blondie:
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Posts by Etude
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14I need sources for all the times JWs have expected Harmageddon
by Etude ini expect that 2 new jw guys in the area are going to revisit me.
the left some brochures emphasizing how bad the world is and talking about the end.
i need to break through with examples (wt articles, publication excerpts, etc) so that they can gag a bit.
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I need sources for all the times JWs have expected Harmageddon
by Etude ini expect that 2 new jw guys in the area are going to revisit me.
the left some brochures emphasizing how bad the world is and talking about the end.
i need to break through with examples (wt articles, publication excerpts, etc) so that they can gag a bit.
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Etude
Thank you, everyone, for the information and commentaries. I didn't particularly want them to go away and keep on with their beliefs. In the past, I've brought up the Mexico/Malawi issue, but they just claim ignorance and I'm left with the feeling they're not going to run home and look it up.
I thought I would concentrate more on stuff they're familiar with. Since they're telling me how bad things are, I pointed out specific examples of the good that is happening around the world. That made them a bit uneasy admitting it. They had asked me what God thinks about the problems in the world. I responded by saying "not much," since he doesn't seem to be around and talk to us about it. Then they trot out the Bible to quote what he said. I said that, if they are His, those words are thousands of years old, and he hasn't said or done much lately.
So, I sought to engage them with what they feel the future will be by bringing up what their predictions of the future have been. I also want to hand them a resumé of what they explain now will happen next. It may seem I´m a glutton for punishment because, in the end, I may not change any minds. But for me, it´s an exercise in polemics and my ability to argue. I´m just not great with popping sources out of my head.
Thanks.
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I need sources for all the times JWs have expected Harmageddon
by Etude ini expect that 2 new jw guys in the area are going to revisit me.
the left some brochures emphasizing how bad the world is and talking about the end.
i need to break through with examples (wt articles, publication excerpts, etc) so that they can gag a bit.
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Etude
Hi all:
I expect that 2 new JW guys in the area are going to revisit me. The left some brochures emphasizing how bad the world is and talking about the end. I need to break through with examples (WT articles, publication excerpts, etc) so that they can gag a bit. I have encountered this info before but am pressed for time. Can anyone help? Point me to past threads of any publication that encompasses this them.
Thanks
Etude.
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25
The subtle , yet massive change of Matt 5:32 in the "New" New World Translation
by stuckinarut2 inso i noticed this change in the text of the new silver nwt compared to the older nwt at matthew 5:32. old nwt:.
"however, i say to you that everyone divorcing his wife , except on the grounds of fornication makes her a subject for adultery...etc" .
new nwt:.
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The subtle , yet massive change of Matt 5:32 in the "New" New World Translation
by stuckinarut2 inso i noticed this change in the text of the new silver nwt compared to the older nwt at matthew 5:32. old nwt:.
"however, i say to you that everyone divorcing his wife , except on the grounds of fornication makes her a subject for adultery...etc" .
new nwt:.
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Etude
Perhaps the reason would be to eliminate their embarrassment of having to uphold marriage under certain circumstances. If I recall correctly, there was a case when a wife caught her husband screwing the bacon. He was having sex with the farm pig. She refused to be with him from that point onward. But, because it was "technically" not "adultery", she was excommunicated for divorcing the husband. The incident screams of a stupid application to an obviously justifiable moral (ethical) quandary. But the change brings up new problems because now, one can be disfellowshiped for greasing ones pole.
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Paradise After Death:Mark Twain calls out some of the stupider ideas-
by Captain Schmideo2 in"in paradise, i am going to visit [insert favorite bible character here]" - said at least once in their life by every devout jw.now, for some hard, cold practicalities-excerpt from "captain stormfield's visit to heaven"“oh, there are a lot of such things that people expect and don’t get.
for instance, there’s a brooklyn preacher by the name of talmage, who is laying up a considerable disappointment for himself.
there’s millions of people down there on earth that are promising themselves the same thing.
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Etude
Oh, it seems very easy to me. Firstly, there's no time constraint. After all, they have all eternity ahead of them to do it. No sense of time to finish. Then, there's the matter of food. You don't eat in heaven, for God's sake! You're sustained by the "glory of God." No chicken nuggets or strawberry shakes necessary there, even if that would be heaven to you. The "Golden Arches" will probably not make an appearance in heaven. Which means, there are no tacos in heaven. Also, there's no sweating in heaven. C'mon. God doesn't want an armpit in heaven who offends anybody. I mean, it's HEAVEN! You don't have to stop and take a shit or piss between hugs. Those are things of the flesh no longer a part of heaven. The question is: after you've done it and hugged everyone you wanted, what do you do next? Beats the crap out of me.
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my 25 year anniversary of life after the WTS
by jookbeard inits been a hell of a journey and not one i regret, i've had my testimony featured in free minds, married divorced, married again had 2 children, survived a very serious illness and come out just about unscathed.
it all started sometime in the early 1990's around the time of the waco siege, i just couldn't accept these crazy doctrines anymore of the belief system i was born into, the death and destruction of billions, the big a, the restoring of the earth to a paradise and the even bigger lie of a resurrection of billions, come early 1993 i had decided to fade, i attended the memorial of that year and decided never ever to return and i never did, come 1994 i had really hit rock bottom, divorced the following year, moved away,started a new career, a new life, the rest they say is history, anyone reading this and having similar thoughts, go for it!
you wont regret it..
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Etude
In 1982, after receiving no answer from headquarters to my letter about Mexico/Malawi.
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Introduce myself
by dantoole87 ini'd like share why i went from being a teenager determined to work in full time service for jehovah my entire life, to now being on here commiserating with you all.
i use to be an atheist but i now believe in god.
but i'm not preachy about god.
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Etude
Your tale is very comprehensive, dantoole87. You capture very well the pettiness and over-lording of elders. But you are not alone in representing this issue. That is why I would disagree with you on one statement:
"JW's could be a very good productive religion."
Their entire platform is conducive to all that you describe happened to you. If there are people still in it, it is because they're either masochistic or are still brainwashed. I liken saying it's a good productive religion with saying the plague is a good and productive disease because it kills the weak. There is nothing redeemable about that religion. Are there good people in it? Sure. Can some people in it do good works? Yes. Can they even promote good values? Absolutely. But so can the rest of the world, atheists and Flat-Earth believers, Shintoists and Xtians, famous people and the vast unknown sea of individuals. The operative word here is "PEOPLE." When it starts to muddle up into an "organization", it's time to run.
By its very structure, the congregations end up being currupted either by all members or by a few with delusions of power. They end up turning into, as you describe, "assholes" and "yes men." Still, it's a pity that you had to experience all you have and I wish the best for you as you move forward in life.
You managed to revive in me the same anger you feel when looking back at the experiences we share with elder assholes and super-fine brown-nosers. It's been a while for me, but I've mostly shed my fury at those people. Although I wish they'd disappear from the face of the Earth as an organization, their works will eventually catch up to them. All the best to you in your endeavors.
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Talking Janet Jackson and Religious Freedom with the Wife
by OnTheWayOut inmy recent sidewalk discussion with a couple of jw's has gotten me in the mood to say more when appropriate.so the wife and i were riding in the car and cat stevens comes on.
i mentioned to her that cat stevens left music when he was still popular and converted to islam back in the 1970's- how he was told that his music would have to be morally acceptable and he found it easier to just abandon making new music for at least 20 years.
so i didn't really remember all the details and i figured the conversation would die.
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Etude
OnTheWayOut:
Great conversation. You are fortunate that you have someone you can speak to congenially. If she was quiet after your comparison, something was rolling around in her mind. Hopefully, it will fall into the hole it belongs to sometime in the future. I don't have much luck talking to people with JW ideas (like family) or with other religious fanatics. Good for you!
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Gas or Electric Stove
by just fine ini am getting new appliances.
i have decided on black stainless for the finish.
the house is stubbed for gas and electric for the range.
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Etude
I've had both. Definitely gas. It just cooks better because I feel I can control it better. It's also cheaper in most places.
Etude.