. It is certainly possible, but this author has not found it possible to fully confirm or reject this theory, that one name was added to the list after Russell had written it: Rutherford’s. Whatever the case may be, Page and Brenneisen declined to be on the Board for personal reasons, and Hirsh and Rutherford replaced them .
"The Watch Tower was left in the hands of a committee of five, an editorial committee (there was also a seven man board of directors). Rutherford wasn't on the list of five, he was on the list of "possible replacements". Russell stated "five" and there are six names listed, ironically the Judges name is listed. Anyone who knows their history knows that Russell avoided the Judge like the plague."
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Jan S. Haugland September 26, 2000
Hovedoppgave / Master Thesis

Russell specified that the Society was to never publish another journal, meaning they could only publish The Watch Tower, which is why when the Judge began to publish The Golden Age, he did so against Russell's wishes, and he published it under a different name.

Also, Russell requested that all of his writings as well as all articles appearing in the Watch Tower be anonymous.

The Judge somehow made it on the Editorial committee, then weaseled his way onto an 3 man executive committee, being assured that he would be elected president. he wrote up by-laws which gave the president FULL control of the Society, it's assets, EVERYTHING. At the business meetings the by-laws were illegally approved and passed. I say illegally because ONLY the board of directors could pass and approve by-laws, NOT the membership. When the board attempted to rescind those by-laws, Rutherford dismissed and replaced them.

After a few years, the ousted directors gave up the fight, and incorporated the Pastoral Bible Institute in 1918, there was also the Stand Fast Bible Students Association and the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement, as well as others.

___________

The complete Last Will and Testament is here:

http://www.pastor-russell.com/legacy/will_doc.html

20

Muslim Shopkeeper Murdered for Wishing Friends a Happy Easter on Twitter

by cofty in

horrible crime in glasgow on thursday evening when a well loved muslim shop keeper asad shah was stabbed to death by at least one other muslim man.

mohammad faisal, a family friend, said a bearded muslim wearing a long religious robe entered mr shah’s shop and spoke to him in his native language before stabbing him in the head with a kitchen knife.. mr shah had posted the twitter message ‘good friday and a very happy easter, especially to my beloved christian nation’.

residents of shawlands in glasgow say he was well respected and had been known to hand out christmas cards to neighbours despite being of a different faith.. hundreds have turned out in a vigil near the crime scene....

Terry

More and more it seems, radical Islam is a religion of (Rest in) Peace.

19

TRUTH or OPINION--which is it when the Governing Body speaks?

by Terry in

when and why did the governing body suddenly appear?.

the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses, for all practical purposes, did not really exist as it does today, until a dangerous crisis** had developed in the watchtower religion at the headquarters beginning of the 1970’s.

historically, the founder of the watchtower corporate empire was a men’s clothing entrepreneur named c.t.

Terry

Yes, that is undoubtedly true, Finklestein, the first resort of a tyrant is to identify "Enemies" and create fear of them. Isn't it always the persons who are whistleblowers questioning the authority of the failed leader?

Joseph Stalin and his disciple Sadaam Hussein wielded absolute power absolutely by isolating dissidents, marginalizing them and making an example of how others who may dissent would be treated.

DF-ing is the shun gun pointed at the face of any who might have an individual thought, a doubt, or a sideways glance at the exit.

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

The Watchtower network of loose affiliates was Russellism; hero worship/admiration. Rutherford looked at that as Iron Man's suit--if he could just put it on he would be invincible.

He pretty much destroyed what Russell had in mind very quickly. What remained was peopled by human beings devoid of rational minds.

They had brutal instincts. All the good folks ran for the hills.

Dupes, drones, bullies remained and formed a shock troop moving forward. It was an ideology they espoused and their blunt weapon was the imminent Armageddon proximity to present day chronology. Which is to say: It is coming now!

Rutherford weaponized Russell's storefront delivery system.

19

TRUTH or OPINION--which is it when the Governing Body speaks?

by Terry in

when and why did the governing body suddenly appear?.

the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses, for all practical purposes, did not really exist as it does today, until a dangerous crisis** had developed in the watchtower religion at the headquarters beginning of the 1970’s.

historically, the founder of the watchtower corporate empire was a men’s clothing entrepreneur named c.t.

Terry

Russell reminds me of my Aunt Florence. She loved to go to 2nd hand stores, Salvation Army stores, DAV stores to rummage through (basically) hand-me-down junk.

Russell liked razzle-dazzle religious junk!

He was gifted with the genius of turd-polishing.

His wonderful wife, Maria (Moe-rye-uh) was a treasure who had gorgeous Spencerian handwriting and was an excellent editor for her hubby.
He was blessed with humble, irrational followers--mainly women.

Then, it all fell apart . . .