What happened BoC? Could not post earlier? Looks like Talesin had a problem too - is it something I did? I posted with Chrome - wonder if that is the problem
AK - Jeff
JoinedPosts by AK - Jeff
-
41
Who else, besides me?
by AK - Jeff inover the years on jwn i have often found myself hunting through posts of newcomers, hoping against hope i suppose, that the newbie would be one of my former friends in the local congregation down the street.. i just find it hard to imagine that not a soul among these people has taken the courage to investigate their religion and leave like my wife and i have done.. as the local 'active apostate', i also supposed that at any moment some of the 'brothers' would come covertly to my home, knock and say something like " i am out - please let's talk about it, why i left, why you left.
but, none of the above has ever happened.
i did come across a local former jw here, from another congregation, and we have become good friends over the past few years.
-
-
-
41
Who else, besides me?
by AK - Jeff inover the years on jwn i have often found myself hunting through posts of newcomers, hoping against hope i suppose, that the newbie would be one of my former friends in the local congregation down the street.. i just find it hard to imagine that not a soul among these people has taken the courage to investigate their religion and leave like my wife and i have done.. as the local 'active apostate', i also supposed that at any moment some of the 'brothers' would come covertly to my home, knock and say something like " i am out - please let's talk about it, why i left, why you left.
but, none of the above has ever happened.
i did come across a local former jw here, from another congregation, and we have become good friends over the past few years.
-
-
AK - Jeff
Yes, Jgnat, that part is fabulous. I have met wonderful people through this forum. Still, sometimes I wish a car would pull into the drive and a familliar face would emerge looking nervous, waliking swiftly toward my door.....
Jeff
-
41
Who else, besides me?
by AK - Jeff inover the years on jwn i have often found myself hunting through posts of newcomers, hoping against hope i suppose, that the newbie would be one of my former friends in the local congregation down the street.. i just find it hard to imagine that not a soul among these people has taken the courage to investigate their religion and leave like my wife and i have done.. as the local 'active apostate', i also supposed that at any moment some of the 'brothers' would come covertly to my home, knock and say something like " i am out - please let's talk about it, why i left, why you left.
but, none of the above has ever happened.
i did come across a local former jw here, from another congregation, and we have become good friends over the past few years.
-
-
AK - Jeff
Over the years on JWN I have often found myself hunting through posts of newcomers, hoping against hope I suppose, that the newbie would be one of my former friends in the local congregation down the street.
I just find it hard to imagine that not a soul among these people has taken the courage to investigate their religion and leave like my wife and I have done.
As the local 'active apostate', I also supposed that at any moment some of the 'brothers' would come covertly to my home, knock and say something like " I am out - please let's talk about it, why I left, why you left."
But, none of the above has ever happened. I did come across a local former Jw here, from another congregation, and we have become good friends over the past few years. And of course I have made new friends from, among other places, this forum.
Something continues to yearn inside for some of those whom I considered for decades to be more than family.
Anyone else have this happen to them?
BTW, I am no newbie, as most know, but some may not know. I have been out of the bOrg now for nearly 9 years, but to this date on occasion i see a thread that introduces a newbie here, and I find myself scouring his/her posts to see if just maybe this person is one of my former commrades.
Jeff
-
-
-
AK - Jeff
Oldgenerationdude: If you wish to be offended, then at least read the context of that of which you wish to bitch! There is nothing anti-semetic in references to the source material from which much of western religion takes its lead. Your suggestion of such is a red herring to this argument - but I suspect you were well aware of that before you stated it.
Jeff
-
-
-
AK - Jeff
One example: A few days back, amidst the excitement of the Higgs Boson discovery, I mentioned it to a Christian friend. Her reaction [out of obvious ignorance of the science] was " Well, I can't believe anything like that. I am a Christian."
I mean Really? Delusion overrides the science that may explain mass? Religion does a fine job of dumbing down its adherants. The eventual survival of our species is endangered by a population of ignorants who prefer to believe in unprovable invisible friends over reality.
Yes, that should be offensive to those who think the human brain is more than a receptacle for ancient Jewish legends and hymns.
Jeff
-
-
-
-
14
"Amish - Out of Order"...Have you watched this show???
by freshstart init comes on the national geographic channel and it's about young people who choose to leave the amish faith/way of life, the backlash from their families, and their adjustment to the "outside" world.
it's fascinating for me to watch.
some of the experiences are unique to amish, but so much of it is similar to what people feel when they decide they no longer want to be witnesses.
-
-
AK - Jeff
I have been watching it. The similarites to JW's is clear. In many ways I think the Amish situation may be even worse than JW for those who leave. At least with Jw we were already immersed into modern life before we left. For the Amish it must be like leaving planet earth and going to Mars.
I think the emotional difficulties of the Amish young people who leave must be very similar to those experienced by JW's. Like Jw's, seems like some go overboard and cause themselves pain before they settle into life sans Amish tradition.
Jeff
-
81
How Did You Become An Atheist?
by NewChapter insince there seem to be a number of threads in this spirit, i'd like to ask how others became atheists.
for myself, i learned some things that made me understand the bible wasn't true.
i looked deeper, and it became even more unlikely.
-
-
AK - Jeff
NewChap - I could have written almost the same thing regarding my journey.
I think the steps were roughly as follows:
1- Jehovahs' Witnesses were wrong.
2- Investigated a few churches and saw the same mindset/attitudes/worldviews.
3- Investigated the Bible and found it full of inconsistencies/fallacies/mythological magic.
4- Looked at religion in general and saw the same.
5- Began a serious look at the god concept[s] and found them wanting.
6- Looked at science and found it was sufficient to explain Homo-sapiens, our earth, the physics that control and create it.
It took a couple of years after that before I was comfortable with the 'Atheist' moniker, but eventually saw the need to call a spade a spade.
One point in your initial post caught my eye.
Then I paid attention to how believers expressed themselves. I saw with everyone of them a kind of denial to evidence---a certain amount of acrobatics their brains did to force everything to fit into their belief systems. It was uncomfortable to watch and continues to be.
Just last week, I was excited to hear and read about the news of the confirmation of the Higgs Boson from data extrapolated from the Large Hadron Collider. One nice Christian lady whom I know, reacted by saying "Well as a Christian I cant believe any of THAT!" This in spite of the fact that I am sure she didn't understand a word of it - but the application of the term 'God Particle' by some news articles repelled her to not ever TRY and understand that this could be one of the most significant discoveries in decades. The whole experience took me back instantly to a time when everyone around me was just as willingly ignorant.
This realization a few years back made it clear to me that ALL religion and the very concept of God combine to work against progress for our species and the planet and civilization in general.
Jeff
-
28
Do you have an invisible friend who talks to you?
by Glander inthis would be considered a strong indicator of mental illness.
but if it causes you or others no concern it can be quite harmless.. .
-
-
AK - Jeff
Didn't express that well, upon review. Still, I think the point is made.
Jeff
-
28
Do you have an invisible friend who talks to you?
by Glander inthis would be considered a strong indicator of mental illness.
but if it causes you or others no concern it can be quite harmless.. .
-
-
AK - Jeff
Billions talk to an invisible friend who has never been demonstrated to be real - and take offense if you suggest this simple fact to them.
Funny - if one calls that 'friend' Jesus, or God, or Allah, or another 'accepted' moniker, he is considered perfectly 'normal' for so doing, even though that 'friend' never speaks back to them audibly. Most who claim to hear a return speaker are viewed as having mental illness.
Seems like the inverse should be true, really. Speaking to invisible friends who never answer seems a bit more insane to me.
Wanna really be viewed as 'insane'? Be atheistic toward the whole idea of these invisible 'friends'.
SO, accepting reality only is INSANE in the eyes of society that wishes to indulge acceptance of foolish invisble friends.
The whole thing is ludicrous if one dares think it through for a moment.
Jeff
