Posts by AlmostAtheist

posted

15
OH the IRONY! JW Organization's homepage today
by valkyrie in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
irony?

or sheer hypocrisy?.

from the watchtower society-website's homepage:.
AlmostAtheist

>>It Pays to Be Honest
Apparently, it also pays rather handsomely to be dishonest!
(Image from discussion of Watchtower property sales at http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/04/good_lord_watch.php)
Dave
4
I thought all publishing was at bethel?
by 4mylove in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
http://www.bookbind.net/?click=2146.

.
AlmostAtheist

This is a private company that rebinds Watchtower books. They give them leather covers, gilt edging, that sort of thing. One popular selection in my old congregation was having a Bible and a Reasoning book bound together into one.
Dave
9
Understanding apostacy....I just dont feel like one
by oompa in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
so when an elder friend informed me they were concerned my thinking may be headed towards apostacy, i reminded him i had never said anything bad against the society, sure had no teachings of my own, nor wanted any followers, just answers.

also reminded him that all my research was wt material based, and the problems/contridictions i had found were troubling for that very reason.

he agreed that i had stayed on pretty safe ground.. but when i looked into it a bit more, it could easily go either way.
AlmostAtheist

Like any other term in the "theocratic vocabulary", "apostate" means whatever the Watchtower says it means right here, right now, in this particular situation. It might say one thing in the Insight Book, but they'll use a whole other definition if it suits them.
They admit the FDS isn't perfect, they make mistakes. But from their standpoint, it's THEIR job to define "truth" and it's the flock's job to accept and obey it. If you show signs of not accepting it, then you're apostate.
Have they asked you, "Do you believe Jehovah is using the Faithful and Discreet Slave to guide his people today?", or words to that effect? As I recall, that's a key question they are supposed to ask when they suspect someone of apostasy. In my experience, the only right answer is "YES!" Anything less counts as a "no".
Good luck!
Dave
14
Look at what they are doing at dub receptions.
by darth frosty in
1. jw
2. friends
well it would be fun.... .

http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?contentid=403233.

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AlmostAtheist

That was SO worth watching -- thank you!
Clickable link: http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentID=403233
Dave
17
The RUSSELL PARADOX
by Terry in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
predestination was jehovah's plan for man.

to heaven or to hell you were assigned.. how troubling this must be!.

wondering where in wise jehovah's plan your mother spent eternity; a bright and sensitive lad might ruminate at night on matters weighing heavy on his heart; why babies died and mothers went away and what might be your destiny in god's grand scheme of things.. the ironies in life!
AlmostAtheist

Thus, was born the Russell Paradox. The most organized religous group would from this seed now spring.
...
Congregational autonomy? When Russell died it joined him in his funeral box.
What a delightful read, Terry. As mentioned, not just the content, but the structure. Thank you so much!
Dave
10
The Nerd Handbook for Non-Nerds
by Paralipomenon in
1. social
2. relationships
http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2007/11/11/the_nerd_handbook.html.

the nerd handbook.

a nerd needs a project because a nerd builds stuff.
AlmostAtheist

Cool.
24
Those That Hate God For Suffering
by writetoknow in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
glory in tribulations.

060905 tuesday, september 05, 2006 daily devotional.

by brent riggs .
AlmostAtheist

It's inevitable that at some point the earth will get smacked by another extinction-event-inducing asteroid. If anyone survives it, I wonder if they will pray to God and thank him for sparing them?
Dave
42
As a teenager what was your 1st car
by XOCO in
1. jw
2. friends
i got my car from an elderly sis from my congo and it only had 52000mi and its a subaru gl-10 wagon '88 it looks just like this.

.
AlmostAtheist

My dad got me a 1978 Plymouth Horizon, like this one:
'cept mine had fake wood-panel sides and a luggage rack! Like a baby station wagon!
Dave
89
How I handled Child Abuse cases when I was an Elder (1996-2006)
by slmdf in
1. watchtower
2. child-abuse
hey ya'll.

i know there is a lot of buzz due to the nbc story.

i thought i'd share my experience as an elder dealing with abuse.. i attended 23 different congregations in my life and served as an elder or ms in 9 of them.
AlmostAtheist

Thank you for sharing this! Succinct and valuable. And brave of you.
>>3.) the family/guardian has every right to go to authorities with no repurcussion.
We had a discussion about this once. A letter to the body of elders made the point that 'the family should not be discouraged from contacting the authorities'. The wording of this was picked apart by some (including me) because it sounded like a back-handed way of saying, "don't encourage the family to go to the authorities." I imagined a conversation like this:
Mother of victim: "Brother Elder, I think we should contact the police. Don't you?"
Elder: "Well Sister, I won't discourage you from doing that, but we haven't handled it congregationally yet. It's your decision, but we do have some ground to cover here."
In the mind of a bOrg drone, 'I won't discourage you, but' is almost equivalent to saying, "No".
Did you get the impression that this was the intent of the "don't discourage" comment, or are we inferring bad intent where none exists?
Thanks again for your insights!
Dave
11
What was the first topic you posted? Have you changed since then?
by coffee_black in
1. jw
2. friends
i've been posting for a long time... sometimes more, sometimes less.

most of us grow over time with the help of other posters... so i thought it would be interesting to look back at your first post or topic... and see how you have changed since you joined the forum.

my first topic was about friendships in and out of the borg..... http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/21785/1.ashx.
AlmostAtheist

I recall saying in one of my early posts, "I think the Watchtower has the right interpretation of the Bible, I just don't believe in the Bible anymore." LOL, yeah, I've changed that view considerably! They have some things clearly wrong, and then there are those things that are subject to interpretation. Funny, isn't it, how completely your viewpoint can change in such a comparatively short time?
Good topic!
Dave