steve2

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Posts by steve2

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  13

  False prophets, and proud of it

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the latest wt celebrates the 100th anniversary of 1920 with an article about what happened that year:.

  on march 21, 1920, joseph f. ruther-ford .

  spoke on the subject“millions now living will never die.” the bi-ble students left no stone unturned in theirquest to invite interested ones to this event.they rented one of the largest theaters innew york city and distributed some 320,-000 invitations.the public responded beyond all expecta-tions.

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  steve2

  And not a peep about Beth Sarim, the mansion purchased with Watchtower money on the pretext that resurrected individuals like King David and prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah would dwell there - but in the meantime Rutherford saw out his later years living there in the lap of luxury.
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  38

  Where Is BLONDIE?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i might have missed this but blondie was always one of the best posters here.

  her analysis and commentary was spot on.. is everything ok with her?

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  steve2

  No big deal really - we all journey in a way that works for us. I'll miss her fantastic knowledge, wisdom and wide experience which she ably communicated.
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  80

  Quit Quietly now more than ever

  by gone for good in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the amazing exoneration of info sekta in swiss court has finally reinforced the proper way to exit an abusive cult.. never write a letter of disassociation.

  - no need to invoke shepherding or judicial action from elders.

  make a written, dated statement of your free-will choice to have abandoned the jw religion - secure this document with a friend -a trusted friend (not the jw kind).

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  steve2

  Make a written, dated statement of your free-will choice to have abandoned the JW religion - secure this document with a friend -a trusted friend (not the JW kind). This document is your proof of having exercised your right to freedom of religion - a right guaranteed you by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Article 18.

  Not a good idea to leave your dated, signed statement with a trusted friend. It is hardly likely to carry any legal weight.

  If you must sign a document, get its contents verified paragraph-by-paragraph and co-signed by a current Justice of the Peace or a registered legal professional.
  
  
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  9

  JW vs. Mormon with regards to homosexuality

  by Downtowner in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i find it ironic that jw.org publishes an article about homosexuality on the day i received july 2020 issue if the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints magazine "ensign" which also has an article on same-sex attraction.

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  regardless, the lds article comes across as more caring than the jw article although in the end members in good standing cannot act upon their same-sex attraction in either religion..

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  steve2

  JWs often talk about homosexuality but have very little to say one-to-one to homosexuals. In the Sophie video, her mother talks in a roundabout way to Sophie about what homosexuals need to do to get into the kingdom. Similarly, in the video featuring a virtuous young sister who is angrily confronted by a worldly woman (naturally) because the sister will not wear an arm bracelet in support of alternate lifestyles: It is a message about homosexuals to JWs about maintaining their stand in non-JW environments.

  This tells me JWs have very little positive they want to share with non-heterosexuals: it's as if they cannot bring themselves to talk to the very people whose lifestyles they condemn. A moist off-putting approach.
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  37

  Weekly Meeting Importance Being Reduced - Your Thoughts?

  by JWTom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am pimo, but now have 40+ years of being a jw as i was raised in a 3rd generation family of witnesses and continue to fake my way through things - fading as i can.. for the vast majority of my time as a jw, the meetings were the central focus for all jws to get teaching, association, information and so on.

  nothing was more important than being at the meetings!

  over the last 20 years starting with the elimination of the weekly book study in homes and continuing down to today - my opinion is that the value/purpose of the weekly meetings continues to be diluted or minimized.

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  steve2

  Very informative OP.

  I think that one of the major reasons meetings do not appear to be as vital or unmissable as they perhaps were in the past is due to the continued "delay" in the foretold "end of this system of things"

  From a human survival point of view, it is extremely hard to keep up the hope in something that is called "urgent" decade after decade after decade and not feel seriously "let down" as you get older and older.

  People can't help but think about all the sacrifices they made as young JWs (no higher education, no "worldly" career, no retirement savings or funds, no children, serving as pioneers for decades barely getting by financially, etc.). JWs do not expect to grow old and die in this system - yet that is exactly what is happening, generation after generation after generation.

  My maternal grandparents started affiliating with the organization in the mid to late 1920s when its followers were known as "Bible Students". They were so convinced the end was so very near that they never bought their own house but remained tenants until they died in the 1970s. All of their children, including those who remained in the organization, had seen how frugally their JW parents lived their lives and subsequently decided not to be tenants but property owners. The second, third and now fourth and fifth generations of JWs have become progressively more nominal. The zeal and enthusiasm has gone - even thought a significant number remain in the organization.

  It recalls exactly what is stated at Proverbs 13:12:

  "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

  This utter nonsense about the world ending needed to have happened well before now, given their founder, Charles Russell, predicted in the 1880s that the furthest reach of the time of the end would be 1914. It was only later followers who changed that expectation to 1914 being the beginning of the time of the end and now, given that the generation who witnesses World War One has passed away, they shore up belief in 1914 by introducing the unBiblical concept of "overlapping generations".
  
  
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  24

  Another heart-worming story

  by StephaneLaliberte in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  today, i got an email from an old friend with a story told by brother andre ramseyer who attended training at patterson in england.

  a service dog regularly attended the meetings with his owner.

  when the owner passed away, the dog was given to another blind man.

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  steve2

  This is not the first story I have heard where the dog starts a Bible study; however, I started to wonder about these stories when I heard the dog started answering during the Watchtower Study: One bark for yes, two for no and five quick barks for Jehovah. That about covers the full range of answers for the Watchtower Study.

  That said, I may well start going to meetings again if they can show me that a dog now conducts the Watchtower Study.
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  49

  MANUAL!--2020-04 SFL.

  by Atlantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2020-04-addendum letter.. https://docdro.id/n0hm6tg.

  2020-04 shepherd the flock of god elder manual.

  https://docdro.id/llechtz.

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  steve2

  I flicked through, reading entire sections here and there along the way.

  Rules, rules and more rules.

  I took a couple of Panadol to relieve the ensuing headache. Ineffective. I will have to wait out the throbbing pain

  I can only imagine the impact on elders who have still got a shred of active brain capacity and a conscience.

  In the chapter on Child Abuse, one phrase is repeated ad nauseum: First phone the Branch Office. A man-made high control religion has its priorities - of course.
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  6

  Another One Bites The Dust.

  by Lost in the fog in

  1. social
  2. current

  from a kingdom hall to a new day care center.

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  https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/news/from-a-kingdom-hall-to-a-new-day-care-1.24117155.

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  steve2

  You could argue that the change of hands from kingdom hall to day care center isn't that great. Both would share about the same intellectual capacity for starters.
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  41

  Happy 20th Birthday to JWD / JWN

  by Simon in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  as sgt pepper sang, "it was 20 years ago today" ... that i made my first post on my first forum.. i obviously didn't put too much thought into what it should say although i must have burned 45 posts testing things and was too lazy to reset the counter before going live (?):.

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/46/welcome.

  but somehow, it worked and grew and here we all are, 20 years on.

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  steve2

  This October it will have been 15 years since I joined. My avatar says it all: Give me music and you'll get a big smile from me.

  An excellent, informative, often challenging and occasionally infuriating forum. It's not necessarily for the fainted-hearted, but can be instrumental in helping the faint-hearted kick start their fade.

  I like that it has room for a number of different viewpoints and that Simon wastes no niceties on posters who flout the standard rules for posting. I've seen a number of posters take exception and leave in high drama. I've seen even more share their views over the years as they've reached out to share their wisdom, knowledge and experience.

  Thank you Simon for standing by your website and growing bolder in your views with each passing years. And thank you in particular for allowing us to be your guests. Best wishes over the next many, many years.
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  18

  Interesting piece about Stephen Lett and family: property developers

  by Diogenesister in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  another very well researched programme by the blue envelope exploring stephen lett's bio and his family interest in property.

  interestingly his parents were pioneering until the new service year 1975 , when they immediately changed tack and began investing in properties along the gulf coast.

  once again, highly recommended veiwing.. https://youtu.be/9qh0jbvsdrc.

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  steve2

  This just in from Lett's parents: "Please, please, don't blame us".